We kicked around names like "Lady Liberty", "Wyoming Winds", "Freedom" and other lofty sounding phrases that would capture our sense of wandering wonder. We were full of plans.
Those plans didn't include getting such a late start because we'd had trouble with our tow gear. As a result, we arrived at our first RV campground EVER sometime around 10:30 PM. In the pitch black. We pulled in, were shown our space by a kind man who'd waited for us to arrive, and then while parking we backed up. With our car still fully connected to the tow.
Veteran RV'ers know what a mistake this is. We were now good and stuck. Not only stuck but also stuck partially on the site of another camper. Stuck with no idea how to disengage our tow gear because what we were looking at was nothing like the perfect straight flat surfaced tow environment we'd been practicing on.
Our temporary neighbor crushed a beer can and came over to help, laughing mightily. The campground manager (the one who'd waited up for us) shook his head and wandered back over. There stood Chris and the two men as they all attempted to defy the laws of tow physics and get us unstuck. I stood there and apologized repeatedly, knowing that I had absolutely no idea how the fix this situation as I'd been mostly focused on fixing up the inside.
These two complete strangers helped us out with good humor and after it was all finally unstuck and I was still apologizing, one of them grinned at me and said "no worries. You're one of us now. "
What I didn't understand until then was that by buying our RV, we'd committed to a lifestyle - even if for only a few weeks a year - that had its own special sense of community. We weren't "renters." We were owners.
It felt right.
It felt like home.
And I understood what my good friend Vivian meant when she observed that I'd been speaking of the RV as if it were my home - not a vehicle. The woman who preferred to rent and not buy so that she wouldn't feel stuck had finally encountered what might be a perfect home for her - a house on wheels.
I don't remember if our campground was in Indiana or Ohio that first night. I know we'd intended to be in Indiana but I can't imagine how we got any further than Ohio given the miles. I do remember being grateful for the kindness of strangers. And the name we gave our new home.
She has been "The Beast" since that first night...even though we refused to admit it for at least 20 more states.
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