I'm already laughing remembering how my first
Ventura days unfolded!
In my 40s, my willingness to continue tenting had diminished significantly - even without the preschooler mocking how long it took to do everything myself. Admiring the glampers on Pinterest, I started thinking about acquiring a small trailer. I'd had a pop-up many years previous. With great joy (and no research) I purchased a 13ft 1979 (I think)
Ventura this past June. Piece of cake, I thought, afterall, I've been hauling trailers and campers for years
.
Delayed Onset Ex-husband Appreciation could be the subtitle for this thread! While I have had all this experience towing various items for my hobby mechanic ex, I soon discovered that I didn't have ALL the experience required
. It is a different world when the super experienced are not standing nearby adding instructions along the way!
Shortly after the trailer was delivered I took it for a drive around my neighbourhood to see how it tows and get acquainted with the balance. I should have used that time to google 10 Things You Must Do Before You Tow!
Hooking up to my vehicle was easy. Did the
electrical check and a walk around before pulling away. I felt confident (like a bloody rock star to be honest!) in the first moments driving straight down my street. Took a nice wide right turn and cheered when I saw the blinkers flashing in the side view mirror. "This baby is ready for a weekend excursion already!"
Took another wide right turn on the next block. More success. I was driving slowly on a residential street, feeling the pull of extra
weight, listening to the new sounds and looking to what I could see in my side view mirrors. I noted the first adjustment necessary: the Rogue mirrors were a little small as I preferred to be able to see the top of the trailer also.
As I was looking in the mirrors, driving forward, I drove over a significant bump and perked up to note how the trailer would bob since I knew it wasn't going to be in unison with the SUV.
There was a really loud BANG
and then the SUV was pulled back and then another BANG finally ending in metal on concrete squealing and a CRASH
. Everything came to a halt!
The trailer had unhitched! It was tilted forward with the tongue resting well underneath my bumper. The
propane tank was firmly embedded in the bumper. People came running out of their houses. I was terribly confused
. What happened?
After surveying the scene and asking lots of questions, one of the neighbours (a professional truck driver) stood next to me and said "Young lady, you didn't raise that jack on the tongue." And I was stunned. The jack on the tongue goes up? Really? Who knew?
After repairs, some new parts and dislodging the
propane tank, I did take the
Ventura for a weekend excursion to Whiteshell Provincial Park. Using a checklist made the whole process safer! That weekend was not uneventful - think lots of rain and a mudslide in my spot - but that's a story for another day!
I'm looking forward to another summer Ventura-ing!