Halloween RV Horror Stories 2022!

5 months ago
Tara

Welcome to our second annual RV Horror Stories for Halloween! 🎃 This year, with special guests Kyle and Renee from Happily Ever Hanks! 😀

Below are the submissions we read in the video as well as ones that didn't make the time cut.

Lori Moss & Traveler Wendell

We were f/t for about 9 months and had not learned enough about everything, but we DID know not to leave our awning out unattended. Meaning if we left the campsite we brought it in. But if we were home, we wouldn't really worry too much. One day, we were sitting inside, having just finished lunch, when an apparent microburst attacked our awning…we literally flew out the door, and my husband grabbed the awning cross piece, hanging on for dear life, all the while yelling at me to “Pull it in!!!!” And I, being the calm, obedient spouse, was pressing the button for all I was worth, also yelling “It is not working! It's not working!” That burst quite dramatically lifted him right off the ground! 

(To be honest, it was a very funny sight, and he later admitted it helped his sore back to be stretched like that.)

To make a long story just a tad shorter, he ended up losing his grip, at which point the awning rolled up, just as sweet as you could ask for…that is when we realized that the motor/mechanism that brought the awning in was in the roll on the outside…and he had been preventing it from working by hanging on to it. 

Richard and Melinda Roberts (North Port FL)

My wife and I have been RVing our whole life and have never had any really bad experiences until now.  We are always maintaining, washing, waxing, and servicing our camper and truck.  Being a Florida resident for 6 years (originally from Connecticut), we thought we would protect our investment in our 2020 40ft fifth wheel toy hauler from the Florida Sun and rain.  We had an RV carport installed on our property alongside our home.  It did its job keeping the hot Sun and heavy rain off it until now….

The RV horror, Hurricane Ian.

 We filled our water tanks and grey tanks for extra weight, approx 1200 lbs, we made sure all the jacks were down and secure.  We chose to stay in our home as we did not have a mandatory evacuation.  Storm shutters were up, the generator was ready, and gas, food, and water were bought.  

 Ian starts with rain and winds, the RV carport flexing a little.  A few hours later, all the supports broke and the building was hitting the fifth wheel.  Every gust of wind it slams into the camper and there was nothing we could do about it.  Some of the bracing brackets broke off and pierced the roof, we have many holes in the roof and sides….. a nightmare!

You try to protect your investment, and this is what happens.  We are ok our home had minor damage.  The RV can be repaired.  After all the repairs are done,  we will be on the road again.

Jessica and Lee Walden

So picture this funny and scary story, that anyone just starting out can learn from.  We have been full-time now for about 3-months. We learned that our grey tanks fill up really fast and we needed a solution while we are not on full hookups. We went out and bought a Barker Tote-Along Portable Waste tank… I like to call the “Shit Tote” lol.  

Let me give you some backstory. We are staying at an Army Corp of Engineers campground, with some very steep hills that you need to go up and down while towing your Portable Waste Tank.  Now, this tote connects over the ball of your receiver hitch on your truck… The instructions say not to tow over 5 MPH, which i followed to a “T”.  What they did not tell you is this…. That this baby can come unhooked if towing down a steep decline while it is full…. So picture this if you will… here i am minding my own business towing this Tote at 5 MPH down a steep incline and i look to my left and this Tote passes me,  flying out in front of me and launching over a bank and slams into a tree lol…..   I’m like OMG!! 

I got very lucky that there was not a campsite in front of me or it would have done some SCARY damage to the camper parked in that spot.  To this day Jessica and I still laugh about it. What I suggest you do is not only put the Tote over the ball of the receiver hitch but somehow lock it to the truck.  A pintle hook receiver would be perfect for this application.  

Donald

There are many travel trailers and other trailers being stolen these days along the southern border states.  I had a large trailer stolen from the RV storage area in the RV park where I am currently living in while hunting for a house. My rig was a second choice because the first rig had disconnected the battery. 2 other rigs were stolen since my rig. And guess what the storage contract clause has in it?

You can prevent or minimize your exposure by doing the following to reduce your risk.

  • Place a good hitch lock on your rig. Not just a lightweight lock on your hitch.
  • Use X-chocks that lock in place.
  • If you have electric jacks, disconnect the battery after you have the jack in it place and your electric or hydraulic stabilizers down.
  • If you have manual stabilizers, crank them down.
  • Run heavy cables through the wheels.
  • If you can use a large chain to a large pole, fence, or another trailer.
  • Place a GPS tracking device on your roof area to better track it if it does disappear.
  • Someone mentioned to me they were planning to remove all their wheel nuts. That does raise the risk of other issues.
  • Letting the air pressure out of the tires. If running low, the hope would be a tire blowout and the robber must deal with changing tires and being seen. Fully flat, does deter but in either case, you would have to air them back up before moving it.
  • Placing your axles on blocks.

Mike & Connie Birkmire (North Carolina)

On the way home from a camping trip to Myrtle Beach, I had a camper tire blowout. Our camping buddies behind us called on the radio and let us know, so we pulled over, changed the tire, and got ready to drive off – kids were happily enjoying snacks in the back seat, etc and to my HORROR found that I had left our truck in DRIVE the whole time!!! Never put it in Park or set the e-brake! The rig was on a bit of an uphill incline and that saved the day along with the grace of God!

Kevin Brownlee with BJC-RV

I was inspecting an RV in a campground and the guy in the camper next to me kept asking me questions as he was draining his tanks. I noticed he started flushing his black tank by closing the valve, letting it fill up, then drain it when full, so I mentioned he should set a timer on his phone to remind him when to open the valve to not overfill (he was paying more attention to what I was doing than his flushing job). He did so on his phone, and proceeded to talk and talk and ask questions as I was trying to do the inspection “next door”. After some time I became concerned and asked him to check his time…just then “water” started running over the roof of his RV and down the sides.  “Oh CRAP!” he shouted… “I set my phone for 4 HOURS, not 4 minutes!”  Black tank flush water had filled his tank and worked its way up the vent pipe to the roof and spilled over.  What a mess.

John

After spending a few days visiting with friends in Byrdstown, Tennessee, I headed west for Wyoming on I-40.

At about 5:30 (rush hour) the left rear tire and hub decided to leave me and rolled into the median and proceeded to set the grass on fire.   Within minutes a state trooper coming east pulled over and managed to extinguish the flames.    A few minutes later he pulled up behind me and ended up giving me a 25 m.p.h. escort to the nearest truck weigh station about 6 miles away (the brake backing plate scraping the pavement with every bump and dip in the road). 

After spending 3 futile days chasing parts with no success I decided to try to get to the nearest RV dealership, some 50 miles away.   I had spare wheel bearings with me, and although the hub was missing 3/4 of the surface that contacts the brake shoes, as well as some of what held the grease seal in place, I figured that if I could get the grease seal in place, that it would stay.  I removed the brake backing plate and broke away what was left of the braking surface of the drum and reassembled it.  It was on a Sunday that I limped into the RV dealership which was closed. So I camped outside of their gate and waited for them to show up the next day.    They promptly came to me, and I asked them to give a damage estimate and how long it would take to fix it.   Oh!   I forgot to mention that before the wheel set the grass afire, it rolled up under the back of the rig and tore the back wall away from the floor.   They came back with a $7000 plus estimate and news that they could not get to the repair work for 3 months.   At that point, I asked him to work out a trade-in value while I went shopping in his backyard.   

This horror story had a happy ending, in that I was able to continue my summer trip and was blessed enough to be able to do it in a brand-new rig. 

Dave & Joanne Johnson

In December 2017, we woke up and were eating breakfast when my cousin who lives in Anaheim calls and asked if we had looked out the windows. We were in a campground north of LA near Santa Clarita.   He said you might want to look, he had just heard there was a fire in our area.  I opened the door to our RV ad the sky was gray, and the smoke and ash were high in the sky going over us.   There were small bits of ash starting to collect on my truck.  I got dressed and walked up to the RV Park office and asked for some guidance.  They had not been advised to do anything as of yet.  So we made a decision!   We grabbed the minimum stuff, a change of clothes, the dog, and my wife’s hair dryer (Very Important) and got in the truck, and headed to our son's house in Glendale.  Better safe than sorry!  Our campground was about a mile west of I5.  As we got on I5 heading south we could see the fire was burning right along the northbound lanes maybe 20-30 yards wide.  The winds that day were gusting from 40-70 MPH.  It is amazing how far the winds can lift and carry burning embers.  The fire jumped the 16 lanes of I5 and was heading right for our campground and just a little north of the 6 Flags Amusement park!    Once we got to our son's house we turned on the TV to find out they had closed I5 and had called for an evacuation of the campground where our RV was located.  We stayed at our kid's house for two nights.  Once they reopened I5, we headed back to see if we had anything left. 

When we got to the campground, two police cars were blocking the entrance.   The sky was clear and there was no smoke in the area, but we were told we could not get in.  I told them we were from NY and we really needed to understand if we had anything left, as were a long way from home and need to understand our path forward.  They made us sign a waiver that said if the fire flared back up, there would be no attempt to come to get us.  Once we got into the campground, everything seemed to be just as we had left it.  Our RV had yellow tape on the door handles, I assume that was verified there was no one left inside?  I got up on the roof to see if I had burn marks, all seemed to be in good shape.  As I looked roughly 100 yards south of the RV park, everything was burned black.  Over 6000 acres were cleared and charred.   It appeared the firefighters had protected the RV park and just let the rolling hills burn.  We decided to hook up the RV and take our chances elsewhere.  Just as I stored all the hoses and hooked up, they lifted the ban on returning to the park, and a number of folks came pouring back into the campground.  So we set back up and stayed there till mid-March.  The very next day, they had a small flare-up at the west end of the RV park, but the firefighters were all over it, and a helicopter came in and put it out very quickly!

Larry and Sandi Hillman

Over the summer, we visited one of our favorite campgrounds, Sun Outdoors Rehoboth Bay, AKA Massey’s Landing. It was a three-night stay, the first night there was my wife Sandi’s birthday. We are a few hours away and got there a bit early. We checked in, and I was excited that we got down early with surprisingly little traffic. I was eager to set up and start celebrating my wife’s birthday, and enjoying the resort’s tiki bar, basically having the full day to enjoy ourselves. 

I have a Reflection fifth wheel and handle the exterior setup while my wife and kids handle the inside and wrangling the dogs. I was moving back and forth, setting the shore cable after unhitching and chocking the wheels. I grabbed the x-chocks, ready to set them on the slide side, as soon as I heard the beep of the successful auto level. I heard the beep and immediately placed the x-chock like I was changing a tire in a NASCAR pit crew. 

I began my dash for the camp side, x-chock in hand, taking the shortest path possible, under the pin box. As visions of a completed setup were coming into view, BAM! I was knocked back off my feet onto my rear end, something had hit me in the head! I had smashed the top of my head on the pinbox! My daughter witnessed it and had that awkward moment of “should I laugh or be concerned”. I reached up and felt my scalp, hoping to feel only a bump. No such luck, blood. I grabbed a towel and finished setting up the outside, contemplating leaving it be or making a 30-minute trip to the ER. My decision was made when I went to rinse it off in the shower and felt it “flap.” Off to the hospital, leaving my family at the resort to make the best of it while I was gone. 

It’s a community hospital and it was BUSY! after finally getting in for treatment, I was stapled up in the hallway. The nurse who helped treat me was a traveling nurse, and I was injured in an RV-related incident, so it kinda felt like I was hanging with the Hanks! Seven hours and eight staples later, I arrived back at the campground. Lesson learned, don’t rush, especially walking, or in my case, running under the pinbox. Great meeting you at the Hershey show I was the one wearing the Maverick/Goose 2020 shirt.

Jeff and Miranda

We were in Fredericksburg, Texas (highly recommend visiting, even after this story).  We were in an RV park that is more in town than in the country. We had some friends come to visit and they got there after midnight and we were up talking.  I (Jeff) was standing near the main door (we have a Momentum 397th), and I heard what sounded like a TV on.  I had been playing around with the outside TV earlier in the day in preparation to watch the Superbowl so I thought I had left the TV on outside.  I open the door and immediately hear the sound coming from underneath the front of the RV; as I swing the door more, I see a man lying under the RV on his back, watching a video on his phone! (the source of the sound).  I yell, what are you doing under there?  As he started to get up, I realized that all he had on was some white boxers; it was February and 30 degrees outside.  I yell some more, and he finally runs away. A quick call to the Fredericksburg police and 10+ police cars were there in no time, and they found him close by.  Needless to say, we were all a little spooked.  A reminder to have good situational awareness.  

Stephanie and Mike Boyle (Hop Pin and Go)

Mike worked 36 hours on his duty shift the other day. Dobby had just been neutered and was a mess, so I hadn't slept either. We are normally in bed no later than 10 pm, but we watched a movie with the kids that ran late, so it was 11 pm as Mike and I were juuuuust shutting our eyes.

At 11:15 pm, the speaker in our bedroom starts BLASTING “Private Eyes”. We jump awake and turn off the speaker all like WWWWTTTFFFF. And then the speaker shows “BT Connected – Tina” and then again, BLASTING “Private Eyes.”

Mike is frantically trying to update the software of the speaker to password-protect it… needs to download the app… I'm trying to disconnect Tina's connection every 2 minutes… PRIVATE EYES ARE WATCHING YOU… Me yelling “WHO THE HELL IS TINA?!” Mike still trying to password-protect the speaker… Mike is yelling KNOCK THIS SH!$ OFF TINA!!!…. Now I'm paranoid it's a distraction to steal something (like our chained bikes) on our site, so I'm checking all of our cameras and the entire perimeter of our site….  cuts in — blasting — PRIVATE EYES ARE WATCHING YOU… Over and over again, we boot Tina, she reconnects to our bedroom speaker … After about 20 min Mike gets it all squared away, and then we go through every other device in the RV, making sure everything else was password protected (which it WAS, but I was insistent we double check everything at midnight 😂). It was ONLY the speaker in our bedroom, naturally.

Cut to this morning; I see our new, seasonal neighbor next door and say good morning… introduce myself to his wife… TINA. And I'm like TINA! IT IS SO NICE TO MEET YOU. DID YOU GET YOUR SPEAKER WORKED OUT LAST NIGHT? 😂

Turns out they are super new to RVing, and this was the first time she had ever set up anything in the rig. She was mortified, and we had a good laugh about her choice of song 😉

But after over a year of full timing, and countless neighbors, this was the first time we ever encountered someone jumping onto our Bluetooth speaker (at nearly midnight, especially) to BLAST “Private Eyes.”

Julie 

we were camping in a beautiful spot in California amongst the beautiful redwoods.  Until one morning, we found that we were being dropped on from the trees.  It turned out to be termites.  After already dealing with a termite issue in our bedroom in our home, we were definitely freaked.  So check the trees around your campsite, if white starts to fall from the sky it may not be snow….. 

Tera Smith

Omgosh!!  Our biggest horror story was pulling out of our RV site in Valdosta, GA, after a months-long trip to our wheel falling off our 5th wheel!!!  Just fell right off!!  We limped back around to the RV park, and fortunately, they had a spot!  We pulled in with 3 out of 4 wheels in 100+ degree southern heat and my husband immediately plugged in the power cord for the a/c only to step into a fire ant pile!  After I took my car (I follow along) to run and get Benadryl, we were able to get an RV tech to come and check it out with a follow-up appointment to get it fixed.    Kept the crazy cat we were sitting for my deployed son cool by visiting pets mart and a dog park! Kept him on a leash..:  all in all… turned out well (reimbursed by Grand Design four out of pocket and then they replaced both axles) .. Thankfully, it didn’t fall off while on the highway! 

Jeff 

This wasn’t a horror for us as much as it was for others involved. A few years back, a couple of friends got together for our big summer camping trip. One night we were all sitting around the fire, as usual, and around 1-2 am we heard a LOUD crash, clatter, boom! We jumped up and grabbed our flashlights to see what happened. Soon other campers started emerging from their trailers. When we finally found where the crash came from, we couldn’t help but be amazed and couldn’t stop laughing at the same time. A pop-up trailer nearby had flipped with the tongue standing straight up in the air, and the rear bed smashed into the ground. There was a couple inside that obviously forgot to properly secure the rear stabilizers before they started getting “frisky.” They were okay but, rightfully so, declined any help. Everyone slowly retreated back to their trailers and went back to bed. The couple with the pop-up was all packed up and gone before 6 am. Once again not a “horror” for us, but can you imagine being in that situation when the trailer was a rockin’? Yikes! That would definitely be a bit scary!

Jeff & Roxane 

My name is Jeff, and my wife's name is Roxanne. We have been full timing for 3 years. We purchased a new Travel Trailer July of 2021. We headed across the country in September from Maine to Montana and then to Arizona for the winter. On one of the legs of the trip from Elkhart, Indiana, we hit some pretty rough construction on I-80 west of Chicago. 

I have always used a locking receiver pin. I normally check it at every fuel stop as I do my walk around. We arrived at our scheduled stop at a campground for the night. 

I pull into the campsite and we got the camper chocked I went to unhook and the receiver pin was only hanging by the very end. The lock had come off and the receiver pin was just hanging. I showed my wife, and we both felt sick to our stomachs as we looked at the pin. 

We could have lost our house, our truck, and the RZR. I believed the locking mechanism of the receiver pin was good. The wife and I do not trust the locking pins and only use pins with pins through them. 

That was our nightmare, and we both check the receiver pin at every stop. Lesson learned. The camper was only 2 months old. Very scary for us, and it could have been a very bad day. 

Gage Shultz

We have a seasonal site in Port Clinton, Ohio. This campground is not known to have any rodents, such as rats, mice, or anything alike. This was around October/November, so as every RVer does, we start the furnace up to ensure it works properly. Well, we were having trouble with it starting, and could not get the furnace to fire. We removed the panel and realized the sail switch had gone bad, so we had to replace that. Flash forward to the night; we forgot to reinstall the cover on the exterior furnace panel. It is now 3 am, coincidentally, the witching hour. We were awoken by squealing sounds, scratching, and what sounded like evil croaks. Our dog was acting insane, and running back and forth, trying to find this noise. If you have ever been abruptly woken at 3 am, you know your mindset is not the sharpest– and you can be quite confused. We had also listened to a podcast about evil spirits the day before, so we thought we subconsciously channeled Annabel, and she was here to retrieve us. We soon tracked the noise to where the furnace was inside the rig and removed the interior panel and a huge mouse (rat?) came running out of the furnace. We were absolutely shocked that a mouse was INSIDE the furnace. We connected the dots and figured it must have gotten in from the exterior exhaust vent. We still have no clue how it got in, but we have never left any exterior covers off since.

Unknown?

This newbie RV family of four was on their maiden trip, ran over a tire retread on the interstate, and never realized the retread broke off the PVC pipe from their black and gray water tanks.  Besides spraying the contents from the tanks onto the vehicles following, the situation gets better.  Not realizing there was damage to their new trailer, they chose to stop at a Walmart parking lot.  While at Walmart, they did their shopping, ate, and used the trailer's bathroom.  Eventually, they realized that everything flushed went straight to the parking lot below.  Not knowing what to do, they left.

Tricia (Story 1)

Story 1 – We had just finished a long weekend in Jacksonville, FL, and were heading back home to central FL.  We had caravanned up with family and friends and were headed back the same way.  We were the lead vehicle, and the group decision was to go to Buckee’s.  We were there for about an hour and did not notice anything out of the ordinary.  When we left we ended up being the last of the group.  About 20 minutes up the road we had someone pull up beside us honking and pointing.  We started to pull off the interstate when we saw smoke pouring out of the tire area.  Once we stopped and got out, we saw flames shooting out of the rear tire hub area.  We got the extinguisher and extinguished the flames.  We just happened to be on the phone with our friends, and they were right by the rest stop and were able to pull off and headed back to us on foot.  After a try to limp it down to the rest stop we had to stop because the tire was wobbling too badly and the good tire was rubbing.  We had to use a 4 x 4 piece of wood to wedge in between the springs and the frame to keep it high enough.  We were more than happy to get off the side of the interstate because no one was moving over or slowing when they were passing.  Being weekend warriors, most of the traveling home is done on a Sunday.  There were no RV techs working, and all calls were getting us nowhere.  We had already decided that we would be there for the night, but with families back at home help the new parts we needed were only one exit away.  With a few more calls we were able to find someone to help us get the fire-welded bearings off the hub and get the new one on.  We made it home late that night, safe and sound.  Hoping to never experience something as scary as that again.

Tricia (Story 2)

One more on the funny, not-so-funny horror story.  We had some family visiting with young children.  They were sitting under the travel trailer for shade.  Weeks later, we went camping at a local state park.  We got all set up and started to enjoy the weekend.  After being there for about half a day, we noticed that all the tank pulls were open. Needless to say, the bathroom had been used a few times.  We closed them at that time and not wanting to wait to dump the tanks and not make a major mess when we did.  We waited until dark (because we did want to look like newbies) and got a garbage bag, and drained what was in the pipe into the bag.  Then we took the walk of shame with a partially filled garbage bag to the dump station and did a very clean deposit of the goods at the dump station. We never dreamed that the kids would have pulled them, but on the plus side, we upgraded to a 5th wheel, and all pulls are behind closed doors.  

Terry and Shelley (Florida)

In mid-July, we were camping at a popular campground in central FL.  The weather was beautiful outside, so we decided to hop in our golf cart to ride around the campground for a bit.  Before doing so, we wondered out loud, should we close the awnings (we have three) before we go?  Because it was so nice we opted to leave them open.  BIG MiSTAKE!  We'd been out long enough to go around a couple of blocks and noticed the wind pick up just a bit.  Passing by another campsite, we heard a young man yell at his dad to bring in the awning!!!!   We both looked at each other, then toward our site, and lo and behold, our awnings had grown wings and were waving up and down, even folding over and slapping the top of the roof.   We quickly turned around and headed back, all the while watching in horror as all three awnings went crazy!  It really seemed like we were going in slow motion.   We finally reached the RV and headed indoors to retract them, only then realizing you can only bring one in at a time. We worked as a team doing what we could to get them in. 

All we can say is that we were very blessed that day as none of them had any damage and have worked just fine since then.  When the storm passed, we were able to get up on the roof to make sure it was not damaged either.  LESSON learned.  Close awnings before leaving, no matter what the weather looks like.  

Bill (Texas)

I can tell you a true “horror story”  that my wife, kids, our dog, and I went through on our very first camping trip.  It was October of 1995, and I was working for the Navy in Virginia Beach.  We planned a weekend getaway for our anniversary.  We rented an old 5th wheel set up for rentals in Waynesboro, VA.  It was cold that night, so I turned on the heater.  No heat…  And by the time I discovered what was going on, the campground owner who owned the fifth wheel had gone to bed.

Well, we all slept in the same bed, my wife, 2 kids, and the dog!!!  The next day, I went to check with the owner, and he said, “did you light the pilot light?”  I responded with, “What pilot light?!?”!!!

We fixed that problem, and the next night was a LOT warmer!!!

Sue & Joel

About 10 years ago, we were camping in a 27’ fifth wheel on the Central Oregon Coast in October. It was a warm day when we arrived at 58 degrees which is warm for the Oregon Coast in October.

We set up camp in a State Campground called South Beach. Everything was going great I built a fire, and we sat around it until it started to rain around 6:30 pm. My Wife and I and our two friends with us who were camping with us moved the good time into our RV. Our friends were tent camping in our campsite. The rain started as a mist and turned into a downpour! Sometime around 9:00 pm, I decided to take our little potty for the last time. I put on my raincoat, stepped out into the darkness, and was standing in 2’ of water the campground was completely underwater! Our friend's tent had floated away, and the water was still rising. I throw the dog back in the RV, grab my keys, and started hooking up. I disconnected the power, which was still on! I held my breath that I was going to be shocked. I unhooked the water hose and left it hooked up to the faucet. By the time I got in the pickup, the water was at the bottom of the doors. I connected the fifth wheel and left everyone inside, and I headed for the high ground, which was about 100 yards away from our campsite. We spent the night in the maintenance yard of the Park, well out of the water. In the morning, we got up, and the campsite was completely dry, and the water was gone. After checking out the pickup and the RV for damage which, there was none. We spent the rest of the week there and never had any other problems. We found out that a large 6’ drain had plugged, and that was what caused the backup. Oh Yeah, we found the friend's tent the next morning about 10 campsites away. It was a little soggy!

Lisa & John (Ohio)

In 2020 we purchased our first camper, which turned out just a little too small for us. (I know that's a real newbie mistake) so in 2021, we ended up buying one with a little bit more space to fit our travel needs. We had over 8 weeks of travel planned for 2021, but before taking this new camper on our first three-week trip to see Jekyll Island, Charleston, Savannah, and Mt. Airy, NC, we thought we should take it locally and test everything out. So we headed to Winton Woods Campground in Cincinnati, Ohio, for just a few days to enjoy the early spring days and make sure all was looking good with the brand-new camper. Much to our satisfaction and happiness, everything was working just fine. We came home and began to get it ready for our first big trip.

While cleaning the camper floor on my hands and knees,  I caught something out of the corner of my eye. It appeared to be someone standing in the doorway of our bedroom. I quickly stood and walked to the bedroom, wondering if someone was in the camper with me…..no one was to be found. So I brushed it off and continued to clean the camper.

Within a few days, we were on our way. Several times over the next week while at the James Island Co. Park   I found myself doing a quick doubletake towards the bedroom door, thinking that someone was standing there. It always turned out that no one was there.   But the whole experience was starting to bother me. And I found myself wondering just what in the heck was going on.

Two weeks later, we were at the Mayberry Campground in Mt. Airy, NC. That evening we both went to bed after a long day of touring. At about 2:00 am I got up to use the bathroom. I left the light out and used only the small night light in the bathroom to guide me. When coming out of the bathroom, I ran smack into a man! In that split second, I originally thought it was my husband John, but just as quickly, the figure completely disappeared, and then I noticed my husband still in bed sleeping. I realized then that this must be the figure that had been lurking in my camper hallway!

Now before I go any further, I really do need to disclose something. John and I have an unusual hobby. For the last 11 years, we have belonged to a paranormal team located in Northern KY (PINK, Paranormal Investigators of Northern Kentucky). So, because of my paranormal interest, I did have along with me some very basic investigating equipment.  I do not normally need to use that equipment while traveling, but you never know when a local ghost tour might be offered, and I knew that Charleston or Savannah would have something offered. So the next morning, I got out my audio recorder, and a device called a spirit box.  A spirit box is simply a small hand-held radio that scans stations very quickly and creates a white noise that the spirit is known to use to get messages across now and then. I didn't really do a full-blown investigation, but I certainly got right to the point and asked who was in our camper. And I got answers!

 I ask the question, ” Is there anyone here that wants to say hello”  the answer was, ” My RV buddy,” and then he said, “Hello”.  

I ask, “Where did I pick you up from”  the answer was “home,” then it says, “Old Man Finney,” then it says, “See you in Georgia”.  This clip is insanely interesting because when we were home in Cincinnati, we stayed at the Winton Woods Campground. (Remember, it was upon returning home from that campground that I had my very 1st experience) The campground is located very near Finneytown. The founder of that town is buried very close to the campground, and his name was Ebenezer Ward Finney.   Then to top that off, guess where we were heading in three weeks. Yes, we were going to Georgia!

Then in the final clip, I am having a conversation! You hear me rattle on, I'm saying, ” We want to understand why you are in this camper and why you stand in that hallway,” and a male says, “Your right, we should go”  hahaha, he must have been tired of my inquisition because after that we had no more experiences inside the camper. And thank goodness, I did not see him in Georgia! He really must have decided to get out in Mt.Airy, NC. So I guess it's one less ghost in Cincinnati and one RV hitchhiker somewhere in Mt. Airy, NC!

Mehmetcan (Memmet-John)

We are a family of 3 + a doggie and started our weekend & holiday camping in the summer of 2020 when we bought our first travel trailer, an 18ft single axle Rockwood Geo Pro. This was right after the beginnings of COVID, and supply was becoming sparse, but my wife and I really loved this one rig, so I decided to take the leap and travel from CA to IL to pick it up. I've only towed once before when pulling my old car behind a U-Haul, but I generally am pretty good at cars and some minor mechanical work. At the time, we had a 2011 Honda Odyssey minivan with a tow rating of 3500 lbs, and this trailer had a dry weight of 3200. 

Once I got to IL, I set up the weight distribution hitch and connected the trailer to the car without too much trouble, though it took about 5 hours of work given that this distribution hitch required drilling. Around 5 pm I was ready to leave. I had my trip planned out where I'd go to a campground 3 hours away and camp the night. 30 minutes after leaving the dealership, it suddenly got very dark, and it didn't occur to me that there was a massive storm moving in, as I've always lived in mountainous regions and never have seen such thick clouds so uniform across the sky. All of a sudden, I found myself in a massive rain and winds pushing debris through the air parallel to the ground. I don't know the wind speed, but there could have been a tornado nearby. With my 30 min experience towing, I had no idea what to do. I'm on the interstate, and there is no cover, and I wasn't sure if I should pull over or drive through it, hoping that I was heading in the direction away from the storm. I saw 2 semi trucks and pulled right behind them, thinking they would know more than I do about what to do here. I was going about 30 mph and both the car and the trailer were using both lanes just to stay on the road – I was being pushed around like I was on a bicycle – it was NUTS. I had watched many videos prior to towing about how rigs can flip over in the wind, and I was praying I could pull out of this with my wheels still on the ground. After about 20 min of that, I finally felt that I was getting out of it. It was over, and I was still in one piece. I have no idea what more I could have done here, but I was very lucky to get out without tipping my rig.

On the same trip, 1 day later, I was in CO, and Google Maps gave me a “back road” as an alternative to the interstate. Last night when I pulled into the rest stop to sleep, I knew I was just going to continue on this interstate, but in the morning, Google gave me another direction, and I didn't notice the change until I was well into it. I ended up taking this road that has no cell coverage, no towns nearby, and, yes, no gas stations. I cannot check the road because I have no internet, and I have no idea how long I can go before getting stuck in the middle of NOWHERE. I'm approaching Empty, and I see police officers and a fire crew dealing with an issue; I immediately stop and ask where the closest gas station is. A police officer with a shaved head and a tattoo that goes across his whole arm tells me to go to the town of Toponas and that there is a gas station there, about 8 mi ahead, on the right side of the road. He then gave me a weird look, and I left after thanking him. I got to the gas station, and it's been out of service for several years, from what I can tell. The gas station pump is broken, no power and the inside of this building is full of stuff – hoarding of some sort. It's about 8 am and I see a light way in the back, and innocently I knock on the door hoping maybe that they'll turn the power on and I can pump, but no one came. I really wasn't sure what to do at this point. I looked around and saw about 2 gallons of gas, smelled it to make sure it was gasoline and filled it into my gas tank. I left $20 on the handle and left. Thankfully, another 10 mi later, I reach the town of Yampa, where there is a Sinclair (on the left side of the road). In hindsight, I'm not so sure the police officer had good intentions here, but I'm glad  I can look back and write about it today. 

On this trip, I was by myself, so I didn't take my family, but man, this was my beginning experience for towing, and all things considered, everything went well, but since 2020 those two still stand as my horror stories for our camping adventures. 

Linda & Dane

We have a 40-foot 5th wheel which is pulled by our one-ton Chevy Silverado. We have one pet…a cat named Missy, that loves living in the trailer with us but hates riding in the truck. 

As many RVers do, we get out of our truck to stretch our legs every few hours when we’re on a long road trip. My husband and I were both doing some stretching exercises during one of these stops when we heard a dreaded sound….the sound of the truck’s locks being engaged. Yes….you guessed it….our cat had stepped on the “lock” button while we were out stretching. 

It was then that we noticed that our phones were in the truck, my keys were in my purse in the locked truck, and my husband’s keys were in the truck’s ignition with the truck running. Of course, we were in the middle of nowhere with no source of help in sight. 

We decided our only source of help would have to come from above. We stood by the truck, held hands, and prayed for the Lord’s help. I then started tapping on the driver’s-side window to encourage our cat to come to my direction. After about ten minutes of window tapping, Missy managed to step on the button to lower the driver-side window a few inches. I quickly reached into the window to unlock the door before the cat could step on a button to re-lock the door or hit a button that would close the window on my arm. 

This was a real learning experience that taught us to always have the cat in her carrying case when we were both going out of the truck or even opening the truck door or window. It was also a reminder that the Lord loves and cares for us no matter what the situation….plus….He loves and can influence our pets. 

We know there are many other RVers that have learned this lesson the hard way, and it’s my hope that this story may help some from repeating our mistake. 

Mark and Brenda 

My husband and I were packing up to move from Ridgeway, SC to Savanah, GA on September 6th when the unexpected happened to leave me with a required surgery and now have two plates and 9 screws in my left wrist just because a neighbor couldn't wait two minutes to let their dogs out.

**I emailed her back and asked her what exactly happened:

We never met the lady next to us. Didn't even know she had dogs. We had been walking around RV for over an hour, getting everything together to move. Last to do was check the tail lights. As I walked to the back of the RV, two large black labs came out from the line of trees between our RV and the neighbors, jumping toward my face and barking and snarling at me. I fell back on my left hand, shattered the bone, and more.  As my husband helped me up, I got the lady to call an ambulance. By the way, that was the last time we saw her or the dogs. They stayed in their RV until after we left the next day. Not even an apology or to see how I was doing. Anyway, an ambulance showed up and took me to UMC hospital in Columbia, SC. They put me out in the emergency room to put my wrist and bones back in place best they could and a temporary brace until we could get to Ft Stewart, GA, to have Orthopedic look at it.

Accidents happen. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love dogs, but some people need to have better control of their dogs in RV Parks around strangers.

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