RETRO BLOG: Bowling Green/ Be Sure You Know How to Use Your “Comode”

Originally posted on BlogSpot on Wednesday, September 24, 2008
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Bowling Green/ Be Sure You Know How to Use Your “Comode”
 
















​Successful Acquisition:
So on Monday, we showed up at our local RV rental joint promptly at 1:00 p.m. to acquire the beast. We weren’t sure what to expect as far as RV training goes, but surprisingly enough you need little to no training nor a special driver’s license to drive an RV – a fact that makes me more frightened than ever to ride next to them on major highways. Before we could get the keys, we learned the ropes of the electrical, sewer, and water systems by watching a low-budget video hosted by a dude that talked like Johnny Cash (“You see, this here’s the e-lectric system – and if you get yourself an a-dapter kit, you can …”). After learning that grey water means sink water and black water is what comes out of the “comode” (spelled as such throughout the video), we hopped in the 33 foot Mirada with our names on it and were on our merry way.
 
Our plan WAS to leave Tuesday morning -- however, due to the crazy day we had and the sedative effect of the training video, we decided that was not really going to happen, so we opted to call Tuesday a packing day and sleep in our own bed one more night. We crammed our crap in over the course of the day Tuesday, and bright and early this morning, we saddled up for the first ride.(note the look of concern on Roxie's face as she gazes at the 18 wheelers
flying by just to our right)

The good news is, we successfully navigated all the way to Bowling Green, KY, safely out of the way of the gas supply shortage, and set up the beast in a lovely KOA campground just off the highway. Johnny’s little RV video turned out to be surprisingly helpful, and after about 20 minutes of fumbling and a little black water leakage as DJ fought with the sewage hose, we had power, water, and a functional toilet. After another 20 minutes of fumbling, DJ successfully hooked up the television, and we are now able to enjoy all 23 channels of basic cable, including two channels of CMT.

In fact, we were feeling so confident in our Rving abilities, that after taking in the sights at the RV park -- which included the mini-golf course, a dog run, and an inexplicable fenced off area that was decorated to look like a tiny farm, complete with ceramic pigs and roosters -- I made sloppy joes for dinner. This required lighting the stove, a live flame that’s fed from a tank filled with several gallons of highly flammable compressed propane (LP, in Rving terms), so I am very proud that we lived to tell the tale. Anyhow, so far, so good, as they say, and DJ and I are looking forward to drifting off the hum of the cars off the highway and prepping for day 2. Indianapolis, here we come!

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