The Rock Won

When a perfect plan meets an immovable object…

We Gave Up: The Campsite We Couldn’t Have

After more than an hour of attempts, we sadly drove away from our coveted campsite at Mammoth Lakes, California. We’d camped there several times before, but always with a tent. Now, with our 31-foot 5th wheel plus 22-foot truck, we just couldn’t manage the tight turn required to back into our site.

If backing up isn’t stressful enough, this particular campground has roads so narrow that any RV attempting to park blocks all cars. During our repeated attempts, so many cars lined up that we kept leaving to go around the loop again, just to let them pass.

The Loop of Shame

Plus, lots of people were enjoying the show, sitting smugly in their camping chairs next to their already-situated RVs or tents. I could just imagine the comments about our very public repeated failures:

“Here they come again.”

“Wonder how many times they’re gonna try?”

“Why didn’t they check out the site before reserving it?”

“New record, honey—eight cars lined up.”

The Rock Wouldn't Budge

First we tried Roger driving with me directing. We use walky-talkies, a leftover from our sailing days that works well in RV life, too. Then we switched: I drove, he directed. No matter what we tried, when the truck angle was right, the 5th wheel angle was wrong—and when the 5th wheel angle was good, the truck tire wedged against the forementioned rock.

The real villain in this story? That rock. It was just too big to move.

Calling It Quits (and Moving On)

Fifteen attempts and several loop circlings later, still no joy. Daylight was fading and we had to make a decision.

Sad as we were to leave our favorite campground, we were grateful to have options. Our next reservation was just up the road, about a 90-minute drive. We called before the office closed and were happy to find that we could be accommodated a few days early.

Plan B with a View

The sun hadn’t yet set when we set up camp at Twin Lakes, near Bridgeport. The campsite wasn’t as pretty as Mammoth Lakes, but we spent the next week riding bikes to the lakes every day, watching deer next to our camper, and enjoying gorgeous June weather.

When the Rock Wins (and That’s Okay)

Running into roadblocks—in this case, an actual rock—isn’t fun. We were only one month into our 15-month RV odyssey and had already experienced a few setbacks and made costly mistakes.

RV life has a way of amplifying whatever goes wrong, whether it’s losing the backup camera monitor (totally my fault for leaving it in a rental car) or getting the rig stuck in sand (not exactly my fault, although I admit I was driving). I’ll also admit, there were times I wondered if all this freedom was worth the stress of anticipating what would go wrong next—and when.

Lessons from the Loop

Short answer: it was worth it, even on days when the rock wins.

Our travels gave us memories and stories as well as tools for our problem-solving belt. We still laugh about getting stuck in sand. And we don’t always have to be parked in the perfect campsite—we just need the right perspective to enjoy the view.

What’s your most memorable RV mishap? Tell us in the comments—I promise, we’ll understand!