There is a post coming on the Squirrel Obstacle Course, but I’ve been too busy to edit the video. So all I’ve got for you is a generic update of randomness. Your excitement is palpable, even from here.

You’re really wondering about the naked people, aren’t you? Don’t worry, that wasn’t just a catchy title, they’re coming. Err, umm, maybe they already did? I don’t know, I didn’t get to ask them.

RV Slide-out Issues

The living room slide on my RV has issues. It probably needs therapy, but I can’t find an RV shrink within 100 miles. There is only one, yes ONE, RV technician willing to make the long drive to this town with ten a hundred cows for every human. When describing the problem to him, his answer didn’t exactly exude confidence. I can tell he’s never encountered a problem like this one before. Crap.

I can’t close the slide to drive it to the shop over an hour away in which I have more confidence (it’s Camping World, but they don’t do mobile).

In Winnebagos with a couch attached to the living room slide-out, the carpet under the couch is covered in a sheet of clear, thick plastic (like Visqueen). This wraps around under the slide to protect the other carpet that’s part of the house/coach floor.

Most of this plastic/visqueen has come lose, rolled up under the slide, and is sticking out of the weatherstripping on the outside. (see photo) When I attempted to pull it out all the way, I realized part of it is still attached, AND a glide/slide-out strip (probably used to help glide the slide smoothly) has also come lose.

This is looking at the living room slide from the outside. The top of the storage bins are at the bottom of this photo. At the top of this photo is the bottom of the “living room”. The couch sits above it, inside. The plastic hanging out is coming out between the weatherstripping.

Any of you seasoned RVers who’ve seen this problem, please let me know! I need all the info I can get. Your experience and solutions are welcome!

UPDATED: Thank you all for your help! I realize I did a poor job of explaining the issue, so I’ll attempt to do it here again…

The plastic visqueen is heavy-grade, never seen and not in an area of foot traffic. My mechanic back in California said (over the phone) that it is there to protect a portion of the carpet from the slide. (It may also aide the slide’s smooth movement.)

Nothing is visible from the inside as this is all happening underneath the portion of the slide that sits on the living room floor when closed. The outside compartment is too small to fit a human and the parts in question are out of my reach. Last I tried, the slide still worked, but now there is far more impeding its smooth progress and I dare not try to close it with all that stuff caught in the weatherstripping.

The plastic visqueen isn’t the main issue, in fact I would like to pull it all the way out. BUT… my mechanic back home (who hasn’t seen this problem, but knows my RV) said the slide-out glide strip that’s coming out is a more urgent problem.

When I attempt to dislodge the plastic, a slide-out glide strip is being pulled out with the plastic. I have tried to pull the plastic, but it is fully stuck now. And the slide-out glide strip is now sticking out, too. I can tell one end has come completely free, but can’t see or reach the other.

Has anyone encountered problems with the dislodging of slide-out guide strips on a Winnebago? Do you know where exactly in the vehicle it is supposed to go back?

Kitties, Kitties, and More Kitties

Since Checkers the RV copilot, the love of my life, passed last month, and since I just don’t want to date ever again, it can get pretty lonely around here. I miss hearing the pitter-patter of little kitty feet, the plaintive “meow” when something is desired from the resident furball, snuggling a purring being while watching TV at night, and having to scoot over on a queen-sized bed so as to make room for the kitty – who seems to require much more than their small size would suggest.

I’ve been going to the local shelter to visit the fur-babies, just to see if maybe I was ready to get another. I immediately fell in love with six, but wasn’t ready just yet. There is one whom I have my eye on, but she just got fixed (stitches), and has a couple other minor issues (ringworm, a kitty cold) that need to be cleared up before she’s ready for adoption. I’m still afraid my heart will be broken again, but am beginning to miss sharing my life with a being, feline as it must be since I’m not going to date ever again.

People Like To Have Sex In Public Parks

No, really, they do. I can understand this – to a point. There is something to be said for enjoying one of the most natural pleasures out in nature. I’m not sure how else to describe it, but “romantic” is one adjective that definitely comes to mind.

However, doing it in broad daylight in a poorly concealed location is a bit too adventurous, even for me. (But I’m never dating again, so it’s a mute point.)

While Chief Ranger Rick (not his real name) had a day off, it was just myself and Ranger Roscoe (not his real name either) taking care of the park one day last week. (No, we were not the one’s doing the nasty in nature. Remember, I’m not dating ever again.) We noticed two vehicles parked near the lake, neither had stopped to pay the entrance fee. After giving them a few minutes to come to the office, the ranger decides he has to drive down there to give them what I call “The Shakedown” (get the entrance fee out of them or ask them to leave).

He’s gone a long time. Too long for a shakedown. I look out the office window and can see he’s parked near the two vehicles. After about 25 minutes he returns – and he’s rather flustered.

Ranger Roscoe described what happened…

He drove up to the vehicles in the old, very squeaky, park pickup truck. Standing between the two parked vehicles was a couple having sex. She was bent over, with her hands on her thighs and he was standing behind her, his pants around his ankles. They were facing away from him but they still didn’t hear the squeaky truck pull up twelve feet away.

He watched them for a couple minutes, hoping they would realize someone was there.

When he beeped the horn, the completely naked woman ran to the other side of one of the vehicles. The man was right behind her, but his boots were still on (this is Texas after all), and his pants were around his ankles. He didn’t get far before Ranger Roscoe called out to both of them to come over and talk to him.  The woman refused and never came out from behind the car, probably because her clothes were somewhere else.

The man, who couldn’t get very far with his pants around his boots, started to bend over to pull them up when he realized he was about to give a full moon shot to Ranger Roscoe. He then turned sideways, between the two cars, but when he bent over to pull up his pants he lost his balance and his naked rearend fell back against the car behind him.

It was a hot day, as many of them are here in Texas. The second his rearend touched the hot metal car, he propelled himself forward, and had to put his hands out to brace his fall against the vehicle opposite him.

All this with his pants down around his boots.

After retrieving their clothes, the randy couple opted to leave rather than pay the fee.

Ranger Roscoe was later admonished by Chief Ranger Rick for not having shot video of the event.

The lesson in this story (because I want you all to learn something from reading this blog so it’s not been a total waste of time)… If you’re having sex in a public park, make sure you keep your clothes within reach.

But if you’re a park ranger, bring the video camera.

UPDATED: And once again the comments are better than the post. Best comment on Facebook, by Jim M: ‘I think the lesson to be learned is “always pay the entrance fee on the way in” dagnabbit!’

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Slide issues and kitties UPDATED again in a post: Busier than a cat trying to cover up crap on a marble floor.