Moving Days

Most people move only a few times in their lives. Some move much more frequently. We move every few days. And today is moving day from a campsite we've been at for 2 weeks to a place we're staying for 5 days. On the plus side, we move our house with us so there's no packing and unpacking. Sort of. Instead of packing individual things like dishes and clothes, we pack the whole RV. Everything has to be secured so that nothing flies around during travel. Starting at the far end of the RV, here's the checklist:

Strap securing bedroom door

Make sure everything in bedroom is secure and stowed away properly.
Secure bedroom door with tie-back strap.

Wash, dry and put away all dishes.

Give kitchen a general cleaning, putting away anything that doesn't belong on the counter.

Put anything that does belong on the counter in the sink to secure it.

Counter stuff in sink

Put dog treats in drawer of dog stuff. (Wait, Mom, just put those in the truck so we can have snacks along the way!)

Close glass stove cover.

Turn refrigerator off electric and on gas. (It's supposed to be automatic but that hasn't been our experience.)

Make sure there's nothing in the fridge that can tip over and spill.

Make sure fridge doors are snapped closed.

Keyboard stored under table

Put music books in cabinets under table.

Put keyboard on floor under table.

Tip over bar stools.

Secure TV straps.

Bathroom items stored in shower

Take everything off bathroom sink area and shower shelves. Put them into basket.

Put basket, garbage can, water jugs and dog dishes into shower.

Hook shower door closed.

Leave bathroom door open. (It will swing around during travel but the leveling/unleveling of the trailer makes the latch off kilter so door gets stuck. That's a story for another time.)

Make sure everything in cupboards throughout is secure so you don't get an avalanche on your head next time you open the door. (Ask Mom how she knows this!)

Make sure all cupboard doors throughout are securely latched.

Turn off heat and water heater.

Make sure all windows and roof vents are completely closed.

Shake out area rugs.

Sweep floor.

Pull in slide out and awning.

Turn off lights.

Put up steps.

Close and latch entry door.

While Mom is busy doing this, Dad is busy getting the outside ready:

Put dogs in truck so we're out of everyone's way.

Flush black water (aka poop) tank if we're at a site that has a sewer dump.

Flush gray water tanks, again if available at the site we're at.

Store sewer hose.

Unhook fresh water hookup up if available and store hose (not near black/gray water drain hose).

Unhook shore power if we have it or generator if there's no electric available at the site, and store power cord.

Make sure all tools and equipment are properly stored.

Pick up door mat and patio mat and put in back of truck.

Unhook dog tie-out and put in back of truck.

Pull up levelers.

Put ground pads that levelers sit on and chuck blocks away.

Hook up trailer to truck.

Properly affix stabilizer sway bars.

Retract tongue jack and put block it sits on in back of truck.

Secure bedroom door from outside so it doesn't swing open during travel.

Make sure Mom's bicycle is properly secured on back ladder of trailer.

Look around campsite and pick up any doggy poop that might have been missed.

If there wasn't a black/gray water dump at the site we were at, we have to search out a dump site somewhere on the trip. Most RV dealers have dumps available but it requires us to travel there to use their facilities. It's really nice if there's one available at our campsite because water sloshing around in those tanks while driving makes the trailer bounce and sway more.

This sounds like a lot of work, but in reality, it goes pretty quickly, especially once you get used to the routine. Of course, when we get to the new campsite, this process has to be reversed, with a few exceptions, the main one being emptying the tanks. If we aren't at a site that has water hookup, we would have had to put some water in the fresh water tank somewhere along the way. Most places that have an RV dump also have fresh water hookup. But we look for sites that have fresh water available so we don't have to travel with a full tank. Since water weighs about 8 lbs per gallon, and our fresh water tank holds 60 gallons, you can imagine the travel strain with water on board. Add to that the 30 gal black water tank, and 30 gal gray water tank, and you're talking some serious sloshing!

I'm kinda bored till we get to our new site.

The RV life has been a learning curve but more about our mishaps in another post. For now we're on the road again heading to our next camp site where there are new people to meet and new things to sniff out. Ahhh, the life of a dog! Always a new adventure!

--Cruz