Heat, Rain Storms, A Wet Bed and a Name For The Trailer

As I write this, the weather has cooled down and I’ve had the windows and door open. There’s also been a nice breeze.

I’m glad the stretch of 2000 degree temps with 500% humidity is over. Hopefully it stays away.

Ok, ok. It may have only been 1000 degrees with 250% humidity but I reserve the right to exaggerate when I feel the need!

An Unexpected Name For The Trailer

Apparently my new cozy little home on wheels has a name.

Several weeks back, I was heading out to run errands. As I locked the door of the trailer I said “Hold the fort down little Lulu”.

I don’t know where “Lulu” came from but I’ve called her Lulu a few times since then.

Rather than resist, I decided to roll with it and name the trailer Lulu!

I know there was a comic strip called Little Lulu. Google says the comic strip came out in 1935 (long before I was born!). My Mom, Dad or another relative must have talked about it when I was growing up (how else would I have known about it!?). As soon as I called my trailer “Lulu” that comic strip came to mind.

A Rain Storm and A Wet Bed

Backing up a bit…

Towards the end of July we had a pretty hefty rain storm. During the night I woke up to a wet bed.

NO… I did NOT pee the bed!!!

Water was dripping thru a small section of a seam in the wall of the trailer. My bed is next to that wall and the mini-waterfall soaked into the bed.

I have a waterproof proof mattress cover to protect the mattress from condensation. The rain didn’t go through the mattress protector but my blanket and sheets got soaked.

The mattress protector also keeps dust mites and bed bugs out of the mattress.

The weird thing is, the leaking only lasted a few minutes and stopped – even though the storm lasted until the next morning.

There was nothing I could do so I wiped the wall down, changed the sheets and went back to bed.

The Morning After The Storm

Since this would be warranty work I had to find a Jayco approved place to take a look at why it’s leaking.

The closest place was a Camping World. I called to get an appointment but they couldn’t get me in until October.

The next closest place was in Wisconsin (I can’t remember where). They had an opening in mid-late September.

I decided to try for a better timeframe and called the third closest place (which happened to be the place where I bought Lulu – in Slinger WI).

The RV place in Slinger could get me in the end of August so I booked it!

Making Plans To Head To Slinger WI

My appointment was for 8:30 AM but it’s a 2 1/2 hour drive to Slinger, WI (from where I’m staying in Lena IL).

I’d have to leave Lena by 5:30ish but I also need to break camp and hitch up which means getting up well before the crack of dawn.

I didn’t want to get up before the crack of dawn – nor did I want to be making noise and disturb my neighbors.

Making Use of a Prior Reservation

Before I landed my current monthly site (in Lena) I had reserved 4 days in September at one of the Dane County campgrounds.

For some reason, I procrastinated on cancelling my reservation but now I had a use for it.

The Dane County campground is about an hour from the RV place in Slinger.

I decided to make it an overnight trip and spend the night before my appointment at Dane county and finish the trip to Slinger the next morning.

Changing My Reservation

Per the Dane County cancellation policy, it costs $25 to cancel a reservation. However, it only costs $5 to change a reservation.

I spent $5 to move my reservation but I only needed 1 night instead of the 4 nights I’d previously reserved.

Much to my surprise, Dane County refunded my money for the extra nights!

A Semi and A Rock vs My Windshield

After spending the night at Dane County I hitched up and headed to Slinger, WI for Lulu’s appointment.

I was driving on a 2 lane road (one lane in each direction).

A semi was coming toward me in the other direction when all of a sudden… CRAAACK!

Something hit the windshield.

From the CRACK I’d have thought the entire windshield would have crumbled. My windshield seems to attract rocks from passing semi’s but I’d never heard a CRACK this loud.

Then I spot it. Thankfully it’s on the passenger side and should be repairable (unless the crack decides to split).

Since I got the van back in 2015, I’ve had to have my windshield repaired twice and replaced once (when the crack decided to split across the windshield).

After dropping Lulu off at the RV place I make a further inspection of the crack.

Making The Windshield Repair Appointment

While I waited for Lulu to be checked out I used the Safelite website to set up a time to get the windshield repaired.

The next available time was in 2 days and they would come to the campground to fix it.

I’ve used Safelite for all of my windshield repairs regardless of where I am in the United States. I’ve always been happy with the end result.

I booked the appointment!

The Leaking Wall Verdict

There was a small gap in an outside seam of the trailer where rain could enter.

Soon after the gap was sealed I hitched up and headed back to my campground in Lena, IL.

One Thing I’ve Learned About Buying A New Trailer

For a new trailer there are going to be several little things that need to be tweaked. When I talk with other new trailer owner’s they have the same issues.

The issues are usually minor but they need to be tended to.

Other than the leaky wall, some of the minor issues I’ve handled so far are…

• Tightening the connections on the fresh water tank
• Tightening the connections behind the toilet
• Fixing the screen door latch so it actually stays latched
• Sealing the holes in the utility bay where wiring comes into the trailer

I’m not one of those handywomen who knows how to fix stuff. I either look up how to fix it or ask a neighbor for advice. The neighbor’s often volunteer to fix it for me but I always ask them to “teach” me while they do it.

Parting Thoughts

I seem to have had a short stretch of things gone wrong. But things gone wrong is just part of life and it’s how we deal with it that matters and I was pretty good about staying positive (this time).

My trailer leak is fixed but I’ll probably be checking the wall every time it rains for a while.

The windshield on the van is fixed but cracks happen. Hopefully, I have a long, crack-free stretch ahead of me!

I’m back at my campground in Lena, IL and will be here until late October. I look forward to the autumn colors and crisp weather but I do not want to be here when the freezing temps arrive.

Hopefully, freezing weather doesn’t come until November or later.

If Jack Frost shows up early… that will be my cue to head on down the road.