The day started early — 4:00 a.m. to be exact — when my CPAP machine gave up on me. The batteries in the motorhome had drained overnight, shutting the machine down. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t too happy about it, but I figured I’d just tough out the rest of the night without it. (I’ve survived worse — like trying to bale hay in 100° weather all day with only a lukewarm thermos of water. Still, I wouldn’t recommend either experience.)
I had assumed that once we started driving again, the motorhome would charge the batteries, and then magically the fridge and lights would spring back to life. Well, that was wishful thinking. The batteries were charging while we drove, but the fridge and lights still weren’t getting any juice. So, we decided to make a beeline to Vegas.
Now, here’s the thing: when I drive the motorhome, I’m not one of those “push 80 mph and see what happens” types. I keep it steady at 60 to 65 mph. It makes for a calmer ride — but it also means the “short drive to Vegas” took us almost two hours.
But we made it. And all the hassle of batteries and dead CPAPs melted away when we walked through DJ and Desirae’s door. Seeing them and holding baby Davin was worth every hiccup along the way. That little guy is already stealing the show, and I have a feeling he’ll have no shortage of stories told about him in the years to come.
We visited for a couple of hours, and before we left, DJ and Desirae loaded us up with two big bags of ice. Our fridge wasn’t running right, so the ice was like gold to us. Into the fridge it went, buying us some time before the milk started tasting like warm yogurt.
After leaving their house, I told Google Maps to find us an RV park in Boulder City. That sounded perfect. Only problem? The one it led us to was actually still in Las Vegas. (Note to self: “close enough” is apparently good enough for Google.) But we stayed there anyway. At least it gave us the utilities we needed — fridge plugged in, batteries charging, and the ability to stream Netflix that night. There’s something oddly comforting about sitting in an RV watching TV while a whole city of neon blinks outside your window.
Here’s where things got interesting, though. The batteries charged up to about 35%, but that was it. They just wouldn’t charge from shore power, only from driving. I called the battery manufacturer, and they walked me through a reset process. I tried it, but no luck. Then I got hold of the guy who installed them, and his advice was: “Get a battery jump-start gadget and do a quick 3-second jump.”
So, that’s the plan for tomorrow. Another road trip lesson learned: in addition to snacks and maps, maybe pack a jump starter if you don’t want to end up with warm ice cream and dead CPAPs.
But for tonight? We had ice in the fridge, Netflix on the TV, and a safe place to park. That’s a win in my book.