Escapees May June 2015 Demo

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| May/June 2015 |ESCAPEES .57
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I can still picture it; neophytes only three weeks into our full-time RV adven-
ture, we found ourselves at Canyon de Chelly, northeast Arizona’s Navajo
country. Still inhabited by Native Americans, the spectacular Canyon de Chelly,
considered a mini-Grand Canyon, offers amazing colored cliffs, rock formations,
cliff dwellings and, of course, canyons.
We arrived at the campground on
a warm and sunny summer af-
ternoon to find it rather busy. Feeling
fortunate to have secured one of the
last available sites, without shade,
we settled in for a couple of days of
dry-camping. Eagerly scouring the
park brochure, a decision was made to
hike to Whitehouse Ruins, one of the
only canyons that can be entered with-
out a Navajo guide, the next day. That
morning the sun was shining bright
and the air was still; it was a going
to be a beauty of a day. We packed
water bottles and snacks as good
day-trippers would, slathered on the
sunscreen, grabbed our hats, locked
the door and opened the awning to
shade the fridge side from the hot sun.
The hike was fabulous, down the
canyon, through a canopied grove to
look up into ancient and well-pre-
served cliff dwellings. Flush with
excitement and the climb out of the
canyon, we returned home, cooing
and admiring our new-to-us RV from
a distance. However, as we got closer
we noticed something wasn’t quite
right. It didn’t take long to realize
that the awning had succumbed to
what must have been a strong gust of
wind and was bent up and backward,
wrapped over the roof of our RV in a
gut-wrenching pose. Oh. My. Gosh.
Ask any long-time RVer, and chanc-
es are they’ll have a similar story to
share, either through personal experi-
ence or as an unwilling witness. Since
that time so long ago, my husband,
Ray, and I have developed an unspoken
“go-list” when we take day-trips. In
addition to, you guessed it, never leav-
ing with the awning open (unless it’s
well secured with little or no chance
of strong winds, and even then I still
worry), I have some other tried-and-
true tips for your consideration.
Avoid RV Mishaps With a
Day-trip Go-list
By Evanne Schmarder #65409
Photo courtesy of