Dreamy Drives

Dreaming was in Tampa for a few days. She and Mr. Dreamy attended a "rally" with other owners of the same type of RV. Rallies like this usually have a number of get-togethers and activities... often involving food and/or libation. This particular Rally was held at a huge RV center and campground. The RV center offers a beginner's RV driving course. Mr. Dreamy and I were lucky to get reservations to attend the course. The morning classroom session involved the basics about driving an RV as opposed to driving a car. For example, the RV is 2 1/2 feet wider than a car and much longer! Since the driver is sitting on or just in front of the front axle, turns have to be made at different points. Our motorhome has an "at the hip" turning position. We have to wait until the path we want to follow is at our hip before we negotiate a turn. The instructor explained that it was like sitting on the hood of your car and trying to turn it.
The rear wheels of motor homes are so far forward that the tail end of the RV can swing out two to three feet - so not only does the driver need to think about where the front end is going,  but she has to consider the back end as well. Evidently this unlucky owner didn't know about this and was a bit too close to something when he turned. Note the wire holding the back trim on the motorhome.

In addition, we were cautioned to know how tall our RV is. This is why....



Ouch.... I'd hate to have that happen!

This particular training shows us how to put dots on our mirrors and windshield to help us determine where we are in space. So, a red dot on the mirror shows me where the rear axle is. I can use this to judge when to turn out of a parking space, for example. A dot on the windshield shows me what is15-16 feet in front of the RV.  I can use that dot to keep me in my lane when I am making a sweeping turn to the left or the right.
In the afternoon we all had the opportunity to drive around the campground in a 38 foot motorhome, negotiating left and right turns.  I managed the course with ease. It was a wonderful experience. Hmmm.... I wonder if Mr. Dreamy will ever let me drive?!