Road Trip Trick

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Every Thanksgiving for many years I cleaned up my RV, made sure I had extra blankets and coffee, tested the generator and heater and cringed while I filled the two gas tanks AND the generator tank.
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Thanksgiving eve morning I would drive to my dad’s to pick up the bunch wanting a ride to my sister’s a half day trip away where collectively we would eat over 200 pounds of food, some more then others, on Thanksgiving.

The younger people would fight for a place on the bunks or at the kitchen table or in front of the TVs.

The older group always used the large table in the master bedroom for card play.

I almost always drove stopping half way there for a snack, a smoke and a new pot of coffee.

But last year I lost my license. I could not see well enough to watch TV and could barely use the computer let alone drive.

Since that time my computer has been enhanced with screen readers, an extra screen and magnifiers. I’ve learned how to use RSS feeds and readers to keep up with the news, weather and bloggers.

But one thing I have not been able to overcome is the ability to drive my ass self any where.

Last year my brother-in-law ex-semi driver took over the driving. This year however he and my sister were hosting his family for the big day.

It was decided that my son would drive instead. He handles a car and his small pickup just fine. He has never really had occasion to drive ‘big wheels’ so I was wondering how interesting the drive would be.

Come to find out, he has been practicing. My brother-in-law took my RV to him at his very small home town and he cleaned it up and got ready for the big day.

But he had a plan that I fell in love with. He called everyone telling them to be at Grandpa’s early. He wanted everyone to see how well he could drive it.

So early this morning he came to pick me up. We drove to the street behind Grandpa’s and put his plan in action.

I wish I could have seen their faces when I drove up in the RV. My daughter told me they were all shocked and started to run out of my way.

Grandpa wondered which operation had finally worked and my sis was a little upset at how close I had come to her SUV.

She was even madder when she learned I really could not see.

My RV has four cameras in it for security but also as a help to the driver. My son could ‘see’ where we were going even though I was driving. He laid on the floor beside me and used the cameras to ‘guide’ me.

We had practiced the stunt several times in his small town the last couple of days.

Needless to say they all laughed afterwards but they did not like it at all when I resumed my seat behind the steering wheel after they had all loaded up.

When we got to my younger sister’s my son had called ahead and asked her to help guide him as he backed the RV in place.

She was waiting and did a pretty good job directing me into place. When she saw who was driving she was so excited I had my vision back but when I stumbled out of the driver’s seat and missed kissing her cheek by at least a mile, she too started yelling.

I might have two pissed sisters but it sure was fun to be behind the wheel again.