Back to a Fifth Wheel BY KATHY MASON
In the course of our many years of camping, we have used tents, tent-trailers, conventional house trailers of varying sizes, truck canopies, campers, a 5th
wheel, several
motorhomes, and even travelled across much of Canada, sleeping in a camperette. But for most of the past 15 years, we have travelled to our house trailer, treating it much like a cabin, and in the process forgetting all the things we used to know about camping. Of all the units we have camped in, we have always agreed that, for us, the 5th
wheel had the most to offer—it could be
leſt behind in the site when you explored nearby areas, and it towed very well. In December of 2008, we found such a unit for sale in Lantzville on Vancouver Island—priced well, a little bigger than we wanted, but clearly very well looked aſter. Towing the 26.5-foot Chateau home, made us feel like we had turned back the clock to more carefree times. Backing down the steep decline of our driveway leſt no doubt that we would have to swing the axles under the 5th
.
It came dangerously close to bashing in the top of the truck box as Len navigated the twists and turns of the driveway. Tis modification was not unexpected as Len had already mentioned the possibility. He prefers the entire unit to have a level look. Tis is where the fun began—the 5th
does not have
springs on its axles, instead it sports a torsion bar suspension. How does one raise the unit now? Aſter much consideration and consultation, Len decided to install a piece of channel iron that provided the desired effect. During the winter, the 5th
became the recipient of my old
dishes and linens as we purchased new pots and pans as well as a new bed for the house. What a great excuse! Now it was time to take stock of what was missing—cups and glasses, plates,
Our unit parked in Gordon Bay Park.
bowls, towels and so forth; so off we went on a shopping spree. Te dish set was Corelle—should travel well. Oddly, the cups were not made of the same material but we were confident that things were fine—everything had been carefully placed on nonskid cupboard lining and we oſten towed trailers in the past where cups stayed neatly placed in the cupboards. Feeling a little like neophytes in the camping game, we
headed out on our maiden voyage in June. Our destination was Gordon Bay Provincial Park. Most of our camping over the years has been at provincial sites and we looked forward to resurrecting those memories. In fact we had scouted out this site near Lake Cowichan a month ago—fees were $14 a night. Tis struck us as reasonable. So we were surprised when we pulled up to the gatehouse and saw the rates had changed, apparently that very morning, to $24 a night. Of course senior rates are not in place during the summer months at provincial parks, and besides Len had a year to go before he qualified. First lesson learned—campsite fees do not remain stagnant. Our second lesson involved the use of assigned sites.
Although this concept has been in place for many years, we had never actually had a site assigned to us before. And when we tried to navigate into our site, we had to use part of the one across the way as well—in fact the people there generously moved their truck to afford us more room. We should have simply gone back to the gatehouse and asked for a roomier site, but Len was determined to prove that he had not lost his navigational touch. Te third lesson met us as soon as we opened the door—
the chair had skidded ½ way across the room, the TV was fortunately well fastened, but the dishes were everywhere–or
Othello Tunnels Campground & RV Park
From Hwy #5, take Othello Rd, Exit 183, Hope BC
• 10 minute walk to Quintette Tunnels • Clean washrooms • Hot showers • Laundry • Sani-dump • 29 sites with full hook-ups • 12 sites with electricity & water • Cooking shelter for rainy days
604-869-9448 Toll-free: 1-877-869-0543
camp@othellotunnels.com www.othellotunnels.com
22 RVT 143 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011
& Rainbow Trout pond
Playground for the kids!
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