Backing In not Packing In

The Impossible Back In

Let me set the scene, beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon in Northeastern Quebec province, just a half mile off the St. Lawrence Seaway in an RV park called Camping Annie. Cute name and 4 stars so I figured it would be good even though the lady told me there was no drive through spaces. “Drive throughs” are spaces that you drive in one end and drive out the other without ever needing to maneuver much or back up. Lazy man’s RVing.

So we pay the two nights rent and get assigned site 49 (quarante neuf). We drive down the nice road and notice that there are really lots of sites in a small space and they are awfully narrow. Besides being narrow they are flanked by cement fire pits and trees. Now a trailer is 8 feet wide without the slide outs extended and I swear this site is maybe 11 feet wide, OK, you all know I exaggerate so let’s say really, 15 feet wide. However the entrance is exactly 90 degrees to the road. And the road is also narrow. My first thought was to go back and plead with the lady for an easier site. But then I notice about ten groups of Canadians all lounging in their chairs craning their necks in my direction to see what I am going to do. Seeing how I am an American and my rig is twice as big as most of theirs they are looking at me for their afternoon amusement. They are thinking there is no way this American cowboy is going to get his chuck wagon backed up into that box necked canyon.

But they don’t me and my recent experiences in RV driving. And it’s a good thing, for I must say, my experiences have all been a bit dicey. I am due a change in backing up luck. So I put on my game face (smile with confidence), say Bon Jour to all the craning necked Quebecois, and place Suzy in strategic spot where in my dreams I see our RV parked. Jet is hiding behind the back seat hoping to not be embarrassed, acting a lot like a teenager. I start my backing and turning and all is going well except; to come anywhere near getting in, I must turn the front of the truck over a small car. Thankfully, the owner, comes out and moves his car and then offers to help me in spite of the sneers from the other Canucks. He is helpful in just saying I am doing fine as I force the 34 footer with a 19 foot truck attached into a 90 degree turn, without a jackknife. I get it 2/3 in and pull ahead and then proceed back, one more pull ahead and we are in. “Perfecto!” The Canucks are not amused as now all they have left to do is try and get a tan on their very large abdomens under a partly cloudy sky. One fellow has such a walrus sized tummy he is absorbing 90% of the UVs in the whole park. He seems to be the most dissatisfied with the amazing back in miracle. I discretely thank the lad helping me “Merci bouquet, bon ami!” My Francois is gaining momentum, can you tell?

Of course I am very nonchalant about the whole thing until Suzy and I get inside where we are doing high fives and back flips, after which we put our game faces back on, go outside and hook up all the cords and hoses. I decide the next time I get assigned a tough site, I am going to say, “Come on, is that all the harder you can find, give me your best shot, something on the edge of cliff with slippery stones throughout and a high voltage line hanging down.” Well, in my dreams. After all I got it in here today in my dreams.

PS.
Next morning we wake up and we are surrounded on four sides by RVs, so close you can hear the snoring. As we quietly pack up and get ready to pull out I decided that Camping Annie is named because Annie in French must mean "sardines".