Keep your raincoats buttoned up, you perverts! That’s not what I’m talking about!

Do you flash your headlights to let truckers and other RVs know it is safe to pull back into the lane ahead of you after they pass? I’m curious. If you do (and we all should), how many of them blink their marker lights or tap their brake lights to say thank you?

That used to be the norm, from the days I first started driving, but it seems to me that fewer and fewer truckers take the time to send this little thank you message these days. Why is that? Have the truckers changed, or has society in general changed that much, that not many people bother to acknowledge simple courtesies any more?

Or, are we part of the problem ourselves? Do we alienate a lot of truckers by our actions?

I’ve noticed lately that a lot of RVers don’t seem to understand basic etiquette. Things like pulling away from the fuel pump at a truck stop when done, so the next fellow in line can fill his tank. Over and over we see RVs blocking the fuel islands while the wife or husband goes inside to pay, and some trucker sits there waiting to get back on the road. I’ve seen more than one RVer fill his tank, then wash his windshield, and then go inside to pay, while the wife sits in her seat and never steps outside. That’s just wrong.

When we pull up to a fuel island, Terry goes inside to pay if they won’t take a credit card at the pump, and then while I am filling the tank, she cleans the windshield. As soon as the tank is full, she goes back inside to settle our bill and get a receipt, while I pull far enough forward to clear the pump with our motorhome and van.

We have spent many nights parked at truck stops, and when we do, we always park in the designated RV area, if they have one. If not, we get as far away and as far over to the side as we can, both to give the truckers room to park, and because it’s usually a little quieter.

Now that we have a motorhome with a much more powerful engine than our old bus conversion had, I will admit that I do gloat when I pass an eighteen wheeler on a long hill. But, I also watch my rear view mirror, and if I see another truck coming in the left lane, I’ll stay over and wait to pass slower traffic until he has gone on by. I can regain my momentum faster than a heavily loaded truck, and I don’t want to slow them down. These are working men and women!

On the road, whenever we see an eighteen wheeler coming up the onramp, we get over to the left or center lane if we can, so they can build up speed before they merge into traffic. I have noticed, however, that even when we do this to make their lives easier, not many truckers signal a thank you.

But that’s okay, I still do my thing. I just enjoy being a flasher.

Thought For The Day – Where do forest rangers go to “get away from it all?”

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Spending time in an RV park is similar in many ways to living in a small town a generation ago. There is a sense of community, especially among the people who stay for a few weeks or a month at a time.

We find that we interact much more with our campground neighbors than we ever did with our neighbors in our old hometown. When we go for our evening walk, we say hello to our neighbors who are also out for a stroll, or who are relaxing in their lawn chairs. We’ll stop and chat with folks here and there, maybe comment on the weather, or visit with a friendly dog. It is not uncommon to welcome newcomers, ask where they come from, and get acquainted.

Living in the close confines of some RV parks can take some getting used to. We have been in campgrounds with spacious sites and others where when you sneeze while sitting in your recliner, you hear the fellow in the next RV say “Bless you.”

This sometimes requires you to stop and think about how your normal activities may impact your neighbors. For example, Terry and I are night owls, and I do most of my writing after 9 p.m., and seldom get to bed before 1:30 or 2 a.m. When we have RVs parked close by, we make it a point to keep the volume on our television turned down so it does not keep the neighbors awake.  

Of course, not all RV park neighbors are conscientious of those around them. Common trespasses in campground life include smokers who do not want to smoke inside their RVs, so they come outside and let their smoke drift into the neighbors’ windows instead; people who get up early to hit the road and make a lot of noise unhooking, and then fire up their diesel engine and let it idle while they go inside to have a cup of coffee, or whatever they do before they hit the road; taking a shortcut through someone else’s RV site, and not cleaning up after pets; and my personal pet peeve, allowing yappy little dogs to disturb the neighbors.

But these kinds of misdeeds are the exceptions. Most RVers are wonderful neighbors, and a joy to get to know. It’s easy to make friends in an RV park; all it takes is a nod and a hello. If you are sitting outside in your lawn chairs, face them toward the street and just wave as folks pass by. You’ll be surprised how many stop and strike up a conversation.

And anytime a guy wants to get to know the other fellows in a campground, all he has to do is open the hood of his truck and stand there, or start setting up a tripod TV dish. You’ll have them coming out of their rigs to offer to lend a hand, or just stand around and watch.

Many campgrounds have organized activities, and many even have hired activity directors whose sole purpose is to find ways to help campers keep busy and make new friends. If your campground has an afternoon social hour, a Saturday pancake breakfast, or evening card games, show up and get involved. Before you know it, you’ll be a busy and active member of your little campground community.

Thought For The Day – One of the life’s mysteries is how a two pound box of candy can make a person gain five pounds.

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