And so it is

Hi gang!

So we have done it. After 4 moths of preparations, renovations and double our starting budget - our RV, my partner, our dog, our cat and I are on the road! 5 days in and we could not have done it without you folks. All the help advice, opinions and experience you have all given us is worth more than any money could buy. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

All has gone fairly smoothly - a few fuses blown here and there, some things shifting and not liking being on the road after a few years of non-use and a belt needing to be tightened a few days and we were golden until two nights ago. We had quite a terrible night that I hope is not a sign of things to come.

We were driving through the Pennsylvania Wilds heading to Ohio when around 11pm our headlights and dash dimmed and the battery gauge on the dash cut to about a quarter. It looked like our alternator went. Luckily - about 2 miles up there was a 24 hour TA Travel Center with very large garage open all night (THANK GOD!) we pulled in and went in to ask for help

3 very gruff men with no teeth informed me that they would not be serving me here because they "will not serve faggots" - I described my problem and asked if it sounded like the alternator and would I be safe to drive up the road to another garage. They told me I would not be safe in these parts and I better move along - then five of them came out with large tools in their hands and and surrounded my RV - they spit all over it and threatened us. When we went to leave they told me if I tried to leave without paying my bill we would have some trouble. My bill? They refused to work on anything!

They told me that they gave us their opinion that yes they thought it was the alternator and that would be a minimum half hour rate of 55 dollars. They strong armed me into paying it and I left as fast as we could for the nearest walmart (20 miles away)

we made it safely to Walmart and in the AM -  turns out I was able to fix it myself - when we had our belts tightened the garage didn't tuck the alternator wires in well enough and they got burned by the air filter cover, we fixed them up on our own and headed out on the road.

I knew this adventure of full-time RVing across the country would be full of both beautiful and ugly moments...I just hope that got the ugly out of the way for a while. Will keep you all updated as we head more on the road. Hope to meet some of you on our mutual adventures.

namaste

I would report the incident to TA headquarters and file a report with the state police.

The rest of your RV experiences will be much better, I'm sure.

As a gay woman, I have had similar experiences, most of them in the South. I am so sorry that happened to you. Some people are just so full of hate, it's awful. I know you and your partner will have many more amazing experiences RVing than you will bad ones though. Just try to ignore the bigots as best you can and focus on all of the amazing people you will be meeting. And, Ned is right, you need to file a police report and a complaint with TA corporate.

Safe Travels! 

As a native Southerner, I would not necessarily paint us all with such a broad brush, but I will say we have seen this type of behavior without regard to state boundaries.

I would not let it taint your picture of RV life as we have met any number of gay couples (and singles) along the way in the last three years, and their experience in the RV world sometimes mirrors their experiences elsewhere, the ugliness still apparent.

I will say that, as a rule, and across the board, RV folks seem to have a more laid back lifestyle and hopefully a more tolerant attitude, given the huge variety of backgrounds that we seem to come from.

From my law enforcement background,  there was actually a law or two broken in your garage experience, but sometimes you just can't fix stupid.

I hope the rest of your RV stories along the way have a better ending, and I applaud you for finding your own fix after all. It's how we do here, and I, for one, am glad you get as much out of the Framily here as you have to date. I hope that continues.

Safer travels to you both!

Kim

I never cease to be amazed at the capacity for cruelty humans possess. I am sure it was also very frightening for you and your partner. Personal safety is something discussed often on this forum. I am so sorry that you had that experience, and I fervently hope that your future travels are beautiful and serene.

I hope the worst of your negative experiences as an RVer are now behind you.  I'd apologize on behalf of the idiots but that wouldn't help.  Safe and happy travels from here on out.

ArdraF

What can be said about an experience like that? I can hope that you will never have to go through something like that again. But, knowing the stupidity of some people, you probably will. May the good times of RV'ing out weight the bad.

I keep thinking we have evolved beyond such things but guess not.

It's a different scenario but I have a mentally challenged daughter and we get looks and snide comments in places.  She gets upset, I told her look at the people doing it and consider the source. 

Hope the rest of your experiences are better.

Sadly that garage may not belong to T/A but as NED said I'd be telling them your story.

And as someone else suggested the county prosecutor where it happened (or the local Federal equivalent) Several laws, both state and Federal were, if not broken, seriously bent.

Personally.... I'd have fixed the rig.

The sad fact is that people who aren't much themselves often feel the need to put down others in an effort to raise themselves up. It doesn't work, but they're too blind to see that.

I'm sure you'll find the great majority of RVers to be more interested in who you are than in your orientation. I'm very glad you've found the forum to be helpful in the past and we'll be here if you need us again.

Ernie

By the way.. Had I seen you pull off the side of the road with lights dimming like that.. I might well have followed you to the shoulder and found a way to get you back to full power quickly so you could safely get to a repair facility.. (I already thought of two ways to do it in fact) .

And as I say in another time and place..  I do not care who you travel with or who your partner is so long as they (or you) are not eligable to have your photo on a post office wall.  (Or, Well, you get the idea).. I mean I'm a reired police dispatcher so "Wanted Dead or Alive" I care about.

I gather, though you did not state, you and your partner are in a non-hetrosexual relationship... (Please do not reply to this paragraph) This is my business ONLY, if I am the target of your affections,  Which, clearly, i'm not. 

Thus, What concerns me is "Stranded traveler needs help". and that's all.

I'm so sorry this happened to you.  This world is full of idiots, with and without teeth.  I hope you find kinder people in your future travels.

Robin