I?m the OP and started this thread because when we are out RVing and stories start to be told my wife and I always give each other ?the look? of should we or shouldn?t we tell our most embarrassing RV story. It is not what we want to be remembered for but sure is funny ?years later. I?ll share it here being it appears worse things have happened.
Many years ago we went to one of our favorite boondocking spots next to a small lake. There are five spots total. There is a hand pump well and a several picnic tables. That is about all. We went out for one week and only saw one other couple for the week. There is an outhouse that we didn?t use. Sure do enjoy being self contained. We enjoyed our week; very much. After one week your tanks start to get full as you could imagine. And notice I didn?t say there was a dump there.
Our mishap happened on our way home. We have to cross the Columbia River, it is a lot closer for us to use a ferry versus driving around. Saves a lot of miles. The ferry is very small. Maybe holds ten small cars total. It is only about a ten minute ride from one side to the other. Anyway when we got to the ferry dock the road crew was fixing the ramp that you drive on to actually get on the ferry. And there were four vans full of Boy Scouts. You could tell they were on some type of outing and coming back in. Just the dust on all the sleeping bags stacked up in the vans and the scout masters at their wits end gave that clue. Boys ranging from 12 to maybe 16 years old. Yelling and screaming and just being boys I guess you could say. The road crew had the ramp all tore up and had the pavement all ripped up. There was quite a bump where the pavement was tore up and big pavement chunks where the ferry ramp started. The ferry came to our side and they unloaded the cars that were going to other way. The deckhand came up to me and said that he will load the vans first, one at each corner of the ferry and then he?ll direct me when he is ready to drive up the middle. He?ll will put me in the middle row and in the middle of the ferry. OK sounded good to me. So there is a van load of boy scouts at each corner of the ferry and we are in the middle of the ferry and middle of the boy scouts. We sat there and watched the boy scouts vans load and then watched the scout masters yell at the boy scouts to stay in their respective vans. We thought what great enternment. Then the deckhand waved us on. I centered up down the middle where the deckhand wanted me to go; everything was alright until I got to where the old pavement was removed next to the ferry ramp. I got the pick up onto the ramp OK and pulled a little bit further stopping just before the trailer wheels jumped up on the ferry ramp. In the mirror I could tell the trailer was low and the deckhand noticed also. He got on his knees and waved his arm forward so OK, I?ve cleared the tires and everything else- well OK. The deckhand now on ferry waving me into position, he motions me to stop, I do, everything looks good. The ferry starts to move. About two minutes go by and some boy scouts just had to get out and look over the side at the water and go talk to their other friends in other vans. This one comes by and at the same time is yelling to his friends about something. He gets about the end of the trailer and yells ?Hey guys look at this? Hey Guys, His turd tank is leaking!!!!? I look in the mirror an see this wet spot around the rear of my trailer. All the other boy scouts exiting their vans yelling ?let me see! Oh what a mess, oh look is that last night dinner? Hey that looks like bobby?s cooking etc? As more and more boy scouts gather I get out to look look and at the same time the deckhand is there. My pipe from the black water tank is leaking big time. This one boy scout says Hey Mister that's a sh**y mess!! HA HA. The deckhand yells to the ferry captain. ?That is the second one today, call the road crew and tell them they must get those pavement chunks out and off the ramp!? The deckhand gets a water hose and starts a pump and starts hosing off the mess. The boy scouts are gathered around like they have struck gold. The boy scouts are mesmerized watching the deckhand hose off the mess. I glance at my wife. She is sitting just looking straight ahead. Shell shocked is more like it. She gets out and walks to the front of the ferry. Hair flapping in the breeze. Not looking at what is happening, she just keeps looking straight ahead or should I say keeping her back to the whole scene? Meanwhile the deckhand keeps hosing off the mess as it is leaking out. This one Boy Scout?s leader, a big dude gets out of his van and gathers his boy scouts . Successful at getting his heard into their respective vans and puts the fear of God into them. I see the deck hand has the mess all washed away and walks up to my wife and says something to her, I don?t know what he says but she walks back and stands next to this ladder that goes up to where the ferry captains sits. I don?t know what the deckhand said to her because I?m back sitting in the front seat waiting for her to get in so we can unload and leave once we get the other side and leave as quickly as possible. Then my mind starts going into overdrive. I didn?t know what the ferry people were going to call this a ?hazardous spill? or if any paper work had to be done or what. Is this considered an accident? What is going to happen next. We get near the other side and dock. The deckhand is real careful in unloading the vans. The deckhand walking alongside each van, almost escorting them off. First the van in front of us to the left and then the van to the right, then the two back vans are unloaded with him walking along side each one real slow. Of course all the boy scouts are yelling waving goodby and laughing. My wife is still standing near the captain?s ladder. I?m thinking OK what?s next? I got out my registration and insurance card and thinking how in the world is this fault. The deckhand comes over to me and says ?OK ready?? I ask ?would you call my wife over?? He says ?Ah, She told me to tell you, she?ll walk off under her own power?. He again asks me ?You ready?? I drive off slow, wondering if the drain pipe is going to break off completly. I drive off and stop on the right side up the ramp. My wife walks up and gets in and says ?drive, don?t talk?. We drive about five minutes in silence and I just could not wait any longer. I ask what did the deckhand told her and why did he have you stand by the captain ladder? She turns to me with her beautiful Mrs. Santa Clause smile says ?I stood by the captain?s ladder so everybody would think I was with the ferry crew and not you! and do you know how embarrassing this is? I reply ?Oh, clever, and when the deckhand came up to you, what did he say? With even a bigger smile she replies ?the deckhand said ?a few turds won?t hurt anybody, I hosed it all off.?