What's the nicest thing that you've done/someone has done for you on the road?

[rvannie23]

A lot of topics here about  thieves/shady campgrounds/staying safe as well as what to expect when full timing or heading out to a campground for the first time. I think an important part of that is the fact that RVing, full time or otherwise, is definitely a culture. Even though we're all different there is definitely a type of person that takes on this lifestyle.

So, what's the nicest thing you have ever done or someone has ever done for you on the road or while camping?

 

[kdbgoat]

A few things that come to mind real quick is cutting a tent stake to replace a broken roll pin in a guy's tongue jack gear so he could raise his camper so he could go back home. The other is went back home (5 miles from campground) to get our big tent (we have a smaller tent too) to loan to a young couple with two children that had just traveled 75 miles and found they didn't have the poles for their tent in the bag. Giving a homeless family food and wood for their fire pit to keep their kids comfy. There's lots of other things, but most of them slip my mind. Being nice to others is all part of it isn't it? Doing simple things like teaching folks how to build and light a campfire without using a bushel of leaves and a whole box of matches ;D. It's not like other's haven't helped me out in my lifetime.
Bill Waugh (HueyPilotVN) probably has all of us beat though.

 

[SeilerBird]

The first year I went to Quartzsite I arrived and chatted with a few people and then announced I had to drive into town to get groceries. I did not have a toad so I would be taking my 27 foot class A. I went back to it and started to get ready to go and there was a knock on the door. I opened it and someone I didn't recognise was standing there and he held out a key. He said "Here take my van into town then you won't have to break down you set up." So I said thanks, took the keys and followed him over to his van. A relatively new diesel sprinter van that had to have been worth a hundred grand. I still to this day don't know who it was but it sure was a nice gesture.

One time I was towing a trailer full of my stuff from Reno to Salt Lake City and it was snowing. I was driving very slowly and lost traction and slid into the ditch. Some guy pulls over with a jeep and we unhitched the trailer and he pulled that out then pulled my car out and help me hook them back up. He refused the twenty dollars I offered him.

Then there was this lady in Nevada, oh wait, never mind. ???

 

[PopPop51]

Have to go way back before our camping days for the nicest thing anyone has ever done for us.
1977. Cruising East on I-10, 90 miles East of El Paso. In other words, the middle of nowhere.
The motor in our Mazda RX-4 stops dead, and we coast onto the shoulder. The rotary engine's oil seals had failed, letting oil leak into the combustion chambers until the engine burned itself dry.
Within minutes an 18 wheeler sees us and pulls over to offer help. He comes up with a few quarts of oil and when we put that in the motor starts right up, though now it's making smoke like a destroyer escort. Trucker says "I don't think you'll get too far on that much oil", goes back to his truck and returns with a dozen more quarts. Refuses any payment.
That got us moving again. We eventually limped into Houston, burning a quart every 50 miles or so, where we had family to stay with while Mazda rebuilt the 45,000-mile motor under full warranty.

 

[Jim Johnson]

If I listed all the things that Terry Brewer of this Forum or the late Wally Hepworth (RIP) late of this Forum have done for me over the years.  Tom, the Forum owner, would probably double my yearly subscription dues for excessive bandwidth use.  Oh, that is right, there is no dues; and thanks to Tom also!

 

[rvannie23]

If I listed all the things that Terry Brewer of this Forum or the late Wally Hepworth (RIP) late of this Forum have done for me over the years.  Tom, the Forum owner, would probably double my yearly subscription dues for excessive bandwidth use.  Oh, that is right, there is no dues; and thanks to Tom also!

That's a great point! I started out on this forum bc I was two days into my new RV which I got thrown into, couldn't figure out my black tank valves, and randomly started googling things while crying. Found out it's actually a common thing. Fixed the mislabeled valves and felt much better. If anything I think the forum is the nicest thing ever because it brings so many RVers to one place.

 

[rvannie23]

Being nice to others is all part of it isn't it? Doing simple things like teaching folks how to build and light a campfire without using a bushel of leaves and a whole box of matches ;D. It's not like other's haven't helped me out in my lifetime

It's definitely part of it. I love having the chance to help someone else. Like rolling in someone's manual awning in a freak storm when they're out. So many people have helped me along the way and I think that's what matters.

Also, are you trying to tell me you actually DONT need an entire box of matches to light a campfire..? News to me

 

[scottydl]

Our maiden voyage home with our first motorhome (from upstate NY to central IL) was quite an experience for my wife and I...

- a major breakdown in rush-hour traffic in Niagara Falls, NY (1 day after buying the rig)
- driving through the most major thunderstorm I've ever experienced on the road (and me driving a 35' Class A with very little experience)
- An awning that started to unfurl while heading down the freeway

During the breakdown, we had people stop and sincerely offer to help including a guy who gave me a few gallons of gas from his gas can just in case that was the problem with my RV (it wasn't).  With the awning, another veteran RV'er in a big DP stopped and showed us how to secure the awning arms to keep the awning in place.  He provided duct tape for that temporary fix, because of course I didn't have any. 

Those are small things in perspective, but in the middle of an RV crisis they are huge & is all part of the friendliness of the RV lifestyle!

 

[BIG JOE]

My Dad taught us boys to "Lend A Hand When You Can" at an early age, so my "hands".. in doing the right thing.. though the 50 years of RV'n.. are to numerous to mention.

But recently, on our way home from an Outing, at a Rest Stop on I-5, we pulled up next to pick-up & 5'r with the hood up. Asked the guy what was up.. he said he had just lost all power and had limped to the Rest Stop, smoke'n like a Train.. but didn't have a clue what went wrong.

I took a look and could see he had blown an I/C boot off of the Turbo. The I/C boot clamp was gone. I just happened to have ( ) some 4" band clamps, so I reconnected the boot.. put 2 band clamps on.. Told him to take it REAL easy, to the next town.

Come to find out.. they were going to our home town.. (50 miles away) to visit his brother ! (all flat road)

Put them in the lead, followed them to his brothers place.. No Problems.

As scottydl sez, in part: Small things in perspective, but in the middle of a crisis.. ALL are part of the friendliness of the RV lifestyle.

A Hand Shake.. Is payment.. in full. 

 

[Tom and Margi]

If I listed all the things that Terry Brewer of this Forum or the late Wally Hepworth (RIP) late of this Forum have done for me over the years.  Tom, the Forum owner, would probably double my yearly subscription dues for excessive bandwidth use.  Oh, that is right, there is no dues; and thanks to Tom also!

You beat me to it, JJ.  Terry patiently guided us into the technological world.  Our first Tivo, our first digital camera, etc., and has spent hours bailing us out of whatever trouble we got into.  George Van Luchene is another forum member who saved our nether region time and time again with computer problems and microwave repair.  And then there was Wally ... who contributed much to reducing our repair budget over the years.  He even shared his sewer hose after ours sprouted a leak at Cape Blanco.  At his memorial service, the meadow in Timber Valley was filled to overflowing with thankful people he had fixed things for over the years.  Also Ned Reiter, who would drop everything to help a forum member at a moment's notice.

 

[regval]

Traveling home from a weekend camping trip at a Georgia state park in our recently acquired 5vr (used), we had a tire blowout on a 2 lane blacktop with no shoulder. I limped to the first driveway I saw (gravel) and got off the road, parking across the driveway. Laying under the trailer to keep my feet out of the road and having just put the jack under the axle, I see a pickup pull up behind the trailer.  The guys are in a old beat-up pickup truck with a couple of lawnmowers and tools. They get out and suggest that I get out from under the trailer. I thought they were maybe the owners of the property and were going to ask me to unblock their drive. Wrong... Once I crawled out, one crawled under, jacked the trailer up while one started removing the lugs on the tire. The other one lowered the spare ... like a NASCAR team.  15 minutes top, tire on, bad tire in my truck bed. I asked what they did for a living...they cut grass and "fix" stuff. They wouldn't take a dime. Oh, I forgot to mention...I'm knocking on the door of 70 years old and they were all about as old as me.  ;D
Good folks - the kind we need more of in America.

Reggie

 

[robertusa123]

Came across a family with a flat tire. They had no spare. The tire wore thure bacause they didn't have the money for a new one.I tuck them to wall Mart bought them a brand new tire. On way back to car I stopped at McDonald's to buy the kids dinner. Mom and dad would not let me buy them anything Then put tire back on the car........ The hole thing set me back about 100$...... You would have thaut I bought them 1000$ worth of stuff..... That was 1998.  Still firendly with them to this day

 

[UTTransplant]

It wasn't an RV, but my kids (now mid 30s to mid 20s) still remember helping the single woman in a small car who pulled over next to a runaway truck lane. She was stick in many inches of pea gravel, and it was night somewhere on a Colorado mountain. We saw her stuck with her hazard lights on. I got out of the car with DH and all 4 kids, ranging from littles to mid teens, and we cooperatively pushed her out. She said how scared she was when the SUV pulled up, but the sight of 4 kids, mom, and dad all piling out made her feel comfortable. BTW, it took a real effort to get her out! Stay away from runaway ramps unless you lose your brakes.

 

[JudyJB]

I try to help others, but I have been helped more than have been able to help others. (I did once diagnose the problem a new trailer owner was having dumping his black tank--exit to tank was on top, not on bottom!  Told him to take it back to dealer and tell him sewage does not run uphill.)  It always amazes me of the kindness of fellow campers:

• Offered to take me to doctor or pick up groceries when I was horribly sick with a cold.  Luckily I had lots of groceries and had already been to urgent care
• Climbed up on a ladder and removed my broken TV antenna.
• Chased me in a pickup truck, honking like crazy, to warn me of an unmarked low bridge ahead.
• Drove to two hardware stores to get me the 50amp to 30 amp plug I needed.

By the way, I have started carrying good bottles of wine to repay such folks, when I can, but that seems silly compared with buying a new tire for a family down on their luck.

 

[RoyM]

Our first rv was an old Vanguard fiver that had it's best days behind it. We were set up at a nice campsite next to a gazillion dollar dp, my wife was so embarrassed she wanted to move to another site. During the evening we lost our shore power, an over height load had taken out our shore power and our house battery was dead, the fuse in the truck had popped. Now what to do, DW needed her CPAP machine.
The neighbor came over seeing we were in darkness and immediately offered to plug us into his unit. We could not have met a nicer guy, his attitude was we were all in this together and we help where we can. Fortunately the utility company was on the ball and restored service. I also now check the fuses before leaving.

 

[Punomatic]

We were camped in Webster, WI last Memorial Day weekend. The park was small, and the owner (who was drunk when we arrived) had invited all his friends and family for the weekend. There was loud noise and music all day and well into the night. A young couple was parked next to us in a brand new TT and had a small son with them. This was their first RV outing ever, and they were about to give up on RVing. We befriended them and told them that this park was not the norm for RV parks.

When they decided to leave, they discovered that their sewer hose was too short to reach the sewer hookup. In addition, the park owner had installed the hookup about a foot above the ground. The young fellow came over and asked for advice. I took my sewer hose off our rig, and we dumped his tanks. It required lifting the hose and "milking" the contents uphill to get things to drain. When we were through, I remembered I had a spare sewer hose, so I gave it to them, in case they ran into a similar problem in the future. They were so grateful for our help that they kept trying to pay us. I, of course, told them that no payment was necessary and that, perhaps, they would one day have a chance to pay it forward.

I hope they are still RVing. It would be a shame if a thoughtless RV park owner and his boisterous friends spoiled their dreams.

On the receiving end, DW and I were traveling through northern NM one time, when we realized that something was amiss. I pulled over and got out to check. The right rear tire on the towed had blown and was literally gone; the car was rolling on the rim. I got out the jack, which I had never had occasion to use before, and began figuring out how to jack up the car. About that time a fellow in a battered old pickup pulled up with his father and his son with him. He said, "Here, let us help." Before I could protest that I was okay, he had pulled a hydraulic floor jack out of the truck bed and jacked up my car. In about 10 minutes, the tire was changed, and he had told us exactly where to go in the next town to get a new tire. They all piled back in their pickup and away they went.

Our experience is that most people we have met traveling are friendly and love to be helpful.

 

[BIG JOE]

On our receiving end ?

In the early 70's, while in the Navy and transferring from R.I. to Ca., Tent camping all the way.. I-80 wasn't complete in parts of Nebraska and we had to exit and follow US-30 in parts. As we were driving through downtown Chappell NE. in the early evening, a young man pulled out and clipped us on the right rear fender. We spun around and slid into a vacant lot, backwards. NO injuries, just shook us up some.

Just so happened, there was a dance at their local Town Hall. With the noise of the accident, the whole town (I think) came out of the Hall. ALL the Ladies immediately went into the "Mother" mode with the wife and our two daughters. The Men went into the (Farmers) "How are we guna fix this fender" Mode with me and our car. (the fender was push in, rubbing on the tire. They pulled it out to where I could drive it)

I'd had enough for one day.. asked the State Trooper if there was a local CG we could spend the night.. then tend to the car in the AM. When one of the Ladies heard that.. She said: NO WAY YOUNG MAN ! (I was Young..then) If your going to spend the night here.. Your family is going the spend the night at our (meaning hers) Motel. We accepted.

Somehow they had found out I was in the Military.  (the Trooper I think) (he talked to everyone using their first names)

Early next morning there was a knock on the room door. Four ladies were there with Biscuit's & Gravy, Milk & Cereal, Toast, Coffee and Sweet Rolls. Shortly.. five men showed up, two of them were from a local Garage.. they Jacked, Hammered and Banged our fender out to almost perfect.. In the Motel Parking Lot !

The People of Chappell Nebraska..  Would Not Accept Payment.. Of Any Kind... for the Room or Food. They Sent Us On Our Way With Snacks & Lunches For Our Days Travels. For many of the ladies.. it was a tearful goodbye.

Needless to say.. We will NEVER EVER forget the People of Chappell Nebraska.. Their Simple Kindness and Caring.

As a Post Note: There's Very Nice Mom'n Pop type RV park right off of I-80 at Chappell. Because of the above We've stayed there many, many times. We always take a drive down Main (US-30) Things have changed some.. but the Memories will never fade.

To This Day..That's Jus' How It Is.. Out There.. On The Road.

 

 

[beaverfever]

we were staying in canmore,alberta canada visiting banff and surrounding  area when i taken a gravel road above the city.
when returning we just started down a very steep hill when a tire blew,we had to limp about a half mile to where we could pull over and change it,
had just got stopped and a car that had gone to the top of the hill and came back down stopped behind us . two young men jumped out grabbed the jack changed the tire,put the flat one in the back. they wouldn't except anything just said to enjoy our visit to canada. i will forever be grateful to these two young emt's from the city of canmore.

 

[KandT]

Around Washington DC in heavy traffic my first time towing the TOAD I see an unraveled blue dryer line right in the middle of the road.  I watched it fall off the car in front of me.

No way did I feel confident enough to swerve hard OR slam on the brakes over this unraveling correlated line. The safest thing for me to do was run over it.

Of course it gets tied up on the MH and then continues to unravel.

Well the good people around our nation's capital must have thought it was holding my Accord to the dolly because they start pulling up next to me and motioning to roll down the window.  They are shouting my car is going to fall off.  I just wish the darn thing would fall off so I didn't have to maneuver over 5 lanes of traffic and find an off ramp hoping I could easily get back on.

I said thank you and gave the thumbs up to the first 5 people but eventually gave up and found an off ramp which led to a residential area.  Pulled over and of course it was barely hanging on.

So while they didn't actually accomplish anything good I give them an "A" for effort when they could have just driven on by. 

By the way, we did fold the line up and dispose of it properly which meant stuffing it in the toad's trunk until we got to a gas station garbage can.

 

[jackquontee]

......are you trying to tell me you actually DONT need an entire box of matches to light a campfire..? News to me

I don't get that. I only need one match............to light the box of matches.  ;D