WAL-MART PARKING LOT – Hays, Kansas – It rained most of the night. And all morning. We were going to take the kids to a Safari park, but the weather nixed that. Instead, Noah put on his fireman’s rain suit and played in the downpour.
The rain made an already so-so campgrounds downright dreary. Turns out that was the best part of the day. At least so far.
Getting ready to leave our campsite at Sundowner West, we decided to top off our fresh water tanks which were running low. We are learning there is an art to RV life, but the science lives largely in tank management. There are the fuel tanks for both the RV and the generator, the LP gas tanks to power the fridge, stove, furnace and hot water heater, the freshwater tanks for drinking and cleaning, the greywater tanks for sink and shower drainage -- and, finally, the dreaded blackwater tanks for sewage. There are gauges with lights and button to help manage it all, but – as we learned – they are not necessarily the most accurate.
Anyway, as Marley was doing the dishes as we were preparing to go she quickly started noticing silt was coming in with the water. Dirty well, I guess. So, we figured we’d just flush the whole tank. Being new at all this, there may very well be an easier way, but we figured we would just run the tap until it was dry, transferring all the freshwater into our greywater tanks. I monitored the gauges to make sure they weren’t overfilling. A few minutes later we were on our way to the “dumping station” to, ahem, drop our load.
As I was in the back managing the hoses and valves, Amelia, our 7-year-old, suddenly ran up breathless, “Come quick! It’s an emergency!” Inside Marley was already throwing towels down in the bathroom, water overflowing the shower tub. I immediately had vision of a blackwater nightmare, our own twisted version of Robin William’s showdown with the sewer line, except for us, inside the RV, Credence Clearwater Revival singing in the soundtrackof my mind, oh Blackwater keep on flowing...
Fortunately, it wasn’t nearly so bad. But still a royal pain in the butt. After buying a small wet-vac, we’ve managed to get most of the water up, here in the Wal-mart parking lot, but not after a few hour delay. I don’t think we’re going to make it to Denver today.
If you ever happen to passing through central Kansas in an RV, I’d recommend against Sundowner West.
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