Wandering Wahls

I have come to realize that my driving leaves too much free time for me to ponder useless bits of RV philosophy, especially on those stretches where there is no radio signal to be had (which is frequent in the open spaces of the west). For instance: Is drydocking at an RV park comparable to purgatory? (Thinking about an issue such as this is either due to a wandering mind or my Jesuit education – or both.)

Drydocking is an RVer term for those times in an RV park when the full hook up sites (water, electric, and waste at the site) are full and one is shuttled to another side of the park where there are no, or only partial, services to await the opening of a full hook up site. Here, one must utilize a central spot to periodically fill up the RV’s water tank and dump the waste, while running the RV’s generator at the site (during limited hours) to enjoy TV, microwave, W/D, etc.

Drydocking occurs primarily at popular areas where there is a gathering of wildlife known as “snowbirds.” These very intelligent “birds” know that places like Florida, Sand Diego, and Arizona are much more enjoyable in the winter than other parts of the country.

I was recently recalling during a drive between Barstow and Flagstaff that when we hit the base RV parks at Tampa, Cape Canaveral, and Key West without reservations, we spent most of our time drydocking. We still had a great time and would return in a moment’s notice, but it occurred to me that this was like an RV purgatory – we’re so close to Heaven with all the blessings of full hook ups 24 hour power, yet we’re not without some access to them; we haven’t been dispatched to lesser settings, such as a Wal-Mart parking lot. Is this a metaphor for the purgatory I learned about in Catholic grade school?

I’d also go into the question of whether the children of the “dark side” in Star Wars use nightlights, but that really would demonstrate a need for more thought provoking diversions while I drive. It may be time for satellite radio.

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