Besides the numerous red lights I have run in San Fransisco and being towed from Yosemite to Fresno, there have been some interesting situations on this trip that you might enjoy reading about (and that I do not want to forget) (Maya would like to forget):
Some Town near Pismo Beach.
We were looking for Chinese food and pulled up to a curb. Neither one of us noticed the sign post so close to the curb. As I was pulling away (having decided there was no Chinese food here), the bike’s back wheel caught the sign post and began to yank the bike off the rack with a loud scraping noise. I finally stopped (it took awhile as my brain was dull from hunger), stopped traffic, and got out to investigate. The bike seemed unharmed, though we have not ridden it yet; hopefully the frame is not bent. I secured it and decided to pull out. Maya, in her brilliance (hunger or not) decided she should watch the back, so she stood on the curb to direct me. Because I get befuddled with the steering and directions, I locked myself in with the post. I really wanted to take a picture, but the hood was sticking out into traffic; no time for photo ops. The back of the rig was 2 inches from the post nestled beside the bike tire. I had to inch up and back many times to get free of the post. Up the road two blocks was a wonderful Chinese Buffet! No harm done.
I-5, somewhere in LA
I had forgotten to lock the compartment that holds the 30-amp electrical cord, so naturally, the constant jiggling from the worn out freeway shook the door open and the cable loose into thin air. I knew that within a matter of minutes the whole 50 feet of cable could be out gashing car windshields. I had to stop. So I did on a 9-ft-wide shoulder. The traffic was slowed to about 20 MPH so no worries! Of course Maya was petrified and I wasn’t (I had taken my happy pill and did not worry). She was not sure I would stay alive once I left our haven. The door on her side would just allow me out (I haven’t gained too much weight on the trip), so I squeezed out, over the railing, and to the back of the rig. All the drivers (you know who you are) would not stop to let me into the lane to lock the door, except one angel (an RV driver, of course). I cussed a great deal while fighting with the little-lock-that-is-almost-good-for-nothing, and managed to complete the task without causing a wreck, suicide, or infraction.
Escondido, Wild Animal Park
We had just 3 hours in the park, but managed to keep the car lights brightly lit the entire time! Funny how the motor won’t turn over, when you do that. So two sets of angels came by after closing time in the dark to jump the rig. The first one did the trick and we safely traveled to another place to stay for the night.