We awoke to the whirring sounds of Interstate 70 and the humming engines of semis at the neighboring truck plaza – hardly the gentle sounds of nature associated with camping. The grounds were laced with devil’s thorn, which pierced Sonya’s paws if she took a misstep. But Sonya could race carefree in a neighboring field. By noon, we had managed to find the right place for everything in the cupboards, closets and shelves, and decided to weigh and balance the RV at the truck plaza.
The RV wouldn’t start! When we told proprietor Karen Weber about our woes, we found out the nearest RV service center was in Denver. Ugh! (After waiting two weeks to get minor service done, we could see our trip fizzling.) But she’d see what she could do. Shortly, she showed up at our site with Pat, a fulltime RVer originally from Goodland. The first place he looked was at the batteries. All three batteries (one chassis and two house batteries) were bone dry! Pat’s RV tip: Check the battery fluids monthly. They had been OK when we had the unit inspected – what was going on? All three were new in December 2008, but , come to think of it, the previous owner hadn’t taken the RV on extended trips for quite awhile. Or maybe the alternator was history.
Pat got his turkey baster and filled the three batteries with distilled water. Then Karen’s son and co-proprietor showed up with a battery charger. Over the next six hours, the three batteries got a slow-trickle charge. Talk about relief and peace of mind!
Scott suggested that we go into town, run errands and get a bite to eat. No need to worry about leaving your RV door open here, Karen assured us. (The batteries are inside under the entry step.) Scott even loaned us a pickup so we wouldn’t have to go through the hassle of unloading our car from the dolly.
When I told with my sister about how Karen, Pat and Scott helped us out of the goodness of their hearts, she said, “You know, Kansas is called “The Heartland of America.”
Big hearts is exactly what we experienced that Sunday in Goodland, Kansas! And we’re mighty grateful!
The next morning, the engine started and we hit the road again. Destination – Hays, Kansas, where we could get the batteries and alternator checked.
3 Comments
September 25, 2009 at 2:46 pm
I hope your RV woes are short lived.
September 25, 2009 at 5:52 pm
What a great story about good old fashioned hospitality in our Heartland. You’re rediscovering America, both above and below the surface. Glad you solved your problem, and hope everyone on your road remains so helpful.
September 28, 2009 at 4:42 pm
Good people with big hearts is one of the great things about America. In the hustle and bustle of life, we often “miss” noticing that. Despite the circumstances, it was a wonderful experience to be reminded of that!