Sunday. Judgment Day for some. Definitely for me.

This was the day I would test my agility…my skills…my wits. I needed to pack up from the site, tow Bambi to storage and back her up into my assigned spot.

I shut off the water pump, power, turned off various other switches. Closed the propane pump valves. Packed away the food and other essentials like my camera, laptop and journal. I removed wheel chocks, put away the stabilizers said good bye to my neighbors who gave me their contact information so I can stay in touch. I got into the Touareg and slowly stepped on the gas.

The vehicle was stuck and I heard a crunching sound below me. I checked the emergency brake and touched down the accelerator. Same thing.

I forgot to remove the hitch jack. Yikes.

This was something else I read in the Newbies book. Most tow vehicle/Airstream repairs are a result of the hitch jack or the trailer step not being tucked inside.

Yikes.

I rushed to the hitch, lifted it up and removed the jack. I don’t know what sort of damage I may have caused but I didn’t notice anything unusual. I put the hitch jack away and was able to tow away.

As you exit the campsite, you had the option of dumping your “stuff.” It was a fairly painless process. I pumped out my stuff and used a hose to flush out the tank. As I put the hose away, I sprayed the ground and splattered myself with mud. As this was happening, a fellow camper stopped to comment on how cute my rig was (Touareg + Bambi set up.) I wondered if there was mud splattered on my face and if so, if the mud looked like something else. Oh well.

Once I got to the storage lot, it was obvious I’d be backing up Bambi.

Yikes.

Good thing I gave myself the entire morning to practice.

Of course there was a man putting stuff into his storage space and offered to help guide me in. I declined the offer and told him I needed the practice in case he was not around the next time.

With a deep breath out, I began a series of maneuvers to backup the trailer. Scoot back, jump out, realign,  ease back, step out, use my mirrors, spot an area to move toward, draw out the shape of an arc in my head and how the Touareg needed to push the trailer back. After about ten minutes, I had Bambi backed up.  It was a spectacular moment.

The skies parted and the theme from Rocky rang in my ears.

Check out how straight she is. Bambi Boot Camp is over. I am ready for a real trip.