After a long day of exploring in the Mojave Desert, my wife and I were enjoying our evening in the boondocks playing a word game in the RV. Suddenly my wife’s eyes grew large and I saw fear sweep across her face. She pointed towards the kitchen and tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come out. My initial thought was one of the big horn sheep we had seen earlier in the day or other large mammal had appeared at our kitchen window, but about then the word “mouse” escaped from my wife’s lips. As she stood on the dinette seat pointing and exclaiming to what she saw, I went to determine where the little vermin had gone. After some examination of the evidence, mouse droppings etc. I found he had entered and exited through a poorly sealed hole in the floor where the water pump draws water from the tank below. Being in the boondocks, I used what I had handy to block up the hole; steel wool and duct tape! Since it had entered via the waterline under the kitchen sink, the little critter had full run of the pots, pans, silverware drawer and kitchen utensils which now required a thorough washing with soap and water (water always being a precious commodity in the boondocks). Upon arriving in the next area of civilization (Laughlin, NV) we headed to the local Wal-Mart and purchased expanding spray foam and mouse poison. One positive thing came out of this hole (pun intended) experience, I now know how all the dust has been entering the area under the kitchen counter when we traveled unpaved roads and it has been repaired. Thank you Mr./Ms. Mouse.
Boondocking and critters, just another adventure in boondocking!
Dave Helgeson’s many roles in the RV industry started before he even had a driver’s license. His grandparents and father owned an RV dealership before the term “RV” had been coined, and Dave played a pivotal role in nearly every position of an RV dealership. He and his wife Cheri launched their own RV dealership in the Pacific Northwest. The duo also spent 29 years overseeing regional RV shows. Dave has also served as President of a local chapter of the Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA), worked on the board of advisors for the RV Technician Program of a local technical college, and served as a board member of the Manufactured Home and RV Association. Dave’s reputation earned him the title of “The foremost expert on boondocking,” bestowed by RV industry icon, the late Gary Bunzer (The RV Doctor). When he’s not out boondocking, you’ll find Dave in the spotlight at RV shows across the country, giving seminars about all things RVing. He and Cheri currently roam in their fifth travel trailer, with Dave doing all the service, repair and modifications to his own unit.
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