“What are you doing?” my wife asked as I de-accelerated from 60mph to a dead stop in about 2.5 seconds flat in the middle of the Mojave Desert.
Now, driving something that takes longer to maneuver and stop than the average passenger vehicle, I believe RVers pay considerably more time watching what lies before them on the asphalt than the average driver. I mean when was the last time you saw an RVer driving and texting?
In the case above, I saw something slowly crossing my lane as we cruised towards it. We straddled the critter passing over it as I contemplated what it might be. It was either a rodent or a very large hairy spider! Rodents, having a propensity against getting run over, hustle out of the way, left me assuming it was the latter. I had to check this out! As I explained my actions to my wife, she said, “You think you saw what?” Bailing out of the truck and heading back down the road (yes, my wife willingly came along) soon confirmed my suspicion that it was a very large tarantula! COOL! I love spotting creatures in the wild that I have never encountered before. After taking multiple pictures and my wife telling me multiple times, I could not bring it home as a pet, we headed up the road to a fine boondocking site.
Large arachnids and desert boondocking another great adventure in RVing!
It Wasn’t a Rodent!
Boondocking With the Spiders
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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