The Pacific Northwest is once again experiencing a mild winter. Little snow in the mountains, above average temperatures and warm fronts that roll through every couple of weeks melting what little precious snow that may have fallen in the mountains. If you enjoy getting out and taking part in winter sports it kind of puts a damper on winter fun.
When my son, who lives on the east side of the Cascades, requested help painting the inside of his new home over the weekend, my wife suggested taking the RV as the home does not yet have running water and the “facilities” consist of a sani-can out back. The RV would also serve as convenient overnight accommodations for my wife and I, plus provide a kitchen and seating for meal breaks. As mentioned above, the weather has resembled anything but what you would expect in the middle on January. I agreed it was a good idea. A check of the weather showed a cold front coming through Friday night with the possibility of snow, turning to possible freezing rain by early Saturday, then changing to heavy rain with the snow level rising to 7,000 ft elevation by Saturday night continuing into Sunday. Given the track record we had seen so far this winter, I figured we would go over to my son’s on Friday and by Sunday what little snow may fall Friday night would be all melted off by another warm front’s rain and the rise of temperature.
We left home on Friday amongst sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-fifties arriving on the other side of the mountains at dusk. As forecasted, it was below freezing Friday night and we awoke to light snow, which by mid-morning was heavy snow. It did finally change to rain by later in the afternoon. However, the promised heavy rain Saturday night (which I had counted on to wash away the snow) didn’t materialize, but the freezing rain forecasted for Saturday morning decided to show up Sunday morning instead!
My son, awaking to the same situation about six miles away, thoughtfully put the plow on his truck and came to our rescue. Plowing away the ice covered snow in the morning combined with (finally) moderating temperatures by afternoon allowed us to cautiously turn around and make our escape. Trusting that just maybe the weatherman will be right, just another adventure in RVing!
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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