“To go forward, you must leave something behind.”
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We left Richmond at 9 pm already a day late from our aimed departure date. We were excited to finally hit the road but were overwhelmingly exhausted and stressed from moving. We left behind a few boxes and furniture so even as we turned out the lights and locked up it didn’t quite feel like we were finished. We could have easily spent another week cleaning and saying goodbye to friends. Our RV was a row of packed boxes waiting to be sorted. We debated staying another night but the apartment was too empty, the rv was too packed, and that would mean it would be difficult to get to MardiGras on time. The only way was forward!
The plan was to travel 4 hours to stay at a RV Park in Roanoke. That seemed easy and would make us feel accomplished. Our first RV park! We could say we had finally started our adventure! The dogs settled into my lap to sleep.
It’s hard for me to describe the series of unfortunate events that happened that night. One minor thing mounted on another and another until it spiraled into a nightmare. The short version is that our dog Rumple got hit by a car and passed away. Here is how that event unfolded for those who care to know:
It was late and I suggested stopping for coffee and a late night snack. Our GPS lead us off the highway and we quickly realized the food stop was on the opposite side of the road and the GPS was trying to make us u-turn. We attempted the u-turn but it became clear we were too long and couldn’t make it. In order to recover we had to park the RV along the wrong side of the road to disconnect the tow dolly and our car. Deven got to work immediate and within 10 minutes Police showed up to help in any way they could. They parked their cruisers to illuminate the area for surrounding traffic. A tow truck also showed up in case he was needed. The Jetta and dolly were in now in position but we ran into another issue. The RV key ring broke apart scattering our numerous RV compartment keys, or ignition key, and others. We found some keys in the boxes in the RV and a few others outside on the ground but could not find the ignition key. Deven and I, plus the police officers, and the tow truck guy joined our search. Throughout the whole ordeal the dogs had been sitting in the passenger seat. The door was opening and shutting numerous times as host of people asked us questions and were trying to assist us. One time the door opened and Rumple hopped down and shot out through the door. He walked a few feet away past Deven. We called to him and told him to stay. He bolted under the RV and toward oncoming traffic. Deven went around the back on the RV to where Rumple ran. I went into the RV to close the door and grab Roddy. I picked Roddy up and went outside to meet Deven to see if he was able to catch Rumple. To my horror and grief I saw Deven kneeling by Rumple who had been hit by a car and was not moving. Overwhelmed I ran back into the RV and clutched Roddy not knowing what to do. Deven came in a short time later and confirmed that Rumple had passed away and that he was with him when he did. It happened so suddenly and so quickly. There wasn’t anything we could do.
In the midst of this tragedy our RV was still stuck. The police were very kind but told us we would be towed if we couldn’t resolve this soon. Deven found the spare RV key at last and was able to move the rig to the right side of the road. We reconnected the tow dolly and car and were able to make it back to the highway and back on our path.
Deven and I held hands the rest of the drive eager to stop driving. I called a few Walmarts in the area to stop early but none allowed overnight parking. The only option was to keep going to the RV park. We talked about stopping our trip. We felt cursed. What does starting the trip like this mean? Does it mean anything? We decided to go forward with our trip for at least another week or two. We wanted to give this RV adventure one more chance but didn’t want this horrible event to be a part of it.
We arrived at Dixie Caverns, our RV Park, around 3 am. It was cold, raining, muddy, and miserable. We were miserable.
