Our Mesquite friends, the Carnicellis, are calling it a day, skedaddling back to Nevada several weeks early: they’ve had enough RVing.
Charlie and I are going to dinner with them tonight in Coos Bay, sending them off with an Italian meal and a fond farewell.
I think that their purchase of the fairly new Coachmen Mirada motorhome and the extended trip to the Pacific Northwest on their very first “big” trip was a mistake for several reasons.
First of all, they bought a Class A motorhome with a Ford V-10 gasoline engine. It doesn’t have the power it needs, something that Galen complained about when he arrived here (“high pitch whine/high revs/low speed going up grades, automatic shift into low gear/more high revs/low speed going downhill”). And they aren’t even towing a car behind their relatively light motorhome! I warned Galen about the V-10 gas engine idea, but he was apparently enamored by the price.
Second, the motorhome tires didn’t have air pressure sensors. So, when an inner rear tire blew near Tonopah, Nevada they were unaware until the exterior tire, which then took on all of the rear weight on that side, also shredded, causing damage to their coach bumper and propane gas line. They’ve been in Coos Bay for more than a week without propane for their heater, stove, and range. That sucks. (Of course, the five-hour delay/expensive emergency road repair/replacement of two tires also sucked, as well.) As the saying goes, Shit Happens.
Third, Sherry (Galen’s wife) is recovering from a catastrophic ankle injury that required a complex surgery only three months ago. She’s wearing a “boot” and can hardly get around, let alone climb in and out of the motorhome with ease. Poor Sherry can’t do much on this supposed “vacation”, so she’s in a crummy mood. I don’t envy Galen. She should have never agreed to this trip: they should have held off until she could walk comfortably. I hope coming was her idea, not his, or he will never live it down.
Fourth, the Carnicellis dog, a lovable Lhasa Apso named “Bear”, is an inappropriate dog to own when roughing it in the Pacific Northwest. Bear is a huge fur ball who attracts burrs and thistle “sputniks” and who can’t enjoy the beach because he would (according to his owners) become loaded with sand deep within his two-layer coat. So, no beach, no hikes in the woods, nor much fun for Bear and his owners. Galen takes Bear on a few short walks each day, on asphalt or concrete, where the lad can pee and poop. Not much of a vacation for Bear, that’s for sure. I’m sure he’s miserable.
And, lastly, the Carnicellis are, to be perfectly honest, worry worts who spend a lot of time anticipating trouble and then seem to revel in it (by complaining) when something goes awry. They are not enjoying this trip (see items one through four above) and have decided to return home because of the alleged “crappy weather”. Surprise, Folks, it’s cool and foggy on the Pacific Northwest coast and has been for the past million years! (That’s actually why the Mannings come there in the Summer…to escape the scorching 110-115 degree heat in Mesquite.)
Upon arrival in Coos Bay, our friends related their harrowing drive up “Shinglehouse Road” and have whined about it ever since. In reality, it is a pleasant drive through the woods with little traffic and is easily driven at 40 mph. The Carnicellis almost fell over themselves with glee when there was an Alaskan 8.2 magnitude earthquake reported yesterday with potential tsunami heading this way…until I told them that their report was 12 hours late and the tsunami alert had been canceled. Too bad: one less thing to complain about.
Their last complaint, before deciding to forego their visit (with us) to Brookings, Oregon was that “gale force winds are forecast”. Our joint visit to Brookings was about two weeks out when they came up with this one. It’s funny that they woulde glom onto some bogus wind prediction to justify their actions but it’s not surprising when one considers that they have not opted to get Covid-19 vaccinations…because of some phony medical reason. Too much Fox News and Dr. Oz, I think.
I wonder if they’ve already privately pulled the plug on the RV lifestyle. The couple purchased the $93,000 rig shortly before this ill-fated trip and could probably recover most of that if they sold it. They probably should, because RVing requires participants who can “improvise, adapt, and overcome” rather than bitch and moan, requires making lemonade out of lemons, and so forth. I’m not convinced that they have the grit required.
Charlie and I have been doing this RV stuff for quite a few years now. We’ve endured lots of mini-catastrophes, made mistakes, experienced bad luck, coped with mechanical and health issues (personal and canine), and dealt with annoyances that got us pretty worked up. There’s always some trouble a-brewin’ and we deal with it. It’s a real test of the strength of one’s marriage, living in close proximity for months on end and finding solutions to problems…before you drive your partner nuts. We’re pretty good at it and so are our dogs. And it’s an expensive lifestyle, to be sure. If Charlie didn’t have supplemental business income, we probably couldn’t afford it. I hope Galen and Sherry have a safe and uncomplicated return home. They are nice folks and deserve to be happy. Hopefully, they will chalk this trip up to experience and come up with a hobby that better suits them.
(Sunday Update: Charlie heard from a Mesquite neighbor who is close to the Carnicellis that they are going to sell the RV.)