A Masterclass in Campground Parking
Otherwise known as, “How the hell did I get this close and not hit anything?”
I’m a pretty good driver, and in turn, a very skilled parker. I’ve had some close calls like this in the past. In this instance, I couldn’t have done any better. My side view mirror is pretty hard to see out of as well. We do have a security camera behind us but the scope of what that sees is pretty limited and only helped us not hit the pole when I first backed up.
I was trying to figure out the perfect angle to get us back into the spot. We had left earlier after being in an ideal place in the camping spot. So coming back, I wanted to make sure I found another ideal place on the campsite. I also wanted to be far enough away from the loop’s road to allow for larger vehicles and other recreational vehicles to pass through with no issue. We aren’t that long but I backed up enough to get close to the outlet. As you can see, we got super close to the outlet.
This time, I wanted to avoid being as close to the tree as I was the first time. The other thing I considered is that I wanted to be more level than we had been initially. This was achieved by moving more toward the left closer to the plug but further away from the tree on the right. I did the first task very well but almost achieved the second part too perfectly, as you can see.
I don’t think I will ever achieve a park job this perfect again but I certainly would like to try. We move on Saturday to a different spot and we also have a similar setup in our new space. I will make two separate attempts to achieve it this weekend since we have to park there when we first move on Saturday and come back to the spot after we help our friend out on Sunday.
Now that I got so lucky and feel so skilled in driving after being so precise, I feel like I should teach a driving class. I can specialize in parking drills and techniques for new drivers and campground visitors, especially those who want to drive larger vehicles, such as recreational vehicles. Today, I saw another RV that was struggling to park, even though they had more room.
I feel like I could’ve even helped that driver get it right the first time. Of course, that would be short of taking the wheel myself and not just sitting on the side watching that person struggle to back up after 30 minutes of back and forth struggling to get level and straight. Most of the people at this state park campground probably bring out their recreational vehicles once or twice a year and have no idea how to drive these vehicles well.
It delights me to share these photos here with what would likely be a once-in-a-generation perfect park. I think that we should all learn to drive and park as well as me. If you’re looking for someone confident enough to back in an RV, I’m the guy to call. Too bad we only get two more days in this spot before I have to move out of my perfect parking job.
