I had spent a few wonderful days exploring the mountains of Tennessee but alas it was time to leave. If you don’t know, or haven’t ever driven an RV, directions, roads, low clearance, bridge weights are things to consider on your route planning! Upon first glance at gps, number 1 looked very suspicious so I look at not 1 but 2 other RV specific navigation tools and they both agree with number 1! Still felt wrong – but I hit the road and dutifully followed the gps! Well I should’ve listened to my inner wisdom, but I kept driving. I came to a stop sign , gps said go right, that voice said nope but….. yup, I listened to the gps and turned and my oh my!
Once I turned there was no place to correct my error, I drove about a mile I realized I was in big trouble, SHOOTY DO!!!! I was headed up a mountain on a narrow twisting turning road, with a mountain on my right and cliff on my left and oh by the way no guardrail on the left ya know with the cliff! I went about 2 miles up the mountain taking up a full lane and a half twisting and turning. There was no place to turn around, I did pass 2 very small pull offs but they were beyond too small for me to use. I hadn’t passed any other car, which Im not sure if that helped or made the situation more stressful. Well, as I am headed up this mountain on at least a 7% grade a “slightly” bigger pull out appeared around a sharp bend. I hit the brakes and used my “eagle eye” – thanks Dad for being able to eyeball size within a degree of accuracy and decided this was it, and it got a second vote when I looked ahead and the next curve was so sharp and narrow with a drop off I knew I would never make it around it so it was this pull off or nothing. Hazard lights go on both the car and RV. When you tow a vehicle behind and RV the tow bar hitch has to be in a neutral position in all directions to free the pins attaching the car. Well on such an incline and curve, yup you guessed it the hitch is locked up so out come the hammer and screw driver, this is from a lesson I learned a few Shooty do’s back! They did not fail me!! Also when you tow a car behind and RV you can not back up connected there are too many pivot points. I have to say I have had a few hiccups in the past but never have I been in a situation where I was shaking and nauseous. I’m not sure how to accurately describe how narrow, and scary this stretch of road were. I also think the fact that this RV is not only my mode of transportation it is my home I had to get it down! So I climbed back in the rig and began the .. I honestly don’t know how many point turn I made I do know that the front of the rig was so close to the edge of the cliff, again no guardrail just very small thin little birch like trees that I was sure they would not stop me if I drove off the cliff. I get myself perpendicular on the road with the back of the RV literally touching the mountain wall of the pull off. By some miracle, and I do mean miracle, I manage to get the rig turned around and pointed back down the mountain. I wobbled on some very shaky legs, over to the car to reposition it to the back of the RV and hitch it back up so I could drive back down the mountain again complete with all over body shakes! All I can say is God was all over that mountain that day and I pray fervently I never end up in anything close to that again! I do know, however, if I should end up in such a predicament again, God will show up again, because I know He is faithful!