The Dark Side of RV'ing - Introduction

We said we were going to start showing the dark side of RV'ing as examples come up.  Little did we know what lay in store yesterday.  Lots of examples cropped up.  So we decided to get this little feature started with a bang:

1. WATCH OUT FOR FLORIDA DRIVERS

We've already decided that Florida drivers are the most unpredictable drivers of any state we've been through.  We think this might be because so many Florida drivers are from other states and they all have different habits.  But who knows?

As we pulled out of our campground in Clearwater, we came to a traffic light.  The opposite traffic had a double left turn lane.  Two cars were in the inner turn lane and a HUGE trash tractor-trailer was in the outer turn lane.  Light turns green.  Cars start to turn.  Truck STEPS ON IT, crosses into the cars' turn lane, and HOGS BOTH LANES because he wants to make a U-Turn.  Cars screech on their brakes in the middle of the intersection.  Truck takes so long to complete the maneuver that the light changes.  Two cars are stuck in the intersection IN OUR LANE.  So our traffic gets a green.  The other two lanes proceed.  We don't move because we can't get past the two stranded cars.  People behind us don't know what's happening.  Dave puts on his flashers - probably a mistake.  Our light turns red.  Finally the two stranded cars clear out of the intersection.  By this time, four cars from behind us, probably thinking we were broken down, PASS US IN THE LEFT TURN LANE, and position themselves to beat us out for the light.  We move forward, signalling to them that we are moving.  They all start honking their horns and budge in on us.  The darker side of RV'ing.

2. WATCH OUT FOR HIJINX AT THE CASH-ONLY TOLL BOOTHS

Because we're not from Florida, we do not have SunPass, Florida's version of EZ-Pass.  So we go through the cash lanes.  This Florida turnpike had SEVEN toll booths, organized something like the Garden State Parkway.  First one we get to, a woman in an SUV is in front of us.  She tries to pay by handing the attendant a card.  Hmmm...that doesn't make sense because it's cash only.  They must accept credit cards.  Attendant's machine runs out of paper.  Attendant drops the card.  Finally replaces paper, finally processes the card.  Attendant hands the card and paper to the driver to sign.  Nothing happens.  Attendant puts her hand out to let us know she's waiting for something.  Driver finally signs and returns the paper.  Meanwhile, five cars are behind us, not knowing what is happening.  We pull forward and the attendant says she asked the woman if the address on the card is her current address.  "Yes," the driver said.  Turns out it wasn't, and the driver had to correct the address.  Total wait time in the toll booth:  10 minutes.

3. YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO GET IN A NEW CAMPGROUND

As we make campground reservations in new places, we've found that KOA's ("Kampground of America") (as well as most "Good Sam" parks) are the most reliable in terms of quality and in having campsites that fit our big rig and truck.  If we can't find another campground that we're sure is suitable, we often fall back to the local KOA, if there is one, even though KOA's are a little more expensive.

This is what we did in Perry, Florida, which is a little backwater country town south of Tallahassee.  Not much going on in Perry.  So we thought, "Okay, so we'll be out in the middle of nowhere, but that's cool.  We can ride bikes, and so on."  We get to the campground.  As we sign in, the clerk hands us this notice:

Welcome to Perry, in the middle of nowhere, but full of the "smell of money."  Didn't see anything about that on the campground's website when we agreed to stay here.