Miscellaneous Writings

Miscellaneous Writings

Attention Solo RVers—Especially Women

Leave a Comment/Miscellaneous Writings/By Paula Judith Johnson

Deciding to become a full-time solo RVer is not for the faint of heart—especially if you are a woman. I speak as a full-time solo RV traveler with 2+ years of experience. My 3-year-old Golden Retriever and I travel in a 1-ton, single axel diesel truck, pulling a 29’ 5th wheel trailer. Most of our travels have been uneventful but we have had a few breakdowns along the way.

Following is an account of my most recent breakdown and my top recommendations to ensure a safe and timely resolution when you find yourself stopped at the side of the road.

My destination campground in Stoddard WI had a check-in time of 3:00 pm, which was about 2 hours later than what I usually find. Since I expected a short, less than 1-hour drive from Janesville WI, I didn’t leave until 2:30 pm. That was my first mistake. Drive time was actually 3 hours.

Recommendation #1: Always check the route and travel time from your current location to your destination before heading out.

A little over an hour into my drive, I suddenly lost all electronic power to my truck. Fortunately, I was able to cross a lane of traffic and pull off to the shoulder of I-90 without mishap. I don’t know how I was able to do this with the loss of electronic power, considering the truck had power brakes and steering. I chalk that up to the grace of God.

The temperature at the time was in the low 90s, so my first thought was to open the windows—the power windows. No such luck. All electronic power was gone—kaput—deader than a doornail. It took less than 1 minute for my sweet dog to start panting and the sweat to start pouring down my face.

No way was I going to open the driver’s door with cars and semi-trucks zooming 3 feet next to my rig. So, I climbed over the center console storage unit and got out on the passenger side, then let my dog out of the back seat. I always keep a leash on her when we travel and I securely strapped it to my wrist.

With us both safely out of the heat from inside the truck and finding some relief from the wind churned up by the highway traffic, I grabbed my phone. I saw there was only about 40% battery time left. For the first time in almost forever, I had forgotten to charge my phone the night before.

Recommendation #2: Make sure your phone is fully charged before leaving your secure campsite.

I called 911. Since I could read a road sign up ahead, the dispatcher determined my approximate location and told me a highway patrol car was on the way.

With that done, I rummaged around in the glove compartment and found my insurance information. I had separate roadside assistance coverage for the truck and the RV through different insurance companies.

The highway patrol showed up. The nice female officer asked for my driver’s license. Of course, they always do that first to make sure they aren’t dealing with a wanted ax murderer or something. As I handed over my Oregon license, I mentioned that I did get it renewed back in February (3 months ago) but that I hadn’t been in one place long enough to have my mail forwarded.

I didn’t mention the South Dakota renewal tags for my truck were also waiting for me to have my mail forwarded. Maybe she didn’t notice the truck had a South Dakota license since the 5th wheel had a current Oregon license plate.

Recommendation #3: Occasionally, stay in one place long enough to have your mail forwarded.

After the patrol officer left, I decided to call the truck insurance company first. Instead of getting a live person to request a tow, I was instructed to click a link that was texted to me. Personally, I hate doing this type of activity on my phone, much preferring my laptop keyboard. But, not having a choice, I fumbled through the process of verifying my identity and requesting the service. The only trouble was, I didn’t know how to answer the question of where I wanted the vehicle towed.

Mind you, I’d never traveled through Wisconsin before and had no idea what amenities were available in the next town—or even the name of the next town. Since I couldn’t answer that one question, the app said I must talk to a service rep.

Great! That’s what I originally wanted. However, the recording told me the wait time was over 5 minutes. OK, I could wait. After 2 reminders to stay on the line, the recording said I would receive no further reminders. So, I waited. And waited. Soon, my phone battery was down to 37%.

Recommendation #4: Make sure your insurance company’s roadside assistance provider has human dispatchers who are available to assist you!


The time was now after 4:00 pm. Businesses typically close at 5:00 pm. If I didn’t get towed soon there wouldn’t be a repair shop open to accept my vehicle.

Recommendation #5: Always travel early in the day to give yourself plenty of time to deal with unforeseen circumstances.

I gave up on ever getting a live dispatcher from my roadside assistance insurance. Googling “towing near me” on my phone, I called a tow company—only to find out they were 50 miles away!

I started to lose it. No way was I waiting for someone to come from 50 miles away. My anxiety must have bled through to my voice because the nice man offered to look up a tow company for me.

It was 4:45 pm. My phone battery was now down to 35% and the screen was red, warning me of impending loss of service. I was past “starting” to lose it.

I called the tow service phone number the nice man gave me. The woman dispatcher was the voice of calm and reason. She told me to “breathe deep (instead of “stop crying so I can understand you”), slow down, everything will be all right.”

Within 10 minutes, the tow truck showed up. Halleluiah! Letting me and my dog into his air-conditioned cab, the tow man hooked up my truck, leaving the 5th wheel attached. He towed us to a nearby auto shop, which had stayed open waiting for us to arrive.

He disconnected the 5th wheel, parked my truck, and then towed my trailer to a campground, so I didn’t have to rent a motel room.

I paid for the towing and need to get re-imbursement from my two insurance companies. After talking to a friend who is a retired diesel mechanic, I anticipate a short repair timeframe on my truck. I hope to be on the road again within a day or two.

As I mentioned at the beginning—solo RVing is not for the faint of heart. Will I give it up? Not anytime soon.

May all your travels be safe and trouble-free.

Attention Solo RVers—Especially Women

Leave a Comment/Miscellaneous Writings/By Paula Judith Johnson

Deciding to become a full-time solo RVer is not for the faint of heart—especially if you are a woman. I speak as a full-time solo RV traveler with 2+ years of experience. My 3-year-old Golden Retriever and I travel in a 1-ton, single axel diesel truck, pulling a 29’ 5th wheel trailer. Most of our travels have been uneventful but we have had a few breakdowns along the way.

Following is an account of my most recent breakdown and my top recommendations to ensure a safe and timely resolution when you find yourself stopped at the side of the road.

My destination campground in Stoddard WI had a check-in time of 3:00 pm, which was about 2 hours later than what I usually find. Since I expected a short, less than 1-hour drive from Janesville WI, I didn’t leave until 2:30 pm. That was my first mistake. Drive time was actually 3 hours.

Recommendation #1: Always check the route and travel time from your current location to your destination before heading out.

A little over an hour into my drive, I suddenly lost all electronic power to my truck. Fortunately, I was able to cross a lane of traffic and pull off to the shoulder of I-90 without mishap. I don’t know how I was able to do this with the loss of electronic power, considering the truck had power brakes and steering. I chalk that up to the grace of God.

The temperature at the time was in the low 90s, so my first thought was to open the windows—the power windows. No such luck. All electronic power was gone—kaput—deader than a doornail. It took less than 1 minute for my sweet dog to start panting and the sweat to start pouring down my face.

No way was I going to open the driver’s door with cars and semi-trucks zooming 3 feet next to my rig. So, I climbed over the center console storage unit and got out on the passenger side, then let my dog out of the back seat. I always keep a leash on her when we travel and I securely strapped it to my wrist.

With us both safely out of the heat from inside the truck and finding some relief from the wind churned up by the highway traffic, I grabbed my phone. I saw there was only about 40% battery time left. For the first time in almost forever, I had forgotten to charge my phone the night before.

Recommendation #2: Make sure your phone is fully charged before leaving your secure campsite.

I called 911. Since I could read a road sign up ahead, the dispatcher determined my approximate location and told me a highway patrol car was on the way.

With that done, I rummaged around in the glove compartment and found my insurance information. I had separate roadside assistance coverage for the truck and the RV through different insurance companies.

The highway patrol showed up. The nice female officer asked for my driver’s license. Of course, they always do that first to make sure they aren’t dealing with a wanted ax murderer or something. As I handed over my Oregon license, I mentioned that I did get it renewed back in February (3 months ago) but that I hadn’t been in one place long enough to have my mail forwarded.

I didn’t mention the South Dakota renewal tags for my truck were also waiting for me to have my mail forwarded.

Maybe she didn’t notice the truck had a South Dakota license since the 5th wheel had a current Oregon license plate.

Recommendation #3: Occasionally, stay in one place long enough to have your mail forwarded.

After the patrol officer left, I decided to call the truck insurance company first. Instead of getting a live person to request a tow, I was instructed to click a link that was texted to me. Personally, I hate doing this type of activity on my phone, much preferring my laptop keyboard. But, not having a choice, I fumbled through the process of verifying my identity and requesting the service. The only trouble was, I didn’t know how to answer the question of where I wanted the vehicle towed.

Mind you, I’d never traveled through Wisconsin before and had no idea what amenities were available in the next town—or even the name of the next town. Since I couldn’t answer that one question, the app said I must talk to a service rep.

Great! That’s what I originally wanted. However, the recording told me the wait time was over 5 minutes. OK, I could wait. After 2 reminders to stay on the line, the recording said I would receive no further reminders. So, I waited. And waited. Soon, my phone battery was down to 37%.

Recommendation #4: Make sure your insurance company’s roadside assistance provider has human dispatchers who are available to assist you!


The time was now after 4:00 pm. Businesses typically close at 5:00 pm. If I didn’t get towed soon there wouldn’t be a repair shop open to accept my vehicle.

Recommendation #5: Always travel early in the day to give yourself plenty of time to deal with unforeseen circumstances.

I gave up on ever getting a live dispatcher from my roadside assistance insurance. Googling “towing near me” on my phone, I called a tow company—only to find out they were 50 miles away!

I started to lose it. No way was I waiting for someone to come from 50 miles away. My anxiety must have bled through to my voice because the nice man offered to look up a tow company for me.

It was 4:45 pm. My phone battery was now down to 35% and the screen was red, warning me of impending loss of service. I was past “starting” to lose it.

I called the tow service phone number the nice man gave me. The woman dispatcher was the voice of calm and reason. She told me to “breathe deep (instead of “stop crying so I can understand you”), slow down, everything will be all right.”

Within 10 minutes, the tow truck showed up. Halleluiah! Letting me and my dog into his air-conditioned cab, the tow man hooked up my truck, leaving the 5th wheel attached. He towed us to a nearby auto shop, which had stayed open waiting for us to arrive.

He disconnected the 5th wheel, parked my truck, and then towed my trailer to a campground, so I didn’t have to rent a motel room.

I paid for the towing and need to get re-imbursement from my two insurance companies. After talking to a friend who is a retired diesel mechanic, I anticipate a short repair timeframe on my truck. I hope to be on the road again within a day or two.

As I mentioned at the beginning—solo RVing is not for the faint of heart. Will I give it up? Not anytime soon.

May all your travels be safe and trouble-free.

Copyright © 2024 Paula Judith Johnson