Disaster Strikes - March 27, 2007

After almost a year of relatively uneventful travel, we finally got a taste of bad luck. We were leaving Galveston and looking forward to our first stop in Louisiana at Betty’s RV Park in Abbeville. To avoid the Houston traffic, we decided to take the ferry from Galveston to Port Bolivar. We were directed to the dock where the ferry was loading and, after watching a couple of other RVs cautiously drive onto the deck, we were motioned forward. There was a sharp slope from the dock down to the ferry deck. Ez told the crew member that it was too steep for our long rig, but he insisted everything was fine and we should just drive ahead.

There was a sickening scraping sound as we drove down the ramp. We got out to inspect the damage and watched as all the engine oil drained out onto the deck. The oil pan had been ripped open when it dragged across the ramp. Ez let loose with the most inspired stream of invective I’ve ever heard from him. I would have tried to shush him, but I figured his anger was totally justified. Then two other motorhomers came over and told us that their rigs had also suffered damage (although less severe) while boarding! ARRGHH! We traded names and phone numbers with them to share with our insurance companies.

With no oil in the engine, we couldn’t drive the coach, so the ferry had to be moved to another dock and a wrecker was called to tow us off. We followed in the Durango as it was towed to the nearest Cummins shop 60 miles away in Houston. The tow truck guys told us they had towed several other motorhomes with similar damage in recent months! ARRGHH!

We settled in to a motel for the next three days while the Cummins shop worked on the coach. I imagine there are some cool, interesting places in Houston, but we never saw any of them. We did meet Don and Marianne, a fun couple who were also having their coach worked on at Cummins, and enjoyed a nice dinner with them.

As you can imagine, we were real happy to say good-bye to Houston a few days later. Our insurance will cover most of our expenses and then they’ll work to recover all of the costs from the Texas Department of Transportation. With luck, we won’t be out any cash because of their incompetence – just time, irritation and inconvenience!

We headed out for Betty’s a few days later than planned. More about that next time. . .