Danger! Tree Limbs!
Several weeks ago I posted about damage to the roof of our Northern Lite – damage with an unknown cause. At the time, I thought it happened while our Dodge and camper were in for a diesel emissions test. But the service advisor invited me and DW to inspect the shop for a possible cause. We found nothing. Maybe we would never know what happened.
Having temporarily patched the camper, we got ready for another adventure. All packed and ready to go, I drove up the street from our house to turn around and head in the right direction. Returning the short distance in the curb lane, I heard a “whump.” In that instant, I recalled hearing a whump in that same spot once before.
Parking in front of our house, I jumped out, looked at the roof of the camper, and saw more damage. With a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, I walked back up the street. There, extending over the street, was a tree limb with three or four feet of bark chewed off. Obviously, ours was not the only vehicle to encounter this tree. I wondered why I had never noticed it before.
Most of us know to be on the lookout for overpasses with insufficient clearance – or gas stations. But tree limbs?
If this post can prevent damage to one RV, it will have accomplished its purpose. I, for one, will be more aware. The only good about all of this is that the second damage occurred before the first damage was repaired, that I now know the cause, and that I will be on the lookout for low tree branches extending over the roadway. Unfortunately, they’re not accompanied by a sign “Insufficient Clearance!” So don’t make the same mistake I did.
Having temporarily patched the camper, we got ready for another adventure. All packed and ready to go, I drove up the street from our house to turn around and head in the right direction. Returning the short distance in the curb lane, I heard a “whump.” In that instant, I recalled hearing a whump in that same spot once before.
Parking in front of our house, I jumped out, looked at the roof of the camper, and saw more damage. With a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, I walked back up the street. There, extending over the street, was a tree limb with three or four feet of bark chewed off. Obviously, ours was not the only vehicle to encounter this tree. I wondered why I had never noticed it before.
Most of us know to be on the lookout for overpasses with insufficient clearance – or gas stations. But tree limbs?
If this post can prevent damage to one RV, it will have accomplished its purpose. I, for one, will be more aware. The only good about all of this is that the second damage occurred before the first damage was repaired, that I now know the cause, and that I will be on the lookout for low tree branches extending over the roadway. Unfortunately, they’re not accompanied by a sign “Insufficient Clearance!” So don’t make the same mistake I did.
