Regretting a turn?

[falconbrother]

You ever turn onto a street or into a parking lot and figure out you made a mistake?

We were coming home from the beach recently my wife said she needed a bathroom break. I know that means immediately if not sooner. I knew there was a McDonalds coming up but, I also knew I'd never get into and out of that parking lot. So, as we approached I noticed a little street running behind the McDonalds with a carwash next door. There was a semi-truck parked in the carwash so, I pulled in there thinking that I would just exit on the other side of the lot on the main road. When we were ready to leave I pulled up to the main road and there was no way I was getting over that curbed exit. It was too much of a bump there and I would bottom out. So I had to back about 100 yards then back the camper into the McDonalds lot to get back out onto the main drag. Of course the McDonalds lot was crowded. It all worked out even though I don't consider myself a great backer, Suburban with 30 feet of RV. I guess we do what we have to do when the pressure is on.

I can tell you it's still better than driving a motorhome with a 4 down toad. No backin with that setup.

[valhalla360]

rbpru wrote:
GPS and a map trumps just a GPS. 🙂

It did not take long to figure that out.

If by GPS you mean a GPS with built in mapping capability vs paper map...not really. Your average paper map doesn't provide details about the suitability of a road for a RV. Your average GPS has far more detail.

[rbpru]

GPS and a map trumps just a GPS. 🙂

It did not take long to figure that out.

[hawkeye-08]

Yep, it happens..

Last summer, we were headed out to camp for long weekend, taking our 4yo grand daugher with us.. of course she had to go potty between little towns on narrow 2 lane with plenty of traffic.. she could not hold it.. so pulled over as much as I could on shoulder and let her use the TT bathroom.. had to make several more stops before we arrived at camp (only 120 miles) as using TT bathroom was fun.

Note, using the trailer with slide in was not on our have to haves when we were trailer shopping so did not even think of it. Our trailer is one that you really can't use with the slide in, but we can get into front bedroom through front door, and if we leave bathroom door open, we can get into bathroom (the slide blocks it from opening if we leave it closed).. so the important aspect of using toilet if needed when traveling works out...

[FLGup]

In NC this summer, we turned off the busy 4 lane road onto the 2 lane (deep-woods) country access road to the campground. Just over the hill was a huge tree that had just fallen across the road. All was blocked. Traffic filled in behind us and my DW had to get people to back out, one at a time, and then guide me as I backed out, stopping every few feet as more cars showed up behind us.

[Oasisbob]

Yes most of us have done that. My wife is the driver as I am legally blind. One time she had to back out of a parking lot. She did great. I was walking behind her giving specific directions on our phones using as two way radio's. She got aplause from others upon her completion.

[myredracer]

I always do the driving and DW is the designated navigator. ('Nuf said yet?)

She entered the address into the GPS for a CG on the Oregon coast and when we got near it, the GPS said to make a turn. So I did...

After a few minutes I'm like "hey, wait a minute". "Something isn't right here!" Road was getting narrower and narrower and heading off into the forest in some unknown area. One of those places that kinda gives you the creeps. DW (remember - the navigator?) adamantly insists she entered address correctly. Finally I grab the info. with the CG address on it and turns out she entered "north ABC road" instead of "south ABC road". Of course, it's ALWAYS my fault... :M

Very fortunately, we were near a T-intersection, and although pretty tight, managed to back up and get turned around without damaging anything. The navigator may be lousy at directions but she is a very good spotter. 🙂

From that day forward, I made it my business to double check her GPS entries. No more wrong turns!!

[2oldman]

No response from OP on using tt bathroom.

[rbpru]

If you have not made the mistake, you are not towing near enough. 🙂 It is all part of the game.

[Jayco-noslide]

Oh yes. One of the things that makes a MH(towing) stressful. Went down a dead end street once with a 5th wheel. My apologies to the people with the lawn I backed on to.

[sgfrye]

gbopp wrote:
I've made a few turns I regretted because I listened to my GPS and not my common sense.

x2
last month on a busy 4 lane street GPS tried to make us do a tight uturn due to the fact that there was a median, thank goodness the uturn lane also was an entrance to a residential neighborhood. 33ft TT was not going to make that turn

[All_I_could_aff]

That picture reminds me of something Wile E. Coyote would Paint a picture of the road continuing into that wall, so the Road Runner would go crashing into it

[Tvov]

gbopp wrote:
I've made a few turns I regretted because I listened to my GPS and not my common sense.

Yep!

Which is why I always review my trip and print out maps and directions. Amazing how often the GPS either tries to direct you down absurd roads which make no sense, or is actually just blatantly wrong.

Nicest thing about the GPS (actually Google Maps we use the most) is that it give a warning when turns and/or intersections are coming up.

I tell people who rely on GPS almost exclusively to use it when returning home - when they definitely know how to get home. The GPS many times will take them by some crazy route that makes no sense.

[valhalla360]

gbopp wrote:
I've made a few turns I regretted because I listened to my GPS and not my common sense.

Yeah, but really more of a rural issue. In an urban setting, it's usually obvious which roads you shouldn't go down.

One time, the GPS got me off at the exit before our destination (rather than the one past the destination).

Road started out paved (great), then when to gravel (no problem), then narrowed to maybe 20' wide (not idea but no much traffic), then went down to around 15' wide (god I hope no one comes the other direction) to finally, a culvert with no rails about 9' wide...and it's a skewed crossing so you have to make an S-turn while crossing (but now we would have to back up a mile or so on the 9' wide road).

We made it across (very slowly) but we used all the width of that bridge and we left by the other way.

[valhalla360]

downtheroad wrote:

falconbrother wrote:
You ever turn onto a street or into a parking lot and figure out you made a mistake?

You mean something like this...following a GPS.....:E

Judging by the signs in the picture, that's in Europe.

If you manage to drive your 30' 5er to that location, you are probably good enough to make it thru that street.

With a typical European MH, I wouldn't be phased going down that street.

[RobWNY]

It's only happened once to me so far in 5 years of towing a TT and now a 5th wheel. There's been several times where I was nervous and not sure I had an "Out" but I did. The one time where I was in trouble, GPS took me down a road that got more narrow the farther I went and I was heading into a village. I kept thinking I would find a street or someplace I could get turned around but it never came and I had traffic behind me. I was fortunate that I came upon a town park with no curbing and I had enough room to do a U-Turn. I had to go through the grass but I just went slow and made sure I didn't damage anything. I was also fortunate no one called the Police to hunt me down and give me a ticket!