This is one of a series of eight life lessons I have learned in my Travels with Betty. What your RV can teach you about life, Lesson #7.
As part of each blog, I share my experience and then the lesson I learned as a result. It seems there is always something to learn!
An awning is not a rain thing
Awnings cause me angst. It seems awnings should be equally proficient at protecting the area nearest the RV against rainfall as providing shade. However, I have absolutely proven to myself that an awning is for sun protection while a tarp is for rain coverage. How did I learn this?
It was day three of a solo camping trip at Pembina River Provincial campground. Beautiful weather, and the day before, my niece-in-law brought out my two adorable great nephews to spend the day paddling in the shallow water and collecting rocks. On this third day, weather still wonderful, I had cycled the paved path along the secondary highway between Rocky Rapids and Drayton Valley.
Back at the site, it was clear some unsettled weather was coming. Checking the weather forecast, there were warnings about up to 75 mm of rain. Hmmm, what to do so I can be outside tomorrow? Having an awning, I decided that by rolling it out, I could retain a bit of dry space for the next two days and still enjoy the campsite. Making sure all was secure, I settled inside for the night.
At about 7:30 am next morning, the rain downpour was well underway. Cozy inside my van, I was trying to decide if I wanted to nap some more before making coffee. A loud crack helped me decide. I could see outside that the one side of the awning was now almost to the ground. The awning arm had cracked in half under the weight of the water on top. By the time I jimmied around with the awning to make it stay rolled up, I was ready to leave as the campsite was rapidly filling with water.
Between the original damage and me trying to wrangle the awning back up, I am currently waiting to hear from RV City about being able to replace, rather than repair, the awning