No judgment, please – We’ve bought another RV. This RV 3.0 is a camper trailer, unlike our RV 2.0 EKKO motorhome, which was second to RV 1.0 Truck Camper. The official name is Winnebago Micro Mini – and before you start thinking Mitch and I are sharing 10 square feet of mini space, (lord help us!) we actually have more room than we did with the EKKO. I told Dad that we were going on our maiden voyage and he named our rig the USS Rubin. How did CHATGPT come to the rescue during our first RV Camping trip?

Moving IN

Moving into an RV is like furnishing a home: linens , supplies and deciding where everything will go.  Amazon is  delivering all types of gadgets to our door (love that!).  OK, maybe some of the gadgets aren’t exactly for the RV… It’s fun imagining our new space and all the ways I can become disorganized!

Our first trip was to a small campground called Chautauqua Gorge.  It’s a lush, tree-covered site on private land bordering 563 acres of NYS land. It’s close to the Chautauqua Institute, Bemus Point, and other resort areas.  All was going well until we…  

Added Water to the Tanks

Have you ever wondered how running water is supplied or where toilet waste goes? (Here is a funny reminder 😉). When you get to a site, you may be able to hook up to water. This means attaching your hose to the campsite’s spigot, giving your RV endless water for washing dishes, showering, and using the sink. But where does all that water go, you ask?

Well, you see, the campsite provides a drain hole. We connect our hose and drain the grey water tanks (sink, shower water). The black tank is, well, you can guess where that hose goes. Dumping black tank water is not high on my list of preferred activities.

ICK

Garbed in a mask and full gloves. Yes, Mitch rolls his eyes! I take on the role of opening the lid to the drain hole and inserting our hose. I am keenly aware that the person before us may have dumped their black water tank into that opening, and that thought is enough to make me want a full hazmat suit. But that would probably be grounds for divorce. So mask and gloves it is.

Back to the USS Rubin

After our RV has finished eliminating all its waste, Mitch and I go through our (my) Lysol routine; spray hose, spray gloves, spray the bottom of shoes, spray inside of hoses –

Finally, we are back in the RV, sanitizing our hands, and I try to forget all the ICK.

ChatGPT-RV

But after we connected the hose for the first time in our new-to-us camper – PUFF! An “EWWW, that smell” filled our site.   “Mitch, what is that rotten egg smell?”  

The kid in the next campsite told his mom that he thought there was a stink bug nearby.  Yes, it was bad. (Of course, I was immediately  ready to abandon ship and go to a hotel)

Surprisingly, thanks to my love of technology and Mitch’s willingness to do the dirty work, we were able tackle the problem.

At one point, I heard Mitch say, “This will be really easy. I watched a video.”  That gave me zero comfort!

ChatGPT Help

First, I took a photo and asked ChatGPT – She (he, they) suggested propane issues. After we ruled that out, I sent Chat some photos

Chat replied – “Thank you, Vickie – This clarifies – These are the next steps for finding the source.”

  We went back and forth with this dialogue for about an hour until the problem was solved. Mitch, willing to get his hands and clothes really dirty, and me, who is willing to type questions and add photos, make a great team.  I particularly loved it when Chat thanked me for the clarifications.  It was like having a polite repair person at the campsite.

Who You Calling Old?

Once the smell was gone, we relaxed (as did the kid next to us) and enjoyed our first trip. By the way, I heard the same kid tell his grandparents that there were old people in the campsite next to them.  Oh, you mean us!? Thanks, kid!

During our three-day tour, we hiked, ate at She Sings (Click here to read the owner’s powerful story), built a campfire, watched Hard Knocks with our beloved Bills, and had a great time. 

When we got home, Mitch said, “We get along really well in the camper.” 

I completely agree and will go as far as saying we are more compatible in the camper than in the house 😂

RV 3.0 = Success! Next stop: Watkins Glen. 🏞️

(WOULD LOVE TO HEAR YOUR COMMENTS – PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO COMMENTS)

 Calling All Book Clubs! 

Have you read Raising Jess: A Story of Hope? I’d love to join your book club for an engaging, heartfelt discussion.

We can talk about the real-life moments behind the pages, parenting a child with a rare chromosome deletion, the challenges and joys our family has faced, and the journey that inspired the book.

Message me here or write to vickierubinauthor@gmail.com to set it up.