Thursday, March 18, 2010

Dick Reed RV Driving School ----Day One

We were up at 7:30 to get the rig and us ready for our long awaited RV driving class. I'm not a morning person, so it took awhile to get moving. It was cloudy and very cool today, but we had a few rain showers only during our road driving portion of the day, which just added to the challenge.


Dick Reed sold the business some years ago, but it's still called Dick Reed RV Driving School. Our instructor, Warner, got here at 9:00 and the fun began. He's really laid back and went from the inside to the outside of the RV with all kinds of tips and things to look for as the rig ages. We covered all aspects of water, electric, furnace, water heater and refrigerator. He gave us info way beyond what the PDI guy did for us when we took delivery of our rig. We have more little things to buy that will make life easier for us.

We hitched up and pulled out of the park. Warner took us to an area that was originally planned to be a subdivision, but only the roads were completed. No buildings are there at all. It's a desolate area with plenty of room to learn a big RV. We practiced hitching and unhitching as a team, with me giving instructions by radio and operating the landing gear. I was taught what to watch for and where to stand and what to say to give better guidance.

Warner covered mirror settings, and also the best way to set the electronic braking system. Jim learned the correct way to turn corners, and how to back up down the street. He even backed around a corner, and with me giving instructions backed from one lane to another.

I took the wheel to do turns and backing. While I was behind the wheel Warner decided to have me drive into a town and on two lane roads. I had to do tight turns and over a bridge that was narrow with oncoming traffic. Talk about white knuckling it and not breathing! I even did a turn with kids on bikes at a stop light. I guess I did well, I didn't hit anything and kept the rig on the road. We learned several techniques for defensive driving.

We got back to the park at 3:30. He left and will be back tomorrow morning. I will be the one hitching up in the morning. That will be interesting. Tomorrow we're going to learn backing into a campsite, which is what Jim's really looking forward to. We're both wiped out, but what a great day of learning. It's well worth every penny.

We got some mail we were expecting, so now we can get our driver licenses on Monday. We were both bushed, so we caught up on blogs and watched TV for the rest of the evening. Stay tuned tomorrow for Day 2.

13 comments:

FD5, Retired said...

Sounds like one more day before you are both professional drivers lol. I am glad to see this is an educational class that will hopefully make the rest of the Dream less stressful. Keep up the good work.

Stay Safe

Merikay said...

I've been researching RV driving schools even though we don't have a rig yet. Your experiences are much appreciated.

A couple of newer paintings 2019 said...

Sounds like it's well worth the money! Glad you're doing well!

Debbie and Rod said...

GREAT job, Dee!! I'm so proud of you. This will definitely make your travels less stressful.

Debbie & Rod

Unknown said...

goad they taught Dad how to turn. *wink*

roamingwhenwecan said...

Sounds really great Dee..You will feel so much better on your travels now.

Anonymous said...

What a fantastic idea! I'm glad you're getting all the tips and pointers so that your days on the road will be made easier!!!

Texas Roadrunners said...

Mind telling us how much this cost? It sounds like it's worth the money.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing the information. I have been trying to figure out where I can practice backing up. Now I know. Right up the street from me is a housing development with roads but no houses and no one to watch.

Karen and Al said...

Sounds like a good confidence builder for you. If anything ever happens, you will feel comfortable driving the rig. Good for you.

Karen and Al said...

Good confidence builder. Now you'll be able to drive in the event of an emergency. We're planning on taking a driving course one of these days.

Debbie Goode said...

Wow! That sounded awesome and "you go girl!!"....show-um how it is done!

KarenInTheWoods said...

I have heard nothing but good comments about the Dick Reed driving school, especially for couples where the husband suffers a health problem and now the wife needs to learn to drive the rig to keep on RVing. Sounds like you have a great patient and good teacher. Good luck to you both!

Karen and Steve
http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/

St. Patrick's Day - Council Meeting - Concert

 Shalimar, FL   (Hi  63  Lo 47)    I'VE BEEN ASKED THAT THE FONT IT TOO SMALL. JUST DO A CONTROL +  AND IT WILL ENLARGE. CONTROL   -(min...