Towhee the Trailer has moved to a different storage spot!
She’s in the same storage yard, but instead of being out in the open, she now has a spot in a “shed” with a roof over her head and a wall on one side of her, and a wall behind her, excellent protection from rain and wind and snow … and from UV!
When I bought my home here in Lacey, WA, I moved Towhee the Trailer to a spot in the RV lot inside the community where I live. It was open air, no roof above, but it had electricity that I could plug the trailer into. But the storage space was tiny, extremely hard to maneuver in. My spot was less than 10 feet wide (the trailer is 8 feet wide with the step out). So I looked around and found this wonderful old farm nearby that had been turned into a huge RV/boat storage yard. It has acres of room!! Most spots on this farm were outdoors (no roof) but there were long sheds (with roofs) available too. On the other hand, when I signed up, the only spots available were all outside, with no electricity.
Towhee the Trailer has plenty of solar on her roof so she doesn’t need to plug into electricity while she’s stored outside. I moved her to an outdoor spot on this large storage lot (EASY parking!), and then I got on their list for a covered shed spot when one became available. I was happy here. The rain kept the trailer clean, and plenty of solar power kept her batteries fully charged.
But UV (ultra-violet) light does more damage to roofs of RVs (and the roofs and decks of boats) than the weather does. So I wanted to get the trailer under cover. Also, once I got the trailer under cover, I could work on the trailer during the rainy season here.
And so, finally the news came. Someone was moving out from covered storage … and I could move in! Yay!
Take a look at the photo above, and the photo below, yes there is an Escape trailer over there on the right (friends of mine own it), but look at the end spot on the very left end of this storage shed.
Yes, that’s Towhee the Trailer in that end spot on the left! Her new home. 🙂 And, yes indeed, it is spot #1. 🙂
The photo above was taken before I backed the trailer in.
Seemed to me there were lots of large-ish rocks there, to twist an ankle … and there seemed to be water collecting right where the trailers tires would be.
Little Towhee inspected too (below). She loved the shed … the roof and the walls, and shelter from wind and rain and snow and UV, but she too didn’t think that trying to hop over all those rocks would be a good deal of fun.
Nevertheless, this covered storage spot was a great improvement over having the trailer outdoors. So I accepted the spot that the owners offered me, and I backed the trailer in, quick as a wink.
She fits perfectly. Well, ok, but maybe there was a question about opening the trailer’s side door so I could get IN the trailer while she was parked in the shed.
Ha! No problem. The photo below shows how the door opens fully, with about 1/4 inch to spare.
And there is still room on the other side of the trailer to walk around it when I wish.
I approved the new spot! And Little Towhee did too!
And, when I asked the owners about the large rocks, they asked me to let them know the next time that I would have the trailer out of that spot. I did … I went camping … and I let them know. And when I returned, the large rocks were gone and small gravel had been evenly spread in my #1 spot … AND the slant that allowed water to gather had been eliminated too.
Since the trailer is now stored under a roof, there is no more solar power to keep the batteries charged. But there are six outlets inside this one storage shed and I can plug into one of them for a day or two before I go camping in order to top off the batteries.
AND, I now have about 80 feet of open space directly in front of this storage spot in which to maneuver. My truck and trailer (both of them when hitched together) are only about 43 feet long. Perfect. Piece of cake. 🙂
Well that sounds wonderful! I bet she’s happy to be out of the sun too. I don’t know that I’d be able to back a trailer into a spot like that, but I’m sure with all your practice this was a no brainer! And how nice the owners fixed up the spot when you asked them about it! Sounds like a win/win for you and them!
Oh yes, Towhee the Trailer is so much happier in that shed. When I visit each time to check stuff, I notice her tires have shifted one way or the other a bit, and I bet she’s dancing with joy to NOT be in the rain or the hot sun … just kidding. 🙂
Little Towhee sure has a good eye for a good trailer, and a good storage spot, and an awareness of dangerous large rocks. And she sure knows how to pick her best friend (that would be you Ann). Here’s to you and Little Towhee for finding a perfect spot for Towhee the Trailer. 🙂
Thanks Bill. 🙂 Little Towhee says “thank you” too.
So, you don’t have solar anymore but you do have electricity to plug into. I assume the cost of the covered spot is more than the cost of the open spot? But the trailer is SO much more protected in the covered spot, so the cost would be worth it.
Here’s to Little Towhee and how she helps you. 🙂
You sure assume correctly, Susan. The cost of the open spot was $45/month. The cost of the current covered/shed spot is $60/month. When I had the trailer in storage up in the big city of Tacoma (when I lived up there), it was under a shed roof, with full-time electrical hookup, and parked on blacktop instead of gravel, and the cost was $200/month! I sure like this spot down here where I now live near Olympia!!
Perfect! You research, you learn, you are patient, you make such excellent choices. And you share it with us. And Little Towhee, that bird, is such a super bird! and friend!
But isn’t it difficult to back a trailer into such a tight spot? How do you see both sides of the trailer from where you sit in the truck, or see the back end of the trailer so you know when to stop? It’s a miracle to me when people do this. 🙂
Little Towhee sure loves your comment, Judy. 🙂
One of the options that I chose when I purchased this trailer from the manufacturer, Escape Trailer Industries (ETI), was a backup camera on the back wall of the trailer and a digital display unit that mounted to the dashboard inside the truck. It makes backing the trailer relatively easy. Not to say that I don’t have to pull forward and try again sometimes, just line up a bit differently, but it’s sure a lot easier than backing blindly. And, practice helps too. No miracles involved, just the right equipment and LOTS of practice. 🙂
Nice new digs! UV is absolutely really hard on all things, that’s why it’s concerning that we’re losing our cover up in the atmosphere. Good on you for moving the trailer under cover, she’ll last a lot longer.
Your photos are great.
Thanks Shawn. And I sure agree about the UV cover being lost so fast these years. Used to take millions of years, now takes less than a hundred. Go camping!
You are much better at backing in than your neighbor with the boat. Maybe it’s an “optical confusion” but the boat looks it is a bit skewed towards Towee’s back end. Maybe the boat owner hangs out their cushioned fenders during the parking process. Just want to Towee to be safe!
Oh, yes, Kathie, and sometimes that boat (or just the trailer) are backed in with the back side over on the other side of its parking spot, almost against the trailer/boat on that other side of it. What? How hard can it be to park an empty trailer and not mess with your neighbors? Sigh. Enjoyed your comment about that owner maybe hanging boat fenders out … even boaters do better than this person does! I be keeping an eye out and keeping Towhee safe for sure, but I do like your help with that. 🙂
No kidding about how good Ann is at backing that trailer, wow. And probably by herself. Or, hmmm, maybe it’s easier by yourself? To back the trailer so the door has exactly the amount of room needed to fully open, with just an eighth of an inch to spare. Wow. You could teach people how to back a trailer! We had trouble backing our motorhome, no trailer involved! Very nice covered storage spot, glad you got it. You are wise to do that. Ok, now go camping! 🙂
Oh Marge, thank you. 🙂 And yes mostly I park the trailer and back the trailer by myself, but I have a backup camera, and I back up slowly! As my friend David said when I bought my first wood boat … don’t go any faster than you want to hit something. Great advice! And I stop, and pull forward, and try again, if there is any concern. Thanks Marge. I will soon go camping! 🙂
Keep in mind that Ann has backed a 42-foot boat into VERY tight spaces for maybe 30 years? The wind is blowing the boat one direction, the current/tide is pushing the boat a completely different direction, and then some yayhoo speed boat comes along and that boat’s wash pushes your/her boat in yet a third direction … and you still need to back your boat into a slip that is just a foot or two wider than your boat, with no help on the dock, and without slamming the boat into the dock. I bet backing a trailer is a slam-dunk for Ann. Still, care is needed. A boat doesn’t bend in the middle, whereas a truck/trailer do bend at the hitch point.
Nice parking job, Ann! And nice covered moorage. Oops. Ah, see, I did it too … “moorage”. sigh. We boaters never get boats out of our systems do we?
Gosh Mark, thank you. You know how it is. You owned at least one boat too and cruised on Puget Sound for years. I bet you have stories to tell, and I hope some day you post those stories online for me to read. 🙂
LOL! Yes “moorage” works for trailers too I think. 🙂
Home. Towhee the Trailer is home. Little Towhee there too. So sweet.
🙂 I like that. Thank you Lori.
Delightful. So perfect. 🙂
🙂
Wonderful Towhee! Congratulations on your new home!
Towhee says thank you. 🙂
Good job! Great explanation and photos.
Thanks Paul. Much appreciated. 🙂