Day 11 – Pancake Flat

Narration Here.
The tag team woke up to the rumble of thunderstorms and the sound of rain pattering on the RV's roof. As Kevin closed windows, Theresa let the dog out and unplugged from the electric umbilical cord hooked into the Parker's house. This was a precautionary measure to ensure nearby lightning would not travel the wet extension cord and impact the electronics of the Parker residence or the Smitanic.

Under the cover of the front porch the weather radar was examined to discover that there would soon be a lull in the approaching front with just enough time to get the RV out of its nest and the toad hooked up.

The Smitanic carefully rounded the front flowerbed with direction from Dave and Theresa watching each side of the beast! No collateral damage to the flora nor brick walls was done during the maneuvers!

The toad was hooked up and Dave witnessed first hand the frustration and mechanics of getting the Break Buddy 'Ready' light. It only took 30 min this time to get the illusive message.

Once back on the highway, the first stop for diesel was about 30 miles up the road at a Flying J which had a dump station so that the bowels of beast could be emptied. There was also no notice of the port side slide protruding out from it's now locked position! This would mean that the planned service stop and associated expense was unnecessary! Ron Clanton would be so proud!

The rain picked up outside of Nevada, MO and came down so hard that the windshield wipers delay mode would no longer keep up!

About 30 miles out of KC the rain stopped and the roads were clear for a smooth entry to the Blue Springs destination.

Theresa texted Will, Kevin's cousin, to keep him posted on the ETA. Will and Lisa had graciously offered to allow the Smitanic to dock in the safe harbor of their Driveway. Kevin had Theresa ask how level the driveway was. Will's reply was 'Flat as a Pancake!' Nora's directions had the Smitanic navigating neighborhood streets that were lined with cars parked on both sides and low branches that had the potential to take out rooftop mountings like the satellite TV, 2 AC units, antenna, vents and a horn. Kevin snaked thru the obstacle course and cautiously approached the destination on the left. Since the RV would have to be backed into the drive, the Toad was quickly unhooked and Theresa used it for a bit of recognisance of the intended parking pad. There was a car in the 3rd parking bay, so Theresa knocked at the front door to see if anyone was home. Lauren, Will's daughter answered the door. Theresa gave hugs and then asked if her older brother, Taylor could move the car. Taylor had just stepped in the shower but Lauren would relay the message. Within minutes, the still wet Taylor, quickly moved the car so the Smitanic could be docked.

The Smitanic was a tight fit stem to stern in the 3rd parking stall but it made it with not even a bumper nor mirror protruding into the street. Kevin pushed the self leveling button to deploy the 4 jacks that would stabilize and level the coach. The front jack on the passenger side raised the vessel so high that the front tire was off the ground by 4-5 inches, and the entry door so high that a stepladder would be needed to get in. Not good, so the jacks were stored again so that the RV position could be adjusted slightly to reduce the amount the jacks would have to be raised. The second deployment resulted in even a larger gap under the front tire. The jacks were again stowed and more options were discussed. On the third try Kevin suggested placing boards under the jack and tire to reduce the distance the jack had to deploy. As the jacks lifted the 16 ton vehicle, Kevin placed the boards under the tire. The first board was not thick enough to bridge the gap under the tire so Kevin placed the second board under the tire. This board made contact with tire and at that moment there was a sudden jerk of the RV as it shifted its weight to starboard side. Kevin instinctually placed both hands on the side of the RV as if his arms would keep it from any additional movement. With the looming instability the conclusion was unanimous, a level environment was just not going to happen. Kevin & Theresa pondered their options and decided on the fourth try to manually deploy the jacks just enough to keep all tires on the ground and reduce the downward slope on Will's 'pancake flat' surface. Once the jacks were down, wheel chucks were wedged under the 2 front tires just for an extra precaution. Time to open the slides and set up camp!

Theresa and Kevin quickly commandeered the Muller household wifi and began the uploading of pictures and drone footage. Theresa was able to get three more posts to the blog published which would get everyone caught up on the adventures to date. The state of Missouri was also added to the RV brag map.


The awning was extended out and camp chairs set up so when Will and Lisa arrived home they would be amused by the transformation on their driveway.

Kevin and Theresa enjoyed hearing about Lauren's success in her golfing career and Taylor's entry into the workforce as well as plans for college!

Will and Lisa both worked early in the AM so it was and early night. Kevin and Theresa planned on catching up on some home-front chores the next morning and then hanging with the kids until the parental units arrive back home.