Rev. 2/08/99
We live in Hawaii, the Aloha State where the Aloha spirit is alive and well. Our RV is parked in Las Vegas waiting for us to go traveling. What my wife likes about traveling with the RV is that she always has her own bed and bathroom with her. Last summer our adventures took us all the way to Nova Scotia and back. The trip way great -- great scenery, great food, interesting places -- but that's another story.
After crossing over from New Brunswick we toured part of the southern section of Nova Scotia. In the afternoon we found a comfortable site at an RV park just outside of Halifax. Our plans were to spend just a couple of days in the area.
The next morning I drove the rig down to the dump site, our storage tanks were getting full. After hooking up the hose, I pulled on the dump valve handle to dump the black water tank. It didn't move. I pulled harder. Still didn't budge. Bracing a foot against the side I pulled with all my might -- SNAP! The handle to the valve broke off.
What a pickle, tank full with no way to dump. Back at the RV park office the manager gave me several suggestions, but none planned out. It was Friday morning and none of the RV shops would help us until we drained the tank.
After calling the manufacture of our rig we finally found a dealer in the area. We drove out to their shop, about 60 miles away. After explaining our problem, the dealer told us the same thing, have to dump first.
As the day went on without a solution to our problem It was becoming apparent that we weren't going to get it fixed until after the weekend. Boy, your life style changes instantly when this happens. Just think about it a minute -- home, but without a toilet!
The dealer called around to find someone who ran a "honey wagon". Finally by phone, cel-phone and radio he was able to contact the driver. We arrange with the driver to rendevous with him in the parking lot of a mall down the road aways.
We drove down and waited. At last the "honey wagon" pulled in. After explaining our predicament, he said he would have to pump the tank out through the toilet. But after taking a look he concluded the pump hose on his truck was far too big to fit down the toilet.
He told us to follow him out to his shop where he felt he could "jury rig" a smaller hose to his truck hose. His place was 10-15 miles out in the country. We followed. Once there his wife and son came out to meet us, those people from Hawaii with the problem. While his wife made my wife welcome, he scrounged around his shop and finally found an old shop vacume hose. This he duct tapped to the end of his truck hose, and then tapped a length of garden hose to the vacume hose.
I went inside our rig and ran the garden hose end down the toilet. He started his truck, turned on his pump and whoosh, in a minute sucked our holding tank dry.
Now a least we could travel, maybe not use the toilet, not spend nights at RV sites, but continue to explore Nova Scotia until we got the valve fixed.
After everything he did to help us -- going out of his way to meet us at the mall parking lot, taking us to his home, creating a hose system that would work -- he refused any payment for all his effort. We finally enticed he and his wife to accept several cans of Macadamia nuts we had brought with us from Hawaii.
With all of our problems this we know -- the Aloha Spirit is alive and well in Nova Scotia.
Submitted for publication in "Chicken Soup for the Traveler's Soul" on 1/24/99 to:
Steve Zikman
zik@earthlink.net
Box 69774
Los Angeles, CA 90069
Robert Graham
bgraham@aloha.net