I was kicking back in the coach while Donna returned the rental car on Monday when I saw our friend Tom Downey walking his dog. He came to our door and knocked. I went outside and he asked me if we heard all the commotion the night before. I said, “No, what happened?” He said there was a fire truck and ambulance at their site.

It turns out that his wife Kris had an accident. Just before going to bed at around 10pm, Kris was going to take their dog for a quick walk. As she was stepping out of the coach, she fell from the steps and broke her ankle. It was a bad break requiring surgery – she’s still at Scripps Hospital following the orthopedic surgery. We’re wishing her a speedy and full recovery. I remarked to Tom that if something like that is going to happen, be thankful it happened at a time and place where you are planning to be based for a while and are close to excellent medical care.

Speaking of Tom, I was at his site chatting last week when we saw a Monaco motorhome pulling into the park. It had what appeared to be a car dolly behind it, but it wasn’t right. It was too short to be a car dolly. I was curious, so later I found the Monaco and talked to the owner. What he was pulling behind his coach was a device called a Trailer Toad.

The Trailer Toad hooks up to the receiver hitch on the motorhome. In turn, a trailer is then hooked up to a ball on the Trailer Toad. The Trailer Toad takes the tongue weight of the trailer and supports it on its 15″ tires, relieving the coach suspension and hitch of the tongue weight. The axle on the Trailer Toad pivots to prevent scrubbing of the tires. Think of it as if the trailer is now a wagon being towed behind the motorhome.

There’s a pair of locking pins to prevent the axle from pivoting when backing up. If the axle could pivot while reversing, the trailer would be uncontrollable. While locked and reversing, sharp turns will cause the tires to scrub.

So, why did he have the Trailer Toad? He told me he had a stacker trailer in the overflow lot. The stacker carries his Jeep and two motorcycles along with various other toys and equipment.

He had a notice on the back of his trailer warning “Caution 63′ – wide turns.” I found this interesting. I didn’t measure his trailer, but I don’t see how it could possibly have an overall length of 63 feet towed behind a 40-foot motorhome – it has to be closer to 70 feet – with the Trailer Toad adding a few more feet. However, many states – California included – have an overall length limit of 65 feet. Maybe this is his way telling cops, “No worries, we’re legal!”

The other thing I wonder about is his trailer gross weight. A stacker trailer like this with a hydraulically operated lift and onboard generator packs some weight. Also consider the frame of the trailer is designed to carry up to two heavy vehicles. The cargo door serves as a loading ramp that has to support more than 5,000 pounds. The Trailer Toad takes away the tongue weight, but I would bet he’s exceeding his gross combined weight limit.

We had rain overnight that continued on Tuesday morning. Not only rain, but gusty wind. It looked like a day to hang out in the coach. But, we wanted to play pickleball! Donna got in touch with one of our friends from the Pacific Beach Recreation Center (PBRC), Johanna. We met Johanna playing pickleball at PBRC and Donna also joined her on a bike ride a few weeks ago. Johanna picked us up and gave us a ride since we didn’t want to scooter in the rain. However, Johanna had an appointment and couldn’t offer a ride back. We took our chances and figured that worst case scenario, we would take an Uber ride home. We really wanted to play pickleball.

After a few hours of pickleball, another player, Lonna, offered to give us a ride home. As always, we meet the nicest people in our travels. Back home, upon entering the coach, I found Ozark doing what she does best – she finds the most comfy spot for a nap. I wish she would use the time when we are away from the coach to run the length of the coach and leap on the bed only to reverse her direction and pounce on an imaginary target before heading back to the front to start the process over. This is what she does around 5am in the morning.

We reserved the clubhouse here at Mission Bay RV Resort for Christmas day. It was $50 to have the clubhouse from 9am to 10pm. We’re planning along with Iain and Kate to have a get together with all of our friends in the RV park for a Christmas potluck. It’ll mainly be the same group we had the holiday happy hour with on Sunday minus a few who already had plans. Donna’s sister Sheila is also planning to join us.

I’m planning to smoke a beef brisket on the Traeger for the potluck. I spent the evening on the Internet refreshing my memory about the finer points of smoking a tasty and tender brisket. I think I’ll go to a well-known meat market called Siesel’s near here to buy a high-grade mid-western beef brisket and cook it low and slow starting early on Christmas morning. It makes me salivate just to think about it!

Speaking of good food, while I was surfing the ‘net, Donna prepared a new recipe – turmeric chicken. It’s a keeper!

It rained off and on through the night and we have a light shower with overcast skies this morning. The rain should move out of the area and the gusty winds will go with it. There’s a coastal flood advisory as we have King tides to go along with the rain run-off. Tomorrow we’ll see the highest tide of the year.