When Life Gives You a Downpour, Wash the Rig: Resourcefulness on the Road
The Denali Highway is legendary for a reason—the views are unmatched, but it leaves its mark. After miles of kicking up silt, mud, and highway grime, our 26-foot Outdoors RV and the Ram 3500 were absolutely caked in a thick layer of dirty mess.
To top it off, today the skies opened up into a steady, pouring rain. It’s a little chilly out, and being mindful of our limited onboard water supply meant a standard wash-down was out of the question.
But as the old saying goes: Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Looking out the window at the rain, I noticed the water pooling and steadily streaming off one corner of our extended awning. An absolute goldmine of free, soft rainwater.
I grabbed our collapsible bucket, set it right under the heaviest drip line, and watched. Within 15 minutes, we had a full bucket of water ready to go.
The All-Weather Detail Crew
With a full bucket and a dream, it was time to suit up. My high-fashion choice of gear for the day? A rain hat, a heavy-duty raincoat… and flip-flops.
Armed with a scrub brush, I tackled the job one small section at a time:
Scrub a section with the fresh rainwater.
Let the pouring skies act as a natural, continuous rinse cycle.
Empty the bucket, refill at the awning corner, and repeat.
It took a couple of hours of braving the cold and the damp, but the constant downpour actually worked in my favor, keeping the soap from drying and rinsing everything clean. I even had enough momentum (and rainwater) to give the Ram a thorough scrubbing, too.
Is it the conventional way to detail your setup? Definitely not. But when you live the full-time RV life, you learn to adapt, look at a rainy afternoon as an opportunity, and just get ‘ur done. Both rigs are finally shining again, and we’re ready for whatever road comes next.
Until next time,
Brian, Lori and Miss Ruby
