Joe and Vicki's Blog

Going To Alaska?

2012-01-17T15:38:00.000-08:00

Going To Alaska?

Be prepared for this awesome journey.

View our Alaska DVDs and read our e-book.

Here are three daily log entries from the e-book “RVing Alaska”

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The Beginning of Our Alaska Trip –
July 25 - Wednesday - Seattle to Cache Creek

Brookside Campground - $28.00
Pull-thru, 30-amp, water, sewer, Wi-Fi ($)
301 miles - 7 hours

We are on an Alaska RV trip. We'll try to update you at least once a week about our adventures.

It has been a few years since we last drove north on I-5 from Portland, Oregon. So, we were sort of surprised when we encountered very heavy traffic all the way from Portland, through Seattle and into Everett, Washington. Especially around Seattle.

Our first day's journey (on a clear, sunny day) took us from the Seattle/Tacoma KOA to the Brookside Campground in Cache Creek, British Columbia. We left I-5 at Exit 256 and followed Highways 539, 546 and 9 to the border crossing at Sumas, WA.

There was only one car in line when we arrived at Canadian Customs at 1:00 pm. The courteous officer wrote down our license plate numbers and entered them into a computer. Then he asked for identification (we gave him our passports). A number of questions followed: "Where do you live, How long will you be in Canada? Are you carrying any firearms? How much tobacco and alcohol are aboard? Any commercial products? Gifts for Canadians? Surprisingly he did not ask about food products, nor did he enter our RV.

We continued north a short distance and turned east onto Trans-Canadian Highway 1. Highway 1 is a pleasure to drive. As it leaves Abbottsford it crosses relatively level farmland, moves into tree-covered hills, and then through mountainous terrain with many curves and a number of brief 6 and 7 percent grades. The route follows the Fraser and Thompson Rivers. This is a spectacular scenic drive. The Fraser Valley is better described as a canyon with vertical, tree-covered cliffs. Building the highway and two railroad tracks along this route is an engineering marvel. Traffic on the highway was extremely light.

We arrived at the 97-site Brookside Campground in Cache Creek at 4:00 pm. There were only a few vacant sites when we arrived. The campground owner said we would take the last big-rig site he had available. A level pull-through site with 30-amp electric, water and sewer hookup cost $28.00. WiFi was also available for an additional $2.00. There were a lot of rental RVs in the campground. Most, if not all, were occupied by Europeans. All the Americans we spoke with were heading south. There were mixed reports about the condition of the Cassiar Highway.

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August 28 - Tuesday
Sunny - 68 degrees -

Tok to Haines Junction
Alaska Highway 1
290 miles - 8 hours

Kluane RV Park ($30.00)
Pull-thru, 30-amp, water, sewer, cable
WiFi,

After a breakfast that included sourdough pancakes and reindeer sausage we headed southeast from Tok on Alaska Highway 1. The 2-lane highway crosses rolling terrain with easy grades and curves. It is nicely paved for the 90 miles to the Canadian border. The next 90 miles or so, however, is frost-heave alley. This has got to be the roughest section of the Alaska Highway. There were times when our speed was reduced to 20 miles per hour and we never exceeded 40 miles per hour. Once we reached Destruction Bay on Kluane Lake the road surface calmed down. There was serious road construction going on at the south end of the lake but after that the road became real civilized. The good news was the scenery we enjoyed during the entire trip.

There is a fuel station on the highway just before you reach the Canadian border. Diesel and gasoline was priced at $3.19 per gallon. The same as in Tok. We topped off our fuel tank. A few miles later, in Canada, fuel was priced at $1.26 per liter ($4.77 per gallon)

The border crossing was no problem. A few questions, a look at our passports, and we were on our way.

John and Jodie kept us busy videotaping various sections of highway. They would drive a good distance ahead of us scouting out a good location, setting up their camera, and then filming us as we traveled over that particular piece of road. We want our DVD to show the variety of road surfaces one encounters in, and on the way to, Alaska. There are places where the RVer must deal with dust, mud, gravel and frost-heaves but the majority of the roads are nicely surfaced with easy grades and alignment.

Our campground for the evening was the Kluane RV Kampground in Haines Junction. It offers 30-amp electric, water, sewer, cable TV and free WiFi. The gravel campsites will accommodate large RVs.

The Aspens have turned gold and other fall colors are beginning to show. Last night the temperature in Tok dropped to 36 degrees. Another sure sign of fall is number of RVs heading south along the highway

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The end of our Alaska trip.

September 6 - Thursday
Overcast, 65 degrees

Cache Creek to Everett, Washington
Highways 1, Exit 92, 9, 546, 539, I-5
268 miles - 6 hours

Lakeside RV Park - $35.00
50-amp, water, sewer, cable, no Wi-Fi
Dial-up modem in laundry room

There is a convenient, easy in-and-out Petro station located on the east side of Highway 97 just north of its intersection with Highway 1. We began our day by filling our fuel tank with $1.04 per liter ($3.94 per gallon) diesel and driving south on Trans-Canadian Highway Highway 1. This is a spectacular scenic drive. At first it crosses mountainous terrain with many curves and a number of brief 6 and 7 percent grades. The mountains give way to tree-covered hills and then to relatively level farmland. The route follows the Thompson and Fraser Rivers. Traffic, compared to what we had become accustomed to, was somewhat busy with more than a few big trucks towing tandem trailers.

Just outside the community of Abbottsford, highway signs advise motorists that Exit 92 to Highway 11 (Sumas Way) would lead to the U.S./Canada border crossing. Once there, we waited in line for a half-hour to cross into the United States. Some of the vehicles in front of us were searched, others checked by dogs, we lucked out. A friendly Customs Officer asked us a couple questions ... "Where do you live?" ... "What kind of things did you buy in Canada?" ..., gave us a friendly smile, said "Welcome home" and waved us through.

Traffic was heavy on Interstate 5. Cars zoomed, trucks tailgated, travel lanes appeared and disappeared. We were back in the "lower 48" where every lane is the fast lane.

It had taken four hours to get from Cache Creek to the border crossing and a half hour to cross the border. One and one-half hours later we pulled into the Lakeside RV Park in Everett, Washington ($35.00). Our paved, pull-thru site had 50-amp electric, water, sewer and cable TV (with 99 stations). Our satellite TV antenna had good reception and our cellular phone had a strong signal. Surprisingly, the RV park did not have WiFi but there was a dial-up modem in the laundry room.

Our Alaska trip began in Seattle, WA and ended in Everett, WA. It had taken 44 days. We drove 6,744 miles, purchased $3089.79 of fuel, and had a great adventure.

Note: Had we put our motorhome and car on the ferry from Haines, Alaska to Bellingham, Washington and taken a cabin for the journey, it would have cost $4,400.00 plus the cost of meals purchased on board. But we took the ferry from Haines to Skagway and then drove to Everett, Washington. It cost us $233.00 for the ferry, $769.00 for fuel, and $133.00 for campgrounds, or a total of $1,135.00. We left Haines the same day the ferry departed. We arrived in Washington two days after the ferry.

Read a detailed journal of our Alaskan journey in "RVing Alaska: Insights and Observations"

Read about our two DVDs: "RVing Alaska: What to Expect, How To Prepare" and "Alaska, RV Adventure of a Lifetime"

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Cold Weather Camping

2011-12-13T13:01:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays!

We haven't gone anywhere in our motorhome since last September. As a result we have not experienced anything worth writing about. But that will change very soon. After the Holidays we will be heading out of town and into the Arizona desert country.

In the meantime here is a column we wrote about cold weather campng:

Dear Joe and Vicki: We are fairly new to RVing. Our experience has been limited to fair weather trips to the California coast and mountains. We would like to drive our RV from California to Virginia about mid-January but are a little apprehensive about driving conditions should the roads turn icy. Your thoughts on this and any cold-weather RVing tips would be appreciated.

Joe: In the past, our January/February speaking circuit at RV shows has taken us (and our motorhome) from Tampa, Florida to Atlantic City, New Jersey, You might say we have some experience with cold weather driving and camping. We do our best to avoid driving in snow and we absolutely refuse to drive on icy roads. We have been known to spend an extra night or two in a campground waiting for driving conditions to improve. That’s one of the advantages of having your “house” with you.

Prepare you rig as you would for any long trip. Check the condition of your tires and their air pressure. Be sure your engine coolant has the appropriate mix of anti-freeze. Fill your windshield-washer reservoir and check your windshield wipers. Engines demand more electrical starting power during cold weather so check the battery’s electrolyte level, clean the terminals, and coat them with petroleum jelly. If you begin your trip with new engine oil and filters you shouldn’t have to change them again before you return home.

You will want a set of tire chains if you intend to drive on snow or ice. Practice putting them on at home while it is warm and dry. Motorhome owners should consider the damage a broken tire chain could inflict upon the fiberglass body of their rig. It might be better to avoid roads where chains may be required.

Your RV's built-in space heating system should be adequate for keeping the interior of your coach warm. Remember, though, that a forced air furnace, in addition to consuming propane, will draw up to seven amps of electricity while operating. This could represent a considerable drain on the coach battery if electric hookups are not available. Obviously, an electric hookup each night will prevent your furnace fan from draining your coach batteries. It will also allow you to operate the engine block heater if you have a diesel engine. Many RVers who do a lot of self-contained camping use catalytic heaters. Catalytic heaters combine propane and oxygen over a platinum-impregnated pad. The chemical reaction releases energy in the form of radiated heat. It requires no electricity and utilizes propane more efficiently than a forced-air heater. Most catalytic heaters are not vented to the outside. They consume oxygen from inside the RV and should only be operated when open windows and vents can provide adequate ventilation.

Vicki: Once we are hooked up to electricity, it is our habit to warm the interior of our coach with our propane furnace and then switch to a portable electric heater. The electric heater maintains a comfortable temperature and minimizes the time the furnace has to operate. If you intend to do this be sure the RV’s electrical hookup cord and any extension cord to the heater have a sufficient amperage rating to withstand the wattage of the heater. Divide the heater’s maximum wattage by 120 (volts) to determine the minimum rating of the electrical cord. A 1,500 watt heater, for example, would require an electrical cord with a minimum rating of 12.5 amps (1500 watts divided by 120 volts equals 12.5 amps).

I’m going to assume your RV’s plumbing, fresh-water tank and holding tanks are located in enclosed, heated compartments. As long as your furnace runs periodically, you shouldn’t have any problem with frozen plumbing.

We have installed two drop cords in our plumbing bay. One is near the water pump and sewer outlet. The other is on the opposite side of the compartment near the water heater. Each drop cord has a 40-watt light bulb. The heat from the bulbs keep the interior of the compartment warm when our furnace is not operating.

Remember to disconnect, drain and store your water and sewer hoses when temperatures approach the freezing level. Rather than deal with stiff or frozen hoses we prefer not to hook them up when there is any chance of temperatures dropping below 40 degrees. We only connect our hoses long enough to fill our water tank and empty our holding tanks. The rest of the time they remain in the storage cabinet.

Windows can be insulated against the cold with heavy drapes or curtains. You can also create an insulating, dead air space inside the windows by covering them with clear, heavy vinyl. Some RVers have been known to cut sheets of Styrofoam or foam-filled poster-board to fit the interior of some of their windows as insulation.

Condensation occurs inside an RV when the warm, moist interior air of the RV comes in contact with the cool surfaces of the windows and walls. We exchange humid interior air with dry outside air by opening a window about a quarter of an inch at each end of our RV and operating the roof-vent exhaust fan in the kitchen at a very slow speed.

Joe has a pair of warm, water-proof, boots he slips on when the ground around our campsite is wet or muddy (and it usually is at that time of year).

I take along a few old throw rugs. They provide insulation on tile floors and protect the carpeting against tracked in dirt and moisture. When a throw rug gets dirty enough, I just toss it in the trash and replace it with another.

Try to camp in a spot that is open to the heat of the sun and, if possible, protected from the wind. You can minimize cold drafts by facing the RV into or away from the prevailing wind. Keep in mind that snow accumulating on overhanging branches may eventually drop off in heavy clumps or perhaps bring down the brittle branches. And don't let snow block the refrigerator roof vent.

We enjoy our winter travels. Traffic is lighter. Campgrounds are not crowded. The air is clean and brisk. Winter RVing is a little different but certainly not difficult. With a little experience you’ll soon find yourself enjoying your cold weather journeys.

One of our most memorable travel days was spent driving across the gently rolling farmlands of Kentucky on Interstate 64. A light snowfall persisted most of the day. Traffic was almost non-existent. The snow melted on the highway and, at the same time, laid a soft white blanket over the sleeping countryside. We stopped several times, turned off the engine, and stepped outside, just to experience the stillness. Not something we could have done on a Southern California interstate.

Learn more about RVs and RVing by reading our how-to e-books.

Our Alaska DVDs can still be ordered online. Most of our customers take advantage of the two DVDs for $35.00 special.

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We’re Home!

2011-10-12T13:56:00.000-07:00

In fact, we’ve been home for six weeks now. As usual, we hit the ground running. Unloading the motorhome, opening the house, reviving the lawn and a dozen other little but time-consuming chores have kept us busy. And, we took care of our Mexican food cravings at our favorite local cantina.

It was a great trip - 4 ½ months and 12,250 miles. We returned to the places we didn’t have time to visit on previous journeys, we spent time with friends and relatives all over the country. We particularly enjoyed the week we spent in Washington, DC with our grandkids.

Future destinations include our annual trips to Yuma to celebrate New Year’s Eve and St. Patricks Day with our RVing friends and, when most of the snow has melted, the National Parks in the Bryce-Zion area. Also Jasper and Banff National Parks in Canada.

People have asked us if we miss presenting seminars at RV shows and rallies. Actually, the only thing we miss is socializing with all our friends (vendors, seminar presenters, clowns, sales people, etc.) who also worked at the shows and rallies. Most of them were also RVers and we usually parked our rigs in the same area. It was fun pulling into a campground or show parking lot and seeing familiar RVs. There would be hugs and laughter and lots of catching up to do over adult beverages. We really did enjoy presenting seminars, but we do not miss the behind-the-scenes time and effort it took to be in the seminar business.

We’re not entirely out of the business though. We have a monthly column, "Life on the Road", in Motorhome magazine and we have another book in the works. And, our Alaska DVDs and “how-to” RVing e-books are available on our website.

Speaking about our e-books… if you haven’t already… check them out. They are full of practical, useful information about buying, operating and enjoying an RV. And don’t overlook our Alaska DVDs. “RVing Alaska” shows you what to expect and how to prepare for an Alaska journey. “Alaska: RV adventure of a Lifetime” shows you all the favorite visitor destinations. There is a special price if you purchase both DVDs.

More Later

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Emergency ID Card

From the ebook "RVing Tips, Tricks & Techniques"

Create an emergency notification card to carry in your wallet. Have it identify two or more people who can be notified in case of an emergency. Be sure they are at different addresses and telephone numbers (one of them might not be available). Try to make sure these people know how to reach you when you are camping so they can notify you in an emergency. Furnish them an itinerary if you can (even if its just a rough idea).

Your emergency notification card should also include the name of your traveling companion and the telephone number of his/her cellular phone. He/she might be sitting in your RV wondering why you have not returned.

Your emergency notification card should list any health problems, medications or allergies that paramedics and doctors should know about.

It is not a bad idea to have your telephone calling card number on your emergency notification card (but not identifying it as such). It might be convenient when you are under stress and want to place a call.

Some RVers carry a second emergency notification card that identifies their RV and the campground where they are staying. The card might even indicate if there are pets in the rig that need to be cared for.

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Homeward Bound

2011-08-22T20:05:00.000-07:00

After leaving the Maritimes we spent a few days in New England visiting some of Joe’s many cousins. Then we traveled to Binghamton, NY (another cousin) and Hudson, Ohio. (you’ve got it- another cousin – this time one of Vicki’s) and then on to Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin to visit our good friends, Bob and Cheryl Marx. We also stopped in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and had lunch with our dear friend Margie Maxwell. Next stop will be the Sacramento, CA area to visit another of Vicki’s cousins and our daughter, grand daughter and great grand son.
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Obviously, we are headed west. We have run out of cousins (well, until we get to Southern California). Our daily travel mileage increases the closer we get to home. While our usual daily average is usually 250 to 300 miles, lately it has been 300 to 350. Our final travel day will cover the 400 miles from Sacramento to Huntington Beach, CA. We liken it to the horse headed for the barn. We have really enjoyed this trip. We hate to see it coming to an end. But we are looking forward to seeing our family, friends and familiar places. Our first evening home will be spent in our favorite local Mexican restaurant, eating our favorite Mexican dishes. It will be good to be home. The experience of 48 years of RVing, however, tells us that wanderlust will strike in about six weeks and we will find ourselves on the road again.

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Keeping Cool

2011-08-12T11:45:00.000-07:00

There is no need to tell you that this has been a very hot summer. I thought this column we wrote for an RV magazine in 2007 might be timely.

Dear Joe and Vicki: We purchased a 33 foot fifth-wheel trailer with three slides last June. It is equipped with 30-amp service and one 15,000 BTU air-conditioner. During a week of 100 degree weather we could not cool the trailer to a comfortable level. The manufacturers of both the trailer and air-conditioning unit said everything was within specifications and there was nothing they could do. Any assistance you can give us would be appreciated.

Joe: I’m sure the RV and air-conditioner manufacturing experts have determined that a 15,000 BTU air-conditioning unit is adequate for your 33-foot trailer with all three of its slides extended. As one who has been there, though, I can understand how your air-conditioning unit might be fighting a losing battle to maintain a comfortable interior temperature when the outside temperature is 100 degrees and your RV is in full sunlight.

Understand that RV air-conditioners are designed to reduce the air temperature by 20 degrees. That means your air conditioner is working okay if the air on the outlet side is 20 degrees cooler than the air on the inlet side. Your air conditioner is doing about as good as can be expected when the outside air temperature is 100 degrees and the interior temperature of your RV is 80 degrees.

I’m sure you have already discovered that the interior of your rig can become an oven when it is parked in full sunlight on a hot day. So shading as much of the RV for as long as possible should be a prime objective when selecting a place to camp.

Obviously, a campground with lots of trees and grass is going to be cooler than an RV park that resembles an asphalt parking lot. If you are really lucky, you will find a tree-shaded campsite. Try to avoid parking on or next to a hot surface. A grassy campsite will radiate less ground heat than a paved site. A concrete patio outside your entry door is nice but it will reflect the heat of the sun against the wall of your RV.

If you can’t find a shady campsite, try to locate one that points the front of your RV towards the south or east (south-east would be perfect). Your large street-side wall will then be on the naturally shady side of your RV during the hotter times of the day, your patio awning can shade the curb-side wall, and one end of the RV will be shaded at least part of the day. By the way, you can increase the shade of your patio awning by adding mesh patio shades that hang from your patio awning.

Vicki: Keep the sun from shining on or through your windows and skylights. Install window awnings and use them. Close the window blinds on the sunny side of the RV. Better yet, place Solar window covers or reflective foil on the interior of windows and motorhome windshields exposed to the sun. Poster board, cut so its dimensions are just a little larger than the skylight, can be stuffed into the skylight opening to block the sun.

Give your air-conditioner a head start. Turn it on early in the day and let it pre-cool the interior of the RV.

Keep the cool air inside and the hot air outside. Close all the windows and doors. Minimize the number of times the entry door is opened.

Use a fan to circulate the cool air. Direct the fan so it blows air from under the air-conditioner towards the area you want cooled the most.

Decrease the air-space the air-conditioner has to cool. Shut the bedroom door and close its air-conditioning vents. If you do close the bedroom door, be sure to open a bedroom window on the shady side of the RV so the bedroom doesn’t get much warmer than the outside temperature.

Avoid cooking with the stove top and oven. Use the microwave (but not the convection) oven. Use the outside grill. Use electric cooking appliances outside. Better yet, and my favorite, eat dinner in an air-conditioned restaurant.

When all else fails… hitch up and move to a cooler climate.

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Maritime Report

2011-08-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Massachusetts. We are on the going-home side of our RV trip. After Myrtle Beach we spent Memorial day weekend with our friends, Loren and Nancy Benedict and Tom and Margie Hildebrandt in North Carolina. Loren and Nancy have a lakeside home with a long driveway that easily accommodated our motorhome. While we were there they entertained us with their water toys.

Next on the agenda was Washington, DC. Our three teenage grandkids flew in from California and we spent five days touring our nation’s capitol. We visited the monuments and memorials, explored the Smithsonian museums and observed the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknowns.

After the grandkids flew home we headed for New England. The most direct route from Washington, DC to New England is straight up Interstate 95. It also takes the traveler through the traffic laden coastal cities of Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York. Years ago we discovered the benefits of taking the parallel route I-81 instead. It may add a few miles to the journey but it has less traffic, better scenery and more campgrounds than I-95. A number of east-west interstates between I-64 in the south and I-84 in the north connect I-95 to I-81.

We enjoyed a quiet 4th of July parked next to a pasture on my cousin’s horse property in New Hampshire. Then a leisurely drive along the coasts of New Hampshire and Maine took us to the town of Calais where we crossed the border into New Brunswick, Canada. This is where the Bay of Fundy’s extraordinary high and low tides take place. Our travels through Canada’s Maritime Provinces took us across the 8-mile long bridge to Prince Edward Island. The bridge is free going into PEI but cost us close to $60.00 when we left. A ferry is also available and it too is free to the island but costs to leave. Vicki says the PEI mussels are the best she has ever tasted.

Nova Scotia was next on the agenda. We crossed the brief causeway to Cape Breton Island, drove the Cabot Trail in our toad (wouldn’t recommend driving an RV), and we visited Louisbourg on the east coast.

Then we followed the coast highways around the south half of Nova Scotia. Along the way we lingered in the charming towns of Annapolis Royal and Peggy’s Cove. Vicki did her best to eat seafood just about every day we were in the Maritimes. She even found seafood markets that would sell a live lobster for $7.99 or would cook it to order for $8.99. She chose the more expensive cooked lobster.

It only took two leisurely days to drive from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Banger, Maine where we visited with another of my many cousins. After visiting even more cousins in Massachusetts we will head west through upper New York State and into Ohio.

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Joe and Vicki Update

2011-05-22T13:22:00.000-07:00

We are on the road again! So far we have encountered extreme heat and wildfires in Texas, tornadoes in Arkansas, thunder and lightning storms in Missouri, and evacuation from a flooded campground in Arkansas. Along the way I replaced the kitchen faucet, a mobile RV tech replaced the washer/dryer and an RV dealer worked on the dash air conditioner. We took in some shows in Branson, MO and Pigeon Forge (Dollywood), Tennessee. Both towns, by the way, were remarkably uncrowded.

The highlight of our trip so far has been the 444 mile drive we took from Natchez, MS to Nashville, TN on the Natchez, Trace Parkway. 444 miles of nicely paved, two-lane highway through very scenic woods, meadows and farmland. The 50-mile-per-hour speed limit is strictly enforced, commercial traffic is prohibited, there are no stop signs or signal lights and the traffic is very light. And, there are three free campgrounds spaced along the way. Every RVer should experience this drive.

We have also really enjoyed visiting with RVing friends along the way.

Today we are in Myrtle Beach, SC. Coincidentally, thousands of motorcycle riders are also in Myrtle Beach. It is Bike Week. Lots of noise, bandannas, beards and tattoos. Ocean Lakes RV Park has set aside a parking area for motorcycles just inside the entrance to their RV Park. Motorcycles are not allowed in the campsite area. So the motorcycle campers park their bikes and then ride other transportation into the campground. Kinda like the cowboys checking their guns before entering town. By the way, they are all good neighbors. We have not seen any sign of rowdiness in the campground.

From here we will head north. Memorial Day with friends, Washington, DC with grandkids, 4th of July in New England with relatives and then the Maritime Provinces with Canadians. We’ll keep you posted.

Our seminar business is not what it used to be. The recession hit the RV industry hard and our seminars were easy to eliminate from the promotional budgets. We have adjusted by retiring from the seminar business.

Our book business has also changed. Since 90% of our book sales occurred at the end of our seminars we have allowed our paperback books to go out of print. All of our books, however were recently revised, updated and converted to e-books. They can be ordered on our website.

Our DVDs can still be ordered online. Most of our DVD customers take advantage of the two DVDs for $35.00 special.

Our monthly column RV Insight that has appeared in the Good Sam Club’s Highways magazine for the past 15 years has been canceled. The final column appeared in the May issue.
On the other hand we just submitted the first of our Life on the Road monthly columns to Motorhome magazine. Look for it in the September issue.

Finally, we are reverting back to the “whimsical irregularity” of this blog. Check in with us periodically to see what we are up to.

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Going Places

2011-04-07T09:11:00.000-07:00

Dear Joe and Vicki: My husband and I have been weekend RVers for a long time, but now we've sold our house and are getting ready to head out as fulltimers. We're really excited about seeing the United States, but don't know quite where to start. Any suggestions?

Joe: As fulltimers, you have one huge advantage. You don't have to rush. And, you don't have to see everything at once. You can stay wherever you want for as long as you want.

Our first trip around the United States and Canada was in 1974. We wanted to pack as much as possible into the trip. So, before leaving, we sat down at the kitchen table with our children and spread maps of the U. S. and Canada in front of us. We went around the table and gave everyone an opportunity to tell us what places they wanted to see. As those places were called out, we circled them on the map. When we were finished with that step, we drew travel routes from one circle to another. As it turned out, we visited all of our "must see" places plus many others. In the process we also developed a new list of places to see next trip.

You could start by asking each state’s department of tourism to send you literature about the visitor highlights of their state. Your mailbox will overflow with information.

Read the articles in the travel sections of your magazines and newspaper. Start a file folder for each state. Eventually, you'll have to expand to individual file folders for cities, government parks and other attractions. We know one couple that has so many file folders of future places to go and things to see and do, that they have relegated the entire area under their RV's queen-size bed to the storage of their “places to go, things to see” files.

You may discover, as we have, that the Automobile Club’s maps and tour books are invaluable. We especially appreciate the way the tour books provide a state-by-state listing and description of all the neat places to go and things to see and do.

Vicki: Once you get on the road, make a habit of stopping at each state's welcome center. They will be located in a rest area just after you cross the border into that state. Wander among the racks of brochures that have been placed there for the tourists. Ask the attendant for a copy of the state map.

Keep in mind that one of the best places to get information is in the campground laundry rooms. Talk to the people you meet there. Chances are someone in that laundry room has just come from the place you are headed toward. Ask them about road conditions, find out their recommendations for restaurants, campgrounds and interesting attractions. We've gotten some of our best information by talking to people in campground laundry rooms.

Most of the full-time RVers that we've talked to have told us that when they first started traveling, they dashed around from one place to another, trying to see everything. After one or two trips around the country, they realized they had only begun their explorations. They discovered they were constantly finding out about new places to see. There were also many places they wanted to revisit, settle in, and spend a month or two.

By the way, don’t be surprised if you find a particular location that you return to year after year. You may find a place that has a particularly appealing RV park. Perhaps in an area that has medical, shopping and recreational opportunities that fit your comfort level.

We're willing to bet that once you get out on the road, you'll find that you have so many places you want to go and things you want to see and do that you'll wonder how you're ever going to fit them all into a lifetime.

Joe and Vicki are the authors of a number of how-to books and e-books about RVs, RVers and RVing.

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How to match a tow vehicle and trailer

2011-04-01T12:03:00.000-07:00

Dear Joe and Vicki: How do I go about choosing a tow vehicle to pull a travel trailer? Should I choose the tow vehicle first and then find a trailer it can tow? Or should I first select the trailer and then find a tow vehicle that can pull it? How do I determine whether the tow vehicle will be able to handle the trailer?

Joe: Ideally, you will identify (but not purchase) the trailer that best suits your RVing interests and needs. Then, locate (but not purchase) the tow vehicle that best handle the size and weight of that trailer. Finally, research to determine the type of hitch you will need. In the best of all worlds, the tow vehicle will also satisfy your everyday transportation needs both while you are on the road towing your trailer, and in between RV trips as a transportation vehicle. In the real world, don’t be surprised if you have to make a number of compromises. Once these objectives are met, all you have to do is figure out how to pay for them.

Vicki: Here are a few guidelines for choosing a tow vehicle: Decide whether an SUV, van or pickup truck will best suit both your personal and towing needs. Visit the dealership selling that vehicle and obtain a copy of the manufacturer’s trailering guide and towing recommendations. Since the towing recommendations will be expressed in weight, do your homework and ascertain the following: The tow vehicle’s Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). That’s the maximum weight, including passengers, fuel, cargo (including the trailer's tongue weight), and the weight of the tow vehicle itself, that the tow vehicle can safely carry down the road. The trailer’s Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). That’s the maximum weight, including full water and propane tanks, optional equipment, cargo, accessories and the weight of the trailer itself, that the trailer can safely carry down the road. The tow vehicle’s Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR). That’s the maximum total weight of the fully loaded tow vehicle and fully loaded trailer that the tow vehicle may safely handle. It’s not out of line to assume you will load your tow vehicle to its GVWR and pull a trailer also loaded to its GVWR. If the combined weight of the two vehicles exceeds the tow vehicle’s Gross Combined Weight Rating you need to lighten the load or get a tow vehicle with a higher Gross Combined Weight Rating. Here’s another way of looking at it. Place the fully loaded tow vehicle and fully loaded trailer on a scale. The total weight of both vehicles should not exceed the tow vehicle’s Gross Combined Weight Rating.

Joe: Not enough can be said about the importance of staying well within the manufacturer’s weight limitations. Personally, I’d feel better knowing my tow vehicle was rated to handle 10% more weight than I was towing. Choose and equip your tow vehicle so it is more than adequate to do the job. Most manufacturers offer an optional towing package. It costs less to order the package than to add the equipment after you take delivery. When it comes to choosing between adequate power and fuel economy, I would take the power. I’ve never seen an RVer drive to the top of a long, steep grade, get out and curse his rig for having too much power. Before you buy your RV package be sure the manufacturers of the tow vehicle, trailer and hitch all agree you have a towing combination that is made for each other. Do your homework, pay attention to the manufacturer’s written recommendations and be sure the tow vehicle you choose will take you where you want to go and let you do the things you want to do.

Joe and Vicki are the authors of a number of how-to RV books and e-books. Return to RV Know How

Grocery Shopping Tips

2011-03-25T10:21:00.000-07:00

Dear Joe and Vicki: What can we do to reduce food costs on the road? My husband and I plan to spend several months traveling in our motorhome. We're always looking for ways to save money. At home I know where the less expensive grocery stores are located and I can control the amount of money I spend on food. Any tips would be appreciated.

Joe: When it comes to food shopping, my job is to push the shopping cart and carry in the groceries.

Vicki: Not only do we try to keep our food costs down, we are also aware of the differences in the foods that are available in various parts of the country. There are grocery items available at our home in Southern California that we know we won't be able to find in other places. We stock up on those items to take with us.

We always start out with several cans of Yuban coffee, for example. It's not available in every part of the country. And, because we especially like Mexican food, we always begin with our freezer full of our favorite chorizo. Enough to last throughout the trip.

As we travel, we try to make the most of the foods native to each section of the country. They usually cost less than in other areas. We look forward to the pork in Arkansas, citrus fruits in Florida, seafood along the coastal areas, peaches and pecans in Georgia and South Carolina. We love the roadside stands that sell fresh corn, tomatoes and other vegetables. Many work on the honor system, with just a sign telling the price of each item and a coffee can for purchasers to drop money into.

As you travel, you will also become familiar with the different chain supermarkets in the various parts of the country. I look for Shaw's in New England, Wegman's in the northeast, Kroger's in the mid-atlantic, Harris Teeter in the south, Publix in Florida, Meijer in the mid-west, Safeway in the west, Vons in Southern California, Fred Meyers in the northwest and, of course, Wal-Mart Supercenters all over the country.

We also have an assortment of supermarket-chain discount cards that provide additional savings. You name a supermarket with a discount card and I'll bet their card is in our RV.

I'm also a coupon clipper, whether at home or on the road. If I spot a store that doubles the value of coupons, I check it out. Every Sunday we buy a local newspaper. The grocery coupons more than pay for the newspaper. In addition, by glancing at the grocery ads for each store, we can get a feel for their prices. As a bonus, the newspaper provides us with a TV listing for the week. Not bad for the price of a Sunday newspaper!

Plan on spending more time grocery shopping on the road than you do at home. Brand names vary from one part of the country to another. It may take a while to figure out which to buy. Also, there doesn't seem to be a really consistent floor plan for supermarkets. We usually have to go up and down every single aisle to find what we’re looking for.

Joe: And, once in a while, when Vicki isn't looking, I toss a bag of cookies into the grocery cart.

Joe and Vicki are the authors of a number of books and e-books about RVs, RVers and RVing.

Return to RV Know How

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Full-timing strategies

2011-03-17T15:04:00.000-07:00

Joe: Lately, we have been hearing from a lot of folks who are talking about selling their homes, storing their most precious possessions and getting rid of everything else. Why? Because they are going to become full-time RVers. They want to visit old friends, explore new places and spend their winters where the snow doesn't fall.

In most cases, we applaud those folks for taking action to make their dreams come true. Unfortunately, a number of these dreamers have no RVing experience. They have not spent so much as one night in an RV. Or, their only RVing experience has been weekends at the lake and an occasional one or two week vacation.

Too many of these folks have made their decision based upon an article they have read, a website they have viewed or a conversation with someone they met. They have not had the experience of living in a confined area with the same person day after day. They don't know if they will be comfortable driving a large motor vehicle along a busy highway (and they are all busy).

They are making the decision to completely change their lifestyle based upon what they think full-time RVing is all about rather than what they actually know about it. There seems to be this notion that once the "Sold" sign appears in their front yard their life is going to be carefree and without problems or responsibilities.

They think that becoming a full-time RVer is the same as going on an extended vacation.

Now, don't misunderstand. A lot of folks with no RVing experience have retired or quit their jobs and successfully joined the ranks of those who live and travel full time in their RVs. Some have even written entertaining and educational books based upon their experiences.

We have not seen many books, however, by those whose dreams were shattered because they bought the wrong RV. Nor have we seen any books by the folks who sold their house, furniture and possessions only to discover they were not cut out to be RVers.

Vicki: First, understand that when you become a full-time RVer, you are not going on vacation. You are changing your lifestyle. You are not just dipping your toe in to test the water. You are immersing yourself. You want to do some serious thinking. We would like to suggest that you develop three full-timing strategies; an entry strategy, a lifestyle strategy, and an exit strategy.

Your entry strategy is essentially preparation for making the transition from your present lifestyle to a full-time RVing lifestyle. This is where you find answers to the question “How will we fulltime?” A home address will have to be identified. Financial plans formulated. Details worked out about banking, bill paying and mail forwarding. Decisions will have to be made about what stuff to get rid of and what to do with the things you keep. It will take time to research the questions. It will take time to implement the answers. And, most importantly, it will take time to test them.

Joe: Your entry strategy should include spending as much time as possible in your RV before making the move to full-timing. Longer trips will help you evaluate your present RV’s suitability for full-timing. Is it small and agile enough to take you where you want to go? Is it big enough to carry all your worldly possessions and to provide the creature comforts you require? Is it durable enough to handle the wear and tear of full-time living and long-distance travel? You might discover that your present RV, while it may be great for weekends and vacations, is not going to satisfy your full-timing needs.

Longer trips can be used to research and test your arrangements for banking, bill paying, internet service, cell phone service, obtaining medical care, getting prescriptions refilled, and receiving mail.

Trips of longer duration will also help determine if you and your spouse are ready for the togetherness of the full-time lifestyle.

Vicki: Your lifestyle strategy should identify what you will do as a full-time RVer. Where will you go? What will you do? We have observed that most full-time RVers begin as serious travelers. The first couple of years they move quickly from place to place, never staying in one location for any length of time. Their mindset is still like vacationers. Destination, mileage and time oriented rather than simply enjoying the journey. Once they have criss-crossed the country a couple of times, however, they begin to slow down and spend more time in the places that appeal to them. This is usually the time when they re-evaluate their lifestyle. Some will continue to travel, although at a more leisurely pace. Many will look for a home base, perhaps a campground, where they can settle in for two or three months at a time between journeys. A few will find a comfortable RV park and take up permanent residence. And others will return to a more conventional dwelling. Your lifestyle strategy should be flexible. Recognize and allow for the fact that your interests and circumstances can, and probably will, change as you go down the road.

Joe: Your lifestyle strategy can be anything you want. That’s one of the joys of full-timing. As Vicki mentioned, most new full-timers take advantage of their open-ended calendar by traveling. They go to all the places their previous time-constrained lives prevented them from visiting. Some travel with a purpose. They have places to go, things to do, and people to see. Others travel aimlessly, just to sightsee. A number of full-time RVers use their travels to locate the perfect retirement community. Many full-timers, after a couple of carefree years, return to the work world. Some start on-the-road businesses. Others find temporary or part time jobs. A good number become volunteers. Whatever they do, they seem to choose an activity that satisfies their need to be useful or productive, yet allows them to remain in their RV. Be careful here. You may end up back where you started.

A lifestyle strategy should be flexible. It is just a starting point. Your lifestyle will change as you observe and experience what the open road has to offer. You will evolve as you go down the road.

Vicki: Your exit strategy is simply a plan or arrangement that permits you to make the change from full-time RVing to a more conventional lifestyle.

We are acquainted with a number of full-timers who have come in off the road. Some became full-timers with the intention of returning to a more conventional lifestyle when they reached a certain point in life. Most of these folks developed both their entry and exit strategies knowing that, at some time, they would leave the full-time lifestyle.

Other full-timers, over the course of a number of years, have slowly evolved from leisurely travelers, to occasional travelers, to living year-round in an RV park, to moving into a conventional dwelling. And there were others who suddenly found themselves in a position where their personal circumstances forced them to leave the full-time lifestyle altogether. Obviously, the transition was a lot smoother for those who were psychologically and financially prepared for the move.

Your exit strategy simply takes into consideration that you might not spend the rest of your life living in an RV. Our observation is that those who are the most content are the ones who had some kind of exit strategy. Your exit strategy doesn’t have to be rigid. But it should provide you with options.

Vicki: All of our full-timing friends love their lifestyle. They love the sense of self-reliance, the people they meet, and their sense of freedom. You can join them. Do your homework, research, talk to other full-timers. Develop your entry, lifestyle and exit strategies. And take time to enjoy the journey!

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Joe and Vicki Kieva are the authors of a number of books and e-books about RVs, RVers and RVing.

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Return To RV Know How

Rally Camping

2011-03-03T12:53:00.000-08:00

Dear Joe and Vicki: We are thinking about signing up for what will be our first rally. What can we expect in the way of camping facilities?

Joe: Depending upon their location, rallies can offer a variety of utility hookup connections. Some will offer full hookups with electric, water and sewer. Most, however, will provide only partial hookups; meaning an electrical and possibly a water hookup. And others will only provide dry camping. It is a good idea to read the rally literature carefully so you know exactly what to expect. No matter what you sign up for or what you expect, however, it is a good idea to show up at a rally prepared for dry camping.

Dry, or self-contained, camping means living in your RV without the benefit of being connected to a campground’s electric, water and sewer facilities. Here are a few tips to make dry-camping at rallies a little easier.

If you have a generator. Ask to be parked in a generator area. You may be given your choice of camping in an area that permits unlimited (24 hour) generator usage or one with limited generator usage (7:00 AM to 10:00 PM for example). Be prepared for the noise and exhaust fumes of your neighbors’ generators.

Operate your generator only when you actually need to. Most of your electrical needs can be supplied by your battery(s) and they should automatically recharge while the generator is running.

Schedule your generator operating time to cover the usage of your high-amperage appliances. Running your generator from 7:00 am to 10:00 am for example might cover operation of the furnace, microwave oven, electric coffee pot, toaster, hair dryer and the water pump for showers. Your batteries will also be recharging during this time.

Check and service your generator before leaving home. You want your generator to be in good operating condition.

If you do not have a generator (or you choose to camp in a non-generator area). You will be relying upon your coach battery(s). Obviously, two coach batteries will last longer than one.

Conserve battery power by limiting your electrical usage. A single 12-volt ceiling light bulb draws about 1.5 amps per hour; a color TV (and inverter) about 12 amps; the furnace fan and the water pump 7.5 amps each while operating. Obviously, the less amp-hours you consume, the longer your battery will last. So turn off unnecessary lights and keep 12-volt appliance operation to a minimum.

Check and service your battery(s) before leaving home.

Vicki: Arrive with your water tank full! Dry campng means you will not have a water hookup so you will have to rely on the capacity of your RV’s fresh-water tank. Depending upon the duration of the rally and the capacity of your water tank you might even consider arriving with a few containers full of drinking water. The two-gallon containers of drinking water you buy at the supermarket work well here.

Conserve water by using the campground’s restroom and showers.

Wash dishes only once a day. Instead of pre-rinsing, use paper towels to wipe leftover food from the dishes. Use paper plates to reduce the number of dishes that have to be washed.

Do not let the water run while showering. At the shower head, turn on the water to get wet, turn off the water while you soap, turn on the water to rinse off. Don’t let the water run while brushing your teeth or while washing.

Use a pan or kettle to capture the water you run while waiting for warm water to arrive at the faucet. The captured water can be used for other washing purposes.

Shave with a battery operated razor.

Eat out more often. Remember to use the restaurant’s restroom before leaving.

Large rallies might have “water wagons” circulating through the campgrounds. They will fill your water tank or container for a fee.

Arrive with your holding tanks empty! You will not have a sewer hookup so you will have to rely upon the capacity of your RV’s holding tanks.

Conserving water will automatically conserve holding-tank space. One method of conserving space in the gray-water tank is to wash dishes in plastic dishpans and then dump the dirty dishwater into the black-water holding tank by pouring it into the toilet.

Large rallies might have “honeywagons” circulating through the campgrounds. They will empty your holding tank(s) for a fee. Most rally locations will have a dump station. Ask for its location.

Take a practice dry-camping trip. You will be pleasantly surprised at how easy it can be.

Remember, arrive with your propane and water tanks full and your holding tanks empty!

Note: Occasionally a rally will only have 15 or 20-amp electrical hookups. You will need a 15-amp male to 30-amp female adapter in order to connect your 30-amp power cord to the 15-amp outlet. Keep in mind that you will have to keep your RV’s total amperage draw to 15 amps or less. It is a good idea to switch both your refrigerator and water heater to propane operation before connecting your rig to a 15-amp outlet. An RV’s absorption refrigerator can draw in the neighborhood of 5 amps of power and the water heater 12 or more amps while operating on a 120-volt electrical connection..

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Joe and Vicki Kieva are the authors of a number of how-to books and e-books about RVs, RVers and RVing.

Return to RV Know How

==================================

To Keep or Not to Keep

2011-02-23T13:14:00.000-08:00

Dear joe and Vicki: My motorhome is 5 years old. Things are beginning to wear out and need replacement. We are wondering whether we should keep and refurbish our present motorhome or buy a new one. What do you think?

Joe: Either way, it looks like you are getting ready to spend some money. And, whether you buy a new motorhome or refurbish the one you have, in five more years you are probably going to be faced with the same decision again.

Five years of age seems to be a mid-life crisis point for RVs, especially motorhomes. Outside, the paint is beginning to oxidize. The windshield probably has a few battle scars. The roof needs to be re-caulked (for the second time). Shock absorbers and brake linings need to be checked. Belts, hoses and windshield wiper blades are due for replacement. Tires, no matter their tread wear, are reaching the end of their safe lifespan. The engine and transmission may not be performing as smartly as when they were new.

Inside, the carpet, upholstery and window coverings are beginning to fade and show some wear. Fabrics and color schemes are woefully out-of-fashion. Outdated appliances have reached the point where, if they stop working, the repairman will probably suggest replacement instead of repair. The entertainment center (if you have one) has a television screen that is smaller than you like, does not have a DVD player, and has speakers that seem archaic.

And, if your RV is five or more years of age, you may only have one slide-out room or perhaps no slides at all! Good grief! You own a dinosaur!

Chances are your RV's loan balance is less than, or about equal to, its market value. Or maybe you are one of the lucky RV owners whose payments are just right – nothing per month. That means you have some equity in your present RV that could be applied to the purchase of a new one. And let's face it, a five year old RV is easier to sell or trade than one that is ten years old. Maybe now is a good time to trade.

Vicki: Before you do, however, consider what you will be doing with your present or new RV for the next five years. Do you anticipate any personal or career changes that would affect your RVing lifestyle? A new job or promotion might curtail the amount of time available for RVing. In that case, it might not make good financial sense to buy a new RV only to have it sit in storage. Perhaps it might be better to postpone that new purchase and, for the time being, make do with your present RV.

On the other hand, if you will be retiring soon, perhaps you will have even more time available for RVing. Buying a new RV prior to retiring can be a good decision. You can choose one that will better complement your extended travels. You will also have the opportunity to take it on a few shakedown trips and get familiar with it before you embark on those extended cross-country journeys.

One of the most popular reasons for getting a new RV is a change of RV lifestyle. Going from weekend and two-week camping trips to extended travel, snowbirding, or fulltiming frequently calls for a change in the type and/or size of RV.

However, if you are going to continue to use your RV as you have in the past, there are some other considerations. By now you have made a lot of personal changes and adjustments to your RV. Closets, drawers and cabinets have been arranged to hold all your "stuff". Pictures, pillows and decorations have been added to reflect your personal taste. You have decided where to keep the trash basket, laundry hamper and vacuum cleaner. You are familiar with your RV's idiosyncrasies and comfortable with its operation. Do you really want to get rid of this rig? If you did replace it, would you want the new RV to be radically different? If your present rig will satisfy your RVing interests and needs for the next five years or so, if you can incorporate the changes and upgrades you'd like into your RV, maybe you should hold onto it.

Joe: Look at the financial considerations. Before you refurbish your current RV, make a list of the things you would like to change. Take your list to the appropriate craftsmen and get an estimate of what the total project will cost. Then, determine your RV's actual market value – what you could reasonably and realistically expect to receive if you sold it today. You don't want to invest more into your RV than it is worth.

Look at the price of new RVs that are equivalent to your present rig. Chances are you will pay at least half again as much for a new RV as you did for your present RV five years ago. Not only will the purchase price be higher, but so will the sales tax. And, of course, the annual insurance premiums, and vehicle registration fees of the new RV will be higher than what you are paying now.

The money you spend refurbishing your RV may not add appreciably to its market value
but it will certainly be less than the cost of a new rig.

Vicki: Your choices seem to be to a.) keep your RV and spend the minimum necessary to bring it to satisfactory condition, b.) keep your RV and invest what it takes to renovate and update it to your satisfaction, or c.) buy a new RV that will better satisfy your interests and needs.

If you are unhappy with your present RV, if it does not satisfy your RVing lifestyle, if you want a different type, size, style or floorplan, then buy that new RV. But if you like your present RV and it can be refurbished to satisfy your RVing interests and needs, it might make better sense to keep it.

And, if you do keep it, there's always the chance that a silver-tongued salesman will weave his magic, and cause you to fall in love with a 42-foot, quadruple slide, Whizbang motorhome and set you up with a payment schedule that will last the rest of your natural life.

Either way, in five years you will be making this same decision again.

Joe and Vicki Kieva are the authors of a number of how-to books and e-books about RVs, RVers and RVing.

Return to RV Know How

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Going to Alaska? Check out the blog entries of our Alaska trip in 2007.
Then click on RVing Alaska, Insights and observations.

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Dinghy Protection

2011-02-16T10:46:00.000-08:00

Dear Joe and Vicki: Do you use a cover over the front of your car to keep dirt and gravel from damaging it while towing? Have you ever used those shields that ride in front of the car?

Joe: When we first began towing a car we bought one of those fiberglass shields and a padded, vinyl windshield cover. We never experienced any damage to the windshield or front of the car while using them. After a few years, though, I did notice rub marks wearing into the paint above the windshield. Apparently this was caused by the cover moving slightly while we traveled down the road. There were also occasions when I noticed little pieces of road tar stuck on the top of the hood. They brushed off quite easily, however.

There was the question of what to do with the shield once we arrived at our destination. I usually stowed it under the motorhome and hoped the wind wouldn't blow it away. There was also the fear that I would forget the shield was under the motorhome and I would run over it. It wasn’t long before I felt that putting the shield and windshield cover on and off was a lot of bother.

After we installed some large mud flaps behind the rear wheels of the motorhome, we stopped using the fiberglass shield. Later we stopped using the vinyl windshield cover. After ten years and over 100,000 towing miles we never experienced any damage to the front of that car.

A few years ago, we purchased a new car for towing. We don't use a windshield cover nor do we use a shield. The only protection for our towed car are the large mud flaps behind our motorhome's rear tires and a solid, heavy mud flap the width of the rear bumper that almost touches the ground.

So far, we have towed that car over 20,000 miles and not experienced any damage.

Joe and Vicki are the authors of a number of “how-to” books and e-books about RVs, RVers and RVing.

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Expert Opinions

2011-02-09T09:30:00.000-08:00

Dear Joe and Vicki: You could make life a lot easier for me if you would just tell me what kind of RV you and the other "RV experts" have and how they are equipped.

Joe: OK! But I don't think the answer will make life easier for you.

A few years ago, during one of the University of Idaho's "Life On Wheels" Conferences, Vicki and I were among 12 "RV Experts" who participated as panel members in an RV Lifestyle forum.

Among the panel participants were: a single, full-timing woman; a single full-timing man; two full-timing couples; a couple who had full-timed for many years but were now extended travelers and two couples (including Vicki and I) who traveled extensively in their RVs but were not full-timers.

For the sake of discussion we'll say there were three extended travelers and four full-timers; a total of seven RVs.

Two extended travelers and the full-timing woman had Class A motorhomes. Each towed a small car.

The extended travelers who used to be full-timers had a Class C motorhome. They did not tow a transportation vehicle.

The full-timing man and one full-timing couple had fifth-wheel trailers with one or more slide-out rooms. One towed with a medium duty tow vehicle; the other towed with a pickup truck.

The remaining full-timing couple had a fifth-wheel without a slide-out room. They also towed with a pickup truck.

One of the Class A motorhomes and all of the fifth-wheel tow vehicles were powered by diesel engines.

Vicki: All the full-timing RVers and one extended traveler had their rigs equipped with solar panels and inverters. The two remaining extended travelers did not see any need for them.

Interestingly, the extended travelers without the solar panels prefered boondocking and government campgrounds while one full-timing couple with solar panels favored commercial campgrounds with full hookups.

Two full-timers belonged to membership campground organizations. The remainder did not.

Preferences in overnight accommodations depended upon each RVers interests, needs and budget at the moment. None of us stayed exclusively in any one type of campground.

Only one extended traveler and one full-timing couple traveled with a pet.

Only one full-timing and one extended traveler had a washer/dryer in their RV. One full-timer claimed she washed her clothes on a rock!

As the panel continued to answer questions posed by the audience it was obvious that we all had equally diverse opinions and preferences when it came to the various aspects of choosing, using and enjoying our RVs.

One thing we all agreed on though. We love the feeling of independence and the sense of freedom we get from traveling and living in an RV

Joe: So you see, whatever type of RV you choose, however you equip it, wherever or however you camp, you'll be doing exactly what the “RV experts” do.

Joe and Vicki are the authors of a number of “how-to” books and e-books about RVs, RVers and RVing.

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Buying a Larger RV

2011-02-04T09:52:00.000-08:00

Dear Joe and Vicki: "We are considering trading in our 24 foot motorhome on one in the 30 - 32 foot range. We particularly enjoy camping in government campgrounds. Will we encounter any size problems with the larger rig?"

Joe: Our previous motorhome was 32 feet long. We found that most major national, state and county campgrounds could readily accommodate RVs up to 32 feet. Obviously, the higher into the mountains or the deeper into the forest, the fewer campgrounds and campsites we could fit into.

Our present motorhome is 36 feet long. During the last couple of years we have stayed in a number of national and state campgrounds. While there were sites large enough to accommodate the larger RVs, there were even more sites that would accommodate a 32 foot or smaller RV.

Vicki: Think about the types of government campgrounds you are attracted to. The height and width of the 32 footer will probably be no more of a consideration than your current motorhome. The length, however, may limit the number of campsites that you can fit into. The length may also affect your ability to navigate the narrow roads and sharp turns of some older, more remote campgrounds.

Use your campground directories to look up the kind of government campgrounds you plan to frequent. See if they have any size limitations that would preclude the size RV you are considering.

You may find, as we did, that a 32-foot RV will take you where you want to go and let you do the things you want to do.

Joe and Vicki Kieva are the authors of a number of how-to books and e-books about RVs, RVers and RVing.

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Alaska: Solo or Caravan

2011-01-19T14:53:00.000-08:00

Dear Joe and Vicki: We intend to take our RV to Alaska this summer. The only question in our mind is whether we should travel solo or join an RV caravan. What do you suggest?

Joe: Thousands of RVers travel to Alaska on their own and do just fine. You will too! Do your homework. Research and plan your trip carefully (two DVDs and an e-book about what to expect and how to prepare for an RV journey to Alaska are available on our website .

Most importantly, allow plenty of time (six to eight weeks) to see and do all that interests you.

Our first RV trip to Alaska was accomplished on our own. We spent more than a year researching, planning and preparing for what we thought would be a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. The trip lasted three months. We took the Alaska Highway one direction and the ferry system the other. Guided by books, maps, brochures, and the advice of folks who had gone before us, we thought we had seen everything Alaska had to offer. We had a great time.

Then we signed on as “tailgunners” with an Alaskan caravan. The typical RV caravan staff consists of a wagonmaster couple and an assistant wagonmaster couple. The wagonmaster team is responsible for keeping the caravan running smoothly. The assistant wagonmaster couple, sometimes known as "tailgunners," travel behind the last RV so they are available to assist any caravan members who experience problems along the way.

The Alaskan caravan followed the same route, went to the same places, and took the same tours we did on our solo trip… plus a whole lot more! And they did it a lot more efficiently. That’s their business.

Vicki: A caravan company selects the route, puts together the itinerary, makes campground reservations and arranges interesting tours. You'll travel with the knowledge that nothing will be missed along the way. You'll also enjoy the camaraderie of fellow caravan participants and the sense of security that comes from traveling with a group.

Keep in mind, though, that group travel involves compromise, group participation and adherence to travel schedules. If you're independent-minded, accustomed to solo travel and prefer to avoid itineraries, you might want to seriously consider whether you'd be happy in a caravan.

A typical caravan day begins with a briefing by the caravan staff. They will tell you about the road conditions, scenic attractions and points of interest you can expect during the coming day's journey. A travel day, by the way, will rarely exceed 200 to 300 miles.

As the caravan progresses, you can expect to experience planned events such as river rafting, fishing trips, tours and barbecues.

When you arrive at each day’s destination you will be guided into your reserved campsite. But the day won’t be over yet. Evening activities will probably include restaurant meals, salmon bakes, pot-lucks and professional entertainment.

Some Alaska caravans either include or will make arrangements for you to load your RV onto a giant ferry, occupy a stateroom and cruise the Inside Passage on your return trip to the US/Canadian border. We happen to think that this should be a part of everyone's Alaska experience.

To learn more about RV caravans, contact the commercial caravan companies. You'll find them advertised in RV publications. Ask what you can expect to receive for your money. Compare what each company offers on similar caravans.

Once you've experienced the benefits of professional preparation, experienced guides and adventurous companions, you may find yourself joining the ranks of those for whom caravanning has become an addictive form of travel.

Either way, solo or caravan, you are in for a great adventure. Go for it!

Joe and Vicki will be presenting their seminar “Alaska, The Ultimate RV Adventure” at the Gypsy Gathering Rally in Yuma, Arizona on March 8, 2011. The rally will have a number of seminars relating to Alaska.

Joe and Vicki Kieva are the authors of a number of how-to books and e-books about RVs, RVers and RVing.

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Be Prepared

2011-01-06T10:32:00.000-08:00

Joe: Thunp! Whoooshh! It was the unmistakable sound of air making a rapid escape from a tire. My heart sank. Vicki shot me a look that said "I can't believe you did that".

It really wasn't my fault. We were on our way out of a campground. I was maneuvering through a tight right turn. Suddenly, without warning, a cleverly concealed small decorative wall attacked and tore open my right, rear outside tire.

Vicki: The good news was that we were prepared. Our preparation was developed from experience. Experience is the best teacher. It gives the test first and the lesson afterwards.

Our learning experience occurred two years ago. We had a blow-out. As usual, Murphy's Law prevailed… blown inside dual tire, 35 miles from the nearest town, Saturday of Easter weekend, no spare tire. At that time, we had no spare tire because our motorhome did not come equipped with one. The RV dealer had patiently explained that the reasons for no spare tire were: 1) "Those tires never blow out." 2) "The lug nuts are so tight you would need a 10-foot long wrench to loosen them." 3) "The tire and wheel weigh 200 pounds and the manufacturer doesn't want the liability of you getting hurt while handling one." and 4) "The roadside service truck will bring a new tire and mount it." Silly me, I thought it was because the RV manufacturer wanted to avoid the expense of a spare tire.

Anyway, because that blowout occurred on Easter weekend and our tire size (10 R 22.5) was not readily available, it took the roadside service folks about 3 hours to locate a used tire that would, hopefully, get us home. And, they had to make a 30-mile round trip to get it (we could have gotten a new tire if we had been willing to wait until Tuesday).

The used tire got us home where we replaced all of the tires. But, learning from experience, we kept one of the old tires as a spare. That was part of our preparation … carry a spare tire.

Joe: Our experience-based plan for dealing with our present tire mishap was to 1.) Locate a replacement tire. 2.) Call roadside service and ask them to pick up the replacement tire. 3.) Have roadside service mount the new tire on the motorhome. The 7-year old spare would be used only if we could not locate a replacement tire.

Did I mention that this latest blowout occurred in a campground in El Centro, California? El Centro is located in the middle of the desert, 100 miles east San Diego, 100 miles south of Palm Springs, 60 miles west of Yuma, Arizona and 7 miles north of the Mexican border. These things never seem to happen in a convenient location. A few telephone calls revealed that El Centro did not have a replacement tire in stock. We would have to use the spare and obtain a new tire somewhere down the road.

While we were waiting for roadside service to arrive we located a replacement tire at a tire shop in Chandler, Arizona. Chandler is just south of Phoenix. It would put 275 miles on our 7-year old spare tire but added only 70 miles to our overall journey.

The next morning, in Chandler, I successfully wiggled our 36-foot motorhome through a narrow alley and into a tire service area that was obviously not intended for a motorhome. This feat redeemed me, in Vicki's eyes, as a reasonably competent RV driver. She was beginning to have doubts after the wall versus tire incident. Two hours later we had two new tires on the front wheels, four matched 2-year old tires on the rear, a 2-year old spare tire in a side compartment, and a much lighter wallet. The incident had used the equivalent of a full day's travel time.

Vicki: The moral of this story is to be prepared. Be prepared by carrying a cellular telephone; it is invaluable in an emergency. Be prepared by having a spare tire; don't count on a replacement tire being available at a moment's notice. Be prepared by subscribing to an RV roadside assistance plan. One that will respond anywhere in the United States and Canada and, if unable to solve the problem on the side of the road , one that will tow your RV (no matter the distance) to a facility that can effect the repair. Be prepared by having the telephone numbers of the manufacturer of your vehicles, their chassis, engines, transmissions, and tires. Most manufacturers can direct you to the facilities that can service their products.

Joe: And, don't forget your credit card.

To read more about RVs, RVers and RVing go to Joe and Vicki's website.

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Laundry on the Road

2010-12-30T10:01:00.000-08:00

Dear Joe and Vicki: We're getting ready to retire and the idea of RV travel is very appealing. This may sound silly, but how often and where do RVers do their laundry while on the road?

Vicki: That's a valid question. You're not the first to ask. Would you believe, we've talked to people who minimize their laundry by taking their old, ready to throw away clothes with them on a trip. After they wear them, the clothes get tossed in the trash!

Here's what the rest of us do:

Take enough clothes for about seven to ten days. If you're going to be gone less than a week, you won't have to worry about doing laundry at all. For longer trips, you can plan on doing laundry about once a week.

A large, mesh laundry bag works well in an RV. Unless you're lucky enough to have a built-in clothes hamper, the dirty clothes bag can be stored in the shower or tub. When the bag gets full, you know it's time to do the laundry!

Just so you know, some of the larger RVs offer a built-in washer and dryer as optional equipment.

Laundromats are everywhere, even in the smallest towns. Some laundromats even have showers. Many commercial laundromats will do your laundry for you. There is a charge, but it just might be worth it to you. Drop off the clothes, go sightseeing, pick up the clean, folded clothes and you're on your way.

Most commercial RV parks have coin operated washers and dryers. Campground laundry rooms are not only convenient, they're great places to exchange travel information with other RVers.

If you're planning to use the laundry room in an RV park, check out the facilities before registering. You can go on to another campground if the facilities, equipment and cleanliness are inadequate.

Here are some tips for making laundry day easy while traveling:

Become a fanatic about saving quarters. You'll need all you can get. Black, plastic, 35mm film canisters (if you can find them) make excellent containers for quarters. Each canister will hold $7.00 worth.

Always have your own supply of laundry products. Don't depend on the vending machines selling soap, etc. in laundry rooms. Sure as anything, just when you're trying to do laundry late in the evening or if you're in a hurry, the vending machine won't work.

Buy small or medium size containers of laundry supplies. Those large economy-size boxes and jugs are difficult to store and awkward to carry.

Use a detergent that works in cold water. Hot water may not be available.

Always check the inside of washers and dryers before using them. You never know what someone might have left in there.

It's always a good idea to clean the dryer's lint filter before using it. That will make a big difference in the time required for drying.

If you will be ironing clothes while traveling, you'll be happy to know that many of the
RV parks have started putting ironing boards in laundry rooms and they may even loan you an iron. You'll probably want to carry your own iron just in case.

Joe: Personally, I'm in favor of the throwaway clothes idea!

Joe and Vicki are the authors of a number of how-to RV books and e-books

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Joe Peterson

2010-12-24T16:05:00.000-08:00

My friend, Joe Peterson, died a couple days ago. Joe and his wife Kay founded the Escapees Club many years ago. Joe was an electrician at that time. He and Kay were living full time in a trailer as they followed the construction jobs around the country. They started the Escapees Club simply as a way for full-timers to exchange information and help each other survive this wonderful lifestyle. The club has grown to tens of thousands of members. And every one of them will tell you they were Joe’s friend. And they were. Everyone loved Joe and he loved them. He was that kind of a man.

Vicki and I first met Joe and Kay about 15 years ago when we first started presenting RV lifestyle seminars at RV shows, rallies and educational events. They would do seminars on full-timing; we would do seminars on choosing an RV, places to go, and things to see and do.

Joe and Kay, knowing that we were just starting out, were very generous with their advice. Kay would usually wait until we asked. Joe would simply jump in and tell us what we should do. A great deal of our success in the seminar and writing business is due to their guidance and advice.

We loved to watch their seminars. They took turns speaking. Kay was a serious public speaker. It showed in her carefully prepared presentations. Joe just liked to talk to people. Kay would tell stories with a moral; usually one that encouraged folks to make their dreams come true (and many did). Joe liked to tell funny stories and jokes… simply to get a laugh (and he always did). Kay delivered her message seemingly without referring to notes. Joe always had a small stack of 3-by-5 cards that he would pull from his shirt pocket and read from. Later, I came to the conclusion the cards were not because he couldn’t remember his lines but to keep him on message instead of getting distracted and telling funny stories and jokes (no doubt Kay’s idea). It wasn’t always successful. Sometimes Joe just couldn’t help himself.

The four of us always made a point of getting together for at least one dinner while we were at a speaking event. We would go into a restaurant and before we had settled into our chairs Joe would start telling his jokes and funny stories. It wasn’t just his jokes, some were pretty corny, but his delivery that kept me laughing. The more I laughed the more jokes he would tell. Kay and Vicki would just sit there and roll their eyes while tears rolled from mine. No telling how many times Kay had heard those same stories. But we could tell she secretly enjoyed the pleasure he derived from telling them.

The last time we had dinner together was in a restaurant in Livingston, Texas. Joe was a devout Texan (as only Texans can be). Joe had just turned eighty and his memory wasn’t as good as it had been. I wondered if he would remember all his jokes. Wouldn’t you know? He pulled a stack of 3-by-5 cards out of his shirt pocket and said “If I told you this one before, don’t stop me…”

Joe's poorly funtioning heart failed him during surgery for a leaking aneurism. His daughter, Cathie Carr, wrote: "Just so you know, his blue eyes sparked bright with his kiss goodbye, and as he was wheeled off to surgery he was telling the surgeons a joke."

I can just see Joe arriving at the Pearly Gates. When St Peter asks him where he is from; Joe will pull a stack of 3-by5 cards from his shirt pocket and say “My daddy told me to never ask a man where he is from. If he is from Texas, he’ll tell you. If he isn’t… well, you don’t want to embarrass him.”

We’ll miss you, Joe.

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A Learning Rig

2010-12-17T10:24:00.000-08:00

Joe: "Is full-timing as good as it sounds?" We get a lot of inquiries from gonna-be RVers about full-timing. These folks are dreaming about retiring, selling their home, buying an RV, and hitting the road. But as the time for action gets close they begin having second thoughts. They are not sure they want to give up their conventional dwellings and leave their friends and family.

There are thousands of full-time RVers. Most of them will tell you it is the best decision they ever made for themselves. Of course, we do not hear from the folks who are not happy with their decision.

Vicki and I thought we would have evolved into being full-timers by now. That was our original game plan. But we have an emotional connection to our house. Most of our kids and grandkids live in our home town. Our big house becomes the family gathering place during the holidays. Vicki has closets full of clothes and I have a garage full of junk.

We came to the conclusion that, while we thoroughly enjoy traveling in an RV, we prefer living in a house. So we decided to do both. We are extended RV travelers. We go out on the road for two to three months at a time, return to our house for a couple of months and then go out on the road again. We spend seven to eight months of the year traveling around the country in our motorhome but it always feels good to get back home. Life is good.

Vicki: If you are among those considering full-timing but you have no previous RVing experience, you might consider buying an inexpensive, used, "learning" RV. Buy it now, before you sell your house. This will give you and your spouse the opportunity to learn more about RVs, RVing and the various RVing lifestyles.

You could start with weekend camping trips. Then gradually extend the duration of time you spend on the road until you feel you are ready to make the plunge into full-timing.

The learning rig will give you the opportunity to learn how to RV. How to equip, pack drive, back, level, use hookups, camp self-contained, live, and travel in an RV. You will also discover what type and size RV best complements your interests; what features, accessories and capacities you need. It will give you the opportunity to experience extended time on the road and decide if full-timing is really what you want to do.

While you are traveling and camping in your learning RV, you can find out how others use their rigs. Make a point of exploring the different types of overnight facilities available. Camp self-contained in primitive government campgrounds; with full hookups in a commercial RV park; and with the amenities of luxury RV resorts. Talk with full-timers, snowbirds, extended travelers and other RVers. Ask them what they like best about their RVing lifestyle. Ask what they like best about their RVs and what they would do different the next time. Listen to their observations and heed their advice.

Along the way, be sure to tap into the wealth of information available from reading RVing books, visiting RV dealerships, and attending RV shows and rallies.

When you are ready to buy the "right" RV, the difference between the purchase price of your learning rig and its trade-in allowance will be the cost of your "education". But it will be money well spent.

Your learning experience will help you make an informed decision. You will be able to choose the RVing lifestyle that makes you happy, and to select an RV that will take you where you want to go and let you do the things you want to do.

Joe and Vicki Kieva are the authors of a number of how-to books and e-books about RVs, RVers and RVing.

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Stocking Stuffers

2010-12-10T10:31:00.000-08:00

Dear Joe and Vicki: Do you have any suggestions for RV- related holiday "stocking stuffers"? My husband and I use the holidays as an opportunity to buy the things we ordinarily would not spend the money on.

Joe: You didn't say what price range you had in mind but here are some practical, useful items under the $50.00 mark that we think most RVers would appreciate. Just about all of them can be found in RV accessory stores like Camping World.

Digital Tire-Pressure Gauge - The air pressure in your tires should be checked before taking your RV out of storage and every few days while traveling. Since the tires should be cold when checking their pressure, I check our tires in the morning before getting on the road. I prefer a digital air-pressure gauge. It seems more accurate. There is one with a backlit display that makes it easy to see the pressure reading.

Voltage Meter – In the best of worlds an RV park or campground's electric hookup would provide 115 volts. We feel good when we see a consistent 110 volts. Most experts advise that an appliance's electric motor (like in an air conditioner or washing machine) should not be operated on less than 103 to 105 volts of power. Below that point the motor is straining to do the job and can either cause a breaker to open or, worse yet, damage the motor. A voltage meter plugged into the RV's electrical outlet allows you to keep tabs on the voltage available to your rig.

Bubble Levels – We have two bubble levels mounted inside the driving compartment of our motorhome; one on the dash, and the other on the wall next to the driver's seat. They are calibrated (with little lines) so I can determine how level the RV is front-to-rear and side-to-side. Watching the levels as I enter a campsite helps me locate the most level spot. The levels also tell me when my levelers have finished the job of leveling the RV. When we had a trailer I had the same type of levels attached on the outside of the trailer's front wall and to the side of the trailer tongue. The one on the wall helped me level side-to-side; the one on the tongue, front-to-rear.

Compass – "Turn north at the first intersection" That's what the directions to the campground say. Trouble is… you don't know which way is north. A compass can help solve the problem. If nothing else, it gives you something to blame (other than your co-pilot) for getting you lost.

Hitch Lock - It just makes sense to replace the heavy pin that secures your hitch to the hitch receiver with one of these key-operated locks. Doing so will discourage anyone from borrowing, and then forgetting to return, your hitch (or worse yet, your trailer).

Ball-type Bungee Cords – These are handy and easy to use for securing coiled hoses and electrical cords.

Vicki: My wish-list leans towards things like a clothes washer/dryer. But here are some neat stocking stuffers:

Refrigerator/Freezer Thermometer – Outside temperatures can affect the efficiency of an RV's refrigerator and freezer operation. Sometimes, depending upon outside temperatures, it is necessary to adjust the refrigerator's temperature selector up or down. Two refrigerator thermometers, one located inside the refrigerator compartment and the other inside the freezer, can help you keep your food within the correct temperature range. They even make one that sounds an alarm when the temperature exceeds your settings.

Icicles Ice Tray - Instead of making ice cubes, this tray makes ice sticks that will fit into water or pop bottles. Pretty ingenious.

Indoor/Outdoor Thermometer - This device lets us know at a glance the temperatures both inside and outside of our RV. We have one that also lets us see what the highest and lowest temperatures of the day have been (inside and outside).

Weather Alert Radio – When the weather looks ominous a weather alert radio will provide up-to-the-minute weather reports. National Weather Radio (NWR) is a nationwide network of radio stations that broadcast weather reports 24 hours a day. The messages are repeated every five minutes and updated every two hours. The NWR usually requires a special radio to pick up its broadcasts. These radios, available at electronic stores such as Radio Shack, are typically battery operated or AC powered with a battery backup. Most NWR radios are also equipped with an alarm that sounds when a severe weather alert is issued. We especially appreciate ours when we are in tornado country.

Hand-held Radio Set – We have a hand-held CB radio that I use to communicate with Joe when we are backing our RV. We have seen other RVers using small hand-held "Walkie-Talkies" to do the same thing. Mostly, though, I see couples using their radios to find each other in the Wal-Mart Super Centers.

Wheeltopper - One of those things that converts a motorhome's steering wheel into a table top. Folks add an attractive tablecloth, a lamp and some family pictures to create an attractive piece of furniture.

Mesh Laundry Hamper – I like the one that has three sections. It gives me the option of separating the dirty clothes. It is also just the right size to fit in our shower. That's where we keep our laundry. The hamper is easily moved (I just ask Joe) to a place next to our bed when we want to take a shower. (Okay, you can't stuff it into a stocking. But you can stuff a stocking into it.)

Happy Holidays!

Joe and Vicki Kieva are the authors of a number of how-to books and e-books about RVs, RVers and RVing.

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Bugs, Dirt and RVs

2010-12-02T09:10:00.000-08:00

Dear Joe and Vicki: Nobody told me about the millions of suicidal bugs that would attack the front of my RV. Do you have any tips for dealing with this nuisance? And how do RVers wash their motorhomes and trailers when they are on the road for long periods of time? The campgrounds I have stayed in have rules against washing RVs in the campsites.

Joe: At the end of each driving day I use a boat brush on a telescoping handle and half a bucket of plain cold water to wipe (notice, I didn't say wash) the bug remains off the windshield and front wall of our motorhome. The carcasses seem to come off easier when they are removed on the day of impact.

Most campgrounds, citing environmental regulations, drainage concerns, or water shortages, prohibit washing RVs in their campgrounds. There are some, however, that do allow their patrons to wash their rigs, either in individual campsites or a "wash rack" area. A few even provide a vacuum cleaner. We make a note of these RV parks and return to them whenever we are in the area.

Sometimes, the operators of the campgrounds that prohibit washing of RVs may be able to direct you to a local do-it-yourself car wash that can accommodate an RV. Wouldn't it be nice if they included that information with the printed rule prohibiting washing of rigs in their campground. Occasionally, you'll see these car washes advertised in the campground's site map.

Vicki: Before taking our RV to one of these car washes we use our car to check it out. We want to be sure our rig can maneuver into and out of the wash bay. The RV usually gets washed the next morning after we check out of the campground and before we resume our travels. It's not unusual for us to end up paying for two car washes in order to completely wash our motorhome.

Speaking of the campground site maps … we have seen ads in them by professional RV wash crews who will come to your campsite. Typically, they use a high-pressure water hose that does a long-lasting job. Interestingly, some of the campgrounds that prohibit their patrons from washing RVs in their campsites will allow a professional wash crew to do the job. Go figure. The wash crews have charged us between $1.00 and $1.50 a foot and, so far, have always done an excellent job.

Commercial truck washes can be found along the interstates, frequently in the neighborhood of a truck stop (or travel plaza as they are now called). Most, if not all, will wash RVs. We make a habit of asking before getting into line. Typically, they use high pressure hoses along with mops, brushes and detergents. We've paid anywhere from $1.00 to $1.75 per foot to have a commercial truck wash do our motorhome.

Joe is a tightwad. He prefers to wash our motorhome himself (he lets me help). But, every now and then he treats himself and lets the professionals do the job.

Joe and Vicki Kieva are the authors of a number of how-to books and e-books about RVs, RVers and RVing.

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Problem with condensation on RV windows

2010-11-25T15:07:00.000-08:00

Dear Joe and Vicki: We are having a lot of problems with condensation on the windows of our RV. The problem is especially bad in the mornings. How do we stop this from happening?

Vicki: Condensation occurs when the warm, moist, interior air of the RV comes into contact with a cool surface. Not only can it happen on the windows and mirrors, but the interior walls of the RV as well.

Moisture in the air comes from a variety of sources. Cooking, bathing, washing dishes, and the moisture in our breath are just a few.

The trick to minimizing condensation is to eliminate or reduce the moisture from the air.

Keep your roof vents cracked open. This will allow moist air to escape.

Turn on a nearby exhaust fan when bathing, washing dishes or cooking. This will remove the moist air before it mixes with the air in the rest of the RV.

Open a window to exchange humid interior air with dry outside air. Even when it's raining, the air inside your RV can be more humid than it is outside.

Joe: We keep a window open at least a half-inch at each end of our RV. We also leave the center roof vent slightly open. Sometimes we operate the roof-vent exhaust fan at low speed.

When cooking creates a lot of steam or when we have guests generating a lot of hot air, the windows and roof vent are opened wider and the speed of the fan increased.

Try different combinations of opening windows, opening roof vents and operating exhaust fans to reduce the moisture inside your RV. If that does not work, try a dehumidifier. You'll find a variety of sizes at both RV accessory and marine supply stores.

Joe and Vicki Kieva are the authors of a number of how-to books and e-books about RVs, RVers and RVing.

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Interstate Intelligence

2010-11-19T12:58:00.000-08:00

Dear Joe and Vicki: A fellow RVer tried to explain the interstate numbering system to me but I'm still confused. Just what is the system and why is it important to me?

Joe: Knowing how to interpret the interstate numbering system, its mile markers, and exit numbers can be a valuable tool for the RV traveler. The numbers on the interstate signs provide information about your location, direction of travel and distance to your destination. Interstate numbers, mile markers and exit numbers are frequently used on road signs, billboards and radio station advisories. And knowing the numbering system will help you furnish directions when you call for roadside or emergency assistance.

Interstate highways are described as traveling either east-and-west, or north-and-south. There may be areas where an interstate does not run exactly due east/west or north/south but the main direction that most of the road travels is the one used to describe it.

The east/west interstate routes are even-numbered with one or two digits. The numbering system of the east/west interstates begins with the lowest (I-4 in Florida) and progresses to the highest interstate number (I-96 in Michigan).

The north/south interstate routes are odd-numbered with one or two digits. The numbering system of the north/south interstates begins with the lowest (I-5) on the west coast and progresses to the highest interstate number (I-95) on the east coast.

There are also shorter, three-digit interstates. Three-digit interstates usually connect other interstates or provide a loop around a city.

Now you know - if you are on an even-numbered interstate you are traveling either east or west; if you are on an odd-numbered interstate you are traveling either north or south. And if you are on a three-digit interstate, you might be driving in a circle.

Vicki: Interstate highways have mile markers; those little green signs located on the right side of the highway. The signs have a number and possibly the word “mile” written on them.

Mile markers on east/west interstates begin counting from the state’s western state line. Mile markers on north/south interstates begin counting from the state’s southern state line. When an interstate highway originates within a state (I-20 in Texas for example) the numbering begins at the southern or western location where it begins (in this case, at I-20's junction with I-10). So mile marker numbers get higher as you travel north or east. When you cross the state line into another state, the mileage numbers start over again.

The three-digit interstates that form a complete loop (circle) around a city have mile markers that are numbered in a clockwise direction. The numbers begin just west of the spot where an interstate meets the southernmost point of the loop. I-465, for example, is a 53-mile loop around Indianapolis. Mile marker 1 is just west of where I-65 intersects the southernmost point of I-465’s loop. Mile marker 53 is just east of this same intersection.

Most states number their interchanges and exits so they match the nearest mile-marker number. Exit 12, for example, will be very close to mile-marker 12. If you are looking for Exit 12 and you have just passed mile-marker 10 you know your exit is only two miles away.

There are still a few states, however, that number their interchanges and exits consecutively without linking them to the mile markers. In other words Exit 12 may be the 12th exit from the border; but not necessarily at the 12-mile mark. Look at a map to determine which system is being used to mark the interchanges and exits. Better yet, pay attention to the mile markers and exit numbers to see if they match.

Using the interstate numbering system simply amounts to knowing:

Even-numbered interstates go east and west. Odd-numbered interstates go north and south.

When you enter a state from the south or west, the mile markers (and usually the exits) will begin with 1 and get higher as you travel.

When you enter a state from the north or east, the mile-marker numbers (and usually the exit numbers) will be high and get smaller as you travel.

Next time you are driving on an interstate highway pay attention to the highway number, mile markers and exit numbers. Then ask yourself: what highway are you on, what direction are you headed, and what is the nearest mile marker? Those are the questions you will be asked when you report an emergency.

Joe and Vicki Kieva are the authors of a number of how-to books and e-books about RVs, RVers and RVing.

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RVing Tips

2010-11-11T09:14:00.000-08:00

We have two credit cards; each from a different bank. Joe carries the credit card of one bank in his wallet. I carry the credit card of the other bank in mine. Neither of us carries both credit cards. That way, if one of us loses a wallet, and we have to cancel the credit card in that wallet, we can use the remaining, still-valid credit card in the other person's wallet.

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On hot sunny days, try to select a campsite that points the front of your RV towards the east or south. Your RV's entry-door wall can be protected from the hot afternoon sun by the patio awning. The opposite side-wall will be the naturally shady side of your rig during most of the day.
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An RVer who uses campground laundry rooms can't have too many quarters. Save your quarters in 35mm film canisters (if you can find them). Each canister holds approximately $7.00 worth of quarters and makes a convenient spill-proof container.

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A propane fired furnace can devour a lot of propane on a cold day. Once it has taken the chill out of the interior of your RV, switch over to a portable electric heater. It will maintain your rig at a comfortable temperature for a considerable amount of time.

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Joe and Vicki Kieva are the authors of a number of how-to books and e-books about RVs, RVers and RVing.

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Be Prepared

2010-11-04T14:27:00.000-07:00

Joe: Thunp! Whoooshh! It was the unmistakable sound of air making a rapid escape from a tire. My heart sank. Vicki shot me a look that said "I can't believe you did that".

It really wasn't my fault. We were on our way out of a campground. I was maneuvering through a tight right turn. Suddenly, without warning, a small, cleverly concealed decorative wall attacked and tore open my right, rear outside tire.

Vicki: The good news was that we were prepared. Our preparation was developed from experience. Experience is the best teacher. It gives the test first and the lesson afterwards. Two years ago we had a blow-out. As usual, Murphy's Law prevailed… blown inside dual tire, 35 miles from the nearest town, Saturday of Easter weekend, and no spare tire. At that time, we had no spare tire because our motorhome did not come equipped with one. The RV dealer had patiently explained that the reasons for no spare were: 1) "Those tires never blow out." 2) "The lug nuts are so tight you would need a 10-foot long wrench to loosen them." 3) "The tire and wheel together weigh 200 pounds and the manufacturer doesn't want the liability of you getting hurt while handling one." and 4) "The roadside service truck will bring a new tire and mount it." Silly me, I thought it was because the manufacturer could save the expense of a spare tire.

Anyway, because that blowout occurred on Easter weekend and our tire size (10 R 22.5) was not readily available, it took the roadside service folks about 3 hours to locate a used tire that would, hopefully, get us home. And, they had to make a 30-mile round trip to get it (we could have gotten a new tire if we had been willing to wait until Tuesday).

The used tire got us home where we replaced all of the tires. But we did keep one of the old tires as a spare. That was part of our preparation … carry a spare tire.

Joe: Our experience-based plan for dealing with our present tire mishap is to 1.) Locate a replacement tire. 2.) Call roadside service and ask them to pick up the replacement tire. 3.) Have roadside service mount the new tire on the motorhome. The spare would be used only if we could not locate a replacement tire.

Did I mention that this blowout occurred in a campground in El Centro, California? El Centro is located in the middle of the desert, 100 miles east of San Diego, 100 miles south of Palm Springs, 60 miles west of Yuma, Arizona and 7 miles north of the Mexican border. These things never seem to happen in a convenient location. A few telephone calls revealed that El Centro did not have a replacement tire in stock. We would have to use the spare and obtain a new tire somewhere down the road.

While we were waiting for roadside service to arrive we located a replacement tire at a tire shop near Palm Springs. Going to Palm Springs would have added 200 miles to our trip. We called our friends, Joe and Joanne, in Yuma, Arizona. Yuma was closer and on our way. They made some phone calls. None of the tire dealers in Yuma had our tire in stock but they found a tire dealer in Chandler, Arizona who did. Chandler is just south of Phoenix. It would put 275 miles on our 7-year old spare tire but added only 70 miles to our journey.

The next morning, in Chandler, I successfully wiggled our 36-foot motorhome through a narrow alley and into a tire service area that was obviously not intended for motorhomes. This feat redeemed me, in Vicki's eyes, as a reasonably competent RV driver. She was beginning to have doubts after the wall versus tire incident. Two hours later we had two new tires on the front wheels, four matched 2-year old tires on the rear, a 2-year old spare tire in a side compartment, and a much lighter wallet. The incident had used the equivalent of a full day's travel time.

Vicki: The moral of this story is to be prepared. Be prepared by carrying a cellular telephone; it is invaluable in an emergency. Be prepared by having a spare tire; don't count on a replacement tire being available at a moment's notice. Be prepared by subscribing to an RV roadside assistance plan. One that will respond anywhere in the United States and Canada and, if unable to solve the problem on the side of the road , one that will tow your RV (no matter the distance) to a facility that can effect the repair. Be prepared by having the telephone numbers of the manufacturer of your vehicles, their chassis, engines, transmissions, and tires. Most manufacturers can direct you to the facilities that can service their products.

Joe: And, don't forget your credit card.

Joe and Vicki Kieva are the authors of a number of how-to books and e-books about RVs, RVers and RVing.

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Best Dogs For RVing

2010-10-28T20:24:00.000-07:00

Dear Joe and Vicki: We travel in our RV for two to three months at a time. Our last dog just happened to love RVing as much as we do. It's time to get another and I was wondering what size or type dog might be best for RVing.

Joe: There must be an unwritten rule that states the size of the dog should be inversely proportionate to the size of the RV. Next time you are in a campground, see if the St. Bernard doesn't belong to the owner of the van camper. And notice the size of the dog sitting in the pocket of the person that just got out of the 40-foot fifth-wheeler. Go figure!

It only make sense for RVers to consider the size of the dog that will share their traveling home. A pet, its bed, food and water bowls, leash, scooper, toys, grooming equipment, food and other paraphernalia is going to take up a certain amount of precious space.

An RVing dog is going to spend the majority of its time inside. It is going to have to sleep, eat and just "hang out" somewhere. So, yes, size of the dog is an important consideration. But don't let size be the only factor. There are some high-energy breeds of small dogs whose activity level takes up considerably more space than their larger more laid-back cousins. An animal's energy level is also going to dictate the amount of daily exercise it will require. And you know who is going to be on the other end of that leash.

Vicki: While you are walking that dog, how is it going to react when approached by strange dogs, people and children? Some breeds simply do not do well here. Pay attention to the temperament and especially the reputation of the breed of dog you choose. Rotweilers and Pit Bulls, deservedly or not, are specifically prohibited from some otherwise pet-friendly RV parks.

Some breeds have a reputation for being sweet and lovable as long as you are present. When you leave without them, they become the dogs from Hades. They bark incessantly, tear up the furniture and forget all the pleasant hours you spent house breaking them.

Joe: Speaking of hot places, how will the dog tolerate temperature extremes? Many short haired varieties really suffer in cold weather. What reaction will they have to going into strange places? We once had a dog that refused to go potty anywhere but her own back yard. One time she held back for a week before we finally broke down and returned home. I thought her eyes would never uncross. Do they train easily? Golden Retrievers can't please you fast enough. Dachshunds believe that it is you who needs training. (We've had both.)

And then there are dogs with a constant puddle under their jaws, oily hair, bad breath, body odor, and who shed enough hair to stuff a pillow.

Vicki: The point is, some breeds of dogs will do better in an RVing environment than others. Research the different breeds at the library or on the internet ( http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/ is a good start). Be sure you choose a dog that will enjoy RVing as much as you do.

Joe and Vicki Kieva are the authors of a number of how-to books and e-books about RVs, RVers and RVing.

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Emergency Notification Card

2010-10-21T15:13:00.000-07:00

Joe: Do you have an “Emergency Notification Card” in your wallet? It probably provides the name, home address and home phone number of your spouse. But, what if both of you are injured together? Is there an alternative person to notify? What if you are on an RV trip and one of you is injured while away from the RV while the other is waiting in the campground? How will the non-injured person get notified?

Create your own “Emergency Notification Card”. One that provides:

Spouse’s name,
Spouse’s home, work and cell-phone numbers.
Names and phone numbers of one or two adult children or relatives.
Name and phone number of your primary physician.
A brief description of any serious medical conditions you may have.
A list of the medications you are taking.
A list of any medications to which you are allergic.
Location of your Living Will (Advanced Health Care Directive).

This Emergency Notification Card should provide emergency-response and medical personnel with the information they need to give you emergency aid without doing further harm. They will also be able to notify your loved ones of your situation.

You can make your own Emergency Notification Card. Cut 3/4 of an inch off the end of a 3”x 5” index card. Fold it in half. You now have a 3”x 2 1/8” folded card that will easily fit into the card-holder section of your wallet. Write “Emergency Notification” in red ink on the portion of the card that is visible when the wallet is opened. You can type or print a lot of information on the four “pages” of this card

Vicki: Some RVers like to carry an additional card or paper with the name and location of the campground where they are staying, the description and license number of their RV, and information about pets that may be inside the RV. Carrying this additional information makes sense if you are staying in the same campground for a period of time. Keeping it updated on a daily basis while traveling, however, could get real tedious.

In this case, it might be easier to just have a card with your name, description and license number of your RV, and information about any pets that may be inside. You could clip it to the campground’s brochure and place it on the center console of your transportation vehicle when you temporarily leave the campground. Keep the card in your glove box when you don’t need it.

You should also carry your medical insurance card in your wallet. Be sure to ask your insurer if you are covered and what procedures you should follow if you need medical care while traveling.

A Living Will tells medical personnel and others your wishes regarding the use of life-prolonging procedures. Be sure to inform the individuals listed on your Emergency Notification Card of the existence and location of your Living Will. You could also note its location on your Emergency Notification Card. We keep ours in a fire- resistant safe in our RV.

The stress of a crisis may prevent you from remembering the license plate number(s) of your vehicles and the phone numbers of close friends, family members and even your work phone number. You might want to list them on a separate card for your own reference.

It is a good idea to inventory the contents of your wallet occasionally. Be sure your emergency notification information is up to date. Make a photocopy of important cards and papers. Know what is in your wallet ... just in case.

From the book “Personal Security Tips For RVers”

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Camping at RV Shows

2010-10-13T14:26:00.000-07:00

Dear Joe and Vicki: My husband and I recently attended an RV show being held at a county fairground. We noticed a number of RVs that appeared to be camped in one section of the parking lot. Who were these people? We have a dinner riding on your answer.

Vicki: You may both be the winner of the dinner bet. The RVs you saw may have belonged to members of an RV club. RV show promoters frequently encourage RV clubs to attend their show and camp in the parking lot. Show promoters recognize that present RV owners are more likely to buy an RV than a non-RVer. The clubs make the most of what may be a free or low-cost camping opportunity to conduct a fun-filled rally. During the next show, walk over, introduce yourselves, find out who they are and what they are doing. You may be invited to join them.

Joe: The RVs may also have belonged to some of the show’s exhibitors and vendors. A good number of the folks who set up a display or sales booth at an RV show are RVers. They are among the thousands of RVers who have found a way to make money on the road.

Typically, the vendors arrive the day before the show opens. Their display materials and/or sales merchandise will be unloaded from a travel trailer’s tow vehicle, an equipment trailer being pulled by a motorhome or, in some cases, the storage bays of a motorhome. The balance of the day is spent setting up their booth or display. The vendors live in their RVs right there at the RV show.

The vendors hope to make enough money during the show to cover their travel and living expenses, pay for the rent on their booth space, recoup their investment in merchandise and, with a little luck, make a profit.

They know their fortunes depend upon the professional skills of the show promoter, the mood of the crowd, the whim of the weather and their own ability to attract and convince customers to buy.

While a few vendors are casual sellers of merchandise, most are serious business people. They know which shows and promoters are likely to bring them the greatest return on their investment. Many work a circuit of shows and rallies that keep their down-time to a minimum. And don’t be surprised to see a vendor pass your credit card through a card reader connected to a cellular phone. This is the twentieth century and they are very much a part of it.

At the end of the last day of the show the vendors break down their displays and store them in their vehicles. Some may even head down the road that evening. They have another show ahead of them.

Talk to a show vendor during a quiet moment. He may give you some insight into his lifestyle. You might even find yourself the owner of a gadget you never knew you needed.

(From the book "Extended RV Travel" - Making Money On The Road)

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We're On The Road Again!

2010-09-29T12:09:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Gold Beach, Oregon.

We are on the road again, finally! Our last RV trip took place in March of this year and for one unavoidable reason or another we have not been out since. Six months is the longest period of time our RV has sat in storage since we started RVing in 1963.

In addition to the time opportunity, we had two incentives to head north from the Kieva homestead. The first incentive was the birth of our first great-grandchild, Bentley Edward Kieva in Sacramento, California. We arrived 12 hours after our grand-daughter Amanda, gave birth and spent a couple days watching baby Benny being passed around from one admirer to the next (including us).

Next stop was AM Solar in Springfield, Oregon ( http://www.amsolar.com/ 541-726-1091) where our good friend and all-around RV electrical wizard, Greg Holder, checked out our RV's non-performing inverter. He announced that it had an incurable boo-boo and installed a new, improved one (inverter, that is). Inverters are a (gulp!) big ticket item.

A few years ago we decided to keep our 1998 motor home. The idea was to invest a few thousand dollars in repairing, replacing and upgrading our present RV instead of spending more than a hundred thousand dollars on a new one. We knew that when the time came, we would be replacing, rather than repairing, the aging appliances. So far, we have only replaced a television, a microwave/convection oven, and the inverter. We also paid to have the oxidized exterior paint polished back to its original shine. Those were all what we consider high dollar items but, all totaled, they come to a lot less than what the payments on a new rig would have been.

Right now we are cruising south along the beautiful Oregon coast. The California Redwoods are next, followed by a visit with our good friend, Bill Moeller. Then a tour of the wineries of Napa, another visit with baby Benny and home. It is good to be on the road again.

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Say Hello

2010-09-24T07:34:00.000-07:00

If you enjoy meeting people but don't want to feel as though you are intruding on them, a campground is the ideal place to be. Most RVers and campers, you see, are pretty gregarious. They seem to enjoy meeting new people and making friends.

To meet RVers, we suggest that you take two walks around the campground every day. The first walk should take place after most of the travelers have arrived but well before nightfall. You will be able to look at the various types of rigs that have come in and inspect the ingenious camping gadgets and gear that RVers invariably come up with.

This walk also provides an opportunity to meet new people. Just be sure to observe the body language of the campers who are outside. Some will be sitting way to the rear of their campsite with their backs to the road. Obviously, these folks are not particularly interested in socializing at the moment. Other campers will be sitting under their awning. They’ll be facing the road, hats on the back of their heads. They will have a drink in their hand and their dog will be wagging his tail. These folks are ready! A real giveaway is the guy who is sitting so close to the road he has to pull back his feet every time an RV passes by.

A sure fire conversation starter is “Hello.” Works every time. Follow that with an admiring word about their rig, dog or hat and you have just made a new friend. The most popular questions in a campground are “Where are you from?” “Where are you going?” and “Where have you been?” Ask any one of those questions and you'll be thought of as an interesting person. You are interesting because you appear interested.

The second walk of each day should be taken after dark. RVers have a tendency to leave the blinds of their RVs open for an hour or so after dinner. This gives you the opportunity to see how they have decorated the interior of their rig and to see if they have the good sense to drink your brand of .. ahh.... lemonade. Both of these subjects make excellent conversation starters when you see those folks outside the next day.

Many campgrounds and RV parks create opportunities for their guests to socialize. They conduct campfires with story telling, singing and various forms of entertainment. We’ve also seen quilting bees, exercise classes and craft fairs offered at RV parks and campgrounds.

The campground laundry room is a popular place to meet RVers. If you are waiting for your clothes to wash or dry, you might as well start talking to the others who are also waiting for their clothes to wash or dry. We have gotten some of our best camping and traveling information from people we’ve met in campground laundry rooms. This is an excellent way to find out what’s down the road. There is a fifty-fifty chance that the people you are talking with have just come from the direction you are heading. They can clue you in about road and traffic conditions, campgrounds, tourist attractions and good places to eat.

Speaking of places to eat. Have you noticed how many RV parks and campgrounds are now offering their guests the opportunity to buy their morning or evening meal without the bother of leaving the campground. The eating facility may be as simple as a grouping of picnic tables next to an outdoor grill or as elaborate as a full-blown restaurant right on the grounds. What better place to socialize with fellow campers than over a meal?

Start with “hello.” You will discover that RVers are the friendliest bunch of people you will ever have the pleasure of meeting.

Enjoy The Journey!

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Options, Add-ons and Accessories

2010-09-15T14:57:00.000-07:00

Dear Joe and Vicki: It's time to buy another RV. We know what type and size we want but are having trouble deciding what options, add-ons and accessories to get. Would you mind telling us which you would want on your next RV?

Joe: We don't even know what type and size RV we would choose, never mind what options we'd want. But here are the ones that would most likely make our list:

Hydraulic levelers for a motorhome or electric jack for a trailer. Leveling and stabilizing an RV is faster and easier with these back savers.

Awnings all around. Whenever possible, we park so our street-side wall faces north or east and misses the hot afternoon sun. Our curb-side wall gets shaded by our awning. Our next RV will also have awnings for all the windows. Glass radiates a lot of heat to the inside of an RV.

Windshield covers. A "see-through" sunscreen is used during the summer. It blocks most of the sun but still admits light and we can see what's going on outside. Mounting it inside keeps the sunscreen clean but allows the windshield to receive the full brunt of the sun's heat.

Roof-mounted air-conditioner(s). We prefer to avoid hot climates and temperatures whenever we can. Our air-conditioners provide relief when we can't.

Generator. The most frequent users of the generator are the roof air-conditioners. When driving during real hot weather we turn on the generator and run our motorhome's roof air-conditioners rather than using our dash air-conditioner. We can also run our refrigerator on electricity at the same time.

High-volume roof-vent fan. Our Fantastic Fan is usually all we need to keep the interior of our RV comfortable.

Roof-vent covers allow us to operate the roof-vent fan during wet weather. We can also drive down the highway with our roof vent open and know it will still be there at the end of the day.

Gas/electric water heater. Operating the water heater on electricity (when we have an electric hookup) conserves propane and silently maintains water temperature.

Microwave/convection oven. Quick meal preparation and cool operation. The convection oven will do just about anything a gas oven will do, except heat up the interior of the RV. A gas oven is nice, though, when you don't have electric hookups and don't want to disturb the peace and quiet with your generator.

Vicki: Maybe we'll check out a refrigerator-truck conversion when we look for our next RV.

Enjoy The Journey!

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Deterring Critters

2010-09-09T20:39:00.000-07:00

Dear Joe and Vicki: We seem to be having a lot of trouble with ants getting into our trailer. Any thoughts on how to discourage critters and pests from entering RVs?

Joe: Try to locate and seal off the openings that could allow those unwelcome visitors to enter your rig.

One way to do this is to wait until its dark outside. Open and illuminate all the interior closets and cabinets next to the floor. Now check under the outside of the RV to see if any light is coming through.

Conversely, you can also light up the outside of the RV and see if you can find any light making its way into the darkened interior of the coach.

Follow plumbing and wiring to where it passes through floors and walls. Do this both inside and outside. Once you have located all the potential entryways, seal them by injecting some Styrofoam into the openings (you can get spray cans of Styrofoam at your hardware store). Not too much, though. The Styrofoam expands after it leaves the can and a little goes a long way.

The advantage to using Styrofoam is that it won’t damage anything and it can be easily removed if the plumbing or wiring has to be worked on.

Closing these openings will not only help keep out critters, it will seal out dust and moisture as well.

Vicki: Occasionally you’ll camp in an area where ants know how to get into RVs. When it looks like ants might be a problem, we spread a small amount of borax powder or kitchen cleanser containing bleach around the RV’s tires, the leveling jacks and any other items on the RV that contact the ground. Ants don’t seem to want to cross this stuff.

We also smear about a light band of petroleum jelly around our electrical cord, water hose and sewer hose to discourage ants from using them as a bridge to our RV. Joe tries to tell people that the slippery hose causes the ants plunge to their death. Actually, they just don’t like walking in the stuff.

Spiders are attracted to the smell of propane but repelled by the smell of a flea collar. So, before we store our RV, we cut a flea collar in two and place the halves in the outside access compartments of our refrigerator and water-heater.

We’ve also been told that fabric softener sheets repel mice. I won’t tell you Joe’s theory on that one.

Don’t overlook the pest products you can find in hardware, garden and grocery stores.

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Smaller RVs

2010-08-25T15:48:00.000-07:00

Dear Joe and Vicki: We are in our late-twenties and have one child. Both of us are involved in our careers and enjoy tent camping. Our jobs are such that we are frequently able to take three and four day weekends in addition to an annual three week vacation. We're shopping for a self-propelled RV. Everyone seems to think we should get a large motorhome. What do you think?

Joe: I think you should take a close look at your personal interests, needs and budget. Where do you want to go? What do you want to do? Who will be going? How often will you use the RV? How much do you want to spend? The answers to these questions should help you zero in on the type and size RV that will satisfy your interests, needs and budget.

Vicki: Yours is an instance where smaller may be smarter. Look seriously at the smaller (up to 24 feet) motorhomes, van conversions and slide-in truck campers. Since you're accustomed to tent-camping you'll appreciate the advantages (sleeping above ground level, screen windows, solid roof and walls) of the smaller RVs and not miss the luxuries (hydraulic levelers, washer/dryer, ice-maker) of the larger motorhomes.

You'll find that smaller RVs have a number of advantages. Most are not much bigger than a full-size car so they are easy to drive and maneuver. They'll take you every place the larger RVs can go and a number of places where the bigger rigs won't fit.

Most smaller RVs are well within the size and weight restrictions that may be posted on roads, bridges and tunnels. You'll also find it easier to find parking space in shopping centers and tourist attractions.

Your smaller rig will fit in all of a campground's sites instead of just the larger ones. And, if you're not towing anything, you won't care if the campsite is a back-in or pull-thru.

Joe: Smaller RVs can be time efficient. You can leave a campground in the morning and visit tourist attractions in a crowded city. Then, because you don't have to return to the previous night's campground to retrieve your RV, you can continue down the road to your next destination.

When you take off for a day trip you won't have to transfer coolers, cameras and clothes from an RV to a car or truck (and hope you haven't forgotten anything).

Less rig means less stuff to load and unload. It also means less vehicle to clean. Because it's less trouble, you'll be more inclined to take that RV on day trips to the beach and quick overnight outings.

And, mid-day at a tourist attraction, you can retreat to your home-on-wheels for lunch, a change of clothes or a brief nap.

Depending upon the vehicle's gross combined weight rating, you may be able to tow a small trailer. You'll have the option of towing a boat, motorcycle or, if your family grows, a tent trailer.

Vicki: A van conversion or truck-camper also provides the financial advantage of being utilized as a second transportation vehicle. It can be used for commuting, taking the dog to the vet, hauling garden supplies and family transportation. By the way, there's nothing like a child to make you appreciate having a bathroom in your transportation vehicle.

Purchase price, vehicle registration fees, insurance, repairs and maintenance will probably be less than that of larger vehicles. At this stage of your life, saving for your child's college education or a down-payment on a house may have a higher priority than having a luxury coach.

Joe: Or, you may prefer a rig with hydraulic levelers, washer/dryer and an ice-maker. In which case ....

Read more about choosing an RV in "RV Buyer's Homework"

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Trucker Talk

2010-08-18T14:41:00.001-07:00

Dear Joe and Vicki: What in the world are the truckers talking about? We are new to RVing and this is the first time we have had a CB radio. For the life of me, I can't seem to decipher half of what the truckers are saying to one another. Will I miss anything if I don't turn on the CB?

Joe: I happen to like listening to the CB radio while we are traveling. I particularly enjoy listening to the truckers. I consider that prime time entertainment.

Channel 19 seems to be the most popular CB channel for truckers across the nation. They use channel 17 along the west coast and, occasionally, we pick them up on 21. Truckers in the west are not very talkative. You don't seem to hear from them unless they have something to say. East of the Mississippi, however, truckers get real chatty. They talk to one another about anything that comes to mind. Sometimes without even filtering it through their mind. That's the entertaining part.

Listening to truckers is also educational. You gain some insight into their lives and what it is like to move those big rigs around the country. You learn that truckers work long, hard hours. They deal with a lot of pressure, boredom and frustration. You also come to realize that, while most have a professional approach to their driving, there are a few immature hotdoggers out there that have no business pushing 80,000 pounds of steel and cargo down the highway at 65 miles per hour (or more).

I learned a long time ago that truckers use the CB to advise one another of road and traffic conditions. Their advisories, more often than not, apply to RVers as well. If there is a traffic situation that has blocked one or two driving lanes, truckers will radio which lanes are open. This information allows us to change lanes before traffic begins to back up. When there is an unexpected road closure, truckers will broadcast directions to alternate routes. We have avoided time consuming traffic jams on more than one occasion by paying attention to the truckers.

So, yes, we listen to the CB radio as we drive. It keeps us tuned into the road. And, every now and then, we enjoy a conversation with a trucker who also happens to be an RVer.

Vicki: Truckers have developed their own colorful terminology. It took a while for us to learn what most of them meant.

Many State Police officers and Highway Patrolmen wear a hat similar to the one we see on Smokey the Bear. That's why the terms "Smokey" and "Bear" are used when talking about police officers who patrol the highways.

Truckers seem almost paranoid about the State Police and Highway Patrol and are constantly updating one another about their location. I love the way they differentiate between the various types of "bears". A "full-grown"Bear is a State Police officer or Highway Patrolman. Since one of their primary duties is to police the highways, truckers are particularly interested in the whereabouts of bears. A "County Mountie" is a local Deputy Sheriff. They may or may not be interested in truckers and seem to command a little less respect than the "full-growns." A "Local Yocal" is a city police officer. A local yocal is rarely interested in enforcing traffic laws on interstate highways but truckers keep a wary eye on them anyway. A "plain-wrapper" is an unmarked patrol car. "Polar bear" refers to a white patrol car. A "bear in the air" is a police helicopter or airplane. A "She Bear" or "Mama Bear" is … you guessed it … a woman police officer. And, my favorite, a "Kojac with a Kodak" refers to a police officer using a radar gun.

When a police officer has a vehicle pulled over to the side of the road he has "captured" that driver. A lot of "capturing" activity will bring out the expression "there's bears everywhere" or "they got us surrounded"

Truckers apply their own descriptions to the vehicles sharing the road with them. A "four-wheeler" is a car (seemingly a constant source of annoyance to truckers); "stagecoach" is a bus; "bread truck" is a motorhome, and "draggin wagon" a tow-truck.

And, they have names for their own as well. A "covered wagon" is a flatbed or open trailer with a tarp cover. A "parking lot" is a car transporter. And we have heard truckers refer to their sleeper as a "condo".

They call weigh stations "chicken coops" (a closed coop is cause for celebration). So now you know where the "Chicken Inspector" works.

You've seen those strips of tire tread lying on the road. Truckers call them "alligators". If your wheel rolls over an alligator, it has a tendency to jump up and attack your vehicle. The highway department trucks that remove these road hazards are known as "alligator catchers"

When a trucker warns of a "brake check", he's talking about an unexpected slowdown in traffic (brakelights everywhere). Get ready to slow down or stop.

The "hammer lane" is the far left fast lane. That's where you can put your "hammer" or accelerator down (providing that Smokey.isn't around)

If someone (or something ) is "in the bushes" they're off the side of the road and pretty much out of sight until you get close to them. Bears like to hide in the bushes.

"Yard line" or "yard stick" refers to the mile markers at the side of the road. If something is located at the "20 yard line" it is near the 20 mile marker.

There are a few more terms that I won't mention here. This is a family website, after all. But if you turn on your CB radio and listen to the trucker talk you can hear and figure them out yourself.

So, the next time you hear a trucker call out, "northbound, you've got an alligator in the hammer lane", you'll be able to take evasive action. And if they tell you there's a "Kojac with a Kodak in the bushes at the 32 yard line", it’s your own fault if you get captured.

Enjoy The Journey,
Joe and Vicki Kieva

Read more about RVs, RVers and RVing
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Trucker Talk

2010-08-18T14:41:00.000-07:00

Dear Joe and Vicki: What in the world are the truckers talking about? We are new to RVing and this is the first time we have had a CB radio. For the life of me, I can't seem to decipher half of what the truckers are saying to one another. Will I miss anything if I don't turn on the CB?

Joe: I happen to like listening to the CB radio while we are traveling. I particularly enjoy listening to the truckers. I consider that prime time entertainment.

Channel 19 seems to be the most popular CB channel for truckers across the nation. They use channel 17 along the west coast and, occasionally, we pick them up on 21. Truckers in the west are not very talkative. You don't seem to hear from them unless they have something to say. East of the Mississippi, however, truckers get real chatty. They talk to one another about anything that comes to mind. Sometimes without even filtering it through their mind. That's the entertaining part.

Listening to truckers is also educational. You gain some insight into their lives and what it is like to move those big rigs around the country. You learn that truckers work long, hard hours. They deal with a lot of pressure, boredom and frustration. You also come to realize that, while most have a professional approach to their driving, there are a few immature hotdoggers out there that have no business pushing 80,000 pounds of steel and cargo down the highway at 65 miles per hour (or more).

I learned a long time ago that truckers use the CB to advise one another of road and traffic conditions. Their advisories, more often than not, apply to RVers as well. If there is a traffic situation that has blocked one or two driving lanes, truckers will radio which lanes are open. This information allows us to change lanes before traffic begins to back up. When there is an unexpected road closure, truckers will broadcast directions to alternate routes. We have avoided time consuming traffic jams on more than one occasion by paying attention to the truckers.

So, yes, we listen to the CB radio as we drive. It keeps us tuned into the road. And, every now and then, we enjoy a conversation with a trucker who also happens to be an RVer.

Vicki: Truckers have developed their own colorful terminology. It took a while for us to learn what most of them meant.

Many State Police officers and Highway Patrolmen wear a hat similar to the one we see on Smokey the Bear. That's why the terms "Smokey" and "Bear" are used when talking about police officers who patrol the highways.

Truckers seem almost paranoid about the State Police and Highway Patrol and are constantly updating one another about their location. I love the way they differentiate between the various types of "bears". A "full-grown"Bear is a State Police officer or Highway Patrolman. Since one of their primary duties is to police the highways, truckers are particularly interested in the whereabouts of bears. A "County Mountie" is a local Deputy Sheriff. They may or may not be interested in truckers and seem to command a little less respect than the "full-growns." A "Local Yocal" is a city police officer. A local yocal is rarely interested in enforcing traffic laws on interstate highways but truckers keep a wary eye on them anyway. A "plain-wrapper" is an unmarked patrol car. "Polar bear" refers to a white patrol car. A "bear in the air" is a police helicopter or airplane. A "She Bear" or "Mama Bear" is … you guessed it … a woman police officer. And, my favorite, a "Kojac with a Kodak" refers to a police officer using a radar gun.

When a police officer has a vehicle pulled over to the side of the road he has "captured" that driver. A lot of "capturing" activity will bring out the expression "there's bears everywhere" or "they got us surrounded"

Truckers apply their own descriptions to the vehicles sharing the road with them. A "four-wheeler" is a car (seemingly a constant source of annoyance to truckers); "stagecoach" is a bus; "bread truck" is a motorhome, and "draggin wagon" a tow-truck.

And, they have names for their own as well. A "covered wagon" is a flatbed or open trailer with a tarp cover. A "parking lot" is a car transporter. And we have heard truckers refer to their sleeper as a "condo".

They call weigh stations "chicken coops" (a closed coop is cause for celebration). So now you know where the "Chicken Inspector" works.

You've seen those strips of tire tread lying on the road. Truckers call them "alligators". If your wheel rolls over an alligator, it has a tendency to jump up and attack your vehicle. The highway department trucks that remove these road hazards are known as "alligator catchers"

When a trucker warns of a "brake check", he's talking about an unexpected slowdown in traffic (brakelights everywhere). Get ready to slow down or stop.

The "hammer lane" is the far left fast lane. That's where you can put your "hammer" or accelerator down (providing that Smokey.isn't around)

If someone (or something ) is "in the bushes" they're off the side of the road and pretty much out of sight until you get close to them. Bears like to hide in the bushes.

"Yard line" or "yard stick" refers to the mile markers at the side of the road. If something is located at the "20 yard line" it is near the 20 mile marker.

There are a few more terms that I won't mention here. This is a family website, after all. But if you turn on your CB radio and listen to the trucker talk you can hear and figure them out yourself.

So, the next time you hear a trucker call out, "northbound, you've got an alligator in the hammer lane", you'll be able to take evasive action. And if they tell you there's a "Kojac with a Kodak in the bushes at the 32 yard line", it’s your own fault if you get captured.

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Laundry and Lunch Stops

2010-08-06T11:49:00.000-07:00

Laundry

Dear Joe and Vicki: We're getting ready to retire and the idea of RV travel is very appealing. This may sound silly, but how often and where do RVers do their laundry while on the road?

Vicki: That's a valid question. You're not the first to ask. Would you believe, we've talked to people who minimize their laundry by taking their old, ready to throw away clothes with them on a trip. After they wear them, the clothes get tossed in the trash!

Here's what the rest of us do:

Take enough clothes for about a week or so and plan on doing laundry about once a week. If you're going to be gone less than a week, you won't have to worry about doing laundry at all.

Unless you're lucky enough to have a clothes hamper, a large, mesh laundry bag works well in an RV. The laundry bag can be stored in the shower or tub. When the bag gets full, you know it's time to do the laundry!

Just so you know, some of the larger RVs offer a built-in washer and dryer as optional equipment; a convenience worth considering if you plan on being on the road for extended periods of time.

You will find Laundromats everywhere, even in the smallest towns. Some even have showers. Many commercial Laundromats will do your laundry for you. There is a charge, but it just might be worth it to you. Drop off the clothes, go sightseeing, pick up the clean, folded clothes and you're on your way.

Most commercial RV parks have coin operated washers and dryers. Campground laundry rooms are not only convenient, they're great places to exchange travel information with other RVers who are doing their laundry.

If you're planning to use the laundry room in an RV park, you might want to check out the facilities before registering. You can go on to another campground if the facilities, equipment and cleanliness are inadequate.

Here are some tips for making laundry day easy while traveling:

Become a fanatic about saving quarters. Experienced RVers have found they can’t have enough quarters. 35mm film canisters make excellent containers for quarters (if you can still find them). Each canister will hold $7.00 worth.

Always have your own supply of laundry products. Don't depend on the vending machines that sell soap, etc. in laundry rooms. Sure as anything, just when you're trying to do laundry late in the evening or if you're in a hurry, the vending machine won't work.

Buy small or medium size containers of laundry supplies. Those large economy-size boxes and jugs are difficult to store and awkward to carry.

Use a detergent that works in cold water. Hot water may not be available.

Always, always check the inside of washers and dryers before using them. You never know what someone might have left in there.

It's always a good idea to clean the dryer's lint filter before using it. That will make a big difference in the time required for drying.

If you will be ironing clothes while traveling, you'll be happy to know that many of the
RV parks have started putting ironing boards in laundry rooms and they may even loan you an iron. You'll probably want to carry your own iron just in case.

Joe: Personally, I'm in favor of the throwaway clothes idea!

Enjoy the Journey!

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Lunch Stops

Dear Joe and Vicki: When we only had brief vacations we got into the practice of being destination minded and traveling long distances every day. Now that we are retired we can't seem to break the habit. Our travel days are exhausting. How do other RVers get off the road?

Joe: Our motto is "Enjoy The Journey" One of the things we do to make our daily travels entertaining is to find an interesting place to have lunch.

The only prerequisites are that it have a reasonably level place to park our rig, and offers free or nominal admission. We typically plan on spending a couple of hours.

Here are samples of the places we have taken our lunch breaks.

Community parks or playgrounds make great places to stop for lunch if you are traveling with children. It gives the kids something to look forward to during the morning, they can work off their pent up energy and they learn how to meet other kids. Sometimes the combination of lunch and exercise will result in a nap (theirs, not yours).

Factory outlet malls seem to be located along every interstate highway throughout the country. They give Vicki something to look forward to, release our pent-up cash and definitely result in me taking a nap.

Vicki: The smokejumper base off I-90 in Missoula, Montana, offers tours conducted by Forest Service firefighting smokejumpers. After listening to their first-hand accounts of parachuting into forest fires I found myself walking away muttering, "and they love it!"

Bonneville Lock and Dam on I-84 east of Portland, Oregon has underwater windows that let you watch the salmon negotiating the fish ladders as they migrate upstream.

Natural Bridge north of Roanoke, Virginia on I-81 offers a pleasant stroll along Cedar Creek to a natural arch. The spot where George Washington, father of our nation, carved his initials in the limestone wall can still be seen. I guess this also makes him the father of our graffitti "artists."

Wall Drug Store in on I-90 in Wall, South Dakota has become a famous stop for tourists. You'll see their entertaining roadside signs for miles in every direction. In addition to gobs of parking space (including a sign requesting aircraft to park at the airport), Wall Drug offers food, western gear and lots of gifts and souvenirs. It's still a drug store, too.

Presidential Libraries make good lunch stops. There usually seems to be plenty of parking. But some are so interesting we found ourselves spending the better part of an afternoon viewing the exhibits.

Check out small town museums, old U.S. Army cavalry forts and Spanish missions. They're usually pretty quiet and provide insight into the history of our country.

Our favorite lunch stops are the places that offer factory tours. We have tasted wines in California, toured lumber mills in the northwest, watched them make steel and assemble automobiles in the midwest, toured textile mills in New England, visited cigarette factories in the south and sampled beer in St. Louis.

Try stopping for lunch at places that look like they may be interesting. Stop at a few that don't look interesting (you may be surprised). In any case, get off the road, look around and ...

Enjoy The Journey!

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Toilet Tissue Issue

2010-07-19T12:36:00.000-07:00

Dear Joe and Vicki: What kind of toilet paper should we use in our RV?

Joe: When we were RVing novices we never gave a thought to the toilet tissue issue. Then we heard someone say they disposed of their used toilet paper in a plastic trash bag rather than flush it down their RV's commode. Seems they were concerned the toilet paper would clog their holding tank. I haven't gone dumpster diving in a campground ever since.

When campfire conversation gets around to toilet paper (as it occasionally does), someone is bound to mention the "toilet paper test". You re not considered a "real" RVer until you have conducted , or at least witnessed, a toilet paper test. The test is conducted by placing a couple of squares of toilet paper in a container of water to see how long it takes for them to dissolve. Generally, two or more brands or types of toilet tissue are placed in separate containers and submitted to the same treatment at the same time. One of the brands in the comparison test is usually one that is advertised as "RV safe" and has been purchased at an RV accessory store. A lot of "RV safe" toilet paper gets sold just for comparison test purposes.

There are no scientific controls or guidelines for conducting the toilet tissue test. You just put the squares in a container of water and see how long it takes them to dissolve, if ever.

Some folks will try to simulate actual RVing conditions. They put the toilet tissue in secure containers and shake them for a minute or so. These folks apparently drive over a lot of rough roads (I-10 across Louisiana, for example). Others will just let the containers sit for a given amount of time. Their RVs, I suppose, have a tendency not to go anywhere. Our RV lifestyle keeps us on the go. We placed our test containers on the shower floor of our RV and drove from one campground to another. That was as close as I wanted to come to simulating actual holding tank conditions.

The results of our toilet tissue tests (yes, we've done more than one) indicated that the relatively inexpensive toilet tissue we normally use dissolves just as quickly as the one advertised as "RV safe". So, you can imagine our joy when, some time ago, Scott Toilet Tissue (our single-ply tissue of choice) not only advertised itself as acceptable for RV use but put money-saving coupons in the RV magazines. Now, we take a lot of RV magazines and Vicki is an avid coupon clipper; it didn't take long before our supply of toilet tissue far exceeded the demand.

We have never had a problem with toilet paper (or anything else) clogging the outlet of our RV's holding tank. After flushing the toilet our habit is to fill the bowl with water and flush again. The valve of our black-water holding tank remains closed until the tank is at least half full. After dumping the black-water holding tank and closing the valve, we add a few gallons of water to the tank. My guess is that all that liquid combined with the agitation of our frequent travels has a tendency to liquify the contents of our holding tank and prevent clogs from occurring. Or maybe we have just been lucky.

In any case, we will continue to flush our toilet tissue down the commode and if the "right" toilet paper is not available, we'll use whatever is handy. But that's us.

How you handle the toilet tissue issue in your RV is a judgment call. And if you choose to dispose of your used toilet paper in the campground dumpster – well, I don't want to go there.

Vicki: Please notice that I did not contribute one word to this answer.

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Best Dogs For RVing

2010-07-19T12:13:00.000-07:00

Joe: There must be an unwritten rule that states the size of the dog should be inversely proportionate to the size of the RV. Next time you are in a campground, see if the St. Bernard doesn't belong to the owner of the van camper. And notice the size of the dog sitting in the pocket of the person that just got out of the 40-foot fifth-wheeler. Go figure!

It only make sense for RVers to consider the size of the dog that will share their traveling home. A pet, its bed, food and water bowls, leash, scooper, toys, grooming equipment, food and other paraphernalia is going to take up precious space.

An RVing dog is going to spend the majority of its time inside. It is going to have to sleep, eat and just "hang out" somewhere. So, yes, size of the dog is an important consideration.

But don't let size be the only factor. There are some high-energy breeds of small dogs whose activity level takes up considerably more space than their larger more laid-back cousins.

An animal's energy level is also going to dictate the amount of daily exercise it will require. And you know who is going to be on the other end of that leash.

Vicki: While you are walking that dog, how is it going to react when approached by strange dogs, people and children? Some breeds simply do not do well here.

Pay attention to the temperament and especially the reputation of the breed of dog you choose. Rotweilers and Pit Bulls, deservedly or not, are specifically prohibited from some otherwise pet-friendly RV parks.

Some breeds have a reputation for being sweet and lovable as long as you are present. When you leave without them, however, they become the dogs from Hades. They bark incessantly, tear up the furniture and forget all the pleasant hours you spent house breaking them.

Joe: Speaking of hot places, how will the dog tolerate temperature extremes? Many short haired varieties really suffer in cold weather.

What reaction will they have to going into strange places? We once had a dog that refused to go potty anywhere but her own back yard. One time she held back for a week before we finally broke down and returned home. I thought her eyes would never uncross.

Do they train easily? Golden Retrievers can't please you fast enough. Dachshunds believe that it is you who needs training. (We've had both.)

And then there are dogs with a constant puddle under their jaws, oily hair, bad breath, body odor, and who shed enough hair to stuff a pillow.

Vicki: The point is, some breeds of dogs will do better than others in an RVing environment. If you are about to add a dog to your family, research the different breeds at the library or on the internet (www.dogbreedinfo.com is a good start). You want to choose a dog that will enjoy RVing as much as you do.

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Beat The Heat

2010-07-18T14:38:00.000-07:00

It’s summer. It’s hot outside. Here are some thoughts that will help you maintain a comfortable temperature inside your RV.

The interior of an RV can become an oven when it is parked in full sunlight on a hot day. So shading as much of the RV for as long as possible should be a prime objective when selecting a place to camp. Try to find a campground with lots of trees and grass. It will be cooler than an RV park that resembles an asphalt parking lot. With any luck, you will find a tree-shaded campsite. Try to avoid parking on or next to a hot surface. A grassy or dirt campsite will radiate less ground heat than a paved site. A concrete patio outside your entry door is nice but it will reflect the heat of the sun against the wall of your RV.

If possible, try to locate a campsite that points the front of your RV in a direction between north-east and south-east (directly east would be perfect). Your large street-side wall will then be on the naturally shady side of your RV during the hotter times of the day; your patio awning will shade the curb-side wall; and one end of the RV will be shaded at least part of the day. By the way, you can increase the shade of your patio awning by adding mesh patio shades that hang from your patio awning.

Keep the sun from shining on or through your windows and skylights. Install window awnings on all your windows and use them. Close the blinds or, better yet, place solar window covers or reflective foil on the interior of the windows on the sunny side of the RV. Do the same for windshields exposed to the sun. Poster board, cut so its dimensions are just a little larger than the skylight, can be stuffed into the skylight opening to block the sun.

Give your air-conditioner a head start. Turn it on early in the day and let it pre-cool the interior of the RV. Understand that RV air-conditioners are designed to reduce the air temperature by 20 degrees. That means your air conditioner is working okay if the air on the outlet side is 20 degrees cooler than the air on the inlet side. Your air conditioner is probably doing about as good as can be expected when the outside air temperature is 100 degrees and the interior temperature of your RV is 80 degrees.

Keep the cool air inside and the hot air outside. Close all the windows and doors. Minimize the number of times the entry door is opened.

Use a fan to circulate the cool air. Direct the fan so it blows from under the air-conditioner towards the area you want cooled the most. Fantastic Vent’s Endless Breeze 12-volt fan does a dynamite job for us.

Decrease the air-space the air-conditioner has to cool. Shut the bedroom door and close its air-conditioning vents. If you do close the bedroom door, be sure to open a bedroom window on the shady side of the RV so the bedroom doesn’t get much warmer than the outside temperature. On really hot days, we have seen RVers retract their slide-outs to minimize the air space their air-conditioners had to cool.

Avoid cooking with the stove top and oven. Use the microwave (but not the convection) oven. Use the outside grill. Use electric cooking appliances outside. Better yet, and our favorite, eat dinner in an air-conditioned restaurant.

Keep in mind that RV absorption-type refrigerators have to work harder as the temperatures increase. Try to shade the exterior of the refrigerator. Encourage airflow over the coils on the back of the refrigerator by propping open the outside access door or installing a refrigerator vent fan.

When all else fails… hitch up and move to a cooler climate.

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July 15, 2010 Issue

2010-07-15T15:50:00.000-07:00

In this Issue: What’s New With Us

We’re still here. Unfortunately, we don’t have much RV related stuff to report. Our last RV trip was in March. In May we took a Mediterranean cruise. Since then we have been dealing with the medical issues of Vicki and her dad. Vicki’s right hip has restricted her ability to walk for any length of time or distance for some time now. Visits to doctors, labs and so on have kept us pretty much home-bound. She is scheduled for hip replacement surgery at the end of this month. Hopefully the results will set us free to travel again in the fall.

We have made use of our time at home to revise and update our RV books and convert them to e-books. “Why not keep publishing them as paperbacks?” you ask. The reason is economics. Our books were originally designed to complement and be sold in conjunction with our RV classes and seminars. Now that we are no longer presenting classes and seminars, we are not selling a sufficient quantity of books to cover the expense of publishing them in paperback form. When our current inventory of paperbacks are gone we will be strictly in the e-book writing and publishing business.

Check out the $pecial Deal on the RV Book Page. 3 paperbacks for only $34.95!

A bit of history… Vicki and I got into this business in 1989 when we taught a “How to Choose an RV” class at a local community college. The response and feedback eventually led to six different classes at eleven community colleges and then to seminars and classes being presented at up to twenty RV shows, rallies and educational events a year. Folks kept asking if we had written a book about RVing. So we wrote a book, “RVing Made Easy”. Next came “Extended RV Travel” then “RVing Tips, Tricks and Techniques” and, last but not least, “My RV Kitchen and Favorite Recipes”.

The go-go years between 1990 and 2005 were very good for the RV industry. A lot of folks bought a lot of RVs. Our niche was the new RVer. We presented a lot of seminars. A lot of new RVers attended our classes and seminars and we sold a lot of books. As the economy slowed, however, fewer new people were buying RVs. Our seminar and class attendance began to drop off and, as a result, we were selling fewer books. Last year we “retired” from the seminar business (See the October 7, 2009 post). Book sales since then have been through our RV Know How website.

So, where do we go from here? We are convinced the economy will eventually turn around; just as it has in the past. E-books are our way of hunkering down, minimizing expenses, and waiting for things to improve. E-books will enable us to continue sharing the benefits of our 45-plus years of RV lifestyle experience with our readers… for less than a paperback book would cost them. When things turn around maybe we will come out of “retirement” and start over with new classes and seminars. And, if the demand presents itself, our e-books can be easily published as paperbacks. In the meantime we intend to practice what we have been preaching… traveling and camping in an RV.

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2010-05-29T11:04:00.000-07:00

May 29, 2010 Post

In This Post:

What’s New With Us: Our Mediterranean Cruise

Vicki and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary on May 20th of this year. We thought it would be nice to go some place special. I worked up a great itinerary for visiting a number of western National Parks in our motorhome. Vicki picked up some cruise ship brochures. The ability to compromise is a major ingredient to our lasting marriage. So we booked a 10-day Mediterranean cruise.

The flight from Los Angeles to Philadelphia takes almost five hours. The flight from “Philly” to Rome is about nine hours. Based upon our experience of flying coach-class non-stop from Los Angeles to Frankfurt Germany years ago, we chose US Air’s more tolerable and considerably more expensive business-class seats. Everything about the flights went as expected.

We spent a couple of sight-seeing days in Rome before getting on the cruise ship. Vicki’s ability to walk is limited as to duration, intensity and frequency. That eliminated those bus tours of Rome that included quite a bit of walking. So we hired a guide/driver to show us Rome’s highlights in his car. He took us to all the must see tourist spots… the Coliseum, Vatican, Trevi Fountain and so on. Coincidently, our good friends, Sandy MacGregor and Marilyn Abraham also happened to be passing through Rome at the same time. They took us to a very nice Italian restaurant and treated us to a Happy Anniversary dinner. By the way, after seeing the terrible traffic congestion and suicide drivers in Rome( a red light is just a suggestion) , I will never again complain about driving in Los Angeles.

The cruise-ship Equinox, owned by Celebrity Cruise Lines, is not quite one year old. It is over 1,000 feet long, 121 feet wide and, as near as I could figure it, some 17 decks high (the top deck has a quarter acre putting green with real grass). It has accommodations for 2,850 passengers and carries a crew of 1,000. In addition to being huge it is drop-dead gorgeous. Our stateroom was located on the 9th deck and had a private outside veranda with deck chairs and a table. The weather was close to perfect during our entire cruise so Vicki and I enjoyed a number of room-service meals on our veranda. In addition to the formal dining room and casual buffet the ship had a number of specialty restaurants. The food was plentiful and delicious. The service by waiters, cabin attendants and every crew member, was outstanding.

The ship left port about 7:00 pm each evening and arrived at its next destination by 7:00 am the next day. This left the daylight hours to take tours, shop or just hang out and enjoy the ship’s amenities (Vicki treated herself to a massage and a variety of pampering services). We docked in Messina, Sicily, in Ephesus, Turkey, in Athens, Mykonos, Santorini and Rhodes, Greece, and in Naples Italy. Keeping in mind Vicki’s limitations we booked overview tours of each destination. The tour buses took us as close as possible to the points of interest with a minimum of walking. So we did not wait in line to visit the coliseum, nor did we climb the hill to the acropolis or walk on the rough terrain of the ruins of Ephesus. But we did get close enough to take pictures and we did get an overview of the cities and countryside.

Celebrity Cruise Lines are masters of organization. With over 2800 people getting on and off the ship, going into dining rooms, taking tours and all the other activities.. we never saw a line form anywhere. Crew members were always present to assist and guide passengers. Here is an example of how organized they are:

Our return flight from Rome to Philadelphia was scheduled to leave at 12:00 noon. We had to arrive at the airport by 10:00 am. We dreaded the idea of 2800 people leaving the ship at the same time, the chaos of trying to locate our luggage, and then trying to find empty seats on the proper bus to the airport.

The day before leaving the ship we were given special stickers for our luggage and told to place our luggage outside our stateroom door by 11:00 pm. Our stickers had the number 24 on them. We were also given written instructions that we were in group 24 and to be in one of the ship’s theaters by 7:30 am the next morning. At 7:30 am, group 24 was told to leave the theater, disembark, and go into a warehouse next to the ship. Inside the warehouse we went to the row of luggage under the number 24 marker. Notice I said row, not pile of luggage. After identifying our luggage, a porter loaded it onto the bus with the number 24 in the windshield. Then about 20 of us loaded onto bus 24 and were taken to our airline terminal where our luggage was unloaded from the bus onto personal luggage carts. Porters were available but not necessary to take the luggage into the airline terminal. Until we arrived at the ticket counter at 9:00 am we never waited in a line that morning. Going from the ship to the airport was a care-free experience.

Going home the flights went as expected and without incident; except, of course, going through security and customs in Philadelphia. The lines to both were long and excruciatingly slow.

We had a good time and I told Vicki that I would be happy to take another cruise in another 50 years.

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March 15, 2009 Post

2010-03-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

In This Post:

What’s New With Us: Kicking Back

Check Out: E-books now available as paperbacks

Of Interest: Gypsy Gathering Rally

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What’s New with Us:

Greetings from Yuma, AZ (again). We have just finished presenting a couple seminars at the Western Gypsy Gathering rally and our RV is now sitting on Joe and Joanne Annuzzio’s RV lot. The weather is warm and mild, our many friends surround us, the meals are great, and life is good. We will celebrate St. Patricks Day with our wannabe Irish friends and then move on to an RV park in Indio where we will meet even more friends.

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Check out the E-Books and RV Books pages on our website. Our four e-books are now also available as printed paperbacks. You have your choice of downloading them to your computer or ordering them in regular book form.

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Of Interest: Gypsy Gathering Rally

“No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy.” – General Colin Powell quoting German Field Marshall Helmuth von Moltke.

“The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” – from John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men.

“Anything that can go wrong will go wrong” – Murphy’s Law

“Stuff happens” -- weary RVer.

All these quotes would apply to the early bird arrival day of Nick and Terry Russell’s Gypsy Gathering Rally in Yuma, AZ, inspite of their detailed plan. First, nature dumped Yuma’s annual ration of 5 inches of rain on the fairgrounds. Then, some of the early arrivals failed to follow the directions of the soaking wet parking crew. It didn’t help that some RVs from a previous rally failed to leave when they should have. The resulting confusion led to a backup of RVs inside and outside of the fairgrounds. Some RVers thought that yelling at the parking crew would clear things up, others simply pitched in and became part of the solution. Then Nick and Terry’s motorhome decided to not cooperate when it was time for it to be moved. Finally, just to cap off the day, Nick tripped and fell into a drainage ditch full of cold, muddy water. Talk about a day full of stuff happening!

Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play? The remaining days gave Nick and Terry the opportunity to show what they could do when it comes to planning, organizing and managing a rally. The days began with coffee and donuts and were filled with a variety of educational seminars (Vicki and I presented our RVing Alaska and Personal Security seminars). The evenings offered great entertainment and the vendor area had over 50 vendors selling RV related products and services. This is where I discover all those intriguing gadgets I didn’t know I needed. Finally, Terry demonstrated her extraordinary planning and management talents by distributing hot pizza to over 300 people in less than 15 minutes. Wow!

Were there glitches? Sure. But Nick and Terry and their great crew of dedicated volunteers worked them out and everyone had a great time. Most importantly, this remarkable couple will have learned from the mishaps and will put their knowledge into producing even greater rallies in the future. The “big” rallies could learn a lot from Nick and Terry Russell.

“When stuff happens, you have the opportunity to show what kind of stuff you are made of.” Joe Kieva, RVer

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February 12, 2010 Post

2010-02-12T14:23:00.000-08:00

In This Post:

What's New: Personal Security

Of Interest: Alaska Questions

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Just a reminder: We will be presenting our seminars, "RVing Alaska" and "Personal Security Tips For RVers" at the Western Gypsy Gathering Rally, March 8 - 12, 2010 at the Yuma County Fairgrounds in Yuma, Arizona.

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What’s New: Personal Security Tips

“Personal Security Tips for RVers” is our newest book. It is a collection of what we consider the most informative of the columns and articles we have written about personal security and RVing.

While “Personal Security Tips For RVers” emphasizes preventive security techniques for your personal safety, it also includes a segment on how to respond to a criminal confrontation and another on deciding whether to carry a firearm in your RV. A third section of the book deals with ideas for securing your home while you are on the road.

The last few pages of the book contain suggestions for creating an Emergency Notification Card to carry in your wallet, a list of important legal documents you might want to take in your RV, and advice on how to obtain medical care while traveling.

The purpose of the book is to show you some common-sense measures you can take to safeguard yourself, your home and your RV while you are on the road.

"Personal Security Tips for RVers" can be ordered either as a paperback publication or a downloaded e-book.

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Of Interest: Alaska Questions

Alaska! We are getting a lot of questions about Alaska lately. And there is a definite increase in the number of orders for our Alaska DVDs and RVing Alaska e-book.

Here are our responses to some of the inquiries:

Do we need a car? This depends upon you. We have seen a number of people traveling to Alaska in large motorhomes without a car in tow. Most (but not all) of the attractions along the entire length of the highway are accessible to big motorhomes. Vicki and I made our first trip to Alaska in a 24-foot Class C motorhome and our second trip in a 32-foot Class A motorhome without towing a car. So it is do-able. But, our experience is that it is a lot more convenient to have the availability of a car when you want to do some local sightseeing or just run errands like going to the market or the post office. Of course, you will have two vehicles getting dirty (and they will) and you will have to pay for two vehicles on the ferries.

Towing with a dolly can be inconvenient on this trip. You will run into a fair amount of rain and thus muddy campgrounds and campsites. Strapping and unstrapping a muddy car on a muddy dolly on muddy ground will not be pleasant. Many of the commercial RV parks have pull-thru sites. So you won’t have to detach your car just to spend the night. But, most government campgrounds have back-in sites. You will have to detach your car before backing your motorhome into those sites.

Alaska Ferry. The fare is determined by how many feet of deck space your vehicle covers. A motorhome connected to a towed car takes up more space than if the two vehicles were separated (due to the length of the towbar) . So most motorhome owners usually separate the two vehicles and pay a lesser amount for two separate vehicles. But, according to the Alaska Marine Highway folks, you can tow your car (even on a dolly) on and off the ferry. You might want to verify this before you make reservations (1-800-642-0066).

Here is something to think about. Extreme high or low tides can increase or decrease the angle of the ramp between the ferry and the loading dock to the point where the back end of an RV with a long overhang could drag on the ferry deck, loading ramp or loading dock. We have not experienced this problem with our 37-foot motorhome (it is 12-feet from our rear axle to our rear bumper) but the ferry literature warns about this situation (from experience, no doubt) and states they will not be responsible for any damage.

During our 2007 Alaska journey we enjoyed full hookups most nights; had Wi-Fi service in the majority of commercial RV parks and cellular service in all the populated areas except for the Yukon Territory and some areas of northern British Columbia. The size and weight of our 37-foot diesel pusher motorhome towing a mid-size SUV was never a problem. We could have stayed in less expensive government campgrounds but we wanted to demonstrate on this trip that owners of large RVs could make the journey and and have the comfort and convenience of full-service RV parks just about every night. By the way, of the 30 campgrounds we stayed in during this 44-day trip, we had 20 pull-thru campsites. We identify and describe each of them in our RVing Alaska e-book

If you are even thinking about RVing to Alaska, be sure to read about our Alaska DVDs and RVing Alaska e-book.

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January 8, 2010 Post

2010-01-08T15:51:00.000-08:00

What’s New With Us: Tripping through Southern Arizona

Check Out: Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

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Tripping Through Southern Arizona

After bringing in the New Year with friends in Yuma we continued on to Tucson. There we met with videographers John Holod and Jodie Ginter. John and Jodie taped and produced our “RVing Alaska: What To Expect, How To Prepare” DVD and its companion, “Alaska, An Adventure of A Lifetime”. These DVDs are our most popular products. After taking delivery of more DVDs from John and Jodie we headed west... destination Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.

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Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

The visitor center and campground for Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is located about 75 miles south of Gila Bend, Arizona on Highway 85. Highway 85 is a nicely paved, two-lane road that crosses almost level desert terrain. The town of Ajo, Arizona is at milepost 42 on the highway. Here you will find fuel stations, restaurants, and an IGA store. There are also a few RV parks with full hookups that will accommodate large RVs. We spent a night at the Shadow Ridge RV Resort. It is a nice park with gravel pull-thru sites, cement patios and 50-amp-electric, water, sewer and cable hookups. Free Wi-Fi is also available. We would stay there again.

Entrance fee to the monument is $8.00 per vehicle for a seven day period. Our Golden Age Pass (now called the Senior Pass) gave us free admittance. The Interagency Pass and Access Pass also provide free admittance to the monument.

The campground at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument has paved roads and 200-plus paved, pull-thru campsites with paved patios. The campground will accommodate vehicles up to 40 feet in length. There are no hookups but restrooms (without showers), water and a dump station are available. Generators are permitted to operate for a couple hours in the morning and again in the afternoon. The nicely-spaced campsites are separated by stands of cactus and other desert vegetation. We thought it was a super campground. (click on photo for enlarged view)

Here is the best part… camping is only $12 per night; half price ($6.00) if you have the Senior or Access Pass.

Desert vegetation and scenery are the main attraction at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. There are two scenic drives, The most popular is the 21-mile Ajo Mountain Drive.It is a one-way gravel loop. In addition to heavy stands of Organ Pipe, Saguaro and Cholla cactus there is a view of an arch at the Arch Canyon view stop. For those who prefer to spend less time on gravel roads there is the other scenic drive, the 5-mile Puerto Blanco Drive. There are also a number of scenic hiking trails.

Late October to early April would be the optimum time to visit the monument. Temperatures are typically below 95 degrees during this time (lower in December, January and February; higher in October, late March and April ). It is not unusual for summer temps to exceed 100 degrees.

For more information go to www.nps.gov/orpi/index.htm

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January 3, 2010 Post

2010-01-03T13:28:00.000-08:00

In This Post:

What’s New With Us: Happy New Year -- Seminars

Article: Losing a Wallet

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Happy New Year!

Vicki and I celebrated New Year’s eve and day with RVing friends in Yuma, Arizona. On New Year’s Eve 18 of us shared a traditional dinner of steak and lobster at the house of Joe and Joanne Annuzzio, one of the RVing couples. We swapped exaggerated tales of adventures and medical woes and struggled to stay awake until 10:00 PM (Yuma time) so we could watch the ball drop in Times Square (at midnite, New York Time). At that point we wished each other Happy New Year, and then, exhausted from our late night of revelry, went home to our beds.

Just to show you how easy we were to entertain, take a look at the photo.

Part of the evening amusement was seeing how many brooms we could get to stand on their own. The photo shows the results. The only thing keeping those brooms standing is the skill and patience of the people who put them there. No strings, no tricks, no photoshop. Click on the photo for a closer look (notice the assortment of fine box wines in the background) Try it sometime when you are up to an excitement filled evening.

New Year’s Day we came together for a late breakfast and spent the remainder of the day grazing on pulled pork sandwiches and assorted goodies while talking about the diets we would start on “tomorrow”.

When it was time for the Rose Bowl game to start, the women gathered in the dining room to play a card game called Anaconda while the men congregated around the big screen television in the family room to watch the football game.

There was a great deal of cheering, booing, laughing, moaning, yelling, name calling and throwing of money. The rivalry and bedlam got so loud for so long that we finally had to ask the women to tone it down so we could hear the football game.

Everyone agreed that the only thing that could have made the weekend better would have been the presence of Jerry and Arlyne Ray. Jerry is recovering at home from lung surgery. Jerry and Arlyne are good friends and we really missed them.

Good food, good times, good friends. It was a great start to the new year.

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If you are thinking about buying an RV, becoming a fulltime RVer or RVing to Alaska, check out our e-books on those subjects.

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Seminars!

We will be presenting two seminars at the Western Gypsy Gathering Rally. The rally is being held at the Yuma County Fairgrounds March 8 - 12, 2010. The topics: "Alaska, The Ultimate RV Adventure" and "Personal Security Tips for RVers" are our most popular seminars. Check out the Gypsy Journal website for rally details.

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What’s In Your Wallet?

Dear Joe and Vicki: While traveling out of state, my wallet and credit cards ended up in the hands of a thief. Fortunately, I was not held responsible for the unauthorized credit card charges. Canceling and replacing the contents of my wallet, however, turned out to be a real headache. Tell your readers to make a list of the phone numbers they should call to replace their credit cards. We carry a copy of our list in our RV.

Joe: Take a look at the contents of your wallet. Cash, credit cards, driver’s license, identification, membership cards, discount cards, library card, telephone calling card, emergency notification, health insurance card, important phone numbers ... these are the tools you use to accomplish everyday tasks.

Do you know what to do if you lose that wallet and its important contents? Who would you notify, and how? How would you get along until these cards and documents were replaced?

It is a good idea to periodically inventory, weed out and update the contents of your wallet. There is no point in carrying all those expired cards, old receipts and out-of-date discount coupons.

Once the contents of your wallet are up to date, place all of them on a copying machine and make two copies of each side. The back of your credit cards provide an 800 number to call if the cards are lost or stolen. The phone numbers may not be legible on the photocopy, so make a notation of them on the copies with a pen. While you are at it, make a note on the photocopy of the phone numbers you should call to replace each of the other documents as well.

Put one of the copies in a secure place at home and the other in a safe place in your RV. Now, if you do lose your wallet, you can quickly cancel its contents and arrange replacements by referring to the photocopy. You will also have a duplicate of any important papers or lists you carry in your wallet.

Vicki: Has it occurred to you that when you cancel the credit cards in your wallet you are also canceling those same credit cards in your spouse’s wallet? Chances are your credit card company will quickly send new credit cards to your home address. That’s fine if you are at home. But, what if you are miles from home on an RVing vacation trip? Will you be able to continue, even temporarily, without your credit cards and telephone calling card?

You will if you and your spouse do not carry the same credit cards. Most couples have both a MasterCard and a Visa card. Have one spouse carry the MasterCard but not the Visa card, and the other spouse carry the Visa card but not the MasterCard. If you have to cancel the credit cards in one wallet, you can continue to use the still-valid cards in the other wallet. This same system could also apply to telephone calling cards. If this is not convenient, or you do not have a travel companion, perhaps you can stash a backup credit card (that neither spouse carries) in your RV.

Joe: Do you have an “Emergency Notification Card” in your wallet? It probably provides the name, home address and home phone number of your spouse. But, what if both of you are injured together? Is there an alternative person to notify? What if you are on an RV trip and one of you is injured while away from the RV while the other is waiting in the campground? How does the non-injured party get notified?

Create your own “Emergency Notification Card”. One that provides:
Spouse’s name,
Spouse’s home, work and cell-phone numbers.
Names and phone numbers of one or two adult children or relatives.
Name and phone number of your primary physician.
A brief description of any serious medical conditions you may have.
A list of the medications you are taking.
A list of any medications to which you are allergic.
Location of your Living Will.

This Emergency Notification Card will provide emergency-response and medical personnel with the information they need to give you emergency aid without doing further harm. They will also be able to notify your loved ones of your situation.

Vicki: The stress of a crisis may prevent you from remembering the license plate number(s) of your vehicles and the phone numbers of close friends, family members and even your work phone number. You might want to list them on a separate card for your own reference. You could also note your telephone calling card’s numbers (but not the PIN number) on this card rather than carrying the calling card in your wallet.

Some RVers like to carry an additional card or paper with the name and location of the campground where they are staying, the description and license number of their RV, and information about pets that may be inside the RV.

Carrying this additional information makes sense if you are staying in the same campground for a period of time. Keeping it updated on a daily basis while traveling, however, could get real tedious. In this case, it might be easier to just pick up a campground brochure or campsite map and place it on the center console of your transportation vehicle when you temporarily leave the campground. Hopefully, the police investigating any accident will put your out-of-state license plate together with the campground map and come to the conclusion that you are camping there.
You should carry your medical insurance card in your wallet. Be sure to ask your insurer if you are covered and what procedures you should follow if you need medical care while traveling.

A Living Will tells medical personnel and others your wishes regarding the use of life-prolonging procedures. Be sure to inform the individuals listed on your Emergency Notification Card of the existence and location of your Living Will. You could also note its location on your Emergency Notification Card.

Joe: Think about putting a spare set of your RV keys in your transportation vehicle. And it’s not a bad idea to carry a spare ignition key for your transportation vehicle in your RV.

A pre-paid phone card can be useful in an emergency if you do not have a telephone calling card.

You might need cash in an emergency. Your ATM or credit card should take care of most financial needs. It might be handy, however, to also stash a couple of quarters and one or two twenty-dollar bills in your wallet.

Inventory your wallet. Be sure your emergency notification information is up to date. Make a photocopy of important cards and papers. Know what is in your wallet ... just in case.

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December 23 2009 Post

2009-12-23T15:14:00.000-08:00

In This Post:

What's New With Us: Finding Replacement Parts
Itchy Wheels

Article: Meeting Other Campers

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Going to Alaska next year? Read the article "Alaska! The Ultimate RV Adventure" and check out our DVD "RVing Alaska: What to Expect, How to Prepare" and our E-book "RVing Alaska, Insights and Observations"

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Merry Christmas Everybody! Have A Happy and Healthy New Year!

What's New With Us

Finding replacement parts for older RVs can be a challenge; especially if the RV manufacturer has gone out of business. During our recent trip to New England, for example, it took the better part of a day for a truck repair facility to locate two ride-height control valves for our 1998 motorhome. The original valves were steel, the replacements are plastic but, so far, after 6,000 miles, they are doing the job.

Our motorhome’s cabinet-mounted microwave/convection oven died after ten years service. It was 20 inches wide and 19 inches deep. Finding a replacement microwave/convection oven that was small enough to fit into the cabinet opening and that had a cabinet mounting kit available was a real time-consuming adventure. I finally found one online. I installed it yesterday. It looks and works great.

So you can imagine how thrilled I was when the roof vent fan in our bathroom stopped working. A screw hole in the plastic cover that holds the motor in place had cracked open and the motor was hanging from a couple of wires. I just knew that a replacement part for a ten year old vent fan would not be available. A new vent fan would cost $200 to $300 plus the bother of removing the old fan and installing a new one. I called the Fantastic Vent technical support department, described my problem and asked if they had a replacement part. The technician could not have been more helpful. “That should not have happened” he said, “I’ll send you a new, improved part that should do the job”. It arrived a few days later. Not only does Fantastic Vent build great products (built in America by American workers) they support their customers and stand behind their products. Check out their website: http://www.fantasticvent.com/

We have a bad case of itchy wheels. And we have only been home for seven weeks. After Christmas we will cure the problem by firing up our motorhome and heading into the snow-free areas of Arizona. We will visit friends and generally bum around for a few weeks.

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Meeting Other Campers

Dear Joe and Vicki: We have just bought our first RV and are looking forward to camping in comfort. We enjoy meeting new people but don’t wish to intrude on their privacy. How does one go about meeting other RVers

Joe: I think you will find you have to work at not meeting them. Most RVers and campers are pretty gregarious. To meet RVers, Vicki and I recommend that you take two walks around the campground every day. The first walk should take place after most of the travelers have arrived but well before nightfall. You will be able to look at the various types of rigs that are on the road and inspect the ingenious outside camping gear and gadgets that RVers can come up with.

This walk also provides an opportunity to meet new people. Just observe the body language of the campers who are outside. Some will be sitting way to the rear of their campsite with their backs to the road. These folks are not particularly interested in socializing at the moment. Other campers will be sitting under their awning. They’ll be facing the road, hats on the back of their head and have a drink in their hand. Their dog will be wagging his tail. These folks are ready! A real giveaway is the guy who is sitting so close to the road he has to pull back his feet every time an RV passes by.

A sure fire conversation starter is “Hello.” Works every time. Follow that with an admiring word about their rig, dog or hat and you have just made a new friend. The most common questions in a campground are “Where are you from?” “Where are you going?” and “Where have you been?” Nobody cares what you do. It really isn’t all that important.

The second walk of each day should be taken after dark. RVers have a tendency to leave their blinds open for an hour or so after dinner. Now you have the opportunity to see how they have decorated the interior of their rig and to see if they have the good sense to drink your brand of bourbon. Both of these subjects make excellent conversation starters when you see them outside the next day.

Vicki: Many campgrounds and RV parks create opportunities for their guests to socialize. They conduct campfires with singing, story telling and other forms of entertainment. We’ve also seen quilting bees, exercise classes and craft fairs offered at RV parks and campgrounds.

The campground laundry room is one of my favorite places to meet RVers. If you are waiting for your clothes to wash or dry, you might as well start talking to the others who are waiting for their clothes.

This is an excellent way to find out what’s down the road. We have gotten some of our best camping and traveling information from people we’ve met in campground laundry rooms. There is a fifty-fifty chance that the people you are talking with have just come from the direction you are heading. They can tell you about road and traffic conditions, campgrounds, tourist attractions and good places to eat.

Speaking of places to eat. You will discover that a number of campgrounds offer morning coffee, doughnuts, breakfasts, barbecues and dinners right on their grounds. We have observed that many KOA campgrounds are offering their guests the opportunity to buy their morning or evening meal without the bother of leaving the campground. What better place to socialize with fellow campers than over a meal?

Start with “Hello.” You will discover that RVers are the nicest bunch of people in the world.

Enjoy The Journey!

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December 5, 2009 Post

2009-12-05T15:18:00.000-08:00

What’s New With Us: We’re Home!

Of Interest: Could This Happen To You?

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We’re Home!

Greetings from Huntington Beach, CA We arrived home exactly two months after we left.
In our October 23rd post we were headed for Little Rock where we visited with friends for a few days. Then we took a hard look at the weather predictions to determine whether we would continue west on I-40 and cross the mountains around Flagstaff, Arizona or go around the mountains by heading southwest on I-30, I-20 and I-10. Even though it was only the 28th of October, snow had already fallen in the mountains. So our decision was made for us – take the south-west route. We drove through a heavy rainstorm in east Texas but, other than that, the weather cooperated all the way to Yuma, AZ

On the way, we had brunch with John Holod and Jodie Ginter in Tucson, AZ and dinner with Mike and Terry Church in Benson, AZ. We stayed four days with Joe and Joanne Annuzzio on their lot in Yuma and had lunch with Margie Maxwell while we were there.

It was a welcome 80 to 90 degrees in Yuma. It was also my first opportunity to really check out our new solar system. Until now, we had stayed in campgrounds with electric hookups or had campsites that were covered with trees. We dry-camped in my cousin’s horse pasture for five days while in New Hampshire. It was cold so I was able to measure how many amps our furnace fan consumed and I was able to measure how many amps our various 12-volt lights and appliances drew. But the days were o’cast and rainy so I had to use our generator to recharge the batteries.

And in Yuma (because someone insisted on connecting to electricity and turning on the air conditioner when temps soared above 90 degrees) the best I could do was rely on the inverter to make coffee one morning and watch the solar system recharge the batteries until noon. So far the numbers pretty much match what we had been told to expect.

Our motorhome has been in storage for four weeks now. Prior to installing the solar system I would disconnect the ground cables from the batteries while the RV was in storage. This eliminated the possibility of “phantom loads” discharging the batteries. But I always held my breath when I went to start the engine after the RV had been in storage for more than six weeks.

This time I was relying upon the solar system to keep the batteries charged. I left the cables connected. Yesterday I checked the condition of the batteries. The coach and chassis batteries were all at full charge and there had been no loss of electrolyte.

We’re planning on spending some time in the desert next month. A few days of self-contained camping should give me a pretty good idea of how well our solar system works.

As I said, we have been home for four weeks now. We have caught up on the things that needed tending. We enjoyed a great Thanksgiving Day with our kids and grandkids. We have been home four weeks and we are ready to hit the road again.

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Could This Happen To You?

For years now, Vicki and I have been telling our seminar audiences that we consider the RVing world a relatively low crime neighborhood. And, while we know bad things occasionally happen, we have also said that in 45 years of RVing, we have never known or talked first-hand to anyone who had ever felt personally threatened while traveling or camping in their RV.

Well, now we have heard, first-hand, from someone we know.

Our friends Nick and Terry Russell recently had a nightmare encounter of the worst kind.
Nick and Terry had taken their motorhome to an RV repair facility to have some maintenance and repair work done. Since the work was taking more than one day, Nick and Terry camped overnight in the repair facility’s complimentary camping area. On what would have been their third evening in the campground, they went out for dinner. Upon their return they came upon a burglar exiting their RV. The burglar was holding a gun. There was a physical encounter. Read what happened next in www.gypsyjournal.net/blog/ (Scroll down to the December 5, 2009 entry)

Coincidentally we wrote about security concerns in our RV Notebook Post on July 14, 2009.

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October 23, 2009 Post

2009-10-23T13:52:00.000-07:00

What's New With Us - On The Road
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Greetings from Crossville, Tennessee

We are on our way back to California. Next stop is Little Rock AR to visit friends for a few days. Then we will look at the weather map to decide whether we continue west on I-40 or travel south-west on I-30, I-20 and I-10. We are in no rush to get home but we have observed that, like a horse heading for the barn, we seem to move faster going west.

When we planned our trip to see New England’s fall colors we didn’t realize that one of the colors would be white… as in snow! We enjoyed a scenic and colorful journey through Ohio, New York and Vermont. Our timing couldn’t have been better to see the fall foliage at its peak. The daytime temperatures were warm in the sun and brisk at night. Then we arrived in New Hampshire. It was October 12, ColumbusDay, historically the day the colors peak in that area of the world. And they were spectacular! We meandered along Highway 302, drove the scenic Bear Notch Road and experienced the glorious Kancamagus Highway. Brilliant reds, oranges, yellows and greens appeared to glow in the warm sunshine. Our long journey was rewarded by this one day!

That was October 12th. On October 13th we awoke to a winter wonderland. A totally unexpected fall color… white! A light blanket of snow covered everything. Beautiful but cold. It rained on and off for the next five days and temperatures never exceeded 40 degrees during the day and fell into the 20s at night. According to the newscasters we were experiencing the coldest fall in the last 30 years. Weren’t we lucky.

We spent four of those days dry-camping next to my cousin’s horse pasture while we visited relatives. No electrical hookup meant no electric heater. We relied upon our propane fueled forced-air furnace to keep us warm. It did a great job but the furnace fan was kept busy day and night and drew a fair share of our available battery power. That would have been an opportune time to observe how well our new solar panels would replenish our batteries. But, with overcast skies, the panels had very little sunlight to work with. We were forced to run our generator a couple hours each morning to recharge our batteries. Maybe when we are in Yuma…

For those of you who plan on being leaf-peepers next year… a few things to consider. Campground reservations might be advisable, especially around Columbus Day. Be prepared for huge crowds at attractions like the Norman Rockwell Museum, Shelburne Museum and Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory. And, of course, those two-lane highways will be lined up with tourists… and, like you, they won't be looking where they are going either. But then, viewing New England’s fall foliage when they are peaking is an experience you will never forget.

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2009-10-06T20:22:00.000-07:00

October 7, 2009 Post

What’s New With Us:
Fall Colors, Gypsy Gathering Rally, No More Seminars, Molly Update.

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Fall Foilage. We are on our way to New England to experience the fall colors. This photo was taken near Binghamton in upper New York State. The colors in New England traditionally reach their peak around Columbus Day (October 12). Looks like we are going to arrive just in time.

It’s Over! The Eastern Gypsy Gathering Rally is over. And it was a good one. Great location, informative seminars, relaxed, friendly atmosphere. Vicki and I presented two seminars – “Alaska, The Ultimate RV Adventure” and “RV Travel and Camping Tips”. We had great, responsive audiences at both of them.

Nick and Terry Russell know what it takes to put together a successful rally. They have experienced rallies as attendees, vendors and seminar presenters. So now, as rally producers, they understand the expectations, needs and interests of rally participants. Their Western Gypsy Gathering Rally takes place in Yuma, Arizona at the Yuma County Fairgrounds, March 8 – 12, 2010. The weather and temperature is pleasant in Yuma at that time of year and the $110.00 per rig rally fee includes four nights of camping. You can’t go wrong by attending.

It’s Over! Our days of traveling from one event to another and presenting seminars are over. We have been presenting RV lifestyle seminars at RV shows, rallies and educational events since 1989. For years now that has involved making two annual coast-to-coast speaking circuits. It wasn’t unusual for us to drive our motorhome 20,000 miles a year to participate in 15-20 events. We met a lot of wonderful people, made some great friends, and had uncountable adventures. We loved it!

Along the way we discovered a number of places we wanted to explore but our work schedule forced us to move on. We promised ourselves that some day we would return. That day has arrived.

Our future RV travels, instead of taking us from one speaking venue to the next, will focus more on places to go, people to see and things to see and do. We hope to share our RV adventures and observations in our future columns. We’re not ruling out presenting seminars altogether. If the circumstances are right we may find ourselves on an occasional platform. But we are not going to actively pursue any speaking opportunities.

The Inevitable. It seems that every time we take a long trip we end up with our motorhome in a repair shop. Its not a matter of if but when the inevitable will occur. The front suspension on our motorhome experienced a boo-boo. That resulted in both front tires needing replacement in addition to an eight-hour repair job. We lucked out. The folks at Mainline Truck and Trailer in Bedford, Ohio had the facilities and the skills to do the job.

Molly Update. Molly has adapted very well to being an RVing dog. She is quite comfortable whether in the motorhome, a campground or roadside rest area. I, however, am still adjusting to owning an RVing dog. At least to an RVing dog that has a rigid morning routine. No matter what time zone we are in, Molly wakes up at 6:50 am and insists on visiting the powder room. NOW! And since going potty involves my half of the dog, I am the one Molly awakens at 6:52 am. It begins with me feeling her staring at me. Of course I ignore that annoyance. Then Molly proceeds to make a mumbling noise that can only be described as muttering. If or when muttering isn’t successful, I feel a cold nose nuzzle my neck and it isn’t Vicki. That usually does the trick (Molly emits a sharp bark if it doesn’t). I get out of bed, stumble into some clothes and take her into the brisk outside morning air. Molly attends to business, returns to the motorhome, goes into the bedroom, curls up on the floor and goes back to sleep. By now I am wide awake. This dog is going to outlive me. I am doomed to getting up at 7:00 am every morning for the rest of my life!

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2009-09-13T18:41:00.000-07:00

What’s New With Us:

Greetings from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. We left Huntington Beach, California on Labor Day Monday and zoomed past Los Angeles International Airport at 65 miles per hour about 10:000 am. Sometimes holiday traffic (or lack of it) can be an advantage.

Our RV lifestyle is changing. We plan to spend more time visiting our National Parks and dry-camping in government campgrounds. So on Wednesday we had a two-panel solar system installed on our motorhome by AMsolar in Springfield, Oregon. AMsolar is owned by our good friends Greg and Deborah Holder. Greg is the go-to guy when it comes to installing solar on RVs. He designs, builds, sells and installs solar equipment specifically for the needs of RVers.

I pulled our motorhome into the service bay of their installation facility at 8:30 am. Three technicians went to work and had the entire job finished by 5:00 pm. It was obvious from the get-go these guys knew what they were doing. That knowledge made it easier to watch as they drilled holes in our roof and cabinetry in order to run the wiring and install the monitors. They did a neat, clean job. You can read more about Greg, Deborah and AMsolar on their website.

We came to Couer d’Alene to visit with Margie Maxwell. Margies husband, Gaylord, the founder of Life on Wheels, passed away a year ago. Margie invited Clyde and Peggy Waterman, Chuck and MaryLou Thompson and us to dinner. We sat around and gossiped about all the other Life on Wheels instructors who were not in the room. The next day Margie and Vicki did their best to play all the slot machines at a local casino.

Molly, our trusty RV dog, celebrated her 1st birthday on August 8th. She has adapted very nicely to traveling and living in an RV as well as going potty in roadside rest areas and campgrounds. I have become a bonafide RV dog owner. Right down to always having a plastic bag in my pocket.

From here we will meander east to Ohio where we will attend a wedding and then present seminars at Nick and Terry Russell’s Gypsy Gathering Rally.

Return To RV Know How

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August 25, 2009

2009-08-25T13:48:00.000-07:00

In This Post:

What’s New With Us: Vicki’s Birthday - Our Motorhome

Brief Article: Losing A Wallet

Vicki’s Favorite Recipes: Cucumber Dill Salad

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What’s New With Us:

Vicki’s birthday was August 18th. But she managed to stretch the celebration over a full week. One evening our son Pat and his son, Daniel, invited us to their house for a birthday dinner, cake and ice cream. On another night our son Sean and his family took us out to dinner at Don Jose’s and followed it up with cupcakes and ice cream. Then Vicki’s dad took us to a restaurant for a birthday dinner. Add to that all the phone calls, cards and e-mails and Vicki was a happy person.

Our motorhome is almost 12 years old. As some of you know, for the past few years we have been slowly but surely refurbishing and upgrading it. A cabinet has been installed under the dash, sliding shelves installed in the kitchen cabinets, drawers built under the couch, and a head-whacking TV cabinet replaced with a shallower cabinet and a new flat-screen television.

Recently, we took a hard look at the motorhome’s exterior. Twelve years of sunlight had oxidized the cream colored gelcoat into a chalk-white surface. 200,000 miles and a number of attack trees had inflicted more than a few battle scars on the fiberglass skin. A sudden encounter with a roll of carpet on the highway and, later, a box of plumbing materials falling out of a truck, put cracks in the Lexan plastic shield that protected the front of the rig. And, during our most recent trip to Alaska, a piece of a wheel well was damaged when the edge of a rain-soaked road collapsed under the weight of our right-rear tires. Our motorhome looked like it had “been there, done that” and then some.

“How much to repair and paint the whole rig?” we asked. “About $17,000.00, maybe more.” was the reply. We were talking to Ron Campbell, the owner of Orange Coast Auto Body and RV in Fountain Valley, CA. Then Ron suggested an alternative. He would remove the front shield, fill and paint the resulting holes, repair and paint the wheel-well damage, spot-paint where needed, buff the oxidation away and then wax and polish the entire rig. For “only” a few thousand dollars.

We had asked professional detailers in the past if they could remove the oxidation and restore the cream-colored gloss. They said it couldn’t be done. “Leave it for a couple of days and I’ll demonstrate what we can do on the engine access door on the back wall of the motorhome”. We did. He did. We saw. He got the job. A week later the entire motorhome looked like new. The photo shows the new mirror-like surface.

Next project is the installation of a solar system. In a couple of weeks we will go to AMsolar in Springfield, Oregon. Our friends and solar gurus, Greg and Deb Holder, will do the installation. Look for a detailed description in this “Blog” and in a future Highways magazine column.

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Article

Losing A Wallet
by Joe and Vicki Kieva

Do you know what to do if your wallet is lost or stolen? Who would you notify? How would you get along until the contents were replaced?

Take a look at the contents of your wallet. In addition to those cute pictures of your kids and grandkids you'll probably find cash, credit cards, driver’s license, Social Security card, health insurance card, library card, discount cards, membership cards, telephone calling card, and important phone numbers. The contents of your wallet provide you with the information you need to accomplish everyday tasks.

The contents of your wallet can also provide a thief with all the information they need to steal your identity, run up bills in your name and destroy your credit.

You can minimize or even prevent this kind of damage by preparing a list of the contents of your wallet and the phone numbers to call if your wallet is lost or stolen.

First, weed out and update the contents of your wallet. Get rid of those expired cards, old receipts and out-of-date discount coupons. And, think about it, is there any reason for you to carry your Social Security card in your wallet?

Next, place the contents of your wallet on a copying machine and make two copies of each side of your cards and documents. The front of your credit cards provide the account number. The back has an 800 number to report the card lost or stolen. The phone numbers may not be legible on the photocopy, so make a notation of them on the copies with a pen. While you are at it, make a note on the photocopies of the phone numbers you should call to replace each of the other documents (driver's license, membership cards, etc.).

The photocopies should also include the telephone numbers of the three national credit reporting organizations:

Equifax (800) 525-6285
Experian (TRW) (800)
Trans Union (800) 680-7289
and the Social Security Administration's fraud line (800) 269-0271

Put one of the copies in a secure place at home and the other in a safe place in your RV. You don't want the information on the photocopies to get into the wrong hands. Now, if you do lose your wallet, you can quickly cancel its contents, protect your credit, and arrange replacements by referring to the photocopy. You will also have a duplicate of any important papers or lists you carry in your wallet.

If your wallet does get lost or stolen, here's what you want to do:

Notify the credit card companies to cancel your credit cards. This should prevent anyone from using them.

Notify the three national credit reporting organizations to place a fraud alert on your name and Social Security number. That way, any business that checks your credit knows they have to contact you by telephone before they authorize new credit or open new accounts in your name.
Notify the Social Security Administration to prevent identification fraud.

File a police report in the jurisdiction where the wallet was lost or stolen. Not only is it the first step in an investigation, it proves diligence on your part to the credit providers.

By the way, when you cancel the credit cards in your wallet you are also canceling those same credit cards in your spouse’s wallet. Your credit card company will quickly issue you new cards and send them to your home address. That’s fine if you are at home. But, what if you are miles from home on an RVing vacation trip? Will you be able to continue, even temporarily, without your credit cards?

Here's a thought. Most couples have both a MasterCard and a Visa card. Have one spouse carry the MasterCard but not the Visa card, and the other spouse carry the Visa card but not the MasterCard. If you have to cancel the credit cards in one wallet, you can continue to use the still-valid cards in the other wallet. If this is not convenient, or you do not have a travel companion, perhaps you can stash a backup credit card (that neither spouse carries) in your RV.

Hopefully, you won't need that precautionary list. But, if your wallet is lost or stolen, you'll be prepared.

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Vicki's Favorite Recipes

Cucumber with Dill Salad (Quick and Easy)
(From Vicki's book "My RV Kitchen and Favorite Recipes")

This is a pleasant change from the usual lettuce salad.

2 medium cucumbers, sliced about 1/8" thick
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/4 cup fresh dill, snipped
1/2 cup white vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

1. Place cucumber slices in a colander over a plate; sprinkle with salt and toss. Let stand for 15 minutes stirring once. Rinse and drain well.

2. In a large bowl, combine the dill, vinegar, sugar and pepper. Add cucumbers and toss to coat.

3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 6 side-dish servings.

Cucumber slices soaked in salted ice water for 30 minutes will make them extra crisp. After crisping, drain the soak water and rinse the cukes.

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July 14, 2009 Issue

2009-07-15T15:08:00.000-07:00

What’s New With Us: Happy Birthday – Anticipation – Rally Seminars

Article: Personal Security – Guns

Vicki’s Favorite Recipe: Antipasto Salad

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What’s New With Us:

Happy Birthday! I hit the big 70 on July 7th. Vicki arranged a great birthday party for me. In attendance were my kids, grandkids, brothers and sister-in-laws and Vicki’s dad. We gorged ourselves on barbecued baby-back-ribs and chicken, Vicki’s infamous potato salad, baked beans and a bunch of different salads. It was washed down with beer, wine and soft drinks. My gifts consisted of Tequila, candy and peanut brittle. After I blew out the candle on the birthday cake, Vicki announced that she wasn’t sure she wanted to sleep with somebody’s 70-year-old grandfather. Okay, no Tequila for her!

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Anticipation is a big part of the fun when planning an RV trip. During the past 12 months, due to circumstances beyond our control, we added less than 2,000 miles to our motorhome’s odometer. That is a far cry from the 20,000 to 30,000 annual miles we have traditionally traveled.

But… this September we hit the road again. We could do it sooner but, while July and August inflict heat and humidity upon the rest of the nation, Huntington Beach, California enjoys temps in the mid to upper 70s with soft afternoon seabreezes. We’ll just enjoy the summer here, thank you.

Our fall plans have us leaving home after Labor day. We will go north to Portland Oregon. Turn east for northern Idaho, and then travel along the northern tier of states to New England for the fall colors. Along the way we will make a point of visiting with friends and relatives.

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AND… WE ARE GOING TO PRESENT SEMINARS at Nick and Terry Russell’s Gypsy Gathering Rally in Celina Ohio. The rally is being held at the Mercer County Fairgrounds just west of downtown Celina from September 28 through October 2. To read about the rally Click Here . After reading about (and, of course, registering for) the rally, switch to Nick’s Blog. But, I have to warn you, it’s addictive.

We will be presenting our popular seminar, “Alaska, The Ultimate RV Adventure”. This is a “how-to seminar” where we tell you what you can really expect in the way of road conditions, accommodations and services along the Alaska Highway. Vicki does a dynamite job of explaining how to arrange passage on the Alaska Ferry System. Then we tell you how to prepare yourself and your RV for this great adventure. We will also be presenting our “RV Travel and Camping Tips” seminar. We offer tips for dealing with holding tank odors, invading critters, condensation and more. It is a fast-moving, fun seminar. This is our only public appearance this year. Don’t miss it!

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Personal Security - Guns

Do you feel safe out there? Do you carry a gun?

Joe: Vicki and I are asked these and similar questions at most of our seminar presentations and in many of the letters we receive.

What these folks are really asking is "Aren't you afraid of becoming crime victims?" and "What can we do to protect our valuables and ourselves?"

Our standard reply is that we feel just as safe in our RV as we do at home. Maybe safer.
I'm not going to tell you that enjoying your RV is without risks. RVers can be victims of crime just like anyone else. But I will tell you that when you are RVing you are in a relatively low-crime neighborhood.

There are a number of logical reasons for this.

The activities and attractions that appeal to RVers are not usually located in high-crime areas.
Most RV parks and campgrounds are located on the outskirts of cities and towns. A bothersome commute for most criminals.

RVers generally park in close proximity to other RVers. There always seems to be at least one person sitting outside who seems interested in everything that's going on around them. Non-campers are pretty easy to spot and, as a result, attract attention to themselves. And you never know when a ranger, camp-host or strolling camper will pass by. These are people who could come to an RVer's aid or act as witnesses. Criminals prefer to avoid the inconvenience involved with getting caught.

It's difficult to establish patterns of movement or occupancy in and around RVs. We come and go unpredictably. It's also not easy to determine who or what may be inside an RV. It could be a lineman for the Rams, a Great Dane or a little, old lady with a big, new gun. Criminals have the same aversion to pain as everyone else.

An RV can be more difficult to break into than a house. (Those of us who have managed to lock ourselves out of an RV can attest to this.) And it certainly can't be done inconspicuously. Again, that getting caught thing.

Finally, RVers are perceived by many as bloodthirsty, gun-loving, rednecks just itching for an opportunity to blow someone's head off. An image I don't agree with but see no point in discouraging.

Essentially, the criminal is an opportunist looking for an easy target, a quick grab and a fast getaway. RVers and their lifestyle generally do not present this kind of opportunity.

So compared to how we feel at home, yes, we do feel very safe while we are traveling and camping in our RV.

Vicki: We are just as cautious when we are RVing as when we are at home. Exterior doors, windows and storage lockers are always locked when not in use. When we had a Class C motorhome we had to make an extra effort to remember to lock the driving compartment’s doors. We also lock our doors while driving.

Hitch locks on trailers are an inexpensive theft deterrent. We don't leave anything outside overnight or while we are absent unless it's secured to the RV, picnic table or a tree by a lock and chain.

Along the same lines, we avoid tempting thieves by not displaying cash, cameras, computers, cellular phones or other possessions.

We keep cash, jewelry and other valuables secured and hidden inside the RV. A dog can be a good theft deterrent, so can a burglar alarm. Some RVers install additional exterior lights.

Over the years, we've met many women traveling alone in their RVs. They are, definitely, among the most creative RVers, especially when it comes to deterrents to would-be intruders.

One evening, after sharing our campfire with a woman traveling alone, we watched as she returned to her rig. Before she went inside, she opened an outside cupboard and pulled out a huge dog dish. Then came a very large collar attached to a hefty chain. She set the dog dish on the ground, attached the chain to her step, turned around and waved goodnight.

Can you imagine the would-be intruder targeting that RV and then seeing all that paraphernalia that obviously belonged to a huge dog? Especially when he realized the dog didn't even have a collar on? And was the dog inside or outside?

Another single woman we met told us she went to a war surplus store and bought a pair of the biggest, most well-worn boots she could find. Before retiring each night she sets the boots outside her door. Would you want to be confronted by the owner of those oversize boots?

Joe: We frequently "boondock" during our travels. Our definition of "boondocking", by the way, is spending one or more nights in our RV at a spot that is not a designated campsite.

Obviously, our personal safety is uppermost in our minds when making the decision to "boondock". Vicki and I have "boondocked" in friends driveways, empty lots, quiet streets, roadside rests, truck stops and the parking lots of stores, churches and police stations. Years ago we "boondocked" to save the cost of a campsite. Now, we "boondock" only when we can't locate a convenient or acceptable campground. It's not unusual, however, to find us "boondocking" in the parking lot of an RV show where we are presenting our seminars.

And, of course, we're always on the lookout for more friends with long driveways.

Vicki: We have three rules about "boondocking". Obey the law. Seek permission. Apply common sense.

We look for a "boondock" site that is well lit and doesn't make us an easy target of opportunity.
We never park alone. Joe and I prefer to park in the company of other RVers. He claims the best spot is between two RVs. One with a bumper sticker that proclaims "Insured by Smith & Wesson" and the other with a bumper sticker boasting membership in the National Rifle Association.

We avoid or leave any place where we are not comfortable about our safety. Even if we can't explain why we feel that way.

Joe: People we don't know frequently ask if we carry a gun in our RV. I'm concerned that if I answer "yes", they may be tempted to steal it and if I answer "no" they will think we are an easy target. So, I politely respond, "If you really want to know, kick in my door and step inside". Everyone then assumes I am a bloodthirsty, gun-loving, redneck just itching for an opportunity to blow someone's head off. An image I don't agree with but see no point in discouraging.

There's a lot of discussion these days about carrying a gun in an RV. I'd like to contribute my observations. The purpose of using a gun for self-protection is to kill someone. Hopefully, the bad guy will back off when he sees you have a gun but, ultimately, you had better be willing to pull the trigger. If you're not prepared to take someone's life, perhaps you should think twice about carrying a gun.

Police officers receive hours and hours of professional training about the use of deadly force. And they occasionally make fatal mistakes. If you do decide to carry a gun, please take a thorough training course in how and when to use it. More importantly, learn when not to use it. After all, I might be parked next door to you some night.

By the way, if you decide to carry a handgun in your RV, be sure to familiarize yourself with the handgun laws of the cities, counties, states and nations you plan on visiting.

Vicki: Generally speaking, the RV world is a low crime neighborhood. Obviously, Joe and I feel quite comfortable out there. Our comfort level comes from knowing that RVers are generally not perceived as a target of opportunity. We also use common sense to avoid becoming crime victims. And then there's this odd perception people have about my husband that he sees no point in discouraging.

Enjoy The Journey!

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Recipe (from My RV Kitchen and Favorite Recipes)

Antipasto Salad (Quick and Easy)

This is one of our favorite summer main-dish salads. Be creative. Use whatever types of meat, cheese and vegetables you like. Gauge the amounts to the number of people you are serving.

When I am making a main-dish salad, I usually start with the lettuce and plan on two big handfuls per person. Then I add the other ingredients in proportion to the lettuce.

Lettuce (We prefer a combination of romaine and iceberg )
Red onion, sliced
Cucumbers, sliced
Bell pepper, cut into julienne strips
Tomato, chopped
Salami (or other cold cuts), cut into julienne strips
Provolone (or other cheese), cut into julienne strips
Marinated mushrooms (from the local deli)
Olives (any kind you like, or a combination)
Artichoke hearts, marinated (from the local deli)
Italian salad dressing

1. Assemble all salad ingredients.
2. Add dressing, toss and serve.

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June 16, 2009 Issue

2009-06-16T12:18:00.000-07:00

We have just returned from a 17-day bus tour of the British Isles. Originally, we intended to rent a motorhome and explore England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. But for a variety of reasons, one of them being to avoid the stress of learning how to drive on the left side of the road, we decided to book a bus tour. It was an interesting, first-time experience.

We spent some time with Barbara Perry, a travel agent with the Automobile Club. We told her that leg room on both the plane and the bus was very important to us. She suggested business class on our 11-hour non-stop, flights and steered us to a tour company whose 49-passenger buses had their seats configured to give 40 people lots of leg room.

Round trip, business class airfare between London and Los Angeles cost more than the 17-day bus tour but it was worth it. The seats were bigger and more comfortable than economy seats and there was plenty of room to stretch our legs. Other perks like express check-in, express security check and a comfortable waiting lounge made the airport experience more tolerable.

We really lucked out with our fellow tour passengers. Not a stinker in the bunch. Everyone was friendly and considerate. Our group had 40 people. Most were either Australians or Canadians. There was only one other American couple.

The weather really cooperated. We were prepared for cool, wet weather. Instead, we had only three days of drizzle. The rest were sunny and warm.

Highlights of the tour included London, Windsor Castle, medieval York, Edinburgh Castle, the highlands and lakes of Scotland, Dublin, Ring of Kerry, Blarney Castle (yes, I kissed the Blarney Stone), the Roman Baths and of course, Stonehenge. Our bus traveled some 2,200 miles.

The good news … I didn’t have to drive; I was just a sight-seeing passenger. The bad news … we couldn’t linger in places where we would have liked to stay longer and we had to linger in a few places that just didn’t appeal to us. But, that’s group travel.

Living out of a suitcase, sleeping in strange beds and eating unusual food, while considered part of the adventure by some, did not particularly appeal to me. I still prefer traveling first class in the comfort and convenience of our RV.

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Memorial Day - 2009

2009-05-24T22:11:00.000-07:00

Never Forget

Where Valor Lies

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May 16, 2009 Issue

2009-05-16T11:48:00.000-07:00

Our friend, John Ward, passed away May 13th. He died just one day shy of his 80th birthday. John was an RV driving instructor with the RV Driving School for many years. We first got to know him in the year 2000 when he gave Vicki and me driving instructions. After having the privilege of spending two days with John we became John Ward fans and considered ourselves fortunate to be his friend. John had a quiet, easy-going, everything-is-under-control manner that made you feel good to just be in his presence. Here is the article we wrote about our first encounter with John.

RV Driving Lessons

Dear Joe and Vicki: I want to take lessons to learn how to tow our new trailer. My husband feels confident in his ability to handle an RV and thinks that lessons for him would be a waste of money. Do you know anything about the RV driving lessons we see advertised in the magazines?

Joe: Before you fly a plane, you take flying lessons. When you want to go scuba diving, you take diving lessons. We take lessons for skiing, golf and calligraphy. We think nothing of getting professional instruction on any subject in which we wish to become proficient ... except driving an RV.

Somehow, we think that because we have been driving a car or pickup truck for the last
thirty or forty years we are automatically qualified to aim 30,000 pounds (or more) of steel and plastic down the highway at speeds in excess of 65 miles an hour.

I have driven a couple of hundred thousand miles in a variety of RVs over the last 35 years. Learned everything I know through experience. And, except for a couple of encounters with some sneaky campground attack trees, my driving record is accident-free.

So, last month, when my bride announced she was going to take RV driving lessons, I was surprised when she "suggested" that I join her.

Vicki: Joe and I joke about our traditional "blue" jobs and "pink" jobs. Driving the RV, dumping holding tanks and rig maintenance have always been his blue jobs. Meal preparation, laundry and housekeeping have been my pink jobs.

Occasionally, I have driven our RVs. Usually on open stretches of highways and for brief periods of time. Occasionally, Joe has helped with the inside chores (also for brief periods of time).

Both of us admit to being just a little bit intimidated by the other's jobs. "Joe, are you sure the motorhome will fit between those cars?" "Vicki, why can't I put my red tee shirt in with my white socks?"

But I have observed women, tiny women who could hardly see over the steering wheel, confidently maneuvering their large motorhomes and fifth-wheels through narrow streets after taking RV driving lessons. If they could do it, I reasoned, so could I.

Joe reluctantly agreed to join me on the condition he would not also be expected to take cooking lessons.

Joe: We contacted Dick Reed's RV Driving School (1-530-878-0111 or www.rvschool.com). We have become personally acquainted with Dick and his instructors over the last few years. Vicki and I have observed them teaching others to drive. We have also heard the rave reviews of their students.

Dick said Vicki and I would not be unique. Most of his student couples consist of a husband with lots of RV driving experience, and a wife with relatively little time behind the wheel.

Dick assigned John Ward to be our instructor. John has been teaching over-the-road truckers how to drive ever since the teamsters quit using oxen. He has also been an instructor with the RV Driving School for over four years.

John arranged to meet us at a dirt parking lot on the first day of our two-day program. He began by performing a safety check of our motorhome. John explained how, why and when we should conduct the same inspection.

Next came a non-technical description of how a diesel motorhome's air-brake system works, how to operate it and how to conduct an air-brake safety check. I wish someone had shown me this about 50,000 miles ago.

Driver's seat and steering wheel were adjusted for comfort followed by a discussion about mirror adjustment and how to use them. I picked up a number of valuable tips here.

John told me to drive the motorhome in as tight a circle possible. He pointed to the tracks in the dirt made by the rear tires of the motorhome and then to the tracks made by the rear tires of the towed car. Now we knew for certain where our towed vehicle's tires would go when we made a tight turn. We also measured how far to the left and right the rear corners of the rig would swing during a sharp turn. No more knocking over curbside mailboxes.

The remainder of the two days was spent with Vicki and me taking turns learning and practicing turns, backing and maneuvering our motorhome (both with and without the car in tow). We drove on residential streets, county roads, state highways and federal interstates. We drove up and down steep, winding, mountain grades. We encountered roads narrowed by construction projects.

All of our driving was accompanied by John's constant easy-going dialogue of helpful hints, constructive criticism and enthusiastic encouragement. We were constantly benefiting from his considerable knowledge and expertise.

With 35 years of experience under my belt, I considered myself fairly accomplished behind the wheel of an RV. But under John's tutelage I picked up a number of tips and techniques that added to my confidence and competence. I guess it really is possible to teach an old dog new tricks.

Vicki: By the second day of instruction, I was feeling pretty good about myself. John had shown me how to gauge just the right time to start that tight right turn by picking a reference spot on the inside of the motorhome. A couple of times, he told me to stop right in the middle of the turn to look out the window and see if I was still in the correct lane. I always was. That gave me a lot of confidence and surprised me that the turns didn't have to be wider.

I also learned how to pick a reference spot on the dashboard to use as an "aiming" device to center the RV in the driving lane. Most people have a tendency to drive too far right in the lane; I was no exception.

In addition to making right turns, left turns and backing up, I also made a three-point turn in the middle of a block. Piece of cake! I felt like I was 16 years old again, learning to drive a car.

And then John announced that I would drive through town traffic, travel both directions over a very curvy, two-lane mountain road with a 6% grade, and then get on the freeway. All of this with the car attached!

I went up and down that mountain road with no problem. I learned how to watch the tachometer to determine when to down-shift and how to slow the motorhome with the exhaust brake,

My hands tightened on the steering wheel when I encountered oncoming trucks on the curves of that narrow mountain road. John said their hands probably tightened too. And then there was a stretch of road construction where I had to pull off and drive on the right shoulder. Yes!

Finally, to end our last day, I pulled onto the I-10 freeway during Los Angeles city rush hour. The I-10 is one of our busiest local interstates. I thought I would be really nervous, but I wasn't at all. I found myself calmly making lane changes and not being bothered by aggressive drivers. I had developed the confidence to know that I could do it. And it did not hurt to hear John's calm, low-key voice. I couldn't help thinking, "I must be doing O.K. He doesn't seem worried!"

I can't believe the feeling of exhilaration--the high that I was on -- realizing that I could do this. I can't remember when I've had so much fun. (Sorry, Joe!)

At this point, I have the confidence and basic skills I need to drive our motorhome. Now, it's practice, practice, practice. Driving the RV is no longer going to be exclusively a "blue" job.

Joe: RV driving lessons are not a waste of money. The fee for our two days of instruction was less than the cost of three oil and filter changes on our motorhome. In return, Vicki and I spent two days benefiting from John’s four decades of accumulated professional driving wisdom and experience.

We were also informed by our insurance company that, upon receipt of a copy of the driving school's certificate of completion, they will give us a 5% discount on our motorhome's insurance premium. That discount will eventually repay the cost of our driving lessons.

And, when the government eventually gets around to requiring us to demonstrate our RV driving proficiency in order to get the appropriate drivers license ... we'll be ready.

Vicki: Now, about those cooking lessons ...

We'll miss you, John.

To learn more about John Ward click here

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May 12, 2009 Issue

2009-05-12T10:16:00.000-07:00

In This Issue:

What's New With Us: RVing California's Central Coast

Article: Stretching Holding Tank Space

Recipe: Easiest Ever Corn on the Cob

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What's New With Us:

We have just returned from a 10-day RV trip along the lower portion of the central California coast.

First stop was Jalama Beach Campground . Jalama is a somewhat remote county park north of Santa Barbara. The campground is located on the beach and is the only sign of civilization for miles around. A few of the 98 campsites have electric hookups but most do not have any kind of hookups. There is however, in addition to restrooms and showers, a dump station and a place to fill your water tank. We especially liked the lack of a cellular phone signal; no incoming calls and no having to respond to anyone. And, just to make our sense of isolation complete, we did not use our satellite TV. We were out of touch and loving it!

This was our first dry-camping experience since installing our four 6-volt coach batteries (see March 19 issue). We operated the 12-volt lights, water pump and furnace fan for five days. We also used the inverter to provide power for our electric coffee maker. The batteries were still at 70% capacity at the end of five days (let's see, the batteries cost $500 and, so far, we have gotten five days use out of them, hmmm...).

The tides cooperated while we were there. We enjoyed almost isolated walks along wide, hard-packed stretches of sand in the mornings and late afternoons. Once out of the campground area we turned Molly loose. Happiness is... a dog that can run free on an endless stretch of beach.

Our next stop was the Pismo Sands RV Park in Oceano, just south of Pismo Beach. Designers of RV parks should take a look at the layout of this RV park. Wide streets and long, easy-access, pull-thru sites with full hookups make this an inviting place to stay. We used this park as a base-camp while we toured some of our old haunts in Pismo Beach, Morro Bay, Cambria and San Simeon.

Heading south towards home we stayed at oceanfront McGrath State Park for a couple of dry-camping nights. No hookups but nice restrooms and showers plus a dump station and fresh water source. McGrath is just a short distance from the Affinity and Good Sam Club headquarters in Ventura. We used the opportunity to touch base with some of our friends who work there and to have lunch with our editor, John Sullaway, and the lady who runs the show, Sue Bray.

Just an observation here - - Jalama and McGrath, being on the beach, are in high demand during the warmer months , especially during school vacations. We prefer to visit these spots during the "off-season" times of the year.

Our next adventure is our bus tour of the British Isles.

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Stretching Holding Tank Space

Dear Joe and Vicki: We enjoy camping self-contained in government campgrounds. Our trailer has a 50 gallon fresh-water tank, 30 gallon black-water tank and a 30 gallon gray-water tank. We’ve developed an easy method for refilling our fresh-water tank and our black-water tank is more than adequate but it doesn’t take long for us fill the gray-water tank. Any suggestions for “stretching” our gray-water capacity would be appreciated.

Joe: Wouldn’t it be great if the RV manufacturers caught on to the fact that we need more gray-water capacity than black-water capacity. Here are a few ideas to minimize the flow of water to your gray water tank:

Keep in mind that anything you can do to conserve water will also conserve holding tank space.

Use the campground’s restroom and shower facilities whenever possible.

If you shower in your RV, take a “navy” shower. Using the control valve on the shower head, turn on the water and use a minimal amount to get yourself wet, turn the water off while you soap, turn the water on just long enough to rinse off.

Shave with a rechargeable, battery-operated shaver rather than using a blade razor and water.

Vicki: Use paper plates to cut down on the number of dishes that need washing. Rather than pre-rinsing the dishes, wipe them off with a paper towel before washing. Wash dishes only once a day.

Frequently, when camping self-contained, I put two plastic dish pans in our double sink to wash dishes. One holds the soapy water, the other the rinse water. When I’m through washing dishes, instead of emptying the dish pans into the sink drain where the water would go into the gray-water tank, I pour them into the toilet where it goes into the black-water tank. This conserves gray-water tank space and adds much needed liquid to the black-water tank.

We’ve seen campers using waste-water collectors called “tote-tanks.” The idea is to collect gray-water in the tote-tank. When the tank is full, rather than moving the RV, you only have to take the tank to the disposal station,. They come in various sizes and even have wheels that make it easier to tote them.

Eventually, you will have to take your RV to a disposal station. That's what we consider "roughing it"

For more tips on RVing check out our book: "RV Travel and Camping Tips"
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Recipe: (from Vicki's book: "My RV Kitchen and Favorite Recipes")

Easiest Ever Corn on the Cob
(Quick and Easy)

I have always cooked corn on the cob the traditional way. Boil the water and add the corn. Then one evening while camping at Yellowstone with our friends, Marilyn and Sandy, Marilyn made this "easiest ever" corn on the cob. Nowadays, this is the only way I cook corn --no pans to wash, absolutely no clean up. And, the best part, the corn is tender and delicious.

1. Husk and wash desired number of ears of corn.

2. Run each ear under water to moisten.

3. Place 2 ears at a time in a plastic bag, tightly closed.

4. Microwave 1 minute per ear on "High".

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Return to RV Know How

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April 6, 2009 Issue

2009-04-06T12:50:00.000-07:00

In This Issue:

What’s New With Us: Interest in Alaska - Travel Plans - RV Service & Repair

Brief Article: Familiar Places

Vicki’s Favorite Recipe: Oven French Fries
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What’s New With Us

Maybe it’s the time of year, maybe it’s the article we wrote in the April issue of Highways magazine about RVing to Alaska, or maybe it’s a combination of both. But, judging by the way orders are pouring in for our Alaska DVDs and the RVing Alaska e-book, there are a lot of folks dreaming and scheming about RVing to Alaska. We definitely think that this trip should be on every RVer’s “bucket list” (things to do before you die).

Speaking of bucket lists; Vicki and I have just signed up for a 17-day bus tour of the British isles. We are not strangers to tour buses. We always try to take a bus tour of the big cities if it is our first visit. Bus tours go to the “must see” tourist spots, provide an introduction to the city and give us an idea of the places we might want to revisit on our own. These tours, however, have never been any longer than a single day and were always in conjunction with our staying in a local RV park.

The British isle tour will be our first guided bus tour. It will have us traveling in airplanes and buses, sleeping in hotels, eating at restaurants, living out of suitcases, and adhering to someone else’s itinerary. All of this with the same people all day, every day. I’m told this is the way civilized people travel.

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We live in Huntington Beach, California. We tell people that Huntington Beach is just south of Los Angeles or just north of San Diego; depending upon whether or not we are trying to impress them. Anyway, there are a lot of RVs in this part of the state. I would guess the majority of them are motorhomes. That being the case, you would think it would be easy to find skilled, conscientious RV service technicians and mechanics to work on motorhomes in the Huntington Beach area. That has not been my experience.

Recently, I called Colton Truck Terminal in Colton, California to make what would be my first appointment to have some work done on my motorhome. It was a Tuesday. The helpful, responsive person who answered the phone said I could bring my RV in the next day.

Wednesday morning I was greeted by a service writer who was helpful, knowledgeable and super professional. From the way he spoke, it was obvious he was familiar with the make and model of my motorhome. Wow! At ten years of age and with 200,000 miles on the odometer, I had a long list of things I wanted checked, serviced and adjusted on the chassis and drive train. The service writer, understanding that I intend to add another 200,000 miles, also had a few helpful suggestions.

Friday morning I received a call informing me my motorhome was ready to be picked up. And it was! All the services I had requested were completed. They presented me with an itemized bill that detailed everything that had been done. The charges for labor, parts, fluids and filters were reasonable. The bill also included the observations of the mechanic who had performed the work (he even checked a few things I had not thought of). Wow! And, the interior of the motorhome around the engine compartment was clean. Again, wow!

So, what’s the big deal about my story? I have been to any number of repair facilities across the country and received roughly the same treatment I received from Colton Truck Terminal. The big deal is that Colton Truck Terminal is 60 miles and almost 1-1/2 hours of congested interstate driving from Huntington Beach. And I had to drive that far to find a repair and service facility with the knowledge and capability to handle my motorhome. But, until I find someone closer and better, I’ll take my RV there again.

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Article: Familiar Places

Dear Joe and Vicki: Don't you miss the comfort of familiar surroundings when you're away from home?

Joe: Until you asked the question, we thought the reason we traveled was to escape our familiar surroundings. We thoroughly enjoy discovering and exploring new places and getting acquainted with new people. But, now that we think about it, we do find ourselves gravitating to the comfort of familiar surroundings all over the country.

Vicki: The nationwide chains and franchises have allowed the entire United States to become our neighborhood. We know, for example, that the quality and type of facilities in KOAs located all over the North American continent is pretty consistent. We can count on finding fuel islands reserved for RVers at Flying J Travel Plazas along most interstate highways and we know that the nationwide Camping World stores can repair or service our rig.

It's an unusual mall that doesn't have a Sears, Radio Shack and a Hallmark shop. Super markets with names like Kroger, Safeway, Fred Meyer, Wegman's, Harris Teeter, Food Lion and Martins offer me familiar comfort when grocery shopping. And we find Wal-Mart and K-Mart stores just about everywhere we go.

Joe: We go to Kinko's and Staples for office supplies and business services; Home Depot and Ace for hardware items; Napa and Kragen for auto parts.

My favorite neighborhood places have names like McDonald's, Cracker Barrel and Lone Star Steak House. And when I'm in the mood for international cuisine we look for Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and International House of Pancakes.

Vicki: So, you see, we are never very far from the comfort of familiar surroundings but we still enjoy discovering roadside produce stands, exploring neighborhood grocery stores and browsing through mom and pop retail shops. They just seem to add to the adventure of being an RVer.
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Recipe (From “My RV Kitchen and Favorite Recipes")

Oven French Fries

These French fries make a great last-minute side dish. I always have the ingredients available in the pantry.

3-4 medium potatoes, unpeeled

2 tablespoons olive oil

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1. Preheat oven to 475°.

2. Scrub and vertically slice potatoes into 1/4" to 1/2" strips.

3. In a large bowl, thoroughly coat the potatoes with the olive oil, salt and pepper.

4. Spread the potatoes on a nonstick cookie sheet.

5. Bake at 475° for 15 to 20 minutes. Turn potatoes and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes until tender and browned.

Makes 2-3 servings.

Return to RV Know How

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March 20, 2009 Issue

2009-03-20T13:20:00.000-07:00

About Molly

The gist of today’s e-mails is: “Yes, that’s all very fascinating (the March 19 post) but we were really interested in how Molly has been doing.”

Molly, our 7-month-old, 59 pound Golden Retriever puppy, is doing just fine. She is strong and healthy, almost full grown, and her white coat has developed a light golden hue. We haven’t taught her any cute parlor tricks but she has responded very well to basic obedience and good manners training. Molly understands and obeys the usual come, sit, lie down, stay, and, no commands.

She will also “go potty” and go to her place (bed) when told to. She is still working hard at curbing her puppy exuberance. For instance, she knows better than to jump up on people. But, if she is greeting someone she really loves, she has a rough time restraining herself. And when on a leash it takes her about ten minutes to remember it is a lot more comfortable to walk beside rather than in front of me.

Molly was spayed a couple weeks ago. Her rapid recovery was a lot harder on Vicki and me than it was on her. An identification chip that can be scanned by veterinarians was inserted under her skin while she was under the anesthetic.

Our three recent trips have helped Molly adjust to being an RV dog. Her favorite perch, when we are in a campsite, is the driver’s seat. That’s the only piece of furniture in the world she is allowed on. Our RV neighbors, by the way, appreciate that Molly is NOT a barker.

Today we are on Jerry and Arlyne Ray’s lot in Yuma, AZ. The lot is completely fenced so Jerry and Arlyne’s dog, a Sheltie named Chance, and Molly have the run of the place. Once in a great while they both stop moving at the same time.

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March 19, 2009 Issue

2009-03-19T13:15:00.000-07:00

In This Issue

What's New With Us:

Celebrating With Friends

"Due To The Economy"

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Celebrating With Friends

Our introduction to RV Notebook carries the disclaimer “updated with whimsical irregularity” but, judging by some of the e-mails and comments we have received, some of you think we are carrying the whimsical part a bit too far.

There’s good news and bad news about our last two months. The good news is … life has not been too exciting. The bad news is … life has not been very exciting. We’ve taken a couple of brief RV trips to Yuma since New Years (see January 6th entry). We stayed at Jerry and Arlyne Ray’s lot on both occasions.

On one trip we celebrated Valentine's Day at Joe and Joanne Annuzzio’s with about eight couples. The men prepared, served and cleaned up after a very nice dinner. Joe organized everything and, recognizing that I am domestically challenged, he assigned me to opening up cans of green beans and watching them cook. Later, I got to help clear the table. Joe gave me an attaboy for my accomplishments.

This past week we have been in Yuma to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. This time there were six couples. Unlike the pink jobs in life, eating corned beef and cabbage preceded and followed by a number of bottles of beer presented no challenge for me at all.

In the “Its Always Something” department … we had mechanical issues on both trips. The question is not “if,” but “when”). During our Valentine's Day trip, in the middle of the mountains, half way between San Diego and El Centro, the “Low Coolant” light started to flash. Why is it these things never happen in front of an RV repair facility? Anyway, one of the engine coolant hoses had sprung a leak. Fortunately the leak was near a fitting. There was enough slack in the hose so all I had to do was cut off the section of leaking hose and reattach the hose to the fitting. And I had sufficient spare coolant to replace what had been lost.

The St. Patrick’s Day trip revealed that our nine year old deep cycle batteries were no longer up to the job. That involved researching the pros and cons of replacing the two existing 8-D deep-cycle batteries with two more 8-Ds or switching to four 6-volt golf-cart batteries. To make a long story short I went with four 6-volt Trojan T-105 batteries wired in such a way to create the equivalent of two 12-volt batteries. Joe Annuzzio, electrical wizard, jack-of-all-trades, possessor of every tool imaginable, and, most importantly, a good friend, helped me install and wire the batteries. By the way, lead per ounce is almost as valuable as gold. Those four batteries cost me $505.00.

From here we might go to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. We’re told the desert flowers are blooming and it is spectacular. On the other hand local desert temperatures have reached the upper 90’s. As far as I’m concerned, it’s too cold below 50 degrees and too hot above 85 degrees. And our dog Molly, born and bred on the coast of Southern California, appears to agree. We’ll see where “whimsy” takes us next.

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Due To The Economy

The nation’s economic woes have devastated the RV industry. Many RV manufacturers and dealers have declared bankruptcy and/or gone out of business. The ripple effect has hurt those who supplied the materials, parts, appliances, furniture and services that go into manufacturing, selling and servicing RVs. Thousands of hard working folks have lost their jobs. The ripple effect has also reached Vicki and me.

As some of you know, Vicki and I have made a business of teaching classes, presenting seminars, writing and selling books and writing magazine articles. Last year we lost two of our sponsors and a couple of RV shows “due to the economy”. A little math revealed that without those shows and sponsors it would make better financial sense to restrict our seminar presentations to RV shows in the west. The good news was that, after making two coast-to-coast speaking circuits every year, we would nowhave time to do more “fun” traveling. And then, wouldn’t you know, our western RV shows informed us they had to cut back on the size of their shows to the point where they could not afford to have us present seminars. Our 2009 seminar calendar was suddenly empty. Adding to the pain is that 85% of our book and DVD sales take place at the end of our seminars. Wow! A double whammy!

Well, we thought, after 15 years of chasing RV shows, rallies and Life on Wheels conferences, maybe it's time to slow down and start practicing what we have been preaching. Besides, we can still write our monthly columns for The Good Sam Club’s “Highways” magazine, Woodall’s regional magazines, and KOA’s “KOA Kompass” internet newsletter.

Or not. Yesterday we received an e-mail from our editor at Woodall’s informing us that, effective with the April edition, the Woodall’s regional titles were being suspended indefinitely. Woodall’s had become another “due to the economy” casualty.

Fortunately, Vicki and I do not “need” the money from our speaking and writing in order to survive. I turn 70 years of age this summer and we were prepared for the time when we would no longer have the income from our RV business. So, for now, we will hunker down and weather the storm. We won’t be chasing any opportunities but, on the other hand, we won’t turn down any that float our way. We got into this business, after all, by falling backward through the door of opportunity.

In the meantime we will keep a kind thought for all those folks whose lives have been shattered “due to the economy”.

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January 6, 2009 Issue

2009-01-05T20:25:00.001-08:00

In this Issue:

What’s New With Us: Greetings From Yuma

Article: RV Show Season

Vicki's Favorite Recipes: Cheesy Garlic Bread

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What's New With Us:

Happy New Year! Greetings From Yuma, AZ.

We drove our motorhome from Huntington Beach, CA to Yuma AZ on Dec. 29th. It’s only about 280 miles but we’ve had itchy wheels since October so it was an exciting journey.

Our good friends, Jerry and Arlyne Ray, are sharing their RV lot and with us. The weather has been super cooperative. Sunny days in the 70’s and brisk evenings in the 40’s.

Other good friends, Joe and Joanne Annuzio, hosted a New Year’s bash for 14 of us in the new house they built on their lot (directly across the street from Jerry and Arlyne). Moving into this house officially removes them from the ranks of full-time RVers. They join a number of our full-time RVing friends who have come in off the road during the last couple of years.

Molly, our 40- pound-plus, 4½- months-old Golden Retriever (we can almost see her grow from day to day), has learned a lot on her maiden RV voyage. In addition to traveling in a motorhome for the first time, she has been exposed and adjusted to potty-breaks at rest areas, noisy trucks and motorhomes, cold nose-to-butt greetings from strange dogs, and warm attention from even stranger humans. She is developing into a great RVing companion.

Jerry and Arlyne used to raise, train and show dogs. Arlyne has spent some time training Molly, and Molly has adopted her as a second mom. Jerry and Arlyne have taken to leaving their motorhome door open during the day so Molly can come in whenever she wants to. She entertains them with her puppy antics every time she visits.

Joe Annuzio took me on a 4-wheeling trip into the local desert and mountains. We, along with five other vehicles, retraced old wagon trails, bounced along dry, rocky creek-beds, and checked out abandoned gold and silver mines. It was a fun day. Vicki stayed in the motorhome. She read, watched movies and enjoyed her “alone” time.

Even more good friends, Gil and Elaine Feis, who own the lot next to Jerry and Arlyne, joined the Rays, Annuzios and us every evening for laughter-filled happy hours that evolved into fun dinners.

Good food, good times, good friends. It was a great start to the new year. Thanks guys, we really needed that.

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Reduced prices on all DVDs and e-books!

The two Alaska DVDs have been reduced from $24.95 to $19.95 each. Or you can purchase both Alaska DVDs together for only $30.00. (See the condition of the various roads and highways)

A perfect companion to the Alaska DVDs is the e-book "RVing Alaska: Insights and Observations" for only $9.95 (reduced from $12.95). (Includes a detailed journal of a 44-day Alaskan RV trip that can be used to plan your own journey.)

Looking for a gift for the RV cook? Check out Vicki's "My RV Kitchen and Favorite Recipes". Good information for the cook and good eating for you.

Now available in paperback: "Full-Time RVer's Homework". Until now the paperback version could only be purchased at the end of our seminar presentations.

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RV Show Season

Have you been to an RV show lately? Winter is prime RV show season. RV shows are the dealers' way of going to the customer, displaying their products and, hopefully, making lots of sales.

A real RV show is one that has a half dozen or more RV dealers exhibiting a large variety of RVs in one convenient location. Obviously, the more dealers participating in the show the larger the number of RVs you’ll find on display.

Attending an RV show is a dynamite way to comparison shop for an RV. It gives you the opportunity to check out an assortment of trailers, motorhomes, campers and van conversions. This is where casual lookers can view the new models and investigate the latest innovations. This is also where serious shoppers can zero in on the type, size and price bracket of the RV they want. They can then compare the floorplans, features, quality and prices of similar rigs. And, when they decide to buy, they are likely to discover that special show prices and deals are not uncommon when competing RV dealers are in close proximity to one another.

A big RV show will also include display booths with vendors of RV related products and services. Campgrounds and RV parks hand out literature and discount coupons inviting RVers to spend time in their facilities. Insurance agents offer free RV insurance quotes. Sellers of cleaning and polishing products give away free samples.

The vendor booth area is where you are likely to find sewer hoses, water filters, electric hookup extension cords, roof air conditioners, portable fire pits and every other common and uncommon RV gadget and gizmo. This is where the "pitch" people demonstrate their wares. You can watch them cook a meal, mop floors, peel potatoes, clean jewelry and perform any number of entertaining presentations that will convince you to buy their "must have" products.

Many RVers, content with their present RV, consider the vendor booths the reason to attend an RV show. Clever show producers recognize that, after viewing the vendor area, these RVers frequently move on to the RV displays where a good number of them end up buying a new rig.

RV show producers also recognize the growing popularity of RVs with young families. To draw them in, many shows offer clowns, mimes, magicians, strolling musicians, jugglers, ventriloquists, and other forms of entertainment. RV shows, after all, have to compete with other events for the attention of the consumer.

And, of course, a really great RV show will feature RV seminars by folks like Joe and Vicki Kieva. Our seminars provide tips on choosing, using and enjoying an RV.

Finding an RV show is not difficult. Most occur during the months of January, February and March and again during September and October. The bigger shows will advertise on local radio and television stations. Click here for a list of RV shows around the country.

Many RV shows have their own web sites. It is not unusual for these web sites to have discount coupons you can download, print and present for a reduced admission price.

You will also find their ads in RV magazines and your local newspaper. Pay close attention; the print ads frequently double as discount coupons for admission. See if the ad offers reduced admission prices to seniors or RV club members who are willing to attend the show on weekdays. By the way, we have observed that RV shows are less crowded on weekdays and early in the day on weekends.

Your day at the RV show will be more enjoyable if you take the time to make a few preparations at home. Plan on wearing comfortable, layered clothing so you can adjust to any change in temperatures. At outdoor shows a wide-brimmed hat will protect your head from the sun and sunglasses will cut any glare. And, obviously, comfortable walking shoes are a must.

A tote bag or, better yet, a backpack can be handy for carrying sweaters, snacks, and small purchases. A backpack is especially convenient if you want to carry one or two small bottles of drinking water.

Life will be easier for both kids and parents if you bring a stroller. Even kids who think they are "too big" for a stroller will climb in when they get tired of being on their feet. And, a stroller can carry all those items that would normally have to be carried in a backpack.

Serious RV shoppers should take a notebook and pen. If nothing else, they can make notes on the brochures of the RVs that attract them. A digital camera will make it possible to "revisit" the rigs that have special appeal. We have seen some shoppers using video cameras so they could videotape and verbally describe the RVs that appealed to them.

Many show vendors offer prizes and other incentives to those willing to sign up for them. You can avoid writer's cramp by taking some of your return address labels to the show. Simply stick the labels on the sign-up sheets. You will undoubtedly be rewarded with lots of RV related mail in the near future.

A word of caution about these sign-up sheets. Read the small print carefully before you put your name on them. There are a few scams out there that make it appear you are simply registering for a prize or adding your name to a mailing list when, in fact, you are actually agreeing to have your telephone service switched to another carrier.

Arrive at the RV show early. You will get a parking space close to the entrance; something your feet will appreciate at the end of the day. Getting there early also means you have all day to browse through the show. Some RV shows are so large it takes two or three days to see everything.

Read the show program as soon as you get into the show. They are usually available at the show entrance. Pay particular attention to the schedule of events. There may be demonstrations, entertainment or seminars you want to sit in on. Try to plan your day so your attendance at these presentations doubles as a break and gets you off your feet for a while. Be sure to reward the good behavior of your children by making a point of seeing that magic act.

Study the program's map of the show. Plan your route through the show to include the RVs, vendors and events you especially wish to see. This might also be a good time to pinpoint the locations of the restrooms and food concession stands.

Experienced RV show shoppers make a point of visiting the building, room, tent or area that contains the vendor booths. They know this is where they’ll find all those unique RV products, services and gadgets that add to the enjoyment of RVing.

While you are there, locate a vendor who is giving away plastic carrying bags. Now you have something to hold all that literature you’ll be gathering. You don't have to be too fussy about the literature you pick up. Just put it in the bag, take it home and put the bag next to your television-viewing chair. Now you have something to read during those long TV commercials. With luck you’ll be at a two-bag show.

Take your time. Look at the RVs. Ask questions. Pick up brochures. Make notes. Keep in mind the show producer, dealers and vendors have gone to a great deal of trouble to put the show together. The least you can do is buy an RV.

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Vicki's Favorite Recipes:

Cheesy Garlic Bread (From "My RV Kitchen and Favorite Recipes")

We often have this bread along with spaghetti or lasagna. It also makes a delicious appetizer.

1 sourdough baguette, halved lengthwise
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1. Preheat broiler or oven to 450°.

2. Stir together the butter, mayonnaise and garlic.
Spread thickly on cut sides of the baguette.

3. Top with cheese. Place under broiler and broil until the top is bubbly.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Tip: It seems that a majority of RVers have had a problem baking brownies, cakes and biscuits in their RV ovens without burning the bottoms. There are a couple of solutions to that problem. Try air-bake pans (they have a layer of air between two sheets of metal). Also try the new silicone baking pans. Not only do the foods not burn on the bottom, they pop right out of the pans without sticking.

Return To RV Know How

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December 9, 2008 Issue

2008-12-09T15:35:00.000-08:00

In This Issue:

What's New With Us: Healing Progress - Holiday Plans
Brief Article: Stocking Stuffers
Vicki's Favorite Recipes: Peg's Sour Cream Guacamle Dip

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Just in time for Christmas! Reduced prices on all DVDs and e-books!

The two Alaska DVDs have been reduced from $24.95 to $19.95 each. Or you can purchase both Alaska DVDs together for only $30.00.

A prefect companion to the Alaska DVDs is the e-book "RVing Alaska: Insights and Observations" for only $9.95 (reduced from $12.95).

Looking for a gift for the RV cook? Check out Vicki's "My RV Kitchen and Favorite Recipes". Good information for the cook and good eating for you.

Now available in paperback: "Full-Time RVer's Homework". Until now the paperback version could only be purchased at the end of our seminar presentations.

Mailing Tip: If you want your DVDs and/or books to arrive in time for Christmas, order them before December 18 and have them sent Priority Mail.

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What's New with Us.

My shoulder has healed sufficiently for me to be back at the keyboard. However, I still have a couple of months of physical therapy before I can do any heavy work. And that includes washing our motorhome. So… I hired a mobile detailer to do the job (see the photo).

Vicki was happy. She gets nervous when she sees me scrubbing the motorhome's roof. She usually mumbles something about me being a stuborn, clumsy old man who is crusin for a bruisin and then stomps into the house. What she doesn't realize is that washing the rig is my opportunity to closely examine every square inch of the outside of the motorhome. Besides, I always do a better job than the professionals.

Our next few weekends are going to be busy with family gatherings. Unfortunately we can never seem to get everyone together at the same time so this year we will have a gathering on the weekend of the 13th when our daughter her husband can travel from Sacramento. The weekend of the 20th we will have another gathering when my brother and his wife can travel from Ventura. Christmas day we will only have Vicki's dad, our two sons and their children for dinner. Three or four days after Christmas we will drive our motorhome to Yuma and celebrate New Year's with a group of RVing friends. We'll hang out in Yuma for a few days and then let whimsy be our guide.

Vicki and I wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

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Brief Article

Dear Joe and Vicki: Do you have any suggestions for RV- related holiday "stocking stuffers"? My husband and I use the holidays as an opportunity to buy things for ourselves that we ordinarily would not spend the money on.

Joe: You didn't say what price range you had in mind but here are some practical, useful items under the $50.00 mark that we think most RVers would appreciate. Just about all of them can be found in RV accessory stores like Camping World.

Digital Tire-Pressure Gauge - The air pressure in your tires should be checked before taking your RV out of storage and every few days while traveling. Since the tires should be cold when checking their pressure, I check our tires in the morning before getting on the road. I prefer a digital air-pressure gauge. It seems more accurate. There is one with a backlit display that makes it easy to see the pressure reading.

Voltage Meter – In the best of worlds an RV park or campground's electric hookup would provide 115 volts. We feel good when we see a consistent 110 volts. Most experts advise that an appliance's electric motor (like in an air conditioner or washing machine) should not be operated on less than 103 to 105 volts of power. Below that point the motor is straining to do the job and can either cause a breaker to open or, worse yet, damage the motor. A voltage meter plugged into the RV's electrical outlet allows you to keep tabs on the voltage available to your rig.

Compass – "Turn north at the first intersection" That's what the directions to the campground say. Trouble is… you don't know which way is north. A compass can help solve the problem. If nothing else, it gives you something to blame (other than your co-pilot) for getting you lost.

Bubble Levels – We have two bubble levels mounted inside the driving compartment of our motorhome; one on the dash, and the other on the wall next to the driver's seat. They are calibrated (with little lines) so I can determine how level the RV is front-to-rear and side-to-side. Watching the levels as I enter a campsite lets me move into the most level spot. The levels also tell me when my levelers have finished the job of leveling the RV. When we had a trailer I had the same type of levels attached on the outside of the trailer's front wall and to the side of the trailer tongue. The one on the wall helped me level side-to-side; the one on the tongue, front-to-rear.

Weather Alert Radio – When the weather looks ominous, a weather alert radio will provide up-to-the-minute weather reports. National Weather Radio (NWR) is a nationwide network of radio stations that broadcast local weather reports 24 hours a day. The messages are repeated every five minutes and updated every two hours. The NWR usually requires a special radio to pick up its broadcasts. These radios, available at electronic stores such as Radio Shack, are typically battery operated or AC powered with a battery backup. Most NWR radios are also equipped with an alarm that sounds when a severe weather alert is issued. We especially appreciate ours when we are in tornado country.

Vicki: My wish-list leans towards things like a clothes washer/dryer. But here are some neat stocking stuffers:

Refrigerator/Freezer Thermometer – Outside temperatures can affect the efficiency of an RV's refrigerator and freezer operation. Sometimes, depending upon outside temperatures, it is necessary to adjust the refrigerator's temperature selector up or down. Two refrigerator thermometers, one located inside the refrigerator compartment and the other inside the freezer, can help you keep your food within the correct temperature range. They even make one that sounds an alarm when the temperature exceeds your settings.

Icicles Ice Tray - Instead of making ice cubes, this tray makes ice sticks that will fit into water or pop bottles. Pretty ingenious.

Indoor/Outdoor Thermometer - This device lets us know at a glance the temperatures both inside and outside of our RV. We have one that also lets us see what the highest and lowest temperatures of the day (inside and outside) have been.

Hand-held Radio Set – We have a hand-held CB radio that I use to communicate with Joe when we are backing our RV. We have seen other RVers using small hand-held "Walkie-Talkies" to do the same thing. Mostly, though, I see couples using their radios to find each other in the Wal-Mart Super Centers.

Mesh Laundry Hamper – I like the one that has three sections. It gives me the option of separating the dirty clothes. It is also just the right size to fit in our shower. That's where we keep our laundry. The hamper is easily moved (I just ask Joe) to a place next to our bed when we want to take a shower.

RVing Books and DVDs - Our RV books and DVDs are loaded with practical, useful information about RVs, RVers and RVing.

Happy Holidays!

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Vicki's Favorite Recipes

Peg's Sour Cream Guacamole Dip
(from "My RV Kitchen and Favorite Recipes")
(Quick and Easy)

Joe's mom, Peg, did very little cooking in her later years. She did, however, like to make this dip for family get togethers. It always disappeared very quickly.

Because the ingredients are easy to keep on hand, this is a great last-minute appetizer to bring to any gathering of RVers. Just add a bag of tortilla chips.

2 boxes (8-oz.) avocado dip (I use "Calavo" brand)
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1 can (4 oz.) mild diced green chiles
8 oz. sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Spread avocado dip in an 8" or 9" round pie plate.

2. Sprinkle hot sauce over the avocado dip. Distribute diced chiles over the hot sauce.

3. Cover the top with sour cream and lightly sprinkle the top with cheddar cheese.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Makes 2-1/2 to 3 cups.

Tip: Avocado dip can be found in the produce, refrigerated or frozen section of your supermarket. Allow about two hours to thaw if it is frozen.

Return to RV Know How
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November 21, 2008 Issue

2008-11-21T15:37:00.001-08:00

What's New With Us:

This will be brief. I had shoulder surgery last week (bone spur removed, tendon repaired and rotator cuff repaired) and my left arm must remain immobile for a month. So this is being typed one-handed. Lots of time and lots of typos.

Molly, our new puppy, is getting lots of attention. So much attention that she thinks her name is Molly No No. I forgot how much inquisitive mischief a puppy can get into. She is responding very nicely to her training. Goldens just want to please.

Our 19-year-old grand-daughter, Amanda, is spending the week with us. Vicki and I are thoroughly enjoying just hanging out with her. It seems like it was just a short time ago that she was bragging to everyone that her Papa was very strong and could fix anything. I worked really hard at maintaining that illusion.

More in a couple of weeks.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Return To RV Know How

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November 1, 2008 Issue

2008-11-03T15:41:00.000-08:00

In This Issue:

What's New With Us: Meet Molly

Article: Winter RVing

Vicki's Recipes: Sausage, Peppers & Pasta

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Are you thinking about: Buying an RV? Becoming a Fulltime RVer? Going to Alaska? Do you want to read about it today? Take a look at our e-books. And while you're at it, download a free chapter of our "Fulltime RVers Homework" e-book.

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What's New With Us

Meet Molly

Molly is an English Crème Golden Retriever. As you can see in the photos English Cremes have a white coat. Molly, however, has a hint of blond. I guess that means she'll have more fun.

Molly, along with her five brothers and four sisters, was born on 08-08-08. We brought her home on October 21. The three of us (Molly, Vicki and I) have been in training ever since. Molly has been trained to "come", "sit", and "lie down". I have been trained to reward her with praise or a treat any time she decides to run up to me and sits or lies down. Vicki has been brainwashed into believing that Molly is a lap dog.

Vicki and I have both been trained to respond to two sharp commands - er, barks .. delivered at 6:00 in the morning. We have learned that those barks mean we have three minutes to let Molly out of house so she can visit the powder room. Vicki's logic is that while it is her end of the dog doing the barking, it is my end of the dog that needs to be attended. Therefore it is I who must get out of bed.

Molly and I are now working on the command "Go Potty". Periodically, with Molly on a leash, we go to the same area of our back yard and I give the command "Go Potty". Then I stand there like a fool talking to myself ("go potty, go potty, go potty") while Molly sniffs leaves, investigates bugs and chews on her end of the leash. Eventually her hind end drops for a moment, I lavish her with praise, and she heads for the back door. I'm not sure if she really goes potty or if she has learned that we can return to the house if she drops her hind end for a moment. One thing is for sure… she does not need to be told to go potty any other time or place. I think the training is going well.

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RVing Article

Winter RVing

Dear Joe and Vicki: We are fairly new to RVing. Our experience has been limited to fair weather trips to the California coast and mountains. We would like to drive our RV from California to Virginia about mid-January but are a little apprehensive about driving conditions should the roads turn icy. Your thoughts on this and any cold-weather RVing tips would be appreciated.

Joe: In the past, our January/February speaking circuit at RV shows has taken us (and our motorhome) from Tampa, Florida to Atlantic City, New Jersey, You might say we have some experience with cold weather driving and camping. We do our best to avoid driving in snow and we absolutely refuse to drive on icy roads. We have been known to spend an extra night or two in a campground waiting for driving conditions to improve. That’s one of the advantages of having your “house” with you.

Prepare you rig as you would for any long trip. Check the condition of your tires and their air pressure. Be sure your engine coolant has the appropriate mix of anti-freeze. Fill your windshield-washer reservoir and check your windshield wipers. Engines demand more electrical starting power during cold weather so check the battery’s electrolyte level, clean the terminals, and coat them with petroleum jelly. If you begin your trip with new engine oil and filters you shouldn’t have to change them again before you return home.

You will want a set of tire chains if you intend to drive on snow or ice. Practice putting them on at home while it is warm and dry. Motorhome owners should consider the damage a broken tire chain could inflict upon the fiberglass body of their rig. It might be better to avoid roads where chains may be required.

Your RV's built-in space heating system should be adequate for keeping the interior of your coach warm. Remember, though, that a forced air furnace, in addition to consuming propane, will draw up to seven amps of electricity while operating. This could represent a considerable drain on the coach battery if electric hookups are not available.

Obviously, an electric hookup each night will prevent your furnace fan from draining your coach batteries. It will also allow you to operate the engine block heater if you have a diesel engine.

Many RVers who do a lot of self-contained camping use catalytic heaters. Catalytic heaters combine propane and oxygen over a platinum-impregnated pad. The chemical reaction releases energy in the form of radiated heat. It requires no electricity and utilizes propane more efficiently than a forced-air heater.

Most catalytic heaters are not vented to the outside. They consume oxygen from inside the RV and should only be operated when open windows and vents can provide adequate ventilation.

Vicki: Once we are hooked up to electricity, it is our habit to warm the interior of our coach with our propane furnace and then switch to a portable electric heater. The electric heater maintains a comfortable temperature and minimizes the time the furnace has to operate. If you intend to do this be sure the RV’s electrical hookup cord and any extension cord to the heater have a sufficient amperage rating to withstand the wattage of the heater. Divide the heater’s maximum wattage by 120 (volts) to determine the minimum rating of the electrical cord. A 1,500 watt heater, for example, would require an electrical cord with a minimum rating of 12.5 amps (1500 watts divided by 120 volts equals 12.5 amps).

I’m going to assume your RV’s plumbing, fresh-water tank and holding tanks are located in enclosed, heated compartments. As long as your furnace runs periodically, you shouldn’t have any problem with frozen plumbing.

We have installed two drop cords in our plumbing bay. One is near the water pump and sewer outlet. The other is on the opposite side of the compartment near the water heater. Each drop cord has a 40-watt light bulb. The heat from the bulbs keep the interior of the compartment warm when our furnace is not operating.

Remember to disconnect, drain and store your water and sewer hoses when temperatures approach the freezing level. Rather than deal with stiff or frozen hoses we prefer not to hook them up when there is any chance of temperatures dropping below 40 degrees. We only connect our hoses long enough to fill our water tank and empty our holding tanks. The rest of the time they remain in the storage cabinet.

Windows can be insulated against the cold with heavy drapes or curtains. You can also create an insulating, dead air space inside the windows by covering them with clear, heavy vinyl. Some RVers have been known to cut sheets of Styrofoam or foam-filled poster-board to fit the interior of some of their windows as insulation.

Condensation occurs inside an RV when the warm, moist interior air of the RV comes in contact with the cool surfaces of the windows and walls. We exchange humid interior air with dry outside air by opening a window about a quarter of an inch at each end of our RV and operating the roof-vent exhaust fan in the kitchen at a very slow speed.

Joe has a pair of warm, water-proof, boots he slips on when the ground around our campsite is wet or muddy (and it usually is at that time of year).

I take along a few old throw rugs. They provide insulation on tile floors and protect the carpeting against tracked in dirt and moisture. When a throw rug gets dirty enough, I just toss it in the trash and replace it with another.

Try to camp in a spot that is open to the heat of the sun and, if possible, protected from the wind. You can minimize cold drafts by facing the RV into or away from the prevailing wind.

Keep in mind that snow accumulating on overhanging branches may eventually drop off in heavy clumps or perhaps bring down the brittle branches. And don't let snow block the refrigerator roof vent.

We enjoy our winter travels. Traffic is lighter. Campgrounds are not crowded. The air is clean and brisk. Winter RVing is a little different but certainly not difficult. With a little experience you’ll soon find yourself enjoying your cold weather journeys.

One of our most memorable travel days was spent driving across the gently rolling farmlands of Kentucky on Interstate 64. A light snowfall persisted most of the day. Traffic was almost non-existent. The snow melted on the highway and, at the same time, laid a soft white blanket over the sleeping countryside. We stopped several times, turned off the engine, and stepped outside, just to experience the stillness. Not something we could have done on a Southern California interstate.

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Vicki's Favorite Recipes (from My RV Kitchen and Favorite Recipes)

Sausage, Peppers and Pasta
(Quick and Easy)

This makes a fast, easy main dish.

2 lbs. Italian sausage, cut in 2" lengths
2 onions, cut into thick slices
2 bell peppers, cut into strips
1 cup marinara sauce (store-bought or homemade)
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
Rotelle or other short pasta

1. Put sausage in a 3-quart microwave safe bowl. Cover and microwave on high 7 to 9 minutes,stirring twice, until firm to the touch. Drain well.

2. Stir onions, peppers, marinara sauce and basil into the bowl with the sausage. Cover with a lid or vented plastic wrap and microwave on high 8 to 10 minutes, stirring once, until onions and peppers are tender.

3. Stir some of the cooked sauce into the pasta to moisten. Serve sausage, peppers and remainder of sauce over the pasta.

Makes about 4 servings.

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Are you thinking about: Buying an RV? Becoming a Fulltime RVer? Going to Alaska? Do you want to read about it today? Take a look at our e-books. And while you're at it, download a free chapter of our "Fulltime RVers Homework" e-book.

============================================

Next Issue: Stocking Stuffers

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================================================

Greetings From The California RV Show

2008-10-17T20:45:00.000-07:00

We are staying at the Pomona KOA where we are presenting two seminars a day, every day, at the ten-day California RV Show. The KOA is adjacent to the RV show so we don’t have much of a commute to our seminar area. Our full-service, pull-through site is in the shady area of the RV park. That also means the trees prevent our satellite dish from picking up the satellite so we are roughing it watching standard network programs (no cable service).

The California RV Show takes place every October. This year is no exception. But this year, manufacturer, dealer and booth-vendor participation are lower than in the past.

The photos below of the main outside aisle and the interior of the vendor tent were taken at approximately 1:30 pm on October 17th, the second Friday of the ten-day show. They provide an indication of the number of people who attended the show this year. Show attendance has been really disappointing.

I have no idea of how others are doing (nobody seems to be rejoicing) but our seminar attendance at this show, along with our book and DVD sales, are half what they were last year.

This is our last show for 2008. Our next RV adventure will take us to Yuma, Arizona where we will welcome the new year with RVing friends. In the meantime we will be training a new Golden Retriever puppy.

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Return To RV Know How

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To Keep or Not To Keep

2008-10-14T17:10:00.000-07:00

In This Issue

What's New With Us: A New Puppy!
Brief Article: To Keep or Not to Keep (that dinosaur)
Vicki's Recipe: Joe's Favorite Tacos
RVing Tip: Black Marks in The Refrigerator
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What's New With Us

We're getting a new puppy! Next Tuesday, when she is old enough to leave her mom, we will be picking up a new puppy. Her name is Molly. Molly is an English Creme Golden Retriever. English Cremes have a white coat, although Molly has just a hint of blond color. Molly's litter consisted of five males and five females. We knew we wanted a female but it still took us about two hours to make our final selection. The picture shows Vicki holding the two finalists. Vicki wanted both of them. Molly is on the right.

Our last dog, Brandy, was a Golden Retriever. Golden Retrievers have a sweet and gentle nature. Goldens start out the way most larger breeds do; active and rambunctious. But after a couple of years they develop a laid-back attitude and settle down. Goldens typically love human beings. They want to be a part of the family's activities. The Goldens I have dealt with want very badly to please their humans. As a result, they are easy to train by using praise and affection.

Molly, just like our previous dogs, will be trained to come, sit, lie down, stay, go to her bed, go potty, and heel. She will have the good manners to not jump on people and will only bark when appropriate. Molly will remain outside during the day and be allowed inside at night and during inclimate weather.

Vicki and I are now negotiating on who will be responsible for which end of the dog. I have a suspicion Vicki is going to win the front end.

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To Keep or Not to Keep

Dear Joe and Vicki: My motorhome is 5 years old. Things are beginning to wear out and need replacement. We are wondering whether we should keep and refurbish our present motorhome or buy a new one. What do you think?

Joe: Either way, it looks like you are getting ready to spend some money. And, whether you buy a new motorhome or refurbish the one you have, in five more years you are probably going to be faced with the same decision again.

Five years of age seems to be a mid-life crisis point for RVs, especially motorhomes. Outside, the paint is beginning to oxidize. The windshield probably has a few battle scars. The roof needs to be re-caulked (for the second or third time). Shock absorbers and brake linings need to be checked. Belts, hoses and windshield wiper blades are due for replacement. Tires, no matter their tread wear, are reaching the end of their safe lifespan. The engine and transmission may not be performing as smartly as when they were new.

Inside, the carpet, upholstery and window coverings are beginning to fade and show some wear. Fabrics and color schemes are woefully out-of-fashion. Outdated appliances have reached the point where, if they stop working, the repairman will probably suggest replacement instead of repair. The entertainment center (if you have one) has a television screen that is smaller than you like, does not have a DVD player, and has speakers that seem archaic.

And, if your RV is five or more years of age, you may only have one slide-out room or perhaps no slides at all! Good grief! You own a dinosaur!

Chances are your RV's loan balance is less than, or about equal to, its market value. Or maybe you are one of the lucky RV owners whose payments are just right – nothing per month. That means you have some equity in your present RV that could be applied to the purchase of a new one. And let's face it, a five year old RV is easier to sell or trade than one that is ten years old. Maybe now is a good time to trade.

Vicki: Before you do, however, consider what you will be doing with your present or new RV for the next five years. Do you anticipate any personal or career changes that would affect your RVing lifestyle? A new job or promotion might curtail the amount of time available for RVing. In that case, it might not make good financial sense to buy a new RV only to have it sit in storage. Perhaps it might be better to postpone that new purchase and, for the time being, make do with your present RV.

On the other hand, if you will be retiring soon, perhaps you will have even more time available for RVing. Buying a new RV prior to retiring can be a good decision. You can choose one that will better complement your extended travels. You will also have the opportunity to take it on a few shakedown trips and get familiar with it before you embark on those extended cross-country journeys.

One of the most popular reasons for getting a new RV is a change of RV lifestyle. Going from weekend and two-week camping trips to extended travel, snowbirding, or fulltiming frequently calls for a change in the type and/or size of RV.

However, if you are going to continue to use your RV as you have in the past, there are some other considerations. By now you have made a lot of personal changes and adjustments to your RV. Closets, drawers and cabinets have been arranged to hold all your "stuff". Pictures, pillows and decorations have been added to reflect your personal taste. You have decided where to keep the trash basket, laundry hamper and vacuum cleaner. You are familiar with your RV's idiosyncrasies and comfortable with its operation. Do you really want to get rid of this rig? If you did replace it, would you want the new RV to be radically different? If your present rig will satisfy your RVing interests and needs for the next five years or so, if you can incorporate the changes and upgrades you'd like into your RV, maybe you should hold onto it.

Joe: Look at the financial considerations. Before you refurbish your current RV, make a list of the things you would like to change. Take your list to the appropriate craftsmen and get an estimate of what the total project will cost. Then, determine your RV's actual market value – what you could reasonably and realistically expect to receive if you sold it today. You don't want to invest more into your RV than it is worth.

Look at the price of new RVs that are equivalent to your present rig. Chances are you will pay at least half again as much for a new RV as you did for your present RV five years ago. Not only will the purchase price be higher, but so will the sales tax. And, of course, the annual insurance premiums, and vehicle registration fees of the new RV will be higher than what you are paying now.

The money you spend refurbishing your RV may not add appreciably to its market value
but it will certainly be less than the cost of a new rig.

Vicki: Your choices seem to be to a.) keep your RV and spend the minimum necessary to bring it to satisfactory condition, b.) keep your RV and invest what it takes to renovate and update it to your satisfaction, or c.) buy a new RV that will better satisfy your interests and needs.

If you are unhappy with your present RV, if it does not satisfy your RVing lifestyle, if you want a different type, size, style or floorplan, then buy that new RV. But if you like your present RV and it can be refurbished to satisfy your RVing interests and needs, it might make better sense to keep it.

And, if you do, there's always the chance that a silver-tongued salesman will weave his magic, and cause you to fall in love with a 42-foot, quadruple slide, Whizbang motorhome and set you up with a payment schedule that will last the rest of your natural life.

Either way, in five years you will be making this same decision again.

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Vicki"s Favorite Recipes (from My RV Kitchen and Favorite Recipes)

Joe's Favorite Tacos

I fix tacos about once a week whether we are at home or on the road. Corn tortillas are hard to find in some parts of the country, so I always put several packages in our RV freezer before leaving on a trip.

When Joe and the kids have their birthdays, they always get to choose their favorite dinner. This has always been Joe's choice. It is also the favorite of all of our grandchildren.

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 heaping tablespoons salsa
12 corn tortillas
Vegetable oil for frying
1/4 to 1/2 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
1-1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 large or 2 small tomatoes, chopped
Additional salsa to spoon on tacos
Sour cream, optional

1. Crumble and brown ground beef in a medium skillet. Add salt, pepper and salsa.

2. Pour about ¼ inch vegetable oil in a skillet and heat on high. When the oil is hot, fry one tortilla at a time. Fry on one side until starting to crisp at the edges, turn over, fold in half and brown on each side. Continue for all 12 tortillas.

3. Drain each tortilla on paper towels.

4. Serve taco shells filled with meat. Each person can add their own lettuce, cheese, onions, tomatoes, salsa and sour cream.

Makes 3-4 servings.

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RVing Tip

Travel vibrations can cause aluminum drink cans to leave black marks on the interior walls and shelves of the refrigerator. You can prevent this by using a plastic storage box (without the lid) as a drink-can container inside your refrigerator.

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Next Issue November 1 - Cash and Carry

Return to RV Know How

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RV Show Season

2008-09-14T14:24:00.000-07:00

In This Issue:

What's New With Us: Itchy Wheels
Brief Article: RV Show Time
Vicki's Favorite Recipes: Italian Pasta Salad
RVing Tip: RV Storage Tip

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Going to Alaska next year? Read the article "Alaska! The Ultimate RV Adventure" and check out our DVD "RVing Alaska: What to Expect, How to Prepare" and our E-book "RVing Alaska, Insights and Observations" View our Alaska Journey Blogs - September 5 and 8, 2007.

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What's New With Us

As Extended RV Travelers we normally go out on the road for three to four months, return home for a couple of months, and then hit the road again for another few months.

This year has been different. We traveled to the east coast to present seminars at RV shows during the months of January, February and March. Then we returned home during the first week of April. Family circumstances resulted in the cancellation of our summer travel plans (see RV Notebook post July 9). With the exception of a five-day journey to Oregon, we have been house-locked for almost six months. Talk about having a case of "itchy wheels"!!!

So we are looking forward to our 400-mile journey to Sacramento at the end of this month. We will be "camping" in a parking lot adjacent to the Sacramento RV Show while we present seminars there.

We are scheduled to present our "10 Tips For Choosing An RV" seminar at 12 noon and our "ExtendedRV Travel" seminar at 3:00 pm every day of the show. Come see us.

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RV Show Time

Have you been to an RV show lately? RV shows are the dealers' way of going to the customer, displaying their products and, hopefully, making lots of sales.

A real RV show is one that has a half dozen or more RV dealers exhibiting a large variety of RVs in one convenient location. Obviously, the more dealers participating in the show the larger the number of RVs you’ll find on display.

Attending an RV show is a dynamite way to comparison shop for an RV. It gives you the opportunity to check out an assortment of trailers, motorhomes, campers and van conversions in one convenient location.

This is where casual lookers can view the new models and investigate the latest innovations. This is also where serious shoppers can zero in on the type, size and price bracket of the RV they want. They can then compare the floorplans, features and prices of similar rigs.

And, when they decide to buy, they are likely to discover that "special" show prices and deals are not uncommon when competing RV dealers are in close proximity to one another.

A big RV show will also include display booths with vendors of RV related products and services. Campgrounds and RV parks hand out literature and discount coupons inviting RVers to spend time in their facilities. Insurance agents offer free RV insurance quotes. Sellers of cleaning and polishing products give away free samples.

The vendor booth area is where you are likely to find sewer hoses, water filters, electric hookup extension cords, roof air conditioners, portable fire pits and every other common and uncommon RV gadget and gizmo. This is where the "pitch" people demonstrate their wares. You can watch them cook a meal, mop floors, peel potatoes, clean jewelry and perform any number of entertaining presentations that will convince you to buy their "must have" products.

Many RVers, content with their present RV, consider the vendor booths the reason to attend an RV show. Clever show producers recognize that, after viewing the vendor area, these RVers frequently move on to the RV displays where a good number of them end up buying a new rig.

RV show producers also recognize the growing popularity of RVs with young families. To draw them in, many shows offer clowns, mimes, magicians, strolling musicians, jugglers, ventriloquists, and other forms of entertainment. RV shows, after all, have to compete with other events for the attention of the consumer.

And, of course, a really great RV show will feature RV seminars by folks like Joe and Vicki Kieva. Our seminars provide tips on choosing, using and enjoying an RV.

Finding an RV show is not difficult. Most occur during the months of January, February and March and again during September and October. The bigger shows will advertise on local radio and television stations.

Many RV shows have their own web sites. It is not unusual for these web sites to have discount coupons you can download, print and present for a reduced admission price.

You will also find their ads in RV magazines and your local newspaper. Pay close attention; the print ads frequently double as discount coupons for admission. See if the ad offers reduced admission prices to seniors or RV club members who are willing to attend the show on weekdays. By the way, we have observed that RV shows are less crowded on weekdays and early in the day on weekends.

Take your time. Look at the RVs. Ask questions. Pick up brochures. Make notes. Keep in mind the show producer, dealers and vendors have gone to a great deal of trouble to put the show together. The least you can do is buy an RV.

If you are planning on attending an RV show, read our article "How To Enjoy An RV Show"

Joe and Vicki will be presenting their "how-to" RV seminars at:

The Sacramento RV Show in Sacramento, CA - September 25 - 28, 2008
The California RV Show in Pomona, CA - October 10 - 19, 2008

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Vicki's Favorite Recipes (From My RV Kitchen and Favorite Recipes)

Italian Pasta Salad

This salad always makes a hit, especially at potlucks or other large get togethers. It is colorful and tastes delicious.

1 pkg. (16 oz.) tube pasta (rotelle or penne)
1 chub (8 oz.) Gallo Salame, skinned and cubed
2 green onions, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 can (2.2 oz.) sliced ripe olives, drained
1 cup Mozzarella cheese, cut into small chunks
1-3/4 cup bottled or homemade Italian dressing

1. Cook pasta in boiling water according to package directions. Drain well and let cool.

2. Place pasta in a large bowl with all remaining salad
ingredients.

3. Pour dressing over salad and stir well to combine.

4. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight,
stirring several times.

Makes 8 to 10 side-dish servings.

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RVing Tip: (From RVing Tips, Tricks & Techniques)

Spread a half-dozen fabric softener sheets throughout the interior of your RV before putting it in storage. Your rig will have a fresh aroma when you open it up again.

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Next Issue, October 15, 2008: To Keep or Not To Keep

Return to RV Know How

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Important Papers - RV Etiquette

2008-08-30T15:48:00.000-07:00

In This Issue:

What's New With Us: Important Papers
Brief Article: RV Etiquette
Vicki's Favorite Recipes: Mexican Salad
RVing Tip: Storm Warnings

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Going to Alaska? Read the article "Alaska! The Ultimate RV Adventure" and check out our DVD "RVing Alaska: What to Expect, How to Prepare" and our E-book "RVing Alaska, Insights and Observations"

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What's New With Us

It is the eleventh hour. Do you know where your loved one's important papers are located? Do they know how to find yours?

Recently, Vicki's 93-year-old dad had to go into a skilled nursing facility. He seems to be making a slow recovery but there was a day or two when we thought we would lose him. Vicki is an only child so she had the responsibility of not only locating a good nursing facility that he could afford, but helping him with his financial affairs as well.

Fortunately, her dad is an organized and trusting person. He had already signed a "Health Care Directive", a "Power of Attorney for Health Care" and a "Durable Power of Attorney for Finance" naming Vicki as his agent. He had also authorized Vicki as a signer on his bank accounts.

All of his financial business was located in a well-organized file drawer in his desk. As a result, Vicki is able to determine what payments are due, show the bills to her dad and, with his approval, write and mail the checks to pay them. If the time comes when he is unable to direct his financial affairs, Vicki can step in with no problem.

In that same desk Vicki also found his insurance policies, retirement papers, his will and pre-paid burial arrangements.

Vicki's dad, being both pro-active and considerate, gathered, organized and made accessible all of his financial and important papers before they were needed. He not only did what he could to control his life during a difficult time, he made it as easy as he could for his daughter to assist him in his time of need and, ultimately, to deal with his passing.

Do you know where your loved one's important papers are located? Do they know how to find yours?

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RV Etiquette

Joe: Etiquette, or good manners, is simply being considerate of others.

I am one of those people who enjoys the sound of a campground in the morning. I love the rumbling of powerful engines coming to life, the groans of trailer hitches taking up their loads, and the crunch of tires rolling on gravel. To me, it is the siren call of adventure. It makes me want to go.

However, I am not too fond of folks who leave loudly before 6 o’clock in the morning. Their preparations seem to always include lots of door slamming and tossing rather than placing their leveling boards into truck beds. They run their engines interminably and suffocate the campground with exhaust fumes.

These must be the same people who arrive after 9 o’clock at night and can’t seem to position themselves in their site without a lot of yelling and maneuvering. And, of course, their RVs are the ones with the loud exhausts and nerve-wracking back up beepers.

And then there is the guy who, after parking his RV as close as possible to my rig, extends both of his slideout rooms into my campsite. This person also seems to be the one whose leaking water or sewer hose creates a small lake under my picnic table.

I get a kick out of watching the pet owners who take their dogs for a walk, pretend not to notice the animal pooping on the grass, and then immediately head back to their RVs. Who do they think they’re fooling?

These same people are the ones who don’t seem to notice that their dogs bark incessantly all day long. How do they stand living with an animal like that?

Vicki: I have no sympathy for people who abandon their clothes in campground washing machines or dryers and, when they return, find them piled in a corner. They should be there to retrieve their laundry and free up the machine as soon as the load is finished.

Cellular phones have shortened if not eliminated the lines of people at pay phones. Still, I am grateful to the considerate person who limits the number of calls or the time spent on those calls when they see others waiting.

Now, the lines seem to be forming at the place where we plug in our laptops to pick up our e-mail. Veteran RVers pre-program their computer to dial the appropriate phone numbers before they plug into the data ports. They only stay online long enough to download (not read) their incoming e-mail and to send their prepared outgoing messages. Fortunately, this inconvenience is going away as more and more RV parks offer Wi-Fi.

Joe: I appreciate the professionalism of the RVer at the disposal station who attaches his sewer hose, pulls his valves (black then gray), disconnects his hose and immediately moves his RV out of the way so the next rig can pull into place. You can bet he is also the person who moves his rig forward after he is finished fueling but before he goes inside to pay. This, by the way, is expected behavior at truck stops.

I am impressed by the master RVer who can pull into a campground late and leave early without making a sound; the thoughtful dog owners who not only clean up after their pets but care enough to teach them how to behave; the concerned parents whose children make happy sounds at the playground and pool but don’t run roughshod through my campsite. I am impressed by the majority of RVers and campers who have the good manners to be considerate of each other. It makes me want to stay.

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Vicki's Favorite Recipes (From My RV Kitchen and Favorite Recipes)

Mexican Salad
(Quick and Easy)

I made this salad on one of our first trips to Mexico. We had been told not to eat the produce without thoroughly scrubbing the outside, peeling or otherwise disinfecting. Tomatoes and avocados were plentiful, very inexpensive and, the best part - the tomatoes could be scrubbed or peeled and the avocados could be peeled.

This has become a favorite salad no matter where we are.

3 avocados, cut into bite-size pieces
3-4 tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced (optional)
Italian dressing, balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar

1. Put avocados, tomatoes and red onion (if desired) into a medium bowl.

2. Drizzle with Italian dressing, balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar.

Makes 4 side-dish servings.

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RVing Tip: (From RVing Tips, Tricks & Techniques)

Weather warnings broadcast by radio and television stations are frequently given for specific counties. Make a habit of asking what county you are in when registering at campgrounds. And don't forget to ask for the location of the nearest storm shelter.

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Next Issue, September 15, 2008: RV Show Season

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Back Home for Ken

2008-07-09T14:31:00.000-07:00

Trip Cancelled. We're Home Again!

Here is a photo of our motorhome waiting to be put into storage.

It was Fourth-of-July weekend. We were enroute to the Life on Wheels Conference in Lewiston, ID. Two days and some 800 miles into our journey we received a telephone call informing us that Vicki's 93-year old father had been taken to the hospital. Information was sketchy but sufficient for us to know we had better head for home. The immediate question was whether we should fly or drive. We made a U-turn and a few phone calls later determined that it would not be necessary to fly.

It is a week later and, today, Vicki's dad is being transferred to a skilled nursing center. He has a serious infection in his right leg and foot. The responding paramedics also observed an abnormal heartbeat. Vicki has been busy acting as his patient advocate (strongly suggested for any hospital stay), dealing with all the inquiries from family and friends, and researching skilled nursing facilities. It may take a little time but, barring complications, Vicki's dad should eventually be back on both feet.

This is not the first time we have had to respond to an emergency call from home. Experience has taught us how to plan for these events. Most important of all, our family knows how to reach us. They have our travel itinerary; even if it is a sketchy one. They know approximately where we will be on any given day. They have our cellphone numbers, e-mail address, and telephone numbers of the friends we will visit, places we will be working and, when we know, the RV parks where we will be staying.

We have discovered that campground and RV park operators are especially accommodating when their customers have an emergency situation. On more than one occasion the campground operator has had us park our RV within sight of the office and their residence and only charged us for the electricity our rig used while we were absent.

And, we learned a long time ago that it is a good idea to have at least one piece of carry-on luggage stashed somewhere in our RV (in turn, the luggage usually has a seldom-used item stashed inside it).

We are sorry we missed the opportunity to present seminars at Life on Wheels. Even more sorry that we didn't get to visit with our fellow instructors; many of whom are our best friends. The good news, though, is that the weather here in Huntington Beach, CA remains mild with temps in the mid-70s.

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Tour Our Motorhome

2008-05-15T11:43:00.000-07:00

In this Issue

What's New With Us: Going to Alaska?.
Brief Article: Tour Our Motorhome.
Vicki's Recipes: Beef Flavored Rice
RVing Tip: Keeping Cool.

Going to Alaska?

Our latest e-book, RVing Alaska, Insights and Observations, will be available as soon as our webmaster can bring it up on our website.

If you are planning, or even thinking about driving your RV to Alaska, you will appreciate the wealth of up-to-date information this e-book makes available to you.

The book has three sections. The first provides an overview of what to expect and how to prepare for an RV journey to Alaska. Topics include personal and vehicle preparation, crossing the border into Canada, road conditions, campgrounds, availability of fuel, using the ferry system, and a brief description of the various highways you will travel in British Columbia, the Yukon Territory and Alaska.

The second section describes what it is like to participate in an RV caravan trip to Alaska. It also discusses the pros and cons of traveling solo versus going to Alaska with a group.

The third section is a detailed journal of the 44-day Alaskan RV journey we took in the fall of 2007. Each entry includes a description of the day's road condition, terrain, fuel stops and campgrounds. The journal can be used as a base from which to plan your own RV adventure.

RVing Alaska, Insights and Observations is not a flora and fauna book. It is a no-nonsense "how-to" book designed to help you make informed decisions and proper preparations for the ultimate RVing adventure.

Look for it in the E-Book section of rvknowhow.com

Tour Our Motorhome

We've been asked a number of times what kind of RV we owned. So here is a photographic tour of our combination transport, home and office. We have put about 190,000 milles of cross-country driving on it. No, it does not have any slides (or slide problems).

Click on any photo to enlarge it. Click on your "Back" button to return to normal.

1998, 37-foot, diesel-powered Country Coach Allure and 2007 Saturn Vue

Notice all the overhead cabinets

The kitchen has a side-by-side refrigerator and a microwave/convection oven. The cantilevered dinette table has no leg to bump our knees. We traded the free standing chairs for the booth seating. We like the the large storage drawers and comfortable soft cushions.

We have written and talked about some of the improvements we have made to our motorhome. Here are a few of them:

A panel under the dash in front of the passenger seat provided access to the area under the dash. But there was plenty of room behind the panel. So our son, Sean the cabinet maker, built an open-faced cabinet. The upper shelf slants down towards the back so the campground directories do not slide out. A space is provided for the thermos that holds our morning coffee while we are driving. The cabinet is easily removed when access under the dash is needed.

The motorhome's deep pantry had solid shelves. That made it difficult to locate and reach items in the back. So Sean installed three slide-out shelves.

Our couch has plenty of undrneath storage space. But the only way to gain access was by lifting the entire seat cushion section. Sean built and installed three large drawers under the couch. A real nice touch are the adjustable dividers in each drawer.

Our seminar/writing business requires that we have certain files available to us at all times. We needed a portable file cabinet that could be moved between our home office and our motorhome, depending upon where we were at the moment. We also wanted it to be easily accessible but out of the way.

Sean built a combination center-console, file-cabinet and map-drawer. It is normally located next to the driver's seat and butted up to the dash. It has wheels under the rear two corners and short legs under the front corners. Lifting the front end slightly allows the cabinet to be rolled back so the driver can get in and out of his seat. The weight of the cabinet on the legs keeps it from moving while under way. It is amazingly stable.

The cabinet consists of three interlocking sections.The console portion is a removable tray with cup holders and compartments for maps, sunglasses, cellphone, loose change and miscellaneous stuff. Removing the console tray (we place it on the driver's seat) exposes the 18-inch long file box that is wide and deep enough to accommodate hanging file folders. A large drawer at the bottom contains atlases and map books.

When we arrive home the console tray is lifted off the file cabinet and the file cabinet is lifted off the drawer section. The file cabinet and its contents are carried into our home office and placed on a slide-out shelf in our desk.

The television cabinet is located at the top of the entry stairs. It had a tendency to attack the heads of people entering the motorhome and the left shoulder of those who were exiting. The file cabinet, located on the floor under the television, redirected people away from the TV cabinet. But a better solution was cutting the cabinet back 12 inches and installing a flat-screen television.

It shows what can be done if you have a talented cabinet maker in the family. We plan on keeping this motorhome for another 190,000 miles.

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Vicki's Quick and Easy Recipe:

Beef Flavored Rice

(from My RV Kitchen and Favorite Recipes)

This rice dish always makes a hit with everyone. The recipe can easily be halved for less people.

2 cubes butter or margarine
3 cups uncooked rice
2 cans (4 oz.) mushrooms, drained
2 cans (10-1/2 oz.) French onion soup, undiluted
1 can (10-1/2 oz.) beef bouillon, undiluted
1 empty soup can white or red wine

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Melt butter or margarine in a 9"x 13" baking pan.

3. Combine all other ingredients and pour into the
baking pan.

4. Bake covered for 1 hour.

Makes about 10 servings.

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Keeping Cool

Whenever possible, select a campsite that points the front of your RV towards the east or south. This allows your patio awning to protect the entry-door wall from the hot afternoon sun. The opposite side-wall will be the naturally shady side of your rig during most of the day.

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The Rally in Perry, GA

2008-03-19T19:28:00.000-07:00

The Rally is over! It took place in Perry, GA begining on Wednesday, March 12 and ending on Monday, March 17. We don’t have the exact figures yet but it was estimated that over 3,500 RVs were parked on the fairgrounds for the rally. The RV parks in the area were also filled to capacity. Needless to say, there were lots of people in attendance.

We arrived on Tuesday and were parked among the rally staff workers. The good news was that we had electric, water and sewer hookups. The bad news was that we were located about as far as possible from our seminar rooms. Too far to lug our books and handouts. So we rented a golfcar for $600.00. Ouch! But it was kinda fun to buzz around the fairgrounds on a motorized vehicle.

Our Verizon Aircard made it possible to go online while sitting in our RV. At times it was a little slow; probably because of all the cellular activity in the area

Fortunately, the weather cooperated. We had warm, sunny days, every day. It did rain hard one night from 10 pm to 2 am, and the wind damaged a few RV awnings that had been left out during one windy day (hello, is there a message here?).

Each of our seminars attracted audiences in the hundreds. And the folks were super responsive. Vicki introduced her new seminar, “The RVer’s Kitchen”. Folks seemed to like it. They bought a lot of her new book, “My RV Kitchen and Favorite Recipes”.

We also sold a lot of Alaska DVDs. We received our “RVing Alaska: What to Expect, How to Prepare” DVDs just two days before the rally started. Our webmaster assures us the new DVDs will be available on our website in just a few days. He is making a number of changes in addition to adding the DVDs so it will take a little time.

We left the rally on Monday right after our final seminar ended at noon. We have to be in Sacramento by next Tuesday for the Sacramento RV Show.

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Myrtle Beach - Alaska DVD almost ready

2008-03-05T16:07:00.000-08:00

Our time here is almost up. Saturday we will start moving towards The Rally in Perry, GA. We have made good use of our time here at Ocean Lakes Campground. A number of writing projects, along with some business chores have been taken care of.

The weather has been fairly cooperative. Mostly mild, sunny days with an occasional thunderstorm thrown in, and temperatures ranging from a high of 70 degrees to a low of 24 degrees. As pleasant as it has been here – overlooking the ocean, listening to the waves, eating seafood and Philly Cheesesteaks - we are ready to get on the road again.

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Our Verizon aircard, a device that plugs into the PC slot of our laptop and gives us a cellular connection to the internet, is working out great. We have spent a lot of time on line during the past week or so. We have enjoyed immediate connectivity and the speed is close to that of our home’s DSL service. This device and service is a genuine keeper. You can read more about it by scrolling down to our February 10th entry.

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Good News! John Holod, the DVD producer, told me the “RVing Alaska: What to Expect, How to Prepare” DVD should be through the duplication process and in our hands by Wednesday, March 12th. That means we will have them in time for our seminars at The Rally.

It was just about a year ago that Vicki and I got together with John Holod and Jodie Ginter to discuss this project. John and Jodie are videographers who produce unique DVD travelogues. They show and sell them at, among other venues, RV shows around the country. That’s how we met and became friends.

Anyway, John and Jodie were getting ready to go to Alaska to film a new Alaska DVD. We were interested in making a DVD of our “Alaska. The Ultimate RV Adventure” seminar to go along with our other RV seminar DVDs.

At first, Vicki and I were going to just film one of our Alaska seminars in front of a live audience, just as we had done with our “Choosing an RV” and Extended RV Travel” seminars. One thing led to another during the conversation and it was decided that we could produce a dynamite “how-to” DVD by having Vicki and I meet John and Jodie in Alaska. We would tape a DVD that would actually show the viewer what we were talking about. When we talked about road conditions - the viewer would see the various road conditions. When we talked about getting on and off the ferries - the viewer would see RVs getting on and off the ferries. When we – well, you get the idea.

Vicki and I went to work making a story board and writing a script. A story board, essentially, identifies and lines up the scenes you want to film with the things you want to say. The scenes are not necessarily filmed in the order they will be shown. But they do match the things that will be said in the DVD.

John and Jodie left for Alaska in early May. They filmed “B” roll for our DVD while they filmed segments for their travelogue. “B” roll is background shots that can be added to the final DVD but doesn’t necessarily require the presence of the people who are speaking. Voice and video are matched up during the editing process.

Vicki and I left for Alaska in late July. We met with John and Jodie to shoot the scenes that required our presence in front of the camera. This part of the DVD was a real challenge because the weather did not want to cooperate. We spent a lot of time waiting for the weather to clear so we could film a necessary part of the DVD. At the end of the day we would review the day’s footage. If the footage was not satisfactory we went out and repeated the scene the next day.

All total, Vicki and I spent six weeks in Alaska meeting and traveling with John and Jodie. They must have filmed miles of DVD footage with Vicki and/or me walking, talking and driving our way over the highways and byways of Alaska. We went home happy with the individual segments but not having any idea how the final DVD was going to turn out.

Next came the editing process. John is a skilled perfectionist. Editing takes time. And, at the same time, John and Jodie were flying all over the country showing their DVDs and trying to make a living. John sent us a couple of rough DVDs. In the writing world we call them outlines and drafts. I don’t know what the Hollywood types call them. Anyway we did see and approve an almost final version of the DVD.

While John was editing, the cover for the DVD case was being designed. And the picture and text that would appear on the disk itself had to be selected. Again we received drafts for our approval.

Part of the editing process involved sending the DVD to folks who created maps and graphics. And, of course, selecting background music and negotiating the rights to use it in the DVD also had to be accomplished. This ain’t no home movie, folks.

All of that work resulted in a master copy. The master copy was sent to a duplication company. They make the hundreds or thousands of DVDs that must then be placed in plastic cases.

Anyway, the reason I’m so excited, John said he was told by the duplication company that he would receive the finished DVDs by this weekend and he would send them to us by March 12th.

So, after a year of work and waiting, we are excited.

We’ll soon be offering “RVing Alaska: What to Expect, how to Prepare” for sale in the RV DVDs section of our website. That involves us making changes to the site and making arrangements for CCnow to put the DVDs on their shopping cart.

In the meantime, if you would like to be notified when “RVing Alaska: What to Expect, How to Prepare” is available for shipment contact us at kieva@rvknowhow.com
Put Alaska DVD on the subject line and provide your e-mail address.

By the way, you can see a description of the “RVing Alaska: What to Expect, How to Prepare” DVD content by scrolling down to our February 16th entry.

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