Category: Traveling Tips
Time To Hang Up The Keys?
February 6, 2013 by Vickie Medley · Leave a Comment
The time has come. You’ve reached the stage where you either have no choice or have decided to “hang up the keys”. Now what? I asked that question of several RVers and, not surprisingly, most haven’t thought of it. Some have given it considerable thought and some just have a vague idea of what they’ll do. Don’t let your future be the anthem of “Que Sera Sera…whatever will be will be.” The first answer I received was from David Violette who writes a blog that I follow called Travels with Dave & Elaine Violette. “So far, our loose criterion has been “when health issues require it.” was Dave’s response when I asked if they had a plan. He further elaborated that “As to what we’ll do when we no longer want to be mobile: we’ll probably buy a small place somewhere with amenities we enjoy. Phoenix is a candidate since we have lived there and like it, but there are other choices. We may keep an RV and travel some seasonally; depends... [Read more...]
More Space Heater Fires Destroy Pets & RVs
January 30, 2013 by Rex Vogel · 1 Comment
Whether camping or just relaxing in your recreational vehicle, fire safety is essential. A fire started by a space heater in a travel trailer spread to a second trailer, a car, and a home just. (Credit: Avra Valley Fire Department) In an earlier post I reported that four small dogs died and an RV was destroyed in a fire caused by a propane space heater. In today’s post I report on two RV fires caused by careless use of space heaters. Arizona Fire Started by Space Heater A fire started by a space heater in a travel trailer spread to a second trailer, a car, and a home in Picacho, reports the Arizona Daily Star. When units from the Avra Valley Fire District arrived on scene they found heavy flames and smoke coming from a masonry-built home, Patrick Calhoun, spokesman for the fire district, said in a news release. A car and two travel trailers also were ablaze. It took two engines and two water tenders to extinguish the fires. “The fire was believed to have had started in one of the... [Read more...]
Alabama Mardi Gras Comes to Kentucky
January 22, 2013 by Maxye & Lou Henry · Leave a Comment
To escape winter in north-central Kentucky, we decided to head south to the Gulf Coast and chose an RV park near Gulf Shores, Alabama, for the month of January. As we toured the area, we noticed that slowly the Christmas decorations were being replaced by Mardi Gras colors. Rex, the King of Carnival, selected the Mardi Gras colors in 1892. Purple stands for justice, green for faith, and gold for power. Wreaths, banners, tinsel swags and signs started appearing in shop windows and on homes. Trees were redecorated with new ornaments and garlands in those special hues. Stores displayed hats, beads and party supplies. Bakeries hung signs encouraging hostesses to “Order Your King Cake Now!” King cake is a brioche-type pastry, rolled or braided into a circle. It is flavored with cinnamon and sugar-frosted in Mardi Gras colors. A token — a coin, a bean, or a tiny plastic baby — is hidden inside. Whoever gets the token is the king or queen of the party. Nowadays most bakeries won’t put... [Read more...]
Modding your RV – think outside the box…
January 22, 2013 by Dana Ticknor · Leave a Comment
or in this case, Inside the Closet!!! While not everyone travels fulltime with 10 children, most of us with RVs would like to modify them in some little way to meet our needs better. For some, that means adding shelving, or pulling down valances and adding black out curtains, or changing out that plastic toilet for a ceramic one more like the house, or even painting some of your inside walls. In many instances, modding your RV is a lot like remodeling your house. There are certain, very glaring differences sometimes, like making sure of the width of outside walls so any screws you use on the inside don’t go through your gel coat on the outside. Some aren’t so glaring, like remembering that any weight that you add with your mod makes a permanent impact on your GVW. And some are handled just like they would be in a house, like hanging wire shelves or painting. For our tribe, it has taken some permanent, and sometime extensive mods to get our crew to comfortably fit in our... [Read more...]
Propane Space Heater Fire Destroys 4 Dogs & RV
January 20, 2013 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
Studies show that fires in recreational vehicles, especially older units, tend to be more devastating than those in other forms of residence. A portable space heater started the fire that consumed this RV. (Credit: The Spokesman-Review) Heating and electrical system malfunctions are the leading causes of fire in RVs. Together, they account for one-third of the fires. Four small dogs died and an RV was recently (January 15, 2013) destroyed in a fire blamed on a propane space heater in Spokane, Washington, The Spokesman-Review reported. A man had been staying in an RV parked in a driveway and was inside the house watching television with the homeowner when they heard a noise, said Assistant Fire Marshal Bill Clifford. They found the RV in flames. “He was trying to get the dogs out and was unable to,” Clifford said. The man was treated for smoke inhalation. Clifford said the dogs may have knocked the space heater over or knocked something flammable into it. A propane heater also shouldn’t... [Read more...]
AIRTABS
January 15, 2013 by Canadianladybug · Leave a Comment
When we got our RV from the dealer, they were nice enough to bring it to our campsite where it would be parked. Back then, we didn’t have a vehicle to tow it as we had a Venture van. But the following year, out of the blue, the motor on our van burned and we had to shop around for a new vehicle. We knew that since we had to purchase something we wanted to have one that would be able to pull our Rv for long trips. We found a Suburban that was fit to pull it and since then we enjoy going places with the RV. However, as soon as we were able to take the RV with us on trips, we looked for ways to be fuel efficient. While navigating the internet one day, my husband stumbled on the website promoting Airtabs. After he read about Airtabs he was so enthusiastic that we purchased some to install on our RV. What are Airtabs? Well it is a patented shaped vortex generator designed to increase vehicle aerodynamic performance and fuel economy by reducing the aerodynamic pressure... [Read more...]
Got an iPad? Drive a RV? Check out this new GPS app from Rand McNally!
January 10, 2013 by Professor95 · Leave a Comment
Rand McNally Launches Industry-first RV Navigation Application for iPad. LAS VEGAS, January 9, 2013 – Nearly two years after introducing the first GPS designed specifically for RVers, Rand McNally today launched the first RV GPS app for the iPad. The RV GPS is being shown for the first time at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nev. Rand McNally’s RV GPS for iPad is the first iOS application offered that is specifically designed for RV navigation. The new application, available on the App Store(sm), provides RV class-specific routing (and with a quick toggle, over to car routing) based on Rand McNally’s proprietary road data and navigation, plus thousands of RV parks and campgrounds, RV-friendly locations, RVer tools and pre-planned trips. The app also includes dynamic weather*, a map overlay feature that helps drivers anticipate conditions such as high wind and precipitation along the route. Also included is a bonus feature of the app: An e-book version of America’s... [Read more...]
There’s Still More to Love about Texas Food
January 7, 2013 by Rex Vogel · 2 Comments
Texans take their food as seriously as they do their football. Many Winter Texans and other visitors to the Lone Star State have the good sense to agree with them—that Texan food is that of the gods. 1. Po Po Family Restaurant Bright neon letters spell “CHICKEN, STEAKS, SEAFOOD” across the rock exterior of Po Po Family Restaurant. © Rex Vogel, all rights reserved Bright neon letters spell “CHICKEN, STEAKS, SEAFOOD” across the rock exterior of Po Po Family Restaurant, just off I-10, 37 miles north of San Antonio at the Welfare exit #533. The neon and the notice tell you what to expect at Po Po’s: a menu that requires no translation, featuring traditional American and Southern fare, cooked to order. Po Po is not just your ordinary restaurant. This eatery has a unique history with a cast of unique characters and circumstances, a matchless plate collection, as well as some of the best food in the Texas Hill County. The warmth and hospitality are hard to beat. If you have ever... [Read more...]
How to avoid tire blowup while RVing
January 7, 2013 by Canadianladybug · 1 Comment
Having a tire blow up is not fun whether you are rving or not. In both case, you need to change the wheel when it happens. However, I think the worse kind of blowup would be the ones when you pull your RV. It happened to us twice so far. We were driving with the RV behind and then one of the tires on the RV just blew. The first time, we didn’t realize it and someone driving pass us kindly inform us of the problem. That tire was on the driver’s side. Fortunately, in Ontario the sides of highways is quite large and we were able to have space when we proceeded to change the tire. The second time, we heard the tire when it blew up. We were on our way on one big highway in the state of New York in the US. We knew that we needed to stop and change it. So we parked as best as we could on the side of the highway (which isn’t as large as in Ontario by the way). Every time a huge truck or bigger vehicle would pass next to the RV we could see it move. ... [Read more...]
OLD GAS PRESSURE LANTERNS – Restoring My Past
January 3, 2013 by Professor95 · 8 Comments
The bright white glow of the lantern hanging on a tree limb would gradually dim to a yellow ball. My Dad would remove the lantern from the tree limb, set it on the ground and vigorously move the pump in and out to pressurize the fuel tank. Like magic, the lantern would come alive again with a bright white light. This ritual was often repeated multiple times after darkness fell. We would sit near our campfire and watch the moths and flying beetles swirl aimlessly around the light – sometimes hitting the globe and succumbing to the heat from the lantern. These memories go back 54 years. I was 12 years old and we were camping near Watts Bar Lake in Tennessee. There was no RV – only a canvas tent and down filled military surplus sleeping bags from the Korean War rolled out on the ground. I treasure those memories, as they were a significant part of my indoctrination into the fun, mystery, and excitement of camping in the great outdoors. Lantern as found with no globe My Dad passed... [Read more...]
