Trailer Backing Technique

  For many RVers, the thought of backing a trailer into the campsite can make your palms start to sweat and your stress level go off the chart. When I worked for an RV dealership we were constantly rearranging the sales lot, moving and backing trailers. When we set-up RV shows, in an effort to use all available space, we would back units within inches of walls, RVs and other obstacles. The technique we used for backing trailers was almost fool proof, when there were two people working together. If you have trouble backing your trailer or pop-up try this. First decide who will drive and who will spot and give directions. Let’s say your wife is driving. For this technique to work, you are her eyes, and she needs to do exactly what you tell her to do. This, of course, also means if there is an accident it’s your fault! Read more  Read More →

Blog vs Trip Journal: the Difference. Part 1 – Mapping

I’m often asked on the difference between a blog and a Trip Journal. This came up recently in a reader’s comment here. I’ll address the differences today and in some future postings. Today , I’ll focus on mapping. Each of your travel maps is a picture that paints a thousand words. I’ll start with a typical Trip Journal homepage “default” map. This is the first map you come to when you come to the Wisemans’ Trip Journal, “Mexico Bound – Winter 2007“. Note how the daily entries to the right correspond to the numbers on the map: Wisemans USA to Mexico Now click on the Yucatan link below the map, and you’ll see this snapshot of the Wisemans’ visit to the Peninsula: Wisemans Hit the Yucatan Finally here is the Wisemans’ Travel Homepage. To the right are links to all 11 of their Trip Journals. You can click on the green lines or the links to the right to go directly into the daily journal entries: Wisemans’ “Travel Homepage” Dan Parlow Personal Travel Websites by RV.Net ; Online Travel Journals by MyTripJournal.com ; Explore Good Sam Club Trip Journals ; Woodalls Trip Journals ; Travel Journals by Trailer Life Directory ; Traveling USA Travel Blogs  Read More →

Drinking and Driving – Law Enforcement Perspective

This week I’m going to post some thoughts on drinking and driving, then I’m going to ask for some interaction from you.  We all know it’s illegal to drive when we’ve had too much to drink, but how much is too much? To put it simply, any is too much.  Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) limits vary by region, by Country, and by State.  All across Canada, the legal limit is 0.08.  In the USA, it varies with some States having a legal limit of 0.08 and some 0.10.  Problem is, most people know when they feel “drunk” but that is subjective, and can vary widely person to person. Read more  Read More →

Generators – Part 8

RV generators come in three variations; horizontal, vertical and Permanent Magnet (inverter type generators). We will cover the variations in separate blog/s so this one will only cover basic electrical generation. Generator 1 (not even 101). If you take a magnet and wiggle it close to a copper wire, you will produce electricity. Not much, but some. To make a lot of electricity, manufacturers put a bunch of wires together (multi-coil stators) and make very strong variable magnets (wound rotors). They place them in housings and make an engine turn the rotor. Read more  Read More →

Welcome to Mesa Verde National Park-Colorado

Take a drive to the Mesa Verde National Park today. You have the opportunity to learn about the lives of the Ancestral Pueblo people who lived there for over 700 years from 600 A.D. to 1300 A.D.  This park is the protector for some 4000 sites of archaeology. This spectacular piece of archaeological history includes over 600 cliff dwellings. Take a ranger-guided tour and see all of these and even more exciting things today. These tours allow you the opportunity to hike some of the most breathtaking paths around Colorado.  During the winter you can go cross-country skiing or snowshoeing. During the Spring, Summer and Fall, you can enjoy hiking, birdwatching, stargazing and much more.  You can enjoy camping on-site at Morefield Campground.  Be sure to call in advance as this park has limited spacing and isn’t open year-round. Find more RV campgrounds to visit here.  Read More →

Where’s The Beef?

Last week the headline news on the beef recall prompted a lot of people to question me about my preferred dietary choice of vegetarianism. As a matter of fact, it has stirred up a great deal of interest in the option of avoiding beef, at least for a while. If you think you have to become a tie-dyed, Birkenstock wearing hippie Vegan, don’t despair–you may not have to make such a radical change in your life. Many people are learning to eat less meat, and more grains, legumes and vegetables, and profiting from the improved nutrition. Eating less meat is good for your health. You will reduce the risk of heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes and some forms of cancer if you follow a vegetarian-eating plan. It is also a tried-and-true form of weight loss. As you cut back on meat, you will be substituting more beans, grains, vegetables and fruits. This means your diet contains fewer calories, less fat and more health promoting fiber, vitamins and minerals. Read more  Read More →

Floor Plan and Chassis Loading and Handling

So, there you are in the dealership clutches. The salesman is wowing you with the features, the closets, the stacking washer-dryer, the triple door refrigerator, the generator that will light up a city block, fuel tanks large enough to get from Seattle to San Diego without stopping for fuel and on and on. Each one of these products has weight. Weight that will affect the way the chassis functions and sits. Denny owns a Four Winds on a Kodiak Chassis and writes this, ” I had RVSEF weigh my coach a couple weeks ago… about 85% of max on the front, and 100% on the rear… actually, I was 300 lb. over max on the drivers side due to poor weight distribution by Four Winds. Drivers side is more than 1500 lb. heavier even when empty except for fresh water. So much so that the coach leans 4″ when it is empty.” Read more  Read More →

911 What is the address of the Emergency?

Many, many thousands of times a day these words are spoken to callers at emergency dispatch centers. Now be careful, because what comes next can make all the difference in speedy help or frustration and delay. I used to work part time in a dispatch center and believe me a bad call for you is worse for the dispatcher. They all seem to be genuinely caring and concerned people, who want to help their callers. Now a “good” call is often the same at the campground as it is at home. But most people never, ever think about what they are going to need to know when they call 911 (and be advised, not everywhere in the United States uses 911; some areas still have 7 digit numbers to call; if, in your area, you need another number, you should find it and keep it by the phone, but we are going to use 911 in the generic sense of calling an Emergency dispatch center). So, what do you need to know to call 911? First of all, when you call 911, there is often a script that the dispatchers follow. This script changes depending on what dispatching software is used, but all are basically similar. It often begins with the words above! Let’s see what some of the usual questions a dispatcher uses. Read more  Read More →

What is there to say about Overnight RV Parking?

Some RVers use their RV’s only a few times a year, while others live in them full-time. Some RVers prefer to stay in commercial RV parks or campgrounds, with electric, water sewer and cable TV hookups, and perhaps wireless Internet. Others are happier “boondocking” in remote locations with no hookups or other amenities beyond those provided by Mother Nature. But one thing that many RVers have in common is the need for a place to spend the night while on a long journey, a journey that takes two days or more to reach a destination. This is where “Overnight RV Parking” comes into play. If an RVer needs only a place to park and get some sleep, there’s no need for swimming pools, game rooms, craft classes, Laundromats, miniature golf, cable TV, Wi-Fi and all the other amenities that campgrounds can provide. And there’s no need to pay for them if you’re not going to use them. So the question arises, “Where may an RVer park overnight, just to get some sleep, at minimal or no cost?” Several answers come to mind, including Wal-Mart, Flying J, Cracker Barrel, casinos, and highway rest areas. But these are generalities that don’t tell an RVer whether it’s permissible to park overnight at any specific Wal-Mart, Flying J, Cracker Barrel, casino, highway rest area, or any other specific location. In January 2007, I began compiling a list of “RV Parking and No Parking Locations,” showing specific places where... Read more

Deschutes River State Park-Oregon

State parks provide the RVer some of the nicest and most budget-conscious RV camping around. The Deschutes River State Park is another excellent RV location. You can enjoy a relaxing day fishing, hiking, biking horseback riding, or camping. Mt. Bachelor provides you with the opportunity to ski, snowboarding, dog-sledding, snowmobiling and snowshoeing. There’s so much to do outdoors, but the local attractions are pretty fabulous too. There is a wonderful museum, the Crooked River Dinner Train, shopping in the Old Mill District or sampling the local brews at the microbreweries. Find RV campgrounds.  Read More →

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