Vintage Trailer Restoration Project Captured on Video

  Earlier this year video producer Mark Polk, of RV Education 101, decided to produce an online RV series, titled “Mark’s RV Garage.”  Polk explained the goal of the show was to help educate and entertain RV consumers and RV enthusiasts. When considering a feature segment for the new RV series Polk decided to tackle a vintage trailer restoration project. Little did he know at the time the scope the restoration project would entail.  Unforeseen damage, below the surface of the exterior metal, would result in dismantling the project trailer down to the bare frame and rebuilding it from the ground up. Adding to the complexity of an already daunting challenge Polk’s plans included upgrading the old trailer with modern day RV equipment and amenities. As season one of the new RV series progressed each step of the vintage restoration project was captured along the way. What initially began as a 10 episode season evolved into 17 episodes, culminating in the season finale where the finished product was revealed to viewers for the first time. When asked to recap season one of “Mark’s RV Garage” Polk responded, “I think anybody who likes RVs, or is thinking an RV might be in their future would not only enjoy watching the vintage restoration project unfold, but could learn a great deal from the series too. To view season one episodes of Mark’s RV Garage visit this You Tube link Happy RV Learning, Mark Polk RV Education 101 RV Consumer  Read More →

Quartzsite 2012 RV Show Dates Announced

Every January something happens that is hard to believe, unless you have seen it! Heading to the Big Tent at the Quartzsite RV Show. © Rex Vogel, all rights reserved According to the Arizona Highway Department, as many as 750,000 to 1,000,000 people, mostly in recreational vehicles, converge on the sleepy little desert town of Quartzsite, located just 20 miles east of the California border on Interstate 10, for the rock, gem, and mineral shows, plus numerous flea markets and the Quartzsite Sports, Vacation & RV Show. “If you’re looking for anything related to RVs, you’ll find it at the RV show in Quartzsite,” says Kenny King, show promoter. There will be several hundred new and used RVs on display in 2012 and over a dozen service bays will be offering immediate installation, repairs, and service on many of the items that will be exhibited at the show. This phenomenon started over 35 years ago and is now billed as “The Largest Gathering Of RVers in the World”. The inaugural Quartzsite RV Show opened January 28, 1984 at the corner of Highway 95 (now Central) and Business 10 (now Main Street) in Quartzsite, Arizona. With just 60 exhibitors and a small tent, the “new show in town” was still very popular since the majority of the people in Quartzsite were RVers. In 1987 the show, now re-named the Quartzsite Sports, Vacation & RV Show, moved up the street to the Quartzsite Trailer Park which was situated directly across from the major attraction... Read more

Mark’s RV Garage Season One Finale Released

RV Education 101 releases the season finale of the new Internet based RV How-To series titled “Mark’s RV Garage.” The new episode is available for viewing at www.rvconsumer.com and on You Tube            After 16 bi-monthly episodes the highly anticipated season finale is released, revealing the completed vintage trailer restoration for the very first time. Season finale highlights:  * The Old Yellowstone trailer gets a fresh coat of paint. * Polk installs a new 3,500 pound Dexter axle. * The electric brakes are converted to disc brakes with the addition of new brake rotors, calipers, and a Actulink electric/hydraulic brake actuator. To complete the new braking system Polk adds a DirecLink Network Enhanced brake controller. * Before the trailer can hit the road for the first time Polk installs an Equalizer hitch. * Mark Polk reflects back on season one through a series of Q&A. * All of this and more on the season finale of “Mark’s RV Garage”   If you missed previous episodes of Mark’s RV Garage they are archived at www.rvconsumer.com for easy retreival and viewing Happy RV Learning, Mark Polk www.rvconsumer.com www.rveducation101.com  Read More →

Mark’s RV Garage Episode #16 RV Internet Show Released

RV Education 101 releases Episode #16 of the new Internet based RV How-To series titled “Mark’s RV Garage.” The new episode is available for viewing at www.rvconsumer.com and on You Tube           On this episode of Mark’s RV Garage:  * Polk installs stabilizer jacks on the rear of the trailer and an electric tongue jack on the front. * For safety the trailer gets a combinationLP gas and Carbon Monoxide detector. * The trailer gets new LP gas cylinders, and the LP gas system gets checked for proper operating pressure and for leaks. * For entertainment the trailer gets a 24 inch Jensen LCD TV.  *All of this and more on this episode of “Mark’s RV Garage”  If you missed previous episodes of Mark’s RV Garage they are archived at www.rvconsumer.com for easy retreival and viewing Don’t miss the season finale, coming soon Happy RV Learning, Mark Polk www.rvconsumer.com www.rveducation101.com  Read More →

GPS Coordinates with Google Earth and Streets and Trips

This article is going to explore the different notation used for entering Latitude and Longitude coordinates to find places in Streets and Trips. Sometimes you may need to convert the coordinates you have to the format that Streets and Trips understands. This article will show you how to make the conversions using Google Earth. Question: My Garmin says N 36 degrees 37.458′ W 92 degrees 08.017′ The Garmin will get me right here to the entrance of this ranch. But when I try to put it in Streets & Trips 2011, I keep getting an error each time. I am trying to locate Cloud 9, Caulfield, MO. Cloud 9 Ranch is a membership park in the Ozarks and we are planning some events involving Geocaching. We want to be able to provide people with the correct coordinates for whatever device they are using. Decimal or Degrees Microsoft Streets and Trips recognizes two types of GPS Lat/Long notation: 1) Decimal or 2) Degrees/Minutes/Seconds. Decimal: 36.624300° -92.133617° Degrees/Minutes/Seconds: 36°37′27.48″N 92° 8′1.02″W To enter the coordinates into Streets and Trips, you click on the Tools menu, Find, and click the Lat/Long tab. You can enter the coordinates in either of the formats above, but Decimal is the simplest. You don’t need the degree symbol – in fact, if you do include the degree symbol, you’ll get an error. Just use numbers, decimal points and the minus sign to show a West longitude. No symbols, no spaces. Degrees... Read more

Mark’s RV Garage Episode #15 RV Intenet Show Released

RV Education 101 releases Episode #15 of the new Internet based RV How-To series titled “Mark’s RV Garage.” The new episode is available for viewing at www.rvconsumer.com and on  You Tube            * Polk installs the exterior metal and windows in the vintage trailer restoration project.  * Watch the installation of a Voyager Digital Wireless Observation System with WiSight technology  * Find out what Polk considers to be RV Maintenance Mishaps and see what you can do to avoid them.  *All of this and more on this episode of “Mark’s RV Garage”  If you missed previous episodes of Mark’s RV Garage they are archived at www.rvconsumer.com for easy retreival and viewing Episode # 16 will be available for viewing on 05 September 2011. Happy RV Learning, Mark Polk www.rvconsumer.com www.rveducation101.com  Read More →

Mark’s RV Garage Episode #14 RV Internet Show Released

RV Education 101 releases Episode #14 of the new Internet based RV How-To series titled “Mark’s RV Garage.” The new episode is available for viewing at www.rvconsumer.com and on  You Tube          On this episode of Mark’s RV Garage: * Mark installs a new RV 500 tankless water heater and tests the electrical system on the vintage trailer restoration project.  * Discover a product that will keep your motorhome wheels going straight even if there is a blowout.  * Get some preventive maintenance tips on how to check the air pressure in your tires.  * All of this and more on this episode of Mark’s RV Garage.  If you missed previous episodes of Mark’s RV Garage they are archived at www.rvconsumer.com for easy retreival and viewing Episode # 15 will be available for viewing on 22 August 2011. Happy RV Learning, Mark Polk www.rvconsumer.com www.rveducation101.com  Read More →

Have you considered taking an RV vacation in China?

China's first RV rally By Bob Difley Be glad you’re not an RV fulltimer or boondocker in China. With its 1.3 billion people, there are only about 5,000 RVs–in the whole country!And no wonder, since there are only a few dozen “RV camps” according to the China RV & Camping Association as reported by USA Today. However, if you are in the RV manufacturing business, that’s a good thing. Change is coming fast in China, says Wang Jidong, the RV association’s secretary general, as local governments and businesses are rushing to build hundreds of RV camps around the country. Lu Jun, general manager of the Beijing International Automotive Camping Park that opens later this month in south Beijing says, “When I talk to U.S. RV suppliers, they ask if I want to buy three or four vehicles,” referring to imported RVs costing over $70,000 each. His reply? “I want to buy 1,000 to fill the 100 camps his company will build within two years.” With little in the way of government oversight and environmental studies, entrepreneurs are building camping parks faster than is conceivable in the USA. They are also building smaller, inexpensive motorhomes (trailers have not caught on yet due to restrictive licensing requirements) to meet the exploding demand and popularity of camping. I wonder how long it will be before cheapChinese motorhomes will start appearing on American dealers’ sales lots. Check out my website for RVing tips... Read more

Mark’s RV Garage Episode #12 RV Internet Show Released

RV Education 101 releases Episode #12 of the new Internet based RV How-To series titled “Mark’s RV Garage.” The new episode is available for viewing at www.rvconsumer.com and on You Tube             On this episode of Mark’s RV Garage:  * Mark installs a Wingard TV Antenna, a 13,500 btu roof AC unit by ASA Electronics, Maxx Air II vent covers, a Jensen stereo system and new LP gas lines on the vintage Yellowstone restoration project.   * See what the Cape Hatteras KOA at the North Carolina Outer Banks has to offer in the way of amenities and local attractions.  * All of this and more on this episode of Mark’s RV Garage.  If you missed previous episodes of Mark’s RV Garage they are archived at www.rvconsumer.com for easy retreival and viewing Episode # 13 will be available for viewing on 25 July 2011. Happy RV Learning, Mark Polk www.rvconsumer.com www.rveducation101.com  Read More →

The World’s First National Parks Turn 100

What was the first country in the world to establish a national parks system? If you guessed the United States or a European country such as Austria, Switzerland, Norway, or Sweden you would be wrong. Jasper National Park, Alberta. © Rex Vogel, all rights reserved This year, Parks Canada, the first national parks service in the world, celebrates its 100th anniversary. Banff was discovered accidentally in 1883, when explorers fell through the roof of a cave into a warm, sulphur-water spring below. Sixteen miles around Sulphur Mountain and the Cave and Basin, were set aside as a National Park in 1885, predating Parks Canada by 26 years. Other sites were added until 1911, when the Dominion Parks Branch of government was formed. In 1911, when J.B. (Bunny) Harkin was appointed Canada’s first commissioner of national parks, he thought “the word park seemed a very small name for so great a thing.” The number of visitors to the Canadian Rockies at mountain parks now known as Banff, Jasper, Yoho, Glacier, and Waterton Lakes was increasing and the federal government felt it needed to protect the magnificence of the region. “Wonder, reverence, the feeling that one is nearer the mystery of things—that is what one feels in places of such sublime beauty,” wrote Harkin. Today, Parks Canada administers 42 national parks, 167 national historic sites, including nine canals, and four national marine conservation areas. More than 4,500 wardens, guides, scientists,... Read more

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