Let’s Talk NOOK !

Let’s Talk NOOK ! Recently I wrote an article about the Amazon Kindle (one appropriately if unimaginatively titled Let’s Talk KINDLE !). The crux of my essay was that e-readers are the best thing to hit RV’s since flush toilets. There are many e-readers available for your purchasing pleasure. One of the most popular rhymes with “book.” Why did I choose to focus on Kindle? Conspiracy theories abound. Am I biased? Have I loaded up our investment portfolio on AMZN? Or am I merely an Amazon fanboy who wears Jeff Bezos pajamas? Nah. While I may be a bit of an Amazon fanboy, I wrote about Kindle because Amazon is currently KING KONG of the e-reader world. Yes, if recent sales figures are to be believed, Amazon is now perched on a skyscraper high above E-Reader Metropolis with Fay Wray sitting on its lap. Or is that Jeff Bezos in a dress? Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos in a dress? This is wrong on many levels. Anyway, with Kindles selling faster than mouse ears at Disney World, it’s good to be King Kong. But if there’s a pesky swarm of biplanes on the horizon, it’s the Barnes & Noble NOOK. The author's book on his wife's NOOK. The Nook is a series of e-reader devices sold by everyone’s favorite brick-and-mortar bookstore behemoth. These range from inexpensive e-ink readers (Nook Simple Touch) to more robust tablets (Nook Color & Nook Tablet). You can buy Nooks online, in 90,000-square-foot bookstores, in shady back alleys,... Read more

New RV Camping Book on Amazon Kindle – Only $2.99!

A few years ago, I did something that previously I never imagined myself doing. And I’m not talking about getting married (although that development was quite surprising as well). I bought an RV. Specifically, my wife and I bought a 25-foot Airstream travel trailer. It was her idea. I never saw myself owning an RV, mainly because I am 6′ 2” and fear hitting my head on low ceilings. Not having grown up with RV camping, I didn’t “get it.” But then one day, we got our Airstream. Then we got hitched. Then I got it. Boy, did I ever… We started an ongoing adventure of sorts. We blogged the fun in a website called “Long Long Honeymoon,” donned pith helmets, wrote pithy articles, and shot three trillion videos. So far we’ve hauled our rig throughout the lower 48 states. Alaska? We’re still making plans for Alaska. At the moment, we’re waiting for diesel prices to stop resembling one of those national debt clocks. As for Hawaii? We’ll see it someday too, though we’ve no intention of testing the seaworthiness of our “land yacht.” We’ll likely book a flight – anything with a lei greeting will be fine. But before we move forward, we must look back. Yes boys and girls, it’s time for a book! An ebook, that is. I hope you enjoy it. “Long Long Honeymoon – Living Large in a Small Tin Can” is now available on the AMAZON KINDLE platform for the rock bottom price of $2.99! Check it out now – before... Read more

Next-Gen Dodge Viper Motorhome Revealed

Have you ever wondered what a motorhome would look like if it was based on a more glamorous prototype? DriveSRT(Street & Racing Technology) recently released the world’s first supercar motorhome—a possible reincarnation of the Dodge SRT-10—on its Facebook fan page. Automakers and RV manufacturers frequently reveal future products online, sometimes on purpose while other times supposedly by accident. Next-gen Viper camper van. (Credit: DriveSRT) But what do you do when your Facebook fans clamor for insider information on the upcoming 2013 Dodge Viper? You give the people what they want. Yet, sometimes stupid questions beget stupid answers. In response to numerous requests for early looks at the next-generation of the Dodge Viper, the DriveSRT Facebook page gives us…a Dodge Viper motorhome. Yes, it’s a Viper SRT 10 three-axle camper van, and yes, it’s still sporting the old Viper front-end. No, it’s not a great photo. DriveSRT’s statement: “Like many of you, Twitter user @DaveOrrSales asked for a taste of what’s to come at SRT. We dodged death to sneak you this top-secret photo. That’s all you get, crew,” said the team revealing the Viper SRT-10 with more than a hint of tongue-in-cheek. Whilst the Viper SRT-10 may do a top speed of 202 mph, the Viper was always renowned for its erratic handling, although the Chrysler team appears to have fixed that by adding an extra axle and two extra wheels. We’ll all have... Read more

Has the jittery economy put a crimp in your camping budget?

By Bob Difley With camping season now  fully underway but the economy struggling to get a grip, joblessness refusing to fall, campground prices reaching motel levels, and gas moving above three dollars again, you may be thinking about cutting back on your camping trips this season to save money. But, you might be able to find ways to stretch your camping dollar, do just as much camping as you would like to, while not breaking the recreational piggy bank. And . . . explore some places you haven’t been to yet. Some of the ways you can cut your camping expense are: Camp closer to home to save on fuel and to spend more time camping than driving to the campground. Keep your speed down to 55 mph to conserve fuel–10% to 15% savings from 65 mph. Search online for camping or boondocking possibilities in local, regional, and county parks, on public utility and water district lands, at fishing access points,  fish and game department recreational areas, state parks, wildlife refuges, national grasslands, and at Bureau of Reclamation and Army Corps of Engineers properties that you may have previously overlooked. Pull out your maps and search online for national forests and BLM locations near your home that you haven’t yet explored. Try boondocking to save on campground fees. Start camping in popular boondocking areas where there is help and advice if you need it. Remember that boondocking areas do not have advertising money to let you know they are there. You have to... Read more

Camping Journal: Lessons Learned

Many years ago, when I served in the Navy, we’d finish up a cruise and put together something called a “lessons learned” log. Mind you, we enlisted types didn’t really read it, we just showed enough interest to avoid any extra duty back in the home port. Oddly, something from that experience clung to the inner linings of my brain. If you look in my camping journal (what…you don’t have one?!?), you’ll see little notes at the end of each entry. I don’t call them “lessons learned.” I’ve called them many things, most of which cannot be repeated here, but they share a common goal: if I write down my mistakes, I won’t repeat them, or so the theory goes. Here are some of the lessons I have learned: Always check to make sure you electric cord and hose will reach the appropriate outlets before unhooking, lowering the stabilizer jacks, setting up the awning, and cracking open your first beverage. The temperature can drop 30 degrees between southern Michigan and northern Michigan during the three hour drive on Labor Day weekend. An unprepared family of four will spend about $113 at Wal-mart for warmer clothes. While a Dodge Durango 4×4 is a great vehicle in the mud, a Dodge Durango 4×4 with a 32′ Coachmen strapped to its bumper is almost useless in the mud. A Hensley Arrow is great for allowing you to tow a 32′ Coachmen with a Dodge Durango, but provides little assistance for getting un-stuck from... Read more

The Lug_Nut RV Whacky Glossary. The Real Meanings

Ever wondered the real meaning of some of the common RV phrases and lingo? If so, you need to read the Lug_Nut Whacky Glossary for Recreational Vehicles.  It isn’t quite the “RV Language for Dummies”, but should help you in understanding the real meanings of some of the more common words and phases associated with RVing. Read more  Read More →

On the Lighter Side, Buying an RV!

I thought a little humor in your day would be good. Here are some RV buying scenarios you should try to avoid! If you ever hear an RV salesperson say this…RUN! 10) I won’t even be able to buy my kid a new pair of shoes on this commission. 9) I can’t believe my sales manager agreed to this price. Uncle Sam will make more in taxes than I will in profit at this price. 7) This price is ONLY good for today. 6) Because I like you so much, we’re going to sell you this unit at our cost. 5) You’re truck can tow anything on this lot! 4) Sure the tires on this used RV are 9 years old, but look how much tread they have left. 3) If I can get your monthly payment where you want it, will you buy the RV today? 2) Trust me, everything on this used RV works. 1) Your trade-in is only worth $10,000, but we’re going to give you $20,000 for it. Happy Camping, Mark Polk RV Education 101 RV University Become a Fan on Facebook  Read More →

A Glimpse At The RV Underworld, Black Tank Tales

The Lug_Nut View.  Beneath the modern glitter and shine of all RV’s is the underworld, the basement, and of course, the waste tanks.  Seemingly unchanged over the years, the black and grey tanks are filled and must be emptied as needed.  This, in most cases, is being done using the big stinky slinky, at least until now.  But, a new method using a smaller hose and a macerator is quickly becoming popular.  This new system has some advantages over the tried and true gravity drain method.  Let’s look at what it offers. Read more  Read More →

RVing… Not Just For Rednecks Anymore

Have you seen or heard any of these RV quotes by comedian Jeff Foxworthy? – “If your RV is bigger than your house… you might be a redneck.” – “If you’ve ever taken out a mortgage on an RV… you might be a redneck.” – “If you own a house that is mobile, and 5 cars that are not… you might be a redneck.” Laugh if you will, at the fun poked at us. But I’ll be the first one to tell you – RVing sure has changed! Today, there are over 8 million RV households in the U.S. (not to mention all those Canadian RVers, eh?), and RVers are becoming more and more affluent. In fact, according to the RV Industry Association (RVIA.org), the typical RV owner is age 49, married, owns a home and has an annual household income of $68,000. Read more  Read More →

Nick’s Toolbox

After reading my blog about repairing a broken radiator hose on our MCI bus conversion earlier this week, a soon to be fulltimer e-mailed to ask me what basic tools I carry in our rig to keep us out of trouble. Obviously this is a brand new reader, because anybody who knows much about me at all knows that in my case, the more tools I have available, the greater the opportunity for me to create disaster. For me, less is better. Keep in mind that when we were in the early stages of converting our bus, I set fire to it with sparks from an angle grinder. That I once fried our inverter when I fired up the big air compressor we carry in one of our bays while we were dry camping and overloaded the circuit. And then there was the time I decided to polish our stainless steel with a rotary buffer. The pad flew off and hit me in the mouth, I stumbled backward and tripped over a toolbox, and knocked a nasty hole in my skull on a rock. I think the rock fared even worse. That being said, the only power tool Miss Terry allows me to play with is a small Dremel tool, but she hides all of the cutting wheels and wire brushes that come with it, and only lets me have access to tiny little cotton buffing wheels. As for hand tools, forget it! Saws and screwdrivers have sharp edges, I would probably snap a pair of vise grips on some part of my anatomy that wouldn’t respond well to the sudden intrusion, and I can scrape several layers of skin off my knuckles trying to use the wrong size wrench on... Read more

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