ENTERING NEW ENGLAND

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our E-mail Digest or RSS Feed. We will then send you the stories that are posted each day in an e-mail digest. We use a service called Feedburner for delivery of these emails. You will receive an e-mail from Feedburner after you subscribe and you must click on that email to activate your subscription. Thanks for visiting and enjoy all the information! RV.Net Blog AdminBy Barry Zander, Edited by Monique Zander, the Never-Bored RVers The first atomic-powered submarine, the Nautilus, gives visitors a view of life in "the Silent Service" Things we learned quickly about New England: the streets in these picturesque, quaint towns were built 250 to 350 years ago – very scenic but not the place you want to take your Class A, C, Travel Trailer or 5th Wheel.   Just driving down many of the streets in our GMC truck involves pulling over to let on-coming traffic through. We’re currently in Narragansett, Rhode Island, which is not far from Misquamicut, Usquepaug and Wequetequock.  You don’t really need to know that, but my point is the names of towns around here are often verbally challenging. Stone fences abound in this part of New England These Yankees love historic stone fences in front of large two-story homes.  Everywhere we look in the Connecticut/Rhode Island area there are stone fences, which I surmise are the result of field-clearing centuries ago.  The countryside is beautiful.  We have seen all cannons,... Read more

REFLECTIONS FROM THE ROAD

By Barry Zander, Edited by Monique Zander, the Never-Bored RVers We’ve been traveling cross-country for two weeks now on our way to the Canadian Maritimes from California.  I’ll let you know more about the travels in Part 3 of this article. PART 1 – FREE OVERNIGHT PARKING – From my “I wish I could find the picture I took Department,” I send along this: In Mark Polk’s March edition of RV Consumer Magazine — http://issuu.com/rveducation101/docs/rv_consumer_magazine_march_2013/1?utm_source=RV+Consumer+emag+this+Month+March+2013+++&utm_campaign=RV+Consumer+magazine+RV+101&utm_medium=email — he has a brief item about Walmart parking, which probably applies to all one-night on-the-road no-charge parking places.   He mentions how putting down the jacks on hot asphalt to level the rig can damage the parking lot surface. We have seen several instances of what we feel is parking-lot abuse during our travels, but none so memorable as the Scamp mini-trailer on the edge of a parking lot with awning out, rug down, barbecue going and chairs and tables all arranged.  It looked like the owners had set up camp for the week. We try not to be judgmental, but put yourself in the role of store manager.  You can understand why he or she would think about putting the lot off-limits for overnight RV parking.  Most managers of businesses work hard to preserve an image of a clean property.  We hope you consider yourself their guests. PART 2 – TRUCKIN’ AND RVers Anyone... Read more

Decreasing The Risk of RV Accidents

A Lug_Nut point of view.   Vehicle accidents are unfortunately all too common, especially minor ones, often referred to as “Fender Benders.”  These types of incidents are both costly and inconvenient, not to mention possibly dangerous.  Many insurance policies provide for a loaner, or rental car, while your vehicle gets repaired.  This certainly eases the inconvenience somewhat, but still disrupts one’s life, albeit briefly. Such a safety net does not exist for most, if not all, RV’s.  If your trailer or motor home is involved in a collision, you will inevitably be without a temporary replacement while it is fixed.   But, unlike an ordinary auto repair, the repairing of these specialized units takes a considerable period of time. Additionally, RV’s are generally larger, and some greatly so, to that of a normal automobile or light truck.  To manage the weight for these oversized vehicles, lighter body materials are often used.  These lighter materials can suffer far worst damage in an impact with an object or another vehicle.   Also, the nature of RV applications may often require maneuvering in close proximity to a host of objects while backing into a relatively small space.  All of these things increase the risks of physical damage to the unit. This can be very stressful if such an event happens just prior to, or while, on your vacation.  It can ruin your plans and spoil your entire holiday.   Unfortunately, there is no guaranteed way of avoiding these... Read more

Wyoming DOT’s solution to highway accidents caused by migrating wildlife

By Bob Difley “Everyday in the U.S., 190 million motor vehicles hit the road, and one million animals get hit by motor vehicles. That’s counting cars, buses, motorbikes, and trucks, but not ATVs, snowmobiles and other off-road vehicles. The figure includes mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians, but not insects and bugs, who somehow never count.” wrote Mark Matthew Braunstein on the Culture Change website.  http://www.culturechange.org/issue8/roadkill.htm “For every dead animal counted, three or four more die unnoticed. Even at 55 m.p.h., we smell the remains of far more dead skunks than we see. The walking wounded die far from the road, so only instantly killed animals are seen and get counted.” For those of us who call ourselves wildlife watchers these numbers are appalling. These numbers are the result of many factors, such as more highways being built, many of these highways cutting off wildlife migration routes and breeding grounds, urban and suburban populations expanding into wildlife habitat, lack of fencing keeping wildlife off busy highways, and reduction of wildlife habitat forcing populations to seek additional space away from protected areas. Unfortunately, the protection of wildlife is often derided as the agenda of wacko liberal environmentalists. But kudoos have to go out to the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WDOT) for tackling a problem where pronghorn antelope migrate 170 miles from Grand Teton National Park south to... Read more

An Innovative Idea For RV Transmission Control

  An innovative product idea from the Lug_Nut file. Automatic transmissions are quickly replacing the mechanically clutched manual gearbox in the world’s high performance automobiles. While many are equipped with single or dual action hydraulic clutches, all are capable of shifting gears automatically. For the positive control of spirited performance shifting, these newer systems employ steering wheel mounted paddle switches. These spring loaded momentary contact levers are located behind the wheel at about nine and three o’clock. They are easily operated with your fingertips while your hands are comfortably gripping the steering wheel. The left one toggles the downshift while the right the upshift. The main transmission control provides a selection of either fully automatic or paddle control shifting. The automatic or manual modes can also be toggled back and forth on some models using just the paddles. Generally the paddle shift feature is not available on the average automobile, other than as a sales gimmick, as it would have little operational value. But what about a large vehicle like a truck or motor home? The ability to manually select the gearing, in this type of unit, is often a need when operating in very hilly or mountainous terrains. Currently, diesel pusher owners control user input shifts by depressing one of two buttons on the Allison keypad. The control keypad is generally located to the driver’s left, often near waist level about equal to the operator’s... Read more

GETTING READY — THE MOST IMPORTANT TASKS – PART 5

By Barry Zander, Edited by Monique Zander, the Never-Bored RVers The winds are bringing in more of a chill.  November is getting closer, and before that, of course, many of you snowbirds are excited about watching your grandkids go trick-or-treating. In this episode of “Getting Ready “for your fall travels,” I’ll remind you of what I consider to be the most important tasks for trailer/5th wheel pullers – checking the battery and tires.  For you motorhome, C Class and truck camper drivers, I would imagine having the engine checked over would be just as important, and getting it done at home from mechanics that you trust is probably a better alternative than hoping for a reliable mechanic a long way down the road. But first, let me pass along a note from RV expert Mark Polk about putting grease on slide bars: Hi Barry, There are lots of slide-out manufacturers and various slide-out control mechanisms. If at all possible it’s best to follow the advice of the slide manufacturer for maintenance procedures, intervals and lubrication techniques. If the unit is under warranty it’s important that you use what the manufacturer recommends for lubricating the slide-out. The owner should look through the owner’s manual for information on the slide-out. Many times it is possible to contact the manufacturer through a tech email or phone contact and get answers directly from them about their products. With that said, the majority of slide mechanisms call for a... Read more

Solving The RV Foggy Window Syndrome

Almost all motor homes have thermopane-type dual glazed windows that act as insulation and prevent interior condensation. Between these pieces of glass is a dry air that will not form moisture when subjected to temperature changes. However, all that changes when the seal between these two glass pieces become compromised and develops a leak. I use the term “When” in lieu of “If” because over time most, if not all, will suffer this failure. Over time it is subjected to movement, vibration, altitude pressure variances and of course, the harsh temperature changes and environment conditions. There are 4 or 5 glass manufacturers that all the RV builders use, so no matter which brand of RV you have, all will eventually fail. So, what do you do when foggy windows strike? You could replace them at the RV maker’s factory or authorized dealer. But that can be very costly. The preferred method, however, is to have them repaired or actually refurbished. There are several companies that offer this type of service and may well do a good job. One such company, located in Hudson, Florida, SunCoast Designers, specializes in this field. They offer a number of 50 amp, water equipped RV sites as well as an on-site dump station. The process is far more involved than I had imagined. They remove the window(s) from the coaches while they are sitting in the serviced lots and then plastic seal the hole(s) temporarily while the window refurbishing takes place. Inside the plant, the window assemblies... Read more

RVSEF to conduct RV Lifestyle, Education & Safety Conference in Bowling Green

By Bob Difley Years ago I was fortunate to be able to teach classes at the Life On Wheels RV Conferences. But unfortunately, the program no longer exists due to the death of its founder and head cheerleader, Gaylord Maxwell. It was an excellent learning program with offerings for wannabee RVers to old hands brushing up. One of the other instructors was Walter Cannon, who offered classes–like his driving and safety classes–through his Recreation Vehicle Safety & Education Foundation (RVSEF). He has since brought his program to other venues across the country and in partnering with North Hampton Community College in Bowling Green, Kentucky, will again offer his “Behind the Wheel” driving classes (which will be held at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green) as part of RVSEF’s RV Lifestyle, Education & Safety Conference in 2012 on May 18 – 20. To register call RVSEF @ 321-453-7673 or email them. Check out my website for RVing tips and destinations and for my ebooks, BOONDOCKING: Finding the Perfect Campsite on America’s Public Lands (or for Kindle version), Snowbird Guide to Boondocking in the Southwestern Deserts (Kindle version), and 111 Ways to Get the Biggest Bang out of your RV Lifestyle Dollar (Kindle version).  Read More →

The aging RVer

I am sitting here tonight comtemplating that in two days I will “celebrate” my 67th birthday.  On this event I am looking at our current and future RVing situation and wondering what the near future holds for this “aging RVer”?? With today’s modern medical advances, 67 is not really “old”, but for certain, I have noticed a difference in my abilities to live the RV lifestyle.  In particular I have become keenly aware of limitation on my efforts to keep the motorhome clean, and polished.  In the past I would spend hours washing, waxing, and meticulously cleaning the coach, taking pride in removing even small spots.  This year the days have flown by and my RV sits in the driveway with a nice even coating of road dirt.  Believe me this is something that in years past, would not have happened.  Yet I simply cannot find time in my day to get the dirt off like I used to.  My thought is that there used to be 24 hours in a day. Now it seems more like 18 or 19.  Obviously this is a reflection of my diminishing energy level and reduced ability to get everything done that I want to do. My brain still works, at least I think it does, but my physical body just doesn’t get things done as quickly as it used to, nor does it keep going as long as it used to.  This situation is of course, a source of great frustration to me, and something I have to live with every day. So, I not only adjust my daily schedule to accomodate my reduced stamina,... Read more

PLANNING FOR ALASKA — REVISITED

On the Trip of a Lifetime Dear Julie, See what you started when you asked about your 2012 trip to Alaska as newbies. We received comments galore to our rv.net blog posted November 1, filled with good advice.  In case you or any other readers are planning a first-time trek to Alaska, I suggest you check out all the comments, but let’s revisit some of the advice given by fellow travelers. I think the most important guidance mentioned by many is to spend as much time as possible testing your RV before taking off on an 8,000-mile or more journey.  These castles on wheels have come a long way for dependability in the past 20 years, but there are so many systems and so many chances for human error in construction, it’s best to go on the road to check that everything is working – and for the arduous Alaska trip, you want to start out confident that everything is working right. The second most mentioned suggestion is to see the Canadian Rockies.   Commenter John recommended following the Rockies up from Las Vegas, New Mexico.  When we make our return visit, we might try that. I’ll cover informational resources in a minute, but there are two items that came up worth further discussion.  One is the Alaskan ferry system along the Pacific coastline and among the islands.  We haven’t experienced it, but I’m sure it’s spectacular.  What I believe are the two major problems with that are, 1) it’s pricey, and 2) you’ll miss the driving adventure. On the other hand,... Read more

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