Different Paths

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A bit of time has passed since my last blog entry….a lot of things have happened, and many more have changed. When we started our fulltime adventure, it was to find the "perfect place" to land. We have been looking for 9 years and seen most of our wonderful country. This past year has been a time of change. We were planning on spending last winter workcamping in east Texas. We were on the job less than a week when we were summoned to So Cal to care for Terry’s Mom (82), who had fractured her back falling off the roof of the house we had bought so she would not be homeless! Sooooo……we ended up moving her to an assisted living facility this past summer and putting the house on the market. It sold last month and is ready to close escrow. Terry’s Dad passed away about 2 years ago.

My Mom is 87 and still active and healthy. She really should not be driving, so does very little of that activity. We lost my Dad four years ago and Mom adjusted well. We periodically asked her if she would like to come live with us.  We were willing to get a two bedroom fiver to accomodate her, or even to settle down and buy a house. She has always declined the offer, stating she was happy in her home of over 25 years with her memories and familiar surroundings.  The last time we talked about her moving was this past summer. We had been looking at property in eastern ID with the intention of getting something that we would have when the boys were ready to move and take care of us. They are adament about taking caring for us in our feeble years. When I told her what we were considering, and asked if she would come, she went ballistic!  (OK….I sure won’t go there again!!)

We had been working hard all summer and had not found anything we were really interested in, so we planned a trip to the western ID mountains last month. We knew of a buy-in RV resort in Cascade that we wanted to check out. We rented a car and drove to Cascade and spent three days looking at property. We found several interesting prospects, including a house that we really liked.

While there, I called my Mom and told her what we were doing and asked one last time if she would condider coming to live with us if we bought a home. In less than 2 heartbeats, she said YES! OH LORDY…what have we done? All of a sudden she is ready to up and sell the house and come right up! Sooooo…..to make a long story short, we committed to finding a house and getting off the road. We went back to our summer place and announced what we were doing….talk about shock, not only were we in that state, but everyone else was too.

We packed up the fiver and moved to Caldwell, ID two weeks ago and started hunting in earnest. We ended up looking at dozens and found one we really liked. Our offer was accepted and we are now homeowners…all in the space of four fast weeks! We should be moving in about two weeks. We will have a lot of preparation and purchases to make, number one will be a snowblower!. Number two is a huge generator to power essentials when the power goes out! New winter clothing…technology has changed since we have been in snow country…..

We will finally live another dream we have had forever….living in the mountains, by a lake. Fishing, boating, hiking, bicycling, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, snowmobiling…all are on the agenda. We will have room for company and hopefully our home will be full of cheer and good times. Our families are all eager to see where we are settling and are planning trips. My Mom is ready to come now, but we will have to wait a bit for that. She is planning on starting to get rid of things and getting the house ready to market.

Yes, ’tis true….the O’Keeffe road trip is nearing an end. We are a bit ambivilant but know this is the right thing to do. Family comes first and a new adventure begins. Send warm thoughts and we will continue our adventure….just down a different path.

Preparing for Natural Disasters, Using your camper.

Firstly, let us take a minute and think about the thousands of people who have lost homes, property, and even their lives in the recent Hurricanes. Our aid, comfort and support should go out to them.

Several people recently, with the two hurricanes, have, asked me about using their camper to ride out natural disasters. It seems like a natural thing: you have a self-contained unit for living, and you need to live in an area that might have no electric, water or sewage for several days or even weeks. That and I think RV people are more comfortable being self-reliant than the average person. So, what do you need to do to make your camper your shelter and safe haven for several days or even weeks?

Well, first off, what kind of disaster are you talking about? The people who have asked me about doing this are naturally talking about hurricanes; however, with some modifications, you can be prepared for just about anything. Obviously your preparations for a hurricane are going to be slightly different than for a blizzard. So, put some thinking and planning into what you are going to be using your camper for and when.

Before a natural disaster strikes, be prepared. Check all the systems of your camper; do the lights work? Does the smoke detector and the propane detector and carbon monoxide detector work? The water and sewage system working? How about the fridge? If you have had problems when a natural disaster strikes, you know that that is not the time to have to go get a part down at the camper store. Keep your camper ready, and you will have fewer problems and worries when a disaster does strike.

But let’s start with the basics.

• Water in most cases is all important. Clean and disinfect your fresh water tanks and fill it completely. Buy several gallons of water just for drinking that can be stored and maybe cooled individually.
• Plan on how to conserve your water; you don’t want to use tons of water washing dishes, so buy some paper plates and disposable flatware.
• Dump your black and grey tanks and make sure they are totally empty and clean; you maybe using them for several days. Make sure when you do use them to be sparing with the water, you don’t want them to fill too fast. Long, hot showers are not a good idea to conserve water or propane!
• Make sure your generator is working; fill it with fuel and, of course, fill gas containers. The idea isn’t to have enough fuel to keep it running all the time, just to keep your battery charged.
• Make sure your propane tanks are full and ready; you may want to go out and buy a new tank or two if you think this is going to last a long time.
• How is your camper battery? Several years old? Doesn’t hold as much of a charge as it used to? You may want a back up, and a charger to plug into the generator.
• Radios, flashlights, lanterns and of course batteries! We have two radios in addition to the camper radio; they are battery types with the national weather service channels and are able to be powered by turning a crank on the side of them. To be honest, if the kids have to crank the radio to get it to work, they listen to it less at least after the fun of cranking wears off.
• Food, make sure you have food that is easy to prepare and won’t spoil easily. One pot meals are nice, especially if they don’t depend on lots of frozen meats and items you have to keep in the fridge. I have to say canned items are great for this. Snacks and dried fruit are also very nice and provide a feeling of comfort, especially to the kids.
• Pack clothes and linens and sleeping bags for your stay, be sure to include proper foot wear!
• How about some games and books to pass the time. I wouldn’t recommend movies since they use up electric.
• A GPS in your vehicle might prove very valuable if roads are blocked, destroyed or just very congested.
• Do you feel you need any personal protection devices? That is a personal choice, but I feel it should be mentioned.
• Do you have all your medications filled, packed, and your first-aid kits ready?

Now that you are mostly ready for what is going to happen. Make some plans. If a Hurricane is coming and it isn’t safe to stay in your house, I am not going to go outside and stay in my much lighter and fragile camper. I am going to hook up to it and head away from the storm to a protected campground, not in a flood area, not with lots of tall dead trees around it. Maybe now is the time to go on that vacation to Yellowstone? On the other hand, if it is a blizzard, maybe you can stay at home and just make sure you get extra salt, shovels and gas for the snow blower. Floods, how about a nice high campground? In most cases, you have some warning, and, if you make a plan, you will have clear goals and destinations. Like my old Boy Scout Motto used to say: Be Prepared!

Your Obedient Servant,

Gary Smith, Jr.

Hey Ranger! How Much Firewood is in a Cord?

The Internet can be a great source of information, but it isn’t foolproof. If you aren’t already familiar with the topic, taking on-line advice without a bit of checking can sometimes leave a person in a Melancholy Situation.

A good example involves units of weight or measurement we don’t use on a regular basis, such as how much firewood is in a “cord.”

Even campers who travel in a fully self-contained RV sometimes enjoy the ambiance of a wood fire at their site, and with the price of propane, some campers are using wood a little more often for cooking or a warming campfire. Locating legal firewood near a heavily used campground can be a challenge, however, especially late in the season. Start looking for “dead and down” wood close to camp and you’ll likely conclude that those hunter-gatherer genes are still well-represented in the campers who have come before you.

Many campers just end up springing for a bundle or two of wood from the camp store, but firewood purchased that way can be pricey if you plan to use it on a regular basis. That’s probably the background for an item I spotted on an Internet message board, offering advice on how campers in one location could save some serious money on firewood by the cord. Read more

End of the Summer? Maybe! End of Camping? NOT!

To many, many people this weekend seems to be the end of the camping season. When I was a kid, this weekend was the end of summer and freedom. After all summer of running around mainly barefoot, leaving the house in the morning and not having to come back until the streetlights came on (except you better be there for dinner!), riding your bikes, playing baseball, swimming, fishing, and having lots of fun, suddenly you had to put on new shoes and jeans as stiff as cardboard and shirts with buttons and GO BACK TO SCHOOL!

Well, I am here to say you don’t have to be as sad as a kid going back to school this time of year. Today’s campers are equipped with Heaters! In fact, even here in North Western Pennsylvania, temperatures are not going to be so cold for several weeks that you have to worry about getting that frigid. So, don’t let the time of year stop you from going camping!

Now for safety considerations, please check your heater and make sure it is operating properly. It should burn cleanly, and, after the first few minutes, there should be no strange odors. Any appliances that use flame (stove, heater, frig, water heater) should burn with a clear blue flame. Check the batteries, in your LP detector, smoke alarm and Carbon monoxide detector. Also, test them to make sure they go off! If you have heated tanks, you don’t have to worry about things freezing unless it gets really cold. Just make sure you remember to winterize when you come back if the temperatures are going to be below freezing.

Layers may be needed as the days start getting cooler. But, look at it this way, the bugs are going to start dying off at least up North. Last year in November we went down to the Okefenokee Swamp and almost got carried away by the Bugs!

Now, where can you go? Most of the Summer/entertainment park type of campgrounds are starting to close, and the kids have many activities like football and band. So we like to look closer to home. We also tend to do some less frantic type of activities, enjoying more nature walks, leaf peeping, elk watching, and sitting around the campfire.

So, maybe try focusing on the national park, state park or national forest, state forest campgrounds. These are often closer than you think and many can reach them within a hour or less drive. The sites maybe a little smaller, and there often isn’t electric or water, much less full hook ups. But, if you go closer to home and are only staying for a relaxing weekend with the kids, you should be able to get by. Look at it as practice for your dream trip to Yellowstone and boonedocking! Another bonus is that the prices are often very reasonable most being in the 15 to 30 dollar range, for a night’s stay.

So, don’t let the end of summer end your camping for the year. Get out while you can enjoy the warmth of the fire and make memories with your kids.

Your Obedient Servant,

Gary Smith, Jr.

Campfire safety, it’s not all light my fire baby!

This week I want to talk about campfire safety. I realize and hope I am talking to the people that already are safety-minded about fires, but since this is one of the most frequent causes of injuries while camping, I thought it deserved a strong mention.

The campfire is one of the nicest parts of camping. My family loves to sit around the campfire telling stories and making s’mores (if you promise to read this to the end I will give you the new s’mores recipe we are using!). As the night goes on and the wear and tear of the day starts to take it’s toll and the fire burns down, we become quiet and begin watching the fire and the almost hypnotic effect it starts to have. Finally, when someone either yawns so wide it looks like the top of their head is going to fall off, or falls asleep, then it is time for bed. It is also most useful for cooking and heating water for dishes if you are dry camping.

But, like any tool, you must learn how to use it safely. You don’t give a 4-year-old an axe and say go have fun.  Likewise you don’t give a 4-year-old matches and say go have fun… but, at any age, you can learn about fire safety. Most of what I am going to say is common sense but, like my Grandfather used to tell me, “Common sense isn’t that common anymore.” So, please read this, and if you learn one new thing that can make you safer, it will have been worth it!

Read more

The Bear Facts on Electric Fences

You have a better chance of being struck by lightning than ever having a close encounter with a hungry bear, but recent events; including an aggressive black bear having to be put down in Yellowstone National Park on July 11, a grizzly attack on a camper just outside the park on July 18, and an attack on a solo hiker yesterday in the Walker basin area east of Bakersfield, CA have elevated awareness of the risks associated with camping in bear country. With that in mind, we look at a pair of gadgets this week designed to protect your campsite sleeping area through the night. Read more

RV Today Archive - Product Showcase - Truckcamper

The pop-up feature is not only easy to use, but it allows full height people to move comfortably inside.

Do Dryer Sheets Repel Ants?

Airstream RV Blog - Ant Infestation! from Sean Michael on Vimeo.

In the annals of philosophy, there exist certain eternal questions. These issues have been pondered and debated for centuries by the great thinkers.

What is the meaning of human existence? What is the ideal relationship between the individual and the state? Is there a universal truth, or is truth relative? And finally: do dryer sheets repel ants?

It’s the latter question we shall address today.

During our honeymoon adventure, Kristy and I camped in Malibu. Much like Thoreau at Walden Pond, we were besieged by ants. The Malibu campground appeared to be situated upon a normal hillside overlooking the Pacific. Indeed, it looked like a posh celebrity playground; Matthew McConaughey’s own famous travel trailer was parked just a few sites down.

But we soon discovered that we were parked upon the world’s largest ant mound. In Malibu we had ants in our kitchen, bathroom, living room, and bed. When I emptied the water tanks, ants were coming out the sewer hose! I kid you not.

It’s hard to be precise, but I’d estimate we had 23,472,822 ants inside our RV. To combat the Great California Ant Invasion, we employed a strategy so innovative, so groundbreaking, so…stupid? that it had to come from the Internet. Our solution: fabric softener sheets.

Sooner or later, every person on earth will receive a spam email containing a list of “alternative uses” for dryer sheets. If the entire list is true, then dryer sheets are the greatest human invention since the wheel. Dryer sheets, the email claims, make for a wonderful ant repellent.

So we bought a box of fabric softener sheets, and distributed them throughout our trailer.

After a couple of days, we could draw some conclusions. Did the dryer sheets repel ants?

My answer to this great philosophical question, is “Nah — not really.”

When we first laid out the sheets, I thought I detected a slight decrease in insect behavior. But I think the ants were merely taking a siesta.

After a few hours, I noticed some ants simply crawling right over the sheets. They just didn’t seem to be affected by them very much.

When we left Malibu, the ant problems ceased. And I was generally unimpressed by the ant repellent properties of dryer sheets.

But I had to wonder: would unscented dryer sheets have worked better? And thus, the great philosophical question remains essentially unanswered. Perhaps we shall try again this camping season…

—–

For more provocative philosophical essays like this one, check out our website: www.thelonglonghoneymoon.com!

Vinyl Sided Tent Trailer Maintenance

Howdy !!

Tent trailers are not that much different from their hard sided brethren. They both have refrigerators, liquid propane (LP) gas ranges, water heaters, forced air furnace, power converter; and in some cases, even an air conditioner ! The largest difference is that tent trailers are built with an eye for light weight construction and materials including the appliances, accessories and running gear. One result of this effort to achieve such a light weight trailer is the increased amount of preventive maintenance for the basic trailer and the care and repair of the vinyl walls and bed roofs

Let’s review the basic checks common to any RV. The LP gas system must be tested once a year for leaks, rubber hose abrasion and that the system has the correct gas pressure of about eleven inches water column. The electrical system includes the 12Volt Direct Current (VDC) and 110Volt Alternating Current (VAC). The 12VDC side of things operate the 12VDC lights, the control electronics in the appliances and, in combination with the towing vehicle, the tail, brake and clearance lights.

Read more

Batteries:Testing, Charging and Storing

 

Testing, charging and properly storing your deep cycle batteries will prolong their life span. There are a couple of different ways to check your batteries state of charge. You can measure the voltage with a digital voltmeter or check the specific gravity with a hydrometer. Testing the specific gravity is the preferred method but measuring voltage has its advantages. If you have sealed batteries your only choice is to measure voltage and measuring voltage can give you a quick picture of the batteries depth of discharge so you know when they need to be recharged.

If the battery state-of-charge is below 70% the battery needs to be recharged before you test it. The battery should not be tested if it has been charged or discharged in the last 6 hours and preferably 24 hours. This is called an open circuit voltage test. To measure the voltage you need a good digital voltmeter. Using the DC voltmeter check the voltage and compare it to this chart. 

% State Of Charge	Specific Gravity Corrected 80 F	Open Circuit 12-Volt	Open Circuit 6-Volt
100	1.277	12.73	6.37
90	1.258	12.62	6.31
80	1.238	12.50	6.25
70	1.217	12.37	6.19
60	1.195	12.24	6.12
50	1.172	12.10	6.05
40	1.148	11.96	5.98
30	1.124	11.81	5.91
Discharged	1.120	11.80	5.90

Read more

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