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Blogs

DIY RV Guy
 

Inverters, Converters & Chargers… Oh My!

This ain’t Kansas, Toto… Lights not lighting? Water pressure a trickle? Refrigerator not refrigerating …errr… cooling? It’s annoying when the lights work most of the time (only happens when it’s dark outside)… It’s aggravating when the shower barely spits and dribbles water (only happens when theres soap in my eyes)… It’s infuriating discovering warm beer in the refrigerator (only happens when thirsty)… What if I told you the problem may not be the light switch or
diyrvguy

diyrvguy

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Melvin's Travels
 

Springtime in Savannah

FL 3-26-15 Today we woke to a weather report for 80 degree temps. Without hesitation we began to plan our day. First a 20 minute drive to Fort McAllister state park to check out the camping facilities. This is a very well preserved area with large trees and spacious camp sites. Big rigs and fifth wheelers do NOT fit in all sites and the park is frequently booked. We knew that yesterday when we attempted to reserve a spot. As with most State parks the campsites only provide electric and sewer h
Castle3

Castle3

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Melvin's Travels
 

Savannah and Swans

FL 3-24-15 Sunday past we left Flordia and began our slow trek north. Our first stop over is Savannah GA. We made it to our destination, Richmond Hills KOA. This is a fairly nice CG with the exception of the sandy sites. Here comes the mess inside our motorhome. By the time we were settled in and hooked up, the rain began and continued through Monday. So we didn't venture out until today. Our plan was to get into the historic district and take a trolley tour. Mission accomplished! Although th
Castle3

Castle3

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Melvin's Travels
 

Time to begin our journey North

FL 3-21-15 Today was another beautiful 86 degree blue sky day. My sister in law Linda and her husband John stopped by our campsite for a visit today. Seems like anytime one of us heads for Flordia the other one shows up. We spent the afternoon gabbing away and then went out for an early supper so they would have time to catch their flight home today. We have been here at Clerbrook RV resort in Clermont ( spelled correctly both times) for the past two days. A very nice place! Three large comple
Castle3

Castle3

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DIY RV Guy
 

Water Damage : The Ugly Truth

If you’re RV lives outdoors you need to take action now. The suns harsh rays combined with drastic climate changes in temperature and humidity are rapidly exposing your RV to the ravages of water infiltration. If you’re serious about maintaining your RV and avoiding costly repairs take action now. Investing 30 minutes of your time twice a year will save you aggravation and lost money. Detecting entry points for damaging water requires frequent inspection and a keen eye. Devel
diyrvguy

diyrvguy

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Melvin's Travels
 

Come to Flordia and meet your family from the North East

FL 3-18-15 The last couple days I had very little to write about. We are at Alliance Coach having a few minor repairs done. Thing is it takes time to schedule your turn and not all repairs are straight forward due to the complexity of these things. The past 2 days we spent our time exploring the countryside. This area is full of horse ranches and I'm not talking 10 acres! They go on for miles. The pastures are beautiful, the homestead is Southern Fork worthy, and the horses are of all varietie
Castle3

Castle3

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Melvin's Travels
 

Florida Villages and sunshine

FL 3-15-15 Today we are in Wildwood FL. Nothing really planed for today so I began by just tinkering a bit. The Toad wiring needed more tape where it had chaffed against the safety cables. Easy fix in less than 15 minutes. While I was outside, I got in a conversation with my neighbor. He's a retired pharmacist traveling by himself in a 38 foot motorhome. A very friendly and quite interesting fellow. Frankly, it's hard to find a jerk in this lifestyle. We're nearly all retired and spending down
Castle3

Castle3

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DIY RV Guy
 

Are Your Tires Tired?

Are Your Tires Tired? Are your tires brand new or near new? Are they showing their age? No tires last forever but they can safely serve for several years. Give your tires a fighting chance to carry you down the road for many years to come. Avoid roadside tire repairs and save wasted time and money in the future. Prolong the serviceable life of your tires with regular care. Avoid using commercial tire cleaners. Those chemicals that add shine inhibit the ingredients a
diyrvguy

diyrvguy

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Melvin's Travels
 

Cavern State park FL

3-12-15 Today we are staying at caverns state park in FL. What a change from Texas. This AM when we stepped outside our air conditioned living space the humidity was intense! The temperature was a pleasant 80. MAYBE IF YOU WERE NECK DEEP IN A POOL. In spite of that we came here to see the caverns, so off we went. Our drive through the park was lovely. Spring has arrived here and trees were bursting their buds along with several varieties of wild flowers in bloom. Once the Burb was parked we s
Castle3

Castle3

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J. Dawg Journeys
 

Return to The Texas Hill Country

Last year, we did a brief one day stop over while passing through the Texas Hill Country. This is a pretty area about 70 miles west of Austin. In my opinion, it one of Texas's nicest areas. Its a rural area of rolling hills, sparse trees, small towns, cattle ranches, and wineries. You can read my blog post about last years visit here - Texas Hill Country. Last year, we agreed that one day was not enough and planned for a return visit. This year we did a three day stop over so we could expl
italo

italo

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Melvin's Travels
 

Rainy day driving

FL 3-10-15 We left San Antonio TX Monday. Our original plan was to stay there for a couple weeks and then slowly head for Branson MO. However, it was cold in Texas, and Branson doesn't really get going until late April. So plan B was put in motion. Return to Florida get warm, do some beach time, and stay there until warmer weather sets in on the east coast. Yesterday we drove from San Antonio to Lake Charles LA. Once we began to see all the Isle of Capri casino bill boards, I got the great id
Castle3

Castle3

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J. Dawg Journeys
 

Passing Through the Emerald Coast

After enjoying four relaxing days of beautiful ocean side setting on St. Joseph Peninsula, it was time to move on and continue our westward trek. We left the sparsely developed Forgotten Coast in our mirrors and continued on Route 98 into the heavily developed condo land that seems to typify the Emerald Coast. I’ve driven through this area a couple of times. There's not much here that I find interesting other than Gulf Islands National Seashore on Santa Rosa Island and some attractions near P
italo

italo

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Melvin's Travels
 

Melvin on a Mission

FL 3-7-15 First I need to give a thumbs up to Travelers RV park here in San Antonio. It's easy to find, staffed with friendly and knowledgeable people, and has spacious lots that are clean as a whistle. Today was mission tour day. We began at San Jose's. It was like a step back in time to the 1750's! Much of it is as it was then. Some restoration has taken place over the years, but one is hard pressed to find where. As we entered through one of several gates in the wall that surrounds the mis
Castle3

Castle3

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Melvin's Travels
 

Corpus Christi TX

3-4-15 During the last couple days I toured the USS Lexington, shelled about 10 pounds of pecans, and ate leftovers at Bills house. Our conversations covered all sorts of topics and not once did we have one of those awkward silent moments. The day we toured the Lexington fewer than 100 others had chosen to do the same. That gave us run of the ship. We could read all the info plaques, take pictures that were not obstructed by people, or just stand and talk as long as we wished without getting
Castle3

Castle3

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Melvin's Travels
 

My First Navy Reunion After 44 years

2-28-15 Just had the best 7 hours in a very long time. I met with 3 of 7 others from our SEAL support team in Viet Nam 1970/71. Until about a year ago I had not spoken with any of them. One found me and I found the others. Last Oct. we scheduled a reunion in Corpus Christi for today. Now this is one of the things retirement and a motorhome give you the freedom to do. It's not all about escaping cold weather or sight seeing. Although those two are near the top of the list, visits like today don
Castle3

Castle3

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J. Dawg Journeys
 

Seven Great Smartphone Apps for RVers

Here are some smartphone apps that I use that really come in handy while traveling in my RV. I've got lots of apps on my phone for news, music, photos, videos, notes, banking, etc. But, these are the ones I use most frequently while traveling. These are all Android apps that most likely have iPhone versions. Thought I share what they are so others could also enjoy them. Bubble Level A great app for leveling your RV. It has a 360 degree bubble level or a spirit level. No internet access ne
italo

italo

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Melvin's Travels
 

NASA welcomes Melvin

2-23-15 Today we toured the Johnson Space Center. Had I known the 90 minute tram ride was more an open air ride than stop and visit, I would have gone a couple days ago when it was much warmer. Silly me, thinking today was perfect for an indoor activity. In spite of that, Ruth and I had a pretty good day. The three tram stops were very interesting. First was mission control for the flight of Apollo 13. Being in electronics my whole career, I was struck by how primitive the equipment looked.
Castle3

Castle3

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Caliente Springs Resort
 

Review

Caliente Spring Resort I stayed at Caliente Springs Resort this winter and at a “State of the Resorts meeting” the management asked for an online review. They may feel that they have the best resort available but I must say they are brave to ask for an online review with me in the room. Caliente Springs Resort is located at 70200 Dillon Road, Desert Hot Springs, CA. It is the most expensive resort of the many on Dillon Road or for that matter within a ten miles radius. What does Caliente
huffypuff

huffypuff

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Melvin's Travels
 

Melvin rides a Gargoyle

FL 2-21-15 When I watched this mornings weather I decided the best use of today's warmer temperature was to visit a few more things in Galveston. Plan B was to go to the Space Center. That is now on Tuesday's agenda. Once I remembered I had picked up a stack of brochures at the Texas visitor center my task became easier. The Bishops Mansion peaked my interest so I did some further research on the web. Feb. 21st is a special guided tour from attic to basement at 11 AM. Oh, that would be today
Castle3

Castle3

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Melvin's Travels
 

Snow birds love Galveston in Feb.

FL 2-20-15 After checking the web for attractions on the island we loaded up and headed for a few. The historical downtown was first. Once we found it we parked and went for a stroll. Although most of the building have serviced since the early 1900's most have been repurposed. Tee shirt shops, soda fountains, candy shops, and souvenir emporiums abound. If you find the right spot some of these building are quite interesting to photograph. Even though we had very little interest in their wares,
Castle3

Castle3

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J. Dawg Journeys
 

Florida's Scenic A1A Coastal Byway

One of my favorite roads in Florida is Route A1A along the northern Atlantic coast. This two lane road hugs the coast for 72 miles from Daytona to Ponte Vedra Beach. For many of those miles, the ocean is in your windshield and just a stones throw from your RV's side window. Much of Florida's Atlantic coastline is heavy developed, but along A1A, you can experience many miles of undeveloped coastline. On a recent stay in northern Florida, I got a chance to re-experience A1A. I first encountere
italo

italo

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Melvin's Travels
 

Melvin takes an unscheduled boat ride

FL 2-19-15 Our March to Corpus Christi continued today. We both slept in and we're ready to leave Beaumont by 10 AM. I punched in the address of Galveston State park and at the second turn I knew we were not heading towards I-10. However, I felt adventurous so I let George (the GPS) have his way. Well, in no time we were cruising down a state road at 60 MPH with very little traffic. About 50 miles into our 125 mile trip we spotted a digital sign stating "Ferry traffic on schedule". With no wat
Castle3

Castle3

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Melvin's Travels
 

We made it to Texas

2-18-15 Our day began in Baton Rouge and ended in my daughters birth state, Texas. We crossed the bridge over the Mississippi at 10 AM. For all the stories we had heard about accidents and traffic jams, our crossing took less than 10 minutes. As we continued west on I 10, we soon were on another bridge. This one was much different though. It was level, about 30 feet above the bayou, and was every bit of 20 miles long. Another observation was the amount of trucks using this road. I estimate 4
Castle3

Castle3

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