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Tom and Louise on Tour in North America
 

Canberra

Canberra is the national capital of Australia. It is located between Melbourne and Sydney which have a population of about 4 million people in each city. That is 8 million people in a nation of about 14 million. So most of the population of Australia is in these two cities and in the surrounding communities. Once we leave this area we’ll see very few large towns and as we head west, we’ll see fewer people. Canberra itself is not a huge city. The population of Canberra is just over 400,000.
tbutler

tbutler

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Roadtreking Blog
 

Critter Signs Along the Way While RVing

Over the last week, I’ve been organizing the thousands of photos I’ve taken over the past few years and noticed that I have a pretty good collection of animal crossing signs. Like a lot of people, I love seeing wildlife while Roadtreking. Somehow, I started taking photos of them as we traveled. From there, well, it sort of evolved into all sorts of signs about critters … of all sorts. Since I had them all organized, I thought I’d put them together in this little slide show. I know. taking ph
Roadtrekingmike

Roadtrekingmike

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Roadtreking Blog
 

RVing's Dirty Little Secret: Filthy Campgrounds

People wonder why we prefer boondocking over campgrounds. Here’s why: Too many campgrounds are dirty. Not all. But way too many. In the bathrooms, there are almost always spiders, bugs, things in the toilets and stalls that disgust you, broken windows, mold, rusty pipes, grimy sinks. In Mississippi earlier this year, one of the showers I used this year had a cracked floor. When you stepped on it, blank gunk seeped out around your feet. In Missouri, a long broken and unrepaired window had the
Roadtrekingmike

Roadtrekingmike

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Tom and Louise on Tour in North America
 

And Then the Rains Came

We’ve had a very dry trip, only a couple of days of rain in New Zealand and nothing to speak of in Australia. That all changed on Tuesday, March 25. As I was doing the final outdoor tasks getting ready to leave our campground in Eden in New South Wales (NSW) I noticed a little mist in the air. The clouds were dark and heavy and the forecast for several days had called for rain. We planned to drive along the Sapphire Coast as it is known. There are designated tourist routes which have histor
tbutler

tbutler

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Tom and Louise on Tour in North America
 

Descending to Eden

At the town of Adaminaby we stopped at the visitor’s center and talked with several natives. They had a statue of the Man From Snowy River, the supposed subject of the poem of the same name. Louise bought a copy of the poem for $1 and read the poem to me as we traveled on through the mountains. As we drove on, the road once again descended a steep slope and large vehicles were advised to use lower gears. I down shifted and we started our descent. Just a kilometer or so down the road we cam
tbutler

tbutler

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"Gramps" Blog
 

When Things Are Still

This lesson is a continuation of using your eyes and your imagination. One of the volumes in my Time Life library of photography is called The Great Themes. These photography themes include The Human Condition (life as the camera sees it) War, Nature, Portraits, The Nude, and finally Still Life. I have captured a lot of nature shots. I have taken pictures of many humans including ones in love, sad, happy and just arrived in the world. I have not dedicated much time or effort to becoming a
-Gramps-

-Gramps-

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Tom and Louise on Tour in North America
 

Over the River and Through the Mountains

For a week we’ve been following the Murray River east from Adelaide toward the Great Dividing Range, the mountains which feed the headwaters of the Murray. The Murray also is the boundary between the state of Victoria and the state of New South Wales. Thus we’ve been exploring both the northern part of Victoria and seeing the territory of New South Wales across the river. As we leave Wodonga we are headed east into the Snowy Mountains, part of the Great Dividing Range. Historically, this rang
tbutler

tbutler

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Tom and Louise on Tour in North America
 

Britz Comes Through

Without any definite word on the outcome of the refrigerator problem we decided to stay one more night at the Big 4 Campervan Park in Ecucha. Louise had our refrigerated items stored in the refrigerator in the park kitchen facilities. We moved to the new site and then decided to explore the town. As we walked, we got a call from the road service company. The agent informed us he was trying to put together a solution. He thought we would be exchanging our campervan for a different one and jus
tbutler

tbutler

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Roadtreking Blog
 

If Headed to Florida, Better Learn Pickleball

Actually, amend that headline. Pickleball is everywhere. In fact, its leading proponents claim it is the fastest-growing sport in North America,.though verifying that is not easy to do. But there is no doubt that the sport, invented in 1965, is now hugely popular, particularly among retirees and in campgrounds, RV resorts, retirement communities and the like across Florida and the Sunbelt. Further, many snowbrird return to their northern homes each spring and bring their love of the game back w
Roadtrekingmike

Roadtrekingmike

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Roadtreking Blog
 

Protecting Your Sticks-and-Brick House While You’re RVing

We’ve been traveling about two weeks out of every month and a nagging worry that doesn’t go away is the safety and protection of our sticks-and-bricks house. So this past week, I just installed an alarm system on every door, every window, as well as motion detectors, water detectors, freeze monitors and carbon monoxide and fire alarms on both levels of our two-story home. All of the alarms are monitored 24 x 7 and I have a remote app for my smartphone and computer that lets me check in on what’
Roadtrekingmike

Roadtrekingmike

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Roadtreking Blog
 

Carbon Monoxide and Propane Issues Spike in Spring for RVers

As spring and warm weather approaches, this is again the time for a semiannual spike in carbon monoxide deaths and propane issues for RVers. This week at a KOA in Nashville, a couple was found dead in their RV by relatives who drove to the campground after not being able to reach them for several days. Carbon monoxide poisoning was the cause, said authorities, caused by a their propane burner. In Washington State the week before, a propane tank explosion inside an RV east of Lacey sent a coupl
Roadtrekingmike

Roadtrekingmike

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Tom and Louise on Tour in North America
 

Leaving Adelaide Going East

A good drive from Adelaide takes us to Renmark on the Murray River. The Murray is the largest river in Australia. North of Adelaide it has high cliffs which overlook its large valley. Our park on Monday night was right on the river. In fact they had canoes which we rented to do some paddling on the Murray. There are larger boats on the Murray, the river has many houseboats plying the waters. One passed while we were launching our canoe. Meanwhile, in the campground, children were playing
tbutler

tbutler

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Tom and Louise on Tour in North America
 

A Repair Stop at Britz in Adelaide

Our campervan has several nagging problems and one big problem. The big problem is the gray water tank which doesn’t seem to vent except through the shower drain. The drain on the gray water tank is very slow and the valve has stops at two open positions but no stop for a closed position. So it takes forever to drain the tank and then when the tank is empty you just have to guess when the valve is closed. I talked to the technician and explained the problem. I also mentioned that the hose f
tbutler

tbutler

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Roadtreking Blog
 

The Tech Gear I Take on the Road RVing

I get lots of questions and requests for suggestions and recommendations about the tech gear I use to capture and blog the reports I’m doing out on the road. I’m always adding various things, but here’s my latest update on the gear I like to take with me. My main video camera – I use the Canon XA20 Professional Video Camera. I love this camera. I got this in the fall of 2013 and have found it to be the perfect ”run-and-gun” camcorder, suitable for HD ENG work (Electronic News Gathering), event
Roadtrekingmike

Roadtrekingmike

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Tom and Louise on Tour in North America
 

Adelaide

Adelaide is the largest city in the state of South Australia. It is the smallest of the five cities in Australia with a population over one million. It is located on the southern coast of Australia in the State of South Australia. The Murray River is the largest river in Australia and its mouth is just east of Adelaide. It was the Murray River that we crossed on a Ferry on our way into Adelaide. We have arranged to have some repair work done on the caravan at the Britz office in Adelaide on
tbutler

tbutler

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Tom and Louise on Tour in North America
 

Langhorn Creek and The Bleasdale Winery

The campground at Mount Gambier was in a difficult location to find and when we did, it wasn’t the best place to stay. They let us choose our own site which was their way of not having to listen to us complain about the assigned site. We found no level sites and settled for one that was nearly level. It was at the bottom of a slope and back away from the road for some distance. This became a concern when I heard it start raining during the night. As the night went on, the rain continued in
tbutler

tbutler

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Tom and Louise on Tour in North America
 

Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road

Leaving Melbourne we head southwest toward the coast and a road called the Great Ocean Road. It is a little more than a hundred kilometers to the coast. When we reach the Great Ocean Road we find a curving, hilly, narrow road. Reaching the ocean, we are rewarded with wonderful views of a spectacular coast. We spent three days on the Great Ocean Road. We found so many viewpoints that we were unable to stop at all of them. The coast in this area between Melbourne and Adelaide is rugged limes
tbutler

tbutler

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SloMotion Adventures
 

Reman'ed Cummins Long Block

Well, I figured I better come back and finish this event. We have decided to have Cummins Coach Care of El Paso install a Cummins' remanufactured Long Block (basically a new diesel engine). The good part is that the new engine will carry the Cummins warranty and the bad part is the hit in the wallet, to the tune of over $10,000 for parts and labor. Had to do some real serious soul searching to decide exactly which route we wanted to go. It would seem real stupid to some to put that kind of m
C-677946

C-677946

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Tom and Louise on Tour in North America
 

We’re Back in the Camper Again

Arriving at Britz at 7:45 a.m. we found the place locked up. It was not only locked up, the parking lot was gated and there was no place to leave the luggage when we got out of the cab. The driver suggested that we go to a shopping center a block north of the Britz office. We found a bench near the mall entrance and piled our luggage there. Here we were homeless, we just needed to find a shopping cart for our possessions! I waited while Louise went inside to find a cup of coffee. When she
tbutler

tbutler

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Tom and Louise on Tour in North America
 

More Exploring on Tasmania

Day six was a late start as we planned a late night activity. Mt. William National Park in the northeast is known for its abundant wildlife. Most marsupials are active at night and the information on this national park suggested spending time after sunset observing the wildlife. Many of these animals we had seen along the roadside, killed by automobiles. Now we wanted to see them live. We hiked to the top of Mt. William in the late afternoon and returned to the car as the sun was setting.
tbutler

tbutler

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Roadtreking Blog
 

The Things I Like Most About My Roadtreking Life

As we wait to set off on our next trip, I’m thinking about all the things I like about this new small motorhome lifestyle we have embraced. Waking up to sunlight streaming around the edges of the shades of our Roadtrek and the smell of that first cup of coffee brewing as I start the day. The first peek out the window at our surroundings. We boondock a lot so often, it’s wildlife I see. I love to sip that coffee and quietly watch the world wake up. The smell of bacon frying as I start to
Roadtrekingmike

Roadtrekingmike

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Tom and Louise on Tour in North America
 

We Explore Tasmania

Our second day we drove south to Hobart and Tasman National Park. There we saw interesting natural features, tessellated pavement, sea arches and a blowhole formed when waves cut a tunnel through the cliff front so that water comes bursting through with each wave. At Eaglehawk neck we walked from one shore to the other in five minutes. A low sandy neck of land connects the area to the south to the north mainland. On the southern peninsula lies the town of Port Arthur which was a penal colony
tbutler

tbutler

0
"Gramps" Blog
 

Compose the Picture!

I think photography is in my DNA. One of the things that fostered my interest in becoming a shooter is the fact that my Dad was one for many years. He shot thousands of pictures of places he traveled to while serving in the U.S. Navy, both at sea and shore duty. His pictures also included travels at home, to the mountains of North Carolina and Virginia as well a trip to Canada in 1967. Dad’s camera was always recording images of birthday parties, holidays, and trips to the beach. Now my daugh
-Gramps-

-Gramps-

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