Roodriver

Greetings Lewis band Maria. Sorry to hear about your problems, but there is a silver lining in this cloud. After everything is fixed you will have a relatively trouble free RV experience. After 8 years with this current MH, there still is one item that has never been fixed, so we just live with it. It is minor in nature and at first was an irritant but it hasn't stood in the way of 8 years of outstanding adventures. I sincerely hope that in the years to come, you can look back on the problems and say "Wow, it was worth it". Happy travels. Ward

Mmmm, I think 550 will be left to those braver than I. Perhaps we will park the coach and go by toad. When we leave home, we start out on a Mountain Advisory road and are accustomed to driving in the mountains. That is the Appalachian Mountains which are the smaller of the US mountain ranges. We've driven through the Rockies but not on roads like the Million Dollar Road. It truly is more important to enjoy the trip not to say I've been there. Ward

Oh No! W

I had forgotten about a blog entry I made a couple of years ago about a BBQ place in N. Carolina. Blog link Check down near the bottom of the page. As can be seen from the photos, I do like to eat! Ward

Ron, I'm headed in that direction In September. If you go before then, please give a report here on the forum about your experience. Sounds like it would be worth a side trip. Ward

A lot of folks have swapped out the RV queen size mattress and put in a regular queen mattress. Most think the two inch squish when you close the slide is worth it. Ward

The Dirty Blind man puts out a great kit and my experience was that we had more than adequate instructions. One word of caution if your blind has brass ferrels, order the nylon replacement. Ward

We've eaten BBQ all over the country and have enjoyed good smokey ribs and sauces in many places. There are many mediocre places, but wow there are some outstanding rib joints from coast to coast. So far there are only two categories of BBQ that I don't really care for. One is the mustard thing they do in some places in the Carolinas and the other is the mesquite some places in the West use. Most mesquite is really good but we ate in a couple of places in Texas where the mesquite smoked brisket tasted like kerosene. Never could figure why. We also think the sides are almost as important as the meat. If you are near Dahlonega Georgia, there is a little BBQ joint on the corner of Highway 52 and Long Branch Rd. Sorry I don't know the name but good smokey, tender BBQ with some very good beans which are different.

Hey Koot, you can tell us. You know there should be a place on the forum for life's RV embarrassing moments. I've had some dillies. Ward

Try toothpaste mixed with Boraxo. Dampen a cloth and rub the area with the mixture. Was once told that mineral spirits worked like a charm, but tried the toothpaste and Boraxo mixture first so had no need for the mineral spirits. Ward

Times like this my old age creeps in and I can't remember some things, but here goes anyway. Somewhere in the back of my pointy head there is a front to back or side to side leveling answer for RV refrigerators. Does anyone remember the rule as to whether it is important for the coach to be level front to back or side to side and the degree of allowable error? Somewhere in there is the thought that the coach must be level front to back, but can be off side to side for proper refrigerator operation. Ward

Something that needs to be added here is the fact that many dump stations are on septic systems and bleach will adversely effect the organisms needed for these to function properly. Also some RV "tank" products contain formaldehyde which will shut down a septic system. This is the reason many state rest areas have closed dump stations. Ward

Brett, as usual is right on the money, stay away from chlorine unless you like to replace gaskets. I really like a product called Nature-Zyme. This stuff is really works really well. The other tip I can offer is to turn the fan off while flushing. There's some interesting ventilation there. Ward

You can reach the Gypsy Journal Here I think the Escapee site is Escapees.com Nick (Gypsy Journal) has a yearly rally which is worth attending. Lots of laughs. Ward

Though not full timers, we do stay on the road 6-10 months a year and have a goodly number of full timer friends, Some parks have happy hour meetings. Ask when you check in are email prior to staying there. Dog and exercise walkers are always easy to meet, but should be approached with a big smile. People sitting outside are much easier to communicate with than folks in the coach. Check forums (there are several very active ones) for people going to the same area as you. We met some very dear friends this way. Also check for rallies that will be near your travel route. Check out the Gypsy Journal for information. If you don't know about the Escapees organization which is primarily for full timers, check it out. Lots of socializing there. Ward

I'm going to throw some information out but first I'm going to offer a disclaimer. AC electrical current is my background and I am not a DC or automotive mechanic. That said, there is a couple of things I would do first to any vehicle which has been in storage for awhile. Get a can of LPS 1 and spray any electrical connection you can see or believe is there (behind something). LPS1 will not harm plastic or rubber (its a vegetable compound) but do NOT use WD40 (which is good for a lot of things but not this). The LPS will displace and moisture which may be shorting your electrical system. Disassemble your ground connections, clean and reassemble, then spray them down with LPS1. Look for any spots which may have been chewed by rodents. Let us know what you did to find your problem and what the final solution was. We can all learn from your experience. Ward

Jean, unless there is a medical emergency, all of our trips are of the leisurely variety and we like to see as many sights as we can along the way. As a result, we avoid interstates if at all possible. We tend to travel at 55-60 mph. Thanks for the information about US 82. I would like to work that in sometime. Herman we took the 180 route 4-5 years ago and agree that it is a good one. We also liked 190 and I think 290 in Texas. In fact there are several towns along 180-190-290 that we have marked to return to and visit longer. There were also a couple of city Rv parks that we missed the first time around that had some fine fishing possibilities. We are going to take a look at returning via the 80 or 82 route since we will be coming back to Georgia in February, so the Northern routes will probably be snowed in. Thanks for the input. That's what helps to make FMCA such a great organization. Ward

At Stone Mountain you will be near I-85 so you have two ways to go. Number 1 take I-85 East a few miles and pick up US 441 and follow it into N. Carolina. At some point while still in Georgia 441 and US23 are the same highway. If you stay on US 23 you will run into US 74 (you may want to check a map about this highway number). Go East on 74 and you run into Asheville. Biltmore is a must see and there are a number of neat little restaurants in town. There are a number of RV parks in Maggie Valley which is near Asheville. Sorry I can't recommend one but this is a day trip for us. Ward

Great sites Tom, You hit two of my hot buttons at one time, fishing and Corps campgrounds. Looks like I'm going to have to add a few more days to the itinerary, Ward

I'm going to play the diplomat and agree with both Bill and Tom. Way to many miles in a day for me but younger folks with more hair on their ugh head can probably pull it off. For my money, Custer State Park is a must see. Tom you didn't mention the wild burros that will stick their head in your vehicle begging for food. You do need a towed to pull it off though. Man there are a ton of things to see out that way. You may want to slow down and start at the one closest to you that interests you. Have a fun trip. Ward

Thanks for the input. Looking at the atlas, I think a plan is starting to take shape. Tom, would you like to share the names of some of these fishing holes? Two years ago we took the advice from this forum and took US2 across to Washington and the coast highway through Oregon. Great advise which made for a fantastic trip. I'll post the route we decide on in a few days. Thanks again. Happy 4th to all! Ward

There is a neat Corps of Engineers park ( Gunter Hill ) which is a short way down US81 West of I-65.

We like to travel off the beaten path and are planning a trip from North Georgia to Sacramento CA. It looks like we will have to travel on Interstates entering California because of the mountains. Anyone have US highways going cross country that they like? Should we go through Colorado?

The "Cool Belt" sounds like my kind of place. I wish we had a place to let FMCAers use, because I think it would be a blast to have visitors from other parts of the country. Don't think I'd want to rent though maybe just collect for the electricity. Ward

Now aint this strange? Sounds like ladytaz worked at the campground? Two newbies diametrically opposed, and the forum was so quiet up till now. Oh well back to studying my navel. Ward