C-677946

We take along two cats when we go camping. They don't like it one bit when the engine starts. They run and hide. But they come out in 15 or 20 minutes and start wandering around. They both love to lounge in the sun while going down the road. Also like to look out the window at everything going by. The oldest, BJ, wants to help me drive. Think he knows that I am controling what is happening. As to the litterbox, there was a cabinet under the fridge. I checked it out to make sure there was nothing in there that could hurt them and it looked idea for the litter box. Took the door off the cabinet, and put up a curtain rod and curtain. Litter box is in there. The cats have no problem going in that cabinet to their litter box. We change the litter every day, sometimes twice a day. My biggest problem is their water. They both like to play in it and splash it on the floor. Have hardwood floors. Both the cats are house cats. The oldest was out once that we know of. When the door is opened they run the other way, which is good in the motorhome. They seem to be very happy looking outside and staying inside.

1. Pat Cleveland 2. US Army 3.1967 - 1982 (includes a 5 year break in service) 4. Staff Sergeant 5. Radio Relay Carrier Attendant, Battalion S-2 NCOIC, Signal Instructor @ SESS, Watercraft Operator, Company Training NCO, Group S-2 NCOIC, Intelligence Collection Analyst , Intelligence Surveillance Photographer . 6. Ft. Dix NJ, Ft Gordon, GA, Sukiran Okinawa, Thailand (via USS Meeker County) - various locations in country, III Corps Vietnam, Ft Gordon GA, Ft. Leonard Wood MO, Ft Eustis VA, TDY to USMC Amphibious Intelligenceman School @ Little Creek VA, West Berlin, Germany, Ft Dix NJ

I knew a couple guys who mooned a Russian, very low altitude, surveillance Mig,

Thought I ought to report on the new 2013 FMCA North American Road Atlas and Travel Guide. Actually, this is the DWs report and not mine, I'm just the messenger! I should start by saying that my wife does not like spiral bound atlases!!! But I ordered it anyway. Before I ordered, I told her all about it, including the fact it was spiral bound. Well , it came while we were planning a western trip for this coming spring. As to the review, I can't get it away from her. We have a Rand McNally Walmart atlas (hers), a old large print Rand McNally Atlas, a older Rand McNally Motor Carriers Atlas, and a older Michelin Atlas. they are all spiral bond except her Rand McNally Walmart Atlas. She has told me how the new FMCA atlas has all the Walmarts close to the interstates on it, all the different campgrounds on it, and especially all the different special points of interest on it, But I don't know, as I have not been able to get it away from her yet. She hasn't said anything about it being spiral bound yet! I don't think she has noticed. Did I mention the fact that she does not like spiral bound atlases?

Who would have good coverage with a non-contract phone in that area? AT&T coverage map does look better. Looks like a external antenna would be a good idea there.

I forgot Walkins Glenn State Park - http://nysparks.com/parks/142 , The walk up, or down, the gorge is fantastic and beyond description with words. One could call it nature at its very best. A very spiritual place.

Our National President, Charlie Schrenkel, and Ric Ricordati, the Western Area President both responded by email, to the person who brought this up on the other forum. She gave FMCA " kudos to FMCA for their quick response to my complaint to them".

Just north of Bath, NY you want to go up route 54 to Hammondsport and stop at the http://www.glennhcurtissmuseum.org/. That have fantastic old motorcycle, aircraft, and automobile exhibits. Really neat museum. You also want to do the Corning Museum of Glass, http://www.cmog.org/, in Corning, NY, And in Big Flats, NY there is the http://www.soaringmuseum.org/ and the http://www.wingsofeagles.com/. And if you are into old classic wooden boats, you need to make a trip north to Clayton, NY and visit the Antique Boat Museum, http://www.abm.org/ . Gorgeous old wooden boats , some in service and other being restored in drydock. You have to see the "Pardon Me" with its Packard 4M2500 engine, You can see many of their boats on their Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/antiqueboatmuseum . But they look so much better in real life!!! And if you are a Marine or military guy, there is the http://www.cutco.com/company/visitorsCenter.jsp , which houses the KA-BAR Knife museum, in Olean, NY. And while we are talking knives, there is the http://www.zippo.com/about/article.aspx?id=1584 , the Zippo lighter and Case knife museum in Bradford, Pa.

Thats good to know, as we are going that direction next spring, good Lord willing and the creek doesn't rise! Will pick up a cheap Walmart phone for that month for emergencies.

I started out using Good Sam's sister company, Camping World Road Care roadside assistance. It had same call service and same service contractors, First time I used them, the contractor sent me a man who had just been released from the Alabama State Prison system. He was in a unmarked pickup with his girlfriend, He was able to get me going the next day. I spent the overnight in a Alabama Rest Stop waiting for the guy to come back and fix me up. The second time was at Columbus, Oh. Alternator belt broke Saturday morning. They could not find anyone to fix me up. Wanted to tow me to a RV show that would not open til Monday morning. I was in a safe place and told them to find me Road Service to change the belt. I ended up hoofing to a parts store late Sunday morning to get some stuff to make a temp fix to get me out of town to a truckstop where they hooked me up with a Road Service truck outfit who got me a belt and installed it. That was the end of anything to do with Good Sam Enterprises or Camping World except for the store. I switched to Coach-Net three years ago and have been very happy with them. They have gone above and beyond what I expected and went beyond what their contracted stated. Super good company! I highly recommend Coach-Net!!!

The Sumitomo 22.5 on my coach are made in Japan. The seven year old tires are soon to be replaced with made in the USA Firestones FS560 Plus! Hearing very good reports on them. Had no problems or complaints with the Sumitomos.ST727.

I have Alcoa aluminum wheels. The extensions on current 1994 coach were junk when I purchased it used. I replaced them with solid extensions from Alcoa. They have many different types and styles for their aluminum wheels. You can see them at http://www.alcoa.com/alcoawheels/north_america/en/info_page/accessories_hd_valve_stem_ext_stabilizer_kits.asp Do some searching on their site as they also have some other options such as different length valve stems. I figure that if Alcoa sells them for their wheels, they should be good enough for me.

Verizon has a similiar deal. You can purchase the usb modem at Walmart and I believe Best Buys. Then you can purchase the monthly data plan as you need it, You are not tied into a plan of any kind.

Thanks Dan, Just picked up a used copy of the Mountain Directory West for $4.34

Don't want to burst anyone's bubble, but most RV parks/campgrounds do not allow commercial activities.

Actually, starting the toad after so many miles depends on the "recreational towing" instructions in your toads owners manual. Some toads require starting every so many miles or hours, and some don't.

Be glad that it was Google Earth's bird and not one of Big Brother's IMINT reconnaissance birds. That one we all get to see, and big brothers we don't.

Usually travel several says to a destination. For our overnights, we often stop at Walmarts. I keep track of which Walmarts allow overnight parking at http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/walmartrving/ , which maintains a list of stores that allow overnight parking. I always ask for a "member of management" inside the store for permission to park, and ask where they prefer me to park. Have had to move to their preferred location many times. You never know - way in front, on the side, way in back on side, or anywhere on perimeter of the lot. I always try to line up so I can easily pull out in morning into a driving lane. Have never had any problems at any of the stores I have parked at. I prefer to find a Walmart a bit away from the interstate and in a smaller town or city. Try to stay away from the trucks, but often wake up with them surround me. FMCA has joined with other RV groups in a Industry-sanctioned Code of Conduct concerning parking in Walmart lots. - "RVers’ Good Neighbor Policy 1. Stay one night only! 2. Obtain permission from a qualified individual. 3. Obey posted regulations. 4. No awnings, chairs, or barbecue grills. 5. Do not use hydraulic jacks on soft surfaces (including asphalt). 6. Always leave an area cleaner than you found it. 7. Purchase gas, food, or supplies as a form of thank you, when feasible. 8. Be safe! Always be aware of your surroundings and leave if you feel unsafe." You can print out this code of conduct. It is available in the files at the Yahoo Groups WalmartRVing site linked in the first paragraph. Other signers, along with FMCA, of this code of conduct are Excapees, Bounders United, Wally Bram Caravan Club, Born Free Leap' Lions RV Club, Gulfstreamers RV Club, LOW, RVW, Winnebago-Itasca Travelers, Suites Owners International, Holiday Rambler RV Club, Discovery Owners Assn, and the Freightliner Chassis Owners Club.

They are the inside between of the wheels. You can see them because they do not have extensions. I use the Valve Stem Extension Stabilizer Kits from from http://www.alcoa.com/alcoawheels/north_america/en/info_page/accessories_hd_valve_stem_ext_stabilizer_kits.asp .

For a Passport, you can use a P.O. Box provided you supply a physical address. That physical address can be a "In Care Of ***" address. Locally we have a city U.S. post office that will not deliver mail to a physical street address that contains a name that they do not recognize, but they will deliver it if it is addressed "In Care Of" a person whos name they do recognize. That "In Care Of" statement can be very important in legal documents requiring physical addresses..

I'm using http://www.pagepluscellular.com/ which uses the Verizon network. When not traveling, I use the $29 plan which give me 1,200 Minutes, 3,000 Text/Picture* Messages, 250 MB Data. When traveling, I bump it up to the $55 plan which gives me Unlimited Talk, Unlimited Text/Picture* Messages, 2 GB of Data or the $69 plan which bumps the data up to 5GB of data. Then when we get back home, I go back to the $29 plan. Plan on using my Droid X phone as a hot spot. Previously I was using a Verizon modem and their http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/mobilebroadband/?page=products_prepaidmb at $50 a month which gave me 1GB., plus I had to pay for the phone account on top of that.

Many tunnels have such restrictions and they are usually well posted well in advance of the tunnel and offer a alternative route.. The only one I know of on I-95 is the Fort McHenry Tunnel. "Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) govern the transport of hazardous materials across our toll facilities. Under these regulations, vehicles carrying bottled propane gas in excess of 10 pounds per container (maximum of 10 containers), bulk gasoline, explosives, significant amounts of radioactive materials, and other hazardous materials are prohibited from using the Fort McHenry Tunnel (I-95) or the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel (I-895). The Francis Scott Key Bridge (I-695, the Baltimore Beltway) is a convenient alternative route for crossing Baltimore's Harbor."

I've driven 80,000 lb to 135,000 tractor trailer combinations that did not have power steering. I can tell your that you really work up a sweat steering at parking lot speeds, especially in the southern states. But at highway speeds there was not problem. That included one that had air controlled power assist steering that you would only turn on in parking lots. I would really be looking at that recall and at notifying the NHTSA. https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/

I bit the bullet and ordered the 7th edition FMCA Atlas & Travel Guide. Never had one before. We are planning a six week long trip to the southwest this coming winter, and it will come if very handy if it has everything they are claiming. DW does not like the Michelin Atlas because the pages do not match up right and things get lost between that spiral binding, so she may not like it because of it being spiral-bound We do use Microsoft Streets and Trips, but the atlas will be nice for finding those out of the way places that one might miss if they stay on their computerized routing that does not show odd ball points of interest at a glance.. TZEILE, for the Wallyworld Parking you want to get on Yahoo Groups http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/walmartrving/ . It maintains updated list of the Walmarts that you can overnight park at and the ones that you can not park overnight (NOP). Very helpful and easy to navigate. But every once in a while somebody does something that gets us evicted, and you can run into those. You prevent getting kicked out by going in and asking if you can park overnight. Asking is a requirement of Walmart corporate, along with other stores that might permit us access to their lot overnight. Walmart says: "Can I park my RV at a Walmart store? While we do not offer electrical service or accommodations typically necessary for RV customers, Walmart values RV travelers and considers them among our best customers. Consequently, we do permit RV parking on our store parking lots as we are able. Permission to park is extended by individual store managers, based on availability of parking space and local laws. Please contact management in each store to ensure accommodations before parking your RV." You will also find RV Industry and Club Sanctioned (includes FMCA) Overnight Parking Guidelines on that web site: " Industry-sanctioned Code of Conduct (RVers’ Good Neighbor Policy) 1. Stay one night only! 2. Obtain permission from a qualified individual. 3. Obey posted regulations. 4. No awnings, chairs, or barbecue grills. 5. Do not use hydraulic jacks on soft surfaces (including asphalt). 6. Always leave an area cleaner than you found it. 7. Purchase gas, food, or supplies as a form of thank you, when feasible. 8. Be safe! Always be aware of your surroundings and leave if you feel unsafe." If you don't ask, you run the chance of being ran off!!! Sometimes even those stores that prohibit overnight parking will allow it if asked!!! And always ask where they want you to park in the lot. Some want you way out front, and others want you on the side, and some even want you way out back out of sight.

And I have mine on my stick and brick Dish Account only when I am using it. Adds about $6 or $7 bucks to you monthly bill when in use. You call them and tell them to turn it on and off.