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Roadtrekingmike

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Blog Entries posted by Roadtrekingmike

  1. Roadtrekingmike
    That’s because the brand-new miniature K-cup coffee maker I bought for our motorhome didn’t work this morning and I was all set to celebrate our first night in our new Roadtrek eTrek with a hot cup of coffee.

    Fortunately, the Kentucky Horse Park campground where we’re staying just off I-75 near Lexington, has a store and it was open, and they had plenty of coffee.
    Crisis averted.
    I had wanted to boondock on our first night to put the batteries and solar power features of this new motorhome to the test, but since we didn’t arrive here till 8 PM, we decided that because the park has the water turned off during winter and only offers electricity, we’d call this half-boondocking.
    I actually thought of just not using the electricity, but since we had to pay $23 for the spot and my wife’s ancestors came from Scotland she said “since we’re paying for it, we’ll use it.”
    Later, I saw they had primitive spots here. But we had already paid and settled in.
    There were a few others spending the night. I visited with a couple from Ohio headed to Florida for three months in their Type C while getting coffee. But we were pretty much alone in this very large, well maintained campground next to the Kentucky Horse Farm complex which, even in the winter, has several attractions open. We’re decided to save a tour of the barns and a look at the champion blue grass thoroughbreds for another time.
    We have an important date tomorrow at noon. We get to have lunch with two of our grandkids at their school in Albany, GA and have to be there by 11:30 AM.
    The biggest adjustment in our new motorhome is figuring out what goes where. In a Type B, storage space is at a minimum and we’re going to need a few days and maybe a couple of trips to get it down. I’m seriously thinking about getting a trunk-mounted storage box when we visit the Florida RV Supershow next week.
    Tai, our Norwegian Elkhound, immedialy adjusted and loved the long walk we took him on last night in an empty campground.
    The temperatures dipped into the upper twenties. The heater in the eTrek, which uses forced air or hot water, is magnificent. We were toasty warm all night and impressed by how quiet it is compared to the previous one.
    I have yet to put any water in the eTrek. I should be able to today as the forecast is for unseasonably warm weather, especially as we keep moving south.
    It’s time for breakfast, And maybe the horses. Later
    Source
  2. Roadtrekingmike
    The month of October has surprisingly become huge for RV campgrounds, resorts and parks around the U.S. thanks to Halloween.
    Maybe because for many in the northern states, its a chance to do one more trip before the RV has to be winterized and put in storage.
    Instead of just one night – Oct. 31 – many parks dedicate the entire two or three weekends before Halloween to the big event.
    We visited a campground near us this past weekend – Addison Oaks Park in Addison Twp., about 45 miles north of Detroit in Oakland County.
    The past two weekends were set aside for their annual “Boo Bash” and if they had any openings in the 174-site campground, they weren’t evident as I walked around taking pictures. Families in every sort of RV were there. Most had roaring fires – the temperatures dipped into the 30’s at night. But no one seemed to mind the cold. Kids young and old were in full costumes. Even dogs were in costume. There was a costume contest. Trick or Treating. A scary castle tour and hay rides.
    Jennifer and Tai came along with me and although Gtai seemed a bit confused seeing his canine pals dressed up as dinosaurs and clowns, he realized there was something festive and fun about the experience and had to be restrained from visiting each campsite I also think he knew they were handing out goodies to the trick or treaters and he wanted his share.
    There’s one more weekend before Halloween. Check it out. I bet a campground near you is hosting a similar event.

    Fall is a great time to camp. Addison Oaks Campgound in Mich.

    There’s a real =festive atmosphere at a Halloween campout – Addison Oaks Campground, Mich.

    Kids dress up for the “Boo Bash at Addison Oaks Campground.

    Even the dogs are in costume.

    Decorating the RVs is big fun.

    Yikes! – Addison Oaks Campground, Mich.

    And of course, its always fun to take a walk at the Addison Oaks Campground, Mich. – Jennifer and Tai enjoying the cool fall weather.
  3. Roadtrekingmike
    Halloween RV Campouts
    The month of October has surprisingly become huge for RV campgrounds, resorts and parks around the U.S. thanks to Halloween. Maybe because for many in the northern states, its a...
    Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome


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  4. Roadtrekingmike
    Happy Holidays Any Time!
    Earlier this summer, Olga, my RT Adventurous, went to the RV spa for some revitalizing treatments and beautifying. She got 2 new uber batteries. The retractable step was repaired...
    Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome


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  5. Roadtrekingmike
    Now I know how Class A motorhome drivers live. They spend lots of time checking their mirrors, looking for places to park that are big enough to handle their length and…. visiting gas stations.
    As we are towing a 21-foot travel trailer behind our Roadtrek on a family caravan vacation trip to the Rockies, I’ve found towing very easy and parking not so bad as long as I don’t try pulling in to fast-food places with my 30-foot-plus length.
    Truthfully, I’ve quickly gotten used to towing and with 1,000-pus miles under my belt as we pulled into Gothenberg, Nebraska, last night, the only complaint I have is what towing a trailer has done to my fuel consumption.
    Where before my 2012 Roadtrek eTrek averaged 17-18 mpg, towing the 2,780 extra pounds in the trailer has dropped it to 11-12 mpg.
    Still, it’s well worth it to be all together as a family.
    This is now my third trip west along I-80 and I have forgotten how much corn they grow our here in the prairie. And how tall it is, easily eight feet in most fields.
    The biggest challenge we’ve had so far is group sightseeing with three big dogs. Someone always has to stay outside or behind to tend to the dogs.
    The biggest excitement yesterday was having lunch with a bunch of Hells Angels motorcycle club members. About a dozen of them from the California chapter pulled into the same Kum & Go gas station and Subway restaurant we chose west of Des Moines. A guy named Demento told me they were headed to Sturgis in San Diego, and the big motorcycle week doings up there.
    They seemed like nice enough guys. In the Subway, one of them groused that there was a steakhouse up the road and he couldn’t figure out why they were eating at a Subway rather than a steakhouse. One of the other members said they could eat steak tonight and that about ended the discussion.
    Steak sounded pretty good to me, too, but with all the extra fuel expenses, I’m lucky I can afford Subway.
    As we pulled out of the station, we saw an Iowa State Police cruiser backed into the Kum & Go keeping an eye on the Hells Angels.
    We drove 480 miles yesterday from Amana, Iowa to get to this little community, which bills itself as “the the Pony Express Capital of Nebraska” because of a restored station in town that is a great tourist stop. Gothensberg is near the original route of the Oregon Trail and right on the Pony Express route west.
    The Pony Express was in existence a very short time – from April 3, 1860 to late October 1861 and provided the fastest mail delivery between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California. As explained by the Nebraska Tourism folks, the whole reason it existed was promotional – to draw public attention to the central route in hope of gaining the million dollar government mail contract for the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak express Company.
    In total there were 183 men that were riders for the Pony Express during this period of just over 18 months. They had to be young, skinny men, not over 18 and must have been expert riders. It was said they had to be willing to risk death daily and that orphans were preferred. Most of the riders were around 20 with the youngest of them 11 and the oldest was in his mid-40s. The average weight was 120 pounds.
    These men worked for $100 a month. The riders traveled for between 75 and 100 miles with fresh horses being provided every 10 to 15 miles. The speed of the horses averaged 10 miles an hour. The mix of breeds included thoroughbreds, mustangs, pintos, and Morgans. There were approximately 165 stations along the route of almost 2,000 miles.
    The cost of a 1/2 ounce letter was $5 when the rides began but by the end of the Pony Express the price had dropped to $1 per 1/2 ounce.
    The end of the Pony Express happened on October 24, 1861. With the outbreak of the Civil War and the lack of getting the government contract and the debt incurred by the owners the route could not be continued. The Pony Express station in Gothensberg is open from 8am – 8 pm during the summer and 9 – 6 in May and September.
    Also in Gothensberg and right off I-80 at the town exit 211 is a sod house.
    Sod houses or “soddies,” as they were also known, were built on the prairies from the sod of thickly rooted prairie grass by the settlers and were forerunners to the log cabins in North America. The sod was used primarily as there weren’t standard building materials such as wood or stone on the prairies. The houses were naturally very cheap to build and surprisingly well insulated but were susceptible to damp and even rain damage.
    The Sod House Museum is a red barn shaped authentic replica of the sod houses built by early settlers in this region and was established in 1988. The lives and working practices of the settlers is honored here with memorabilia and photographs taken during the pioneer era. The inside of the sod houses were pretty sparse reflecting the hard times experienced by the settlers who lived there. The women who work at the musem tell fascinating tales of life on the prairie and its many hardships. Many of the women settlers here, isolated in such big country, committed suicide.
    One story they told us involved a variation of the sod house, lean-to houses carved into the sides of hills. Seemed that sometimes,snakes would some down through the earthen roofs of some of these dugout homes, dropping right on the floor.
    We’ll stick with our RVs, thank you very much.
    We spent the night at the Gothenberg KOA, a pleasant shaded little campground just a half mile from the Interstate.
    Off we go again today, 360 miles to Colorado Springs, CO and the Cheyenne Mountain State Park.
    But first, I better fill up.
  6. Roadtrekingmike
    Have you seen the new TS Adventurous?
    It was last December at the big RVIA industry show in Louisville, KY that Jim Hammill and his Roadtrek team showed off a prototype vehicle called the TS Adventurous, a...
    Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome


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  7. Roadtrekingmike
    RVers heading to Canada via Port Huron, MI and the Blue Water Bridge may want to budget a few hours so pull off the freeway and take in the sights of this very busy port city.
    On a nice sunny day, the drive and park along the busy St. Clair River offers parking nose first, right smack dab on the riverbank. A Type B RV fits perfectly and the view of the fast-moving river is mesmerizing.
    The river is one of the busiest water routes in the Great Lakes, connecting Lake Huron just north of the Blue Water Bridge to Lake St. Clair, a couple dozen miles downstream. Port Huron’s Riverfront is a mecca for big boat watchers. From Lake St. Clair, the big freighters and ocean going vessels make their way into the Detroit River, which in turn connects to Lake Erie. Ship traffic is constant and you will not have to wait long to see one, upbound or downbound.
    But it is also a great fishing river. The fish of choice is walleye and the river serves as a travel corridor for walleye moving between Lake Erie and their spawning grounds in Saginaw Bay, 100 miles up Lake Huron. Fish biologists believe that walleye treat the whole Lake Huron/Erie waters as one system. Walleye can cruise from one body of water to another in days. The St. Clair river is deep and cold which also helps in holding walleye. When outside temps are in the 90′s the St. Clair river will be in the 60′s.
    So if there’s a lull in the freighter traffic, watch the local fishermen.
    In all, Port Huron has 17 waterfront areas containing 102 acres and 3 1/2 miles of water frontage. This includes two public beaches and six parks with picnic facilities. Our favorite is right beneath and just south of the Bluewater Bridge. The city has nine scenic turnout sites containing over 250 parking spaces. They are well-used throughout the year and often illed to capacity most afternoons and evenings during the warmer months, so you may have to do a bit of cruising until one opens up.
    If you can’t get in, make your way north following the signs to Lighthouse Park, right at the mouth of the river. AGain, the parking is fine for a Tye B RV but anything bigger will be hard put to find an adequate space. This park has 900 feet of waterfront and beach and the water is clean for good swimming. But be warned, if you venture out very far, the current is swift as the river starts flowing right from there.
    While at Lighthouse Park, walk a few hundred yards south and tour the historic Fort Gratiot Lighthouse. In 1814, military Fort Gratiot was established to guard the juncture of Lake Huron and the St. Clair River. With a surge of vessel traffic on Lake Huron in the early 1800s, the need for a Light Station to guide vessels into the river became very important. Originally seventy-five feet high, the white painted brick tower was extended to its present height of eighty-two feet in the early 1860s. It’s maintained today by the U.S. Coast Guard and open to climbing (for $7 a person). If you do, no sandals are allowed. So put on some closed toes shoes.
    For food, Freighter’s Restaurant is a great place with great river views. It’s part of the Doubletree Inn hotel complex and is right in the heart of the riverfront action, a few hundred yards south of the bridge.
    One more attraction: The Thomas Edison Depot Museum is right down there, too, pretty much smack dab under the bridge. The famed inventor lived in Pot Huron and worked on a railroad car for his first job form 1859-1863. The museum includes a restored baggage car resting on a short spur of railroad track and has some exhibits about Edison and his early beginnings.
    You can easily spend three our hour hours in Port Huron, stretching your legs, freighter watching, even taking a quick dip in the water up by the lighthouse.
    Heading to the bridge and then over to Canada is a breeze. The route is well marked.
    It costs $3 U.S. to cross. Make sure if they try to charge you more you explain to them that you are in an RV. Commercial vans cost $6 one way.
    You do need a passport to cross into Canada.
    On the way back to the U.S., the bridge fee is $3.50.

    Jennifer watches one of the big lake freighters headed out into Lake Huron.

    A Type B RV can easily park right on the riverbank.

    The walk along the St. Clair River beneath the Blue Water Bridge is a great place to stretch your legs before heading into Canada.
  8. Roadtrekingmike
    This could be the first Type B motorhome ever Henry Fords 1937 House Car.

    They supposedly only build a handful of these each year. This one is on a 1937 Ford Pickup frame and was found in a private garage in Minnesota in the summer of 2001 with only 19,000 miles on it.
    A collector named Graham Thickins restored it to original and drivable condition.
    Check out this story by Thickins to see lots of photos and get the details but it had an all wood lined interior with a metal skin wrapped around it. The roof is wood framed with heavy, waterproofed canvas, Door frames are solid oak, as are the window frames.
    Heres a pdf of an 1993 story on it.
    Thickins took the photos and has since sold it to another collector.
    It looks really nice, doesnt it?
    Source
  9. Roadtrekingmike
    I love fall. The blue skies are more blue, the air smells clean and crisp and has no more of the sweltering heaviness of summer.
    But it also makes me a little sad because, living in a northern climate like Ido, the approaching cold weather means it’s time to curtail my travel.
    It means long stretches of RVing inactivity.
    Of watching snow accumulate on top of the Roadtrek.
    Of having to winterize it.
    Of sneaking out there, turning on the heat, and sitting in it, remembering the places we’ve visited, dreaming about the ones we will visit. Sometimes, I’ve been known to take a nap in my Roadtrek. In the driveway.
    It’s not that we don’t use it in the winter. We do. Just not as often as we do in warmer weather, when weekend and short trips are easy and the roads are not snow-covered and slippery. A few times each winter, we break loose and head south.
    Last year, I winterized the RV three times. We made winter trips to Florida, Alabama and Georgia and each time, when we returned from those warmer states, we had to pump antifreeze back through the system again before getting back to Michigan. Once, I worried the pipes froze when the temperatures took an unexpected sudden drop in Louisville, KY.
    They didn’t. But it was close.
    I’m planning on monthly trips this winter, too. We plan to again visit Georgia and Florida, maybe the Texas Hill Country and the desert southwest. And we will do some winter camping again, like we did last year when the temperature at Tahquamenon Falls dipped to minus eight degrees and there was 28 inches of snow on the ground!
    But those trips will not be as extensive or frequent as they’ve been since April, when we really began our travels in ernest.
    Its enough to make me want to move and find a new place with a heated garage. That would be nice, huh?
    I know this: I don’t want to stop Roadtreking for such a silly thing as winter.
  11. Roadtrekingmike
    Hot Topic: Carrying firearms in an RV
    It’s certainly one of the most controversial topics there is among RVers. I’m talking about guns and carrying them in your RV. I get reader questions on this all the...
    Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome


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  12. Roadtrekingmike
    We’re in northeastern Wisconsin and Minnesota in the midst of what the news media says is the coldest stretch of prolonged frigid temperatures to hit the continental U.S. in a century and yet, everywhere I go around here, the locals seem to shrug it all off and continue with their winter activities of snow shoeing, cross country skiing, hockey playing, hiking, ice fishing and dog sled racing.
    They seem to actually embrace the cold in an area where the snow is three feet deep and the snow drifts are taller than automobiles. I mean, they actually enjoy it!
    That’s because they know how to dress for it.

    Jennifer and I are here to take in one of the toughest dog sled marathons in North America after Alaska’s famed Iditarod – the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon that kicks off today in Duluth and runs for almost 400 miles all the way to the Canadian border and back across some of the most frigid and rugged terrain you’ll find in the lower 48.
    I’ve volunteered to help at a road crossing way up north near Finland, MN starting about 1 AM Monday and use my amateur radio capabilities aboard the Roadtrek eTrek to provide communications and keep track of the mushers as they pass by. The temperature is expected to be -26 F/-32C during our stint up there. Factor in wind chill and we’re talking -50F/-45C.
    So I better figure out how the locals dress to handle that kind of cold.
    And to do so I went to Northwest Outlet in Superior, WI, right on the Minnesota border and one of the Lake Superior north shore’s biggest outdoor and sporting goods outfitters. It just happens to be owned by Dave Miller, a regular reader of this blog, an avid truck camper and a fellow amateur radio operator. Dave read of my plans to be up here and invited me to stop by.
    And when he saw yesterday’s photo of how dirty and grimy our Roadtrek was after driving 700 miles to get here, he insisted that I pull into a heated garage next to his store that they use to install caps on trucks. Then Dave proceeded to hand wash the Roadtrek, even climbing a ladder and helping push off the snow and ice that had accumulated on top of our solar panels.
    Then, with a clean and shining Roadtrek hand dried and air blown so the locks wouldn’t freeze, he escorted me to a place where we could get some #1 diesel to mix with the #2 for the predicted super cold temperatures over the next couple of nights that I’ll encounter as I follow the sled dog race up in Minnesota.
    Jennifer and I never before met Dave or his wife, Mary. Yet them embraced us like family, even treating us to a terrific Italian dinner at a great restaurant called Valentini’s on the shore of Lake Superior.
    But before we ate, I got out the video camera and went into the store had Dave and Mary help dress Jennifer and I like locals, so we’ll be ready for the cold.
    You can see that in the video above.
    And you can find out how we’re doing by following my live Tweets on Twitter at http://twitter.com/roadtreking and here on the blog, though I’m not sure how good cell phone coverage will be where we’re headed and those detailed reports may be delayed a bit until I get into cellular range.
    But, with all the super warm winter clothes Dave hooked me up with, I’m ready to face the arctic vortex.

  13. Roadtrekingmike
    How to Help Build Your Own RV
    I was given a unique opportunity over the past few months. I had been hanging out at the Roadtrek factory last fall and this spring, and Jim Hammill the president...
    Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome


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  14. Roadtrekingmike
    Yuck. Nothing tastes worse that the first sip of water through a just de-winterized RV’s plumbing system on the first trip of the year. That’s why it is important to sanitize that fresh water tank. And for that, there are lots of different approaches.
    Everybody seems to have their favorite way of sanitizing the fresh water system.
    Roadtrek Motorhomes has a suggested way, though. Here it is, lifted from the instruction manual for the eTrek we use. There are similar instructions for all Roadtrek models. Find yours by clicking to roadtrek.com/manuals.aspx and then reading the section on de-winterizing.
    Some people will disagree with this and think it overkill. Others will say it’s not enough. But for me, this is what I plan to do.
    Note: If you follow this completely, it takes a lot of time, ideally a couple of days at least. And this is for the fresh water system. Your hot water system also needs to be de-winterized. But since there are so many differences in the way the different models heat water, you can look up your recommendations in the manual specific to your vehicle.
    Roadtrek suggests a two step fresh water sensitization process:
    First step
    You will need 2 gallons of water and 1 cup of fresh bleach. (Bleach loses its potency over time; always start with bleach that is less than 6 months old.)
    Mix up two gallons of water and one cup of chlorine bleach. Add to the fresh water fill. Allow a few minutes to drain into exterior tank.
    This is a good time to get some stuff for spring cleaning of your Roadtrek, so drive around for an hour. Let it sit for a couple more hours. The driving sloshes it around in the tank. That is good.
    When you get home again, open the drain valve and drain both tanks. This kills any bacteria in the tanks before you distribute them through the entire water system.

    Second step
    Mix 1/2 cup of chlorine with 2 gallons of water and pour into fresh water fill.
    Fill fresh water tank about 1/2 full.
    Add 1/2 cup of chlorine and fill fresh water tank about 3/4 full.
    Turn on water pump, circulate through entire system.
    Run water out of every faucet and shower head until you smell chlorine.
    With the water pump on, open the city water valve, and let the pump push water through the fill line for a minute or so.
    Run the galley faucet for several minutes. If you smell chlorine, your system is safe to use. If you do not smell chlorine or your water is foamy, or has a pungent odor, repeat this step.
    Drain completely, fill fresh water tank with clean water, run all faucets for 2 to 3 minutes each.
    To help get rid of the residual chlorine smell, pour a cup of vinegar into the fresh water tank, fill, let sit for a few hours, run the faucets for a minute or so apiece, drain the tank to ground, and refill with fresh water.

    There you go. Let us know how it works for you or what your process of sanitizing happens to be.
  15. Roadtrekingmike
    We have discovered he one all important guiding principle that more than anything determines the success or failure of an RV trip: There needs to be a place for everything and everything should be in its place.
    When we first began our RV travels, we took everything. Sometimes two of everything. Both Jennifer and I were so paranoid that we left something behind that we overcompensated. Our little 24 foot Class B RV looked like a scene out of that Hoarders reality TV show, you know, the one where people life in houses so cluttered that they had to make tunnels to move between the piles of junk.
    We took too much food, too many clothes, too many folding chairs, too many pots, pans and utensils. I had tools of every size and shape, fishing stuff, two bicycles, snorkeling gear, beach towels, workout bags, a pile of books and all my computer, video and camera gear.
    We were bloated.
    It didn’t take long to realize that we were overcompensating for our lack of RV experience by overpacking.
    It took forever to load the RV for a trip and even longer to haul everything out when we returned home.
    Here’s how we uncluttered.
    The kitchen – We now take two plates, two cups, two glasses (plastic) and, on the rare occasions when you may have a guest, some paper plates. Same with utensils, which are supplemented by some plastic spoons, forks and knives. You don’t need place settings for six. As far as pots and pans, we bring one of each. We bring a small electric frying pan for cooking bacon and pancakes and a George Forman grill. We have a very small charcoal grill we sometimes pack in the storage area at the back. I have a small K-cup coffee maker.
    Food – The staples are pretty basic. Some olive oil, a jar of peanut butter, jam, bread, granola, yogurt, butter, crackers, cheese, meat, some fruit and some snacks. We eat a lot of salads. Jennifer will prepack the fixings in a zip lock bag at home and bring them. We take no more than a three day supply of food. Its easy and fun to shop locally on the road, getting fresh fruits and veggies. And we do eat out at local restaurants a lot. There is no better way to know an area than to eat where the locals do. We take along a case of bottled water, too, keeping it on one side of the bottom of an armoire we had installed.
    Clothing – We permanently keep jackets, sweats and one good outfit in the wardrobe closet. We bring sandals, hiking boots and a presentable pair of slip ons. Jennifer also brings house slippers. We keep them on the other side of the armoire bottom. We have both come to really appreciate the small little packing cubes called eBags. Click that link to see Jennifer demo them. We each bring two, mine is blue, Jen’s is red. We easily can get a five day supply of all the clothes we need in them. They fit in a rear overhead cabinet on the driver’s side of the coach.
    Hygiene and shower items – We permanently leave soap, bathroom supplies, hair brushes, toothbrushes and the like in the bathroom. A surprising amount fits in that pull out drawer. I found a little plastic dish and holder set that attaches to the wall above the sink by a suction cup to store bath items. I also have a small knapsack that has extra soap and shampoo and a pair of flip flops that I carry when using a shower at a campground bathhouse. It goes in with the shoes in the armoire for storage. Jennifer has a large tote bag with her stuff that also fits in the armoire.
    Bedding – We make our coach bed up into a king bed each night and put a four inch mattress topper on it that we picked up at Bed, Bath & Beyond a year or so ago. It is more comfortable than our Sleep Number bed at home. On top of that we put on the RV Superbag. Click that link and you’ll see Jennifer demonstrate it. It has a summer side, a winer side and luxuriously comfortable sheets that attach inside by Velcro. It’s expensive. But we have found it incredible comfortable. We keep the topper in the top storage cabinet across the back of our Roadtrek eTrek. It’s a tight squeeze but it fits. The RV Superbag is rolled up and goes in the armoire. We make up the bed each night and then put it away after we wake up. We like having the back area as a sofa/lounging area during the day.
    Tools – In the rear storage area beneath the bed, I carry one small toolbox. In it are screwdrivers, pliers, a small hatchet that can double as a hammer, duct take, a tube of sealant, a small bottle of Gorilla glue, scissors, a good pocketknife and probably some other little odds and ends. I keep the water hoses (two rolls of 25-foot white hose), electric hook up cables (two 25-foot lengths), a 50 to 30 amp adapter, a 25 foot 15-amp extension cord , a pair of gloves and my water filter in a large plastic storage bin I got at Lowes. Also in the back are some of those Lego-like leveling blocks, a fishing pole and small plastic tackle box, a ground cover for the patio area outside the sliding door, a small fold-up table and two Pico telescoping outdoor chairs.
    Computer and Photo gear – Basically, my still and video cameras, wireless microphones and their respective chargers and accessories all go in one large bag. It fits in the armoire. I have a backpack for my computer gear that fits atop the bag in the same place. I bring several very small, collapsible tripods.
    Storage drawer – In the armoire s a small storage drawer. In it I have flashlights, extra fuses, a small screwdriver with the square head used for most of the screws in my Roadtrek, a small pair of walkie-talkie two-way radios, pens, maps and little things.
    So that’s what we take with us. We leave as much as possible inside the coach when we’re home so we don’t have to keep loading and reloading the same things. Instead of a pile of books, we read them from Kindle on the iPad. We only take the bicycles when we know we’ll be doing a lot of cycling. Snorkel gear stays home, unless we absolutely know we will be snorkeling. Just because we could use it doesn’t meet the test we have set up for what to bring and what to leave: Take only what you are sure you will need. If in doubt, leave it home.
    Something else that is important that, if not adhered to, can really clutter up your RV: Don’t buy a lot of souvenirs while on the road. If you must, consider shipping such purchases to your home. If that’s not possible, make sure you have room for them to be stored away out of sight.
    When we are traveling, we have a rule that we both stick to religiously. When we are finished using it, we put it away. We always put it in the same place. I can’t over-emphasize the importance of that. I bought a bunch of stick-on hooks that I have affixed to various walls around the coach. We use them for sweatshirts, hats and the like. At night, we each have one hook that we use to hang the clothing we’ll put on the next morning.
    Everything has a place, and everything goes in that place and that place only.
    Organizational experts say that you should go through your home closet every year. Anything you haven’t used in the last six months should be discarded. When it comes to an RV, anything you didn’t use on your past trip should probably not be brought along on the next one.
    That’s our system, what works for us. I suppose it’s a reflection of our personality. Neither one of us can stand clutter. And with each trip, things seem to get more streamlined.
    I’d love to hear how you have uncluttered your RV. Use comments below to share.
  16. Roadtrekingmike
    How to winterize your RV: VIDEO
    There’s no stopping it. Winter is here and for RVers in northern climates, it’s time to winterize.
    Making sure your the plumbing system in your RV is protected against the cold is essential and if it’s not done right, serious damage can occur.
    There are lots of ways to winterize. Some RV owners do the bare minimum. Others don’t miss any preventative protection steps.
    The first step is to check the manufacturer’s instruction book. If ever in doubt, follow it.
    But you may also want to take it to a dealer.
    That’s what I did, taking my Roadtrek RS-Adventurous to American RV in Grand Rapids, MI, where I met up with Service Tech Hank Nuiver, who gave my RV the deluxe winterizing package.
    We videotaped every step of the process.
    Once caution: Hank uses an air compressor to blow out the water from the lines. But he does so at low pressure – 40 to 50 pounds, instead by a pressure regulator. Any pressure more than than, he warns, has the potential to damage parts and fittings.
    Something else I appreciate: I can use my RV in the winter. Take fresh water in bottles and when use use the toilet, chase it down with some anti freeze. There’s no problem, says Hank, in camping all winter long.
    This video is long, over 16 minutes. But hopefully, it will help you know what to do.
     
    Roadtreking - A Journalist takes up the RV lifestyle - People and Places Encountered on the Open Road


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  17. Roadtrekingmike
    There’s never enough room. That’s the first thing about RVing we all think when we start RVing, isn’t it?
    But there really is.
    No matter what size RV we have, we all want to bring too much stuff.
    Once we discover that, it’s a little easier to pack the essentials. Still, some times, you need a little more storage space. That’s why we recently replaced one of the two back seats with a custom sized armoire. It is a perfect match with the rest of the wooden cabinets inside our Roadtrek eTrek. And it even comes with a pull out table that lets us replace the front table that attaches to a pole that fits into a hole in the floor.
    Jennifer shows it off in this week’s edition of “How We Roll” as I show how I pack the “basement.”
    Here’s our video:

  18. Roadtrekingmike
    http://youtu.be/Q3mx8b5NsV4
    We get lots of questions about the places we go, the things we see and how we roll in our RV. Thus, this new reccurring video feature, in which we’ll try to do every week, answering reader questions (e-mail me here or via our Facebook Roadtreking page).
    In this first episode, Jennifer and I talk about how we pack and store items in our Class B motorhome and how we stay connected to the Internet while on the road.
    Jennifer swears by eBags, a handy way to neatly pack a lot of clothes in a very nifty little zip-up bag that takes up little space. And I share how Verizon Wireless’ 4G network keeps me connected by a MiFi wireless hotspot card.
    Let us know how you like this and what questions yo may have.
  19. Roadtrekingmike
    One of the most asked questions Jennifer and I receive from readers deals with how we sleep in our Roadtrek eTrek Class B motorthome. Our answer is … great!
    Seriously, we both agree we sleep better in the Roadtrek than we do in our king-sized Sleep Number bed at home.
    And that has to do with that we sleep on and in while camping out in the Roadtrek.
    In this edition of How We Roll in our RV, we answer two reader questions about where we store our bedding.

    We make the eTrek sofa up into a king sized bed at night and use a four inch Wamsutta Fresh and Cool mattress topper that we picked up last year at a Bed Bath & Beyond store while traveling through South Dakota. Jennifer shows how we store in in the overhead cabinet at the rear of the bed. It takes up every inch of space up there but it fits in just fine.
    On top of the topper, we use an RV Superbag. It’s a king sized bag with a summer and winter side and very comfortable sheets Velcroed inside. I show how we roll it up and put in in the armoire that we have installed in place of the seat that normally is behind the driver. Here’s a link to the RV Superbag video review Jennifer did last year.
    Yes, I know those bags are expensive. But we really like it, so much that we also invested in two individual RV Superbags.
    I use a single when I travel alone or bring a grandkid or buddy with me on a hunting or fishing trip.
    Got a questions you’d like us to answer? Send an e-mail to openmike@fmca.com.
  20. Roadtrekingmike
    In this edition of “How We Roll,” Jennifer answers a question about budgeting and how much it costs us to take a typical week to 10-day trip. In these days of $4+ fuel, that’s the killer to any budget that involves mileage. Jennifer shares our actual costs and ways we try to save money.
    Then I tackle a stinky question ... about odor control and how we’re trying something called the “Geo Method” that mixes water softener and household detergent in a gallon of water that is poured down the toilet.
    We heard about it through our Facebook group and decided to try it out. So far, so good, though Jennifer had me cut back on the amount of detergent because we use concentrated soap and she didn’t want a bunch of bubbles coming out of the toilet every time we flushed.
    Got questions? Send them to us openmike@fmca.com. We try to roll out a new How We Roll every week.
    http://youtu.be/ulJ78aTL0kE
    About the Author: Mike Wendland is a veteran journalist who travels the country in a Roadtrek Type B motorhome, accompanied by his wife, Jennifer, and their Norweigian elkhound, Tai. Mike is an FMCA member (F426141) and is FMCA's official on-the-road reporter. He enjoys camping (obviously), hiking, biking, fitness, photography, video editing and all things dealing with technology. His "PC MIke" technology segments are distributed weekly to all 215 NBC-TV stations. More from this author. Reach mike at openmike@fmca.com.
  21. Roadtrekingmike
    In this edition of How We Roll in our RV, we tackle two completely different questions:
    Jennifer answers a reader named Karen, who wants to know how the Roadtrek eTrek we have works out for her putting on make-up. Jen shows the mirrors she uses along with a handy sticky pad called the Dash Stick that holds a magnifying mirror in place.
    My question came from a reader named Maggie, who asks about how to find a rental Roadtrek to try out, something Jen and I wish we could have done before we bought. If so, we would have purchased a Roadtrek a full year before we did. The best way to find rentals is through the Roadtrek dealer network. You can find the closest one to you here.

    Meantime, if you have a question for us to answer in a future episode of How We Roll in our RV, just send it to openmike@fmca.com.
    And for a complete archive of all our How We Roll in our RV segments, click here.
  23. Roadtrekingmike
    It can heat up very fast inside an RV and in this edition of How We Roll in our RV, Jennifer and I answer a question from a reader named Danielle who asks:
    “I’m thinking about taking my freelance writing business on the road in a small motorhome, and I have a question. I’ll be bringing my dog with me and I’m concerned about leaving her in the RV while running errands. Can a dog overheat in a motorhome as they can in a car? Can the A/C run off the battery while sitting in a parking lot, or would I have to run the generator and risk the wrath of quiet townsfolk?
    Any advice from you (or Tai!) would be much appreciated. Thanks, and safe travels!”

    Jennifer and I take our Norwegian Elkhound, Tai, with us and since he has a double coat and doesn’t tolerate heat well, we worry about leaving him unattended for long periods of time, even with the AC on and even in our Roadtrek eTrek, which can run the AC on battery power for long periods of time.
    We don’t leave him unattended even when we are plugged into shore power at a campground. Indeed, many campgrounds have rules about that. How many times have you walked by someone’s RV, only to hear some yipper inside loudly sounding his concern about being abandoned. It is rude to other campers and not very nice to your pet to leave a barking dog alone. Our Tai is not a barker, he’s a sleeper. But what if the AC in the park went out? Like a car, an RV can heat up very fast. So we pretty much always take him with us, except for short periods of times like when we are eating in a restaurant. And then only if we run the AC in warm weather and check on him frequently.
    You can click the video to hear our response to Daniele’s question. And use comments to offer your suggestions.
    Meantime, if you have a question about How We Roll in our RV, send it to us at openmike@fmca.com
  24. Roadtrekingmike
    In this edition of How We Roll, Jennifer and I tackle questions from readers asking about how we dry bath towels while we’re on the road. Jennifer shows some hooks I attached with stick-on tape and a very simple but effective bungee cord clothesline we have in the bathroom. She also recommends fast-drying micro fiber towels.
    Besides the bungee-clotheline (which hangs and dries two full-sized bath towels very effectively and out of sight behind the bathroom door), I have strategically stuck on plastic hooks (found at WalMart) on several vertical walls to hang sweatshirts, towels, items like that.
    We also answer a question about the folding chairs we use while traveling. We use the telescoping PICO ARM CHAIR Telescoping Director’s Chair and I show how compactly it packs. They’re expensive, about $100 each. But they are very rugged. Best pricing comes when you buy two of them. They fit in a case that can be carried over the shoulder like a large laptop bag.
    We roll out a new edition of How We Roll each week. If you have a question, just send it in to me by clicking here.
    http://youtu.be/wvxR9wo9s1A
  25. Roadtrekingmike
    This is the time of year folks are shopping for an RV and planning their first trips of the season. We have questions about both in this week’s edition of “How We Roll” in which Jennifer and I answer reader questions.
    We travel in a Class B motorhome. I’ve written lots on why we chose a B. But if you have a large family, you may want something larger.
    As for where we stay, we always opt for beauty and remoteness over crowded campgrounds.
    We share more about both questions in the video.
    Send in your questions to openmike@fmca.com and we’ll do our best to answer.
    We try to do a new edition of How We Roll each week.
    http://youtu.be/evCUGwN1sy0
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