lbassham@sbcglobal.net

I strongly recommend an Charger/Inverter/Transfer by Dimensions, Inc. to handle this problem along with your generator. I have a coach with such a system and used it for 6 days in the snow in Yosemite with no more than 2 hours a day with the generator. If you are interested in obtaining one I have a spare for sale very cheap. Larry

I strongly recommend Alaska. We spent 3 months there starting around 15 June (after the mosquito season). Try to get to Banff/Jasper by 1 Oct as winter starts around Labor Day. The fall in Alaska is much like the east coast and occurs in September. Have fun. Larry

I have a 2005 Cummings 400 ISL and originally had overheating problem. Four things I do. 1. Most important--hold RPM's up which keeps fan speed up. For me 1500 RPM works fine. 2. Make sure you Allison 6 speed is not in the economy mode. 3. Do not use cruise control. 4. Only pay attention to digital gauges. After doing all three my overheating problem has not repeated. Larry

Tow Car--I have heard the same report on the 2009 Ford Escape from many people when they flat tow. After much research, I purchased a Suzuki Grand Vitard 4WD with an electronic transfer case. It is a terrific tow car and easy to set up with a single knob on the dash that you use to transfer it to "double neutral". I have pulled it as much as 500 miles in a day---but I keep it around 55 to 60 MPH for economy. I have not had any problems other than some transmission fluid smell when we first stop. I also try to stop around every 3 hours and run the car for a few minutes in Park--the position you pull it in. This car had a great write-up in the towing guide 2 years ago and it still performs great. I have checked the transmission fluid and after 2 years I have not had to add any fluid. Another nice feature of the Suzuki Grand Vitara is it is moderately priced starting around $17K. Good luck and I am afraid the Japanese car manufactures are again way ahead of the americans on reliability and engineering. Larry

Golden Age Passport is taken at all National Parks and Monuments. Once you go to a Park or Monument you can get a guide that lists all the Parks. Larry