tbutler

Welcome to the forum. Where do you call home? Are you traveling regularly or just when you can get away? FMCA has a national rally in Indianapolis this summer. It's a great way to meet a lot of other motor home families.

I would start by examining the one component that isn't working. Start with the switches for the water pump. Check them to see if any have shorted out. Check the water pump and the power supply to it. If it has DC power then the pump must be bad. If not, find out why it doesn't have power. Much of what you are describing sounds like the solenoids that Herman is describing and they could be the problem. By the way, the switch that -Gramps- mentions is connected to one of those solenoids, the "house power" runs through that one. You can test this by bypassing the solenoid, connect the incoming 12V wire to the output 12V wire (a solenoid is just a switch, connecting the two wires does the same thing as flipping a switch, completes a circuit). The "panic switch" -Gramps- refers to just activates that solenoid switch. In our coach I removed the solenoid that controls the house batteries after several had failed. I simply wired the two 12V wires together. The switch by the entry door now does nothing. If I want to cut battery power to the coach I have to go to the main switch (near the battery compartment) to turn off the power. It is less convenient but really, how often do you need to cut all power to the coach.

Brett has the right idea. When we had our old NoCold we ran it on gas while traveling. Now we have a residential refrigerator and it works fine on the inverter. Unless I'm mistaken, you probably have a 2000 Watt inverter, not 2000 Volt! ZZZapppp!

I've had miserable parking experiences and some that were just fantastic. It all depends on who is running the parking volunteers. If they have a plan, it works great. If no plan, you are caught in a miserable traffic jam. My absolute best was at Bowling Green, OH. Pulled in, plenty of room to unhook toad as soon as you were unhooked you were guided into your site. Sites were pull-in, easy to park, no fuss no muss. Worst experience was Redmond, WA (2004). They were totally understaffed and no one knew how to organize the operation. Sites were back in, absolutely the worst. It gummed up the whole operation. I certainly hope the crew at Indy has some veterans from Ohio on the crew! Planning is everything. By the way, both these experiences were based on a caravan of many coaches arriving in a short period of time. That is the real test of a parking crew.

That sounds like a great place for viewing the eclipse. Still, as large as the area is, it will be possible that the entire area could be cloudy. In the weeks before the eclipse, I'll be watching the long term forecasts and sources like the Weather Channel's Weekly Forecast to help me narrow down the area where I will view the eclipse. I'm going to plan to be mobile, with the motor home up to the day before the eclipse and then with the toad as the day of the eclipse arrives. If I'm lucky, I'll be greeted by clear skies on eclipse morning. If not, I'll be in the toad heading for the nearest clear skies that are in the path of totality. If cloudy weather is moving in on us I can either try to stay ahead of it or try to travel to clear skies behind the weather system or front. Until eclipse day I'll have the ability to move hundreds of miles east or west to get the best chances of seeing the eclipse. Regarding the glasses for viewing the eclipse. I've been using aluminized (aluminum coated) Mylar for solar viewing for years. At one time I had a roll of the stuff so I could make solar filters for my use. My blog entry has several links to information on the weather and also several sources for the glasses. I just checked and one of the sources has the glasses priced at about $10 for three. In quantity you can get them for less than a dollar, the quantity being 250 or more. That won't change much if at all as the eclipse approaches. There are multiple suppliers that are competing for your business. Some are of the non-profit type. You may even be able to snag a free pair. When we were in France, the glasses were available free in Paris. These glasses are made of cardboard with eye cut-outs covered with Mylar. They are completely safe if handled properly. Make sure that you don't puncture the Mylar. I have a small notebook in which I store a pair of Mylar glasses for viewing the sun. I have it with me often and use the glasses to observe the sun on a regular basis. There are frequently sunspots on the sun, the larger ones are easily seen with the naked eye. With bulk Mylar, you can make your own filters for binoculars, small telescopes or even cameras. The filter always goes on the front of the device, not at the eyepiece. The sunlight is filtered before it enters any optical device. That protects your camera and your eye. Eyepiece filters are very dangerous. They will be heated by the sun and can break or melt. I would never use an eyepiece filter for viewing the sun. The glasses are for viewing the partial phases of the eclipse. Once the sun is completely blocked by the moon, you remove the glasses to see the solar corona, any solar prominences or solar flares that might be erupting at the time. During totality you should also be able to view the bright planets, Jupiter and Venus in particular should be easily visible and brighter stars can also be seen. When the first beam of sunlight shines through a lunar valley (an effect called the diamond ring) it is time to look away and put the glasses back on.

You will want to check the weather as eclipse day approaches. I plan to stay somewhere near but not on the line of totality. As eclipse day approaches, I'll adjust where we are based on the forecast. Then on eclipse day, we'll locate at the best weather location we can using the toad. For best chances of clear skies, eastern Oregon, western Idaho gets the highest rating. Choosing the location to view should also take into consideration the road network. Western states don't have nearly as robust road network as the mid-western and east coast states do. There is an interesting connection to FMCA and this total eclipse. Check out my blog here on FMCA.

We've stayed at Walmart stores all over the US and in Canada (yes, they have them in Canada and some allow overnight parking - Newfoundland in 2015). The FMCA rules listed in a previous reply should be standard operating procedure. Most stores we have encountered have a preferred area for parking so we always ask before getting set for the night. We have only stayed more than one night one time and that exception we parked the motor home in a different location (visitors center that didn't allow overnight parking) then returned to the Walmart for the night. We generally try to arrive shortly before sunset and get away before the store gets busy, 8:00 a.m. or before. One of the reasons we like Walmart is the ability to get in and out easily and quickly. They are usually near the road we are traveling, there are no utility hookups, we don't have to disconnect the toad, they are usually quiet and there is some security around the store, private and/or police. We use Walmart, Sam's Clubs and other places of business (listed in the AllStays Camp & RV app mentioned previously. Walmart is our preferred on the road traveling stop. You can use AllStays to find the store, even get directions. They also have many other camping spots (small parks, community parks, etc) that aren't listed in larger books. On the issue of slides, we use ours as the bedroom is locked up tight with the slides in. The pantry with food and dishes is also occluded by the living room slide. We park with the slides (2 on the drivers side) over the grass or next to a fence at the edge of the parking lot whenever possible. If we park in the lot I park so there is room between our rig and the line that separates parking spaces on the other side of the parking row. I make sure that the slides when extended don't intrude into the parking spots which are usually vacant when we park. I carry four 12" orange cones that I put out at the corners, mostly to make sure someone doesn't walk by and walk into a slide. It also helps ensure that people short cutting across the Walmart lot don't drive too close to the coach and hit one of the slides. Our coach has air leveling so we are usually able to level without a problem. Jacks will damage the parking lot in many cases as the asphalt isn't supported underneath with a base strong enough to carry the load of a small jack pad. Unlike a tire, a jack pad is solid metal and doesn't give or spread the load evenly over the area. One jack pad can carry a significant portion of the weight of your rig. Most lots are close enough to level to be livable without leveling. We purchase food and supplies at each store. Sometimes just something from the deli or ice cream for desert but I always try to pick up some needed item. I always return my shopping cart to a cart carrel and often will round up and return carts left by truckers or other RV'ers at distant corners of the lot where we are allowed to park. I'll also pick up trash if it is located near where we are parked. I want to leave the area where we are parked cleaner than when we arrived lest we be blamed for leaving the trash behind. Parking at Walmart and other stores is a privilege that we should protect for all RV'ers by following the rules and being good citizens. Consider it good PR. Stores where we are allowed to park will notice how we use or abuse the privilege.

Here is a link to a previous discussion. It is several years old but the product hasn't changed and the references given are good. Some actual RV experience information as well. You can use the search icon at the top of this page to search for other discussions related to this or any other topic.

We love this part of the country and have spent many happy days exploring the places you mention and more. We are avid hikers and I'll try to factor in your limitation on hiking If any transport (personal mobility device) is available, it will greatly enhance the trip. There is plenty of scenery any way you go. A caution, the desert area you mention, Joshua Tree, is likely to be quite hot when you are planning your travels. The mountains should be delightful. We loved Joshua Tree National Monument but the oasis and old gold mines are on the hiking tour. For scenery there are several nice drives into the park with short walks through cactus fields and scenic overlooks. For driving only, you can probably travel most of the roads in the park in a day or two. At Sequoia National Park you can drive among the giant trees and appreciate many of them from roads and parking areas near trailheads. Several days of touring there should also be sufficient for that stop. Note: When we do these parks we also plan some rest days so may stay for four or five days in the campground and be out in the park on two or three days.King's Canyon is adjacent to Yosemite and is a one day drive into and out of the park. Yosemite has roads with spectacular views in the main valley (one day by car) with waterfalls and spectacular views of Half Dome and other features. There are roads to the north and south that also enter the park. The northern one takes you into the mountains, alpine lakes and then into the desert at Mono Lake. I would plan at least three days there. I would recommend the Redwoods area in Northern California. The state park is spectacular, we stayed at Red Crest Campground, just north of Humbodt Redwoods State Park. Drive north on 101 from Leggett to Red Crest, there are a number of tourist sites and small groves of Redwoods, drive through trees, tree houses, carvers, etc. The Pacific Coast of California is spectacular but don't take the motor home unless you have checked with locals. Hwy 1 twists and turns in some places it can be difficult to get around some of the hairpins, great trip for the toad. Hwy 101 in Oregon is much more friendly for motor homes and you get many of the great coast views along there. Interesting towns and scenery, shops and stores along the way. The Tillamook Cheese Factory is along there, just south of Astoria. We really love the Astoria area. The Columbia River Nautical Museum is worthwhile. The bridge from Astoria over the Columbia provides a wonderful view of the Columbia River. Traveling upriver on the Columbia to Portland, OR and then on up the Columbia River Valley will take you to a series of scenic waterfalls where the water comes off the north slopes of Mount Hood. Many are accessible via a short walk from the parking lot. Mt. St. Helens off I-5 has a visitors center that will give you details of the 1982 eruption of the volcano and some nice views of the mountain. You might want to make a driving tour of the Olympic Peninsula and Olympic National Park. The logging museum in Forks is worth a visit. They have a logging tour that starts from the museum. It involves some walking, but check on it. We enjoyed visiting several of the native American tribes in the area near Forks. There is a nice museum at Makah Bay. These are just a few of our high points to get you started. Regarding wine, there are wineries throughout California. We have children and grandchildren near Murphys, a small community in the gold hills, east of Lodi, south of Sacramento. There are half a dozen wineries there, most don't charge for tasting. There are something like 90 wineries in the Napa Valley, a lifetime of wine tasting and most charge for tasting. There are also wineries in Oregon along I-5 south of Portland and you'll find wineries in Washington on the Olympic Peninsula in the area around Olympia up toward Port Townsend. These days you can find wineries almost anywhere and we enjoy stopping at them whenever we are able. You have a wonderful trip ahead of you, take your time and enjoy.

We have one of these in our park right now. It has Florida license plates but goes nowhere it isn't on a trailer here in Texas. They can haul it to the beach and drive it there. Otherwise they are driving it around the park as a huge oversized golf cart!

We've been towing our 2012 Acadia for four summers now, close to 50,000 miles with no problems. No dead battery, well once I left the key in the wrong position when we stopped overnight and I had to get something from the toad My fault. Hooked it to the charger and we were on our way in an hour. We don't use a battery charge line. See other details below. From descriptions above, the newer ones are easier to tow than ours. We have to pull fuses and start and run the engine for a period of time each morning and occasionally when stopping during the day for an extended period of time. We have our toad wired directly to the coach so the taillights and signals are just a matter of inserting a plug. It's a total Roadmaster system, base plate, tow bar, supplemental braking system runs off the coach air brakes.

August 11, 1999 Louise and I traveled to Paris to see a total solar eclipse. The trip was our first adventure to Europe and was a wonderful adventure that helped convince us that there was much to see in the world. Our trip was a success, we saw the total eclipse briefly as the clouds parted during totality. The sight was spectacular, something that many people may live a lifetime and never experience. I had traveled with my family to Hawaii July 11, 1991 to see the total solar eclipse there. Spending the night alongside the highway in the desert on the western side of the big island, Hawaii, we were clouded out and sat through the eclipse in a light drizzle. Then, June 21, 2001 Louise and I traveled to Zambia in southern Africa to see the solar eclipse once again. It was another great adventure filled with African wildlife and many memorable experiences. Once again, we were successful and were able to observe the total eclipse of the sun. This time the sky was smoky as it was the season for burning off old crops in preparation for the coming planting season. I describe all this to emphasize the importance many people attach to chasing the shadow of the Moon. The total eclipse is only visible when you are within the total shadow of the Moon. You can see an eclipse in the partial shadow but it will only be a partial eclipse. I would never pass up a chance to view a partial eclipse but the real prize is the total solar eclipse. The thing about a total solar eclipse is that the full shadow of the Moon from which you can view the total solar eclipse is a very narrow band. For the eclipse in Paris, it was about 70 miles wide at its widest point. The eclipse in Hawaii had a shadow width of 160 miles at its widest point. The African eclipse was almost 125 miles wide at its widest point. To experience the longest possible time in the Moon’s shadow you must be near the centerline of the path of the shadow. Given all that, Monday, August 21, 2017 you will have a chance to see the Great American Eclipse. It has been many years since a total solar eclipse could be seen in mainland US. This eclipse will cut a swath across 12 states starting in NW Oregon at about 10:18 a.m. PDT and will exit the US at 2:48 p.m. EDT in Eastern South Carolina. Other states that will see the eclipse include Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, extreme northeastern Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, northeastern Georgia and the western North Carolina. You won’t have to travel to a distant country, this eclipse is coming to a state near you! All areas in those states won’t see totality, the shadow is only going to be 71 miles wide at its widest point. You will need detailed information to get as close to the center of the shadow as possible. In an article on the History of FMCA from May 2004 FMCA Magazine there is a reference to a meeting of motor homes at a total solar eclipse at Hinckley School in Hinckley, Maine on July 20, 1963. Out of this gathering of 26 “coach owning families” grew the present organization. That eclipse was one of a series of eclipses in a sequence that astronomers call a Saros. From one eclipse to the next in a Saros is 18 years, 11 days and 8 hours. It happens that this eclipse was number 19 of 77 eclipses in Saros 145. Its path came onshore in North America in western Alaska, crossed Canada and exited the continent as it passed across Maine. Alaska and Maine were the only states where the total eclipse could be seen. There have been several other eclipses in Saros, 145. In July 31, 1981 number 20 in that Saros crossed Russia. It was not visible in North America. On August 11, 1999, number 21 of Saros 145 crossed Europe, the Middle East and exited into the Indian Ocean from the eastern coast of India. Louise and I traveled to Paris, France to observe this eclipse. There were clouds around and we drove frantically across northern France looking for an opening in the clouds as totality approached. When I took a wrong turn at a roundabout and then attempted a U-turn on the road the wheels mired down in mud when I pulled onto the shoulder. We slid into a ditch. A passing couple from Belgium stopped and said (in perfect English) they would call a wrecker. We watched as the clouds parted and the partially eclipsed sun became visible. The wrecker arrived just as the shadow of the moon was within seconds of reaching us. We shared our Mylar glasses with them and then put the glasses aside to watch the total phase of the eclipse. We weren’t on the centerline but were well within the path of totality. It was our first total solar eclipse and we were hooked. During the total eclipse the corona or outer atmosphere of the Sun becomes visible and any prominences (loops of solar material) or flares will show up. All these can be viewed without eye protection. Looking at the rest of the sky, planets and bright stars will be visible. Being aware of other circumstances, the temperature will drop as if the sun has set, birds may sing and then grow silent as they roost for the short night caused by the eclipse. Right at the beginning of the eclipse and again at the end you may observe the diamond ring, the last glint of direct sunlight through a lunar valley as the rest of the Moon is surrounded by the faint light of the corona. If you are hampered by thin clouds you may be able to watch the shadow of totality sweep across the clouds. That brings us to the Great American Eclipse of 2017. This eclipse occurs on August 21, 2017. It is number 22 in Saros 145, 54 years and one month after the eclipse in Hinckley, Maine. This total solar eclipse will cut a swath across 12 states starting in NW Oregon at about 10:18 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time and will exit the US at 2:48 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time in eastern South Carolina. Do the math, that is about one hour and 30 minutes, coast to coast across the United States. At any given location, the eclipse will last for about two minutes to as much as 2 minutes and 40 seconds. Other states that will see the eclipse include Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Missouri, southern Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee and the northeastern tip of Georgia. All areas in those states won’t see totality, the shadow is only going to be 71 miles wide at its widest point. You will need detailed information to get as close to the center of the shadow as possible. You should make plans to see this eclipse in person. You can watch it on TV, view it a hundred times on YouTube but there is nothing like standing in the Moon’s shadow. Everyone in the US, part of Mexico and Canada will be able to see a partial eclipse but only those in the narrow total shadow of our Moon will see the total eclipse. That path is widest and the eclipse will last longest in western Kentucky. More important will be the weather across the country. Watching weather patterns as the eclipse approaches may give you a general idea where to set up to see the eclipse. Then plan to take the toad to the actual observing point. Expect to be joined by throngs of people from around the globe who are also scrambling to see this spectacle of nature. As the eclipse draws closer, I’ll fill in more suggestions for observing the eclipse. In the meantime, consult some of these websites to find information on your own. Some RV parks near the path of totality were already taking reservations for the time around August 21, 2017 last summer. References: NASA Accuweather Great American Eclipse Eclipse 2017

Nice article, good times. Thanks for writing, I'm looking forward to reading more.

That would be my recommendation as well. If you miss the recommended time for an oil change or lose the receipt that is your proof, the warranty company is off the hook on their contract. They have lawyers to enforce the provisions in the contract. If you are a very good record keeper and pay strict attention to your maintenance, it might work for you. For my money, I'll skip the extended warranty and pay for repairs. This doesn't even count the problems you have with repair shops that won't deal with some companies because they are slow to pay or won't pay except for certain parts in a repair, etc. So, yes I tried it once, never again.

It is an old but relevant post. Here is what I did with our coach.

Thanks for the shout-out Carl! Here is the link to my article which is mostly about Newfoundland but does include a little information on the maritime provinces. We made our major foray into the Maritime Provinces in 2005, before blogging had begun here so there isn't a record of our travels. We really enjoyed the MP greatly. What to see depends on what interests you have. We tend to focus on scenic, wild and outdoor experiences and they abound. Being into nature, one of the major things to see is the fantastic tides of the Bay of Fundy. From high to low tide the water level will change by as much as 50 feet. This creates some spectacular events to watch. At Hopewell Rocks you can walk around strange rock pillars they call flower pots because they have trees and other vegetation growing on the top. That is what you see at low tide. Wait six hours, yes it is worth the wait, and you will see islands with trees and people kayaking around them. You will also see many kids with mud well above their knees, they've been wading at low tide in the muddy bottom there at Hopewell Rocks. At St. John, you can witness a river flowing to sea running through rapids and falls then watch as six hours later the water reverses and sailboats go up over the area where the falls were. That is on the south shore of New Brunswick. Go to the north shore of Nova Scotia and at Truro you can watch a river flow upstream and can actually canoe or kayak on one. There are places where you can join the crowd and watch a tidal bore sweep upriver. At Burncoat Lighthouse (near Noel) you can walk on a rocky sea floor at low tide. You can wander way out from shore looking at what is living in little tidal pools. But don't wander too far, when the tide comes it it advances rapidly. There is a large pillar/island there that has a rope hanging from a tree. It is for people who get surprised by the tide, they can grab the rope and hang on to get to the top of the island if they are caught by surprise by the advancing tide. Tides are fun, there is so much more. The provincial museum in St. John is great, lots of seafaring history, boat building, etc. We stayed at Fundy National Park for several days and enjoyed hiking the forests and lakes there. We also visited Halifax, touring the fort there and walking the town. The cemetery with many of the recovered bodies from the Titanic is there. We had a nice lunch at a restaurant on the pier, watched a cruise liner turn around in the harbor, and had to laugh at the tug boat painted to look like a cartoon character. From there we headed to the eastern shore of Nova Scotia. Cape Breton is a must see. Spectacular scenery, moose, fog, cool but inviting. We made the whole loop through Cape Breton Highlands National Park with our 40 footer and car in tow. We stayed in several campgrounds in the park. There is much to see around Sydney Harour and Victoria Mines. A coal mine that goes under the sea, they have a tour and great museum. The Marconi site where the first transatlantic wireless message was sent or received, I can't remember. There is also the Alexander Bell Museum in that area. We returned to mainland Nova Scotia via the southern road, identified on my map as the East Bay Highway. It was barely a highway, you might skip that one but it is the shortest way back from Sydney Harbour. By the way, Sydney Harbour is the departure point for the ferry to/from Newfoundland. PEI is a different experience. We didn't stay long there. We took the ferry from NS to PEI, free and left via the Confederation Bridge which at the time had a lower toll than the ferry fare. We stayed at a small rural campground along the old rail route which has been converted into a bike and hiking trail. We rode our bicycles into Charlottetown and had lunch at a restaurant on the harbour then rode back home. We did a little exploring but not much more. The old rails to trail bike trail runs the length of the island. There is much more to see in the Maritimes. We had friends that ran a whale watching tour out of Grand Manan Island. We've taken the motor home on the ferry several times to visit them. They sold their boat last year but there are other tours from there and the whale watching is spectacular in the area. They had the best tours I've ever taken. We would drift near a pod of Humbacks for 20 or 30 minutes watching them surface again and again. Going to Quebec, Hwy 2 in NB along the Maine border is a spectacular scenic drive. Driving through the St. John River valley the scenery is one stunning view after another. That takes you to AUT-20 which skirts the southern shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Fleuve St-Laurent. You will learn a little French while in Quebec. The traffic signs are in French only! Drive slowly and read fast! We took our time on this drive as we made our way to Quebec City. We stayed on the south shore and took the ferry into the old city and spent a day there with friends. Reviewing the trip has been a joy, have to put a return trip on the calendar in the next few years. We always promise ourselves we'll go back to see this or that thing that we had to skip on this trip. Enjoy Canada, we love traveling there.

If the pressure remains low without the water regulator in place, it could be the backflow prevention valve at the shore connection. If there were no backflow valve where you connect the city water, then without the connection, water would flow out of the open connection. I've had backflow valves fail and give variable flow or very little flow at all. The water pump working from the storage tank isn't impacted by the backflow valve at the city water connection.

Yes, think about what would happen if you had jacks under your slide and the jacks on your coach lost just a little pressure. If your coach shifts and the jacks under the slide don't move with it, you would be lifting the slide with those supplemental jacks. I would never consider using slide jacks.

Yes, I was surprised by Herman's response. Our Monaco Windsor owners manual indicates slides move in and out at ride height and leveling comes after. Darn it, you just have to read the manual. Maybe you could get your wife to do that. Everyone knows real men don't read instructions!

It's trips like this that make me appreciate the good ol' USA. There are so many possible routes available that you should be able to work your way around most storms. We were in Australia several years ago, an island nation about the size of the USA. There are two roads from coast to coast, one along the south coast and the other across northern Australia. There is one road that connects the two from north to south in the center of the country. Not many choices about which route to take there. I'm sure that you know about winter driving conditions but it is always good to have a reminder. We have friends who were returning to our park in their Airstream, towed behind a nice conversion van. They hit black ice, went off the highway into a field, belly up, totaled everything. They escaped luckily with just a few bruises. You'll have significant weight behind you pushing you along so be really careful braking on slick surfaces. Use of the engine brake is not recommended on slick surfaces, you don't have the ABS system with the engine brake. Watch the overpasses, they all have warnings about freezing before road surfaces but after you've seen a hundred of those signs you begin to ignore them. A fog can put enough frost on the road surface on an overpass or elevated roadway to turn it into a skating rink. There are times when you have to just park the rig and hunker down until the storm passes. Beware of what they call get-there-itis in aviation, it can be fatal. Enjoy the drive, you'll get to your destination when you get there. Safe travels!

Happy New Year! Another year, 2016, is coming to an end. We are happily ensconced in our winter home here in Texas. I’d say deep in the heart of Texas but it is more like the tippy-toes of Texas, way down south almost on the US-Mexico border. We had a light shower this morning so my outside work is delayed until the ground and grass dry. I’m enlarging the patio in our back yard and adding a walkway alongside the house to replace the path I’ve worn in the dirt. The lawn needs mowing and I need to check the roof after a particularly windy night earlier this week. None of this was necessary when we were full time!!! I just picked up my iPad to check the weather. What an amazing device the iPad is. It’s a second computer that I can grab and get information from almost instantly. Handier for checking information than opening a document on my computer. Pop it open and get an address or phone number, open a map and zoom to any area you want in just a minute. The world at my fingertips. I like to reference it while driving the motor home but of course I can’t so I turn that duty over to Louise. She is less a fan. I need to talk her through step by step to get the information that I want. Occasionally, she will agree that it is helpful to be able to zoom in on a map and see road detail that isn’t in the trucker’s atlas. We use it to search for cheap diesel, find rest stops, overnight parking, and campgrounds. It saves us money and makes life on the road much easier. Several years ago, I took the training to get my certification as a Texas Master Naturalist. It is similar to the Master Gardner program. The focus is on all of nature, not just plants and gardening. In fact, the Master Naturalist Program began here in Texas when some Master Gardeners became adventuresome and were introducing many fringe areas to the Master Gardner meetings. They were bringing in bugs, birds, butterflies, soil science, water conservation, native plants, invasive species and a host of other topics that were related to gardening but not quite part of the Master Gardner area of focus. So, they started something new. It has grown from a single chapter in San Antonio to over 40 chapters state-wide and is now found in many other states. I mention this because when we return to Texas I pick up the mantle of a Master Naturalist and dig into volunteer work at some of the local nature and wildlife parks here in the Rio Grande Valley. January is the beginning of our annual class for certification and we have 24 people lined up for the training in our local chapter. I will have the stage at the orientation session as I describe the program, it’s history, purpose and the training program which starts them on the path to certification. I will mentor three of the new trainees, giving them encouragement and advice to help them reach their goal. I also do the website for the chapter. My favorite volunteer activity is to assist a local high school teacher, a trained wildlife biologist, with his bird banding. It has expanded my experience with birds and pushed me to learn new skills. There is nothing like having a bird in the hand. What amazing creatures they are. Of course, there is the occasional Cardinal that will get it’s beak on a bit of a finger and it won’t let loose until it draws blood. Putting bands on birds is real research, helping us learn more about the birds, their migration patterns, their longevity, their patterns of movement and much more. On our return to the RGV in late October, we stopped north of Houston so I could attend the Master Naturalist annual meeting in Montgomery. I enjoy these meetings. We stayed at the KOA in Montgomery, a nice very large park with strange KOA rules. Louise is happy to have some time to read and relax outside in the sunshine while I’m spending the day in meetings. There is always something new to learn and this meeting was no exception. Meeting other TMN’s and learning about their activities is inspiring. There were over 300 TMN’s from all over Texas in attendance. One of my friends received an award for 4000 hours of volunteer time and the corresponding Presidential Volunteer Certificate of Recognition. This is the program started by President George H. W. Bush, his “Thousand Points of Light.” Her husband received an award for 5000 volunteer hours. That is some real dedication to the community and its nature parks and centers. Our motor home has spent the last two months in the shop. There were several things that needed work on the motor home and some body damage from an ill-advised backing maneuver so we decided to get all the work done at one time. We didn’t anticipate it taking two months but ordering parts takes time and then I think of one more thing and that takes another part so here we go again. I’ve already moved it from the RV shop to Freightliner for some chassis work, brakes, belts and more. That was done while waiting for one of the last parts to be ordered. Then I found that the step cover that slides out to keep the grandchildren from falling into the stairwell wasn’t working. That means another part… When the RV shop releases it, I’ll take it to the flooring shop to get new carpet. We debated going to tile or other flooring product but finally decided the simplest thing was to simply replace the carpet. Once it returns home we will do a complete restocking. We cleaned it out completely before turning it over to the RV shop. That is something that hasn’t happened since we moved into it in November of 2003. I’m guessing more than a few things that we removed won’t go back. It needed a good housecleaning. Here’s hoping that 2017 finds all well with you and that the coming year will bring you good fortune and happy travels.

We were in South Dakota for about ten years, finally put a mobile home on a lot in Texas so we are there now... South Dakota was convenient for us and the tax and voting situations were easy to deal with. We worked with My Home Address in Emery, SD. Very small community, even in the county seat they were familiar with the RV lifestyle. A regular driver's license is good for any motor home, Class A, B or C, diesel or gas. That translated into a Class B in Texas with no test, written or driving. We voted in state and national elections, renewed our vehicle licenses, etc. without having to visit the state. We did have to return every 5 years to renew our driver's license, a minor inconvenience easily incorporated into our regular travels as it could be done for a long period of time before the renewal was due. Most of all, we were dealing with a small office, they knew us when we called. We would request mail sent to a small post office a week or so in advance and then pick it up at that location either en-route or at a destination. Small post offices were recommended because of the ease of finding them and their ability to locate your mail easily. Use the USPS web site to get details of which post offices handle general delivery mail. In larger metropolitan areas, usually there is one post office that handles general delivery mail. In ten years, we had only a handful of snafus with our mail. We have wintered in Texas ever since retiring in 2001. That is why we chose to put our home in Texas. Vehicle registration is significantly higher in Texas, property taxes are low - though we had no property taxes when we were full timing out of South Dakota. Texas does require a special driver's license if your motor home is over 26,000 pounds GVWR. It is helpful if your regular travels will take you to or near your state of domicile though it can be done mostly without being in the chosen state. We followed advice from references we consulted that strongly recommended that everything be done in one state, driver's license, registration, voting, mail, etc. We had our estate papers drawn up in South Dakota and when we moved to Texas had the same done there. If you start to divide up these items, you open yourself up to challenges to the legality of any or all of them. More a problem for your heirs than for you should that become a factor. There are a number of web sites with advice for choosing your state of domicile. Previous discussions on this forum can be found using the search box at the top of this page. Look for references that give you a comparison of a variety of states. Alaska, Nevada, Vermont are a few others that offer advantages to those who chose them for a domicile. You may need to consider estate laws and how it would affect your heirs.

We rent by the season in south Texas. Rent for an RV lot here runs about 2500 to 3000 per year, depending on the park and the amenities. Much better than buying in my estimation. We RV'ers are a mobile lot and when you decide to pick up and move there is no problem selling your lot. No interest to pay, per day rate comes out to about 500 dollars a month if you stay for six months. Electricity is the only additional charge. Plus, if you buy a lot you may be paying property tax, depending on the local laws. You are given a chance to renew each year before the lot is put up for rental. Different parks, different rules. I would never pay the rates that some parks are charging for buying a lot unless I planned to stay there for the rest of my life.

Lake Havasu in late May will be HOT. Northern Arizona, Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde will be cool in all likelihood. Being from Florida, you may want to bring oxygen for the Grand Canyon and Mesa Verde (high elevation but great experiences). June and July in the lower elevations will be HOT and muggy through the central plains into the northeast. Expect the campgrounds to be more rustic than in Florida. You shouldn't have any problem getting full hookups in most places. You will find it difficult to get close to places like the Grand Canyon. We stayed in Williams, AZ last year for the south rim. The north rim has a campground but you need to make reservations now, otherwise, there is a forest service campground with no hookups, Jacob Lake. You can use your generator for electric there. The north rim is remote but is also quite spectacular and despite what I've just said, it is much less populated than the south rim. We tend not to make reservations as we travel but in the summer with families out on the road, any popular attraction you can name will have lots of people there. If you don't want to commit to a long schedule of reservations, we call several days to several weeks in advance to make reservations. It saves complete disappointment at the end of a long drive. If you can't get reservations in one place, just put it on the list for the next or another trip. Out of Lake Havasu, Flagstaff, Arizona (camp at Williams) has the Lowell Observatory. This is an excellent visit if you have any interest at all in astronomy. They run a full series of lectures every day, all the way into the evening. Then after dark they have telescopes set up for viewing and they even have a very large (24" diameter, 28 feet long) refractor (lens type telescope) that is impressive to see even if the skies are cloudy. Now one of the things that would help us help you is to let us know what interests you. Are you an old car buff? We can send you to those museums, if airplanes, you have the museum in Dayton. Enjoy a train ride, the train to the Grand Canyon out of Williams or the Durango to Silverton railroad out of Durango takes you to the old mining town of Silverton where the streets are still dirt roads. You can stay at one of two campgrounds just across from the entrance to Mesa Verde (cliff dwellings that will knock your socks off) and visit Durango also. If you are interested in musical instruments, the national musical instrument museum (yes, there is such a thing and it is spectacular) is located in Vermillion, South Dakota (off I-29 south of Sioux Falls). You get the idea, we can tailor our recommendations to fit your interests. If what you want is parks and sightseeing then you have a pretty good list already. Buy a National Park Pass and start browsing the National Park website. Stop when you enter each state at the visitors center and pick up information, ask the staff for their suggestions. If you are lucky, you will stumble into a nice local festival or celebration. Look for evening concerts in the park, campfires in National Parks, enjoy yourself, don't drive yourselves into the ground. Travel slowly and enjoy the road.

Wayne, You are correct, plenty of hot air but hot air rises to places where the bowling ball doesn't (or shouldn't) go!