[Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine Looks at the Rio Grande Valley]

Hi Tom, we will be heading to the RGV after Big Bend Natl Park. Can you suggest any good routes or boondock sites? We have no problem staying at a nice resort either. Maybe a meet up if you both are still there. Our ETA is going to be middle of March or a bit later. Thanks

[BUYING NEW TIRES]

Cant help ya with the brand. I have heard good things but mostly on the car sizes. I can tell ya one thing, make sure they know not to sell you anything over 6 months old. Keep us posted. Actually, the best place to ask this is in the forums under the "Tire" section. Good luck

[Saying good bye is never easy]

1 hour ago, RSBILLEDWARDS said:

Great post See you in January

 

B

You certainly will. On a side note, had biscuits and gravy in the convection oven this morning. To think we went a whole year without an oven. I'm wondering how much it will draw when we go solar.

[Saying good bye is never easy]

11 hours ago, rhalay said:

Thank you for the info; we are heading from Utah to Florida for the winter; can't decide where to register vehicles. And as a puppy owner, so sad to say goodbye; Also, grew up In Indiana, Blairsville, and went to school with the Stuby's from PA. Relatives are from Big Run, Londons Candy people.

 

 

Our farm is 5 min from Big Run. As for residency, the top 3 are FL, TX and SD. There are others but SD was the one that worked for us. You don't need to use a friend or relatives address to get your license and also you don't need a special license to operate a 40" motorhome. Safe journey.

[Saying good bye is never easy]

Great advice, thanks Tom.

[2017 Snowbird trip]

 

Well, Houston is out. From Oklahoma, we will head to Wichita Falls and then off to Lubbock TX. My friend lost his lunch truck, his personal truck and his condo. He has really been hit hard. The whole area is going to need help and will be on the mend so I think unless you really need to be there, we will stay out of the way.

[Harvey was a Rabbit when I was in High School]

Everytime I hear the name Harvey, I think of Ralph Kramden in the pool hall, haha.

[2017 Snowbird trip]

We are shooting to be in Houston Nov 4th but looks like you will be past that already. I have a friend in Houston that started a lunch earlier this year. He does Cajun food and is really doing good. Supposed to be some kind of lunch truck festival Nov 4th so we want to be there and surprise him. Here is a video he did when they first started up. If you like Cajun food, this is the real deal. I'm sure we will meet up at some point but until then, safe journey.

 

[2017 Snowbird trip]

I'm thinking we will be passing south of Phoenix around the middle of Nov. However, we are considering going up to Phoenix to get the coach professionally detailed at ANS. That would also be around the middle of Nov. Are you a member of RVillage? We do location updates there.

[Wisconsin to Florida in mid November 2017]

You may have seen these already but if not a few come to mind. There used to be a Civil War museum in Fredericksburg VA and part of the actual wall was still when I last visited in 1981. One of the few places I like in Florida is the Castillo De San Marcos in St Augustine. When I used to go to Jacksonville I used 95 as little as possible. I actually went out of my way to go down 81 and then over. Safe journey. On a side note, have you ever considered the south west? We winter in Pahrump NV and love it. We like it way better than Florida but that's just our opinion. Safe journey.

[Eclipse Notes - Six Days to Go]

I play a little golf too but that windmill at the end always gives me a hard time.

[Walmart Overnight Camping]

As a former transporter, Walmart was my main overnight spot. My GPS would tell me which ones allowed it and which ones didn't. Flying J, Pilot and other truck stops will work. Some Flying J's actually have long pull through spots designated for RV parking. It is very annoying when you come in after a day on the road and there is a long RV spot with a single car parked it it but it happens. I also stayed at Lowes, Home Depot, Sams Club. I've stayed at Cracker Barrel also. Two other good ones that come to mind are Cabelas and Bass Pro Shops. I've been in some places where none of these are available and at that point, I'm looking for anything with a big parking lot. I've done Shopping centers, grocery stores and some malls.

Malls can be tough, security will usually run you out. Keep in mind, it is always good to ask and get permission. I don't buy into the whole "against the law" crap that some will tell you. Most stores are private property and the borough has nothing to do with it. It is the discretion of the manager if parking is allowed and not the local ordinances. That being said, if it says no parking or the cops ask you to move or whatever, I move. You got to pick your battles and for me, I'l go find somewhere else.

I use google maps satellite view to get a bird's eye view of the parking lot before coming in. Gives me an idea of where things are. In fact on a side note, I use this google feature on everything, especially coming into a campground or an area I've never been before. It has saved me numerous times from getting stuck and having to unhook to get out. I did see a post on the forum about somebody asking about parking a big rig at Wall Drug in SD. This is a great tool for stuff like this.

Interstate rest areas are an option but don't be surprised if a trucker pulls in next to you and fires up his generator to watch a movie or something.

I'm not transporting anymore but Sweetie Pie and I have a 40' pusher with toad. We use Walmarts quite a bit in between campgrounds. We are never in a hurry to get anywhere so we will stay at a campground for at least 2 nights and a Walmart in between. I think it is a great service by Walmart but like most things, it tends to get abused. This abuse could eventually put an end to it and the few will ruin it for the rest of us. It's NOT camping, it's a place to park for the night. I don't run my slides out or any awnings. It would be a lot easier for us by running the bedroom slide out but we don't. If Sweetie Pie needs to get up at night, she just has to crawl over me to do it. Not a bad thing, wink wink.

I look for a level spot and if there isn't one, I go somewhere else. I never put down my landing gear while parked there. I don't leave my steps hanging out either. We have 2 dogs so I look for a place close to some grass or a place they can go. At Walmart, I try to get close to the garden center for the free wifi.

We ALWAYS cater to the establishment even if it is just buying some oil, paper towels or anything that you are going to use at some point. Walmart has an RV section and for me, I always buy a jug of DEF.

Long winded I know but that is my take on it. I'm not telling people what to do, just saying how we do it.

Stay sharp.

[Beware of Blue Beacon Truck Wash]

New to RV'ng and only recently learned about Blue Beacon. Have never tried one yet but looks like I never will. Thanks

[Snowbirding in Florida]

Have you ever considered the southwest for your wintering? We found a great park in Pahrump, NV last winter. We liked it so much, we will be there again this year scheduled to arrive Dec 1st. There are warmer places down in AZ but an occassional 40 degree night is not a problem for us. The snow mainly stays above 3,000' and the park is at about 2300'. No snow at the park but as you can see, it's nice to look up and see it on the mountain tops. Safe journey and stay sharp.

[RV Yoga]

I only have one tray and yes, a second one would be ideal. Let me know when I can schedule, haha.