joelashley

We are probably going to Alaska after traveling east from Portland to our grandson's wedding in the mountains west of Ft. Collins, CO in early May, weather permitting. Have a guided flyfishing trip owed me in SW Montana, so will likely fit that in on the way to Kelowna, Calgary, and Edmonton where my maternal cousins live, and whom I haven't seen in decades. Then to Alaska, hopefully until September. Went to Seward from Vancouver on cruise ship with nephew in 2003, and spent a month gunkholing north and south of Anchorage before flying home. Nephew liked it so much he left his big Idaho farming operation and built a B&B cabin setup out of Kenai. Gotta love the sequential runs of Kings, then Sockeye (Reds), and then Silvers, then Kings again. And the 130lb halibut I caught out of Ninilchik wasn't too shabby in the fun dept. either. Basing operations out of Anchorage and Soldotna works good for us - take the toad on daylong or multi-day runs north and south out of those two places is a plan. Hope to sidetrip over to Skagway on the way up, as we enjoyed that town off the cruise ship one day; need more time to explore there. Fuel prices projected to skyrocket this summer, so expect $5+ for diesel, Guys; higher up North. Budget $4k+ for your tanks, plus something for potential repairs and parts and their shipping. Ouch. Carry extra fuel filters, belts, etc.. Get your Passports ready and familiarize yourself with the latest things the Canadians won't let across the border, including guns, certain foods, and even pepper spray - yup, pepper spray was found in a fellow Beaver's coach and he was hassled because they consider it a weapon, and when initially asked, he'd denied having any weapons. He had it for hiking in bear country. Big fine and he had to turn around back to the States. If you think they won't park you aside and search your rig, with great scrutiny and a nasty attitude, you are badly mistaken - it's happened to me and others I know. If we run into any of you along the way, maybe we'll join up for at least part of the trip, since the itinerary isn't fixed like commercial caravans. Their advantage is having guaranteed RV park space each night plus tailgunner assistance for breakdowns. But the disadvantage is being stuck with an agenda when you may find some other adventure you want to explore, so between that and the expense, our wanderlust agrees more with Tom Wentling's. If in a store or around a campfire I hear about a good nearby fishing spot, I'm gone for the next day, my friend . -hafcanadian '06 Beaver Monterey 36 ft. 400HP CAT '97 Ford Explorer Limited 4X4 27 yrs. motorhoming OSU Class of '73. Go Beavers!

I've often wondered, Brett, why the industry still tolerates the manufacture and use of formaldehyde-based treatment products. Do we really have to get the state legislatures involved to pressure Thetford and others to stop making the stuff? Obviously there are plenty of RVers out there still buying and using it, or they wouldn't keep making it. Either a lot of us are still ignorant or just don't care, but pressure from both the demand and the political side may be what it takes to eliminate this scourge on the maintenance of dump systems, a cost we all have to bear one way or another. Joel

Wow. I sure got slapped around for my contribution. No, I didn't read every single post in this long thread. I did relate what I'd experienced, including what I got from linking to the supposed official site, where it implied that one had to have 500 gallons purchased before Pump Start would activate; here is the pertinent direct quote from the current Frequent Fueler FAQ site: "I registered for Pump Start and my member card will not start the pump. What happened? Once you have registered your card for pump start privileges, you must purchase 500 gallons before your member card will start the pump. If you have purchased 500 gallons after registering your card, and your card will not start the pump, please check with the manager on duty at the closest Pilot or Flying J." This does not say you won't get the discount, and that is not what I implied, so perhaps you should do more careful reading yourself. If you are "tired of hearing about the 500 gallon thing", then get on Pilot Flying J's case about updating their website - don't bash around those confused by it. And I did not indicate it was unfair to have to register a card. The comparison to Pioneer Fuel is that once PF issues their card, you are already "registered". One card in to start a pump. Nor do you have to go in to pay following your fillup, no matter which pump was used. I am indeed sorry that my post offended anyone; that was not intended. I merely related my experience for others to glean from. Isn't that what a Forum is for? If everyone expressed exactly the same viewpoints, there would be little point to exchanging them.

This has got to be the most fouled up program ever. I'm reading different things from different sources and forums, and Pilot Flying J's website is no help, because it is full of ambiguity. I take it that you have to "register" your Frequent User card, Loyalty card, or whatever it's called, (of which there are several versions) in order for the company to tie your card to a chargeable credit card account. But the website implies you have to have 500 gallons purchased before Pump Start will activate a Trucker pump. The info in this thread indicates otherwise. If the former is true, then for my first 8-9 trips to Flying J (I usually fill at reaching half a tank, requiring ~60 gallons), I have to (1) pull up to a Truck pump, (2) delay the annoyed trucker behind me while I go inside to get my charge card okayed and my FFueler card aknowledged and discount applied, and then (3) fill my tank, which at the high-speed pump will cause foaming at the finish, requiring my further delaying the "time-is-money" trucker while I (4) clean up the mess. Yes, I can pump at a slower speed to avoid foaming, but how is that gonna save time? I could always accumulate gallonage toward the Pump Start feature by using the RV Lanes, but the Flying J RV lanes I've been to are a chaotic, hard to access pain in the rear, sometimes hard to spot when first pulling in, and generally to be avoided. Thank goodness I signed up for Pioneer Fuel years ago - no crowds, no delaying anyone because there are always open lanes, no involved card program, easy-in and easy-out station access, and far more facilities continent-wide. And few if any customer complaints, unlike the many found in this thread re. Flying J. I really never want to see another Flying J "parking lot" again unless I'm out of other options. FMCA would do better by its membership to negotiate a program with Pioneer Fuel instead of Pilot Flying J. I know when we joined FMCA we were supposed to receive a Frequent Fueler or some such Flying J card as a benefit, but we were never sent one. Perhaps that was a good thing.

You'd be lucky if the system is on a slide-out tray. I haven't seen one like that yet. By the way, we've got a cold snap here in the Northwest, and it's in the teens and twenties for several nights this week. Normally the one solar panel keeps my batteries charged during storage, so I don't need to plug in the coach. But when the thermometer around here heads south of about 35, I plug in my coach and hit the electric switch on the HydroHot panel, after prewarming the system with the diesel burner, and set the front thermostat at it's minimum 40 degrees. I keep a digital thermometer in the rig and keep an eye on it. Checking the inside thermometer daily, it always reads about 41 degrees, so I only fret if there's a power outage, at which time I can always kick on the diesel. But since my system has been winterized by blowing out anyway, I'm just backing up that protection, esp. for the hydronic unit's water lines themselves.

Keep in mind that Country Coach just filed for bankruptcy, though the warranty on that 2007 (if not a "new" coach) wouldn't be good anymore anyway, except the chassis warranty, being longer, might be compromised. Other components are warranted seperately by mfr. and any still in force, such as the engine, would not be affected. All that aside, the hydronic heat system, though more complex, is a great upgrade from water heaters and furnaces. We love our HydroHot and I've serviced my own, replacing the nozzle and fuel filter. How easy that job is depends on the accessibility of the unit, which varies with make and model of coach; mine was no piece of cake and certainly took more than 30 minutes - being a contortionist would have helped. And getting every last bit of diesel fumes out of the compartment after slopping fuel trying to change the impossibly-located filter... well that was no fun. Next time I let the pros do it. The speedy water and coach heat that hydronic systems provide can't be beat, and on most rigs that hot water can be circulated through the engine before starting it on cool days, to preheat and make starting easier. Conversely, after arriving at camp, engine heat can be circulated through the hydronic system to save on fuel for the system. In milder conditions, the electric side can help to maintain heat to the system and save fuel also, though it won't keep up as well as diesel fire if there is much demand for hot water or space heat. I'm just thankful I don't have to mess with water heater and furnace maintenance anymore; it's all in one unit now. Our only gripe is that the outlet vent fans are as noisy as rigs with furnaces, and when they cycle on it can distract from conversation or TV watching. There are, I've been told, quieter fan models that can be used to retrofit. So it depends on which model fan is in your Affinity's vents. You'll have to listen to them run in an otherwise quiet environment in the rig to see if you think they might bother you. Don't worry, Mike. As long as you have a good water source and room in your gray water tank, you will have plenty of hot water for as long a shower as you want.