baldeagle1356 Report post Posted January 25, 2011 I am JR 67 ( wife Francine 66 ). Both retired ( or almost in my case ). 2001-2004 cruising America and the Caribbeans on our 42 Ft.trawler with twin diesels and a 12 Ft. inflatable dinghy. 2006-2010 RV in Europe in a 25 Ft. Rapido Mercedes 996M diesel and a 125 CC. Yamaha. Just bought a 42 DP ( 2009 Beaver Monterey ) with a lift for Kawasaki Vulcan. Will start on the road in about 1 month. Plan is to move in a South to North zigzag with the seasons making our way from the East to the West over 5 years or so. Used to fly IFR Piper Lance, ultralights, hang gliders, paragliders. Still ski . In Europe, we moved almost daily and parked anywhere. Stayed in campgrounds only about 10 nights in total. Hope to do same here . So much to see. So many people to meet. Will try to make the FMCA Perry meet. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tbutler Report post Posted January 25, 2011 Well Bald Eagle it sounds as if you have some interesting stories and experiences to share. I'd be especially interested in hearing of your RV travels in Europe. My wife and I were just discussing our interest in traveling there but can't afford to do it any way other than via RV - not for the length of time we would want to stay to explore. Perhaps you could elaborate on your experiences here in the Forum and also share some of your stories in the Blog section of this web site. Welcome to FMCA! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pkendzor Report post Posted January 26, 2011 Welcome to the FMCA Family ! As Tom said, please share your experience with us, and take advantage of the search portion of this forum to find topics of interest. If you attend the Perry, convention take the time to attend the chapter fair. I'm sure you will find a chapter that shares your interests, and it's a great way to make new friends and have some fun. Keep us posted and we hope to see you there! Paul Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baldeagle1356 Report post Posted January 26, 2011 Good idea Tom. I started a blog about Europe. I am having difficulties with loading pictures tough. Will try again later. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shields Report post Posted January 26, 2011 Welcome to FMCA! I too will look forward to hearing about your time in Europe. Happy travels when you hit the road stateside. Tim and Beth Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baldeagle1356 Report post Posted January 26, 2011 Paul and Carol, I visited your site and saw with trepidation your pics with the skis on the rack in Colorado March 2009. We are both skiers and were thinking of doing some but kind of thawed on the idea because of no winter tires, jammed slideouts etc... Is it really possible to drive to those ski areas without winter tires or chains etc... will slide outs stick and freeze etc... Will they let us overnight in their parking ? I have a motorcycle but no towed vehicle, so cannot stay away from site. We are NOT corn snow skiers however as we both got injured in those conditions 10 yrs ago, so we would have to go in early or mid Feb. before the snow turns. Any advice ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tbutler Report post Posted January 27, 2011 Good idea Tom. I started a blog about Europe. I am having difficulties with loading pictures tough. Will try again later. If you haven't already found this, check the FORUM topics under Administration-Forum Support. There are a number of topics on handling photos on the web site including How to Insert Pictures. You can search for information on any topic using the Search function on the second menu line at the top of this page (and others) next to the Help button. I knew that the photo information was under the Forum Support section so just went there. You have to go to the second page of topics and look near the bottom (older topics) for a whole series of them in succession. If you don't find the help you need there, post your question in that section and you'll get the help you need. I don't see your BLOG yet so guess it must be in draft format so far. Looking forward to reading it when it is ready. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pkendzor Report post Posted January 28, 2011 JR & Francine, We live in North East Pennsylvania and are within an hour of most of the Pocono ski resorts. When skiing it's rare for us to tow a car, and we watch the weather or stay put until the roads are clear. Our Colorado ski trio was in March when the daytime temps were in the 50's and the roads were dry. There was a 14" snow storm predicted so we headed out to the Alburqurque convention early to stay a day ahead of the storm. I guess I consider myself a fair weather skier and run good tires, (Not Snow Tires) and avoid areas where we would need tire chains. As far as the parking areas at the ski slopes, We have better traction than most of the vehicles in the resort. It's up to the ski area as far as overnite parking, some allow it and others don't. As far as slide freezing problems, we never encountered any, we just make sure that we brush off or blow off any that may accumulate under the slide awning on a windy night. In two of our basement compartments the one that contains our fresh water tank and the one with our holding tanks, I installed 3 light fixtures on thermostats in each of these set at 50 degrees. The purpose of the three bulbs is I don't have to worry about one burning out. I found it's better to use rough service bulbs the type that are used in mechanics drop lights. With regular bulbs I had to replace them every few weeks from the vibration on snow packed roads. This is our second year on the same rough service bulbs bouncing for over 15,000 miles. Paul Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baldeagle1356 Report post Posted January 28, 2011 Thanks Paul. I still have so much to learn. Nice trick with the lights. I might try to ski close by in Vermont before I leave for South and see how it goes . But not too keen on using the DP in salty road conditions. Can`t have it both ways ,I guess J.R. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baldeagle1356 Report post Posted January 28, 2011 Thanks Tom for pointing the draft status to me. Still new at his. I published it now, so it should be available now in the blog section if you click last 10 entries I don't see your BLOG yet so guess it must be in draft format so far. Looking forward to reading it when it is ready. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pkendzor Report post Posted January 31, 2011 JR & Francine, A little trick I picked up on one of the forums a few years back to deal with the road salt. When the weather is nice take your hose and attach it to a lawn sprinkler and push it under the front of the coach. Then after a few minutes either move the sprinkler back or the coach forward. We use the type that fans fack and forth. Been doing this every spring for the past few years, and my frame is sometimes cleaner than the sides. Paul Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baldeagle1356 Report post Posted February 1, 2011 Thanks Paul. Such a simple trick, but I can see how it would work well. J.R. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
