Fridge Cool Fan

This nifty little fan is AMAZING!!

An RV fridge does not operate much like a typical house fridge.

First off make sure your rv is level as your rv fridge will not cool

unless you are nearly perfectly leveled out.

We found in the hotter times of year the air just simply

doesn’t move around enough so that the fridge can operate properly

food goes bad faster.

Circulate air inside your fridge to reduce food spoilage with this little fan

I personally wasn’t a believer in this little gadge as I couldn’t imagine how this

little thing could make things colder inside. This little thing runs on

2 D cell batteries and works for about 30 days.

It really helps maintain a more consistent temperature inside

Even in NM when temps were triples it stayed cold.

Now we are in WY where it has mostly been well…hmmm

anywhere from overnight lows into the 30s to daytime highs 60-80s.

and now that little fan is keeping things too cold

Fridge on the lowest setting the fins in the back are frozen along with my milk.

So thinking it might be time to shut it off at night and on cooler days.

Do I hear the MOVING word again????

AHHHHH yes I do.  Well it doesn’t scare me like it use to.  The RV life has definitely simplified life for us!!  Pack up the loose stuff and breakables, bring in the slideout, lift up the stabilizers, make sure tanks are empty and valves closed, awnings are in, antenna is down, unplug, lock doors, hook up and go.  Still a lot to do to prep and of course since it is winter we also have to unskirt again.  This happened about this time last year too…lol.

So Carls boss invited Carl and I both out to dinner on a Tuesday night after Carl was off his shift.  Ok well how do I dress where are we going and what does he want are the first things that went thru my mind.  Carl laughs and said you know what he wants but the rest I don’t know.  So he asks his boss where are we going because my wife has issues of over or under dressing for an occasion.  So I get called and asked where do I want to go (hmmmm someplace good I am sure) and had this town had an Olive Garden it wouldn’t be a question that is where we would go, but alas we don’t.  And I highly doubt at 7 p.m. we are going to drive 2 1/2 hours to Billings just for Olive Garden.. So Outback Steakhouse is the only other place next to Applebees here I know I like.  Outback it is.  We get there everyone is chatting and telling stories and his boss apparently loves to hear stories of Carls’ guiding days.  We ate talked some more it is snowing out roads getting worse.  Finally decided everyone was done time to go.  Guess what nothing mentioned about moving.  Ok maybe it was a thank you- you are doing awesome dinner….

Now during this time while at work Carl had slipped on ice and hurt his hip but kept moving didn’t stop so it didn’t really affect him to the point of stiffness until stopping for his day off.  So a week goes by nothing was ever brought up, Carl is laid up in pain and me going crazy…thinking how in the heck can I live with this man I love so much when he annoys me and is the worse patient on the face of the earth.  I am told he is a guy it goes with the territory.  I honestly would rather one of my kids get sick or injured.  Finally he has had a week off and as the pain starts easing up somewhat we start talking about the nice, but wondering what the heck dinner was all about.  Thinking there is still something more to the whole thing we went to the shop.  Said point blank what is going on.  We all know something is up so just say it.  Well yes but we don’t have to accept it.
They want to move Carl back to Helena, but this time to manage the shop:0)  So could this be the last move for awhile yeah who knows.  Carl is already moved, but I have things here to tie up.  Photo shoots coming up, quick trip to NY to get our new family member, come back and prep to move the rig, more photoshoots.  Seriously considering waiting until the end of April and then moving it to the lake for the summer.  But we may move it in March and again in April/May and then in September again for the wintering place.  I feel like there is so much to do but really it is in spurts and nothing I can do until the time arrives.  So in the meantime the kids and I will rent a hotel one preferably with a slide a couple times a month and break out of the rv life.  I think it will be a nice time.

Oh don’t worry the kids and I will still have fun and still have lots of adventures set for this year:0)  We have agility and AKC shows scheduled, I have photoshoots.  One that will take me to Denver (pending) and another that will take me to Kansas sweet not far from my family there so will go visit them while I am in the area, we have country jam in Grand Junction, a photoshoot possibly in Wyoming so we will still be very busy and have lots of fun along the way:0)

This is just one reason I never changed my mailing:0)  UPS Store is my best friend of the moment!!

Drano

So they say every RVer has a sewer story something like that of Robin Williams movie RV to tell. Well 1 1/2 yrs in and we have ours now:0/ 4 days ago after a cold spell then warmer days followed the gauge was saying 3/4 bordering on the full and knowing we had a few warm days with us thought we would fill up the black water tank and dump it. Yeah NOT!
Days 1 and 2- So we are full and it is nearing dark and nothing is moving in the out direction so we thought great things are frozen so I fire up our 170,000 BTU heater and run it under the RV for several hours to heat things up and help thaw out. Next morning still nothing moving so remove everything from the basement cabinet and open up the 2nd door and blast the heater directly on the tank itself. Another tank of Propane later still nothing! Now note it has been in the glorious 40s and even one day hit 50 degrees…welcome to our beloved false spring here in MT…the calm before the nasty spring storms are upon us. So we started inquiring around and talking to others and surfing the net for possible solutions to this delicate situation…lets just say fortunately there is 3 gas stations just up the road from where we are parked…lol. Carl insisted I should be able to unscrew the bolts and remove the valve…I got 2 unscrewed about the time he called back and asked me to give better detail what it looked like under there….remember he works ALL the time so really I know more about our rig than he does and insisted before I started out on this venture that I didn’t feel easy that this was going to work and I felt like this would be something like Robin Williams getting hosed. Well after being able to give him a better description he said stop put the screws back. He was glad he decided to call back otherwise he wouldn’t get to come home to sleep for at least a week as I would be so hot with him insisting I should be able to go this route…lol. Hangs up saying Welcome to RV life honey…yeah thanks

Day 3- More research, get a hand auger and insert thru the toilet…nothing. Shove it up thru the outside pipe ….NOTHING still. All this time it is just me as Carl is working not able to break away. Me growing more impatient and thus far no answers other than we might have to take it into the shop…but the shop is closed until next week (well they reopened today after a month long closure). I resorted to the wet/dry shop vac to siphen out from the toilet entrance so we can at least use our own bathroom. Was rather disgusting and esp when trying to scoop it out and pour down the sewage drain outside. Lets just say this was NOT exactly the highlight of my day. To top it off I was only able to get so much out. I also discovered working in the sewage field was not in the cards for me! AND I think those that choose to work in this field are NUTS…I don’t care how much you get paid but hey all the more power to ya and in this economy I suppose at least its a job…but EWWWW Yuck gross no thanks for me.

Day 4- Get a name for a local guy that works for the RV Center that is closed but does his on side business. Phew at last someone locally to talk to for help. So he said to do the hand auger…been there done that but what the heck lets do it again. Nope nothing. So Carl shows up for a few and we called the guy back -he said to run a hose with some kind of high pressure down the toilet…Nothing but getting fuller… Next tip… drill exactly in the center of the backside of the valve to get to the blade…Problem where there is space, but not enough space to get a drill back there…NEXT? Now we cut into the valve about 2″ back from the front of the valve handle so we can see the blade and pull it all the way open as it is possible that this could be detached when we tried opening when it was really cold and stuck in the closed position. Guess what yep you got it…NOPE not the problem…so now we have to replace a valve that was perfectly fine! Carl has to leave- has a call in Big Sky he must get to…ok fine I will figure something out. He said I just as well pick up all the mess between the hose, auger etc and put the insulation back and close up the skirting etc. I say back to him that little comment of Welcome to RV life have a great day.

Me being stubborn and really ticked at this point and knowing that SOMETHING HAS to work!!! Called the guy back and said well I know we can’t use Drano as that is something we have been told in the very beginning of our RV journey that you NEVER EVER use. SO is there something comparable that we can use to try and unclog our tank. He said back up whoever told you to never use Drano was misinformed themselves that it IS perfectly SAFE to use Drano on the RV system….ARe YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME!!!! SERIOUSLY???? He said he never mentioned that to me as typically that is the first thing people think of and do.
So I get the 10 miles into town and go to Walmart where I know it will be cheapest and WOW didn’t know there were so many options. Question of the moment now -is which one will best get the job done??. All the while talking with a friend in KS that called and she was like so what are ya doing…well just looking at the drano aisle lol – this got a good laugh going which I very much needed at this point. Anyhow finally even though said not for toilets…this isn’t a regular toilet for all intense purposes this is nothing more than a septic system and it is safe to use on metal and plastic pipes. After reading the back of nearly every Drano bottle decided to go to the Max and get the heaviest duty thing on the shelf. Its an emergency I am SICK of dealing with this issue so lets go the red bottle…;0) Now it said for clogs use half the bottle…serious clogs use whole bottle…I considered this SERIOUS at this stage lol so dumped the whole bottle. Waited the 30 mins rather than 15 mins for good measure. Then started dumping the hot water down as directed….FREAK OUT session… as I saw the foam back up into the toilet and the water rise higher and higher. So quickly shut off water and at this point on the verge of tears when I hear a BLURP BLURP WHOOOOOOSH…. WOOHOO it worked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DRANO is my new BFFN(best friend for now)…oh along with the A&W Rootbeer and Slim Jim I picked up while at Walmart…wasn’t really sure how they were going to help and fit into the equation, but realized in the midst of my delimma that I hadn’t eaten or really drank anything all day long and that I was a wee bit light headed. It gave me that last little oomph to keep going at this project that laid before me. I would say that not being able to use your toilet is right up there with no hot water…only with water you can boil if need be no matter what a pain it might be.
Now back to more important things in life…like planning our New York trip to get our new family member that will fortunately not be contributing to toilet issues. OH and an FYI I found during my net surfing time…CALGON water softener works great at breaking down things while it sets in the tank and keeps down odors. I hadn’t used any of the regular RV chemical stuff in a month as it really didn’t seem to help with odor too well without dumping the tank every 3 or so days whether needed or not…but maybe just maybe it was helping break things down.

Much of Nothing Vacation

Well I won’t say nothing we have been busy at partially relaxing.  With the RV paid now we decided to splurge a little on things for the past year we haven’t had any part of you know BIG homecooked meals NOT containing bleck- noodles, eating out a little more, a more laid back attitude in things, got my hair done, a new outfit for me and the kids.  This was a temp thing of course tight budget will still happen as I am simply cheap.  I want my cake and eat it too but the cheap part of me still searches for the best bargain to get what I want.

Ingers definition of every childs dream sundae

So far we have visited with my mom had a nice 3 hour lunch, went and spent a couple days at one of my sis’, flushed the hotwater tank….let me tell you not a fun or pretty job…bleck.  Not sure when the last time it was flushed to be honest with you, got the hose heat taped for winter this will remain our winter one rather than doing it and undoing the hose ever summer and winter.  One of the joys of the RV being paid off we could afford to do this now:0)  We will skirt as soon as we find out the official rules at this park too many varying stories going on even from what the manager says one day to the next but yet still nothing in writing.  Come spring we will take the RV to SLC Utah and get a nice skirt fitted for it. 

With Carl injuring his back prior to vacation we have decided to just keep things low key.  I ended up with a wedding the last weekend of his vacation anyhow so it would have been cut short… but then had we been gone I wouldn’t have known about it…lol so everything works out as it does for a reason.  We have taken little walks which he can handle so far I am the worry wart that he will over do things and not say a word because ya know he’s da man and all… lol no just kidding but he will try and hide any minor pains until they are too much to bare then say something to me.  He has enjoyed being able to actually learn more about our RV and the more we have looked at others there are a few things we wish we had for ours but really ours for the age was beyond its time and we have a lot of what some of the newer ones have such as oak cabinets, corian counter tops etc so I am still content esp since it is P-A-I-D!!  We will save and if there is one that is upgraded a bit more such as built in bunkbeds like we saw today in one….ah what I wouldn’t kill for that one section of the RV as the room closes off like their own bedroom.  Funny thing it isn’t much bigger than ours something like 1/2 foot longer thats it.

Benjamin helping drain and clean the hotwater heater

No schedule this week it comes and goes as it pleases what happens happens.  I have learned my husband just doesn’t understand VACATION but he is learning to chill out a little…. very little but for me noticeable.  He has decided I think to take 2 days a week off now so we will see if he can do it once he starts getting back into the swing of things.  He has actually enjoyed helping with the little things around the rv and getting things prepped for winter something he didn’t help with last year and was too uptight and  caught up in paying it off to really stop.

Lets see oh our one really sad thing is our cat had to find a new home turns out Chip our pomchi pup is asthmatically allergic.  I laughed and jokingly said what if she was- well as it turns out it does and in our case has happened.  We think there is another trigger for her asthma so trying to figure that out but most of her episodes have now slowed way down since deep cleaning which we are still doing but she is feeling some relief at least.

Worlds Most Expensive RV

HOLY TOLEDO!! too much for this simple country girl. Don’t get me wrong I like my luxuries but this is WAY over the top for me even. GRANTED I would love that 235 gallons talk about just going and not stopping often for fuel…that I can handle.

World’s Most Expensive RV

With the weak economy, a lot of people are looking for vacations closer to home. Even the super-rich are looking for local pleasures and what better way to do it that in the world’s most expensive RV. $2.5 million allows you visit national parks while still enjoying all the comforts of your mansion. Allow us to introduce the Platinum Plus RV!

* Need to take a quick day trip? Easy … use the sports car stored underneath.
* Need gas? No, you don’t. The tank hold 235 gallons

Hwys and interstates

If blue highways have three numbers, what are the red highways people talk about? What color are the interstates then?

A couple responses received:

Well, we’re talking about colors used on maps a few years ago. After a lot of stop and go tries, they finally settled on blue for interstates with green for those with tolls. Red is for primary state and US paved roads while other paved roads might be that color. State markers are oval and US highways in a shield. Then paved county and other roads are gray while all-weather roads are dashed.

The Blue Highways used in the title of a book by the same name referred to secondary state and county roads which were shown as blue on maps some 40 years ago.

not all blue highways have 3 numbers…usually just the spurs do.

Explanation regarding highways: http://www.us-highways.com/#uslog

Tires

On an email yahoo group I am with there has been important discussions taking place about tires. It is soooo important for good tires I felt I should get that information on here before something tragic happens. Everyone will have their own opinions as to how old is too old whether it be some magic number or when the tire shows evident signs of wearing, I am just asking everyone be safe and go on the side of caution.

First great hint: Learn
how to read the age of a tire! Find
the 4-number code stamped into an
oval on the sidewall – the first two
numbers refer to a week of the 52 in
a year and the second two are the
final digits of that particular
year. EXAMPLE 3603 – the 36th
week of 2003. So say your dealer put
these on a year ago they put on 5 year-old tires (with
plenty of nice tread left) and
referred to them as “slightly used.” DON’T let this happen
to you a potential blow out is awaiting.

The second piece of advice to
follow: make sure you let a tire
dealer know you want fresh tires
when you buy, and check out the date
code before they’re put on your vehicle.
It’s your money and safety of your family
and everyone around you on the road at risk
don’t be afraid to walk away and say no when they
want to put tires on that are old.

Maine RV Bill to be killed

sponsor moves to kill-rv-bill

I think it would be nice if we RVers sent a letter of gratitude now. Just remember those that were rude nearly made her dig her heels in and say nope she was passing it no matter what! So some tact should have been shown in the letters to stop this bill.

Pending Maine RV laws

First off my thoughts are that Maine hasn’t thought this out very well. Their rv season is shorter than some, this could increase accidents on the road due to a wary traveler as MOST but not all I realize esp with the current state of economy only lay over a few hours to rest then carry on. I would say yes if you see same RV in a spot for more than say 12 hours let them know they need to move on to an RV park if they intend to stay still longer. Before you know it bars are only going to want alcohol sold only in bars so they make all the money. Well I don’t know if this will pass but here ya go in the event you see this blog and are planning a trip that way.

Here’s a clip from newspaper article about the pending parking
legislation in Maine:

The Yonder Hill Campground in Madison used to be filled to capacity
every summer night with recreational vehicles. But that was years
ago. RV owners have found they can skip the $36 campground fee and
park overnight at the Skowhegan Wal-Mart for free.

The campground’s owner, Allen York, said he often sees 25 to 30 RVs
parked at the Wal-Mart.
In recent years, he said, there has been a cultural shift in how
RVers travel, influenced in part by Web sites that use searchable
databases to guide RVers to free parking spots.

“What has happened is nothing short of a phenomenon,” York said. “All
of a sudden, we are looking at empty lots when we should be in the
prime season.”

The owners of the state’s 275 campgrounds are pushing legislation
that would ban RVs from parking overnight at commercial lots, such as
Wal-Mart. The Legislature’s Health and Human Services committee voted
8-2 to endorse the bill, L.D. 114, which may come up for a vote in
the House this week.

Proponents say the measure would help local campgrounds and RV parks
stay in business and also allow the state to recoup nearly $1 million
in lost state lodging taxes. They say it’s unfair that licensed
campgrounds must comply with regulations, such as supplying drinking
water and waste-removal facilities, while parking lot owners don’t.

I think it’s evident from the first paragraph the RV and Campground
industry is behind the push for this legislation. They are of course
enticing the legislators with the promise of money through taxes.

Read the article here:
http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/102103262.html

Maine Acting to Severely Restrict Overnight RV Parking

Escapees Club E-News Release – 5/7/09

LD114 / HP98, a bill in the Maine State Legislature, is being pushed through the legislative process. This bill will make it a civil offense to park an RV overnight on any public parking lot in the state. You can view the bill text and status at http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/bills_124th/billpdfs/HP009802.pdf

Here is some of the text of the bill:

Ҥ 2502. Camping in parking facilities prohibited.
A person may not park or occupy a recreational vehicle, as defined in Title 10, section 1432, subsection 18, in a commercial parking facility overnight. For purposes of this section, “commercial parking facility” means a parking structure or area open to members of the public for the purposes of parking their vehicles while patronizing one or more commercial establishments, but does not include a mobile home park or recreational vehicle park allowed by a municipality or a camping area licensed by the department. A person who violates the provisions of this section commits a civil violation subject to a fine of no more than $100, which must be suspended for the first violation and may be suspended for subsequent violations.”

Due to the way this is worded, these restrictions will apply to any publicly accessible parking lot. This will include casinos, truck stops, and even dirt or gravel boondock parking areas throughout the state.

This is not the first time that RVers have been faced with such a challenge on a state level. Several years ago, similar legislation was introduced in both Montana and Nevada. Due to the protests from RVers all over the country, those attempts to ban RV parking failed. We now face a similar challenge in Maine.

If this legislation passes, it may well set a precedent for the rest of the country, and we could see our freedom to choose where we park permanently revoked! All RVers and concerned individuals need to take immediate steps to contact the Governor of Maine, the State Chamber of Commerce, and Maine tourism offices as soon as possible to voice their opinions.

Great haste is needed as the House bill has already been reported out of committee with a “Pass as Amended” recommendation. Please make use of the contact list included below and write, call, or email right away! Maine residents: Please contact your senator and representative ASAP! Your input as a constituent carries far more weight than that of individuals from out of state.

Please remember that a calm, logical approach will make your letter or email much more likely to be read and considered. Here are a couple of sample paragraphs to aid you in writing your letter or email.

While RV parks are the best accommodations for RVers, sometimes commercial parks are full, or perhaps the RVer simply cannot find a local park, especially if it is late in the evening. Other issues come into play as well. For instance, how tired is the RV driver? Were it not for easily accessible public parking lots and other similar locations that offer a resting place to RVers, you would see an increased accident rate. Far too often, RVers will drive too long, too late, or continue searching for an RV park way past their safety and comfort zone. Knowing that they are welcome to pull into a parking lot and get a few hours of rest anytime of the day or night is an enormous safety net for the traveler.

Typically, RVers make significant contributions financially to places that welcome them and, many times, will return to an area for an extended stay if they have been received in a friendly manner. Unfortunately, signs banning RVs from parking areas do not appear very friendly to the tired traveler who is just looking for a spot to rest. Please do not implement legislation that will send the RVing public away from your state, but rather welcome them with open arms and show them you care about their safety and respect their lifestyle.

Please take a moment to contact these offices in Maine and let them know how you feel!

Governor John E. Baldacci
Office of the Governor
#1 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0001
Phone 207-287-3531
Fax 207-287-1034
http://www.maine.gov/governor/baldacci/contact/citizen_services/share_views.html.

Maine State Chamber of Commerce
7 University Drive,
Augusta, Maine 04330
Phone: 207-623-4568
http://www.mainechamber.org/mx/hm.asp?id=ourstaff

Maine office of tourism:
1-888-624-6345
www.visitmaine.com/contact.php

Maine Tourism Association
Phone: (207) 623-0363
Fax: (207) 623-0388
mtainfo@mainetourism.com
www.mainetourism.com

Convention & Visitors Bureau of Greater Portland
207-772-5800
info@visitportland.com
www.visitportland.com

The Maine Legislature website is at http://janus.state.me.us/legis

You can access contact information for, and send emails to, all of the House and Senate members through that portal.