Sometimes I don’t have anything special to write about, because a lot of the time, living in an RV is just like living in a house or apartment. We do chores, we goof off, we visit friends, and before we know it, the day is gone. Yesterday was a good example.

My friend Dave Damon had asked if I could pick him up in Clermont yesterday about 12:30, after an appointment he had, and I said no problem. He actually called about 11 and said he had finished up early, so we drove the 15 miles or so to pick up Dave and his pretty wife Jean, and drove them back to the Thousand Trails campground.

The last couple of nights, I have been unhooking our water hose overnight because it was getting so cold, so back at the motorhome I hooked it back up and filled our fresh water tank, and left it hooked up so Terry could do some laundry.

I had been craving some of Miss Terry’s delicious crepes, and while I was doing that, she made up a batch for brunch. Yummy! I’ll never be a slender man.

In the afternoon, I spent some time trying to familiarize myself with a Kodak Zi8 digital video camera I recently bought for an upcoming project I’ve been working on. The Zi8 is a pretty nifty little camera. It’s about the same size as my Droid Incredible phone, and the quality of the videos, even taken inside the motorhome with just ambient light, is pretty impressive.

I knew from the reviews I had read that the camera’s built-in microphone is basically worthless for outside use, so when I ordered it, I also ordered an Audio-Technica lavalier microphone. But even with the mike, the sound volume was very low. My buddy Greg White has the same camera, so I called him in Texas and picked his brain. Greg said he’d look at his camera and try to figure it out, but about then, I found the camera’s volume adjustment, and solved the problem myself. When all else fails, read the directions.

Greg is a computer whiz, so while I had him on the phone, we talked about the fact that my Dell desktop seems to be getting slower all the time, in spite of running all of the different cleanup programs and such. The computer is about three years old, and that seems to be about the lifespan for one for me, since I use it so much, and bounce them around all over the country. We decided that when we hook back up before our Arizona Gypsy Gathering rally, Greg will try to work his magic on it, and if that doesn’t do it, it’s time to go shopping.

After I got off the phone with Greg we made a run to WalMart, which was busy, but not as busy as we had expected, what with folks returning Christmas gifts and shopping for after-Christmas bargains.

It was a good day for telephone conversations, so once I got my fill of WalMart (which didn’t take long), I left Terry to the shopping and went outside and talked to my buddy Orv Hazelton, who is at the Escapees Jojoba Hills co-op in southern California. Orv said it was supposed to get very cold there overnight. That made me feel a little bit better. If I have to be cold, everybody should be cold!

When we got back to the motorhome, our neighbor, Charles Deutschmann, invited us over for a bowl of ice cream and some conversation during the evening. Never one to turn down free food, especially ice cream, I quickly said we’d be there.

We had a nice time visiting with Charles and his wife Nancy in their beautiful Monaco motorhome. It’s a mid-entry diesel pusher, which you don’t see many of, and the layout was very nice. The ice cream was delicious, the conversation flowed well, and before we knew it the time had flown by and it was after 10 p.m. We felt bad for taking up Charles and Nancy’s entire evening, so we took our leave and came home.

We watched TV for a while, and by the time I caught up on a few e-mails and wrote this blog post, it was getting late and time to think about bed. Where did the day go?

Thought For The Day – I’m not cynical. I’m just experienced.

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In a blog a few days ago, I wrote about the dumb mistakes all of us RVers make from time to time, no matter how long we’ve been at it. Just to reinforce that message, let me tell you about my latest blunder.

I was getting the motorhome unhooked and ready to hit the road yesterday morning, and since we might be overnight in a parking lot or two on our trip north to Indiana, I was filling our fresh water tank. Normally we only carry about 1/3 of a tank full of water, to keep our weight down, but when we know we might need it, we fill up.

After the water tank was full, I moved the knob in our Winnebago’s utility bay from the Fill Tank position back to the normal position that we use when in a campground with a water hookup. Then I reached over and slid the brass collar free on our Quick Connect fitting that connects the hose to the motorhome, never bothering to turn the water off at the campground outlet. Rainbow Plantation has darned good water pressure, which is a good thing, except on a chilly morning when you pull a stunt like that! I got a very cold shower before I could run over and turn the water off. Miss Terry got a real laugh out of that one! I’m glad one of us enjoyed it.   

We wanted to get an early start yesterday, but leaving an Escapees campground is never a quick thing. There are too many folks to say goodbye to! Dutch and Di Irrgang were parked a couple of sites down from us, and we stopped to see the complete re-do they had done on their beautiful Carriage fifth wheel. Dutch said they had been considering buying a new fiver, but they liked the floor plan of their present one so much that they had it remodeled for a whole lot less than the cost of a new rig. It came out great, and we were really impressed.

Between saying goodbye to several people and checking out at the campground office, it was 10 a.m. when we finally pulled out. We had an easy run north on State Route 59 to the junction with Interstate 65 at Bay Minette, and then took 65 on its path north across the state. We ran in a mixture that ranged from a light mist to showers until we got past Montgomery, with one stop for fuel at a Flying J. The Silverleaf and Miss Terry’s calculator agreed that we got 7.75 miles per gallon on our last tank of fuel.

Traffic began to get heavier as we approached Birmingham, and soon we were in a tangle of construction zones, kamikaze drivers in four wheelers, and truckers trying to dodge them as they merged without yielding,  and changed lanes without signaling. I don’t remember traffic in Birmingham being this hectic on past trips through the area, but after yesterday, I’m in no hurry to get back.

Once we were clear of Birmingham, we rolled north, making good time, and began to see blue sky above us, which was a welcome sight after the gloom we had been driving in.

By the time we crossed the Tennessee State Line it was late in the day and we were running out of time. It was getting pretty dark by 5:30 p.m., and though I had hoped to get past Nashville by the end of the day, it just wasn’t going to happen. We pulled into the Tennessean Truck Stop, about 60 miles south of Nashville, and parked way back in the furthest reaches of the lot, well away from the truckers. After a nice dinner in the truck stop restaurant, we returned to the motorhome, shivering all the way. The temperature had really dropped! We started the day wearing T-shirts, but walking back to the motorhome wearing a T-shirt, sweatshirt, and jacket, I was still cold! We fired up the Onan Quiet Diesel generator and turned on the heat pump to warm up the rig.  

Even with our late start, we covered 392 miles yesterday, and that’s a lot of driving in one day. Certainly much more than most RVers usually cover in a day. Usually 200 to 300 miles is a good day of driving in an RV, and gives you time to relax along the way, and get off the road and set up someplace early. But we’re not in a relaxed RV travel mode where we’re playing tourist, we’re in our “go fast” mode to get up to Elkhart and take care of our business up there. It’s too cold to play tourist!

Thought For The Day – Anger hurts you more than the person who upset you.

Register Now For Our Arizona Gypsy Gathering Rally

After spending the weekend cooped up inside the bus, yesterday I wanted to get out and breathe in some fresh air. We ran a couple of errands, stopped to talk to a dealer about a Winnebago Ultimate Advantage we saw for sale at a car dealer’s lot in Goshen, and decided that they would rather double talk and play games than just give us a price so we could say yes or no.

What is it with these guys anyway? I told them I wanted a price I could take to my credit union, and instead of giving me that price, they wanted me to make an offer, put down a deposit, and fill out a credit application. I told them I wasn’t interested in their financing, I would arrange my own, just give me a price. No, it was their way or the highway. We chose the highway.

Later in the afternoon we came upon a 2004 Alfa SeeYa 40 foot diesel pusher at another lot and decided to check it out. To be honest, we had never given the Alfa’s a lot of thought. Our friends Earl and Sami Aeverman, on whose RV lot we squatted in Aransas Pass, Texas for several weeks last winter, have an Alfa and they love it. After spending an hour or so poking into every nook and cranny on this coach, I can see that’s there’s a lot to love.

I don’t think we’ve been in any motorhome that has so much storage and feels to open and airy. The overall fit and finish was good, we liked the layout, and while there were a few things that weren’t exactly what we had envisioned in our next RV, there were more positives than negatives.

And wonder of wonders, the salesman was straightforward, answered all of our questions, and when he didn’t know an answer, he didn’t try to bulls&%@ us, he just said “I don’t know, to be honest with you.” I can appreciate and respect that. We’re not jumping into anything, but we’re doing our research and have added Alfa to our short list.

Since I still wasn’t ready to go home, we stopped to check out a gun shop with an indoor shooting range located a few miles from Elkhart Campground. Finding a place to shoot while traveling can be a problem, and I was pleased to see that they have a very nice facility. We’re in a saving mindset, so I really had to drag myself away from a great deal they offered me on a new AR-15 rifle they had in stock. I have absolutely no use for it, but did I mention that it was a heck of a deal?

Back at the bus, we had an e-mail from Michael and Christi Hargis telling us about a cover story Christi had in the August issue of Bus Conversions magazine. We have not met Michael and Christy yet, but we feel like we know them from their excellent website and blog. Michael will be performing at our Arizona Gypsy Gathering rally next year in Yuma, and we’re really looking forward to seeing his show.

We never get bored when we’re in a campground, because the neighbors always give us a lot to talk about. Late in the afternoon a fifth wheel pulled in a couple of sites down from us, and we noticed that the couple in it was standing outside looking confused. Their problem was obvious, they had pulled in on the wrong side of the utility pedestal, so it was on the curb side of their RV, while the utility bay is on the driver’s side.

Finally, after they stood there looking lost and confused for quite some time, I walked over and asked if they needed any help. “Our water hose and cord are too short” the woman said.

“Actually, you pulled in on the wrong side of the pedestal,” I told them. “Just pull out and make a big circle turn and come back in on the other side and you’ll be fine.” They talked it over for a while, so I went back inside, and a while later the man got in his truck, started it up, and made a big circle, just as I suggested. And then he pulled up on the wrong side of the pedestal again, jus where he had been before! And his water hose and electric cord were still too short! Go figure.

Thought For The Day – Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.

Register Now For Our Ohio Gypsy Gathering Rally

After six days in Muskegon, Michigan, we said a sad farewell to Rocky and Berni Frees and hit the road, driving three hours south to Elkhart, Indiana. We pulled into Elkhart Campground, stopped to pick up a big box of mail that was waiting for us in the office, and then pulled into our regular site. It’s good to be back home.

After we had our water and electric connection hooked up, blog readers Patty and Russ Frady stopped by to introduce themselves. Terry was busy wrapping a new water hose into a Cord Pro hose reel, which is great for keeping hoses and electric cords from tangling and kinking, and Russ helped her with that chore while I watched and chatted with Patty.

Later on, our pals Terry and Dale Pace stopped in to say hello. They are parked here at the campground for a month, so I’m sure we’ll have more chances to get together and visit. I always say that if you spend enough time here at Elkhart Campground and at the Escapees RV Club’s Rainbows End RV park in Livingston, Texas, sooner or later you’ll meet every RVer in the country.

One RVing couple we haven’t met yet is Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife Ginni. For that, we need to park overnight at Wal-Mart, according to this story from Fox News. How cool is that? I wonder if I could talk Justice Thomas into coming to our Ohio Gypsy Gathering rally and doing a seminar on RVing and the Law? Probably not.

A while back I told you about my friend Michele Henry and her company, Phoenix Commercial Paint, and how she can transform a dated looking RV with a top quality full body paint job at prices too low to believe.

After reading about her, readers Jim and Cathy Palm recently took their 2001 Four Winds Class C motorhome to Michele, and last night they sent me pictures of the finished project. To say that Jim and Cathy are delighted would be an understatement. Jim and Cathy have several good blogs you might enjoy, including Palms-Americana, Detour Through History, and In Deeds.

Speaking of blogs, my pal Sharon Del Rosario has started a blog about her fulltime RV lifestyle with hubby Don, called Gypsy and the Mariner’s RV Adventures. Check it out and leave a comment.

Thought For The Day – Fulltime RVers are like Macs in a PC world.

Register Now For Our Ohio Gypsy Gathering Rally

After reading yesterday’s blog, someone wrote that I had better have thick skin, because I might be hearing from a lot of folks with ADD kids. That’s what my problem is, thick skin. I may look chubby to you, but actually I’m so darned skinny I’m almost anorexic. I just have all this darned thick skin I’m carrying around to protect myself from the slings and arrows of the people I tick off all of the time!

Trust me, after a career publishing small town newspapers, I’ve stepped on so many toes in my time that not much gets to me any more. A few nasty e-mails are nothing compared to having my nose broken more than once, death threats, arson threats, and even having the country sheriff promise to pull me over late some night and shoot me.

Actually, the response to yesterday’s blog was 100% positive, at least to this point. It seems that a lot of people do not appreciate having their meals disrupted by undisciplined brats who are allowed to run wild in a restaurant.

It was terribly hot yesterday here in northern Indiana, and we would have loved to spend the day inside under the air conditioner. But our black tank was full and I really needed to dump it, so I fired the bus up, and after I unhooked the water, electric, and TV cable, Miss Terry drove it over to the dump station and I took care of that chore.

After she parked the bus back in our spot and I had things hooked back up, we decided our water filters were past due for changing. It’s always hard to get the twin filter canisters unscrewed, even with the tool that came with them, and that took a while. Finally, with everything back together, we discovered that our water hose was leaking right where it screws into the filter. So the next order of business was to change hoses.

By then we were dripping with sweat, and I told Terry that we still needed to get our bicycles and kayaks out of the van so we could pick up the new issue of the paper today. We figured what the heck, could we possibly get any more dehydrated? So we unloaded them, and then Terry rearranged some stuff in the van to make sure we had plenty of room to load everything in at the printer.

Finally back inside, we cooled down and then had a real treat. Terry loves to cook, as you know, and one of her goals is to create the perfect pizza. She has been experimenting with recipes for years, and just when I think she has achieved the pinnacle of taste, she tops herself all over again.

But I think the pizza she made for dinner last night is the best I have ever had. If it were me, I’d be resting on my laurels. But not my wife! She agreed that it was pretty good, but she still has a thing or two she wants to try. I guess I’ll just have to keep on being her taste tester. It’s hard work, but somebody has to do it.  

Thought For The Day – If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.

Register Now For Our Ohio Gypsy Gathering Rally