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Now we have some actually important RV Security Suggestions we have to go on to you, together with some useful journey data coping with Nationwide Parks.
We had a lot viewers suggestions this week that each one of Episode 407 of the RV Podcast offers with the data we obtained, together with RV information of the week and your questions.
You’ll be able to watch your entire video of the podcast on our RV Life-style YouTube Channel by clicking the participant under.
In the event you want the audio model, you may tune in in your favourite podcast app or click on the audio participant under.
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RV Information of the Week
Gas prices drop for the sixth week as Americans change their driving habits
Gasoline costs fell nation-wide for the sixth week in a row, averaging $4.22 a gallon nationally.
Some elements of the nation, like California, Oregon, Washington, Illinois, and Maine, have costs as excessive as $5.61 per gallon, whereas different states comparable to Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma are reporting costs as little as $3.72 per gallon.
New studies state a few of the value drop is as a result of Individuals are altering their driving habits. Many are driving much less, combining errands, carpooling, and canceling holidays.
To see what gasoline costs are averaging throughout the nation click on here. To seek out apps that will help you get one of the best fuel costs on the highway, click on here.
Earth passing by Perseid meteor shower now, with peak coming in about 10 days
One among Jen and my favourite elements of tenting is wanting up on the stars on a transparent, darkish evening. The view is totally wonderful. And one of many summer season highlights is watching the Perseid meteor bathe.
The annual meteor bathe will probably be at its peak Aug. 11-12 this yr although there will probably be some competitors from a full moon.
The Perseid meteor bathe occurs each summer season because the earth passes by Comet Swift-Tuttle. This summer season the bathe began to be seen July 17 and can proceed to be seen via Aug. 24 with the spotlight Aug. 11-12 when in previous years as many as 150-200 “falling stars” per hour may be seen.
For recommendations on the place to seek out prime star gazing spots, click on here.
Illegal boondocking along Highway 1 in Big Sur is about to get very expensive
In case you are planning on boondocking in California’s Massive Sur, ensure you follow the designated campsites or you could face a hefty high-quality.
Monterey County is cracking down on unlawful tenting alongside California’s epic stretch of Freeway 1, and now unlawful campers can face fines of $200 to $1,000 per day efficient instantly.
Unlawful locations to camp now embrace 72-miles of Freeway 1 within the Massive Sur space together with 3.5 miles alongside any aspect highway maintained by the county. Officers hope it can tackle a rising problem of individuals boondocking illegally within the space.
For extra particulars click on here. For recommendations on the way to discover locations to camp without cost, click on our article here.
RV Security Suggestions – Tamera’s story
RVers face distinctly particular challenges and to fulfill them, we’d like as many RV security suggestions as doable. One among our followers named Tamera despatched us this chilling account of what occurred to her this previous week and the RV security gear that in all probability saved her.
“We had been in a foul accident Friday evening 25 miles from our house in Port St. Lucie, Florida. We had been touring on the Florida turnpike when a automobile touring at a excessive fee of pace (at the least 100 mph) determined to go between us and a supply truck.
“Thoughts you that is 2 lanes!!!
“As they flew previous us the extreme quantity of air motion prompted us to begin to sway. We had been touring between 60/65mph when this occurred. This prompted us to lose management, hit the guard rail after which fish tail forwards and backwards on the highway.
“At one level my spouse was parallel to the highway as we had been nearly laying on the drivers aspect. We ended up on the far proper aspect of the ditch.
“The camper by no means got here off of the truck however the camper rolled and ended up in 2 sections. The camper lastly got here off of the ball a small quantity as soon as we got here to a cease. Massive again wheels elevated a superb 3 ft or so within the air.
“The purpose of all of that is that the police officer and tow truck drivers each mentioned if we had not had our sway bars on we might not have walked away from this accident.
“It’s by the grace of God that we did stroll away. I want to simply share in order that others use their sway bars as effectively. I see so many touring with out them.
“Simply ensure you use these sway bars!”
RV Security Suggestions – Joann’s Story
JoAnn and John Neely from Alabama had been two of the attendees at our latest Elkhart Encounter, held final month on the grounds of the RV/MH Corridor of Fame. On the primary evening, John skilled a medical emergency that despatched him to the hospital for 2 days.
Due to treatment, he was unable to drive again house. Physician’s orders. However JoAnn had by no means earlier than pushed the RV.
On the day they had been discharged, they returned to our gathering. JoAnn was a nervous wreck about having to drive the RV again. But it surely simply so occurred that at that very time, we had been having the RV driving college. The trainer, Cortni Anderson, in any other case often known as the Flipping Nomad was educating the session.
Cortni focuses on designing and customizing RV interiors. In truth, she additionally teaches an superior on-line course on RV renovation that we extremely advocate. And in reality, we’ll have an entire video about Corni on our RV Life-style YouTube Channel in a few weeks. However at Elkhart, Corni was the trainer of the RV driving Faculty and Joann took it, even getting a free one-on-one session from Cortni.
Afterward, JoAnn was capable of drive their RV house with confidence. She despatched us this be aware, which presents numerous RV Security Suggestions each RVer ought to overview.
From Corni Armstrong, the Flippin Nomad, she discovered:
- First, set the aspect mirrors in order that they present 1/3 of your rig and a couple of/3 of the lane subsequent to you. When you’ve got separate backside mirrors, set these so that they present your tire on the bottom.
- Subsequent, all the time keep in mind, it’ll take far longer to cease your rig than your private automobile because of the rig’s weight. It’s essential go just below the pace restrict until you get snug. Not so sluggish that you’re a highway hazard, however sluggish sufficient to get stopped.
- All the time enable as a lot distance as you may behind the car forward. In fact, others are going to chop in, however on that very first drive, it’s good to be critically observant of what’s going on in entrance of you and beside you, so you have got time to react.
- Take a fast break, and stroll each hour. Loosen up these tense muscular tissues
From Mike, she discovered:
- At first, let merging visitors determine the way to merge in with you. Don’t attempt to maneuver your driving to make it simpler on them.
- On 4 lane+ roads, keep in the precise lane. If passing via a significant metropolis, you would possibly need to go one lane to the left to keep away from fixed oncoming and exiting visitors.
- Keep assured…you are able to do this!
From Jill, a retired Psychiatrist and Elkhart Encounter attendee, she adopted this recommendation:
- Say again and again…I’ve obtained this!
And after really doing the 500-mile drive house herself, she discovered:
- It was simpler on interstates than state highways or again roads. Wider lanes, much less fixed visitors.
- I favored going via main cities at rush hour! Others had been driving 35-45 versus 65-75! Once I moved one lane to the left, I averted getting into and exiting automobiles.
- Most necessary, don’t wait until you have got an emergency like I did. LEARN NOW!
RV Journey Information
Tim and Sarah, two of our California followers, shared this data for these touring to Glacier Nationwide Park. It additionally applies to different Nationwide Parks, the place getting an entry go is usually a problem.
Tim and Sarah mentioned this a few extremely popular RV vacation spot:
“We simply obtained again from a month-long RV journey with our household the place our vacation spot was Glacier nationwide park!!’ It was completely unbelievable.
There have been a couple of challenges that we confronted and I believed possibly it could be good for the RV neighborhood to know the way to get round these challenges at Glacier.
Initially, they’re requiring a timed entrance on your car. These are given away on daily basis at 8 AM and there are solely 151 spots out there. From what I perceive, there are about 1500 folks making an attempt to get these spots on daily basis.
Additionally, I heard that there are journey companies which might be swooping in and grabbing a ton of these spots. Due to this, we had been there for per week and by no means had been capable of get an entrance for our car. However all was not misplaced.
We discovered a method round it.
In the event you’re in Glacier and also you don’t get a car go that is what you do: to begin with, you may go into the park earlier than 6 AM and be there all day. Second of all, it’s also possible to go into the park after 4 PM. Montana proper now doesn’t get darkish till about 10:30 PM so that offers you loads of time to get pleasure from going to the Solar Highway and any of the mountain climbing trails.
There may be yet one more method round it. In the event you get your self a reservation for something, then you may go in in the course of the day. Reservations embrace a ship journey, a kayak rental, or any sort of tour. Though we by no means had been capable of get a reservation for our automobile, we had been nonetheless capable of do all the pieces we wished to do by utilizing these completely different strategies.”
The Kindness of different RVers
Dave from Waterford, MI, wished to share the kindness of different RVers when he and his spouse suffered a breakdown on the highway:
“My spouse and I bought our first journey trailer a few yr in the past. I’ve been studying a ton out of your web site and podcasts over the last yr. We took our first actual journey final week as much as the Leelanau Peninsula.
We had a good time till our truck broke down on the journey house simply outdoors Traverse Metropolis.
We had been pressured to have our truck towed to a supplier. We weren’t positive precisely what we had been going to do with our trailer that was sitting on the shoulder of M-72.
Whereas we waited for the tow truck, we had 4 completely different teams of individuals cease (all campers) and supply to assist us. One couple provided, and we agreed to permit them to tow our trailer to a close-by on line casino car parking zone whereas we handled the truck.
“The breakdown was positively irritating, however the kindness of all the campers that provided to assist made a foul state of affairs a lot better.“
Mike and Jennifer’s Summer time T-Shirts on your subsequent journey
RV Questions
We answered the next questions this week. The detailed solutions may be heard on the podcast. However we’ll summarize our responses.
Query: I’m new to the RV life-style. Was questioning when storing my RV for a couple of weeks in between outings ought to I depart my black tank empty or full with clear handled water? – Robert
Reply: Regardless of how a lot you empty it – except you flush it out with a high-pressure wand or black take flusher, as they’re known as – these tanks will nonetheless have some residual matter in them. It’ll doubtless dry and coat the partitions of the tank, the sensors and the underside. And it’ll stink.
After the again tank has been dumped and is comparatively empty of all human waste, we advocate that you just retailer your RV with a black tank stuffed with contemporary water and a remedy of a high-quality product that fights micro organism and enzyme like Happy Camper or RV Digest-IT that has totally dissolved within the water.
You need to ensure and never simply depart untreated water within the black tank. That’s as a result of even with clear water, there may be sufficient residual matter in that tank to throughly contaminate it.
Whenever you take the RV out of storage and earlier than you begin touring once more, you should definitely empty the black tank once more. Then put a pair gallons of fresh water in, deal with it, and begin in your method. Bear in mind water is one of the best good friend you have got in conserving your black tank odor free.
Mike and Jennifer’s RV Life-style hat assortment
Who wants a hat? You do! Dad hats aren’t only for dads. This comfortable one’s obtained a low profile with an adjustable strap and curved visor. Just the thing to wear on your next RV Lifestyle adventure.
Query: We’re questioning what sensible makes use of and experiences you’ve had with ham radio and the “on the transfer” RV life-style. Now we have been considering of outfitting our truck w/ cell VHF 2m and UHF 70cm & carrying two dual-band HTs. Extra particularly, do you discover it helpful for mining suggestions from locals coming into a brand new space? Or do you discover it a extra environment friendly utilization of time to principally depend on conventional RV planning instruments (together with web searches and evaluations, cellphone app data) and phrase of mouth within the new space? – Jim and Pam
Reply: Frankly, we now have discovered beginner radio to supply no actual sensible worth in studying about an space, being knowledgeable of freeway and visitors points or alternate routes. RV planning apps do a a lot better job than ham radio. And GPS is one of the best ways to seek out alternate routes.
That mentioned, ham radio is enjoyable and entertaining however frankly, cell telephones and GPS programs are extra sensible. As emergency backup communications if the mobile community failed for any motive, I discover it a fantastic security blanket. Some hams like to do all types of technical issues with it, like sending alerts to different hams on the place they’re.
However in actual, day-to-day sensible use, there are higher methods to do this. Except all different methods of communication fail. I all the time have it with me. I simply don’t use it that a lot, apart from pure interest functions every now and then.
Query: I’m seeking to buy a used RV and promote mine. Are you able to advocate a web based web site to analysis RVs by VIN quantity? I’ve googled and located a number of websites however all of them ask for fee which I wouldn’t thoughts however I don’t need to give my bank card quantity on any web site. So I’m questioning if you understand of a good web site that may give me that sort of info. – Elaine
Reply: There are certainly quite a lot of pay-for-use websites that lure you in considering it to be free however then need to cost you a price or make you join a membership to get the outcomes.
However there are three free ones we are able to advocate. They’re good for looking the VIN quantity on automobiles, vans, all courses of RVs and towables.
VehicleHistory.com is a complete useful resource. from theNational Freeway Site visitors Security Administration (NHTSA). It returns info on remembers for that VIN.
The NHTSA Recall Database tracks automobiles which have a VIN quantity and in addition exhibits if there are any open remembers that haven’t been repaired.
The NICB VINCHECK database tracks automobiles that had been stolen, salvaged or reported as a complete loss by an Insurance coverage Firm who’s a member of the Nationwide Insurance coverage Crime Bureau.
New e book from Mike and Jennifer Wendland – the Natchez Hint
The Natchez Hint Parkway will seize your creativeness, soothe your jangled journey nerves, open your thoughts and encourage you with the historical past that unfolded alongside its 444 miles.
Every of the 7 Days of the e book has:
- Prompt Mileposts to discover
- Locations to Eat in every space of the 7 sections
- Campground descriptions and hyperlinks
- Hyperlinks to all of the particular locations and knowledge
- Hyperlinks to movies that present extra intimately
- and quite a lot of highlighted info for every part
PLEASE NOTE: That is NOT a printed, arduous copy information.
Whether or not you need to comply with the footsteps of explorers, uncover pure magnificence, or go to historic websites, the Hint has one thing to seize your consideration and depart you desirous to see what’s on the subsequent milepost.
You’ll be able to see why that is one in every of our favourite US routes to discover. We’ve traveled it a half dozen occasions!
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