Picture: Mexican dancers in Phoenix symbolize the color, fun, and culture of Cinco de Mayo celebrations.
"Cinco de Mayo is an occasion of ethnic pride celebrated throughout Mexico and the United States. Cinco de Mayo marks a victorious battle that took place in Puebla, Mexico. There 4,000 brave Mexican soldiers triumphed over twice as many French fighters on May 5, 1862.
Today Cinco de Mayo is a joyous holiday celebrated with food, fun, parades, and plenty of cerveza or tequila. Typically held during the first week of May, Cinco de Mayo springtime events include carnivals, street fairs, and multi-day festivals across the U.S."
Cinco de Mayo Celebrations in the USA at: http://honeymoons.about.com/od/exploremexico/a/cincodemayo.htm
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RV Spring Shakedown Primer Posted by RV Doctor By Gary Bunzer
"As memories of a cold, long winter begin to wane, many of us get antsy for that first RV excursion of the season. Holed up all winter, we’ve been making travel plans, waiting for the trees to blossom, the birds to chirp and the campgrounds to open.
The majority of us readied our coaches last fall for storage; some fully winterized for colder temperatures. After each period of non-use, regardless if the RV was winterized for sub-freezing temperatures or simply stored in the driveway, every coach must be properly prepped for use prior to simply taking off down the highway. Many call this preparation process the “spring shakedown.” It involves a few detailed tasks, best addressed in a systematic manner, so nothing falls through the cracks. So block out a few days, gather a few maintenance supplies and get ready for another season of fun RV travel!
The following procedures are presented in a priority order that best assures nothing will be forgotten. They are also presented in bulleted format for a quick reference each season. Always have a pad and pencil on hand to note any item that needs attention. During comprehensive procedures like the spring shakedown, don’t rely solely on your memory.
Read the rest here: http://www.rvdoctor.com/2011/04/rv-spring-shakedown-primer.html
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The cost of a gallon of gasoline reach an all-time high this past week.
"No doubt it will cause some RVers to pull off the road for awhile and others to travel less.
Still, even with the high prices, there are some simple ways to stretch your RVing dollars:
1. The most obvious way is to drive slower. Stay in the right hand lane and take your time. You could pick up the equivalent of an extra mile for each gallon of fuel by simply slowing down. When you leave a stop sign, go easy on the pedal as you pick up speed.
2. Check your tires to be sure they are properly inflated. The simple act of rolling along on fully inflated tires will stretch your mileage, providing you with perhaps a couple of "free" gallons of fuel per tank.
3. Make sure your motorhome or tow vehicle's engine is tuned up. Check the air filter: A dirty one will decrease your mileage.
4. Don't travel with a full fresh water tank. It adds a lot of weight. Just take what you need and fill up when you reach your destination. Dump holding tanks before leaving your campground instead of carrying the weight with you.
5. Avoid driving into headwinds. Wait a few hours or maybe even a day for the winds to calm or even shift. On days with a good breeze at your back, drive extra miles to take advantage of nature's "push."From RV Now:
6. At RV parks, opt for the no-hookup option if you don't need major power -- you'll save a few dollars a night. And be sure to consult FreeCampgrounds.com <http://www.freecampgrounds.com/> for a big directory of places along the road where you can stay for free or less than $10. There are perhaps 100 small town city parks that will allow a free stay for a day or two, some with hookups included.
7. Save on camping fees by spending an occasional night with your RV in a Walmart parking lot: most stores allow a free stay. Some other businesses, like Cracker Barrel, Lowes, Home Depot, allow a free overnight stop as well including many truck stops and casinos. But ask permission first. RVers who travel to the Southwest each winter can save a bundle by "boondocking" on Bureau of Land Management's Long Term Visitor Areas (LTVAs) for up to seven months for less than a dollar a day.
8. Stay put in a reasonably priced campground an extra day or two: not burning any gas when you're not on the road. And instead of staying at a park for five days, stay seven to qualify for a money-saving weekly rate.
9. Instead of driving far away to camp, stay closer to home. The fuel needed to drive 30 miles to a campground will probably be only a few dollars more at today's prices than it did when it was half the price.
10. RVers who travel more than a few weeks a year should get a membership in Passport America <http://www.passportamerica.com/> . They can then camp for half price in more than 1,700 RV parks. Any avid RVer who doesn't take advantage of this inexpensive money-saving opportunity is throwing money away.
11. Good Sam Club members save 10 percent at most commercial campgrounds, making a membership pretty much required for RVers who stay in RV parks. The Escapees Club has its own parks throughout the country where members can boondock for free or hook up to utilities for peanuts. The club also published an annual directory of hundreds of RV parks that will offer a substantial discount to Escapee members. Of course, senior citizens -- typically defined as 60 or 65 years -- can camp for a discount at many state and federal facilities. An annual pass may be required in some areas.
12. If you're in the market for a new RV or tow vehicle, give priority to one that provides good gas mileage. And consider buying a pre-owned RV rather than a new one. You'll save big on the purchase price and those
savings will buy a lot of gas!
The price of gas will hopefully come down. In the meantime, for those of us who RV, there are ways to balance our budgets even with higher cost of fuel. It just takes some creativity."
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What Is That White Plastic Strip On The Metal Fins Inside My Refrigerator?
"I never thought much about that little strip of plastic on the metal fins inside my refrigerator except when I tried to clean around it. It slides up and down on the fin and has a wire attached to it.
Turns out this little guy is a temperature sensor. It tells your
refrigerator to keep working or to relax for a while.
Ben Lukacek is a Master Certified RV Technician at Best Buy RV's and is doing the Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) on our coach. He explained to me that if I want the refrigerator compartment to be cooler I can adjust the temperature by moving this plastic strip up on the metal fin. This way you are able to keep the temperature in your freezer constant while raising or lowering the temperature in your refrigerator compartment separately."
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Short list of common RV "boo boos"
Every experienced RVer has at least one or two RVing moments he'd like to forget--or at least, not be reminded of by his or her "significant other." RV insurer Progressive did a survey of 1,000 RVers to ask about their boo-boos. Here's the short list of dumb things RVers often do:
1. Driving off with steps extended.
2. Backing into a post or other "stationary object."
3. "Woops!" miscalculation on overhead or side clearance.
4. Improperly connecting tow lights.
5. Running out of fuel.
Down on the list, but certainly one that they'll never be left to forget: Driving away from an RV stop and leaving behind a member of the group. Typically those left behind were folks like spouses, pets, or grandparents. Do this one yourself? Don't feel bad, 20 of the respondents to the survey reported making this major gaff.
We often recommend pre-flight checklists for RVers, but obviously some of these boobers just don't fit on the list.
From: http://www.rvquicktips.com/2011/04/short-list-of-common-rv-boo-boos.html
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Mercedes puts new spin on RV "toy hauler"
Did you hear the one about the Mongolian millionaires?
They moved their money into Mercedes. Hey, literally!
If you want to go hunting in Mongolia, you should be prepared to face the elements, and a tricked out Mercedes Benz "Zetros" is your ticket.
Rather than calling this wonder-rig an RV, the owners (or maybe it's Mercedes) are referring to the fancy rig as a "living station."
Matters not either way, the investment of funds into outfitting this oft-used-by-military-types into a luxury rig for exploring the wilderness in comfort is obvious.
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Yesterday:
Ray caulked the overlapping joins in the metal lined area for the cargo trailer's AC, and then applied the second coat of paint on some more of the cabinet doors and panels.
Jay and I trimmed the outside of the AC vent, and as soon as Ray paints that, we can install the vent that hides the AC. Then we cut more doors. Now there are just two small ones, and one drawer to build.
One of the orphan kittens, Pal, has reached the goal of 2lb, so he can be neutered when I take them for their vet appointment on the 12th. As for the girls, Pebbles is at 1-1/2 lb, and Precious is only 1-1/4 lb, so they might only get check-ups and their first shots when they get there.
Precious seems to have Acrophobia, as she is very scared when she is picked up, and gets very 'clingy'. She has been that way ever since I got them, so I wonder if she was dropped. The lady who was trying to raise them on baby formula, does have small children. Apart from that, she seems to have the sweetest personality.
This is more like April weather, as we haven't had to run the AC for several days.
1 comment:
I have a 30 amp connection set up at my residence so that I can always have my class-C motor-home hooked up. A few weeks ago, I pulled out and forgot to unplug it. The cord to the RV was not damaged, but it cracked my 30 amp outlet female plug. That wasn’t too smart. You can add that to your list.
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