Black Streaks. Roof. Overnight RV Parking. Ply Rating. RV Antifreeze. Sewer Solution. Fall Foliage. Placido Domingo. Burdock Root. Reverse Mortgage.

For “tRaVersing, or RV day”:

Black streaks on your RV:

Rubber roofs do not cause black streaks. All kinds of airborne pollutants land on your RV roof, including plain old dirt and mold. Many of those pollutants have properties that help them stick around. When a good rain comes, or if you give the roof a good cleaning, the pollutants can get dislodged and wash down the RV's sides, only to stick around there. The result: ugly black streaks. Learn more.

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What type of roof is on your RV?

“Watch the video that shows you two methods for determining what type of RV synthetic roof you have. For the most part there are two synthetic roofing materials, EPDM and TPO. In this video, presented by Dicor, learn how to correctly determine your RV roof type.”

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Overnight RV Parking and not camping

“We keep expanding our sections on Overnight RV Parking locations so it is time for a roundup. Many times we want to get from Point A to Point B without much relaxing on the trip. We may only need to stop for some sleep and then get back on the road. Some us are frugal and don't like paying $25-$70 just to park and sleep. We may not need a pool and all the luxury items that many resorts and KOA parks have. Those are great when we need them but sometimes we just want a break and to fill up on supplies.

Please keep in mind that this is parking and NOT camping. Abuse ruins it for everyone. There is a growing trend against banning this privilege so lets try to keep it as long as we can. Don't put your slides out. Don't use your awnings, grills or jacks. Don't leave garbage behind or drain tanks on the blacktop. Don't even leave your steps out. Many stores use this as the definition of allowing it. It should appear like you just ran into the store for something like any other shopper.”  List at: http://www.allstays.com/c/camping-overnight-rv-parking.htm

and check the FREE or under $10 places at: http://www.freecampgrounds.com/

and FREE parking at casinos: http://www.casinocamper.com/rv-parking-locations

and: http://seniortravel.about.com/od/rvtravelroadtrips/qt/lowcostrvplaces.htm

and: http://www.overnightrvparking.com/ Costs $25 a year.

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Your tires: What is ply rating?

"Ply Rating" is an old term left over from the days of cotton being used for tire reinforcement. Pre World War II. Today the actual number of layers or "ply" in the sidewall and tread are molded into the sidewall of your tires. The term "Load Range" is used today to identify the maximum inflation for a tire. Read more.

 

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RV antifreeze: Is it all the same?

“Most RVers are already aware that you DON'T want to pump automotive antifreeze into your water supply system. That stuff is generally toxic and will create real issues. Nope, "We use the pink stuff," is the typical response we hear from experienced RVers when the subject comes up. But is all "pink stuff" created equal? Absolutely not.

As winter sneaks up on us, some RVers should begin to think about winterizing their rigs. For those who'll be winging to the south to avoid the cold snaps, more power to you, but if you're stuck where temperatures will drop below the freezing point, winterize or prepare to repair broken plumbing come spring. But here's a question -- is there a difference in the types of RV antifreeze?”

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"Building blocks" make for RV tongue jacking quicker.

“If you struggle to use a manual tongue jack to raise your travel trailer, or even if you hate grinding away with an electric one, you've probably tried stacking blocks under the jack foot to reduce the amount of jacking. Here's a quick, inexpensive, and safer way to make up the difference in height. Read more.”

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RV sewer solution

Dear R.V. Shrink:
”You mentioned a few weeks back that you used some kind of sewer disposal unit that worked like a macerator using water to break down the solids. I am still trying to find the unit you were referring to. I am hosting in a park that offers me hookups but I have to move once a week to dump. If I could pump 50 yards I wouldn't have to move. We end up spending one morning a week putting everything down and away just to drive next door to dump. You could help restore my sanity if you could solve my sanitation situation without the need to move.” --Dirty Swirly in Sweetwater        Read the RV Shrink's response.

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Where to look for fall colors, Leaf peepers--it's time.

“The Forest Service’s Fall Colors 2012 website includes clickable maps that link to forest-by-forest fall color information and to state tourism and fall color websites. Some of our most popular family friendly features include locations of scenic drives and trails, coloring pages for kids, the science behind the season, and links to a tree database. Photographs from visitors nationwide will be added to the site.”    See: http://www.fs.fed.us/fallcolors/2012/index.shtml

If you're away from the Internet, you can make a phone call to the Fall Colors Hotline at 1-800-354-4595. The hotline provides audio updates on the best places, dates and routes to take for peak viewing of fall colors on national forests.    Stock up the RV refrigerator, get plenty of batteries for the digital camera and make this a memorable autumn.

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  Bill's Hints  re:  Power cables
“Use the shortest power cable possible. Voltage drops result from long cable runs. Most permanently attached power cables are 25 feet long and are rated at 30 or 50 amps. Buy and carry a 25-foot extension with appropriate RV connectors.”

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Random RV Thought
"Don't bring firewood from home with you on your camping trips. Many campgrounds do not allow the practice anymore because the wood may bring along harmful bugs that can get lose and harm the native habitat."

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On This Day:

Placido Domingo breaks Caruso's opening-night record at the Metropolitan Opera, Sep 27, 1999:

“On September 27, 1999, operatic tenor Placido Domingo makes his 18th opening-night appearance at the Metropolitan Opera House, breaking an "unbreakable" record previously held by the great Enrico Caruso.

Caruso, of course, was the biggest star the world of opera had ever seen. Following his New York debut with the Metropolitan Opera in 1903, he made opening-night appearances at the Met in 16 of the next 17 years. With his death in 1921, Caruso's streak stopped at 17—a mark that no other singer even remotely approached for the next 60 years. The Italian bass-baritone Ezio Pinza was the closest challenger to Caruso before Placido Domingo came along, but even Pinza failed to reach double digits, topping out at nine opening nights with the Met over the course of his 22-year career. Even Domingo never thought that Caruso's record would be broken, much less that he would be the one to break it. "But when I was in my 11th or 12th opening night," he recalled during an interview before his record-setting performance, "somebody asked me, 'Do you realize how close you are to the number of times Caruso opened the Met season?' What can I tell you? I started to think maybe I can do it.''

As a contemporary of the great Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo never enjoyed undisputed status as the greatest tenor of his time. But his far superior stamina and his broader repertoire made him the go-to choice for opening nights at the Met, of which Pavarotti sang only seven. Domingo sang his first opening with the Met in 1971, in Verdi's Don Carlo, and over the years he sang opening-night parts as diverse as the title role in Verdi's Otello and Sigmund in Wagner's Die Walkurie. When he sang at his record-setting 18th opening night on this day in 1999, Domingo did so, appropriately enough, as Canio in Ruggero Leoncavallo's Pagliacci—a role most closely associated the man whose record he surpassed, Enrico Caruso.”

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Yesterday:

It was supposed to be a Holy Day, and a day of atonement and rest, but it didn’t turn out that way.

Yesterday morning, I called Wendy, and she said that her son’s dog, Foxy, was feeling much better and acting more like normal. Wendy bought beef flavored Glucosamine, Chondroitin, MSM liquid at Petsmart, which she put on Foxy’s food, and she willingly ate it.  She also gave her some Burdock Root from Vitamin World, and the combination seems to be doing the trick.  Plus she has put Foxy on Wellness dog food.   Wendy said that she will give a small amount out of the capsule of Burdock Root to little Foxy, and take the rest of it herself, hoping to relieve her back pain.  I don’t know how that will work, as I have never taken Burdock Root, but then I don’t have back pain.  I thought it was mostly an anti-inflammatory, and that the Glucosamine, Chondroitin, MSM would work better for back pain.

“There is considerable evidence in the scientific literature that burdock root tea is a powerful anti-inflammatory remedy. Its numerous antioxidants protect the liver from toxic chemicals, allowing it to process the body's naturally occurring steroids which are helpful in achieving hormonal balance.” From: http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/learn/burdock_root.php

“Some people use burdock root to treat cancer. In fact, burdock is a key ingredient in the popular purported cancer remedy called Essiac.”
Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/90679-safety-burdock-root/#ixzz27fjQTVQC

Burdock and Velcro: “After taking his dog for a walk one day in the early 1940s, George de Mestral, a Swiss inventor, became curious about the seeds of the burdock plant that had attached themselves to his clothes and to the dog's fur. Under a microscope, he looked closely at the hook-and-loop system that the seeds use to hitchhike on passing animals aiding seed dispersal, and he realized that the same approach could be used to join other things together. The result was Velcro.” From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burdock

In the afternoon, I was expecting a phone appointment about counseling to get a Reverse Mortgage.  But after looking at the horrendous closing and other costs, I decided that it was not a prudent thing to do.  My children don’t need my house, and it would be tempting to have all those thousands of equity dollars at my disposal, but I don’t need it.  I have been mortgage free for 30+ years, and it would give me an uneasy feeling. So I didn’t take the counseling.

Then in the early evening Jay called to say that he would be off today and wanted to go shopping.  I hadn’t been this week, and I had a few things on the list, so that was OK by me. 

But, about an hour later his mother, Claudia called me to say that Jay was stumbling around, incoherent, and falling down, so she finally got him to go to bed at her house.  She didn’t want him to be alone in his house next door.  A little while later she called to say that he had got up and had been tearing out shelves, overturning tables and wrecking her house.  Claudia was frightened of him.  I told her “I’ll get off the phone, call 911”. 

The EMT said that Jay was having hallucinations and hauled him off to the hospital strapped to a gurney.   They will do blood tests to find out what he had been taking, as he couldn’t tell them.  But as usual, the authorities won’t do anything about it, they say that Jay has to be ready, and he will be released today.