Thursday, August 23, 2012

Why Boondock? CO Poison. Clean Fridge Flue. Solar Security. Loo Flies! Shelves. Water Damage! Stress Test. Tire Chains. WN Virus.

For “tRaVersing, or RV Day”:

Why do RVers boondock?
”Our bookdocking blogger Dave Helgeson writes: "A while back we explored what boondocking is. This week, let’s examine why RVers do it. I once believed boondocking was just about saving the cost of a campground. However, after becoming a boondocker out of necessity (lack of campgrounds in the backcountry areas I like to explore) I discovered it was much more than just saving a buck." Read more

Boondocking in a Old Mining Camp

                            No Civilization or People for Miles!

 

 

 

The video explains boondocking and shows the author camped in several scenic free Boondocking locations across the southwestern United States.

_________

Why a generator or barbecue can be a deadly weapon

How to recognize the symptoms of CO poisoning.
Credit: Gas Safe Register

“These two items are found in most campgrounds and in many RVs. They seem innocent enough. Yet every year they kill. Take a few minutes to learn how it can happen and what you can to prevent it happening to you. Reading this could save your life or at the very least help you avoid some misery. Read the article:

“Five RVers were killed last year at rally in Tennessee when fumes from an external generator entered the vehicle through an open storage hatch and asphyxiated them. Such incidents serve as a reminder to RVers to be sure their vehicles are fitted with a working carbon monoxide, smoke and propane detector and that all propane devices and gas/diesel powered generators are serviced regularly.
Such tragedies are not solely confined to RVers but to tent campers and tailgaters who don't realize that an unattended BBQ can be a lethal weapon. Britain’s Daily Mail reported recently that a 14-year-old girl died from CO poisoning on a camping trip after inhaling fumes from a barbeque in the family's tent.”  More at: http://www.rvquicktips.com/2012/07/why-generator-or-barbecue-can-be-deadly.html

__________

Duh! Maybe this is the easiest way to help your fridge run better

                                                                                        Refrigerator Hatch

“Lately, the Wanderman, Rich Miller, has been trying to get the best efficiency he can from his RV fridge. He writes: "I've added a supplemental fan, checked all the seals, fixed the chimney baffle and added a remote temperature display. I really should have started with simple cleaning, but hind sight is always 20-20! It's not hard to do, and can pay off quite nicely." Read more.”  

__________

Beef up RV solar panel theft security

“Reports from around the sunny side of the nation show that theft of solar panels is on the increase. Some brazen thieves are marching into yards and removing the precious panels from sticks and bricks homes, but RV solar panels are attractive as well. If you've purchased a solar panel, you know they're an expensive item. What can be done to keep your solar panels where they belong?
Tamper resistant screws are a possibility. Requiring a removal tool unlike any Phillips head or "star drive," these unusual screw heads can confound the casual crook. However, many hardware stores are now carrying tools to remove even the "standard" uncommon screw.
At least one company is now offering custom tamper resistant nuts and bolts; with each order a custom designed bolt head and cone-shaped nut is sold to the customer--along with the corresponding installation and removal tool.
If it sounds a bit overboard, just consider how much your panels cost.
For more information on this line of security hardware, visit the Bryce Fastener website.”  From:  http://www.rvsolartips.com/2012/07/beef-up-rv-solar-panel-theft-security.html

__________

Flies invading RV from out of the toilet. Help!
”Dear Gary,
I just purchased my first ever motorhome earlier this year, a used 38-foot Damon. I have what seems like fruit flies breeding in the black water holding tank. No problem with the gray water holding tank. Whenever you push the flush foot pedal, the flies come swarming up out of the commode. I tried a half gallon of ammonia down the toilet and it seemed to help for a few days, but to no avail, they are back. I have talked with some of other motorhome residents in my park, but they have never heard of this problem. I usually dump both tanks when they are about two-thirds full. Has anyone had this problem before and what was the solution?” Jim, (San Antonio, TX)

Read Gary's response.

__________

Shelves make for more efficient RV space use

“RV cabinets: The space is often useless. Better is design necessary:  Our blogger Russ De Maris writes: "The distaff side of our team thinks that the RV industry needs to hire more women for the design side of the job. She may have a point -- it seems like industry can make it "pretty" but they seem to have a real problem making it "practical." Take cabinets as an example. Nifty "oak" with filigree scroll work, shiny mirrors, and brass pulls, but open the door and inside is a big space that's often useless." Read more.

_________

Buying an RV? Watch for water damage!

“Not everyone can afford a brand new RV, and many first-time RV owners buy a pre-owned rig, often to make sure the lifestyle is a good fit for them. There are plenty of things to be considered when evaluating a used rig -- far too many to cover in an individual article. But with your money (and happiness) at stake, one of the first things to watch out for when used-RV shopping is water damage. Read more.”

_________

Motorhome destructs before your eyes

“Have you ever seen an RV get bounced and banged around so that in about three minutes it's basically a heap of rolling trash? In this short video, watch as an RV is driven before a fair crowd over jumps and moguls. With each one the RV loses a piece of itself. The owner of the RV bought it for $5, lived in it for a couple of years and then decided he wanted to see what would happen if it got bounced around a bit. Here's the hilarious result!”

“Tough Trucks at the Lebanon Area Fair in Lebanon, PA. This camper was purchased at a public auction for $5. It cost $5 more to enter it into the tough trucks competition at the fair, and this was the result.”

________

On This Day:

Patent for tire chain issued, Aug 23, 1904:

“On this day in 1904, Harold D. Weed of Canastota, New York, is issued U.S. Patent No. 768,495 for his "Grip-Tread for Pneumatic Tires," a non-skid tire chain to be used on automobiles in order to increase traction on roads slick with mud, snow or ice. He reportedly drew inspiration for his tire chain from the habit of some local motorists who wrapped rope around their tires to increase traction on muddy country roads.

In 1908, in a promotional effort, representatives of the Weed Chain Tire Grip Company challenged the master magician Harry Houdini to escape from a prison created by their product. According to "The Secret Life of Houdini," by William Kalush and Larry Sloman, Houdini was enmeshed in a series of looped, locked tire chains, then chained into two steel-rimmed automobile tires. At one point during the escape, the chains had to be moved lower, as Houdini was turning blue from one of them binding his throat; he was then able to release himself. Houdini performed this famous stunt during a weeklong engagement at Hammerstein's Theatre in New York.

Harry Weed eventually sold his tire chain patents to the American Chain and Cable Company, the successor to the Weed Chain Tire Grip Co. After serving as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army during World War I, he held patents for devices related to the tire chain and was honored by the Army Ordnance Committee for his work in designing bomb-release mechanisms and machine gun synchronizing devices for use in aircraft. He died in Palm Beach, Florida, in 1961, at the age of 89.”

________

NYC reports first cases of West Nile virus, Aug 23, 1999:

“The first cases of an encephalitis outbreak are reported in New York City on this day in 1999. Seven people die from what turns out to be the first cases of West Nile virus in the United States.

A cluster of eight cases of St. Louis encephalitis was diagnosed among patients in the borough of Queens in New York City in August 1999. The sudden cases of critical brain swelling were found exclusively among the elderly. At about the same time, people noticed an inordinate number of dead crows throughout the city. Other birds, including exotic varieties housed at the Bronx Zoo, were also found dead.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) was called in to investigate. They found that the West Nile virus, previously found only in Uganda and the Middle East, had been contracted by birds throughout the area, including robins, ducks and eagles. In addition to birds and humans, horses have also been known to be susceptible to the virus, which is spread by mosquitoes.

Upon further investigation, the victims thought to have had St. Louis encephalitis had actually had been infected with West Nile. It causes flu-like symptoms and can be deadly in both the elderly and small children. By the end of the summer, there were 56 confirmed cases of West Nile in New York, though the CDC estimates that 80 percent of people infected with West Nile show no symptoms and therefore would not seek medical help.

In subsequent years, the West Nile virus moved steadily westward across the United States.”

__________

Yesterday:

Jay called early to say he was ‘sick’, then half an hour later to say that he was better, and wanted me to take $30 to some guy down the street.  I told him that I wasn’t going to do that, and that he sounded messed up, and I didn’t want to take him shopping with me.  He must have been up all night drinking with some cronies.

By the time I had tended to the animals, myself, and some emails, I had lost all enthusiasm for going shopping anyway. I was just tired and achy again.  I tried to shake that off by taking Misty for a walk, but that didn’t work, so I had an early lunch and lay down for a short nap.  I had intended to go to the new clinic in the afternoon, but with Kenya arriving to pick up the pups around 4.00PM, I didn’t go as I might not have got back in time. 

I was looking out of the window while on the computer and there were several cop cars, constables and sheriffs, blocking the road across from me, on the other side of the main entrance to this subdivision.  They were there for a long time, so I took Misty walking so we could investigate.  The lady across my street was watching, but didn’t know anything, so we walked to her relative who lives the other side of the main entrance.  He was sitting on his porch, right where all the cars were parked, wondering what was going on, too.  A small red pick-up truck towing a red utility trailer was the focus of all this, the driver was handcuffed and a young girl passenger was standing by a cop car.  She had obviously been told not to move from there.  They had a Constable’s Roadside Assistance truck there, and they were working on the red truck’s tires.  But a normal breakdown doesn’t have 7 cop cars in attendance.  Quite a while later, the red trailer was towed away, but not by the red pick-up, and all the cops left the scene.  We never found out what was going on.

Then Kenya arrived, and so we drove down to where the pup’s Mom, ‘Casey’ lives, and picked her up for her spaying.  We brought her into my Grooming Room, so she could see her pups, but she didn’t want anything to do with them, and they hardly recognized her.  The pups were crated, two to a crate, and loaded into Kenya’s truck with the crated Casey.  Then they were off, and the pups should not be back here again.

I was sorry to see the sweet little things leave, but it was such a relief for me.  I could feel the tension leaving me.  Whenever the pups were asleep I crept around quietly, not wanting to wake them.  I had put off doing a lot of noisy things while they were here.  I fed Misty and Prime, had a little bit of dinner and sat down to watch TV, but I feel asleep and didn’t wake up for 5 hours, I didn’t know I was that tired.  That interfered with my night’s sleep, so I won’t be much good today.

2 comments:

Dizzy-Dick said...

Hope they all find good homes.

LakeConroePenny,TX said...

So do I, DD
My SPCA boss has had lots of applications for them, and three were approved.
Of all the applications for little Streaker, she had not found one that she can approve yet. She is very picky, but I am sure the right one will come along.
Happy Tails and Trails, Penny.