2011 September » tgif: let's RV

Spud Memorial

Sep 302011

Today I had to put my buddy of 17 years to sleep. I have put together a few photos of him here. He had been getting worse over the past week and this morning he was not able to walk. I knew it was time to let him go. I took him to the local 24 hour vet, gave him a hug, said my good bys and the vet did the injection. Only took about 30 seconds before he relaxed and was gone.

I'll miss you buddy. We've had a lot of great adventures and you'll be missed this winter when I head to Florida. Below are a few memories.

Autoworld Store, South Bend Indiana

RV Destinations No Responses »

Sep 292011

While not exactly RV or camping related, this could be someplace you may want to visit on your travels. Located only a couple of miles from Notre Dame University is the Autoworld Store. I stopped by today to have a look at the store that opened only about a week ago. Round2 manufactures plastic models, slot cars and die cast collectables. Autoworld is one of their brands. There aren't just the ordinary things you find at the local WalMart (but some are available there) but are remakes of many of the classics we had when we were kids.

You'll find classic AMT & MPC models like '55 / '57 Chevys and Barris customs. Classic monster models form Aurora (now named Polar Lights). American Muscle Car and NHRA classic die casts are here. Plus a wide selection of Autoworld slot cars. I'm sure many of us owned at least one of these when we were kids!

U.S. Map Tabletop

RV DIY & Mods No Responses »

Sep 272011

I like to be reminded of the different places I've been to on my travels and got this idea from somewhere on the Internet. The idea is simple, find a map of the U.S. the size of the dining room tabletop and use a piece of plexiglass to cover it. You can then use highlighters to draw out your the routes you have taken on your trips.

I used plexiglass instead of glass because it is lighter and there is no chance of breaking while in transit. I'll have to use place mats and coasters to keep from scratching the plexiglass but that's OK.

I found a suitable map at maps.com Click Here to Purchase Maps.com USA products!. They have hundreds of different styles and sizes of maps. I then went down to the local glass shop and had them cut a piece of 1/8" plexiglass for me. I had it cut 1/4" smaller then the actual size of the table and they rounded the edges. This helps prevent snagging the plexiglass with your clothes.

Electric Fireplace Installation

RV DIY & Mods No Responses »

Sep 262011

I've always carried a couple of portable electric heaters with me when I travel. When camped with hook ups it's nice to be able to plug them on those chilly nights and mornings plus it saves on propane costs. What I don't like is that they take up counter and floor space and always seem to be in the way.

I decided I wanted to install an electric fireplace. Not only will it give off some heat, it will be built in and create some ambiance to boot. The only place I could put it was in the bottom of the entertainment center where there was a shallow storage area. It took me about a week to find one that would fit in the limited space and I found it at Northern Tool.

Fluid Transfusion

RV Day to Day Life, RV Maintenance & Repairs No Responses »

Sep 262011

Taking the truck in tomorrow to have all the fluids changed. Not that I know it needs to be done but because I don't know if it need to be done. Since I just got the truck a few months ago and it has 80K miles on it I figured it's would be best to get all the fluids changed and I will then have a place to start a maintenance program. It will then be ready for my trip to Florida starting in early November.

The Last Supper

RV Day to Day Life No Responses »

Sep 242011

It's official, I'm unemployed. Went back to my workplace today to say goodby to everyone and see the now empty building. It's sad to see it this way after 9 years being there. Knowing our facility was one of the top performing in the country and it was only closed for financial reasons is little consolation.

We had a catered in lunch and then 20 or so of us went to Wayside for a few drinks. Played a little pool, shot some shuffleboard and downed a few cold ones while we talked about the good times and the bad.

As the party wound down we shook hands, had a few hugs and talked about getting together again. But you know in the back of your head that this will be the last time you will see most of them.

It was a great run, it's time to move on.

Entrance Step Stool Project

RV DIY & Mods No Responses »

Sep 202011

If you've ever camped in rustic campgrounds you've found that because of uneven ground that the bottom step to your entrance door can be a long ways to the ground. I've run into this a couple times already this year. You can buy folding steps from your local RV shop but at $70 to $100 your pocketbook can take a hit.

I could make a wood one but it would be heavy and awkward to store. I then found that Harbor Freight had an aluminum folding step stool for $25 on sale. I took a look and found out the step was 13" above the ground. More then what is needed but I figured I could shorten the legs and make it work.

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Making Reservations In The Florida Keys

RV Day to Day Life, RV Destinations 4 Responses »

Sep 192011

Since I'm heading to Florida this winter I wanted to spend some time in the Keys. The problem is that you can easily spend $600 per week for an RV spot during peak season. Since I now have some extra time on my hands I figured I'd do a bit of searching to see if I could head down there a bit early and skirt the high peak season rates.

One great web site to get an idea of what a RV park is like is RV Park Reviews. Here campers write reviews for places they have stayed. As with any review site you have read them closely, some people will ding a park because there was some small thing they felt was important while that may not be an issue for you.

Using RV Park Reviews I searched for parks on the keys. It appears that most of them are really nice but are in the $500+ per week range even in the off season. I finally ran across Sunshine Key RV Resort located on Big Pine Key. This is about half way down the keys and they are running a special of $359 a week for the month of November. The reviews weren't bad so it was time to see if there was anyplace else I could find.

Updates On The Coach And Life

RV Day to Day Life No Responses »

Sep 112011

Haven't posted much lately. Not that it's been boring, far from it, just that I've neglected the blog a bit.

At the end of the week I am taking in the trailer to have an automatic leveling system installed. Since I camp solo one of the most time consuming and pain in the butt duties is getting the rig level. I've spent over an hour doing just that. So I decided to look into an automatic leveling system. I had looked at the Big Foot system and the Level Up system. Both the Big Foot and Level Up is hydraulic. This means that pumps and hoses would have to be installed and it tends to be a complicated system.

When I was getting the work done on the trailer frame I found out about a new all electric system that was in testing. In simple terms it uses electric tongue jacks to level the rig. No hydraulic pumps,no fluids and no hoses to mess with or try to troubleshoot if there is a problem. It's pretty simple, just 4 electric jacks, some wiring and a control panel. IT should be fairly straight forward to troubleshoot and repair.

Removing Bugs From The Front Of Your Rig

RV Maintenance & Repairs 2 Responses »

Sep 042011

One of the more enjoyable duties that has to be done is to remove all the bugs from the front of your rig when you return from a trip. OK, we all know that really isn't enjoyable but it is something that has to be done or soon that nice white front cap would soon be black with bug juice. I've tried many different methods and finally hit on something that works for me.

The first thing you should do is to put a good coat of wax on the front cap. The wax helps to keep the bugs from sticking to the surface. It can never hurt to put on a couple of coats as this is one area that will get scrubbed often. A safe bet is a good quality auto wax.

Now as soon as possible you should get to removing those bugs. Out of all the methods I've tried, I've found that using Bounce Dryer Sheets is the easiest thing to use. Just wet down the surface and wipe with the dryer sheets. Not sure what is in the sheets but you'll get a lotion type liquid out of them when they get wet and you start wiping. The textured surface of the sheets makes for a nice soft scrubbing cloth and with just a little bit of elbow grease the bugs will be gone. Once done, just rinse off with fresh water.

In the year or so I have used this method I haven't seen any damage to the decals. Depending on the amount that needs to be removed, I've used anywhere from 2 to 4 dryer sheets. Give it a try the next time it's time to get rid of the bugs on the front of your rig.