Three Months and Counting!

Jill's Journal: It won’t be long! Our days right now are filled to the brim with preparations for our grand adventure. Rob’s office/storage space has been completely cleaned out. All of our horse and farm equipment is only days away from being totally eliminated. We were hoping to get our house on the market around March 15, but we’ve still got a good chunk of work to do to have it in tip-top sale shape. My dear 90-year-old grandmother passed away this week and I’ll be going to California for a few days for her services and to be with family. The trip will cause us to lose an entire weekend of work, but that’s okay – it’s a necessary thing. The rest of it will all get done. We’ve made huge strides and will continue to do so.

There are signs of spring; it’s a beautiful thing! We’ll start really kicking butt and taking names now. We've had some rough winter weather and several snow days. Each snow day taken by the school district caused another day to be added to the end of the school year…and another day of delay to our “launch date.” Hopefully that’s all behind us now and we can see a concrete finish date to Erika’s Kindergarten...and to the beginning of our family adventure!

“Adventuring With Children”

Jill's Journal: I skimmed another book with our journey in mind. Nan Jeffrey’s “Adventuring With Children: An Inspirational Guide to World Travel & the Outdoors” is a little outdated and not necessarily suited to the RV traveler, but there were some great tidbits nonetheless. Mostly it provided plenty of fodder for our belief that what we’re planning isn’t crazy and will enrich our children’s lives.

Some of my favorite passages include:

(Regarding meeting other adventuring families)
“…We spoke a common language—that of homeschooling and one-burner meals, of family cohesion and a sense of achievement, of sleeping in strange places and absorbing alien cultures, of raising our children in a neighborhood that encompassed the world. It was the language of an adventuring family.”

(Regarding the joy of traveling as a family unit)
“…It doesn’t take long to grasp that family adventuring is much more than taking a highly stimulating trip. It’s time apart, a chance to discover and reflect, to explore and grow…Regardless of destination or mode of travel, the benefits of this temporary lifestyle are many: living simply, becoming self-sufficient, experiencing new cultures and ideas, challenging your mind and body, being in harmony with the natural world, learning to have patience and tolerance and be content, and developing an unassailable joie de vivre. Best of all it fosters an interdependence within the family, one that encompasses all ages as you work toward a common goal.”

(And finally, encouragement to travel the world, not just the country)
“The presence of children will do much toward bridging the cultural gap, for children represent the ultimate peace offering the world over. Most of the world dotes on their young and will welcome yours with open arms. Your children will elicit a hospitality and generate a warmth denied most tourists, resulting in a more meaningful, enjoyable experience.”

WINNER - That's a great pair of mods! ;)

Pretty cool I must say. There is a site that I've been following which gave me the idea for a few of my mods, and information as to why they were important to do. ModMyRV.com told me about the Trimetric Battery Monitor, and gave me information for others I want to do, and plan to in the future (wilson cellular amplifier, solar panels, macerator, etc.)

Anyhow - they ran a contest to give away a couple of fans, and it finally drove me to send some of the stuff in that I've done to our RV. The first I sent in on a whim, the Aluminum Plate I put on the door to fix that stopper problem. I rewrote it when I found out it was a good enough mod to post, and although the pics weren't great, the mod was creative enough to get posted and declared a contest winner! :) Pretty exciting.

Then, since I have a couple of other projects that I felt were pretty big and detailed, I thought about submitting another, but didn't want to overstep someone else. I did want that mod to get posted (the water heater lights), but hesitated to put it in for the contest because I didn't want to take away someone else's fan, and because I saw how important good photos were - I didn't have great photos. I went down there and retook the photos last night, then I submitted it last minute when nobody else had been awarded (and I mean like the last hour of submissions), and won another. Also - very cool!

As a winner, I get a Vornado fan (installed pic right) for both mods. An under-cabinet mount 120v fan that actually is a pretty nice idea. It runs fairly quiet, tucks up out of the way, has storage for the cord when you aren't using it, and rotates 360 degrees to push air into/out of the cabin to/from anywhere. I got my first one on Friday, and mounted it that very night next to where the desk will be, over the window in the kitchen (so I can get all the great breezes). :) I think I'll put the second one in the master bedroom over my nightstand. With the 360 movement, it'll work well for placement from the corner, and tuck up out of the way when off.

Overall, I'm excited that my mods were so well received. To me they've been very logical modifications, but maybe there are just so many different things to do, and so many different ways to do them, that they are cool. :)

I can't wait to submit my next couple of mods. Maybe I shouldn't tell them that the trailer hasn't even been out on an adventure yet?

Porch Light Upgrade - Star Light.

On my trip to the Harrisburg RV show I found a couple of products that were great. One of them was the Star Light, which replaces the standard porchlight with a motion sensor and a battery health monitor. It was the motion sensor I was really interested in, since black steps in blackness tend to cause bruised shins :)

They tout a lot of things with the light, and it seems a little expensive (~$100) for a light, but for me it seemed worthwhile for what it offered. Being able to walk up to the RV and see where I was going made a lot of sense. Plus, their other features:

• the slight down-tilt of the light which lit more of the pavement than the side of another rig
• the battery monitor that would tell you if you were green or red (under voltage @ 11.5v) from outside the coach
• the security of knowing that if anyone walked up they'd trip the light. Supposedly the detector can tell between a person and a squirrel...

I ordered the light online and was able to find it for under $80. I only ordered one even though I have two porch lights because we intend to use one door more than the other.

INSTALLATION

They claim that the screw pattern matches most generic lights, so installation seemed like it would be a cinch. Same two wires, and pretty much take the screws out of the old light, pull off the butyl-taped backplate, lube it up with silicone and poof - done. In reality, it was tougher than I'd thought.

First - the screw pattern didn't match, not even close. So, after removing the old light and cleaning off the butyl residue I matched up one screw and redrilled the other three holes. This time, instead of using butyl tape, they recommend putting a silicone seam around the backing. They provide a groove to do so. I thought this would be simple, boy was I wrong.

Problem is that you're working above your head and off to one side. The ladder I was using was too small. I recommend that the first thing anyone who is installing this do is get themselves a nice little platform setup at the appropriate height. You'll see why in a moment. ;)

Anyhow -First step was to clean the area where the old light was. I used alcohol and cleaned around the entire area. Second I filled all the screw holes, old and new, with clear silicone so there wouldn't be any breaches for water to penetrate. Then, after putting the connectors on the wires correctly (white to white, black to black) it was time to silicone the back of the light. Problem of course is that you don't have a lot of space to work with since those wires are on. If you went to do it the other way, the light back will rub silicone all over the outside of the rig. [Recommendation: Two people on a platform would make this a much easier mod. Unfortunately, I didn't have that option.]

So having the light lubed up, the wires connected, I went to put the light in the right location, and lined it up with the wrong screw hole, smearing silicone all over the side of the RV trying to find the right one. I knew that not only was that a mess, it wasn't going to seal right, so I had to do it again. After cleaning up the silicone with mineral spirits (be sure to rewax the rig if you ever have to do this), I learned from my mistakes and put in some small rods (headless screws work well for this) into the correct screw holes, allowing me to put the light over them and just pushing it directly onto the side of the RV. Then, I screwed in the two non-rodded holes, removed the rods, screwed in the last two. Then, with a wet finger and a paper towel in the other hand, neatened up the silicone line around the light.

So - learning experiences here:

• even if the steps are simple, the mod might not be.
• find a comfortable position to do the mods that are above your head. Though that might sometimes be tough when out on the road, it would be worthwhile in materials, frustration and neatness.
• silicone is messy if you get it wrong. Get it right the first time.

Overall, I live the light and it does what I wanted. One thing that I would like it to have is the ability to choose how long you want it to light up. I know their goal is to scare away things that shouldn't be there, and not to use too much power doing it, but it'd be nice if they let me choose how I want it to work. A simple waterproof push switch to choose long or short would be enough.

Would I recommend it? By all means. If you're interested in the mod, more information can be found at http://www.starlightsinc.com. The website itself isn't the best maintained - the mail form wasn't working when I tried, but the info there is everything you need to know to do this mod.

Alarm... Alarm... why don't they put the right alarms in these things?

Why is it that RV companies, even fairly expensive ones, use the absolute cheapest stuff sometimes? The difference is just a couple of bucks, but I guess that if you do that a couple of dozen times, you fill out the bottom line. Still, at an $82K MSRP, I'm still surprised they went with the bare minimum just to meet the requirements. Maybe that's why they quit the biz?

I'm talking about smoke alarms. I just don't understand using alarms that you can't mute near a kitchen. I don't buy that's its being cautious - I'm thinking its really just all about being cheap and lazy.

Anyhow - I spent $10 and upgraded the alarm near the central area of the RV with one that not only has a 'pause' button on it (muting it if it goes off from burning something on the stove), but also has a light on it that lights the entire door/evacuation area when it truly goes off. Any normal house would have this (I hope) so that people don't go crazy, and the upgrade cost was minimal. The mounting bracket even fit into the same mounting holes. How easy can a mod be? ;)

All that stuff I read about the simple, little life-mods really makes sense to me. This one should be done by every RV'er, though it would make more sense if RV companies just spent the extra - what - 2 dollars wholesale? - and put them in.

Water Heater - show me the light(s)!

Since we have one of those water heaters that's a double boil... Electric and Gas -- it has a light in the middle of the switch. That light only goes off if there is a problem. Well, while that works for many - I have kids. They turn on the front lights to our regular house six times a day, and I need to know when a switch that's at their level is on without my permission... right?.

So, I decided it was necessary to put lights in for when any switch was on. Criteria was - 1. if it lit, it had to be very low draw. 2. lit up, it had to be rather small because I don't want it lighting up the room. 3. I didn't want to have to 'check the panel' by the door to see what was up.

So, I found some LED lights from Radio Shack - they were small, both in size and in draw. I'd seen from ModmyRV.com that it wasn't unheard of to make this mod, so I decided I knew enough how 12V worked to do it. I wanted to see if the waterheater was on.

So, I bought the lights, drilled the holes, found the connectors, and modified the switches. Now, when the WH is on - we'll all know. I think its a mod - using LED's - that should be made to every Water Heater.

FOOD POST: Five Guys, a pilgrimage?

I'd heard so many good things, so much press and they posted so much "best burger in the world" in the window that even though we aren't on our trip yet, I had to start the tradition that I plan on running throughout the trip and visit those places that are "must's" (like Nathan's, Primanti Brothers', Rueben's, Katz Deli, etc.) Icons in their own right - places that Food Network devotes hours to telling you about what they do ;) I'd heard that Five Guys was an icon.

So - Five Guys... We have one here in Lexington, and while we'd heard good things, we hadn't had the opportunity to visit yet. Young kids can be problematic when it comes to food, and that place failed on a number of fronts. First, the kids don't like hamburgers really. Second, and most importantly - they seem to be all about the peanuts, and though you readers may not know it yet, peanuts are not for us. One of the kids is pretty allergic, and its something we stay away from. Unfortunately, while I knew they served them in the restaurant (in the shell, but I went in to get it to go), I had no idea that's what they fried with - and it was everywhere. But, once you order (and plan to eat at a different location - right next door) you do the best you can.

First impression - it was fiiine -nothing special really. Simple menu, straightforward options and they seemed nice enough. I made sure to only touch what I needed to and make sure that I knew what I was getting. Jill and I ordered our usual type of burger and I ordered fries... After I paid, I regretted that order immediately (fries, once I saw the peanut oil), but went with the flow, knowing I could keep safe as long as I only touched the bag with one hand. :)

While the menu is simple - I've done that before :: In'n'out has a menu that's simple, and I go there all the time - they just don't need more options. Five Guys does offer toppings, and there are a lot of them. Jill, as usual, went pretty plain. I chose to get what I liked (three or four things including onions and mushrooms. I knew I'd be able to judge the burger on that combination.

They don't ask anything about how you're eating. Everyone gets a sack. When I discovered the fries were fried in 100% peanut oil, and then watched them pour extras in over the top of the packaged burgers (and on the bag, and it swelled with oil from the fries), I knew I was in for a paranoid evening. You'd think that with so many allergies out there now the company would take a little different approach, especially being national. I guess they get around liability with small signs on the doors that say "Peanuts used inside. Do not take them out of the store."

Anyway - where all this is going. I took the burgers in my left hand, and we went to our other location next door, where the kids got meals of their own. I had to be very careful about what I touched, where M sat, and what Jill and I passed back and forth. Let me tell you this - none of that was worth it. If I touch M all peanutty, she reacts. If she reacts severely, I can't do anything about it until after I wash... BAD place to be - and I'll never be there again... but I digress, we were talking about taste.

TASTE Bottom line - they weren't worth it. In fact, to both Jill and I they weren't worth it if they were cooked in anything else and I could eat them everyday without worry. My opinion was simply that it was a good 'Booster Club' burger that you buy to support the team at the home games. Certainly not something I'd go out of my way for, nor something that I'd 'travel hours to eat', as the signs in their windows tout. Matter of fact - the fries were so bad (underdone and I didn't finish close to a quarter) that I'd have opted for McDonald's over these. I understand why some people might find the restaurant good, but I'll not be one of the followers. If there were any other choice in town - I'm seeking that out, and that probably includes Shell Station Hot Dogs... so, yeah... 'nuff said :)

Anyhow - after a lot of paying attention to the things I touched, tossing the offending greasy bag, making sure that I washed myself in all the ways I needed to (lips, hands, under the nails, etc.), my experience was over. Peanut Oil aside, bad fries aside, I'm not sure why people whoop and holler for this fare. Maybe my expectations are set too high? ;)

Glendale RV declares bankruptcy

Very interesting week in the world of RVing for us. Seems that out of left field our trailer manufacturer filed for bankruptcy, and nobody really has much information. From the articles I've read (good one here from The Star) their last quarter stuff was pretty strong - no long-term debt, good cash position, industry on the rebound), but their press release states that they've fired the board, closed the factories and don't see getting back into the business. Very strange.

Well, very strange until I read the following article. Seems like there might have been more going on that people didn't quite focus on (article here from the National Post). What's strange to me is that its been days since the released the info, and there's nothing out there regarding any more information. Bankruptcy must be different in Canada. Here, they file, then usually reorganize in some form, then try to work through it, then if that doesn't work they quit - right? This one seems to be - Monday, everything is fine. Tuesday - we're not answering the phones, everyone is laid off and the receiver's name is Earnst and Young.

I contacted the dealership, but they've been no help. largely I'm sure because they were blindsided as much as I was. They make mention of no more warranties on the in-stock inventory they have. My question is what happens to anything I've got to get fixed? Did Glendale do anything with that? Here, GM shuts down entire brands and leaves warranties in-tact. Seems, once again, that the RV industry is a very different beast.

That brings us to 'what to do', and I think the answer is wait and watch. I have that minor leak in the coach for now, which I can probably fix at some point. Everything else seems to be working ok, and any MAJOR systems I have in place are covered by their own warranties, so - no big deal, I hope. I'm pretty handy, and I'm hoping that the major stuff stays together. if not, then I guess we'll just fix it.

One thing this did bring up in my head is that I should pay more attention to the surroundings - meaning that their denial to fix the A/V unit and the lack of response about it should have told me more about the big picture. They didn't care how they looked to outsiders, or even a current customer, because they knew they were leaving the business. "Trash us all you want, we're not gonna be here in a month". Too bad, from looking at the forums a lot of people aspired to a Glendale trailer.

Filling in the holes

So we found out the breaking strength of fiberglass. It is exactly one hit under a breeze grabbing the door from your hand and flinging it into the door stopper at full speed. You can see the damage caused in the pic to the right. I did the repair at night - sorry for the photos. :)

Anyhow - I wasn't sure the best way to proceed with the fix. Just put fiberglass over it and it would look rough, mismatched and probably would just happen again. there is no way the kids aren't getting the door ripped from their hands on the beach - no way that's not happening. It looks like the problem stems from the fact that Glendale didn't match up the stopper with the plastic piece that has the door catcher on it, though they did on the back door. Regardless, something has to be done here.

So I got an idea about using aluminum in a fair thickness to not only cover the hole, but also provide a base for future problems. The front door will be used all the time and will very easily take the most abuse. If I fix it right the first time, I won't have to think about it again, right? Now, where to get the materials.

First we (I asked Adam to fix it, since he broke it) tried to cut up an old sign I had laying around, but it was clear we neither had the tools, nor the correct materials with this one. I looked at going through the materials shop I used for the desk, but that was a lot of overkill in material, and then I'd still have to paint it and hope that it held up. Something made me look into sign shops, and I'm glad I did.

I ended up going with .08 aluminum signage, which is coated on both sides pure white. I was told if I wanted to do it from fresh stock that they had a minimum charge, per piece (I wanted to do both doors) of $30, and that was just too much - I could buy the material for 1/5 of that, maybe less and while I'd have to paint it, it seemed much more cost effective. The owner of the shop said that they might have material from past jobs in the back since I needed only small pieces (about 3" x 4"). I ended getting them to cut me two sizes - one 4 x 5 and the other 3 x 4. The pieces were a little beat up, but for what their purpose was I didn't mind a little scuff here or scratch there.

To put them on I unscrewed the door holder, then drilled the holes into the aluminum to match it. Since the thickness of the material wasn't that great, I wasn't worried about needing new screws. I covered the back of the aluminum with butyl tape, filled the hole the best I could with silicone sealant, filled the screw holes with silicone and reattached the door holder exactly where it had been, just with a plate of aluminum under it. I also added two screws to the two far corners of the plate to help with any kind of flexion, so no water would get under the tape. In the photo you can see the butyl tape squished out under the screws, and what it looks like after being scraped and cleaned (top right corner).

Overall I think its a great fix. The aluminum is thick enough not to dent or bend, it matches the outside of the RV, and I think it dissipates the energy from a door fling so that I don't have to worry too much about it. I didn't put on the other door plate yet, but probably will before we leave, just in case. Of course, I could just carry the extra with me as a precaution - it'll just depend on how much free time I have before we leave.

Surfwise - a very interesting experience

We'd heard about this film from - somewhere - I can't remember. But, a family growing up in an RV sounded like something we had to watch. Being largely about surfing, I was sure that there would be a focus on that specifically, but wanting to see how a family of 11 lives in a 24-foot rig - I thought we'd be able to work with it. The basic premise:

Legendary surfer, Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz, abandoned a successful medical practice to withdraw from the lifestyle of mainstream America. But unlike other American searchers such as Thoreau and Kerouac, Paskowitz took his wife and nine children along for the ride, all eleven of them living in a 24-foot camper. The family spent their days living by Doc's rules on health, fitness, sexuality, and above all surfing. The Paskowitzs' prove that America may be running out of frontiers, but it hasn't run out of frontiersmen.

The movie was definitely an interesting and in-depth look at how that kind of family works, and provided a few lessons about the later-in-life consequences of our actions on this trip. While we are certainly not idealists in the way that this patriarch was, I think that it showed Jill and me that we do have to provide structure, discipline and education in a very normal sense along the way. I think Jill and I want it to be a very rewarding experience, but still maintain a lot of the normalcy of 'regular life'.

I think what I mean most about that is keeping them prepared to rejoin society in the way that everyone else does - not to give in to the 'RV Lifestyle' that some live -- cheap lifestyle, no schedules, constantly on the move, no boundaries and some kind of hippie-like existence. I think the basic philosophy of our plan is solid, that it will allow us to remain grounded and at the same time experience everything in the country first-hand.

One of the most interesting things from the movie (I'd put them all in here, but I don't want to spoil the laughs and gutchecks) was Doc's personal mantra. I'm going to say that it struck a chord with me, making me think about it since then, and probably incorporating it into my personal beliefs. From seeing his website (http://www.alohadoc.com/) it appears his philosphy takes off on a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt:

"Health, is more than the mere absence of disease..."

His take:

"Health is much, much more than just not being sick. Health is the presence of a
Superior State of Well Being-a vigor, a vitality, which must be worked for each
and every day of your life."

As far as the movie itself, what a fun watch. We've got 15 new inside jokes, quotes and funny lines that we have in our heads. The movie itself was very revealing about large family dynamics, idealism, and the effects of dictatorships. The cinematography was great, as was the storytelling. The movie followed a very straightforward formula (feel good start, tell a little background, reveal the demons, go deep into the demons, make it all come together in a nice little package with a bow, the end), but even with that obvious formula (not sure you could tell this particular any other way and keep it watchable) the film was a really enjoyable evening. It really did give a great insight into another way to live off-the-grid, out of the norm, completely being true to your beliefs - and the consequences that eventually come from that.

Conversation - and why I think RVers talk a lot

So the other day I was reading this article about how to start a conversation - and it rang some bells. What I found most interesting is how it made me think of why people that 'belong' to groups seem to get along so well. Groups of people that share a common interest - RVs, Classic Cars, Sports Bars, Knitting Clubs, Chess tables at the park - seem to find an easier time of meeting and having conversation - and this article really pointed out why.

"So I have developed a theory -- the theory of the third -- which says that neither person should start a conversation by talking about himself or the other person directly. Instead, you have to find a third subject, a third person, or an object to begin the conversation around."

According to this tidbit, the key to starting a conversation is to have a third party for a topic. All those groups have the party already established. They all like it (or why would they be there), they all know a little bit about what they are talking about, and they know the same about the other party - making approachability much easier. I don't know - maybe this was an obvious concept for some, but I'd never put it in specific terms before. It has really opened my eyes to the fact that we really will be more accepted on the road, and will probably not have any trouble starting conversations out there.

"The theory of the third explains why the weather is such a common resort. Unfortunately, it's so common as to be clichéd, but at least it's an attempt at neutrality -- like commenting on the interesting color of the wall you're standing next to. And that's the best way to start a conversation, with an attempt at neutrality.

This sounds like lame advice, but it's not. What you're saying is "I'm not going to invade your privacy, and you're not going to invade mine. We'll test each other out by talking about something that seems inconsequential and see if we want to deepen this a bit."

Overall, I really enjoyed the persective of the article, and I think it says a lot about why people in groups talk so easily (favorite team, talk sports, puppies in the park or kids at the mall) - clearly "an attempt at neutrality". --'We have a common like. I didn't get too personal, and you can stay non-personal until you want to get more personal.'-- Welcome to small-talk. :)

Full article: http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/personal/01/13/o.breaking.the.ice/index.html

Inspiration and Information - comes from everywhere...

In wandering the aisles at the public library, I came across a book that looked interesting, so I picked it up - Horatio's Drive, America's First Road Trip.

The book really discussed how it was back in 1903 - no paved or improved roads (gravel), no maps, nobody had ever done anything like it. In fact, there were towns along the way that had never seen a car. It discussed the circumstances surrounding the trip, what it took to undertake it, and how lucky we all are now to be where we are.

After reading the book we decided to check out the film that Ken Burns did (the book was a companion to the film). The film gave me so much more of an understanding as to how bad it was out there. The visuals were well done (especially the Horatio-cam), the audio was done by big-names (Tom Hanks, Tom Bodette, etc.), and the information was really well presented.

I won't go into detail about the entire story, because if you're interested in Road Trips, its a must-see, and I don't want to ruin it - the film and book basically show what happens when somebody has vision, drive and a wallet to support it :). BTW - if you rent the film, be sure to watch the outtakes. It'll give you a little more perspective as to the background of the film, and the trip! More information is available here: http://www.pbs.org/horatio/index.html