Rain

It’s on my mind this weekend for oh, so many reasons, not the least of which is that I wish I could make it move a few thousand miles to the west of where I sit. Facebook friends have kept me up to date with regard to the Butte fire in Northern California and that has reminded me of all the other fires that have decimated the parched west coast this year and in years past. 

Rain, rain, go…west. Please.

It’s also been on my mind because it is a source of new and different concerns since moving into my motor home. Several facebook groups I am a part of frequently launch into discussions regarding how to take care of the roof, how to caulk and seal, what product works best and, too often, the frantic post “now what do I do since I have a leak?”

I’ve learned so much from these discussions as well as from the prior owner, who guided me to the right product for the roof and made sure it was applied properly by knowledgeable people. : ) As a result, although I’ve been in several rain ‘events’, my roof does not leak.

The first time it rained on my newly-coated roof was the very first week I was actually completely on my own. Riverside County in CA, specifically the Menifee/Hemet area, had what the news channel called a ‘50-Year Storm’. It rained long and hard in the wee hours of the morning and when I got up in the dark to get ready to head into Pomona, I realized that my rig was completely surrounded by a nearly knee-deep pond!

Being totally unfamiliar with the campground and what strange creatures, namely snakes, might be lurking in those waters, I stayed inside. I do have a great pair of Wellington boots that I used while gardening and they would certainly have gotten a good workout that morning, but they were safe and dry in one of the bays. I wasn’t about to wade out there to get them because, well, read the first sentence of this paragraph again.

Yet I was perfectly fine. Everything, including the electricity, worked perfectly. I had lights, running hot and cold water, food in the frig and the ability to make coffee. I had plenty to do inside what with having recently moved in and still very much involved in the ‘where does this go?’ game so I was busy and content all that day. And the next. The pond had diminished in size, but it was still difficult to get outside. Also, several ducks had taken up residence! 

Briefly, I considered naming my rig not My Castle, but The Lake House. As you may know, I did not.

When it gets really cold, rain turns into snow. I haven’t actually experienced that yet, but it did create a lot of concern when I was due to leave a park in Descanso, CA in order to go to the Escapade in Tucson.

There had been a few days of rain in late February/early March and I had made more than one car trip to and from Los Angeles in a heavy downpour. The day before departure, the temperature was below freezing and that meant the road I needed to take might be quite a bit more treacherous. 

I was already very concerned because a section of the road rounded a bend overlooking a big valley and I could picture my rig’s back wheels sliding off the edge of the road and taking the rest of it, as well as the car, down the cliff. 

I, of course, had a plan to jump out of the driver-side door. 

The night before, facebook friends responded to my anxious post inquiring about an alternative road off the mountain. They reassured me that I could do it, to keep my eyes on the center line, go slow, and ignore any frustrated drivers that might queue up behind me. Interviews with campers arriving from the direction I was headed also provided assurances that the road was dry with no ice.

So, away I went. Needless to say, I made it down without incident and, I might add, without angering anyone behind me. What a feeling! 

Shortly after, I had what many in the RV world call an ‘inevitable’ event: I broke camp, drove to a new location, and set up all in pouring rain. It was kind of fun, in a way, because I could check that off the list of less-than-desirable situations and, more importantly, look forward to a hot shower and a cozy night with a good book and a cup of tea. 

Nature is funny though. While the water was heating, the sun came out.

The next really big storm happened while I was out doing errands in the car near Rapid City, SD. An app on my phone sounded an alarm concerning two large storms that were coming through the area. I wisely scuttled further plans to shop and hastened back to the rig where, as many of you who saw my post on facebook will recall, there was indeed quite a show! Lightening! Thunder! Rain! Hail! It was pretty amazing!

Once I realized the storms had passed, I drove about 30 miles south to see Mt. Rushmore and was treated not only to a wonderful sight, but a moving ceremony involving all the veterans in the audience, and then a fantastic light show thanks to the continuing lightening from the storms that had moved east.

Having been in California since 1991, these events, especially the ones with lightning and thunder, were pretty cool!

Today is Saturday and it’s been raining, just raining, since yesterday. All day and all night. Yesterday I was out doing errands before meeting up with my brother to attend a football game. Plans changed, and we didn’t go to that game but I did drive by another where the kids were playing in the rain and the stands were packed with enthusiastic, albeit soggy, fans. 

Yes, rain has been on my mind. And on my head. 

I discovered that there is a mysterious leak in my car so rain pools in the headliner and drips onto me. I thought I had caulked suspicious areas but apparently I missed something. Research on the internet has given me some ideas as to what to check, but as the rain has been relentless today, that task can wait.

And there’s a leak IN the rig, NOT on the roof. I did look closely everywhere, but somehow there is moisture in the side in the very back. Quite a puzzle. Again, the sodden situation outside the door prohibits me from investigating.  I have been able to secure things in such a way as to keep any more water from wicking onto things I’d rather were dry. Like my bed, and the pillows, which my hairdryer took care of last night.

The little town I’m next to had scheduled their annual Country Days event this weekend and I feel sorry that so many people must be so disappointed that this storm has persisted through every single one of their planned events. 

But truthfully, I’m much more saddened by the people and homes in California that could greatly benefit from this long, soaking rain. As I cannot make this rain move west, I’ll keep doing what I can, which is to rain prayers on those affected, including the wonderful, amazing fire and forestry workers, the Red Cross, and all those who volunteer to help their neighbors.

Why the Wait? Worth the Weight?

There hasn’t been a post here since early April, over two months. Why the wait, do you ask? I’ll tell you. 

It’s been due to weight. I mentioned that at the end of the Escapade in March, I had my rig weighed and found it to be one thousand pounds overweight. That’s a real safety issue, especially in a sudden stop! 

During the weigh-in, I was told that many times RV manufacturers add heavier-than-necessary design elements such as wood, countertops, fabrics and so on that make the rig look wonderful but leave little leeway to allow the owner to pack much more than a toothbrush and a bathing suit! For the occasional vacationer, that’s not much of a problem. 

But I’m a full-timer and I need many of the same things I needed while in the condo. So I’ve been very busy reducing the weight on the rig and tracking what comes and goes and how much it weighs. The spreadsheet I’m using helps me to maintain a safer weight going forward and, wait for it, helps me remember what I did with stuff!

It has turned into quite a project as when something comes off, generally something else must take its place. For example, the mirrored closet doors and all related hardware were removed, saving 24 pounds. 

In their place are two PVC poles and brackets that hold two lace curtain panels and a twistable shower curtain pole to hold things in place when I’m moving. As the panels were in the rig when it was weighed, I only needed to add back one pound for the curtain poles and brackets, a net loss of 23 pounds. 

And it’s very pretty, as far as I’m concerned. 

That change was one of the simpler ones. Some changes take a lot more time because they are done to take advantage of a situation even when the follow up decisions have yet to be made.

Take, for example, those closet doors. I had planned to donate things to the Salvation Army. They have a bin at the campground I frequent in Menifee, but it’s too small for the doors and the other pieces I was taking out. As I was calling to see if they would drive the truck to my site to pick up the bigger items, a fellow camper asked if he could have them. 

As the Salvation Army was unable to commit to a time to pick up, which would have involved waiting around, I told him he could have them and casually asked if he might be interested in a sofa. He took one look at it and said he wanted it, not at all surprising as everything is in excellent shape. He went to get a friend and a truck and by the time he got back, I had more parts of the rig ready to go, all of which he could use. 

Why not sell, you may ask. I had given that some consideration but found that there are several weighty issues involved. My location changes often, I’d have to wait around for people to show up, or not. I’m leery about dealing with Craig’s List, the prices I found on eBay weren’t all that enticing and the key issue remained. I had to get rid of the weight so it made no sense to me to haul it around anymore.

Also, the person who took everything had a real need, the details of which I won’t mention here to protect his privacy.

But I haven’t decided what to do to replace the sofa so right now there isn’t one. I’ve had my eye on a particular style of wicker loveseat, many of which are currently on display at Lowe’s, OSH and even Kohl’s. They have beautiful lines and rolled arms and are actually quite comfortable. They also fit much better as they are not as deep as a regular couch. 

And they’ll be going on sale right after Independence Day, so I’m going to wait.

Of course, if I needed to sleep a bunch of people, I would not be able to get rid of the sofa, or the dinette table that folds down to make a sleeping surface, or the second twin bed that was removed long ago to accommodate my desk. 

But that’s not the case, as it rarely is with us NüRVers.

I’m not sure if I mentioned that term before. What follows are excerpts from their description from their facebook group page:

NüRVers is a group for the next wave of RVers. The NüRVer breaks the mold of the traditional RVer stereotype and sets out on the road to fun & adventure in a slightly different way. Many have found Nü and inventive ways to make a living while living our dream.

NüRVers describes more of the spirit and less of a specific thing. The NüRVer is bold, adventurous, and not afraid to do things that others don't find "normal". You don't have to be a young RVer to be Nü; you only have to think Nü.

The NüRVer is a free-spirited traveler who seeks fun and adventure their own way. Instead of waiting for that "someday" that may never come, we've decided to hit the road now before it's too late. Many of us have found Nü and inventive ways of making a living while pursuing our passion for adventure.

The NüRVer is open-minded and unafraid to step away from convention. We create our own path in life, and celebrate our uniqueness with other like-minded vagabonds.

That pretty much sums it up and hopefully helps to explain why I’ve made some of the changes I’ve made to this motor home. Conventional isn’t part of my vocabulary when it comes to redecorating; unique is. And functional.

But wait, we were talking about weight, and I can’t wait to tell you where things stand at this point.

But first, a surprise! A lot of my time has also been taken up with making sure the rig is properly maintained. Some of these issues will be showing up in future posts but one recent issue involved replacing the converter charger that is located under the refrigerator. 

The part was original to the rig, making it over 20 years old as far as we can tell, so it’s not too surprising that it needed to be replaced. What did turn out to be a surprise is that the new part is at least fifteen pounds lighter! 

So, along with part removal, and part replacement, and the usual decisions that go along with moving into a new space i.e. this stays, this goes, this works, this doesn't, etc., I’ve reduced the one thousand pound overage by about 850 pounds. 

The end is in sight. I can’t wait.

Safety, not just for RVers

As I mentioned in my last post, safety is the topic for today.

Without a doubt, the seminars that made the most impact on me concerned fire safety.  These two seminars were presented at the RV 101 Boot Camp and again during the Escapade and I attended them all.

They are presented by a former fireman and full-time RVer named Mac McCoy. He pulls no punches and is quite blunt about fire facts and what we must do to preserve our own safety.

Sure he addressed this information for those in an RV, but so much of it applies to our ‘sticks and bricks’ homes as well. In this post, I’m going to keep to that topic as I believe that most who read this are not RVers.

Early warning is a key part of surviving a fire. How can you react if you don’t know there’s something to react to? 

I learned that most of us have the wrong kind of smoke alarm in our homes. The wrong kind is the one that sounds an alarm only for a flaming fire and we need to know about smoldering fires as well. A smoldering fire can fill the home with deadly smoke fumes without setting off the smoke alarm! 

The one we need is a dual smoke detector that uses BOTH PHOTOELECTRIC AND IONIZATION SENSORS to detect both flaming and smoldering fires.

Please look right now to see what you have. Odds are you’ll have the one(s) that detect flaming fires only. When you go to the store to buy the right one(s), (which you’ll do right now, won’t you?), note that there are a lot of displays of the ionization-only smoke detectors still available on the shelves! 

This is one of the first things that stuck out as something that applies to everyone, not just RVers. I never knew this. 

So make extra sure you get the Photoelectric and Ionization Dual Smoke detectors. When I say dual here, I don’t mean both smoke and carbon monoxide! Kidde and First Alert are popular brands. Check your local ordinances to see where they should be installed in your home. 

Drive carefully. I’ll wait until you get back. : )

Hi there. So the second thing that really got to me involves the fire extinguisher. Those rated B and C are basically baking soda and a propellant. They make a mess but don’t hurt anything. 

An ABC fire extinguisher contains Monoammonium Phosphate, which is more corrosive than other dry chemical agents. The issue with these is that once the fire is out, you’ll likely have to replace whatever the powder touched. 

The propellants in fire extinguishers push out product at about 40 miles an hour. That’s so you don’t need to be close to the fire to apply the material but it also means that the material will likely get all over the place. 

You need to check fire extinguishers regularly to make sure they will work. Things can happen to make them less effective such as the dial that shows whether it’s good can have been installed incorrectly, or the lever could get pushed by mistake and release the propellant, which renders the extinguisher useless, etc. 

You can learn a lot about fire extinguishers online and there are likely YouTube videos on how to check them. You can also go to macthefireguy.com for information. He focuses on RVers but again, much of the information he provides applies to anyone.

Mac the Fire Guy also promotes a foam fire extinguisher and I immediately changed out all of mine for the foam ones because I was so impressed with how much better they are. And, the foam doesn’t hurt anything, including people and pets, so if my couch were to catch fire, that’s all I would have to replace because my fire extinguisher won’t spray corrosive chemicals all over the place.

I don’t know if foam fire extinguishers are commonly available in stores as they are a bit more expensive than the powder versions. I can give you the information on the ones I purchased if you like and that information is also contained in the link macthefireguy.com

Fire safety is an intense topic, I know. I’m guilty of not being prepared enough or practicing an escape plan with Evan when we were living in an apartment, house or condo. Mac, the seminar presenter, is very good at conveying a sense of urgency. For example, he points out that we have only 20 seconds to escape a 40’ RV that catches fire. 

Twenty seconds.
 
There’s not a whole lot of time for anyone to get out of a home fire either, right?

It’s not something one does casually, especially as adrenalin is likely flowing at an alarming rate. Those of us in earthquake country have learned that it’s important to train your adrenalin to react properly.

Because I am doing all this now, I feel justified in encouraging you and your family, including your pets, to put a plan in place. 

And practice, practice, practice.

Triumph on the Road

The title might have you thinking that I decided to downsize into a very small car after all that I learned at RV 101 and the Escapade in Tucson but that is not the case. I’ve just driven a lot of miles over the past six weeks in both the car and the RV and overall, the experience has been triumphant! The telling of just how triumphant will likely take more than one post.

Of course, those of you who happened to catch my Facebook post about my ‘parking at Wal-Mart’ adventure might think I’m stretching things a bit, but even that experience worked out quite well. 

Here’s a recap in case you missed it:

The latest lesson: Get the Wal-Mart app!
In my drive to Tucson for the Escapade and RV 101, I planned to park one night at a truck stop and one at a regular campground (CG) to prep the rig for nine days of boon docking. But all the truck stops seemed to be on the wrong side of the road and it was getting late so I asked Siri to find a Wal-Mart, which she did. Upon arrival, I went in and asked at Customer Service if it was ok to park. She wasn't sure so she found someone to ask. I was told it was fine as long as I parked at the perimeter of the parking lot and not in the actual spaces. No problem.
Just as I'm about to nod off, there's a knock at the door and I can see the flashing yellow light from the security truck. She tells me 'no overnight parking'. When I tell her I got permission, she radios the manager who tells her no, I must move. She sends me to another local business and when I get there, I realize it's still in the same big parking lot! And there's a sign stating overnight parking is prohibited.
So I called the police department and a nice officer gave me directions to an intersection with several truck stops. So I am now in an Iron Skillet truck stop. Before settling down, I phone to make sure it's ok to park. I finally find a spot between two big rigs, both of which had their generators or refrigeration units on so loud that I thought something was still running on my rig! But it was ok. Worked like white noise so I wasn't jumping up at each little sound and I slept thru both of them leaving.
That's my lesson for the day!

The day after the Wal-Mart adventure, I arrived at the Prince of Tucson RV Park. Doesn’t that sound awesome? While it was a very nice, clean, orderly park, the real reason it has such an elegant name is because it’s on Prince Road. Ha-ha! As planned, I took on a full tank of fresh water, emptied all the other tanks and did all my housework in anticipation of being without services for nine days. Just before arriving at the location for RV 101, I went to Costco and filled up on gas and propane. Now I know the propane tank is 25 gallons but holds about 17 gallons of propane. Do you know why it’s not completely filled? It’s because the propane doesn’t burn, the fumes do! 

So now I’ve arrived at the Pima County Fairgrounds south of Tucson and have a spot in a line of RVs of every kind. There is a lot of space between each rig, which seemed odd to me at first, but I found out it’s because we can all run our generators between the hours of 6 am and 11 pm and you don’t want to be too close to those fumes. Also, there’s room for fire trucks, should the need arise. (It didn’t.)

My first class started just before noon and provided an overview of all the systems on my rig: electrical, tires, engine, plumbing, etc. In the plumbing section, it was mentioned that if you heard your water pump, which I have to have on because I’m not hooked up, make a short groaning sound, that means you have a leak. Guess what I was hearing from my water pump? You got it! So now, in between all the workshops, I’m trying to figure out what could be leaking. 

I didn’t find it until Tuesday morning after I heard a drip sound only when my head was on my pillow. Sure enough, the leak was a loose pipe fitting on a hose that ran under the bed behind a wooden box that was screwed to the wall. I had no idea there were three hoses in that box! My neighbor was able to fix the leak and I propped open the bed and took every sodden thing out, including the carpet. 

Thankfully, I didn’t lose much of importance and everything dried very quickly in the low humidity in Tucson. Now everything under the bed is in a plastic bin of some sort. The hoses that were concealed by the screwed on wooden box? They are now behind a clear plastic box that I can, and do, check often. 

The generator, which up until now had been humming along beautifully, allowing me to make coffee in the morning and hot tea at night, stopped working. Again my neighbor stepped up and we tried to determine the problem to no avail. A vendor at the Escapade had a tech crew on site so they were wonderful in diagnosing and fixing the problem. All in all, I had my own Escapade right at my rig! Even the social aspect came into play as many people stopped by to see what was up. And, as expected, I learned a lot!

On Friday I had my rig weighed while it was hooked up. Knowing the weight, and distribution of that weight, is important for safe handling and, especially, braking. In order to do that, I had to complete a form to capture all the weights that apply to both the motor home and the car such as the axle capacities, how much the vehicle weighs, how much it can carry, the tire sizes, load range and age, etc. 

I learned that my four back tires were eight years old. Tire recommendations for RVs are that they should be replaced by the time they reach the age of seven, even if the tread is still beautiful. That’s because tires are weakened and damaged by the ozone in the air as well as heat. So an old tire is subject to a blow out, and that adventure is one I’d much prefer not to have! 

I also learned that my rig was 1000 pounds overweight! The best thing I can say about that is that it was distributed evenly! But as mentioned before, that is a real safety issue, especially on old tires and especially in a sudden stop! 

During the weigh-in, I was told that many times RV manufacturers add heavier-than-necessary design elements such as wood, counters, fabrics and so on that make the rig look wonderful but leave little leeway to allow the owner to pack much more than a toothbrush and a bathing suit! For the occasional vacationer, that’s not much of a problem. 

But I’m a full-timer and I need many of the same things I needed while in the condo. So I’ve been very busy reducing the weight on the rig and tracking what comes and goes and how much it weighs. So far I’ve reduced the weight by half and there’s more to be done. 

I’ve also installed new tires with a higher load range. At this point I’m inquiring as to how they make a difference in how much weight I can safely have on board but in the meantime, I’m still aiming to reduce another 500 pounds. 

Better safe than sorry. 

And ‘safe’ is the topic of the next edition.