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Second Chance

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Everything posted by Second Chance

  1. For us (full-time eight years, now) the only real frustration was getting back at least once a year to where our health care providers were located. They were not conveniently placed on the travel patterns and routes we found ourselves establishing. We fixed that situation a few years ago by finding new providers (we absolutely loved our old ones and hated leaving them) in a place where we spend a lot of time near the critical mass of our grandchildren. There are other good reasons to stay for longer periods in this area besides the grandkids, so it just made sense. We have no major frustrations now... with the exception of our aging bodies. Rob
  2. In order of impact/importance to us (sort of...): Replaced OEM mattress with Tuft & Needle foam mattress MORryde independent suspension with disc brakes LiFePO4 batteries (already had solar) to support the residential fridge Washer & dryer (vented) Replaced sleeper sofa with Ekornes Stressless recliners Replaced theater seats with Lambright dual reclining loveseat Replaced cooktop with combo induction/LP unit (and removed LP oven - we use the convection microwave for baking) Replaced dinette chairs with storage ottomans (same width as table so still seats 4) Installed water leak detectors in strategic locations (part of YoLink smart RV system) Quick-connect setup in utility bay for flushing black tank Sonos Beam (Gen 2) sound bar with Sub Mini in entertainment center Those are the major ones I can think of now. Rob
  3. I understand that Kirk. We have both lived and worked overseas. Rob
  4. We are long-terming on a military installation and have a PO box with street address at the Post Office on post (still have our Escapees address, too). Of course, being on a military installation, this Post Office handles a lot of passport business and does the photos, too. I was handed the forms and instructed to bring them back, have our photos taken, and everything will be sent off from there. The passports will be returned to our PO box on post. Rob
  5. I second Linda's recommendation for reading on rvmobileinternet.com. They are the go-to people on this topic. The sticking point in your question is "remote places." Although Verizon has the best 4G coverage nationwide, there are many places you can't get coverage with any of the carriers - and the more remote the more likely that is. With Starlink, you can have internet wherever you can see the sky and you have power for the system. It's pricey, though. I've not done it, but I'm guessing you can set up VOIP for phone service that way, too. We have a grandfathered unlimited data plan on a Verizon 4G MiFi hotspot that has served us well for a long time... but we don't boondock. Rob
  6. In 2015, we had all our vehicles (including a 36' fifth wheel with truck) inspected at Harrison Body & Paint Shop at 1806 N Washington Ave, Livingston, TX 77351. They were able to accommodate us and I don't recall any issues with the size of the rig. Rob
  7. To correct some misinformation... exchange and commissary privileges are limited to: Active Duty or Reserve Uniformed and Retired Uniformed personnel. Recipients of the Medal of Honor. Honorably Discharged Veterans when certified 100% disabled. Military Members of Foreign Nations when on duty with U.S. Military Service. National Guard not in Federal Service. Red Cross Personnel who are U.S. citizens, assigned outside the U.S. with the Military Service. U.S. Civilian DoD Employees when stationed outside the U.S. U.S. Citizen Employees of Firms under contract to the Department of Defense when employed outside the U.S. Military Transition Personnel. Retired Ship’s Officers and Crew members of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, NOAA. Ship’s Officers and Crew members of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, NOAA. Dependent family members of personnel listed above. Contract Surgeons. Non-DoD Federal Departments/Agencies as determined by local commanding officer. Dependents of members of the armed forces, commissioned officers of the Public Health Service or commissioned officers of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association who have been separated for dependent abuse. Sales tax is not charged at the PX or commissary, but commissary patrons pay a 5% surcharge for the "improvement of commissary facilities." Here in Maryland (where we're staying on Aberdeen Proving Ground), some prices at the commissary are better than Walmart and some are not. There are also things we can get at Walmart that we can't get at the commissary - and vice versa. Maryland does not charge sales tax on food, so if prices were the same at Walmart and the commissary, we'd be paying 5% more at the commissary because of the surcharge. Rob
  8. This requires a paid subscription, but it's the best I've found. I've planned 3,600 mile trips with 30+ stops. It has a lot of features, too. RV Trip Wizard Rob
  9. As Linda stated, the title of your post needs to reflect the topic of your question. Westlake tires are a mixed bag. The smaller, load range E tires have a poor reputation for failure with damage to the trailer. The heavier load range G Westlake tires are a decent tire and very few reports of failures if cared for properly (proper inflation pressures, frequent checks, etc.). Any brand tire can fail, though, if not appropriate for the load or properly inflated. Rob
  10. The Wolf Pack toy haulers are not at the upper end of qaulity and get 2.5 stars (out of five) on RVInsider. I would recommend looking into the construction of the chassis (Lippert? Rail size?) and have a qualified RV inspector or certified RV technician give it a good once-over. It would be money well spent. Rob
  11. Having been camp hosts near the parkway in NC, I'll second this advice. Rob
  12. According to a U.S. Treasury Department report from 2019, the property and casualty insurance companies – of which auto insurance represents about half – had more than $68 billion in net income for 2018. Rob
  13. If you search any of the forums, you'll find too many discussions on this topic to count. My wife found a very good description of extended service plans a while back (they are not warranties, but rather insurance policies with lots of fine print). They are another form of legalized gambling. The company is betting that nothing breaks that would cause them to pay out more than you paid for the policy; you're betting it will. As in all forms of legalized gambling, the house usually wins. Otherwise, these companies wouldn't be in business or make a profit. Dave Ramsey and Clark Howard have commented on these plans many times, too. The standard seems to be that 80% of extended service plan revenue goes toward commissions and marketing. Only 20% goes toward paying for actual repairs, which means most people are getting a really bad deal. We prefer to set money aside regularly (earning interest) and pay for repairs as they come up. Rob
  14. Is this for pay? If so a commercial driver's license of the appropriate class might be required, too. Rob
  15. I tried it with a similar question and the response was largely junk. It listed Marylander RV Park on Aberdeen Proving Ground (an Army installation) as "family owned and operated." I asked for parks north and east of Baltimore and it gave me a number in the DC area and as far south as Annapolis - with more errors in the listings. I'll stick to the tools I've been using for now... Rob
  16. There is a web site dedicated exclusively to information on military FamCamps and RV parks: MilitaryCampgrounds.us Rob
  17. Up until 2020 we spent quite a bit of time travelling in and through California with our rig (fifth wheel and truck over 26K requiring a Class A TX license). Saw LEOs of various flavors on the road, at rest stops, etc. Never exchanged more than a friendly wave with them. They have bigger fish to fry. Rob
  18. I'm with Glenn and Kirk. As full-timers, it would not be convenient/possible for us to charge an EV at campsites or on travel days. Our CR-V (quite a bit more room than a Smart) is averaging 32 MPG conbination town/highway. It's also a great car for road trips (like Aberdeen to Cincinnati next week) without the rig. It'll take as long to use the restroom as it will to refuel the car... Rob
  19. I'm sorry - I didn't notice that you had the TT model in the title. The loaded tongue weight will be around 1,000 lbs. The payload (tongue weight it can carry) for the truck is just as - if not more - important than the towing capacity. You can get the payload number from the door sticker on your truck ("Maximum weight of passengers and cargo not to exeed..."). That number will need to be more than the 1,000 lbs. tongue weight for the trailer, you and any passengers, and 100 lbs. for a weight distributing hitch. Rob
  20. Can you tell us exactly which model of Dutchment TT you're talking about? If the 720 lbs. tongue weight is the advertized/brochure weight, the actual loaded tongue weight will be much higher. Rob
  21. We have VZW phones and a grandfathered unlimited 4G/LTE hotspot. Last fall T-Mobile offered a special on their new 5G hotspot with 100GB of data so I decided to try it. We have spent this winter at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Aberdeen, MD. This is a moderately populated area - not like the density 25 miles down the road in Baltimore - but not out in the boonies, either. We are .52 miles from the VZW tower and about .7 miles from a tower with the other carriers' antennas on it. The T-Mobile hotspot would only get the "nationwide" 5G bands - the "ultra" bands are only available on certain streets in central Baltimore. Using Ookla SpeedTest, the speeds on the T-Mobile 5G hotspot were no better than the VZW 4G/LTE hotspot in this location. I returned the T-Mobile hotspot and considered it a $50 experiment (1 month's service fee). Rob
  22. Reports this morning state that the four Americans have been found - two dead, one wounded, and one unhurt. Rob
  23. We usually cross the river up at Newburgh on I-84 and turn south somewhere in PA to avoid everything. I particularly like traveling through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area when taking this route. Rob
  24. We have our insurance with USAA and didn't have any problems when we moved our domicile to Texas using an Escapees Mail Service address. I know there are some banks and investment outfits that won't deal with full-timers with a mail service while others will. Perhaps the same is true with insurance companies. Rob
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