Darryl&Rita

Easy, Dave, easy. Just what happens on an open forum. I think some of the ideas from the vans are brilliant, but I've grown out of that phase. Even used to use a Ram Maxi van for ski getaways. Out grew skiing, too. Shrug. Life moves on.

Can't watch from Canada. Give us a synopsis.

Back in Grande Prairie, settling into the harness for another summer of work.

Can still prove traffic light condition, did you stop for a stop sign, etc.

Starting to get caught up with a winters worth of emails, and getting reservations into the system. Use the "Contact Us" button on the Rotary Campground website to book, or for general inquiries.

Again? We've been to most of the western National Parks in Canada, and many US National Parks. With a 40' 5th wheel. Plan your routes, stick to the plan. Saying that you can't go places, especially as a beginner, shows pure ignorance. There are many people doing the things and going to places that are impossible. Expand your horizons beyond the steering wheel.

Depends on the year of truck you're talking about. Older rigs, around 2000's, Detroit Series 60, Cummins N14 are very popular. Caterpillar left the on-road market mid 2000's, so they fell out of favour. Latter 2000's engines were saddled with complicated emissions systems, and were a bear to keep running properly. Engines to avoid is probably a shorter list: Mercedes M 4000, any late model International Max Force engine, and early emissions engines. The 2007-8 emissions engines have probably been sorted out by now, but don't bet the farm on it without a good inspection.

No problem, Jim. Hopefully you're doing fine, just seeing new sights.

Update: I have a fab shop tour booked for the afternoon of May 28. Automated welding, brake, and semi-auto paint work. Tour will include a body and paint shop, as well as the custom fab shop that built our deck. Thursday will be a car show and shine, in the afternoon, at the local drive-in restaurant. I'm looking to get either a food truck, or the Rotarians to bring their grille trailer for pulled pork or beef on a bun supper on Friday. This will depend on demand, and will probably be a pay as you go event, around $5 per person.

Leave it to an old coot to shine a very bright light into a corner that a younger man doesn't even know exists. On the other hand, it's good to know that there's been a progression in treatment since bloodletting.

Heading north out of Phoenix. Overnighting @ the T/A Petro in Las Vegas, beside the speedway.

When someone tells you to keep an eye on a leak, they usually mean it. Leaks don't get better with time. Find a big piece of cardboard, take a long enough ride to get to temps, put the cardboard underneath. Let it sit overnight, and check the spots in the morning. All this assumes the leak is external to the engine, but will also prove/disprove external leaks.

Not sure why this was a big deal, but they're out there. One style.

As much as perception plays a role in the posted reviews, the weather is a huge variable. Dust is one thing, but greasy roads, slick with Calcium Chloride, are a whole new hell. The CaCl will turn into concrete, if not washed off while still wet, and is incredibly hard on bare steel, like most RV frames.

Can confirm that, Kirk. There's always a candy wrapper, cigarette butt, or cellophane to pick up. Some comes in on the wind, but a lot comes from the guests.

Thought of that as soon as I hit "Submit".

Bob Marley, amongst others have done versions of the song well before Bobby MFerrin.

Back to push-rod engines. What's old is new again.

Draining the tanks is painfully easy. There should be a lanyard attached to a valve on the bottom of the tanks. Pull the string, bleed until no moisture comes out, release. In the event your drain valves don't have a lanyard, then you get to crawl around under the rig, and manually turn the valve handles.

If you decide to come up through Alberta, via 40, we'd be happy to welcome you to Grande Prairie. We summer at the Grande Prairie Rotary Campground. Alberta has a lower fuel tax, no Provincial sales tax, so travels are slightly cheaper via Alberta. 40 has good scenery, too.

Good road. 2 lane, with passing lanes on hills. Lots of scenery, even though the road stays mostly in the bottom of the valley. Lots of Pine Beetle kill damage, that's slowly being cleaned up. Chetwynd has lots of chainsaw carvings throughout town, and hosts an international competition every year.

Sorry, Joel. Data in Canada is expensive. The plans do change fairly frequently, so keep in touch with Freedom mobile, Bell, Koodo, and Telus. The 1st and 3rd names are the bargain arm of the 2nd and 4th names, and will often have better temporary plan pricing. Rogers is a 3rd string player, but they have been making strides in tower locations. They don't run a discount arm, like the big 2.

Ummm,...JetPack anniversary. Happens every month.😎

Yup, but we only need it for the winter months. Don't need to have to deal with over-charges to the credit card, from Canada. Been there, bought the t-shirt.

Today is our anniversary date. I stopped in the Verizon store yesterday to pay before the date. This morning, there was no internet connection. Power reset, and back online. 3 times today, 7700 would freeze up, and loose internet connection. Cycle power each time.