JRP

in the video, he said she woke him up, he did not say he was driving at 6:03-04 when asked by the reporter, he clearly says she was driving, he was sleeping he later says he had a hard time breaking the windows out in his bare feet, not that he was driving bare footed, he was sleeping bare footed, and was woken by his girlfriend when she lost control of the truck (all the TV news reports and the police report states she was the driver, he was sleeping) Not that it matters that much who was driving, just a spectacular crash & fire, that they were lucky to walk away from

This was a few days ago in S California, near the I-5 & 91. Not much left of the pickup or toy hauler. The couple were dragged out of the pickup by a passing trucker before the flames took over. Still under investigation as to why the pickup & toy hauler flipped over. The crash was about 1:30 AM and no other vehicles involved, so I suspect the driver dozed off and then over corrected, but thats just a guess. The flames were so extensive that you'll hear the fireman in the video say, we're running out of water, and they finish with a portable extinguisher. here's the video link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1lk6cbyUGA

Its a personal decision, based on your priorities, preferences and budget. A $475 monthly HOA fee seems excessive to me, but if their amenities are worth that much to you, it may be a good fit. Also, if you've never dealt with an HOA bureaucracy, be sure to understand how they can and do sometimes dictate every little detail of your life on their property. Read the complete HOA rules ahead of time, talk to current owners about how cooperative or dictatorial the HOA board is. Sometimes those boards are full of folks whose only enjoyment in life is making your life miserable. When I decided to switch to summer & winter RV homebases after 5 yrs of fulltiming, I chose to buy remote land and install my own utilities and improvements. After years of alternating between boondocking and RV parks, I realized I prefer having my neighbors a 1/4 mile way, and I prefer space to fire off my AR15 in the back yard, rather than a pool or golf course.

Before Covid you could renew your SD license up to 6 months before its expiration date, but not a day after. You could apply for a DL extension and they were readily given. During Covid they closed their offices and all licenses were automatically extended to 12/31/2020. So far that date hasn't been extended, so everyone who expired in the last 6 months is currently trying to get renewed before 12/31/2020. As a "fulltime traveler" SD does allow you to apply for a renewed DL by mail (every other renewal), but that still requires proof of a one night stay within the last year.. In addition to the standard renewal application, you must send them a signed Residency Affidavit and a receipt showing your name & address for the one night stay, and a document showing your SD mail PMB address. If you're over 65 you must also send a vision statement signed by your eye Doc in lieu of the in person vision test. Driver’s Licenses for Full Time Travelers | SD DPS PS: since re-opening their offices, they no longer accept walk ins. You must get a pre-scheduled appointment and those are taking several weeks to get. So don't go to SD until you have an official appointment, or you'll be sitting their several weeks waiting.

A subject often discussed here, may be headed to the US supreme court. Those fulltimers who work for pay have always been interested in which state gets to tax their mobile income. In the past its usually been the state where you physically earned the income that got to tax it. Although there were 6 states that took a different approach called the "convenience rule"; meaning if your mobile work outside the state was for your convenience, then the state the employer was physically located could tax you. This "convenience rule" by some states has never been successfully challenged in court. With the drastic increase in working from home due to the Covid restrictions, this issue is coming up in many locations where it wasn't an issue in the past. There are several areas of the country where its common practice for workers to commute across state lines, such as NYC, Boston, Omaha, and others. A recent case that is working its way toward a possible supreme court hearing is New Hampshire vs Massachusetts. New Hampshire residents working in Boston were taxed by Massachusetts. Now due to Covid those folks are staying home in NH and working remotely. Mass maintains they have the right to continue taxing their total income; NH disagrees. Although the case is not based on fulltime RV'ers; if the court eventually makes a ruling in this case, it has the potential to impact working fulltime travelers. States Square Off Over Taxing Remote Workers’ Income - WSJ NJ says billions in taxes ‘sacrificed’ to NY by Garden State’s remote workers | Fox Business

https://sdsos.gov/general-services/concealed-pistol-permits/default.aspx and the Federal ATF List of states with Brady exemptions https://www.atf.gov/rules-and-regulations/permanent-brady-permit-chart

SD residents including fulltimers most certainly can buy handguns in state, I've bought 2 myself at 2 different SD shops.. It is true that some of the larger outdoor sports & gun shops choose to not sell handguns to those with PMB addresses. But other SD gun shops have no issue with the PMB address and the ATF has no policy on PMB addresses, they told me its up to the FFL shop to decide. The 30 day stay has nothing to do with buying a gun, it's a requirement for a SD CCW permit and its up to each county sheriff to decide what type of address is acceptable. When I did mine many years ago the Pennington County sheriff had no problem with my stay being at a local campground. If you get a SD Gold or Enhanced CCW, those include an exemption from the background check requirement.

I always used a Power Service product in my diesel motorhome and diesel HDT. Never had any issues and both of those would sit parked frequently for 6 months and start up 1st turn of the key. My experience with the diesel on my liveaboard sailboat was different. I attributed it to the boat sitting in cool water with hot humid tropical air around it. crud & slime would build up quickly in the tank. Most marinas had someone setup to do what they called "fuel polishing". The would hookup in/out lines from my tank, to a pump and dual Racor filters and continuously pump my fuel through their system until it ran clear through their filters. This process was common in the marine industry, not sure if its used elsewhere.

From my insurance brokers handbook--- Vacation Liability — this motor home/RV insurance provides personal liability coverage only when the RV is parked off public roads and while the unit is used for recreational purposes. It does not overlap with or apply to any loss payable under automobile liability coverage. For example, if the insured's friend slips on the step of his parked travel trailer and is injured, coverage is provided under the vacation liability option. It also does not apply if RV full-timers coverage is purchased instead. Unlike full-timers coverage, which grants broad personal and premises liability coverage, vacation liability applies only to a loss at the campsite or at the motor home. Thus, some insurers refer to this as campsite liability. You need to specifically ask for an RV Fulltimers Policy. Yes it costs more, because its a combination of vehicle coverages & homeowner liability coverages. When you owned a home you got your primary liability coverage through your homeowners policy. Now that you don't own a home, you need this extra personal liability coverage added to your RV policy.

At my Colorado summer cabin, 8500 ft, we ended up with 12" of heavy wet snow on the ground this morning. Power out all night. Since the trees were all still fully leafed, the added weight of all the snow broke off branches & toppled whole trees all over the area. We always look forward to the color show the aspens put on each Sept. Not gonna be the same this year. Our highs 3 days ago were 80, todays high is 40.

We've got an early winter storm forecast for Colorado. Predicting 12" of snow in the high country tonight & tomorrow morning. We went from highs in the 80's to highs in the 40's for the next couple days. This is about a month earlier than normal. But plenty of sunny fall days to come before leaving the mountains.

As always, its best to be upfront & honest with your insurance company. When the appropriate policy terms are applied, you are not faced with last minute surprises. I now have 3 homes, all 3 sit vacant for up to 6 months each year ( I prefer not to deal with renters). Although the one in SD is my legal "primary" home, for insurance purposes all 3 are insured as "seasonal homes" and the insurance company is well aware of the situation and has no problem with it. RV'ers aren't the only ones with part time homes. At my summer hometown in the Co mtns, over 50% of the homes are owned by Texans as 2nd homes for summer and sit vacant all winter, all fully insured. When I visit my sailboat in Fl and rent a condo until the boats ready to take off for the Bahamas, its very apparent that almost 50% of the condos & homes in some Fl towns are owned by cold climate snowbirds who only visit in the winter months and sit vacant all summer, all fully insured. etc

Just a heads up if you're planning travel E/W thru Colorado on I70 soon. Due to the Grizzly Creek Wildfire I70 is closed in both directions between Glenwood Springs and Gypsum. The fire started right in the I70 median from sparks from a flat or chains dragging and within 10 mins engulfed the entire area. Its been closed for about 10 days as the fire grew from 5 acres to 30,000 acre on both sides of I70. Most local options have been closed also after truckers tried going over Independence Pass and other dirt roads to get around. The official detour routes are lengthy out of the way far south or far north. CDOT did announce today that they expect to have it back open sometime next week, pending fire fighting progress and weather.

This is one new reason why Walmart's are starting new parking restrictions to gain control over their lot space for upcoming planned drive in movies https://corporate.walmart.com/newsroom/2020/08/05/walmart-brings-the-big-screen-to-its-parking-lots-starting-august-14

I did it 3 times, in 3 different states, and still own & use all 3 as part time seasonal homebases. My total costs from purchase to improvements and buildings varied from $25,000 to $60,000 to $125,000. Each one was completely different from the other. There is no secret formula or trick. It takes lots of time and money. If you're looking for a easy, cheap way to own your own RV lot, I agree with the above, try to get an Escapee or similar park lot to live on. I didn't go that route because the primary reason I wanted my own homebase was to avoid having other folks living 10 feet away from me. After 5 yrs of alternating between weeks of boondocking to weeks in an RV park to recover, I discovered I did not enjoy RV park living and although I enjoyed boondocking, I wasn't willing to do it fulltime. So my first recommendation is to be honest with yourself and think deeply about why you want to do this. List your priorities and minimum needs and maximum budget. Planning a good boondocking site for a few weeks is completely different than planning a site to live on for the next 10 yrs. Second, plan on 100's of hours looking and researching and doing due diligence on potential purchases. There are lots of scammers out there in the raw land business. There are lots of rules & restrictions that are not clear without hours of research at the County Courthouse. Trying to setup an RV living property anywhere close to residential developments is asking for trouble (unless its in an established RV development). You need to be willing to go remote and deal with the extra costs and issues that come with living out in the middle of nowhere. The alternate is buy a property with a mobile home and existing utilities that has room for an RV pad. Yes, I'd do it all again. I've never been happier. But its not an easy or cheap process.

one of their definitions for the prohibited act of storing your camping facility on any city street is "to place or leave at a location". Thats pretty close to my law book definition of parking. But yes its open to interpretation and thats part of the problem. If it was the normal $25 or $50 fine for illegal parking, it wouldn't be a big deal. But at $1000 fine and the possibility of jail time, to me its not worth the risk. Why would I trust my freedom to someone deciding if I'm "stored" or "parked" on their streets. They have in fact been citing folks in run down RV's on city streets. They make the decision based on if looks like they are living in their RV, van or car. many here live in their RV

I don't know of a complete database. in most problematic cities its just parking restrictions for RV's or WalMart overnight restrictions. I do know that Lacey Wa is currently on my Do Not Visit list. Earlier this summer Lacey Wa passed Ordinance 1549 which makes it crime to park a "camping facility" or "camping paraphernalia" on any city street, or public parking lot or city park. subject to $1000 fine and/or 90 days in jail. There is no distinction in this law for so many hours of legal parking while shopping or eating, you're subject to fine or arrest immediately. you can find the entire ordinance online at http://www.ci.lacey.wa.us/Portals/0/docs/city_council/ordinances/2019/Ordinance 1549 - Camping Ordinance 06.13.19.pdf They say they didn't intend it to cover visiting RV'ers but based on the current broad wording & definitions, it certainly does allow their officers to use it as such. They claim this new law was intended to help get rid of their homeless vagrants living in their parks, lots & streets (some in run down RV's). However if you read article 8.10.050 of the above ordinance, it specifically prohibits their officers from citing a person who claims to be homeless, if their shelter is full, but their shelter is always full, thats why they have 100's living in their streets. Since I spend most of the summer in & around Colorado, I know that the City of Colorado Springs passed a new law earlier this year, prohibiting any RV parking on any city street. Here is the list of no overnight allowed WalMart store listing. I don't vouch for its accuracy & it changes frequently https://www.walmartlocator.com/no-park-walmarts/

The free bus from Aspen runs 8:00am to 5:00pm only. Its the popular option with most short term visitors. No personal vehicles allowed on the road during bus hours. I prefer to drive in, which means you have to enter before the start of buses at 8:00am and can't drive out until the buses stop at 5:00pm. It was s a $10 fee to drive to Maroon Lake parking lot last time I did it, but I heard it was being raised to $20 During the peak fall leaf season, last 2 weeks Sept & 1st week Oct, there are very large crowds and additional restrictions, During these weeks if you try to drive in, you'll end up in an overflow lot.

Very Good road, very easy drive through open range land. just don't expect any services, except in Mountainair.

At this time the road is in fairly good shape when dry and passable by 2WD high clearance vehicles. Heavy rain can change the conditions significantly for the short term. Best to get an early start to avoid the late afternoon thunder storms typical this time of year. We had record levels of snow last winter and it was late June, early July before this one and many others opened this year. There are some rough spots but nothing a high clearance vehicle can't handle. Lots of beginners do this one in rented Jeeps. I was there 2 weeks ago and the views were great & wild flowers were in full bloom.

I agree Dutch, but the high pricing they set for their newest streaming service is about the same ballpark as their full Sat TV pricing, . At $100-$130 /mon (after the temp discount) plus broadband costs, I don't see them convincing many to switch. They're losing a million subscribers a quarter and seem to be in a scramble to retain revenue. Even their orig DTV Now, re-branded as ATT TV Now, is losing subscribers after a price increase.

The ATF has no such policy on PMB addresses. The ATF sets up general requirements and definitions to purchase a handgun in your home state. Its up to each individual FFL holder/store to determine if you meet those requirements. The ATF supervisor I spoke to 5 yrs ago when I ran into this issue said they don't care if your address is a PMB, they care if you are a SD resident. In addition to your SD DL, if you showed the FFL your signed residency affidavit given to the DMV every renewal, your vehicle registration/title, your voter reg card, your SD CCW, your SD hunting/fishing lic, your SS record from SD, your Medicare or other health insur showing SD, etc; there should be no doubt. If they still refuse, its their company policy, not the ATF fault. sue the company Like many local/state/federal laws, the ATF residency definition does not fit fulltime travelers. Here is that definition that I was sent from an ATF document... A person’s “State of residence” is defined by regulation in 27 CFR 478.11 as “the State in which an individual resides. An individual resides in a State if he or she is present in a State with the intention of making a home in that State.” Ownership of a home or land within a given State is not sufficient, by itself, to establish a State of residence. However, ownership of a home or land within a particular State is not required to establish presence and intent to make a home in that State. Furthermore, temporary travel, such as short-term stays, vacations, or other transient acts in a State are not sufficient to establish a State of residence because the individual demonstrates no intention of making a home in that State.

Once you read past the posturing in that article, the most important line is... "Still, shipments remain historically strong. Executives say they expect inventory levels to balance out by the end of the year. The RV Industry Association is forecasting a 2.5% increase in shipments to dealers for 2020." Certainly not a "sky is falling in" statement. With 2017/18 setting all time record volumes, it doesn't take a Wall Street genius to predict an adjustment. But even from record highs, a modest increase is still predicted. My opinion, its also BS to blame the price increases on tariffs. Very few RV components are sourced from newly tariffed countries and the few items that are, pale in comparison to the labor costs of RV manufacturing/assembly. As for quality, RV's have never had stellar quality across the board. Some Mfg are better than others, but industry wide cost has always been more important to the RV consumer than quality. That cost/quality evaluation is a bit different for fulltime RV'ers. But remember 90% of RV's are built for folks who use them less than 6 times a year. They sit in storage 90% of the year. Yes, when you move into the stratosphere of Prevost where price doesn't matter, then higher quality is evident.

For the Retired Chief, If you're a fulltime RV'er you qualify for getting the national broadcast networks (ABC,CBS,NBC,FOX) from your SAT provider via DNS (distant network service). You do have to apply for it and show them your RV registration to prove that you're mobile. DNS eliminates the hassle of having to call in everytime you move to change service location. The only difference is, you 'll be getting the network shows fed from either the west coast or the east coast, and there is a small extra fee for DNS. When needed, you can find the local news & weather faster & easier on the internet.

I agree, my only concern would be getting west of Monarch Pass by early Nov. On avg by mid Nov the daily highs up there are below freezing (32F) and begin the permanent snow cover until April. Of course in the Co high country above 10,000 it can snow any month of the year, but those are usually short and melted the next day. Once you get over Monarch Pass its all downhill and much milder weather even into Dec. If a storm approaches in the western slope, you have lots of options to stop for a night while it blows through. Then you have to choose a route into Utah, US50 turns into I-70 around Grand Junction. If you want to stay off the interstate there are 2 or 3 options, but you could be headed back up to 8000 ft elevation, not good in Dec.