Second Chance

In our younger days, my late wife and I were part-time working musicians. In the '80s, we wanted to get her a new synthesizer (electronic keyboard). A sister-in-law's father was a professor of music and also worked in the music publishing and recording business, so I called him for some advice. He started out by asking a couple of questions: 1) Is the synth we have doing anything we don't want it to? I.e., if it were a car, is it smoking, backfiring, stalling at stop lights, etc.? 2) Is the synth we have not doing anything we want or need it to? I.e., if it were a car, does it fail to start when we turn the key, does it fail to stop when we apply the brakes, does it not get us to work on time? If we could not answer, "Yes" to those two questions, he said we could not really justify the (considerable) expense of a new synthesizer just to get more bells and whistles. Since that conversation, I have referred to this concept as "The Jesse Peterson theory of equipment obsolescence." Rob

What you relate is completely counter to the 35 years' experience I have with them. During that time, we had several claims (both ours and the other person's faults) and. in 2008, my wife was killed in a traffic accident in which she was at fault. We could not have been treated better by USAA - in every way. My (new) wife and I have had several smaller claims without any issues whatsoever. Rob

After years of using MS Office at both work and home (had a professional multi-license version of Office 2003 for home), I found I could no longer download and install things like compatibility packs for Word when setting up a replacement PC. I searched and read and finally settled on the LibreOffice suite. I don't have a need for the database portion any more, but the writer and calc (spreadsheet) apps work flawlessly and are much more compatible with the different document formats we have from over the years and the different formats friends and family send us. We're running LibreOffice on both of our laptops and are very happy with it. Rob

We have done the tour at Jojoba (twice) and are on the list there. We did not get the impression either time that they were trying to "weed out the Riff-Raff" nor doing a "hard sell and close." Although there is an element of "sell" in the tour in that they want you to know about everything the park offers (it's not all on the web site), it's not like a used car experience at all. Rob

Schwintek is a Lippert (LCI) product. https://www.lci1.com/slide-outs Rob

You are correct - my bad. It is a US Highway. It is largely two-lane but an excellent road surface. The Mountain Directory shows no steep grades, etc. Rob

I-95 is an Interstate highway... what's your question? (BTW, it's spelled "Sequim" even if it's pronounced "Squim.") Rob

Pure ignorance.

We're on the list at Evergreen Coho in Chimacum, WA, and Jojoba Hills in Aguanga, CA. We've stayed at a number of the other co-op parks, but these parks were the best fit for us. Everyone's needs and tastes are different. Rob

We have the Vision S installed with the power connected to the top center running light on the back of the fiver. When the running lights are on, the camera is on. We've also not had any issues with the signal dropping on a 35 (previously 36) foot fifth wheel with a long-bed, crew cab truck. Rob

We spent last year out west (PNW, CA, winter in NM) but came east in February for our medical appointments and to pick up a new RV. The week after we moved into the new rig - and a week before we planned to start rolling up the east coast toward grandkids - our destinations started calling to cancel. We were fortunate to grab a nice spot with big shade trees on the east and west sides of our space here in Augusta, GA. This would not have been possible had the Masters golf tournament not been postponed. The parks in the area are in the practice of kicking everyone out during the Masters and tripling the rates. This year, they're happy to have those of us who need a place to hunker down. Rob

Not really. We go by GCVWR of the tow vehicle, the payload capacity of the TV, the tongue/pin weight of the trailer, axle and tire capacities, GVWR of the trailer, etc. Rob

Sounds like you have put a lot of thought into this. We have met quite a few single people - including women - full-timing in smaller class C motorhomes. Your problem there would be not having a smaller vehicle to run around in unless you pulled a car - which increases the cost to set up and your full-size Sierra may not be the best match for a tow'd with a smaller class C. chirakawa's suggestion for an "egg" type fiberglass travel trailer like the Casita, Scamp, etc. is good - but also comes with some drawbacks. They are extremely cramped, have minimal storage space (although you have space in the back of your truck), and usually have wet baths. Behind door #3 we have the smaller "normal" travel trailer (20 - 25'). Advantages over the fiberglass egg would include a dry bath, more storage space, a real kitchen, etc. There's usually a dinette that makes into a bed so your daughter would have a place to sleep other than in your bed if so desired. A regular travel trailer is no harder to back up than a Casita. In fact, tiny trailers like Casitas can be more difficult due to the short wheelbase. There are a couple of things to think about that might help ease some of your concerns about going this route, too: When you find a travel trailer that suits your needs and looks to be in good shape (and is a good deal), find a reputable mobile certified RV technician who is willing to come do a complete inspection on the trailer for you. It will cost you $100 - $150, most likely, but is money well-spent. If he/she finds issues that need addressing, you can choose to walk away from the deal or get a quote from the technician for repair and negotiate the price of the RV down by that amount. Check out a product called LevelMatePRO (you can order them on Amazon). This is a digital leveling device that interfaces with your smartphone via Bluetooth. Once mounted in the trailer and calibrated (using a carpenter's level), you can sit in your truck and pull the trailer up on some Beech-Lane or Anderson levelers until it is level side-to-side. You then chock the wheels, unhitch, and use the LevelMatePRO to adjust the tongue tack until the trailer is level front-to-back. I leveled our previous travel trailer and then our previous 36' fifth wheel this way by myself for about seven years. It took me less than 10 minutes once I got used to the routine. Just some thoughts... Rob

Apples and oranges. The OP is talking about DNS (either from LA or New York, usually) and you're talking about getting the locals for where you are. Rob

It's not about pulling/towing capacity - it's about payload. The Rockwood 2608BS has a GVWR of 8,796 lbs. That means it will put about 1,050 lbs. on the tongue (loaded hitch weight that goes on the truck). You will need a truck with enough payload capacity left over after you subtract fuel, passengers, "stuff," and about 100 lbs. for a good weight-distributing hitch. Then you can start thinking about the powertrain and what the truck will pull. There are many good threads on this and other forums on the topic. Search for terms like "payload," "GVWR," "capacity" and "tow vehicle" combined in the same thread(s). There's a lot more to it than a simple answer to a simple question.- but I'm glad you bought the trailer first and then asked about a tow vehicle. Rob

Could you stay six feet away from someone while you give them a tattoo or do their hair or nails? My arms aren't that long. Rob

Jojoba Hills at Aguanga is closed to non-co-op members at this time. Rob

UPDATE: We've been in our new Solitude about seven weeks now. The only issue found during PDI was a drawer slide (on the pull-out ottoman under the bed) that needed adjustment. A few weeks after we took delivery, we returned to the dealer to have a washer and dryer installed (driven by the pandemic and a desire to avoid laundromats). Everything else has been close to flawless. We're SO happy with the insulated windows and all the glass in this floor plan. The Coleman Mach ACs are much quieter than the Dometics in our Reflection. We're very happy with the materials used and the workmanship is good. We were so fortunate to take delivery and move in before everything shut down! Rob

Yes - including tattoo and nail parlors. We're hunkered down in Georgia and will now have to consider everyone suspect again... Rob

Yes. And no on the money - usually only a few hundred more (between 3/4 and 1-ton with the same engine). Rob

Started out with a Sierra 2500HD with the Durmax and Allison... loved it. Moved to an F350 with the PowerStroke (to get a 1-ton with dual rear wheels)... love it. Brother-in-law has a brand new RAM 3500 DRW with the Cummins and Aisin... loves it. Bottom line, if you stick with the later model trucks, they're all great for towing RVs. The only thing I would say - and this is just my opinion - a 3/4-ton truck with a diesel drivetrain is a cripple due to the low payload. I owned one. Go for at least a single rear wheel 1-ton whichever brand you get. Maintain it well, put clean fuel in it and change the fuel filters religiously, and you will be happy for decades. Rob

The Samsung residential frig in our new Solitude came with one of these on it: Frig door lock on Amazon The refrigerator is an 18 cu. ft. model with French doors on top and freezer on bottom. This lock takes care of the French doors and the freezer drawer locks on its own - you have to pull up on the handle to unlock it and pull it out. Rob

This is true. We still have our Pilot/Good Sam card for when the only thing around is a Pilot. The discount is not nearly as good as the TSD card at other truck stops, though, so we stop elsewhere when possible. Rob

"Martian." Why would you ask this question?

Our son and daughter-in-law are both veterinarians (internal medicine and oncology, respectively) in Cincinnati. Their hospital has started doing the same thing (a vet tech in full PPE takes the animal from the owner outside). They are also starting some tele-medicine visits. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 antibodies have been identified in at least one dog somewhere, indicating that dogs can react to and, therefore, possibly transmit the virus. Not enough data, yet, to tell. Rob