Second Chance

This link says the tractor "overturned." The damage could very well be from that and not from hitting something. Rob

VZW lenient? Not a chance. We had a 30GB plan for a long time, though, and could do anything except stream without coming close to using all of our data. (We now have a grandfathered truly unlimited plan on an 8800 Jet Pack.) Rob

... and 600kbps will barely load email. What's your monthly data allowance? VZW has recently come out with some new plans and you might be able to get a lot more data now (though I'm sure you'll pay for it!). Rob

In addition to reading the article in the link Kirk provided, you can read the Escapees Florida domicile guide here: Escapees - Florida Rob

We've been on the list for membership at Evergreen Coho for a couple of years. Spent the summer of 2019 up there and loved it. When we get to the point we don't feel like traveling 100% of the time, we'll do summers at Coho and winters in southern NM (I have family there). We'll fly east to see the grandkids when they don't come out our way. Rob

We're in our second Grand Design fifth wheel (full-timers) and have been happy with both of them. The issue I see for the OP is the combination of "bunkhouse" and "2500 diesel." Our 36' Reflection fifth wheel - a "mid-profile" conventional floorplan - put a little over 3,000 lbs. on the pin. GD's lighter Reflection 150 Series doesn't come in a bunkhouse and the smallest/lightest (regular) Reflection bunkhouse, the 31MB, will put about 2,700 lbs. on the pin when loaded. If their Ram 2500 diesel has that kind of payload (hitch, passengers, etc., included), I would recommend looking at the 31MB. Rob

I agree with the above. If all the bling stays, though, I would like to see it made right. For example... I've been an Escapee and a member of the forum since 2013 with 593 posts (prior to this one - if that number is correct) - yet my label says "Newbie?" The system appears to have no credibility. Rob

I'll second this recommendation. We've used a Pathway X2 with a Wally for six years and are very happy with it. It's possible to add a portable hard drive to the Wally to give it DVR and programming capabilities, too (which we have done). The Pathway X2 will support two receivers, but both sets have to be tuned to channels that are on the same satellite. The portability is why we've stuck with the X2 rather than a Trav'ler on the roof. When we pulled into our current site at a FamCamp on a large Army installation in Georgia, it was obvious the trees were going to be an issue. I had to move the antenna twice to nail the hole in the trees and pick up the satellites - but that would not have been possible with an antenna fixed on the roof. The X2 is superior to the other Dish automatic portable antennas because it has the largest reflector and therefore the strongest signals. The MyDish app for smartphones makes it very easy to change our location as we move around so we get the local channels for whichever market we're in. No more calling customer service and waiting on the phone! Rob

Good question, Kirk - and I should have clarified. We have a chase car that Laura drives behind on RV travel/moving days, so I'm just thinking of the actual miles on the truck/RV. The truck is a dedicated tow vehicle except for the occasional utilitarian run. The car gets quite a few more miles put on it sightseeing, shopping, and - this past year - running back and forth between Aberdeen, MD, and Richmond, VA, helping with my 90-year-old mother-in-law who just passed away. The fact that she's gone now and the pandemic situation is changing is why we can get back on the road. Rob

Laura and I are talking about what our patterns and travels might look like over the next few years. As part of a discussion about whether or not it made sense to fly or to pull the rig across the continent for a relatively short stay (two months or less) to visit grandkids twice a year, she wanted to know how many miles the average full-timers tow their trailer or drive their motorhome each year. I told her that asking that question probably wasn't going to yield much useable information because there are so many ways people full-time: travel/change locations regularly, move regularly for work (if still working), snowbird, settle into an SKP co-op park (or similar) with occasional forays (or not), do volunteer gigs where they stay a month or longer in several places, etc. So, with all that said, consider the question asked, please. How many miles per year do you average? Rob (please don't shoot the messenger)

I just did a test run without any issues. I noticed on the home page that the page was updated today... perhaps they had an issue that they fixed. Rob

Grand Design is starting to use Insignia in their units, too. Rob

I have used it a number of times over the years with very good results. I try to write reviews to keep the site current. Rob

Our daughter and her family flew to California from Maryland and rented a Cruise America class C in April. It may have just been that particular franchise (Sacramento), but they had a horrible experience with the RV. It was dumpster filthy. When they showered, the water ran across the floor and out the main door. The city water fill fitting was cracked and sprayed all over the place and the stinky slinky had cracks in it and leaked. The brakes were very soft and the steering very loose (our son-in-law is a commercial pilot and quite capable of assessing these things).The owner of the franchise couldn't have cared less and was extremely ugly and rude. Rob

I'll second (third?) the Mountain Directory. Have both east and west editions and use them all the time. It's not the grades that scare me, though - it's cliffs and big drop-offs. Ever meet an acrophobic pilot? (Doesn't bother me in an aircraft.) Rob

If you search this (or any other RV) forum, you'll find lots of threads on mattresses. This business has an excellent reputation in the RV community, as well: Mattress Insider Rob

There is a piece of equipment called the Automated Safety Hitch that does just what you describe. However, as mentioned, you would be over the legal length in many states and that bus won't have the power to pull a fifth wheel of any size up any kind of a grade. Rob

I'm sure you're right... but 50+ years is a long time!😄 Rob

You're right! I thought I remembered a raised engine box at the back. Rob

Yes - but there was limited "flat" space with the engine rise in the rear. Rob

In 1969 my grandparents lived in a small house up Cedar Creek Canyon just outside Ruidoso, NM. My parents, sisters and I were visiting them that summer along with an old friend of theirs, Felicitas Duarte. Felicitas happened to be the secretary to our senior senator who, a few years later, would become a member of the Senate Watergate Committee. Several of us were sitting at a picnic table on the breezeway between the house and guest house after supper while my younger sisters made s'mores on the coals left on the grille. My grandparents had been telling Felicitas about the problems they'd been having with the bears knocking over the trash cans, tearing up the cushions on the glider and chairs out front, and generally making messes. Felicitas wasn't believing it. All of a sudden, I looked to my right to see a bear's nose on the picnic table between my right elbow and Felicitas (she was seated at the end of the table and I was on the corner). I guess the bear had smelled the hamburgers or s'mores and, in the darkness, had come up the steep creek bed behind the house. Felicitas immediately started saying - rather loudly - "I believe! I believe" and crossing herself. My grandfather, who was suffering from arthritis and cancer that had metastasized to his lower spine, came out of the kitchen door and chased the bear away with a flyswatter. Afterward we joked about not being sure whether Felicitas was re-professing her faith in Jesus or finally believed the bear stories... perhaps both.🙂

We have also used an external hard drive on a Wally for over 5-1/2 years and 40K miles without any issues at all. I hadn't thought about unplugging the receiver since our entertainment center is also on the inverter... thanks, Ken! Rob

Try a campground locator like RVParky and then your carrier's coverage map. The close you are to a town and not up in the mountains, the better your chances are. We have Verizon and their map/locator is here (you can enter the specific address of the park you're considering): Verizon coverage map/locator. Rob

Thanks for posting, Gary. Rob

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