bruce t

A couple of links that may be worth considering. Australia has AEMO. They are the electricity boffins who run the system. https://www.aemo.com.au/Energy-systems/Electricity/National-Electricity-Market-NEM/Data-NEM/Data-Dashboard-NEM Note the wind and solar figures. (This is a live dashboard). Keep an eye on them. Make sure you have a look at 6pm eastern standard time in Australia. (Australia's east coast currently is having high wind/gales). When the sun has set and the wind has died down. Re coal no longer being 'reliable'. Be aware that coal has been 'forced' out of our market by regulations and politics. We have coal trains rolling by coal power station on their way to export coal to the likes of China. We can export it but not use it!!! Be aware of the reporting you are reading. The second link is an interesting read. Draw your own conclusions. https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2022-09-03/electric-vehicle-what-it-is-like-driving-across-australia/101390376 Consider this. In 2016 the state of South Australia had a total blackout. The wind towers shut down due to high wind! It was a bad solar day. The inter connector from the neighbouring state failed. Along came Elon Musk on his white steed and offered South Australia a FREE battery system. The deal was done. It was a secret deal. Why secret? Anyway the battery was good for 20 minutes by most reports. What wasn't reported in the media is that South Australia installed some huge diesel powered back up generators. Oh and a gas fired power station. But hey they are green and leading the world. The fact that they have the highest power prices in the world seems to have been ignored by many. Welcome to the future.

I have an opinion on EVs that I will keep to myself. BUT. But here's something to think about. If mental maths, (maths is English not American math 😀), isn't your strong point then simply use a pencil on the back of a napkin. Something those promoting EV's wont do. According to Mr Google. 290 million vehicles on USA's roads. 5.4 million Hybrids. 1.4 million EV's. As at 2022 and not taking into account any market growth. The USA sells 15 million new vehicles a year. Again 2021 figures and not taking into account any growth. To replace the 290 million ICE's with EV's will take just over 19 years, 2041, if ALL sales of ICE's stopped tomorrow. Hit a brick wall type of stop. (You also need to address what happens to those ICEs. And what you do about those folks who can't afford an EV). Now that can't be done because there isn't the factories to build all the EVs. So add 10 years for planing and construction. You don't design a new vehicle in just a couple of years so EV design will also need to be taken into consideration. Now consider where the materials for the batteries will come from. Nickle is the main component. Has the USA got enough nickle? My information is that forget lithium, nickle will be the problem. There's not enough nickle in the world to make all the EV batteries. I'll ignore political and supply issues. Now on the back of your napkin use the pencil to calculate how much power will be needed to charge 300+ million EVs each night. Where's that power coming from? Not solar? It's night after all. Maybe wind? If the wind is blowing. Batteries? Go back to my point about where the batteries are coming from. These are all the question that should be addressed. Not "how far or how much an EV can go or tow. FWIW in Australia EV's make up just 0.14% of the market. Good luck with the other 99+%. Utopia is still just a dream by many of those who dream without the use of a napkin and pencil.

FWIW here in Australia the results of a new survey have just been released. (Survey was about teens v the elderly). The survey found that 75% of those over the age of 70 considered they were simply in God's waiting room. Only 25% had a positive outlook for their coming years. The survey was looking at the mental consequences of the Covid lock downs. Teens suffered just as much as the ederly from social isolation. They paired teens with the elderly and found teens realised that the elderly weren't just grumpy old farts. The elderly got a new lease of life from the teens energy. I'm waffling! But my point is that regardless of age and your GPS attitude towards those of us over 70 it's YOUR attitude that counts. A few weeks back I walked out on my GP when he said that because I was over 70 I had to live with my ailments. F#$$@ him. I found a new GP. But I hate to admit it. He was partly right. As old farts we do need to accept that our bits and pieces don't work like they once did. But we do have the right to make that decision and not have someone else tell us what we can or can't be treated for.

The only 'green' folks I know of are from Mars. And last I heard they can't enter the country with out their Covid vaccinations! But seriously, being aware of your surroundings is the key. There's a better chance of vandalism on ANY vehicle if it's parked in the 'wrong' area.

FWIW our Country Coach had electric dump valves. Pulled into an RV 'resort' and first thing I tried to do was to dump the black tank. Valve wouldn't open. Hmmmm? Only way to fix the issue was to remove the valve. But with half a tank of @#$@ behind that valve it wasn't going to be pretty. But I held my breath. Got a couple of buckets and a hose. I undid the screws VERY SLOWLY and let it out a bit by bit. Down the sewage hole a few times and I got MOST of it disposed of. But I still got half a bucket of the stuff in the bottom of the basement compartment. Turns out the valve was fine. Just some paper stuck in it. Re assembled and it worked fine. Yup it smelt. Yup it made a mess. Yup I guess much of it was mine!!! But the thing is it's a part of who we are. Humans and humans make waste. No big deal. Just get on with it. Wash up afterwards and put it down to one of life's fun jobs. Mind you marrying a farm girl and milking cows that have no manners helps.

Years ago we had friends with a dolly. UNTIL! Until one day they came across a narrow bridge and realised the dolly was wider than their A Class. BOOM. The dolly hit the side of the bridge. Not a pretty picture. We had camped with them in a state park a few days earlier. No parking for the dolly. I helped him drag his dolly from a nearby clearing not realising he had a heart condition! Dollies IMHO are a PITA. Consider a good used older car. Plenty out their. Much cheaper. 4 wheels down. And not a big deal if they get a few stone chips. We purchased a used HHR from Budget rentals. That car served us well and cost us very little to buy and set up. Never stressed over it getting covered in grit, snow and road grime.

Have a look at your roof vents. Venturi affects as you drive is meant to draw out not in. Your roof vents may be blocked or not working. Also do you travel with any roof vents or windows open? The stink may come out your roof vent just to be sucked back in through an open vent. Close everything and pop a dash vent open to give your rig positive pressure as you travel. FWIW we have friends would had a half million dollar motorhome. It smelt terrible inside. They simply could not find the cause. So in the end it got so bad they sold their rig.

Ok I'm old enough to remember the travelling merchant. Old truck. When the guy opened the rear doors a whole world of goodies were on display. He visited about twice a year. Boy was that an exciting day in the life of a small boy. Mind you in them days the milkman delivered the milk in a can with a lid. The baker jogged to the front door with his big basket of bread. If we were lucky we would retrieve the milk and bread from the front door step before the cats and birds arrived! But neither milk nor bread would last as we had no refrigeration. Come to think of it we had no electricity. When I tell my daughter these things she rolls her eyes. The grandkids just wonder what I have been smoking. I won't even mention the long drop at the far end of the yard or the night cart who came around once a week to clean it out. Good ol days! Why do we complain about what we now have and not about what we no longer have?

One of the benefits of malls is the weather. Be is snow or heat you can park and once in side it's a climate controlled environment. Just a comment/note. We spent 8 years in the USA. US malls aren't what they once were. You can fire a shot gun in most malls now days and not hit anyone. (No I'm not advocating anyone try). Without the likes of Macys and JC Penny the malls wouldn't exit. Here in Australia a mall can be a nightmare to find a park and a nightmare to elbow your way around. Big malls are still top of the feeding chain. Why? No idea but my guess is that most Americans prefer the box store model.

We converted a coach a few years back. I would advise addressing all your plumbing issues first. Electricity will go up hill but water won't. So less options for plumbing.

I guess we all generalise. But I think most of us lament the changes in retail. Choice and price has replaced service. Our choice! Just like the blacksmith lamented the change to gasoline. Now to EVs!! I watched a TV show a while back about how Walmart was accused of sending the last USA made TV set manufacturer out of business. RCA. I thought that was 'fact' After all it was on TV so it must have been true. Right? Well I just Googled and found this site. http://www.tvhistory.tv/1960-2000-TVManufacturers.htm Poof, there goes my perception of the 'truth'. What we 'think' and what is 'fact' may not be the same. Mind you can you believe what you read on the internet? Point being that we all look at the world through a pair of glasses that have different lenses in them.

Go for a drive through the many smaller towns that have a Wal-Mart. Drive up and down their "downtown" area. (It doesn't have to be a small town even). Wal-Mart builds out of town and in doing so the old downtown dies. It's not just businesses relocating to out of town to be beside Wal-Mart. It's the fact that "downtown USA" is being destroyed by the new strip malls. The character of our youth was built in and by our "downtown" society. Folks parked their cars and walked. We ran into Mrs Jones and her kids. Mr Smith and his wife. Exchanged gossip. Stopped at the dime store for a soda or shake. Now we want to drive up to the front door. Or worse go through the drive through. Speak to noone and avoid strangers. We want cheap and choice. We want it now. We complain at the smallest blemish because it's our "right" to complain about everything and anything. Sure change happens. But that change isn't always good. WE will complain more when China, AKA, Wal-Mart stops giving us what we want and haven't the industry or capability to understand what WE have done. It's a new world and I don't like it.

Big business makes money by meeting demand. WE demand and they supply. We only have ourselves to blame for the current market situation. We all chase "cheap" and we all want it "now". I made money in the hobby business. Wholesale and retail. Because folks want "cheap" from folks with small overheads customers went to the internet. Hobby stores are almost a faded memory. UNTIL they need help or a repair. Our retail vanished and soon after so did the wholesale. WE are the problem. Remember that next time a local store closes it's doors for the last time and you need some thing.

If anyone can help you it would be PPL in Texas.

I'm sure it's individuals who "think" they know the rules. In our case the Livingston DMV said, and I quote from memory, "the Feds aren't going to tell us what to do". We travelled several times between Livingston and Tyler to the Feds in Tyler. The Feds in Tyler even wrote a letter and gave it to us to give the the Livingston DMV. Nope that never worked. As I said above, we had an insurance agent in Livingston phone the Livingston DMV. As soon as the phone call ended he told us to get our butts up there asap. When we arrived at the DMV they all but threw the license at me. To this day I have no idea what that insurance guy said. But it worked. It is very dangerous to simply say "do this and do that". So many variables.

Linda there are a number of 'what if's'. But I was putting up the 'simple' solution. Such as, the USA is a member of a group of countries that recognize each others driving licenses. Likewise with the 'visa waiver program'. There are all sorts of treaties between various countries. Long story but the short version !!! - years ago I started a war between the feds and the Texas state DMV in Livingston. The DMV insisted I needed a SSN to get a Texas license. The feds said no it was illegal for anyone to withhold goods or services based on no SSN. (There were some exceptions). I got a letter from the feds. The DMV refused to acknowledge the letter. The short version is that an insurance guy in Livingston made a phone call to Livingston DMV. The result was I had to be at the DMV within 15 minutes. They gave me my Texas driving license. I never found out what was said but the DMV wasn't happy. My point is that no two foreigners will have the same path to RVing the USA. But I encourage them to keep it simply and enjoy the experience. Unless you go through it it's hard to get a 100% answer to the OPs question.

We are Australian who have owned 5 vehicles in the USA. Join SKPs. Get an address as SKPs. Find a vehicle and get insurance for it. I would suggest buying in Texas to make it easier. Hit the road and have fun. Don't over think it.

I'm sure we can 'blame' the internet. I'm serious. Back in 1996-7 when I joined the Escapees I 'needed' an address. There was no internet as such in them day to find RVing answers. The Escapees and Livingston offered a home base. Now days an internet search will find the answers and lots of options for an address etc. Folks simply don't need clubs to enjoy RVing like we once did. The social aspect has also changed. Being about 'me' is more important than being about the 'group'. Here in Australia the CMCA was the largest RV club in the southern hemisphere. It catered just for motorhomes and campervans. Much like the FMCA. Plus getting RV insurance was very difficult. The CMCA had its own insurance scheme. So joining became a 'must' just to get your insurance. There were also chapters where folks had 'fun'. Social bonding. Then other insurance companies came along and offered insurance. Tick off those members. Chapters became a liability issue. Tick of chapters. The me generation wanted their 'isolation'. Tick off the younger members. Add to that the change in regulations. The CMCA worked hard to legalise 'free' camping. Not just for members but for everyone. Now add all the above up and ask "why would you want to be in a club". But there's more. As pointed out above. Clubs, the CMCA included, became more interested in turning a profit. They have lost sight of why they were formed in the first place. When I was a director of the CMCA everything was about the members. Now it's all about lobbying and building up the bank account. The answer/s? No idea. But clubs need to become relevant again.

Just wondering why it is that RV clubs are no longer 'popular'. We joined Escapees way back in 1996. We joined the Australian CMCA back in about 1998. The FMCA back in 1995. Good Sams about the same time. In those days everyone wanted to be in a club. Rallies were so popular you could miss out on getting a site at one. Now it seems 'clubs', (the definition of a 'club' is a bit loose), are no longer being supported. This forum may well be an indicator of the trend. I see the same handful of folks posting all the time. I was a director for the Australian CMCA. We had about 100000 members. Now the club has less membership. Everyone wanted to be a member of the CMCA. I'm lead to believe that the FMCA is also a shadow of it's self. I don't follow Good Sams so I can't tell if they are also shrinking. My guess is that Escapees falls into the same trend. Yet we now see a HUGE demand for RVs. More RVs on the roads and taking up sites at campgrounds. So why aren't they members of a club? Why aren't the clubs growing? So thoughts on RV clubs and what has happened? Will RV clubs be around in 10 years?

Kirk you have a deal. Just don't make it in summer. Our summer!

Age has a way of ringing the reality bell. We sold our 40ft DP and now have a 20ft van conversion. And the reality is that we find the van conversion just as much 'fun'. But health issues now limit my travel. Now I'm 'scared' to go too far away from my health specialists. I had acute multiple PE's. They gave me a 40% chance of leaving hospital. And yes I did see God while in hospital. I lost 30% of my lung capacity. Walking a few 100 yards now is a real effort. The PE's caused acute hypoxia. The hypoxia caused other issues. I now have chronic migraine and cluster headaches. Real fun. NOT. The body has all but given up. But not my brain. BUT I still dream of being on the road. That dream and the memories we have out weighs all the health issues. Life goes on. While RVing in all of our lives must, at sometime, end it's not the end of life. Most folks never know the joy that RVing brings. Yet they still manage to enjoy life. Accept the end of RVing as simply the end of one stage of your life and the beginning of the next stage.

We are meant to believe that new technology is good. Life is all about the next new 'thing'. Well I hate my new mobile phone. It's smarter than me! I hate vehicles that tell me to keep to the centre of my lane while I try to avoid the pot holes. I hate cars that can't be fixed by the neighbours kid. Is life so much better with all this technology? I would love a 57 Chevy as a toad. Maybe an old A model Ford. Forget the new SUV with all the whizzbang stuff and tow something that puts a smile on your face and enjoy life.

Maybe RVers will simply have to put up with older vehicles behind their shiny new DP!!!!

What has happened? Is flat towing becoming less popular? Or are the likes of Remco worried about warranty/legal issues with the manufacturers?

Call me dumb if you like but I haven't seen or read any blatantly political post on this thread. Different opinion sure but not any sort of blame game. Maybe I just have a thick skin and don't read between the lines!!!!!