bruce t

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!!!!!

In these days of PC and discrimination actions what's the odds of the 10 year rule standing up in a court? Just saying.

And what if I owned a 1999 Prevost conversion?

We need a definition of homeless. Remember for some living in an RV is a 'choice'. For others it's a necessity. This is not a new 'problem'. Talk to folks who lived through the 1930's. The media and in particular social media make it more of an issue that we are all aware of. The answer is ?

Back in the 1990's we went out to camp at 'The Slab'. Boy was that an eye opener. Now there may have been some nice folks there but they sure didn't present that way. It's not just RVs. Drive through most towns and cites and there are places you just keep driving. It's how society is. Always has been and always will be. We once camped in a state park and they put us beside the oldest, cheapest looking small 5th wheeler one could imagine. Turned out to be one of the nicest elderly couple god could put on earth. (As a side note she wanted to go fulltime. He didn't. So he bough a 'cheap' RV thinking it would put his wife off. It didn't. But it did give him plenty of things to do fixing things up). RV I started my working life living in a boarding house. What a mix of characters. Accountants, school teachers, drunks and everything in between. But that boarding house taught me tolerance. The drunks were nice guys. When sober and drunk. Some of the teachers and accountants weren't so nice. The land lady bought out the fire hose on occasion and quickly sorted out any disputes!! Breakfast and evening meal was provided. Everyone had to be at the dining table on time to get their meal. Everyone was made to thank the lord for the food before anyone picked up a knife or fork. Mrs Jones anyways had her thumb in the bowl of soup! And was capable of clipping the cheeky ones behind the ear. I could write a book on my year or three in that boarding house. But we survived. I agree. Bring back the boarding house. Boarding houses are one of life's best teachers.

If anyone has some time on their hands try Googling 'van life YouTube'. There's a whole world of folks out there living in small vans. Dry camping in all sorts of locations. I've watch dozens of them in envy. Some are down on their luck. But most are living the lifestyle by choice for many many reasons. Here's a 'girl' that is a pro photographer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_p31M_EXLM These guys are way ahead with their self sufficiency in many respects. Something that will filter through to larger RVs. I think we all need to be very careful about how we judge others.

The RV society is no different to all segments of society. There's a mix of all sorts of folks. Pre judging is a dangerous game. Being alert isn't. I've met some real PITA in the high end resorts. And in the worst campgrounds. But Ive met way more nice people than bad people.

Learning for "new experience" may be to late!

When I was a kid way back in the 1950-60's we read all about cars that would follow the line in the road. The images showed families playing cards while ignoring the road. Here we are almost 70 years later and still waiting. Still no where near that prediction. Still no hover cars. Still no helicopter parking spaces at Wal-Mart. EVs still only count for a very very small percentage of the market despite years of predictions. AI cars? They will never be more clever than humans simply because they rely on humans to make them. And we know humans aren't perfect and humans will never foresee every possible scenario to program into the AI car. It's ok to dream. It's great to encourage innovation and development. But we all need to keep it all in perspective. Since the ICE replaced the horse there has only been an evolution of vehicles. Not a revolution. My prediction is that we will all be worm food before those 1950's dreams become a reality. If ever.

RV when you stoop to calling someone a luddite because they have an opinion that you don't agree with you are simply showing your arrogance and self opinionated view of your own very small world. When will you ever accept that it maybe, just maybe, a fact that you aren't always right? I'm sure I'm not the only one sick of hearing about all your toys. I certain am. Moderator. Delete if you feel me telling RV some home truth is inappropriate. I just get tired of all the lecturing.

The underlying flaw for many drivers is their refusal to believe they aren't the best driver on the road. I've been driving for 50+ years without an accident. Good driving or luck? When you are driving YOU are responsible for not just your life but everyone else on the road. Just one distraction trying to "multi task" can destroy not just your life but that of many others. I've picked body parts up off the road. I've had someone die in my arms while trapped behind the wheel. I could name a few other incidence. You owe it to everyone to ignore your phone. Forget the big information screen that begs for your attention. Your not superman. You may think so but you're not.

When anyone bans the use of phones while driving I'll take speed enforcement seriously. (FWIW here in Australia phone use while driving is almost a hanging offense). How many of those slow drivers are reading or texting?

Depends on how you define "cool".

But "the clever poeple" did build along the river in Yellowstone?

That fact is that us 'smart' humans are dumb. Mother Nature took millions of years to create what we see today. And us 'smart' humans expect everything to stay the same. Yellowstone is nothing like the explorers seen on their first visit. Then along came white man and tried to exploit Mother Natures work. Humans still haven't learnt the lesson. So what's the answer? Lock it up and let Mother Nature take control again? Oh the outrage. Or let humans in and try to 'control' Mother Nature? Oh the outrage when something happens. How did the song go? "Do don't know what we got till it's gone". There is no one answer.

Approx 60000 folks went to the Glasgow climate summit. It's an industry supported mostly by government funds. Some years back I lived in a small town that was divided by a river. That river had a half mile wide flood plain. When white man settled the area the local aboriginals told them not to build on the flood plain. They did anyway. A few years later the town was washed away and many died. So what did the clever white men do? They rebuilt on the flood plain. Again they were washed away and again many died. The town was rebuilt on the higher banks the third time. My point? My point is that these events have been happening for eons. It's so called 'clever' people who ignore history and think that they can freeze us in a time warp. Believe in climate science, any climate science, if you may. But don't expect anything man does will change constant change. Some folks think they can stop change and that's simply not true.

Re fuel consumption. We had a 2013 RAM 1500 5.7. On the flat it would get me about 19mpg at the posted speeds. (US Highways). But in rolling country is would get me 21-22mpg. Go figure. I'm a great believer in driving style being the critical element in fuel consumption. Get that consistent and you can help negate much of the fuel price issues.

What we once called natural erosion is now called what? Should we humans be allowed to build big expensive houses on the Outer Banks? Should we be allowed to build in forests? Humans have been trying to tame Mother Nature for centuries but my money is on Mother Nature every time. Humans aren't as smart as we think we are. Now consider why Yellowstone is what it is and why it's there. So is change any quicker now than it was a 1000 years ago? A million years ago? Or just before man started recording events? Accept change just like wrinkles in the mirror change is inevitable.

Mother Nature has been changing the landscape for millions of years. Humans just want it to stay the same forever!

Unless you throw in an under or over supply situation. Demand can be high with a huge inventory and discounting to move that inventory.

You have taken my comment out of context.

Yes that may be true for the USA but how does it account for similar issues all around the world? Covid is/was an issue but the middle east still has plenty of oil. The USA isn't the only place that has refineries. The shortage of chips may well be an issue for new cars but that's only one factor in the high inflation and increasing interest rates. Here in Australia we have a 3.9% unemployment rate which is limiting all sorts of things simply because nothing can get done. Seasonal crops are rotting because of a lack of workers. Inflation is now 5%. So you see no one answer fits a world wide problem. International shipping is one key. There are many others. But meddling and point scoring by politicians is the core problem. Ideology is the number one reason the world is where it is. Be it Putin's 'ideology' or climate 'ideology' plus any number of other factors. The media is obsessed with the DC riots instead of holding politicians feet to the fire for what is happening now instead of what happened in the past and can't be undone. Navel gazing wont solve any problems. But it does sell headlines. Back to RVing.

It's all a blame game. Politicians now have the Ukraine to blame for everything. Just look at the data and see it was all happening before Russia invaded the Ukraine. Don't give a politician, any politician, any excuse to blame something they are themselves responsible for. Politicians should get out of interfering in the commercial markets and get back to playing with public policies. Their mates in the media should also take a responsibility pill and report the real facts and not just selective bits and pieces. Look at where the USA gets its oil from and what currency it's paid for with. Then tell me how the Russians have stopped drilling in the USA and whether they are using US dollars to do it. The politicians and the oil companies are gaming the current situation. And it's not just in the USA. Here in Australia we now have power shortages. "Oh it's the Russians that have caused it". BS. Australia it a power rich country that refuses to use its own coal and gas. WHY? Because politicians are hell bent on scoring points and not worried about the average Joe who can't afford commodities that their high pay can. "Hey man it's time to jump in the Kombi van and head to the capital to start the new revolution!!". Hmmm. It's great to be a grumpy old man. But 'old' means I've seen it all before. Who sold their big V8 and traded it for a 4 pot back in 1972? See what I mean?

What's wrong with everyone worrying about their own driving and less worrying about what others are doing. Let the police worry about who is doing the wrong thing. It's all about awareness. Those big shinny things called mirrors are your best friends. Keep below the maximum speed limit as well as what your rig is capable of. And don't be a road block. Don't get all upset because a Prevost passed you doing 90mph. Don't worry about pop pulling the old trailer with his old pickup at 50mph. Just make sure you are doing the right thing and a bit less preaching to those you can't control. Smile. Lifes short. Too short to worry about everyone else's opinion. Be aware and be happy.

I guess some of us remember the early 1970's. Fuel was running out !!! How many folks sold their big V8's and purchased a Toyota? Many of those big V8's went to the scrap yard. Many became collectors items. Maybe we have see this movie before. Question - Why is it that fuel prices go up over night when it suits but come down way slower when it doesn't suit? Just maybe there is some profiteering going on.