gjhunter01

I had a rim crack on my 2008 Cameo and my solution was to buy by 2 new rims that were close but not a perfect match (I searched all over for months looking for an exact match). The rims are both on one side of the camper and no one knows the difference. My dad once said that you only need 2 matching hub caps, you can't see both sides of the vehicle at the same time!

14 hours ago, Kirk W said:

We visited Goliad SP several times and one should make sure to visit the Presidio La Bahía as well because it is very closeby and is a key part of the story. Goliad has quite a number of historic sites that are worth your time to visit.

There was a long term RV volunteer couple there (Ginny and Ernest) whom had done extensive research on the Presidio La Bahia. If they are still active and available there, they can give you a personal tour which was usually not open to the public.

On 10/15/2022 at 8:32 AM, Arnwrkr said:

  I'm proud to say I have secured positions at Goliad State Park in Texas for this winter 

We too have been volunteering FT for the last 10 years and are now getting off the road (mostly due to grandchild). We volunteered at Goliad SP 4 years ago and really enjoyed that experience. If you have bikes, it is a nice ride into town, the March wildflower bloom can be spectacular and don't miss the Goliad massacre event put on by the SP park in late March. You can even volunteer and be part of the event. We did maintenance there and they were always looking for tour guides for the fort and out buildings. The only bad part was the closing of the gates at 10 PM which can be a PITA due to lateness and dark. We also did bathroom checks which was OK for us. They did supply a pickup truck to drive in the park.

How can you be sure that you got sick from exposure to this one person? As long as you have been vaccinated, then you have done your best to prevent having severe covid consequences. Being ill is alot better result than the 1 mil+ covid victims that did not survive. There is no law that says other people have to be vaccinated, it's still a personal choice.

The Trow Tree farm from Michigan is looking for some couples to manage/sell christmas trees in the Dallas/Fort Worth area this 2022 season. The time frame is mid Nov to a couple of days before Christmas. Email trowbridge_78 for more info.

The leaf clamps are for shipping and installation to keep the leafs parallel. They are not needed after installation. 

I have wire brushed cleaned my springs and brush painted them satin black which looks nicer. On occasion I have even oiled the leafs which helps them run quieter and maybe last longer. (no evidence, just theory)

On 9/5/2022 at 10:23 PM, Dutch_12078 said:

Yet on duty police car caused crashes make headlines only because they are so rare. Are all LEO's perfect drivers? Of course not, but overall I think you would find they have excellent driving records on a per mile basis when compared to the general public.

Actually the general public distracted driving crashes is statistically pretty low for general miles driven. Like most of the driving public, I am too guilty of distracted driving and like most having an accident is rare. Also, most career truck drivers log many more miles than any LEO, so by rights they should also be exempt from distracted driving laws. 

8 hours ago, Dutch_12078 said:

How many police academy high speed driving courses have you attended?

Distracted driving means you are not paying attention to the driving. No driving course can make a safe driver while they are being distracted by using a cell phone or computer. That is a basic teaching message in any defensive driving course. Cops are not super human drivers and they should not be exempt to use cell phones and computers while driving. They are being dangerous to myself and other drivers around them.

2 hours ago, Dutch_12078 said:

The laptop is used for a number of things while underway including data lookups that used to require a radio call to dispatch. Cars equipped with license plate readers for instance, can display near real time information when a stolen plate is spotted. Dispatch can also send call out data such as addresses and background information without sending it over the airwaves. I think that's much safer than the days when the patrol cars often had notepads attached to the steering wheel for jotting down addresses, phone numbers, etc. from radio calls while underway.

I understand the need for cops having this equipment, but why are they allowed to operate a vehicle in a distracted situation. All people are dangerous driving in distracted situations, cops are no different, they are not super human!! Besides that, hands free voice activation technology is available.

8 hours ago, sandsys said:

I have been known to ask passengers to stop talking while I navigate something that requires attention. And when I was driving a group of teenagers, they quickly learned I would pull over to the curb and stop if they got rambunctious. When a couple got loud, I could sometimes hear a third saying, "Guys, she's going to pull over." As you can tell, I do take my driving seriously.  

Linda

I drove school bus for Mission, TX the last 3 winters, in that job I learned to tune out the chatter and just drive. One time a fight broke out on the bus, so I hit the brakes (lucky for me no one got hurt). Sometimes you do what you have to do!

My pet peeve is when I see cops driving while they are talking on their cell phone and they have their lap top in full open position. 

8 hours ago, sandsys said:

Legal does not mean safe. Dave's sister has learned to quickly tell me her husband is driving.

Linda

So where do you go with this concept?? Is talking to a passenger also not safe in your opinion, how about breathing, is that a distraction to driving? LOL

Linda, I'm just playing with you here, not serious, driving does needs to be taken serious.

Show us what the problem is first, then we can help identify solutions. There is alot of expertise here that may help you solve this repair, if help is what you are looking for?

On 8/10/2022 at 4:44 PM, sandsys said:

Wrong. Lots of doctors prescribe it for pain. I know some who take it by prescription.

I refuse to talk to anyone one using a phone while driving, though. I simply hang up if I hear road noise after telling them to a call me when they re parked.

Linda

How do you know that the person is not using hands free speaker phone when driving? That's legal.

As far as smoking pot, last night we could smell the strong odor coming in our RV window, so we turned off the fan and closed the windows. Being a CDL holder and sometimes required to take drug test, I don't even want to be exposed to second hand pot smoke. A case of inconsiderate neighbors!

As a camp host, its rare to have vandalism in a campground, especially against another camper. When you consider the high concentration of people usually present in a campground environment, it would be foolish to attempt vandalism. Now CG bathrooms are a different story!!

Why would someone consider my RV not green friendly?? As a FT for 10 years, my RV's carbon foot print uses many times less energy than a typical house hold with 2 cars and a suburban lawn. Just the energy spent to heat a Northern house cost more than moving my RV house to a warm winter location. A latent benefit to my FT lifestyle is a reduced carbon foot print on this planet.

On 8/20/2022 at 12:40 AM, sandsys said:

Not sure I'd admit that on a public forum.

Linda

On 8/20/2022 at 1:06 AM, 2gypsies said:

Amazing that you would admit this on a forum.  

When returning to TX you have 3 days to get an inspection.

https://www.dps.texas.gov/section/vehicle-inspection/faq/general-inspection#:~:text=Motorist Out-of-State When,will be permitted to register.

I'm just not that paranoid to think that the state of Texas would monitor this/any forum and then place any priority on tracking me down for a inspection violation. If that keeps you awake at night, then by all means get your inspection. My experience shows the inspection requirement to be not highly policed, much like driving 3-5 MPH over a rural speed limit.

We have been Escapee members for the last 8 years and have always claimed we were out of state during our July registration month. During the last 4 years I have not bothered getting inspections done even though we still spent 3-4 winter months in Texas and have never been stopped or checked. I'm not advocating for anyone to break the law, but inspection checks seem to be low priority. If I were to be stopped, I had planned to plead "senior moment" and then go get inspected. This applied to my motorcycle and truck. I left my camper plated in Mich as a permanent plate under my sons registration (shady but so far was good)

I have a Wilson booster for our fifth wheel which I added about 8 years ago, but we have not used it that much in the last 3 years due to better Verizon coverage. The Wilson required a 10 ft horizontal distance and a 30 Ft vertical distance from the outside antenna to the inside antenna. For the outside antenna, I mounted a removable 10' PVC pipe (non lightening conduct) to the pin box and mounted the interior antenna to the floor at the rear of the fifth wheel.

The 1" PVC pipe slips over a 18" vertical rebar welded to the pin box which extends well above the roof line, this gets removed and stored under the FW frame during travels. The cable was threaded through the pin box, then the propane compartment down along the FW frame then up through the rear compartment through a floor vent.

Another option I considered was to add a crank up TV antenna above the front bed room that could be raised with the exterior Wilson antenna. I was not excited to cut a hole in the roof though.

5 hours ago, TXiceman said:

I know nothing of your age or health, but the way we have looked at going back into a house is, why the major expense of a home plus the upkeep and maintenance.  We have switched our planning now toward a small condo-type or garden home as we would still want a small garden.  Maybe even a small house with a small yard...a lot less maintenance and upkeep.  Right now, real estate values are totally nuts and we are planning to just live in the 5er and hopefully the housing bubble will pop, and we will see a much larger inventory of homes.

Ken

We considered that route of going smaller but decided in the opposite direction. We asked our truck owner/operator son what he would do with our inheritance in 20/30 years and he replied he would like to someday own a small farm. So we invested in a piece of farm land and plan to go into corn, bean, wheat farming, and 1980's style equipment with our son as a new write off hobby farm. Our son will build a new house next to us next year and we will be able to spend time with the grandkids and we can help around the farm as much as we want too. In our travels, we have seen too many people retire to the rocking chair and then loose their desire to live. During our FT travels we worked on a couple of farms and discovered grandparents that were still involved with the family farm seemed to enjoy their life the most. That's the life I want, a reason to get out of bed in the morning to feed the chickens, chop fire wood, and help out where I feel like it.

Note: Ken have we met in Custer SP and again in Patagonia AZ?

Kirk - My retirement was to also have the bridge option, but the 08 Delphi bankruptcy took that away. Our plan B became to sell the house, eliminate expenses and workamp to avoid using our savings.

12 hours ago, Kirk W said:

I was actually rather surprised by how much those prices have fallen back from the highs. That may well apply to Glenn since he is building his retirement home. 

Building prices are fluid and they change often. If that flux in prices is a game changer to building a house, then that would be a red flag of being over extended. Concrete prices are ridiculous today, but where will they be next year?? For a modest 2 bedroom 1500 sq/ft house, the builder is estimating $400k+. That don't include any excavating cost which we are doing ourselves, basement, driveway, septic, and landscaping.

1 hour ago, RV_ said:

I totally agree. But age 62 is usually too late to do that. We did that and used sweat equity in just about everything. I planned to have no problem living on my military retirement and SS, and we do.

Our master plan was to FT from 55 to 65, then build a retirement home and slow down to a quieter life style. With forward planning and good luck we were fortunate to have very good health, resources, and ambition to begin our new life. We now plan to be S. Texas snowbirds for the next couple of years. I plan to collect SS at 66.5.

12 hours ago, Kirk W said:

With plywood at any time there is a very wide range in prices as how thick it is and what type it is play a major role. A quick Look at my Lowe's online site and I see plywood from as low as $7.19 for 1/4" sheeting to as much as $89 per sheet for 3/4" red oak. But I do agree that plywood prices have become shocking and like most lumber products, the quality has fallen.

I was quoting the 7/16 OSB plywood. For the barn and house, I needed 165 sheets. The quality appears to be the same plywood as 20 years ago when I built my last pole barn.

As FTers, we really like Walmart stores. No matter where we were at in this country, we could usually find a Walmart near us and it was great to have the familiar brands available and even the store layouts being similar made it easy for us to shop there.

It used to be that local merchandise meant from your small town, now local usually means USA made. If you think about it, someday local merchandise may mean planet "Earth made". Successful marketing is all about expanding sales and territory.

We have turned down many gigs that wanted long term commitments and have also negotiated some shorter lengths. Two months is max for us in volunteer gigs, anything longer is too much like a job and really that should be a job. It takes 1 month to learn most jobs and the second month to enjoy the job. Volunteering is about us experiencing the gig and then moving on, if we were in it to be devoted to the gig, then we would just stay there long term, even year after year which a lot of folks do. But by doing that, you will miss out on the next new (maybe even better) experience.

For AZ, we volunteered at "The Nature Preserve" in Patagonia, AZ and got introduced to birding.

9 hours ago, rbertalotto said:

So we try to buy local.....I just visited my local RV dealer to buy a part for my water heater and possibly. A whole new heater. I have no.problem.paying a few dollars more for something to buy local. The ignighter for the heater is around $8 online...at th he dealer $19.95....The heater is $429 from many online dealers and I can have it in three days. At the dealer $599 and a two week wait!!! I ask checked on solar products. Everything that I knew the online price for was 40 to 50% higher......."Buy local" they say....

I had the same experience a year ago with my failed water heater, a local supplier wanted $100 more and 3 week delivery time. Amazon was less cost and delivered in 3 days. For most items, it just pays to shop around whether online or local, there is no one method fits all. The decision on how to spend your $$ is all up to you. 

When we priced plywood for our house last Dec, it was $17/sheet and when I placed the plywood order in Feb, I pre bought it for $32/sheet. The plywood price then went higher and has now gone back down. At which point do you pull the trigger and just buy?? Concrete is currently $170/yard, oh well!!

Another key is to always live below your income level, "no exception", then you will come out ahead and never have to worry about $$.