Mr. Camper

The surgeon was the boy's father. The boy had been adopted by a gay couple.

Mrs. C. and I have been getting the flu shot for years and haven't had any strain of the flu in as many years. When we turned 65 we began receiving the High Dose which does last longer than the "regular dose" so we get the shot as soon as possible. For this year we received the shot a month ago. The only way to get a case of the flu after the shot is if you contract a different strain which the doctors will tell you is rare, (but it can happen). Another way of catching a mild strain is if you take the live dose which is through the nose. If you don't have underlying health issues you can always take a chance, however if you do have other health issues it would be advisable to get the shot and the high dose shot if you are over 65.

This was posted in General and not only for full-timers.

Heat or no heat, until a vaccine is developed and supported by qualified medical personnel without outside interference, we are staying at home. Too many underlying conditions make it risky to plan any trip outside of our 4+ acres at home. We have several trips planned and once we get the reliable vaccine we can plug in the dates. Until then, Home Sweet Home.

What is important to know here and something that most folks don't know is that approximately 37,000,000 Americans are walking around with CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease) and don't know it. The two leading causes of CKD are diabetes and high blood pressure. However, doctors don't tell their patients about this condition and unless you, the patient know how to look and read your blood labs you won't know about it until the very late stages (usually Stages 4 or 5). The earlier you find out about this the better your chances of slowing the progression of CKD. When something like COVID hits a patient it exacerbates their underlying health issues. The hospitals can usually handle it when someone goes into ESRD (End-Stage Renal Disease) without any prior knowledge or warning and they can surgically place an emergency catheter in the chest to begin dialysis. With so many folks being unaware of having CKD the hospitals became overwhelmed with patients needing emergency dialysis when those patients went from any of the first four stages into Stage 5, which is ESRD. The same goes for those who suffer from hypertension and whether or not it was being held in control by medications, the heart was overtaxed and that causes the other body organs to suffer, ie: the kidneys, lungs, liver, and gallbladder.

Whether or not folks are visiting the RV park for recreational reasons or work related reasons makes absolutely no difference to us. It's just what you have to deal with when you travel for any reason in an RV so we don't have an issue with that. What we have issues with are the RV parks that don't enforce the rules they post. Yes, I understand that some of them have only a few rules and others have a couple of pages worth of them. ENFORCE THEM for everyone staying there! We've been traveling part-time in our RV for about 27 years and some of the biggest rule-breakers that we have seen have been employees of the park. Perhaps folks who full-time don't see this but it has been our observation. Anyway, we still enjoy the time we travel and when we do we only use the park for the utilities including cable, and then usually the evenings and overnight. The rest of the time we are visiting the area.

The ads may work but the products usually don't.

We used to do the same thing, until it looked like Mother Nature had a personal grudge against us and for one whole camping season for us, on getaway day, we had moderate to heavy downpours, that made that uncomfortable to continue doing.

I've seen a lot of "older" adults refusing to wear a mask, not just "younger" ones. Unless "me" means anyone who won't follow the guidelines about wearing a mask and social distancing.

Due to my underlying health conditions my only trips for the foreseeable future are to my various doctors. Until a vaccine, one that the doctors are sure works, is available we won't be traveling anywhere. When that time arrives we are heading south to visit the grandkids. Video chats are great for now, but not as a permanent means to visit.

Thanks for that. When we get to Phoenix do I make a left or a right?

KOA, Good Sam, Coast to Coast, RPI, and Passport America are some that come to mind.

I've been reading the last two pages of this thread and it brought to mind something my grandfather told me many decades ago. "Never argue with a pig. It wastes your time and annoys the pig." For those in charge of this community, why hasn't this particular thread been shut down? Nobody is going to convince anyone else to change their mind.

We canceled an extensive trip this year in late summer/early fall to the southwest and western states. Since I am at high risk we don't plan on going anywhere until there is a vaccine available. The risk is not worth it. We may do all we can but we also can't count of others doing what's right. Against medical advice too many states are opening up too soon and that will only end one way. There is a lot out there about COVID-19 coming back in the fall. I see no evidence of it leaving for it to have a comeback. No state has yet met the guidelines of 14 days of declining cases/deaths. There is no way either of us are willing to take the chance of traveling when the risks are so high.

I believe Norm Crosby would have called this an optical delusion.

How about a few of these: Now would be a good time to pave the roads. Covid-19 has grocery shelves looking like the Cleveland Browns trophy cases. Just read that tonight's Powerball is up to 275 rolls of Angel Soft toilet paper! Many parents are about to discover the teacher was not the problem. 3 hours into homeschooling and 1 is suspended for skipping class and the other one has already been expelled. Homeschooling day 1: wondering how I can get this kid transferred out of my class. Don't know why my fishing buddy is worried about the coronavirus he never catches anything! This is the day dogs have been waiting for. They realize their owners can't leave the house and they get them 24/7. Dogs are rejoicing everywhere. Cats are contemplating suicide. The truth is, it's not so boring at home. But it is interesting that one bag of rice has 7,456 grains and another has 7,489. We are about three weeks away from knowing everyone's true hair color. I wonder if God got so mad about all of our fighting down here that He sent us to our rooms? I've eaten 22 times and taken 13 naps and it's still today!

This is the link to the latest National Park closings from National Parks Traveler. It was just posted a few minutes ago. https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2020/03/coronavirus-and-national-parks-whats-closed

Isn't Texas the state where the Lt. Governor said "in an interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson on March 23, 2020, Patrick stated that he was willing to risk his life from the coronavirus pandemic if it would avoid an economic shutdown, which he stated would negatively impact subsequent generations. Patrick also stated that he thought many grandparents agreed with him on this." How many of you grandparents living in Texas are in agreement with him?

I received my weekly National Parks Traveler edition today and the story there is that the superintendents have been given the authority to close up facilities as necessary. The story was lengthy and you can go to their website for the complete details. Visitor facilities and services across the National Park System began closing Tuesday, hours after park superintendents were given the authority to do what they thought best to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the parks.

I'd like to thank everyone who contributed to this request. We've taken many of the suggestions and added them to our itinerary. However, since the spread of the Coronavirus and my underlying health issues we have had to cancel this and our other trips until such time as it is safer. Again, thanks to all who provided suggestions. Hopefully we will be taking this trip in the future.

Those locations are on our list. If we go, (plan is still not finalized due to COVID-19 issues) we plan on taking in Chiricahua NM, Ft. Bowie NHS, Coronado Nat'l. Mem, Tombstone Courthouse SHP, and the Cochise Stronghold as we cover the AZ Southeast. Thanks for the helpful suggestions.

There is a book available called Camping with the Corps of Engineers. That might be your best bet for having something in hand that will give you the information you are seeking.

We have always used a cover for our TT. We went with a custom cover by ADCO a few years ago. It's held up well and has the zipper access you are looking for. If you go the cheap route the old saying of, "You get what you pay for," will be obvious. Where outside will you be parking the TT when the cover will be on? I ask because it's a lot easier to clean the cover when we remove it than it is to clean it while it's sitting on the TT. Sap and bird waste will be on top of the cover and and a good long handled brush with soap and water and the cover is as good as new. We also cover the roof A/C with a fitted cover before the ADCO goes on. If you have those little gutters on the ends of the TT to redirect the water, use a cut tennis ball to cover the edges before the cover goes on. Nothing lasts forever but we know when this one wears out we will be ordering another.

Many years ago we stayed at Boyd's Campground in Key West. Great location and good service at that time. While it's a small island you really should spend a week there to get the full flavor of that end of the Keys.

I agree with the comments about the Airstream however, I believe you talked about living in it for a long time and wanted something viable for many years. Before you run out to purchase any RV you need to look at the long term feasibility of the floor plan. Hit some RV shows or large dealerships and look over as many as you can and do not buy the first one you like. Imagine yourself living in it day to day and decide if all features work for you. Sleeping, storage, kitchen, bathroom, towability, etc. We had a great TT that was 31 feet in length and until Tropical Storm Debby did damage to it back in 2012. We then purchased a smaller unit, a 27 foot TT with a floor plan that we liked and has proven to be the best choice for us. We tow with a RAM 2500 and it helps with storage in the bed, the RV storage pass-thru, and under bed storage gives us all we need. Closests are good and the bathroom is roomy, the kitchen set-up works well with enough counter space for the things we need. We were able to personalize the living room to fit our needs so we enjoy the time inside on evenings and inclement weather days. Before we made the purchase we must have looked at close to 30 units. The one we bought was about the 20th on the list. After a trip several hours away and two more large dealerships we went back to order #20. One final thing don't look at just the RV. If the dealership is going to be responsible for warranty work, look at them closely. I sat in their waiting room for about an hour and a half while Mrs. C. did some shopping elsewhere and talked to the folks coming in and got their sense of the customer service and knowledgeability of the service staff. Just some other things to consider. Best of luck.