Jinx & Wayne

Why are you so reluctant to go to the state archeologists? Wayne & Jinx 2017 F-350 diesel, dually 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

If caring means protecting preserving the site, the state archeologist is really the only way to go. These folks are professionals with high ethical standards who truly care about sites like the ones you describe. Anyone else is in it for the money. If you want to see black market pot looters devastate the site, go to the newspapers. Site looting is the number one problem in archeology. Wayne & Jinx 2017 F-350 diesel, dually 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

I buy Arizona desert air by the barrel. It is dryer and contains fewer industrial contaminants. The lack of moisture and contaminants reduces corrosion on the inside of the tires and the wheels. Aluminum wheels are particularly susceptible to this sort of damage. I prefer the winter desert air because it is denser. Winter desert air is more expensive because there is a much higher demand for it due to the snowbirds breathing it all up. When you fill the tires with this air in the Northern Hemisphere you should be careful to use a counter clockwise compressor to negate the coriolis effect in mid-latitudes. A clockwise compressor should be used south of the Tropic of Capricorn. Wayne & Jinx 2017 F-350 diesel, dually 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

I worked on an archeological dig while in college. It was an eye opening experience. Site investigation is a complex and technical process. Well intentioned people have attempted to "document" sites with the result of damaging or destroying the archeological record. If it is a true archeological site ANY investigation should be done by professionals. Talk to the state archeologist in the state where it is located. If it is on federal or Indian land, notify the tribe, BLM, NPS or whichever agency oversees the property. Also if it is on state, federal or Indian land there are laws that may make that sort of "documenting" a crime punishable by prison and fines. Wayne & Jinx 2017 F-350 diesel, dually 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

Thanks. We will try it. Wayne & Jinx 2017 F-350 diesel, dually 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

Swharton, is that 5% cash back at non-Sam's pumps or a discount on fuel at Sam's? Is the 5% credited to your credit card bill or given in store credit at Sam's? If it is 5% cash back from any pump I will start using that card. If it is just on Sam's fuel or in-store credit there are too few Sam's clubs to rely upon it when traveling. Wayne & Jinx 2017 F-350 diesel, dually 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

I filled an empty 40# three weeks ago in Sebring, FL for $27. The price was the same in January. Wayne & Jinx 2017 F-350 diesel, dually 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

We are in a campground in Vicksburg, MS. There are plenty of open sites. I'm pretty sure we are still early for the camping season. School is still in session. Most of the increase in RV sales last year was from families. When we outside of Mobile last week the folks in the site next to us were ther for a job for three months. They told us they had to leave for three days over Memorial Day weekend because the park was already booked full. Wayne & Jinx 2017 F-350 diesel, dually 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

And did you see the woman who crashed the stolen car after she filled the trunk with gas containers? Boom!

It looks like a nice rig! The RVOU does not require any initial level of RV knowledge. A basic understanding of tools is helpful. Make sure the dealer spends some time showing you how the systems work and video that information with your camera. Practice with your camera first, if necessary. Welcome to the adventure. Wayne & Jinx 2017 F-350 diesel, dually 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

I worked at backwoods hunting and fishing camps in Maine. Black flies and mosquitoes were swarming in late May and June. I suspect Upper Michigan is similar (be thankful if there are no black flies). One of the most effective methods of dealing with them (as well as ticks) is Permethrin spray for you clothing and gear. Treat a shirt, long pants, a hat, socks and gloves. You can also treat your tent and other gear. Then just use a little repellent on exposed skin. Amazon Permethrin Wayne & Jinx 2017 F-350 diesel, dually 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

We just checked into a park in Alabama on the Gulf Coast that has this requirement. When we came in there was a notice of potential flooding and a release from liability for the park regarding damage from flooding. Wayne & Jinx 2017 F-350 diesel, dually 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

To deal with this problem we have several tactics. 1-Think carefully before acquiring things. 2- In-so-out rule: If you bring something in, something goes out. Jinx has a caveat for that rule. If something of hers comes in, something of mine must go. 3- Weed things out! If you haven't used it in six months you probably don't need it. We do a major weeding every spring and fall. I got rid of about 90# of stuff last month. 4- Weigh annually. SmartWeigh is a great program and is available at several Escapees parks. Truck scales are another option but are less thorough. SmartWeigh gives wheel-by-wheel weights, vehicle height, and covers tire, axle and vehicle capacities as part of the evaluation. Wayne & Jinx 2017 F-350 diesel, dually 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

I tried the Truckers Atlas but found there were too many missing grades. I found Mountain Directory to be superior. Wayne & Jinx 2017 F-350 diesel, dually 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

UPDATE I had no trouble re-booking the first part of the trip. This may be due to the fact that: 1- no holiday weekends were involved and 2- it is in the Deep South so it is off season and summer vacation has not begun. Wayne & Jinx 2017 F-350 diesel, dually 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

FOLLOW UP Supply versus demand strikes again. I thank you for the thoughts about which unit to get. In the end it turned on what brand could be obtained before we left. Units with a heat pump are very hard to get. We ended up with a Coleman Mach 15 because - well - that's what was available. We were most fortunate that this unit could ship with an adapter to our old ducted Carrier system. The only other available units were non-ducted plenum units. And a plus is that our Carrier remote still runs the system. It wasn't necessary to mount a wall thermostat. It has worked well in the 95 plus/dew point 70 plus days we've had in FL this week. Wayne & Jinx 2017 F-350 diesel, dually 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

Is there, in fact, a cancellation plague? Wayne & Jinx 2017 F-350 diesel, dually 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

We've been traveling in the East where boondocking is harder to do. We are leaving Sunday on trip up the Mississippi Valley to Northern Wisconsin, and then east across the northern tier to Maine. It will take about 13 weeks. After two months in Maine we will spend 8 weeks or so going back to FL in the fall. I made reservations for most stops a few weeks ago. When I made the reservations I inquired about general availability. For Memorial Day and The 4th there were only a couple of spots left (Branson, MO and Manistee, MI) that fit us (37' 5er). Other places on non-holiday weekends were filling but had more available spots. The only places for which I have not made reservations are a couple of travel night stops where we drive until we feel like stopping. I'm hoping to make them that day and have a couple of large parks in mind for that. We were scheduled to leave FL last Wednesday but a medical issue arose last week delayed us. Yesterday we found out the medical issue is minor and will allow us to continue. So we are delayed a couple of days. We cancelled our first stop and are currently revising our travel plans to include an extra stop and to get back on schedule. I will report back on the success of that process. So far we were able to book two parks without problems - short travel-day stays both. One way I have dealt with the possibility of delays is to schedule some longer stays (more than a week) at a couple of points. That leaves room to shorten the longer stay and modify or get back on schedule rather than having to cancel everything. If you do plan ahead be very sure to be aware of the particular cancellation policies for each park that you book. We make a travel notebook which gets park information, turn-by-turn travel directions and destination information such as activities. Cancellation policies are a prominent part of that book. Wayne & Jinx 2017 F-350 diesel, dually 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

I don't know about other people but for me RV living puts a limit on what I can carry around. Back when I had sticks and bricks (or even a home base with a shed) I might think about keeping an old motor. Now, with the space and weight limits I have, it is gone.. I also remember just how many "old motors' and the like I got rid of when we went on the road. LOL. There was junk in the workshop and garage!!! Wayne & Jinx 2017 F-350 diesel, dually 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

Good luck. Finding one's way after that sort of life event takes time and patience. Speaking from experience, you can/are forced to learn quite a bit along the way. Last word from me on payload/axle capacity: • Fifth-wheel trailer kingpin loads are higher than conventional trailer tongue loads, so pay careful attention to the truck’s payload capacity and rear axle weight ratings. This is from the Chevrolet truck Towing Guide (2017) Travel safely. Wayne & Jinx 2017 F-350 diesel, dually 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

If you want to sit in a Lambright first, you have to go to Topeka, IN. They have a showroom. Otherwise they have a catalog. We went there, sat in floor models and then ordered ours. 18 months of use later we love them. They are holding up well. I am sitting in a wall hugger recliner (Lazy Relax-R) right now. One thing, unless you frequently eat or work with a computer in your seats, the optional folding tray in the LRR is difficult to store and often in the way. We also have the a sofa bed from them (Harrison). We are a definite vote for Lambright. They are pricey but the workmanship is spectacular. Wayne & Jinx 2017 F-350 diesel, dually 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

As I read your math I don't see any payload or axle weight calculations. This is just pure towing capacity which, as noted above by me and others, is only a small part of the story. Here's my math from the 2006 Silverado manual and your numbers above. Payload: Payload is important. Pushing to or over this number drastically affects emergency handling, suspension life, tire wear and all around pleasure of driving. The 2500HD has a gross payload of 9200#. That means the truck, all contents, fuel, hitch, passengers, driver, etc. - everything in or on the truck - cannot exceed 9200# (and this does not include a safety margin). Your vehicle curb weight is 6725#. This includes fuel but nothing else. That means you have a net payload (what you can put into and on the truck over curb weight (including you) of 2,475#. The UVW hitch weight of your Sanibel is 2298# which is just over 19% of UVW of 11,859#. Applying that number to the Sanibel GVWR of 14,298 gives a rough loaded hitch weight of 2,770#. So right now, without the weight of driver, passenger, pet dog, hitch, truck keys and water bottles, you are going to be about 300# over payload. When you put in driver, passenger, generator, hitch and sundries, you are pushing a half ton over gross payload. If you carry nothing in the trailer and truck, and only have you in the cab and the hitch in the bed, you will be over payload. A power chip and air bags will not fix this problem. I don't have the Rear GAWR number, but I expect it to be similarly out of whack. I don't mean to rain on your parade, but this is not enough truck. Assuming you weight 200# and plan to carry no passengers or anything else in the truck, you might be able to tow a 5er with a maximum loaded pin weight somewhere under 2000#. Wayne & Jinx 2017 F-350 diesel, dually 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

This is a good guide for towing capacity only. It doesn't help with payload or axle capacity calculations. Warrader, if you want to post a photo of the info/capacity plates inside of the driver's door I or someone else here will go through the calculations with you. Wayne & Jinx 2017 F-350 diesel, dually 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

I suggest that you be very sure of the numbers before buying a fiver, particularly payload and rear GAWR. A 2500 is usually a great truck for a TT, but often isn't much truck in fifth wheel terms. Wayne & Jinx 2017 F-350 diesel, dually 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

Maybe I'm the only old guy here, but I remember when self-service gas was unusual. I also remember the people complaining when self-service gas stations began to replace full service. My grandmother was wildly angry be cause here hands would smell of gas. It is one of the only times I remember her cussing. Wayne & Jinx 2017 F-350 diesel, dually 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ