vermilye

I've been a long time Garmin fan (although still annoyed with them when they killed Delorme) & I have one.  Since my trailer is small enough that I rarely need the RV functions, I purchased it for the display size & as an update to my current NUVI 3580.  

Excellent screen quality (it is actually a modified Android tablet), fast response, and lots of extras.  The larger screen size gives you much more "information" adjacent to your route, much like the older Delorme Street Atlas.  That alone makes it a winner. You will not be able to use a previous "sandbag" mount & I don't like the windshield mount.  I am using the smaller mount that came with it, combined with some VHB tape to mount it on the dash of my F 150.  

No long trips so far, but I like it.

18 hours ago, fpmtngal said:

The Rite Aid in Blythe is an Amazon locker location, though they don’t have real lockers. You’ll get an email with a bar code, take your phone to the Rite Aid, they can the bar code and hand you your package. I spent a lot more money last winter once I found out about it...

I did run into a problem with the Blyth Rite-Aid "Locker".  I got a message a couple of times I tried to use it that the locker was full & not available.  Seems a bit strange since it is just a shelf behind the counter, not actual lockers.

Another app wort checking is Highway Weather. 

One of my favorite stops on the way to & from Quartzsite. While you are there, spend a day next door at the the Desert Museum.

12 hours ago, Ray,IN said:

I'm in the same boat Derek. I had the implants that was supposed to correct vision.far I was near-sighted, had surgery and could see far and close quite well. That was about 15 years ago, now I must wear glasses to read, I increase my computer screen to 110% so I don't need glasses.

That's the least of my concern now, glaucoma reared it's ugly head. I"m on daily eye drops to keep it controlled, there is no cure. I wonder if it might be connected to a severe head blow i received 8 years ago, had to have both retina's reattached by laser surgery.

I had a drain put in last June after progressive pressure increases even after a regiment of 4 different drops.  They did a cataract replacement lens at the same time.  The pressure has been good since, although I'm back on one eye drop. 

Another vote for RV Water Filter Store custom hoses.  I've tried most of them and by far they are the best.

I suggest that anyone considering a Medicare Advantage plan over straight Medicare and travels to make sure the Advantage plan will cover you on the road.  Many are extremely localized.  

Another difference  between "throttling" and "deprioritizing" is you will usually get notices from your provider as you approach the throttling limit, with the opportunity to buy more blocks of data.  That doesn't happen with deprioritizing.

For what it is worth, on the Mobly service on AT&T, I have never been throttled, but have been deprioritized after 22 GB a couple of times.  Only lasted a short time & the speeds went back up later in the evening.

7 minutes ago, sandsys said:

X2. I was always glad they asked for my ID before giving me mail but I would never send it in advance. Too risky in case of identity theft.

My best experience was in Parker, Arizona, where, if the lines at the windows got long, they would open a new window only for people pickup packages. It was nice not having to stand behind people buying stamps or sending certified mail. That's service!

Linda

Might be nice if the Post Office in Quartzsite learned from them!

I called the Matagorda post office to see if they do general delivery and the answer is sorta. All the other places I've done general delivery just had you address the mail to my name, C/O General Delivery, but the post master (well, mistress) wanted me to mail her a letter with my ID before she can accept a general delivery letter. I had the mail sent to  Bay City, although it was  a bit further away from the Matagorda campground.

While I am happy with a pair of Battleborn Li batteries, if you are looking for an alternate to lead acid and don't need to save weight, and want a wide temperature charging range, check out SiO2 batteries.  About as close to solid state as you can get...

It depends on what you are gluing it to & how long you have for it to dry.  Here is a You Tube video showing the results of a bunch of different glues.

I used Lock tight PI Premium Fast grab to attach blue foam to fiberglass.  It is tacky enough that it holds almost immediately.

While a battery disconnect switch obviously solves the problem, many of the phantom loads are useful.  Keeping the stations & adjustments on the radio, time on clocks, etc and other settings that are a PIA to reset makes a disconnect switch a better idea for long term storage, but for a week or two, a  small solar panel is a good solution.  Under 15 - 20 watts won't even need a controller...

I've also been in Quartzsite for the last 4 Big Tent shows (I'm in one of the LTVAs all winter).  While there certainly sections of the LTVAs that look like the cartoon, particularly during the middle of January, there are just as many sections where RVs are well distanced from each other.  During the last Big Tent show I was in La Posa West, the smallest of the Quartzsite LTVAs & closest to the Big Tent area, and we still had 40' - 50' between trailers.  All depends on how close you want to be.

As to the show, I don't see how it can happen & meet social distancing rules:

On 8/12/2020 at 2:45 PM, Barbaraok said:

As you travel around, I’d suggest finding a place you’d like to return to every year, near family or something else, and establish a relationship with a physician.  Stop once a year, get prodded and poked, then on you go with new scripts for the year.  

Have to agree.  I've tried having prescriptions transferred between both chain & small local drug stores, and have found it is far easier & faster to call your home doctor's office & have them send a prescription to a drug store near your current location.  Usually only takes a day, sometimes a couple of hours or even while you wait.  While transfers between pharmacies in the same chain are usually fast & easy, not every chain pharmacy is in every location.

20 hours ago, DanZemke said:

Most of us wear masks here too.  And our curve has gone way down.  I'm amazed that NY has been so successful in suppressing your curve with a 6 inch distancing rule.

🙂

Oops!  Of course it should be 6'...

Here in rural upstate NY, I'd say we are at about 90% for masks in the big box stores, closer to 100% in grocery stores.  We are still under required masks or 6" distancing, but that tends to fall apart for outside activities.  

At least for surgery prep, Covid tests only take 2 days.  Our area is under Stage 4 rules...

Battleborn states that their batteries will work with just about any converter designed for lead acid batteries.  You may not be able to fully charge them unless your converter meets the voltage requirements.  When I switched, I went from a WFCO converter that never got into the bulk mode charging a pair of 6V batteries to a Progressive Dynamics converter designed for lithium.  I went with a smaller converter because I carry a 900 watt generator that would be overloaded if the original converter (a 55 amp) went into bulk.

If interested, here is a link to my conversion.  I dry camped for 71 days last winter without needing a generator.

Consider your maximum load.   A  single Battleborn 100 amp hour battery is limited to 100 amps continuous. If you have an inverter, it may draw more than that.  

Dealing with state income taxes would be interesting...

I put a Jetpack sized piece of coroplast between the pack & the Sleek.  Seems to help reduce heating.

My hometown pharmacy is a Walgreens.  While traveling, I sometimes run into a state or part of a state that doesn't have one, but has a CVS, Rite-Aid, and, of course, a Walmart or non chain pharmacy.  I don't usually use Walmarts, but rather than transferring a prescription from Walgreens if there isn't one near me, I just have my doctor phone in a new one to the local drugstore.  It takes less time than a transfer, and even works for non chain pharmacies that you may find in smaller towns.  Since I have "memberships" at CVS, Walgreens & Rite-Aid, I've run into a few that don't require a transfer from the previous pharmacist even if I haven't used them for close to a year.  The new prescription from my doctor usually takes a couple of hours, far less time than a transfer.

I got my letter from the IRS & Trump yesterday telling me how much money was coming.  Since the direct deposit was made almost 2 weeks ago, I really didn't need the notice..

If you believe the article at the beginning of the thread, there should be a surplus of commercial toilet paper. I just ordered an under sink drain pump for my home from Global Industries, and checked their janitor supplies page for toilet paper.  ALL toilet paper, even the 2' diameter commercial rolls were out  of stock.

While not specific to National Parks, the Campendium website lists state by state closures, both commercial & non commercial campgrounds.  Some states are declaring campgrounds as non-essential and ordering them closed, while others consider them essential.