vermilye

The Great Smoky Mountain NP has canceled campground reservations until April 30th.

While not directly related to camping (they have no campgrounds) I can relate to the problems of Moab.  My brother lives full time & works construction on Nantucket Island.  Winter population 11,229, summer 60,000+.  The island is 35 miles off the coast of Mass.  

They have a "Cottage Hospital" with 19 beds.  They have shut down all construction (with large fines for anyone working) to limit workers from coming to the island on the ferries. Unfortunately, many of the NY summer home owners are escaping the downstate NY area and taking up temporary residence in their summer homes on the island.  With the discovery of the first case of Covid-19, they issued a stay at home order for the island, but any serious outbreak will easily overwhelm the island's medical capabilities.

The 35 mile ocean crossing is even more of a problem than land routes from Moab to larger facilities.  Back in 2010 I was helicoptered from the Nantucket hospital to Boston for a medical emergency at a cost of $13,300. 

On 3/17/2020 at 8:11 AM, LindaH said:

Death Valley's Facebook page said yesterday that, while the park is open, the Visitor's Centers will be closed.

Same with Great Smoky Mountain NP.

7 hours ago, Dutch_12078 said:

I wonder how many signers would volunteer to clean the restrooms and do the other chores needed to keep the parks open under the current circumstances?

Mississippi solved the problem, at least here at George P. Cossar SP.  Padlocks on the bathrooms.  The laundry is still open.

8 hours ago, Barbaraok said:

We get all of our 1099s by downloading.  The only one that still sends them is Social Security, and we already know what the numbers will be, so we have the taxes all done by the time the snail mail copy arrives.   

Social Security started making 1099R forms available on line last year.  Prior to that, when on the road  I had to go to a SS office & wait 4 hours for them to print one.

I'm currently in a Louisiana State Park (Sam Houston Jones) and was given an over 62 1/2 off rate even though I'm from NY.

I was out taking some star photos last night, and believe I caught a bunch of Starlink satellites.  Can't think of anything else that would show that much (and that little) movement in a 31 second exposure.(The short streaks, not the long airplane). 

For what ever reason, Verizon at Quartzsite was much slower this December/early January than the last two years.  It actually got better during the mid January show, and is doing OK now.

My 100 amp hour 12V lithium batteries weigh 31 pounds each...

17 hours ago, bukzin said:

I have called ATT several times to get the PUK code with no luck.   Can I login to my Mobley via a browser?  If so how?

Any other way to get the PUK code?   Thx

You can log on to your Mobley with a browser - try 192.168.1.1 for the url, but it won't give you the PUK..

As far as I know, the only way to get PUK codes is from an AT&T rep.  While I was lucky & was given them by the first rep I talked to, others have had to try a bunch of times.

As long as you only need to go 2"-3", Anderson Levelers are a fast & easy way to do side to side leveling.

If you don't want to go to the expense of a recording remote thermometer such as a SensorPush, put an ice cube in a zip lock bag & stick it in the freezer.  If it is still an ice cube after driving, things are OK, a puddle or lump in the bottom of the bag indicates a thaw.  Useful in your home freezer to discover power outages... 

While it only covers the west, Ramblin Ralph's website has a section that lets you use a map to locate sites.  While not all are free, lots of useful information.

On 11/8/2019 at 3:51 PM, abgraham85 said:

Well, I called customer service. They transferred me to Connected Car customer service. They told me they couldn’t offer any help with the Mobley. They told me to call ZTE. ZTE couldn’t help me because I couldn’t connect to the Mobley. They did offer to test the out of warranty device for $69, but I declined.  I called Att customer service back and asked for the PUK codes so I could try another device and they would not give them to me.  I guess I will just have to give up the plan. I don’t know what else to do. I am very disappointed with ATT.

Try again.  Some reps won't give them out, others will.  As Koidiak Jack noted, you may not need them but they are good to have if your SIM move locks you out.

While it obviously won't help if your SIM died, I moved my Mobley SIM to a Nighthawk.  I'm using it for this post.   I did call AT&T to get the PUK codes when I made the change.  Here is a tutorial.

I've been tent camping starting in 1950 with my parents, but my first purchased RV was an Escape 17B picked up in 2011.  I rented a class A for 2 weeks in 2001, and now travel in an Escape 21.

I've been on the road for a number of years, using laundromats, and rarely found the problems you described.  I will say that using Garmin's "Laundry" search will almost always take you to a Laundry/Dry Cleaner, not coin laundries.  

I agree that asking campground hosts works well.  They are also a great source for local attractions.

I've been using a Brother DCP L2550DW on OS 10.14.6 with no problems, although the printer is only 10' from the router.  I'm not a heavy user; print 2-3 pages per month.  Starts right up after sitting for months, unlike inkjet printers...

My suggestion is to close the size that you are comfortable with.  While the larger the trailer, the more likely you will get shut out of a site, particularly at National Parks, mosts of the time you will be able to fit either a 22' or 26' trailer. 

There really is no trailer too small - I know a few couples that full time in 13' Scamps, and many more that spend months on the road in 16' & 17' fiberglass trailers.  

I spend between 6 - 8 months on the road. While I'm currently solo in a 21' Escape (and fiberglass trailers do their length measurements from rear bumper to the front of the hitch), I had no problem living in a 17' trailer.  The move to a 21 was so I could add an oven!

14 hours ago, Ray,IN said:

He said "bolt cutters'' those are cable cutters, two entirely different tools.

I'm just pointing out that here is a tool that makes quick work of steel cable.

5 hours ago, Ray,IN said:

Have you ever tried to cut a cable with bolt cutters? I used to use 1/8" cable to secure my Boliy genset in my truckbed. A determined thief may hang around long enough to eventually cut a cable, but the vast majority of thieves will quickly recognize cutting a cable takes time, something thieves lack, if they  want to avoid detection.

BTW,  it is much easier and faster to simply cut the plastic case/handles instead of taking the time to cut a cable, chain,or padlock. The  only portable gensets with an exposed steel framework are construction gensets, not may thieves value those enough to steal. Also, 3/8" chain IS logging chain, this is well-known if you work in the logging industry or are a farmer.

All it takes is one squeeze.  That said, I do tend to run a coated 1/4" wire rope through my portable solar panel & grill propane tank, but often forget & have not had a problem.

I carry a Ryobi 700/900 watt propane only generator that I only use to recharge the batteries if I run into a string of cloudy days.  I have not used it since the combination of 320 watts (480 if I add a portable panel) of solar and a pair of 100 amp hour Battleborn lithium batteries has provided plenty of power without it.

The campground maps with the new recreation.gov are a PIA.  You can't see all the sites at once, and most of them do not show the bathroom / shower locations.

Gouldings if you need hookups, in the Monument Valley campground if you are willing to dry camp.

A couple of other near by dry camping areas are Goosnecks State Park - inexpensive, and Valley of the Gods - free. Both offer great views and are rarely overcrowded.

I'm using a Victron SmartSolar 100/30 with a pair of Battleborn batteries.  So far it works great.  I did have to set the parameters as suggested by Battleborn...