vermilye

The last time I was there long enough to fill a couple of tanks (2015), I found some pumps that would not take my Capitol One mastercard, but if I took it inside the station it went through.

I installed a pair of Battleborn batteries and so far am impressed.  I documented the change here.

1 hour ago, Kirk W said:

While I am very familiar with what the AutoFormer is and I know that it isn't a gimmick, I have never owned one and have no plans to do so. If we spent a lot of time in places where electric power was often overloaded and tended to experience voltage sag, I definitely would use one, but we do not. I have been using a TRC-Surge Guard power monitor device for many years. 

2X.  While not a gimmick, there have been few times I wished I had one.  On those rare times the voltage dropped enough that I needed one I simply shut off the AC (nothing else in my trailer is damaged by low voltage) & turned on the fan.  I do have a Progressive EMS and have found it useful.

I've been using this Rear View Systems Wireless for 2 years on a 21' Escape towed by a F150 with a 6.5' bed. Under normal conditions, no drop outs.  2-3 times in heavy city traffic it dropped a couple of frames, probably due to other transmitters in the area.  

1 hour ago, hemsteadc said:

Although everyone asks about running air on gen, in my many years of dry camping I find I'm usually the only one doing that.  Most folks just leave for the day, or sweat it out.  It becomes a hassle getting gas when you're not near a filling station, and you'll need lots of it.  

2X.  I dry camped without a generator for years, as long a 91 day in a row.  I do have 320 watts of solar, 480 if I dig out a portable panel. 

That said, I've decided I wanted a bit of backup.  Like you, I don't want to mess with gasoline, both storage & the problems created by the ethanol mix.  I purchased a Ryobi 900/700 propane only inverter generator.  While it won't run my microwave or air conditioner, it does recharge the batteries after a string of cloudy days or when parking in the shade.  Runs on either 1 pound disposable cans or, with a supplied hose, standard propane tanks.  

I spent the last 9 years traveling without a generator, including as long as 91 days of dry camping (in a row).  Depending on the trailer, either 200 watts or as much as 480 watts of solar, and a pair of 232 amp hour 6V batteries.  I usually make a 5 cup pot of drip coffee each morning, sometimes an electric toaster, and short runs of the microwave (all with a 1500 watt inverter).

That said, after a string of cloudy days, even at Quartzsite in the winter, and a fair amount of furnace operation, I've had to go back to heating water on the stove for coffee and other electrically conservative steps.  My reluctant solution - a month ago I purchased a Ryobi 900/700 propane only generator.  It won't run the AC, in fact I have to put the refrigerator on propane when running it, but it does provide enough to recharge the batteries.

I've used it once after 3 days in the rain, shade & heavy clouds here in the east.  The ultimate solution will arrive today via FedEx - a pair of Battleborn lithium batteries.  Hopefully, I won't need the generator in the future.

My local library in Oswego, NY is part of the North Country Libraries network, which requires renewing your card every year.  They use the Overdrive system for reserving books, etc, and use the Libby app.

I follow a number of forums owned by Social Knowledge, and have not found the management to be heavy handed over the content.  Let's hope that continues now that they own one of the more popular campground review sites...

At to RVForum.net, the acquisition has not changed my status on that forum.  I made the "mistake" of posting a link to my web page with photos of a campground when answering a question & received a notice that I was now banned for life:

Sorry vermilye, you are banned from posting and sending personal messages on this forum.

2X on Robert Moses.

For orders from Amazon, check the shipping options for Amazon Lockers.  While not available in most rural areas, if there is one near you or one of your stops, they are easier than general delivery.

As other have mentioned, almost anything can be ordered from Walmart & shipped to one nearby for pick up.  Same for many of the big box hardware stores.

I saw one at Henry Horton State Park in TN.

Unfortunately, my photos are a bit larger than allowed - here is a link to a photo of the outside & thru the door:  19 Trip, Day 243

On 4/23/2019 at 1:07 PM, Kirk W said:

A lot of it is probably due to the prices they want today. If you look at the list of models, you will quickly see that they are the most expensive travel trailer made in the USA.  It starts with the Basecamp model that sleeps 2 for only $37,400!

While I'll agree that the Airstream is a bit overpriced, they are a long way from the most expensive aluminum trailer made in the US.  Check out the Bowlus Road Chief - Their Endless Highways model is 26' with a 4000 gross weight trailer for only $185,000.00! On the other hand, it does sleep 4...

16 hours ago, Barbaraok said:

You mean Canada, as the country, not CA as the state, correct?  

Sorry for the confusion.  I was going from Washington to California, but the inspection was at the Oregon/California border (sorta skipped over Oregon!)  It was in 2011 so I don't remember exactly which road I was on, but I suspect it was US 101.

While I've always been waved through at the Blythe inspection station, I've had someone inspect the bottom of my trailer using creeper and check the vegetables in the refrigerator crossing into CA from Washington state.

On 4/27/2019 at 7:51 PM, chirakawa said:

Verizon has been actively upgrading many of the 3G locations for the past couple of years.  I'm surprised that you found "dozens" of locations with 3G only.  It's also possible that many of those locations have already been upgraded and your device just doesn't operate on the newer bands.

To answer your question, if there is no LTE available at those locations, you won't have service.  Last I heard, Verizon is a bit behind on their shutdown timetable.

Its was dozens, but it was a 12,000 mile trip with many stops well away from cities & interstates.  The most recent 3G or 1X only site was one bar at Ricketts Glen State Park in PA.  That was with an outside antenna & an amplifier. The band problems could be a possibility, although the phones were an iPhone 10 & 7+.  It was an older Jetpack...

On 4/25/2019 at 8:53 AM, Technomadia said:

You've received some great advice here... just to confirm some things for you:

1) The 8800L issues are not yet resolved, but we are testing a 2nd beta unit Inseego sent us. Things are looking better, but it's no telling how long it will take Verizon to push the firmware update.  That said, many are not having issues, and the 8800L is the flagship device with the most future proofing.  5G for us mobile travelers won't be a consideration for quite a while.  For more on the 8800L: http://www.rvmobileinternet.com/8800l

2) The 7730l is still a relevant device however, and many are choosing to obtain one instead.

3) 3G is currently slated to be ended by Verizon at the end of this year. While it might be important now, it won't be for much longer.  Here's our guide tracking the technology paths of each carrier, including their 3G shut downs and 5G roll outs: http://rvmobileinternet.com/evolution

So what happens after December to the dozens of locations on my recent trip across the US that only had 3G coverage?

18 hours ago, SWharton said:

After checking with the Surprise USPS we had our mail forwarded to General Delivery. We received confirmation that our package had arrived so went to pick it up. Then the fun started. First question was did I fill out the form to request General Delivery. Of course my answer was no. Surprise will only accept General Delivery if form is filled out.  Did I have a tracking number? While we were looking for the tracking number I asked what happened to the mail if I didn't have a form filled out. I was told the mail would be returned to sender. Once she had a tracking number she found my mail.

Wow, this was a big shock to me. We have encountered several Post Offices that will not accept General Delivery for Fedex and UPS. But not accepting General Delivery from themselves doesn't seem right.

I am going to forward this info to our mail service as an FYI.

I discovered the same problem at the Matagorda post office in Texas (a small PO), luckily, before I had something delivered.  I called to ask it they did general delivery, and the post master (well, mistress) said I would have to come in and fill out a form.  I explained that I only wanted one letter delivered, and that I was only going to be in the area for a day or two in a week, but she said it didn't matter, filling out the form was the only way they would accept a delivery.

I had the letter sent general delivery at the near by Bay City post office without problems.

I prefer Churches' book Traveler's Guide to Alaska... over the Milepost.  Also, if you stop at Dawson Creek, the visitor center has a very up-to-date listing of campgrounds, fuel, etc along the Canadian part of the Alaskan Highway.

Here is the journal of a trip we made in 2015.

I retired in 2001 from a strange, but wonderful job teaching theatre sound design, special effects & electronics.  I now spend my time wandering from place to place, taking photographs & keeping a journal of my travels, much in the southwest.  While I love both "jobs", I have to say the current one is the best!

I just replaced a pair of Maxxis ST201/75R/15 with Goodyear Endurance tires.  Only have 600 miles on them, so I can't give a long term opinion, but they look good & handling is OK.

My trailer is small enough that a standard sized whole house filter would take up too much space, so my solution was to add a high quality refrigerator filter & a separate faucet: