LindaH

It would be a great help if you would change the title of your post to describe what the subject is rather than using your name.

41 minutes ago, SWharton said:

Pretty much the only place we use cash now is the laundromat and one day the machines will take our credit cards. I have heard rumors of a few but never found one yet. Just lots of quarters.

The laundromat we use when we're boondocking at Lake Mead NRA east of Henderson, NV, uses cards for their machines.  You purchase the cards, either with cash or your credit card, and then insert the laundromat's card into the washing machine and dryers.  I love it!  No more messing with a bunch of quarters, or worrying about whether or not you're going to be able to find enough quarters (because sometimes the laundromat's change machine is broken).

On ‎10‎/‎1‎/‎2019 at 4:46 PM, packnrat said:

i have only heard aarp is just a money suck hole,  i personally do not know anybody who wants anything to do with them.

We have been AARP members since we turned 50.  DH uses the AARP Medicare Supplement (through United HealthCare) and we also have our homeowner's insurance with AARP's Mobile Home Insurance (through Foremost). 

I called them many years ago and requested that they not send us the magazine, so we now get very little mail from them.

I'm going to be switching from an Advantage Plan to a Supplemental Plan come October 15, the beginning of the Medicare enrollment period.

According to the eHealth website, there are 4 supplements available where I live:  Humana, Asuris, AARP (through United HealthCare), and United of Omaha.

I've pretty much eliminated the latter since it's quite a bit more expensive.  I'm most familiar with the AARP plan (which is what DH has), so I'm wondering if anyone here is familiar with the other two (Humana and/or Asuris).  What I'm looking for is how easy they are to work with and how quickly they pay claims.

Thanks!

I, too, want people to ask before they automatically assume they can pet our dogs.

One dog loves people and assumes every person wants to pet him, so with him, it's more a matter of asking "Do you want to pet my dog?"

The other dog "wants" to be friends with people, but she's very timid so is reluctant to approach them.  Once she gets to know people, though, she wants attention from them.

Fred Meyer still accepts Visa.

17 hours ago, Ray,IN said:

During the sign-up process, for verification it asks for your mobile phone #(which I do not have) or your verification code be sent by mail; I opted to receive mine by mail. The letter I received with my code also says:

OK, I vaguely remember getting a text, but I think it was a number I entered to complete the sign-up process.  At any rate, I did not keep it. 

20 hours ago, Ray,IN said:

Got signed in/up finally. I received my 20 digit verification code by snail-mail Friday. Each individual at the same address may  use the verification code-up to 5 people, to create their own mail hold or informed delivery.

???  I have not received any verification code...?  As far as I know, the Informed Delivery I signed up for is for both myself and DH.

16 hours ago, Kirk W said:

Save that as you will need it to remove the temporary forwarding order.

Why would a verification code for Informed Delivery have anything to do with a forwarding order? 

I was finally able to sign up for Informed Delivery.  Just read through their FAQs and found out that when we put in a temporary change of address before we head south for the winter, ID will not continue because the Escapees' mail forwarding zip code is not eligible for ID.  Bummer...I was really beginning to like the service.

4 hours ago, sandsys said:

Stews and chilis are best done in a crockpot.

Or a thermal cooker, as noted above. 

The nice thing about a thermal cooker is that it doesn't need electricity, so it's great for boondockers like us.  A thermal cooker isn't as versatile as a crockpot, however, because as I noted above, you have to cook items with enough liquid that the contents can be boiled a couple of minutes.  So it does a great job on beans, stews, soups, and the like.

16 hours ago, SnowGypsy said:

My only concern in this case is making sure the temperature stays hot enough to avoid spoilage, which is why I am still pondering whether or not to purchase it. 

In a thermal cooker, you do have to make recipes with enough liquid that allows for boiling for a couple of minutes before putting the inner pot into the "thermos."  It keeps hot for many hours, but if it's a concern, you can always re-boil the contents part way through the process.  I've done that before, especially when cooking beans just to make sure they are thoroughly cooked...not to avoid spoilage, but just to make sure the beans come out soft.

Apparently, many of you have been receiving private messages from the above-referenced person, although only one of the numerous reports I've received mentioned private messages.  I've checked, however, and this person has not made a post to the forums.

Natash223 has been prevented from posting to the group, but that apparently doesn't stop him/her from sending private messages.  In order for that to happen, this person needs to be banned from the group -- something we weekend moderators can't do (at least I haven't found any way of doing so).  That means one of the administrators has to handle this.

In the meantime, DO NOT RESPOND to this person!

On ‎9‎/‎14‎/‎2019 at 7:40 AM, Kirk W said:

I just signed into mine as a test and it was successful. Might be worth another try.

Just tried to sign into my USPS account again this morning.  Still getting the same message.

On ‎9‎/‎10‎/‎2019 at 9:47 PM, 2gypsies said:

Dump stations usually have a separate fresh water source (away from the actual dumping site)

Some dump stations don't have a pressurized water fill, just gravity feed.  I'm thinking, in particular, of the dump station at Las Vegas Bay Campground in Lake Mead NRA, but we've come across others, too.

49 minutes ago, remoandiris said:

And the nice thing is you can get it all set up now, but not start sending your mail there until Dec or later.

I'd actually start making the changes of address now.  That way, you can make sure everything is running smoothly and you haven't missed any correspondents when making the changes of address.

I just tried to sign up this morning, but I keep getting a 405 error when I try to sign in to my account.  Hopefully, they'll get this problem fixed soon.

I would suggest you change the subject line of your post to reflect your question rather than using your name.

15 hours ago, Bill&Anneli said:

IRS won't call you or come knocking un-announced on your door (whether in a house or RV). IRS will send you letters. They dont email or call.

This was my thought, too, when I read the OP.  If this really happened, it was a scam...just like when people get telephone calls from the "IRS" saying they owe money and to pay right now or they'd send the cops after them.

14 minutes ago, palmeris said:

just a few rigs subjected to random casual secondary searches where they were in close proximity to their rigs and not separated from it.

Well, if you re-read my response, above, you will see where we *were* separated from our rig that was searched.  I do not remember now whether we were directed to be inside the building or whether we stood outside, but we were not in a position to see what was happening inside the rig.

9 hours ago, whj469 said:

I think the Dish is lower in cost then DirecTV and that may be the reason that they are more popular?

At one time, at least before DirecTV was bought out by AT&T, the prices for the various packages weren't all that different between the two companies.  I haven't checked recently to see what the current pricing structure is for DirecTV.

One of the reasons that Dish may be more popular is because they're much more RVer friendly, especially since DirecTV's billing was migrated to AT&T.  You can still call up Dish, or do an online chat, and change your service address to pick up new locals.  That's apparently very difficult to do now with DirecTV from everything I've read here.

DirecTV does have DNS from either NYC or L.A. (I guess these are still available since the merger with AT&T?).  Dish's DNS is currently only from L.A.

We were searched on our first trip to Alaska in 1998.  We were not allowed inside the slide-in camper while they searched...as I recall, we were in the office or maybe we stood outside (too long ago to remember details). 

The funny thing is, we had a dog and I was carrying a file box of all the files I thought we'd need while on our trip.  The border guards never asked for any information about the dog, nor did they ask to look in the file box -- which was large enough to hold a hand gun or two or stash drugs.

They did, however, leave the refrigerator door open -- a fact we didn't discover until after we'd left, stopped, and found the contents strewn over the floor.  They also broke the front of a drawer off trying to open it (you'd think they would have searched enough RVs to know that you have to lift UP and *then* pull the drawer OUT in order to open it).  The lesson here is that BEFORE you leave the border station after being searched, go inside and check everything out.

I've never heard of them, either, so spent a little bit of time looking at their website. 

It doesn't appear to me that they are competitors of RVCG -- as far as I could tell, they don't rate RVs (but I didn't look at the website in depth, so may have missed it if they do).  They do offer a lot of services which would be helpful for RVers.  I'm going to spend more time looking at their website in depth and may join just to try it out.

Use this calculator to help you match a travel trailer to your tow vehicle:

http://changingears.com/rv-sec-calc-trailer-weight-tt.shtml

22 hours ago, NDBirdman said:

We are trying to decide about traveling with 5th wheel camper from our home in NE ND to Seattle area, is it feasible or folly.  We would be traveling starting down hwy 94.  I don't like traveling on major highways but think it advisable late in the year.  Would leave ND appx 6-8 Nov, returning end of the month/first of Dec.  Would it be doable or would I end up stranded in the mountains somewhere?  I don't want to pull it through snow/ice, I have had some not very fun rides doing so when I drove tractor/trailers (have not drove this route in a truck).  My other options are take the train sleeper car, or drive our car this trip.

If you stick with I-94/I-90, you shouldn't have a problem as the interstates are kept well-plowed.  Just keep an eye on the weather, and if a snow storm blows through, find a place to stay until the roads are clear again.

On ‎6‎/‎29‎/‎2019 at 4:41 PM, Kirk W said:

the directory that you receive from Passport America will allow you to get a good feel for what the prices are.

Passport America has an android app (I assume there's also one for iPhones) that one can download and use without being a member.  It gives all the information on all the parks in their system that the directory does.  (Do they even have a paper directory any more?  Other than when we first joined, we've never received a directory, even when we've renewed.)