RE: One Thing
I think I see the problem here. You said the flashlight. I have a headlight by the door, for dog walking. I have a taclight wherever I am, for its intended use. I have a large D cell light in the truck, plus a little LED job. A large D cell lives beside the bed. The swell guy next door gave me a two pack of small but bright LED lights for Christmas. There is an LED light mounted on the dog's leash. There is a little bitty LED light on DW's keychain, and a tiny, one AAA cell MagLite in my ditty bag. One kitchen drawer has a 3 D cell MagLite.
There must be more, if I just think harder...
Sluggo
On edit, there is a three AAA cell, armored LED light hanging on the side of a kitchen cabinet, near the door...
RE: Does a digital thermostat cause more cycling of furnace?
(Referring to the Hunter T-stat)"...The thermostat provides a 3.5 minute delay after shutting off the heating or cooling system before it can be restarted. This feature will prevent damage to your compressor caused by rapid cycling. Note that this delay also applies to the heating system control. It does not provide a delay when there are power outages.
So, it looks like most digital thermostat brands have compressor delays."
I'm double-covered, as the 15K Coleman A/C also has its own delay. I doubt the furnace does, but that isn't a problem anyway. I really prefer the much tighter temp control with the digital. The old mechanical stat would sag three degrees, then overrun three degrees. You do have to remember to keep batteries in the Hunter, but that's no big deal. I just change them when I change the smoke alarm batteries.
As for the two-speed fan, I bought the switch and was all ready to install it. I ran the A/C on low, then high, then low - and couldn't hear any real difference, so I parked the switch in the parts bag and wired it to high. We are in moderate climates most of the time anyway, and don't run the A/C all that much.
Sluggo
RE: Generator Wars
You said it all, JumboJet. Along with your same experiences, I remember climbing and sleeping in an old Chinese elm tree, because it was the coolest place I could find in the summer. My brother and I slept in an unheated attic in the winter. I spent a year in a very hot part of the world, one where "monsoon" was not an unheard of word, and slept in a tent on the GOOD nights. Also mixed diesel with fecal matter and burned it; a smell that will stay with me til they plant me.
Just my own selfishness coming out, but I think I have earned sleeping off the ground in relative comfort. I will make a reasonable effort not to offend anyone, but I will not sweat all night or grow icicles on my mustache in the process.
As for noise - how about furnaces? Air conditioners? There is a TT down the row from me that has run its rooftop unit, cold or hot, 24 hours a day for the last five months. I wouldn't dream of saying anything to the guy; he does the best he can with his seriously burned lungs.
When judging people gets too easy for me, I back off and shut down for a while.
Sluggo
RE: Restaurants Near Sprint Center in KC
Thanks, I really appreciate you all taking the time to reply. Sounds like we'll be eating alot of BBQ! We're staying at an RV park in Merriam, it was the closest one to the center that we could find. Does anyone know of any good soup and sandwich type lunch places in that area? Thanks again!
I asked "where in Merriam" because I am pretty familiar with that area and wasn't aware of any RV parks. There is one in Shawnee, that is awfully tight. It would likely be too far for your daily commute, but when in that area we stay at Rutlader's.
http://www.rutladeroutpost.com/
Sluggo
RE: Restaurants Near Sprint Center in KC
Rosedale Barbecue, it is right on your route. Where in Merriam are you staying?
http://kansascity.citysearch.com/profile/4154975/kansas_city_ks/rosedale_barbeque.html
I have a hunch you are about to get a list of bbq joints!
Sluggo
RE: Picking your brains 4 fulltime RV retirement in 3yrs ;)
JnJ,
Welcome aboard! You are doing it right. The more you learn before you commit, the better it will go. Heck, we had been pretty well "rutted" for thirty years, in the same house, even! We were ready for change, and boy did we get it - thank goodness.
I see your Madison address. Does that mean you know Terri? If you do, you're in excellent hands.
Sluggo
RE: Dry Cough , Crud , Stuffiness, and Nose Blowing
Whatever it is, it is endemic in Rockport, TX! I would bet at least half the occupants of this large RV park have had it, dating back to around Thanksgiving.
Sluggo
RE: Sorting Out Advice!
We had a number of casual campers before our fiver - a worked-over postal jeep and a rented popup, a home-converted Dodge van, a Jayco popup, a Dutchmen popup - but they were all for vacation use.
When we went full-time, our thought was to buy from a reputable manufacturer with a good record of customer satisfaction and service. We knew we could neither afford, nor did we want, a top of the line behemoth, as we like to do some boondocking in places where the roads aren't much. As a result, we chose our manufacturer, then a lower-priced, smaller model in the hope that the ethics would be built in, if not the fancy woods and brocade upholsteries (why are they all decorated like Vegas hotel rooms?). The "works" - refrigerators, ranges, a/c, furnaces, water heaters - are all pretty much the same. We have been pleased and happy with our choice, and we stay in it in all sorts of climates, though we tend to prefer moderate. If you are serious about a four season rig, DO NOT forget the double-pane windows.
Peterson Industries (Excel) and NuWa both will cordially service your rig at their factory, no grief.
Our neighbors here at the rv park in Texas have had a NuWay Hitchhiker II since 2002, and are picking up their new one - built just for them - in April. Pretty good recommendation. Take your time, shop, but don't get all stressed over it. Choose a good manufacturer, then a floor plan that works for you. Ours wouldn't work for many, but it's super for us.
Sluggo
RE: Fivers - why no handbrake??
I asked about this over a year ago:
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/22219816.cfm
I always thought it was a good idea.
I've also brought it up in the past. If I could have seen the expressions on the faces of those who replied, it likely would have left me as amazed as they apparently were.
Military trailers have hand brakes, operated through over-center levers, and they work quite well. I would appreciate some sort of manual holding brake.
Sluggo
RE: hitch stinger comes loose
Several years ago an unsecured railroad crossing counterbalance weight came off a scrap truck headed for salvage, on I-70 on the east side of KC, MO. Another vehicle hit it, sent it airborne, and it went through the windshield of a car and killed a woman. The truck driver was found, arrested, tried on a charge of manslaughter, and convicted.
Sluggo
RE: Who is FTing in a not FTing rated fiver?
Brian and the guys and gals at Peterson Industries didn't get the vapors when they learned we fulltime in one of their units. Many do, they told us. One thing I would change if I could - we bought a unit that was already built, without the dual pane windows. They should be a priority in any unit expected to be occupied during northern windows.
Nearly four years now, and no real problems. Depending on the cost of propane, the cost of electricity, and the state of my back, we use the furnace or a couple of electric space heaters. Either works fine.
Sluggo
RE: Missouri campgrounds, things to do and see...
In the Hannibal area, is Mark Twain Lake. There is a MO state park there, but the real prizes are the COE CG's. There are several; the two main ones are Indian Creek and Ray Behrens. Behrens is a bit more open, but still treed. Indian Creek is very wooded, and my favorite CG in Missouri. You might not be able to fill a week there, but it would be a great stopover on the way to the Ozarks. If you are just looking for a quiet place to kick back and do a lot of nothing, this is the place!
Sluggo
RE: Thousands of vets could get benefits upgrade
"If you were discharge before Dec 17, 2002 or after Oct 14,m 2008, forget it."
Real nice. Thanks a lot - ALL vets deserve whatever services are required to help them and their families deal with PTSD, and any other service-related issues. We were, and still are, being lied to on a regular basis. I am very glad my son never asked me if he should consider a military career.
Sluggo
RE: Here's a thought!
I am with the Chuckster, I've gotten wasp spray in my eyes and it didn't send me away withering in pain. Also, what if WASP spray only worked on WASPS and you were being attacked by a another ethnic or religious group. Not all attackers are white, anglo-saxton protestants.
Guys, nerve agents tend to be cumulative. You probably aren't going to come down with diabetes, numb tingling limbs, or prostrate cancer from an occasional slight exposure to wasp spray, but don't make a habit of huffing it, either.
I have seen men seemingly unaffected by pepper spray (in an academy setting), and seen videos of people who, when tased, just pulled the contacts out and went about their business. Most of the time, these things work. Sometimes, they don't.
I know a guy who's an Anglo sexton. Does that count?
Sluggo
RE: Here's a thought!
Personally, there's no way I would consider firing off a load of nerve agent inside my RV... Pepper spray? Sure. It's only hot peppers. Wasp spray? I spent too many years in the military to go messing around with nerve agent, no matter how diluted.
Wasp SprayGood post.
Bingo. Those of us who carry the results of dioxin exposure (agent orange) don't need any more. Bear spray is ok as an opening gambit, IF and ONLY IF the circumstances are right.
Sluggo
RE: Trip to Yellowstone
Yup, 26/287 is being rebuilt, a multi-year project. That said, I have been over it eight times in three different years during this project, and never been held up more than 20 minutes, at the most. The contractors (or the contract) are/is pretty considerate.
My favored route from Pike's Peak would be up I-25; try to hit Denver no earlier than nine or later than 2:30. It will be sorta grim whenever you hit it, though. At Ft Collins, take the north exit (Colorado 14) west to US 287. There are groceries, drug stores, fast food available in this end of town. Follow 287 to Laramie, and look at scenery instead of I-25. I-80 west to Rawlins, chow at the Square Shooter's Eatin' Place, then on to Lander and Dubois, then over Togwotee Pass. There are several overnight stop possibilities in Lander (and Rawlins). There is one CG in downtown Dubois, a KOA that is a bit pricey. A few miles east of town, i.e. before you get there, is a pretty nice one in the cottonwoods.
You are going to have a great trip, but be mindful of the weather. At altitude, most anything can happen at anytime. I have been snowed on on the fourth of July.
Sluggo
RE: Driving Mountains & Canyons: Height fear (or worse)
"Supposedly you can desensitize yourself about your fears if you expose yourself to them enough. I wouldn't know if that's true."
For some years my work situation was such that I HAD to tolerate heights, and in unfavorable conditions (refinery, all kinds of weather). I never got over it, and had days when I had all the aerobic exercise I needed well before lunch time, from just being where I was working - not the work itself. After that situation resolved, some ten years of it, I made myself a deal - I just don't get into those situations. I had, for financial reasons, to redo my roof myself one time, many feet over concrete. No more.
For the person who avoided the Cody way out of Yellowstone (east entrance), I'm sorry you missed it. It isn't any worse than the south entrance road, and offers scenery you won't get anywhere else, plus you missed the wonderful museums in Cody. The northeast entrance, Silver Gate, and mostly the Beartooth highway beyond it, is doable, but really uncomfortable for a larger rig. Well, by my standards, anyway!Dallas Flyovers
Ok, here's a primer on the Dallas-area highways. Not to slander Dallas, as big cities go it's pretty easy to get around. Just not for acrophobes in a hurry!
Dallas Flyovers
Sluggo
RE: Driving Mountains & Canyons: Height fear (or worse)
Yellowstone itself is relatively tame. There is a short stretch south of Mammoth, but it is very short, that might get your attention. Part of the south entrance road might, too, but all roads in the park have stone walls, rather than Armco, where needed. All in all, it isn't bad.
Now, in the Dallas area, those flyovers....
Sluggo
RE: The Eyes of Megan
In this case, beauty is in the eyes of the beheld. She looks so much like our Maggie did. Looks like twins at the Rainbow Bridge.
Sluggo
RE: Travel from SW MN to Goodyear AZ in winter
It would help to know your destination more precisely. Arizona's a big state 8-).
In more detail, I-29 to KC, then bear right to head south on I-435, go around town to I-35 south. Stay on I-35 to Wichita, then take the route of your choice as mentioned above.
Sluggo
