The aspens on the mountain sides are turning yellow and orange, cool nights and mellow days have arrived, and a lot of vacant spaces appeared in the RV park. And on September 8, the first snow fell in Buena Vista, followed by crisp weather and skies brimming with blue. The only clouds are the thin contrails left by the jets. Autumn is the best season in the high country, but guess it's time to come down from the mountains.
We'll leave here on September 17, spend a week near Denver, then journey on to the rally. Hope to see many of you there. About 50 rigs and several wannabes are expected.
We went to a four page newsletter many months ago, but lack of contributions limited this issue to two pages. Even then, we had to scratch to find enough material.
The next issue will be our last as editors. The good news is that a couple has volunteered to take over as editors. We'll introduce them in the Nov/Dec issue and give them an opportunity to share their vision for 2002 and beyond. (Don and Helen McAnally)
Comments, ideas, questions, about most anything.
Getting a PhD in RVing.
There are a number of things any RVer needs to know before hitting the road. Like how to drive. These are assumed skills and areas of knowledge that most take for granted. Some of the other things that keep most people alive are never learned by homies (nonRVers) because they are taken care of by others.
Things like water, gas, electric supply, and sewage are just there when needed. For example, Homies don't need to know the basics of what happens when you flush a commode. But to RVers this becomes critical knowledge. Where does it go, how much do I have, where and how can I get rid of it. Everything that travels with you and every thing you carry is important to survival on the road.
The space station with wheels
The self-contained RV is the closest thing earthlings will ever come to living in space. The only thing not found in RVs is a recirculating air supply and in some cities, for RVs, there might be a market for that technology as well.
A self contained RV is the ultimate survival shelter. In the vernacular, to be without city water, electricity, and sewage is called "boondocking" and is a normal experience for fulltimers. Some even brag about how much time they can spend away from a camp ground with all the modern conveniences.
Modern RVs come in a variety of sizes, shapes and quality. You know you have bought the wrong RV when you run out of the necessities of life and the folks next to you still have weeks to go before they have to leave. It is interesting to note that there is some envy displayed by the "have nots" towards the fulltimer rigs.
The right equipment will let a person enjoy the RV life style in almost any environment. The wrong equipment, at the wrong time, in the wrong place, can be deadly.
Fulltimers are....?
There are about 3 million fulltimers on the roads today. Some are retired, some are employed in jobs that require travel, and others have just dropped out of the rat race. Fulltiming is not for everyone. One must want to travel, endure the lack of material possessions and enjoy the company of others. The fulltimer is a compulsive tourist, with engines fueled by new sights, sounds and experiences. They are forever on vacation, and always on the way to the next great spot on their dog eared and coffee stained map. They are an independent and self reliant people, and proud of overcoming adversity. They are not risk adverse nor are they risk takers. They are just normal folks with a severe case of wanderlust. (Thanks to Jon and Alma sharing with us)
Great Campgrounds This Summer:
Inclinometer - Poor Experience
Trailer Life recently featured a New Product - slope and grade gauges by R&B Manufacturing. I've been looking for a good grade indicator for a long time. After several email exchanges and extensive review of their web site, I ordered the "P15P" that shows grades in percents (+/- 15%) for $36 + $8 S&H.After their quick shipment, I tried it out in my F350 a number of times and eventually returned it for credit. The basic problems:
The dampening liquid did little to stop the little ball indicator from moving back and forth with every movement of the truck. The slightest acceleration/deceleration caused it to move dramatically, making valid readings very difficult.
Mounting the gauge (about 2"x 5") in the truck where it is level, fore and aft orientation and easily read while driving was not going to be easy.
Bill & Patti Sadd
"On Our Road To Somewhere ..."
Fulltime RVers: F350 and 33' NH 5W
http://www.fbg.net/wsadd
(Ed. Highly recommended: Bill's excellent web site}
From the pages of The San Antonio Light (1883). Compiled by Karen Ballentine. Thanks to Karen for permission to publish these items in the Horizon Herald. (Ed)
Chicken Mary, the endless, the ever-drunk, the irrepressible, was wheeled to jail in a barrow.
County Judge Mason has stopped the LIGHT because it criticized him. Henceforth he shall be in darkness, and he will miss the LIGHT more than we shall miss his weekly dime.
The census takers are instructed to take only the people and to omit the cats, which the Examiner says were included in Fort Worth.
Postmaster Gresham is suffering with insomnia, which seems to be obstinate. If he will only read the Houston Post, sleep will surely descend on him.
Lampasas - A two-story frame house, occupied by prostitutes, was set on fire and burned down. (Such a custom introduced in San Antonio would leave many lots vacant.
The "Mother Hubbard" (dress) craze is being carried to the same excess here that it is everywhere, and some of our young ladies may also be caught playing croquet in what the young men call, "their night gowns."