Life in an RV

[Sir Henry]

Last night was the first night in my RV away from the house. I stayed at a rest area. This morning I stopped at a large fuel station. Not quite a truck stop because parking is limited. Tonight I’ll stay at the rest area going north.

I’m going to start calling around for tires in a few minutes. I called a few places on the weekend but many were closed and the ones open had zilch. Wednesday I drive my Outback pulling the teardrop to Ephrata where I will store them both. Then I will sell the van.

Still a lot of things to do.

[BigAl52]

Hope you are able to locate tires Gene

[daytime dave]

Good luck with the final details Gene. How did you sleep in the RV? Well, I hope. Like Al said, I hope you track down tires soon.

[Sir Henry]

Hope you are able to locate tires Gene

Yes the site you posted had six Michelin’s that will be shipped to my old address. I’ll then take them to Les Schwann Tires. I called them and they will Mount tires I bring in.

They are top of the line and slightly less than the Goodyear’s.

[Sir Henry]

Good luck with the final details Gene. How did you sleep in the RV? Well, I hope. Like Al said, I hope you track down tires soon.

It was a good nights rest. Very comfortable although I’m still feeling a bit uneasy. This Class A seat sits a little higher than most semi’s.

[BrokenolMarine]

If you haven't had a lot of RV experience, I'd make real sure I was comfortable in it before taking on narrow mountain roads. A couple friends rented a big one for a month long vacation cross country sight seeing, and the rental agency warned them it was a different experience.

Several friends told them to familiarize themselves with the length and feel before tackling the winding mountain passes in the middle of the country and out west...
... They laughed and said, "We have pulled slant horse trailers WAY longer than this RV for more years than you've been alive."

Got a call a couple weeks in. "You know, this yacht don't bend in the middle and track like our horse rig. They will be replacing a few centerline road signs between coasts on tight turns."

I have never driven one.

[John E Davies]

Yep, don’t be this guy. https://www.durangoherald.com/articles ... reek-road/

Good luck with the tires. I assume the RV has a spare, if it is old, swap the best used one for that. Anything over about seven years should be scrapped. It would ruin your day to have a flat, and then have your spare fail catastrophically a few hours later due to rotten sidewalls…. Do you have a TPMS? If not, get one now. I quite like the Tire Traker ones, the sensor batteries are button cells that can be changed in a few seconds. I have been using one for five camping seasons and am happy. Get at least one spare sensor, and install that on the spare tire, in case it gets a slow leak.

https://www.tiretraker.com/

John Davies
Spokane WA

[BigAl52]

That guy is stupid for even taking that RV on that road. Id never even attempt that to begin with.

[markiver54]

I wonder if he had to clean the driver seat!

[Sir Henry]

The spare is about two years old and never been on the pavement.

I’m currently at a state park and reception is slow.

[Sir Henry]

Priority Tire called and said their security suspected my order was a fraud and they are refusing to ship unless I provide a picture ID with the ship to address. I emailed them a picture of my drivers license.

I find it interesting the West Coast does not have RV tires however the East does.

[BigAl52]

Lots of that online fraud going on. Another site I am a member of there is people scamming the for sale threads quite often. One has to be cautious who he is doing business with.

[Sir Henry]

They declined me again. From what the person on the phone said the security company they hired was declining half their orders. Then I get a call back and asked to give him the info again and it wouldn’t be declined. Apparently the CEO called the security company and told them their job was to prevent fraud and not to chase away honest business.

[Sir Henry]

Today I pulled my teardrop over to Ephrata with the Outback and will store them outside for at least the next month and maybe up to six months. The new owner of my home followed me and drove me back.

I’m now at Speedway RV in Monroe, WA. Across the street and up on a hill is one of the state prisons. Tomorrow I’ll have the satellite dome removed and will have the holes plugged. The previous owner said it’s outdated and I’ll never use it. I’m thinking of removing both TV’s also.

[BigAl52]

Did you figure out where your leak might be

[Sir Henry]

Did you figure out where your leak might be

Satellite dome.

[Sir Henry]

The dome is off and they found where it was leaking. I asked the technician if he wanted it and he said he doesn’t watch TV. We had an interesting chat while he worked. He said he would rather read or create something with his hands.

The generator will get a tuneup and I will have the mhome oil changed by a sister company next door.

Next up is to find a dump station. A lot of the rest areas here have them. I’m told it’s really easy to figure out although not the most pleasant task.

[BigAl52]

Its not that bad dumping the black tank. Do you have a black tank flush on the coach?

[Sir Henry]

Its not that bad dumping the black tank. Do you have a black tank flush on the coach?

I believe it does. I’ll find out soon.

[John E Davies]

Black stuff first, rinse the black tank, if you have that system, followed by the grey. Close the valves. Count to 30. Then disconnect the RV end of the hose, hold it high, and rinse it out well with the non-potable water hose near the dump hole. Dumping the black first gets the solids out of the way, you do not want to have them hung up in your hose.The clean POTABLE water spigot is always located away from the dump area, at least it is supposed to be....!

Wear disposable gloves and keep your lips closed tightly, splashes could be unpleasant. Wash your hands well before filling your fresh tank or even touching your fresh water hose....

I lived in Monroe for twelve years, a mile north of the race track (and left in 2004), my how that area has grown. Good luck.

John Davies
Spokane WA