Wes & Ann Green from Noblesville, Indiana pulled into camp today towing this behind their Itasca Winnebago Class C motorhome.
Naturally I’m thinking, “What in the world is that thing?” 
Turns out it’s a motorcycle trailer made by “Toy Carrier” and runs about $3,050.00. Empty it weighs 683 pounds with a payload capacity of 1450 pounds. For security it has a key lock for the clamshell cover. Here is the link: Toy Carrier Trailers Wes has been riding motorcycles for over 40 years and loves to take his Honda GoldWing touring. 
He and Ann just use the RV for a home base while they take the bike out for day trips. 
The nice thing about this trailer is that the cover is made of plastic and is very tough. The company claims it won’t corrode or stress crack and is stronger than fiberglass and aluminum covers. It has an easy scissor lift system that you can operate with one hand.
A center wheel holder helps stabilize the bike on the trailer while the bike is tied down with cargo straps.
Toy Carrier is also coming out with a double bike trailer soon.
Wes, Ann and Sophie their Blue Merle Collie enjoy the RV lifestyle and we enjoyed meeting them. 
Naturally I’m thinking, “What in the world is that thing?” Turns out it’s a motorcycle trailer made by “Toy Carrier” and runs about $3,050.00. Empty it weighs 683 pounds with a payload capacity of 1450 pounds. For security it has a key lock for the clamshell cover. Here is the link: Toy Carrier Trailers Wes has been riding motorcycles for over 40 years and loves to take his Honda GoldWing touring. He and Ann just use the RV for a home base while they take the bike out for day trips. The nice thing about this trailer is that the cover is made of plastic and is very tough. The company claims it won’t corrode or stress crack and is stronger than fiberglass and aluminum covers. It has an easy scissor lift system that you can operate with one hand.A center wheel holder helps stabilize the bike on the trailer while the bike is tied down with cargo straps.
Toy Carrier is also coming out with a double bike trailer soon.Wes, Ann and Sophie their Blue Merle Collie enjoy the RV lifestyle and we enjoyed meeting them. 
These plastic frames are light weight and she secures them with clear adhesive tape. 
They wouldn’t even have to be secured if you take them down while driving because the way the frame base is tilted it holds the frame safely in place by itself. 
WalMart sells these frames in various sizes and widths to accommodate most ordinary photo sizes. As you can see they are inexpensive and easy to use.
Thank you Marjorie for giving us this innovative and cost effective tip. I imagine scrap-book makers will have a field day with this concept. 
As you can see, we are very scientific in our approach to product evaluation (we actually used a measuring device). First up in Bologna Busters test inventory is Techni-Ice. This invention out of Australia was designed to replace dry ice and is advertised to last six times longer than regular ice.
In a few minutes the sheet absorbs water and the cubes swell to their functional size. 
You may cut these to the size you need them. I use a small cooler so I made the sheets to fit that container. I recommend you cut the sheets prior to soaking them, but you can cut them after they are soaked as well. 
Bologna Busters placed 5 pre-chilled cans of soda into this Coleman plastic cooler along with the equivalent of one sheet of Techni-Ice cut to accommodate this sized container. The Techni-Ice sheets were frozen in a typical RV freezer for 20 hours. 
We also put a thermometer in the bottom and the top of the ice chest to check out the cooling efficiency of Techni-Ice. The beginning readings averaged 42 degrees after a 10 minute exposure. 
We then set the cooler outside at 10:30 a.m. where it received several hours of direct sunlight and I opened it to retrieve a soda for lunch. Nice and cold! 
At 6:30 p.m. (after 8 hours) we opened the cooler and poured the contents of one of the soda’s into a glass with a thermometer submerged in it. Techni-Ice held the temperature of this soft drink at a refreshing 43 degrees. So after 8 hours we only lost one degree temperature. Not detectable even with our calibrated taste buds. 
The recommended usage is one sheet of Techni-Ice per seven litres of cooler space. So for our six pack cooler one sheet (cut into 4 smaller sheets) was plenty. Also, the colder you can get these ice packs, the longer they will last. Our test used Bologna Busters RV freezer, which doesn’t get all that cold, and the test results were excellent, even refreshing!
Like everything else, the more you buy the cheaper the cost per sheet. As an example if you purchase six sheets the cost is $4.99 per sheet plus $4.05 S/H for up to 10 sheets. These sheets will last a long time. The only thing that will degrade this product is if you puncture the cubes. If you happen to puncture only one cube, just drain the contents and continue to use it. 
Congratulations Techni-Ice for earning this prestigious award!
He designed and built this PVC hose and filter rack himself.
A bungee cord holds the center together as the middle PVC joints are not glued but allowed to pivot freely. 
Here you can see that the bungee cord also holds the filter assembly in place.
The hose on the rack also acts to hold the rack together. Short lengths of light weight chain are used for width restraint.
Barbra puts the rack up against the 5er slide when it is windy to prevent it from blowing over.
The front legs are split with two 45 degree elbows that are permanently glued in place. This effectively enlarges the “footprint” of the rack giving it more stability.
It takes two and a half to three days to make a batch of 40 gallons and over that period it requires one hour and 15 minutes of your attention to the process. The company EZBiodiesel is at the forefront in this technology 
The places where you are going to find some really good eats are roadside stands. Texas is full of these places with smoldering BBQ’s just oozing with mouth watering aroma. Some of the best BBQ you’ll ever eat comes out of places like this. And Maine lobster rolls soaked in butter from a roadside stand mmm.......mmm I'm drooling!
For all you Family Motor Coach Association members who may still be roaming around Georgia or anywhere in the South, I highly recommend you stop at a roadside stand and try some of these boiled peanuts. 
Smitty’s Produce Stand is just such a place. Smitty has been selling boiled peanuts every weekend in Columbus, Georgia for 22 years. 
Don’t worry, in most states, these vendors have to have a business license and are routinely inspected by the health department. 
He also sells great produce and is located on the Eastbound on-ramp of 80 and Moon road in Columbus, Georgia. 
Not to worry, there is plenty of parking for your big rig RV.
This plate full of warm peanuts went from this: 
To this - in less than six minutes, and I ate them all myself. Wow! They were not spicy hot as I thought they would be, but very flavorful and gone in no time! 
Many restaurants in the South serve these as appetizers, but if you’re not careful, you’ll make a meal out of them and not want your supper when they bring it. I also purchased some fresh vegetables and homemade pecan brittle.
This pecan brittle cost $1 and is, no kidding, the best pecan brittle I’ve ever eaten. You can be sure I'll be a repeat customer!
Not any more, introducing (the yet un-named) prototype remote control (in the armrest so you can’t loose it) chairs. 
Villa International engineers are trying hard to make life easier for us and came up with this idea which they were trying out on customers at the Georgia FMCA convention.
Sales representative Robert Long demonstrates the comfort of this top of the line chair. You know it's not easy to get a salesman to "sit down" on the job. 
To do this job you will need distilled water, a turkey baster, eye protection, a flashlight and some paper towels. 
First put on your eye protection (you’re working with acid here), then open your battery cell cover. Mine are the ez-open kind but you may have batteries that require a flat-head screwdriver to pop them open. 
Next you suck up some water in the old turkey baster and fill your battery cells so that the water completely covers the lead plates (hopefully you haven’t let the water level get this low). I usually fill the cell until the water is even with the bottom of the fill hole. 
Do not fill it to the top because when you replace the cap, it will spill battery acid all over your battery and run down the side and muck up your battery compartment causing severe CBU. If you do accidentally fill it to the top, just use the baster to remove the excess and put it into the next available cell that needs topped off. Do not - repeat DO NOT gargle with this stuff!
Put the covers back on and wipe up any spills with the paper towels. Be sure to wash your hands – a mixture of baking soda and water will neutralize any acid that may have come in contact with skin or anything else for that matter. 
Try not to get any of this stuff on your skin or your clothing. But if you do, don’t freak out, just neutralize it and thoroughly wash it off. That’s it, you’re done. Oh, one word of advice, don’t use your kitchen turkey baster – trust me, you wife will know you used it no matter how much you clean it! Just pick one up at the Dollar Store and stay out of trouble. Jim
The directions in U.S. Military Campgrounds Directory are FAR superior to Military Living’s directory. Just throw that old directory in the trash and buy this one. I’m not kidding!
This Texan made a bold move, took out his paint brush and went the first amendment route. I like his style and being parked at the FMCA campground finally garnered the attention of his manufacturer. He told me that corporate promised to get it all repaired at no cost to him, but he isn’t holding his breath. We’ll see how it all comes out.
The Family Motor Coach Association (
There were 4,830 motor coaches in the camping areas. 
Of these 3,820 were 
There were 556 coaches on display and 194 demonstration coaches available for a test drive. Here's 
There were a total of 1,010 exhibitors at the rally and over 800 volunteers helped make this convention a success. If you needed anything RV, then this was the place to get it or learn about it.
If you missed this rally then sign up now for the next rally in Redmond, Oregon August 13-16, 2007.
First up on the menu is a stroll through the shinny new RV’s that seemed to be ubiquitous. Take a look at this Travel Supreme ME. As I pondered this engineering marvel I caught myself thinking WHY? Why would you want to loose this much space when you can tow or trailer a car?
Here 
Every form of personal conveyance is used here including scooters, golf carts, trams, bicycles, and you name it. You have to be careful you don’t get run over while taking pictures! 
The most popular venue today was the seminar on touring Alaska by motor coach. As you can see it was packed, which will give you some idea about how many rigs will be heading that direction next season. Apparently Alaska money has the same exchange rate as the mainland, it’s just that everything costs more (except… perhaps ice).
There is an absolute sea of motor coaches camped on the Perry Georgia fairgrounds. I wish I had a 
Thousands of coaches and even more camaraderie! There are no other events quite like these 
In the meantime, my friend Larry Ellert came up with the idea for this porch/entry light. He used a Regent 13 watt fluorescent light with photo cell. You can pick this unit up a Lowe’s for under $25. 
Larry used pvc pipe (available at any hardware store) as a stand. He used a 5 way pvc connector for the base with four pvc legs (capped) extend at right angles holding the center pole vertical. 
If you can’t find a 5 way connector at you local hardware store you can order one here 
This unit provides so much light that Larry masked part of the light off with tape to reduce the amount of available light. Also, since it is top heavy, he tucks it under the wheel of his coach to prevent the wind from blowing it over. I’m thinking of an amber light to help cut down on the bugs. Once I decide what to do, you can be sure I’ll write an article on it. In the meantime, this will give all you tinkerers out there something to think about. If you have a brighter idea leave a comment, I’ll keep the light on for you. Jim
We 
Using a Sharpie permanent marker and writing the title of the book on the edge of the book makes it very easy to retrieve when you’re rolling down the road or 
When we arrived, every campground within 100 miles of Perry Georgia was full because the 77th international Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA) convention is meeting there next week. If you are an RV park owner, you pray that this convention happens within 100 miles of your location because your park will be full to overflowing the week before the convention.
Since we are so close, I plan on covering the event in my blog, so stay tuned for my take on this huge RV event. Jim
He is also an avid RVer who was getting tired of spending hundreds of dollars replacing the plastic front-end shield on his 2000 Gulf Stream motorhome. After replacing the third shield he started looking for alternatives. The photo below illustrates the type of shield John was using before he and his auto-body buddy came up with an entirely new idea. 
John could have gone with clear film or a bra, but instead he had his friend put a Rhino Lining 
John also says that it repels rocks without a visible scratch and the bugs wash right off. John chose to go with black, and now you can get Rhino Lining 
Mike and Toni Hogan have been living and traveling full time in their Allegro motorhome since July of 2006. Toni is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) who (thanks to the mobility and comfort of her RV) works where she wants and when she wants. Since they are both busy professionals, they rent an extra car when she is working someplace for an extended period of time (she drives the sporty red one).
Toni graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in nursing and went on to complete the requirements to become a CRNA which include working in ICU for 18 months and then completing a CRNA masters degree program which she did at Duke in North Carolina.
It also comes with a power brush attachment that is small enough to get into tight spots plus all the other standard attachments. This unit also comes with a 3 year warranty.
First mount the motor housing unit. It will install horizontally or vertically in a 10” by 20” space. You can mount it behind a cabinet as shown here. 
You can also mount it in the basement or storage compartment under the coach. It comes with five feet of hose in the flex connector kit witch is included. A detailed instruction guide is also in the box if you care to read it. 
Once you’ve mounted the motor housing unit you can drill the holes using a hole saw for the face plate and a small drill bit for the included electric wire. 
Put the electric wire through the back mounted retaining plate and feed it through the hole you drilled.
Now attach the two-pronged electric wire by simply pushing it into the holes on the back of the face plate. 
Attach the face plate with screws. 
Now drill a hole in the floor (where you have carefully measured and predetermined will not interfere with cross-members, plumbing, electric wires or international relations).
Attach the flex hose to the face plate and run it and the wire down through the hole into the storage compartment. 
Attach the hose and the wire to the motor housing unit. Here Jim decided to add an additional faceplate (purchased separately) by adding a PVC “Y” adaptor to the motor housing unit. This way he can use it to vacuum his storage compartments. 
Now you just plug it in and away you go!
One of the guys asked me when was the last time I lubed my 5
OK, so I’m a dummy, but hopefully someone will learn from my mistakes. 
Here is how you do it: First, remove the retaining pin and pull out the main pin. 
The main pin was rusted so I cleaned it up with sandpaper. 
This is the cylinder that the main pin holds in place. I've extracted it from the hitch cradle and turned it upside down for maintenance. Sounds like I know what I'm doing doesn't it. 
I also reamed the cylinder with sandpaper. 
I applied grease to the main pin. 
I applied grease to the lube points on the mechanical mechanism including inside the cylinder.
I used silicon spray on the areas I 
I once saw a passenger door completely bent back by a passing car in a similar situation. Here anyone stepping out of the coach is in danger. I don’t even want to think about kids or pets jumping out of this coach the way it’s parked. Bottom line, be aware and be safety conscious at all times when operating your RV. Be safe out there! Jim
We stayed at the Queen Mine RV Park owned and operated by Stan Dupuy.
$23.00 a night with 30 amp full hook-ups. Small cul-de-sac park with great views of the huge open-pit Lavender Copper Mine (several sites back up to the mine). 
It is a tight turn at the bottom of the hill going up to this RV park, so if you have a huge rig be careful. The nice thing about this park is that it is walking distance from everything you will want to see in town, including the Queen Mine Tour. 
Other RV parks include the San Jose RV Park ($13.50 a night) (520) 432-5761 and the famous and (worth a visit even if you don’t stay there - $30.00 a night) Shady Dell RV Park (520) 432-3567. 
I highly recommend the Queen Mine Tour. This is the largest tourist attraction in Bisbee and it is very educational. 
They suit you up in miner’s garb consisting of a raincoat, utility belt, hard-hat and torch (flashlight) – you will appreciate the flashlight. 
The tour guides are miners and have many years of mining experience. Martin Davis conducted our tour. 
They load you up on rail-cars and you head into the mine. 
The tour takes you 1500 feet under the mountain and you get a close-up view of mining past and present. 
(Above photo from Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum)
The Queen Mine’s original shaft was dug in 1880. There are over 2,300 miles of tunnel in the Queen Mine – stay with the tour, you don’t want to get lost down there.
Make sure you ask about the 400 mules that lived their entire lives inside the mine and how they contributed to the mining operations. 
Bisbee is the second richest mineral area in the world with 300 mineral specimens.
The Queen Mine produced 8 billion pounds of copper and 2.8 million ounces of gold as a byproduct. The phone number for the Queen Mine tour is (866) 432-2071 or you can email them at 
(Well, really, they were there to get tourist information, but don’t tell Ilona). Be sure to stop in and pick up your walking tour map. The Info Center is directly across the street from the Mining Museum.
Museum Director Carrie Gustavson gave me a guided tour of the new exhibits and they are fabulous. The Smithsonian designers, exhibit and lighting experts did a superb job. Here Carrie touches something that the sign clearly forbids – she says the kids love to open it but the adults won’t go near it. Rule followers! 
The Bisbee minerals are on display and the new fiber optic lighting makes them “pop.”
After you’ve done the walking tour of all the 1900 era buildings, cool your heels at the historic Cooper Queen Hotel restaurant and enjoy the ambiance of this palace erected for the mining executives of Phelps-Dodge from a bygone era.
Their state doesn't require a special licence to operate this truck and it can pull and stop a much heavier load than a standard pick-up.
Ruth likes it better than their former F-550 because it's a more comfortable ride and has more room inside. She also likes it better because it has more windshield viewing area. 
Frank loves this truck and it gets a respectable 9 MPG. It has a 150 gallon capacity with two 75 gallon tanks. He says it didn’t come with as much storage as his F-550 so he designed his own cabinet. 
I asked Ruth how easy it was to park this rig compared to the F-550 and she said that they don’t have any problems finding parking, but that it’s usually out in the distance of the parking lot. She told me that when they want to tour a place and need the convenience and gas economy they just rent a car for a few days. It saves wear and tear on their truck and works out great for their touring adventures.
When I was stationed onboard the USS Kansas City (AOR-3) we hit some heavy seas in the Baring Straits and let me tell you, anything that wasn’t tied down either fell overboard or rolled around in the compartments creating havoc. So, I’m always on the lookout for ideas to keep stuff from banging around inside my coach. Here’s a great idea for securing a trash can. 
Rick Schramm a retired submariner knows the importance of securing gear in his travel trailer so he drilled a hole in this can just slightly larger than the sliding door latch.
He attached the sliding door latch to the wall so that the handle securely holds the can in place. 
Stanley makes the one pictured here and ACE Hardware also has one with two sizes to choose from, the 2 1/2" model #5302096 and a 1 1/2" model # 5302088.
You’re probably thinking, “Sheesh, you’re retired! Why would she even own a pair of high heels?” Good point, but in my research of the ancient world, I've discovered that women and a multitude of shoes have existed from the beginning. When Adam sewed together fig leaves in the Garden of Eden he probably made Eve a matching purse and shoes. Accessories are important you know!
The answer is to install heavier duty (and nicer looking) vents. I haven’t made the plunge yet (they are anywhere from $50 to $75 a pop). So, until I find vent replacements I like (the major home stores don’t carry this size in the higher end vent covers), I’ll just have to make due. In the meantime, watch your step! Jim
This is a common event in my experience and I don’t give it a second thought until it happens twice within a few minutes, then I get on the CB. This can be caused by many things, mostly driver error. They are eating, talking on the CB or cell phone, looking at a map or GPS system, pouring coffee or being distracted by any number of things. No problem if it happens once. However it becomes a BIG problem is the driver is falling asleep. One major trucking company whose rigs you see every day was under investigation recently for its safety record. This particular company, on average, is involved in a fatal wreck every 12 days.
I have many places that I enjoy, but this year I am voting for Huntington Beach State Park in South Carolina as my #1 favorite park. We absolutely LOVED this place!
The day we drove in, I snapped (no pun intended) a picture of this gator sunning himself in the fresh water lake next to the campground. 
Directly across from this lake is a salt water marsh that has some of the best bird watching I’
The campground is nice, most with electric and water only, although there are a few full hook-ups. The pristine white beach (where I caught blue fish and a shark) is about 100 yards from the campground. We saw dolphins jumping and feeding every day.
Across the street is one of our nation’s greatest art treasures, 
There is so much here that I haven’t even begun to describe it, so, you’ll have to load up the RV and discover it for yourself. You’ll love it (reservations recommended).
Allen Gilson has been a full time RVer for 6 ½ years and loves the lifestyle. Allen is from upstate New York and retired from IBM. He also enjoys being connected to the internet while traveling around the country. But unlike the majority of his fellow satellite internet enthusiasts who use tripods to mount their “dish” Allen opted to turn his Kar Kaddy into a satellite dish platform.
After he takes his car off the Kar Kaddy, he positions it so his satellite dish has optimum exposure to the southern sky then bolts the mast (pole) to the Kar Kaddy tongue. 
He puts a post level on the mast, chocks one wheel and uses two blocks of wood to “drop” the other wheel in between until the unit is level.
Once the unit is level side to side, he levels the front by placing small wood planks under the tongue.
He aims the dish and happily surfs the net while his Kar Kaddy does double duty.
However after a year of full timing they decided they needed more coach, so they shopped around and purchased a new 2007 40 foot Tiffin Phaeton motorhome at LaMesa RV in Tucson, Arizona.
Valerie wanted more cabinet space and especially a king-size bed. 
Being a great cook, she also wanted a four door refrigerator and more kitchen space.
This nifty drawer cabinet not only contains drawers but also pulls out to reveal a large kitchen work space. 
She also wanted tile instead of carpet.
His and her lavatories (sinks for those who prefere the Latin term).
These items were lacking in their Escaper and that's why they switched to their new Tiffin Phaeton motorhome.
This coach has a Caterpillar 350 horse power diesel pusher with a six speed Allison transmission built on a Freightliner chassis. Both Larry and Valerie are happy with their new motorhome and look forward to many years of full-time RVing adventure!
Yesterday I watched as Bronwen broke the surly bonds of earth and took off for the wild blue yonder in a Grob 103 sailplane. 
Her pilot, Bruce Waddell has been flying sailplanes for 29 years and tells me this aircraft was made in Germany but is no longer in production. It weighs 860 pounds and the price tag of an equivalent plane if purchased today is around $90,000. When this plane catches an updraft and gains altitude it's called “soaring.” When it has to rely on the tow plane to gain altitude it’s called “gliding.” 
RVers are known to be adventurous and some are downright daring and Bronwen is no exception. 
This sortie is called the, “High Performance Deluxe” and cost $179.95. This included a 45 minute flight over the Estrella Mountains with views of Phoenix and the surrounding countryside. The tow plane released the “sailplane” 5,000 feet above the “sailport.” 
These sailplanes are sleek and usually only have one or at most two wheels up front for landing and one in the tail section. The landing gear wheel has a disk brake which allows the pilot to stop the plane right in front of the hanger. 
The pilots literally have to push these planes on and off the runway by hand, so they want to stop as close to the hanger as possible. 
The nose of the aircraft holds the tow rope in place with a single set of jaws which is released by pulling a chord inside the cockpit. 
Bronwen doesn’t weigh very much, so Bruce had to add 50 pounds of weight to the nose of the sailplane to adjust the center of gravity. 
Arizona Soaring is the nation’s #1 soaring school with a large fleet of sailplanes and professional instructor pilots. 
You can learn more at 
Here is a video of Bruce and Bronwen coming in for a landing after “buzzing” the field at better than 100 mph.
Click here for more information on this kind of skirt:
You can take a nap with your door open confident that the screen door will remain closed. Will it stop a thief? No! Not for three seconds, so don’t think this will solve that problem. For that situation post a sign like this. 
