Well my DW has to work today and tomorrow - she is filling in for someone at the Yoga studio. I may paint today but I'm sort of feeling lazy - so I guess time will tell as to what I do today!
Time for a little RV talk - just to keep you guys posted as we prepare for our RV Journey.
A while back I sold my PT Cruiser - which I loved very much - the best car I ever had. We just did not need 2 cars so the proceeds from the sale went into our RV account. That left us with my DW's Mini Cooper. A nice car - great gas milage - not too good in the snow and not comfortable on long drives (over 1 hour.) We bought it new in 2007 when we moved to Santa Fe - something my DW always wanted and she has enjoyed it the past 4 years. Like she said it not so much that she loves the Mini is more that she loves the idea of having a Mini. Cute - sporty - fun ------- OH that's my DW Melissa I'm talking about but the Mini was also those things!! :>)
When we get the RV, we will need to tow a car behind the RV to use when parked in RV parks. The RV is 31 feet long and not the vehicle that you would drive to the store for milk or to site see in the area you are staying.
The Mini presented problems in that it cannot be towed behind the RV on all 4 wheels on the pavement so we would need a DOLLY and that presents problems with where do you keep the dolly when parked in the RV park as well as the hassle of strapping the car to the dolly etc etc. Additionally there are not that many Mini service centers across the USA and Canada.
Sooooooo we just traded in Mini for a Honda Fit which can be towed on all 4's on the pavement and it seems there is a Honda Dealer in every city in every state and throughout Canada. Thus far - after 400 miles - we love the Honda Fit - we are averaging 35-36 miles per gallon and we can use regular grade unleaded as compared to the Mini which required high grade unleaded gas. Sooooo all in all we are happy with our decision of trading Mini for the 2012 Honda Fit!
Since this purchase I've been researching an auxiliary brake system to be installed on the Honda, which will be controlled by the RV. The RV brake system and the Honda auxiliary brake system work together so when the brakes are applied on the RV the brakes on the Honda are also applied at the same pressure as the RV brakes. This is very important as without an auxiliary brake system on the Honda, the Honda would in fact be preventing the RV from stopping as quickly as it might need to. The Honda weighs about 2,800 pounds so that force would carry forward - pushing the RV - that would not be GOOD for us or the objects in front of us!!!
I've found the system we need to buy - not cheap ( nothing is these days) it is on sale $100 off so I may buy it now although we don't need it until April - however will there be a sale in April???? My gut feeling is to wait until April as I feel there will be SPRING SALES!
We have a list of odds and ends that we will start buying in December - small things such as walkie talkies - these are needed for when you are backing up the RV into a spot - although there is a backup camera, it is smart to have someone outside the RV watching for objects that could be HIT!!!! :>( Also a weather radio NOAA approved - with emergency broadcasting set on the local area - RVs are not the best things to be in during violent storms such as tornadoes etc. We'll need a long tire pressure gauge as there are 4 wheels on the back of the RV and to get to the inside wheels a normal pressure gauge won't reach. We also need a water pressure regulator - the PSI of the water system in an RV should really not exceed 40 PSI and in some camp grounds the water pressure can be upwards to 120 PSI ---- HOLY CRAP that will cause some real problems and leaks in the PEX water pipes and connections in the RV!! :>(
We'll need a water filter and we intend on also filtering the filtered water thru a Brita system - we do that now in the UNIT and WOW the water sure does taste good! Much better and cheaper than bottled water!!!!
I have a whole list of "TO BUY" items that I have researched over the past 6 months or so and we'll buy most of these over the next 4 months. Some of these items will need to be shipped out to Indiana as we will be needing them on our return drive to Santa Fe.
Lots of planning to do and check lists to prepared - as I always say:
"If you're well prepared you are not ill prepared"
Take care my friends and I may just take a day off today but knowing me I'll end up doing a painting and some sketching as "Tis me own ting"
Until next time my friends---------------
JR :>)
