Sage to keep away mosquitos?

Has anyone tried this?  Amazon has packages of sage "smudge sticks" for cheap. Not interested in the "new age" "tribal ritual" use, but would be great if they helped keep the bugs at bay. Might be worth trying!

Adding Sage to Your Campfire

AMAZON: Sage Smudge Sticks

Reservations Made for the Great American Eclipse

A couple of days ago, I mentioned the Great American Eclipse coming up on August 21.  Seemed like a great excuse to plan a long weekend. If you do any internet exploration about this topic you will quickly discover that this is going to be quite an event! Entire websites have sprung up dedicated to this particular eclipse. If you check YouTube all you'll find now are videos about total solar eclipses in such exotic locations as Indonesia or Iceland. August 21, 2017, offers us a unique opportunity right in our own backyards!

One of our favorite places in Georgia is the Clayton/Dillard area in the extreme northeast corner of the state. Who can resist the southern cookin' feast at the Dillard House Restaurant in the beautiful Dillard valley!? Dillard also just happens to be directly under the path of the eclipse. I began my search for a camping location in the immediate Clayton/Dillard area. No luck!  Surprisingly there are few RV park options in the area and those that I found were already booked solid. I expanded my search, cross-referencing maps of RV parks with solar eclipse maps - slowly extending my search into North Carolina, Tennesee, and South Carolina. Interestingly, even non-descript/poorly-reviewed campgrounds were showing BOOKED. I guess my idea of a long-eclipse-weekend was not so original!

Then I decided to narrow my search and look closer to home. Specifically, Blairsville, Georgia which is a comfortably within the TOTAL eclipse path and only 50 miles up the road from Jasper. Here I found Crossing Creeks RV Resort. Their catch-phrase is "welcome to extraordinary!"  Judging by the pictures on their website, I can't argue with their claim! Pricey - yes ($75/night for a standard campsite). Snooty - possibly (if your rig is older than 10 years, you must submit photos for management approval). Nonetheless, it's absolutely beautiful and they had a nice spot for us. We're going up Saturday morning and come home Tuesday. Our site is nice and open so we should be able to sit on our very own patio with a glass of wine while enjoying the astronomical spectacle!

Check out the website for Crossing Creeks RV Resort:

http://www.crossingcreeksrvresort.com/

Diamond Plate Success!

We picked up the RPod yesterday after repairs being completed.  It's been 3 weeks, but worth the wait.  If you read my earlier post from last week, we had an incident on our trip to Michigan last September.  Threw a rock at 65 mph and put it right through the front fiberglass wall of our RPod, in addition to a destroying the rear passenger-side truck tire.

After researching repair options, I concluded that attempting to repair the fiberglass would most likely be disappointing at best and probably never be "good as new."  Carol had the brilliant idea of diamond plate! Not only would it cover the damage but it would also help prevent a future, similar occurrence. Quite honestly, Forest River should be installing this stuff at the factory. That thin, little fiberglass wall is quite vulnerable and totally inadequate - as we proved.

We found that we could order a roll of the diamond plate online for a DIY solution for about $100.  I questioned how satisfactory a DIY job would actually be. I'm pretty handy, but I wanted this to be a genuine "fix" and not just some stop-gap attempt to cover the hole. I called around and found an RV dealer not far from us who agreed this sounded like a good solution that they could do the job. Estimated cost was about $500.

The result exceeded our expectations!  A completely professional installation and it honestly looks like it came this way from the factory. The service guy said, "not another RPod on the road with a diamond plate front!" Not only is it a satisfactory repair, it added some nice sporty bling to our little camper!  Looks amazing!  Thank you, Open Road RV in White, Georgia.

RPod 181G with diamond plate facelift!

Now that the repair is complete, it's time to start cleaning up the pod and getting it ready for sale. Since we anticipate delivery of our new Rockwood 2604 in late June or early July, it'd be nice if we could have the RPod sold by then so we don't face the issue of two travel trailers and only one storage spot.

Road Trip for the Great American Eclipse

I read this article earlier today (link below) and immediately decided that a long-weekend road trip is definitely in order in August! Carol & I are fortunate to be very close to the path of a significant astronomical event - The Great American Eclipse!

On Aug. 21, a total solar eclipse will be visible from the USA for the first time since 1979. The path of this eclipse will travel from coast to coast across the United States, with the moon's shadow racing from Oregon at 10:21 AM (local time) and exiting the US near Charleston, South Carolina 94 minutes later.

This is the first time a total solar eclipse has gone from one American coast to the other since 1918. It will also be the first time in U.S. history that a total solar eclipse will make landfall exclusively on U.S. soil, meaning it will not be visible from any other country.

Carol & I are happily very close to the path of this event as it slices across extreme northeast Georgia. From our home, we would be able to view the eclipse at about 98%, but if we drive a mere fifty miles northeast, we will be comfortably in the direct path of the eclipse at 2:34 PM on August 21 and have the once in a life-time experience of solar eclipse TOTALITY!

August 21 is a Monday which makes the timing perfect to plan a long weekend with the RV. I thought others of you might like to make similar plans, depending upon your location. The entire country will experience a partial eclipse that Monday, but if you can get to the 70-mile wide swath of totality, it should be well worth the effort.

The link below shares an excellent article that gives you state by state info about when and where to view this once in a lifetime event. What a great excuse to go camping! Let's pray for good weather!

http://www.space.com/35495-where-to-see-2017-total-solar-eclipse.html

One other note:  to commemorate this event, the US Postal Service is issuing a special "thermal" stamp with a release date of June 20.  When you press your finger on this stamp, it will react to your body heat and change from a picture of a total solar eclipse to a picture of the moon.  How cool is that?

http://www.theverge.com/tldr/2017/4/28/15467182/us-total-eclipse-august-21-commemorative-stamp

Design of new "heat-reactive" stamp due to be issued June 20, 2017

Walk Through Checklist

I don't have a delivery date yet for our new Rockwood 2604WS that is on order from the factory. When we ordered it, the sales consultant told me we should have a definite date within two to three weeks.  It's been two weeks, so hopefully within the next week or so!  Right now, we expect delivery sometime in late June or early July.

In anticipation of our upcoming trip to Ohio to pick up the new unit, I've created a checklist for our walk through of the trailer.  When we bought our first TT (Dutchman Kodiak) we had a very thorough and extensive walk through. When we bought the RPod, not so much.  The folks at RV Wholesalers are going to have to give us a thorough one.  This is a major purchase and I won't be leaving until I get it.  Someone suggested asking them if it'd be OK to video the walk through, which I think is an excellent idea.  (Note to self, pack the GoPro).

Keep in mind this list is specific to our unit and the options that we selected. Nonetheless, I thought this might be helpful to someone else to customize for their specific unit. This would apply to a new or used travel trailer.  Obviously, a motorcoach of some type would involve a lot of other things to check out.

Here's my list for the Rockwood 2604WS.  Does anyone see anything that I'm missing?

EXTERIOR

• Open and close both sets of steps
• Operate the power awning
• Demo how to operate power awning if motor fails
• Demo how to tilt awning to drain collected water
• Demo how to operate awning LED lights
• Demo solar panel plug
• Demo back up camera plug
• Demo procedure for winterizing 
• Demo how to hang grill on side of trailer
• Check door locks
• Checks locks and hinges for exterior storage bays
• Demo how to operate heated holding tanks
• Check all exterior lights
• Demo operation of hot water heater
• Demo maintenance of hot water heater
• Run water in exterior shower
• Demo black water flush
• Check that slides operate smoothly and are flush with wall
• Need someone from service department to inspect roof and underbelly of unit from factory
• Demo tank dumps
• Demo sewer hook up
• Demo how to change water filter
• How to know when water filter needs changing?
• Demo how to hook up all hoses and water
• Demo MANUAL operation of both slides
• Demo hitch and unhitch process
• Demo MANUAL operation of power tongue jack
• Demo MANUAL operation of power stabilizers
• Locate all data and warning stickers

INTERIOR - GENERAL

• Owners' manuals
• Check all interior lights
• Check all electric outlets
• Check all USB outlets
• Open/close all drawers/cabinets
• Turn on furnace/air flow to all ducts?
• Turn on AC/air flow to all vents?
• Turn on all vent fans. Covers in place?
• Raise and lower all shades/blinds
• Locate fuses.  What fuses do we need as spares?
• How to ID which fuse is which?
• Operate all windows for smooth operation
• Check floor. Sound and solid all over?

LIVING/DINING

• Recliners operate smoothly?
• Turn on TV/wall mount OK?
• Operate TV antenna
• Remotes accounted for
• Demo the sound system and all its functions (demo CD/iphone, etc)
• Check all speakers, in and out
• Demo control panel/monitors
• Check table and chairs/sturdy and sound?
• Pull out and set up sofa bed

KITCHEN

• Counter extension accounted for?
• Light oven pilot
• Light all burners of stove
• Check range vent. Ensure that outside flap opens.
• Run water through kitchen faucet
• Demo refrigerator operation/electric vs. propane
• Inspect counter/no defects

BATHROOM

• Run water in shower
• Check shower door/operates smoothly/seems to seal correctly?
• Run water in bath sink
• Open/close all drawers and cabinets
• Flush and fill toilet

Diamond Plate to the Rescue

I mentioned yesterday that we currently own a 2011 RPod 181G.  We took our little pod to Michigan last September.  I'd never been to Michigan before and images of Detroit's urban blight always came to mind when conjuring up images of Michigan. How unfair I had been to an entire state! Michigan is absolutely beautiful! We toured up the west coast of Lake Michigan and were "wowed" at every turn! More about Michigan perhaps later on. Back to the RPod.

Our 2010 F-150 & RPod at Traverse City, MI KOA (morning before the incident)

We left Traverse City one bright, beautiful morning.  Spent the day exploring beaches, lighthouses, and wineries.  Late that afternoon, about 20 miles south of Petoskey, Michigan, I hit a rock with the passenger side truck tire. BLOW OUT!  Fortunately, I safely steered to the side of the road. We were in a fairly remote area, but GEICO road service came to our rescue and got the flat replaced in about an hour and a half.

Blow out from hitting a large chunk of concrete in roadway

At first, I thought it was just the truck tire that had damage inflicted. Then Carol spotted the worst of it. The "rock" that I hit was actually a large chunk of concrete that was now lodged INSIDE the under bed storage of our RPod. Went right through the front fiberglass panel. We were not amused! Funny how a great day can suddenly go sour.

Damage to front fiberglass wall of RPod

Once we were back on the road, we immediately headed to the nearest Walmart and picked up a roll of Gorilla Tape.  This stuff is good!  Duct tape on steroids! We made it to the Petoskey KOA without further incident and taped up the damage with the Gorilla Tape.  The tape appeared to be on there to stay and we knew that at least the moisture was now sealed out until we made permanent repairs.

After getting home, the RPod went into storage for the winter - all covered and cozy with the Gorilla Tape sealing out the elements. Took it for repair and other general maintenance two weeks ago at Open Road RV in White, Georgia.  We had an electrical issue (fridge wouldn't run on the propane setting due to a short).  We also wanted the water lines flushed and the roof serviced.  Open Road called yesterday to say the Pod is ready!  We'll go Saturday to pick it.

We opted to install diamond plate across the front lower portion of the Pod to repair the hole and prevent a future incident.  These little trailers really should have diamond plate on them anyway. Something to consider if you have a trailer with a fiberglass front. Fiberglass fronts are no match for 70-mph projectiles! Anyway, the Service Consultant said the diamond plate looks "amazing" and that I'll be thrilled with the result.  I hope so!  I'll let you know on Saturday how it turns out.

New RV, New Blog

Hi!  Welcome to RV Travel Trails with Dave & Carol. We're a couple of empty nesters living in the beautiful north Georgia mountains and love RVing!

Our first foray into RVing was in 2010 with a 28' Dutchman Kodiak. Nice trailer, but had a number of shortcomings.  Only kept it about a year and a half.

Still neophytes to the whole "towing" thing, we decided to go small. Really small! Traded the Kodiak for a 2011 Rpod 181G.  It's a great, little trailer and has served us well. It's great when the weather is nice.  The rear garage serves as our outdoor kitchen and the interior provides a cozy bed at night and a small (very small...) wet bath. But when the weather turns nasty, the compact nature of the Rpod is accentuated to the extreme. Therefore, time for a new (bigger) travel trailer! Ah, the pendulum swings both ways!

On April 12, we ordered a brand new, 2018 Rockwood 2604WS travel trailer!  29' 11" of one of the most attractive floor plans that we have encountered. Perfect for a couple and one small doggie!

We opted for the free standing table and chairs because we rarely ever sat at the dinette in our old trailer. We saw model versions with both the built-in dinette and the free standing table. The interior is so much more open with the table and chairs. Just love it!

Now the agony of waiting. Estimated eight to ten weeks for delivery. We should have an actual delivery date within another week or so.  As soon as we get the date, Carol and I will make travel plans to pick it up from RV Wholesalers in Lakeview, Ohio. RV Wholesalers has the absolute best prices to be found. It's less convenient than purchasing locally, but it's saving us thousands of dollars.
So, all this brings us to the purpose of this blog. We will chronicle our Rockwood adventure from the order, to pick up and delivery, and then all our adventures as they unfold. Can't wait to start outfitting the new rig and figuring out what mods we want to make. Come along for the ride!  It's gonna be fun!