Ugh. It's Officially NOT RV Season In The NorthEast. It's Planning Time!

    How Depressing. We just had our first big snowstorm in New York, 6-8 inches where my RV is parked. You know it's depressing to look at your RV, under a cover (or Not!) covered in snow and ice. Ho Hum. Even with the Christmas holiday rapidly approaching, I wish I could be out on the road taking one of my "snap" trips to anyplace. A quick getaway to chase the blues away. OK...enough whining. The one thing I CAN do in the dreary off season is plan! New modifications, improvements and trips for next season. After all it's only about 4 months away.

Just A Quick Look Inside

I've got a list of modifications that have been pending for a while. Some because the technology simply isn't available yet. (eg., Lithium Batteries) and some because they drifted father down the list because of repairs that took precedence. Now they're back! 

• Replace House batteries with Lithium Phosphate batteries (LiFePO3) higher storage capacity
• Build Solar thermal hot water supply
• Add Remote switch for 12V porch light
• Replace Bathroom 6" Circular Vent Fan with Lower Amp draw, equal or higher CFM
• Replace Range hood fan with Lower Amp draw, equal or higher CFM

These are just a few examples. If, at any time, you have some suggestions for modifications, improvements, even products to try out, do not hesitate to comment!

Trip planning is another yearly winter project. I have several different types of trips I can go on during our RV season. There's the "Bounce Trip," that's the one where I can sneak away on a Friday evening and return on a Sunday evening. I try and arrive at the destination on Friday late and have at least 2 full nights parked. Then travel back on Sunday mid-morning. Since a long drive isn't all that exciting and it always feels a bit rushed, I try and limit myself to under 4 hours travel time. So that gives me a rough radius of 200 miles. This year I found lots of great places to escape to that were 200 miles or less away! (Vermont, Belleayre, etc.) Typically these are boondocking locations so setup and packing up really take no time at all. Park, pull the blinds you want closed, open a few windows and the roof vents and you're done! Simplicity and ease. More time to relax and rejuvenate. Isn't that what RVing is all about?

Then there is the 4 1/2 day weekend trip. I leave Thursday late afternoon (only if I have Friday Off!) and come back Monday morning (or more likely Sunday late night, leaving for work Early AM on Monday) Since I could have a full 8 hour travel day for these trips, my range is significantly increased. I can comfortably go 400+ miles...opening up MANY interesting places to visit. Since my RV is set up to be completely self-sufficient (power, water, propane) for a minimum of 10 days, I am always ready to get on one of these trips. Sadly, I rarely get that Friday off! Since it's so rare, I like to have a few preplanned destinations and routes ready to go at a moment's notice.

I really don't ever get a 2-week vacation like some folks, so extended trips are out until I can figure out a way to be on the road AND work. This will necessitate retiring from at least ONE of my jobs! It's a wonderful dream, but the companies I receive bills from still like to be paid. I can always dream....and plan!

Be Seeing You...Down The Road,

Rich "The Wanderman"
www.thewanderman.com