Full-time RVing Lifestyle Insights

Where are we now?

2012-01-09T07:51:00.000-06:00

We now have two blogs. This blog is primarily the one we will use when we are traveling around this great country. You can find our second one at http://blueheron98.wordpress.com In this blog you can follow us in our new life adventure of gate guarding in the oil and gas fields of south Texas.

Since leaving Moab, Utah in October, we went on to Las Vegas, Nevada. We visited Bob's daughter Julia and her family (hubby Chris, sons Austin & Ben) and Bob's brother, Richard, and our sister-in-law, Carolyn. It was great to see them all. We ate lunch at the Rio, where Carolyn works as a waitress. I've never seen a buffet so large... never seen so much food at one place in my life!

One thing we never get to do with our out of state grandchildren is to attend their sports functions. As luck would have it... we were able to attend one of Ben's baseball practices. What a treat!

One of the things I wanted to do is eat at the Top of the World Restaurant in the Stratosphere. Bob's brother Richard joined us for dinner. I had a hard time deciphering the menu, but the food was good and EXPENSIVE! If you've ever dined in the Reunion Tower restaurant in Dallas, this restaurant operates the same way. In about an hour you rotate and get a breathtaking 360 degree view of the cityscape. At sunset it was quite a site.

Next, we went down the strip and saw the magnificent light show at the Bellagio. The light show is coordinated to music. It's awesome!

We stayed at the Circus Circus KOA because our rig is too big to stay at Julia's or Richard's place. We had a deluxe spot which means that in addition to black top, we had grass, a tree and patio furniture. Capt. Jack & Jesse James were grateful for the grass!

This is not our Silver Bullet in this picture, but it's looks like our lot. A breath of fresh air in the heart of Las Vegas for sure. :D

When we left Las Vegas we traveled across the new bridge at the Hoover Dam. If you plan to go over that bridge, don't count on seeing the dam as all. It is hidden. Fortunately we had already seen Hoover Dam in a previous visit to town.

On the way home we stayed at the Petrified Forest KOA. It was a great park with very friendly people. We find that KOA are among some of the friendliest campgrounds to stay at. I've added seeing the Petrified Forest to my bucket list... next trip out west.

When we got home it was time for annual maintenance on the Silver Bullet, us, and the doggies. No stone was left unturned but everyone and everything checked out okay. The rig still needs some things fixed, but they are on the long list and can wait.

On December 19th, we reported for duty at Gate Guard Services at the Carrizo Springs yard in south Texas. You can read more about our preparations for this job and what it's all about. Our trials & tribulations in this new adventure are included as well.

I'll write more in this blog when we get back on the road again.

Happy Trails!

Vicky & Bob Heron (Capt. Jack & Jesse James)

Sanitation Rant #2

2011-10-12T22:04:00.000-05:00

A while back, I don't remember when, I wrote a post or two on campground etiquette and how to stay healthy through proper sanitation procedures.

Now I don't want to get on a soapbox and I don't want this to be a lecture on proper RVing, but I have to get a few things off my chest!

When we go to Moab and Las Vegas, and even in Holbrook, Arizona, we see a LOT of RV rentals. Many are foreigners who are traveling the National Park circuit or just wanting to see the beauty of the United States.

Not all of these renters are foreigners though. And they all need about an hour course in:

RV Safety (and health safety)
Proper sanitation and waste handling procedures
Good ole RV etiquette!

I won't repeat the horror stories I've written about previously. Just scroll down and you'll find them. But, one of the biggest things I would like to see is good old respect. I've seen Bob Livingston write about this also. Do NOT walk through other people's campsites. Stay on the road. And please don't think I'd love to have your pooch leave me a gift on my postage stamp of a yard. When my dogs do something I have bags with me and I DO use them to pick up poop. P-l-e-a-s-e!

When we were at the Las Vegas KOA at Circus Circus last week, we had an upgraded site with a corner lot, grass, and a patio set. Jack & Jesse loved the grass! On our last morning, a renter couple decided they liked our upgraded site and brought over their coffee, cigarettes, and road map. They proceeded to plop down and make themselves at home, planning their next leg of their trip. We were parked right next to it and yes they did know we were home.

Excuse me, but this is our upgraded site. It does cost more money. If they wanted the patio site, all they had to do was to pay the upgrade charge and get one. I guess I was raised in a different era. My parents pounded it into me that we did not do things like that. Ever!

I saw something today that I had to marvel at (and I've seen this a lot with the renters which is why I think they need a course).

Picture this... the guy puts on his rubber gloves (not disposable, but hey, better than nothing) and proceeds to empty his sewer hose. Okay so far. Then he puts that hose on the ground with water dribbling out of it. Come on fella, someone will pull into that sight after you and step in that & not know it and track it in his rig. See where I'm going here???

Okay, so now he turns off his fresh, drinking water hose and unhooks it. He's still wearing the same gloves he just handled his sewage hose with. GROSS!!!

Next he puts the water hose away (at least he did not rinse his sewer hose with it... I've seen that more times than I want to say) and he's still wearing the nasty gloves and touching everything in sight.

Finally he takes the gloves off. He does this just in time to roll up the sewer hose and put it away... bare-handed. Then he wipes his hands on his jeans, grabs the door to enter his RV, puts his hands on the steering wheel and starts the engine.

That's why I get Bob disposable gloves. He handles the fresh water first--ALWAYS! And he always, always sprays Lysol on the water handle and all around the opening. You just never know what the person before you did.

In Utah, they are now cracking down on these sanitation issues. Backflow preventers have been installed. The police come through parks and if they see leaking or unsealed sewer hoses (ones not secured with a donut ring or screwed down into the outlet) they will issue tickets. And it is now against the law to use the fresh water faucet to rinse your sewer hose. Hallelujah!!!

So, in my opinion and in the interest of health safety, a quick, simple, yet thorough one-hour course would be a very good idea for RV rental customers.

Okay, I'll try not to get on this subject again... at least not for a long time anyway :-)

Till next time (and I will write more about the La Sals),

Happy Trails!

Vicky & Bob Heron (Capt. Jack & Jesse James)

From Rock Crawling to Mountain Climbing

2011-10-12T21:36:00.002-05:00

We always have so much fun in Moab, Utah. This year is no exception. If you'll look at my post from October 3, 2010 you'll learn about our death-defying, rock-crawling adventure with Dan Mick in his Hemi-powered Jeep.

Every year I'm absolutely fascinated with my mountains... the La Sal Mountains that majestically overlook the Moab valley. I've always wanted to go and see them up close & personal... to explore them and marvel at their beauty. It's the second highest mountain range in Utah with six peaks over 12,000 feet. And the entire range is only 15 miles long by 6 miles wide. It is indeed small but mighty!

We knew we'd be taking another trip with Dan Mick again this year so when we got to town we called him and asked if he did Jeep tours of the La Sals? He did. Oh boy--were we in luck!

All aboard! Vicky getting into Dan's Jeep.

Bob next to Dan's Jeep.

We set a time for one week later and prayed the weather would hold. You see, Moab has been very wet this year. I couldn't believe all the green vegetation springing out of the slick rock and red rock surfaces when we arrived. This normally arid, high desert (about 4,000+ ft elevation) area was suddenly lush and actually had some humidity (not to rival Texas though).

Three days before our trip the La Sals were completely socked in with ominous clouds. I couldn't tell if it was snowing or just raining but it was dark up there. I just knew we were going to get soaked on our Jeep tour. Or worse yet, the trip would be cancelled. :-(

Mountain Man Dan Mick overlooking Castle Valley--it's about a 1000 ft drop--be careful Dan!!!

Our day came and the sun came out like a great big smile. It was a perfect day for our adventure! When we got underway, Dan said we'd take Scenic Route 128 to Onion Creek Road. As soon as we turned off 128 I knew this was no trip for our Saturn Vue :-)

The "Finger" spire.

The red rock scenery along Onion Creek.

With all the rain over the last three days, the washes we were driving through were wet enough that the tires kept kicking up red mud. Since I was sitting in the back seat with no cover behind my seat I was the depository for said mud. But, with the view we were getting it was a small price to pay!

The red rock formations along Onion Creek Road.

Bob & Dan chatting with a man & his boys as they fish in Hidden Lake. One of the many pristine lakes tucked up in the La Sals.

We were next to Castle Rock and the Priest & Nuns. We saw Round Mountain, which is about 6075 feet and is loaded with nickel. The scenery is so unique at every turn. Red rock canyons, slick rock, sandstone arches, mesas, spires, and then the Aspen forests. We went on this trip with Dan on September 12th. The Aspens were still pretty green.

Did you know that the Aspens are not individual trees at all? An aspen grove starts as suckers shoot off the roots of a mother tree. No wonder they are so close together! They are long and straight as they all fight for their share of sunshine.

Just past the trees is Paradox Valley, Colorado. Very faintly you can see Telluride in the background. It's pretty hazy though.

There are no guardrails on these back country trails. Heck, sometimes I had a hard time seeing the road when I looked down from my perch in the back of the Jeep. As we climbed on barely distinguished trails, the view became even more breathtaking. We got an awesome view of the Paradox Valley in Colorado since we could see for miles.

We could even see Telluride in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado!

As we made our way up to the mountains, we drove (or should I say slid sideways) through a road called Taylor Flats. This road is always a wet pit and with this year and the last three days in particular, it was extremely bad. When we got through I had mud all over me, my camera bag, seat, you name it! But it was worth it. Only one problem, there are cattle up there too and some of that mud was mixed with... well you get the idea. YUCK!

Finally, we got to Geyser Pass so we could cross the mountains (the saddle between Haystack Mountain & Mt. Mellenthin). Remember when I told you that three days before our adventure the mountains were socked in with a weather system? Well...

As we were entering Geyser pass, at 10,528 elevation, Dan did a double take. He saw snow! It was several weeks too early for snow. So we all piled out of the Jeep to take a closer look. To our surprise, it was pea-sized hail! Hail yes!!! (Sorry, got carried away.)

Bob & Dan playing in the hail. They formed snowballs and through them at me & hit me!

Bob holding a handful of the hail. We don't see this often in Texas!

Just as we got over Geyser Pass, we took another road, can't begin to tell you what it was, and BELIEVE IT OR NOT we met some people we knew. What were the odds since we only come once a year for a few weeks!

We stayed at the Moab KOA first (of our three parks). One of the workampers was named Brad and for the life of me I cannot remember his lovely wife's name. But they were great people. Anyway, we were going along the road and noticed a couple having a wiener roast about 100 yards away. How nice... they were waving at us. Then they were jumping up and down and waving us to come over???

Brad's wife is wrapped in a blanket because it's cool and when she opened the mustard it sprayed all over her at this elevation. Dan & Bob are cooking hot dogs.

We were all on the lookout for bears. They can smell this food for miles!

It was Brad and his wife having a wiener roast complete with marshmallows. It just so happens we were all just remarking how good a wiener roast sounded and voila... here it was. They had plenty of food left so we all got our loaded forks in the fire and feasted on roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. We shared our Rice Krispie treats we had in our backpack.

In our travels, we are often struck by how small the world can be. This was one of those moments. Who knew we'd meet people we knew way up here on these remote trails. Yes, Brad and his wife drive a Jeep too... that's why they could be up there. Moab is Jeep haven!

On the way back we took Sand Flats Road and stopped by a great lookout place. It was where Curly (Jack Palance) and Billy Crystal camped out one night in the movie City Slickers II. Speaking of camping out, remember on my last post about the burned cans on the trail and that they are considered artifacts from the old wagon train & cattle drive days... we saw some of those artifacts on the mountain trip also.

In the weeks remaining in our trip, we took two more trips into the La Sals on our own. We had to stay pretty close to the La Sal Mountain Loop Road because our Saturn Vue does not have the clearance or the kahunas a tripped out Jeep has.

I'll tell you more about these trips in my next post!

Till next time...

Happy Trails!

Vicky & Bob Heron (Capt. Jack & Jesse James)

Riding a bicycle is not the only thing you never forget how to do!

2011-10-04T22:53:00.000-05:00

We're in Moab, Utah and as usual, we're having a blast. Recently we decided to go on a horseback ride. The riding trail skirts the Arches National Park and 7-Mile Canyon.

I'm getting ready to get on top of Elliott.

Bob is getting to know his horse Sam.

Our little wagonmaster was Audry. She was a jolly young lady and put our fears and reservations at ease immediately. I remember thinking, as we were walking up to the horses... Gee, I don't remember them being that big!

Fortunately, these horses were gelded males and were 17-20 years old. So they were very tame and easy-going.

When I was a kid we had an Arabian horse named Saru. He was MEAN. He'd try to bite you while you were on top and he was forever trying to throw his riders off. The older he got the more successful he became in this feat. We finally had to sell him because he was so high spirited.

Hence my trepidation at my decision to ride a horse again. But these horses were entirely different from Saru.

And you know you've gotten older when you need to use a stool to get in the saddle. That sure is a long way up! So once we were perched safely in our saddles, we were off on our nose-to-tail, 2-hour trailride. As our horses trod over the slick rock valley, it was a little unnerving to hear the sound of horse-hooves stepping on hollow rock. You see, many of the rock formations used to be full of salt. That's when these rocks were actually part of a seabed. Now these rocks are not even close to any sea and are empty of the salt. So when the horses walk across them they sound hollow. I kept praying we would not find a weak one and fall down to China... think I watch too much TV!

One thing I particularly enjoyed was the familiarity of rocking in the saddle. It was oddly comforting that something I had not done for more years than I care to admit was so familiar that I felt that I had done it just last week. I'd forgotten just how much I enjoyed riding horses. (Tame ones that is...)

My poor, dear husband, Bob, was a real trooper. He has a stenosis in his back so this was a new adventure in PAIN for him. Plus, his horse had a voracious appetite so Bob was always having to pull his head up. It's amazing what these creatures can find to eat in the desert.

Did you know trash can eventually be known as an "artifact?" It's true. Along the trail Audry pointed out burned cans half buried in the ground. These were leftovers from the old cattle drives. I can't imagine how those guys did what they did in that rugged countryside. We were warned that it is against the law to pick these artifacts up. Note to self--look up that law. Hehehe!

At the end of two hours on the trail, Bob and I had a real fear... how were we going to move our legs and get down off these creatures? I just knew my legs would never be straight again and I could not feel several of my toes.

I bit the bullet, so to speak, and threw one leg in the air, brought it down and thankfully found the ground. To my surprise, I could actually still walk. Poor Bob on the other hand, with his stenosis, could hardly tumble off even with the stool to aid him. Thank you Bob for joining me and humoring my adventurous nature... even when it causes you pain.

Audry up front on Pickles, followed by Me & Elliott

Just like the old saying, "It's like riding a bike, you never forget how." This applies to riding horses as well. When we were finished, we gave Audry a big tip and told her how great she had been to keep us safe and entertained. Her response, "I don't get to say this very often, but I really had fun with you two today. And that's rare!"

Nuff said! Thank you Audry.

Till next time,

Happy Trails!

Vicky & Bob Heron (Capt. Jack & Jesse James)

Who Knew Clean Carpets Could Make You Sick?

2011-09-19T22:30:00.001-05:00

I'm sure you all know what a rough year Texas has had weather-wise. I just heard that Wichita Falls, Texas had the record as the worst weather city this year. I can believe it!

We were there in May working on the guest guides for Coyote Ranch Resort and Burkburnett/Wichita Falls KOA. As early as May it was in the 100s. It was miserable. Of course the fact that Bob had pneumonia while we were there (courtesy of being with his sick 97-year-old mother in the nursing home just before we departed Teague and the extreme allergy season) and I had a back spasm that put me on bed rest for 2 weeks had nothing to do with it.

Poor Bob, he had to go out and make the sales calls because I was on pain meds and in bed sleeping for almost 2 weeks. I'll give him credit, he did well for an accountant! :-) (He'll get me for that one!)

Part of Bob's treatment for his pneumonia was to go out and get a nebulizer and use an inhaled medication to sooth his airways. Between the pneumonia and his allergies he came down with a terrible, lingering cough.

Over the next few months his cough finally got much better. Until...

...we had the carpets cleaned. I'll explain...

After we left Wichita Falls, we spent a good amount of time in Houston getting some things fixed on the rig. With the extreme heat, our air-conditioners were tripping breakers. While they were trouble-shooting the A/C issues, they were tracking in a lot of grease & grime into our carpets.

Oh yes, we also had one of our inverters turn to toast and took out the microwave/convection oven with it. And of course, the new mic/conv oven did not fit into the space correctly so we also had sawdust everywhere, including embedded into the carpet, as they worked to make it all fit and look good.

After all was said & done, the dealership graciously agreed to pay for the carpet cleaning. Once we returned to Teague, I found Stanley Steemer. I've seen their commercials and they looked competent plus they were about our only choice in this rural area.

Two young men came out right away and cleaned not only the carpets, but all of the throw rugs too. Way cool! Then they said for a few $$ they could put down a deodorizer since we have two little doggies and scotchgard to help keep it cleaner. I said, "Why not!" Sounded good to me... Silly me!

It looked great when they were done. Now all we had to do was relax for a week before heading out to Moab, Utah and points west.

Then, Bob started coughing. We wrote it off to the severe allergy season going on with the drought in Texas. We figured that once we got out of Texas he'd start to clear up. By the time we left a week later, he was starting to use his breathing treatments again and sucking down cough drops.

We took our time getting to Moab and still he continued to get worse. He planned his breathing treatments so that he could drive most of the day without coughing. (We only go about 250-300 miles a day.) Then he had to start sleeping on the couch so I could get some sleep since he was having coughing fits at night.

Three weeks after we had the carpets cleaned we couldn't even have a conversation together. He was continuously having coughing fits. I thought we were going to have to go to the ER!

Then I started thinking, okay, we're out of Texas and he's getting worse. What has changed?

The only thing that changed was we cleaned the carpets.

So once we got all set up in Moab we tried an experiment. We opened up the windows. His cough got better. We went into town... his cough got better. When we closed the rig up and turned on the A/C, he went into coughing fits again.

I got a phone book and called a local carpet cleaner. It is a family owned business, Arrow Carpet Cleaning, and the two sons came out to survey the situation. It seems that the chemical used for the deodorizer causes many people problems and the scotchgard turns into airborne dust particles shortly after you begin walking on it.

Who knew?!?!?

And, we found out, many carpet cleaners use steam which is not a very good thing to do and they frequently don't get all the gunk & water out of the carpet... I mean really out of the carpet. So all of this gets into the air and we breath it in.

These guys suggested a cold water rinse and they had a machine with a 5hp motor so it would suck all the water & gunk out that was left behind. And yes, they would be happy to do all the throw rugs for one flat rate.

It took them over two hours! Each of them had to take turns going outside for fresh air with the fumes they were stirring up. When they finished, we looked at the container of goo they sucked out. There was a 4-inch head of foam sitting on top of pure black, thick goo. It was disgusting (that's our 5-year-old granddaughter Katelyn's favorite word).

When they finished, the carpets looked and felt like brand new.

What about Bob's cough? It started going away within days and by two weeks it was a thing of the past.

I'm reminded of something I've heard over the years. They say the air inside your home can be much more polluted than the air outside. Well, here was proof!

So now we will keep it simple. Cold water rinses when we need the carpets freshened up. NO MORE CHEMICALS.

You want to know what scares us the most? If I'd have taken Bob to the doctor, they could have run all kinds of tests and they would never have discovered what the problem was. I'm sure they could have tried to get him on a half-dozen medications too.

Thank goodness I tumbled to the "clean carpets" making him sick. Oh yes, my eyes are not burning anymore and the doggies are not sneezing their little noses off either.

And Bob no longer needs breathing treatments. All is well!

Till next time...

Happy Trails!

Vicky & Bob Heron (Capt. Jack & Jesse James)

Don't Believe Everything You Read In The Books, Websites, & Brochures...

2011-08-24T16:55:00.000-05:00

I'm upset!

Bob & I have stayed at this particular RV park for several years on our way to Moab, Utah. The Amarillo Ranch RV Park is conveniently located just off I-40 so it's easy on & easy off. This time we decided to take it more leisurely on our way to Moab. So we're spending two night at this park and two nights in Albuquerque.

The reason we chose to stay here for two nights is (1) it's a Camp Club USA park and we can stay for 1/2 price for the first night. Sweet!

The second reason was to spend a good deal of time in the "indoor heated pool." Since Bob's allergies are giving him fits with the dry Texas summer and considering it's still triple digit heat in Texas, the indoor pool sounded good. I don't like to get too much sun with my fair skin.

After we arrived late yesterday afternoon. We still are not able to run all three air conditioners in the RV because of a wiring issue that our last tech did not get fixed... arghhhhh! So we were hot and soooo looking forward to a long, fun swim and some water aerobics.

So we put our suits on, grabbed our noodles and towels and off to the pool we went. As soon as we opened the door to the building, the stench of stale chlorine assaulted our nostrils. They had the windows and doors open and it was still enough to knock us over.

Trying to be hopeful, we looked at the pool and we could hardly see the bottom it was so murky. Bob decided to test the temperature. Well, they must have figured that an indoor pool in this hot weather did not need to be heated because it was COLD! Not cool, but COLD!!! We were so disappointed. It sounded so nice in the brochure and on their website.

On our way back to the rig our neighbor in the next campsite looked at us and said, "That was a quick swim." So we told him all about it. He was thinking of going over to swim but changed his mind after we described the pool. As we talked to this fellow more, come to find out he was driving the tour bus for Bob Wieland. You can learn all about him here http://www.dreamride3.com/

The man we met drives a tripped out Prevost Coach pulling a 25' trailer with all of Bob's bicycles and parts. And he said Bob actually sleeps in the trailer and not the Prevost... go figure that one out!

Bob is a double amputee and is in the middle of his current trip across the country and was meeting with some Amarillo officials last night. We wish him good luck on his current trip and in this heat, please be careful!

As we got to our rig, another neighbor was experiencing a problem. As I looked out the window I could tell just what the problem was... a cone stopping up his waste tank.I'll explain...

If you are going to go RVing you should do some reading and go to forums to learn about what problems can occur and how to avoid them.

You see, many people think that these "homes on wheels" are just like a land based home. Well, they are and they aren't. One big mistake people make (including this person) is to hook up to the utilities (water, sewer, and electric) and viola, open the valves on the waste tanks and you're ready to kick back and relax.

Not so fast buckaroo!

You see, RV toilets are not the same a household toilets. First of all they drain into what's called a holding tank. This tank should always be left closed until it is near full and then you can pull the lever and dump into the sewer line. Adding a good bacteria/enzyme additive is a great idea as it will help break down the solids and paper that sit in the tank waiting to be dumped. And the biggest thing to remember is to always use plenty of water at all times when flushing.

When Bob worked at an RV dealer we took a used unit on vacation one time. Bob and my Dad spend three days trying to get rid of the "cone" problem in that unit. The bad part was it was not even our cone material... yuck!

So what is this cone?

Sometimes when RVers hook up to the utilities, they pull the waste tank valve, assuming they can leave it open and just let everything drain with every flush of the toilet. Well, that is not exactly how it works.

Since the waste goes into a holding tank, it hits a flat surface on the way out. So when the valve is left open, the liquids drain and solids are left on the flat surface. Now keep doing that and you start getting a build up of solids and sludge. When you go out on the road and drive on these hot roads you bake this material and it turns into a very hard substance, like concrete. As you keep doing this, solids keep building into a sort of cone and before you know it you can no longer flush anything into the tank because it is full. And in our neighbors case, he could not empty his tank.

Well, he was at that point. After going to the office to see who he could call, three men came out and spent hours helping him get some of the crap (pun not intended) out so he could empty his tank. I saw the technician describing how this cone effect builds. I did not have to hear the words I could see by his hand gestures.

So if you are going RVing, get some knowledge. Go visit some forums. Get a book explaining the basics. Many problems like this one can be easily avoided. I can imagine that this poor guy had to pay a portion of his gas budget on these three men helping him out.

In the morning we head out to Albuquerque for a couple of days. We're going to get the rig washed at the Blue Beacon truck wash nearby first then we're on the road again.

We'll be staying at a Coast to Coast park in Albuquerque. We've been members of C to C since 1992 and we enjoy staying at member parks for about $15/night. These days that's a real bargain.

Till next time...

Happy Trails,

Vicky & Bob Heron (Capt. Jack & Jesse James)

Looking Forward To A Wonderful & Fun Trip Out West

2011-08-21T12:32:00.000-05:00

What a year 2011 has been.

First, you can scroll down to see we bought a different rig last fall. The Travel Supreme Select. While we knew it had some issues we'd need to address due to lack of proper care, the repairs were a bit more extensive than we had anticipated.

It's all good however. We now have a "history" with our new casa on wheels. And yes, we would do it all over again. The luxuries this coach affords us has made our full-timing experience so much more enjoyable.

I've been remiss in posting to this blog because of several factors, the biggest is as we were working our parks (producing guest services guides for RV parks) this year, we found ourselves in a Cummins, Spartan, or RV dealer repair facility in almost every city we worked in.

We discovered there are some very good places out there to take these big rigs to and they do like full-timers. We also discovered that not all (like Cummins, Freightliner, etc.) "big-truck" repair facilities like RVers though. And it's not that they don't like RVers, it's just that they find it hard to work on peoples homes and not track in the grease & grime from their shop floors. And of course, RVers don't want that mess on their floors.

So here we are, on October 25th we will celebrate our first anniversary in our beautiful Travel Supreme Select and we are very happy with it. While we do have a list of things we want to eventually upgrade since it is a 2004, the Silver Bullet (as we call her) still shines bright wherever we take her. People think she is much newer.

Now we are heading to Moab, Utah to work in our three parks out there and to PLAY! Last night we went to Cabela's and enjoyed the Texas Tax Free Weekend. We bought hiking boots, nice wool hiking socks, new tennies, and for me a new pair of top-siders. It was fun getting outfitted for some fun for a change.

After spending six weeks in Moab, we will mosey on over to Bryce Canyon, Utah for more breathtaking hiking & sightseeing. I'll be posting pictures & updates often... I promise. I've set up my iPhone so I can post from wherever I am whenever I want. After Bryce, we'll spend some time in Las Vegas, to visit family, friends, and to be tourists.

Next stop will be Palm Springs, California to visit friends who are working several parks in that area. Then on to Phoenix where we'll see my cousin Spencer Wallace & his family. Recently I discovered, thanks to Facebook, where my dear childhood friend Angie Darzes lives... in Phoenix as well. We will arrange to see her if possible while we are there.

We just love this lifestyle! Traveling today is so easy these days (excluding the fuel prices that is). I look back on the last 26 years of my parents and their RV traveling, now we have computers & smart phones. Try to find a pay phone these days!

One big thing I love is we can keep in touch with the grandkids via video chat on Skype. We can email and text and keep in touch with friends & family quickly & easily. How cool is that! I wish we could have enjoyed all of this technology when my parents were traveling.

Speaking of gadgets, I have over 200 of my music CDs on my iPod and several audio books for Bob. I also have a Nook which has tons of my reading materials and books on it. I love to read and Bob loves to drive... a match made in heaven :-)

Friday we arrived at our old hometown of Denton, Texas. Bob visited with his former co-workers and everyone enjoyed catching up. Yesterday Glenn & Cindy Brazzel, friends from the USCG-Aux came over to visit. They are fellow RVers as well.

Tuesday morning we will head out for Moab and points west. With all the work we've done on the coach this year, we are looking forward to a fun and uneventful trip. Plus, we are so ready to get out of this Texas heat. It's truly been a brutal summer. Record setting high temps and sever drought over 98% of the state. As much as I love Texas, I'm ready to get out for a spell.

Happy Trails!

Vicky & Bob Heron (Capt. Jack & Jesse James)

The KISS

2011-01-19T19:16:00.000-06:00

One of Bob's favorite sayings is "Keep It Super Simple" (aka: Keep It Simple Stupid--but I'm trying to be nice here). Life stopped being simple when we bought the diesel pusher.

Now I'm not complaining, I love the power, the space and the appliances that this thing has, but when you need work done on it, you must figure out who does what.

Remember, this is a 6-year-old motor coach that was very high end in it's day. It has cleaned up very well and is definitely a keeper. With that said, the previous owners did their level best to kill it by ignoring maintenance.

On our way to Texarkana last weekend, we had a leveling jack malfunction. We think it was a wet sensor since it was raining all the way here. The electrical plug in that you plug the engine heater into does not work. One of the new belts Camping World in Fort Myers put on is whistling at us and has ever since we took possession and drove it back to Texas. We had "idiot" lights and gauges on the dash that would mysteriously light up or ring/buzz and then go silent. Only to do it again sporadically as we went down the road.

Fortunately, Texarkana (Texas & Arkansas) has some very good places to get things worked on. For example, Artex Truck Center is on the Arkansas side of the state line. They are an International Truck Dealer but they are a Cummins certified repair shop as well. So we'll go there next week to have the engine checked out and that belt squeak silenced.

Next, the tires. When the new tires were installed the place that did the work did not install the extensions and supports necessary to check tire pressures on the dualies nor the tag. Friday afternoon we'll be going over to the GCR tire people to get this done, and yes, the dealership where we purchased this rig will pick up that tab since these essential parts were lost on their watch, thank you.

Next, the Hydro-Hot system. This wonderful system gives us hot water on demand... even when we're going down the road.It's also the furnace system since this is an all electric coach, no propane onboard here. Unless it's under 45 degrees, it runs well on just electric. Colder than that and it uses the diesel fuel. Luckily it sips instead of gulps. We're not sure who will be working on this but we do know it needs to be serviced faithfully every year or it will cost big $$$. That may wait till we get to Conroe, Texas in February.

On the way back to Teague we have an appointment in Longview, Texas. What's in Longview? A Spartan Chassis service center, authorized of course. That's who will take care of those pesky dash gremlins.

You may ask, if we had it to do all over again would we get rid of our simple gasoline powered rig for this complex behemoth?

You bet! For the full-time RV lifestyle, you can't beat the amenities and the power to go to the mountains without even breaking a sweat. We may decide to do more mountainous travel now. Personally, when we take our Alaska trip I'd love to take this thing up. But, Bob wants to fly. I've been to Alaska and I want to show him around. So I'll fly if it keeps him happy :-)

Till next time,

Happy Trails!

Vicky & Bob Heron (Capt. Jack & Jesse James)

New Year -- New Beginnings

2011-01-17T21:27:00.002-06:00

We left our home base in Teague today. We're starting the new year at a new park (to us that is). And it's another first... our first working trip in our new RV/Motor Coach (new to us that is -- again).

We had planned to be on the road by 10:00 a.m., but there were several things working against us. First, the weather. Yuck! It rained all night and as of this writing (at 2:00 pm. CST) it's still pouring. Creeks and rivers are close to spilling over their banks.

There is one good thing in our favor... it's 50 degrees outside and not FREEZING (thank goodness). Last Sunday Dallas/Ft. Worth and points east got 1+ inches of snow plus some icing on overpasses and bridges. Rain is much easier to navigate in a behemoth 42' 10" diesel pusher like ours. Truth is, we would not have attempted icy travel conditions.

Our destination today is Texarkana. Can you believe they received six inches of snow just last Sunday? What a difference a week makes!

I'm looking forward to seeing what the Arklatex area has to offer. I'll keep you posted. Glub... Glub!

Till next time...

Happy Trails,

Vicky & Bob Heron (Capt. Jack & Jesse James)

Getting On The Road Again

2011-01-13T17:45:00.000-06:00

This year we are starting out a bit earlier with our travels. In a few days we'll be heading to the Texarkana KOA in Texarkana, Texas. We sure hope it doesn't get too dicey weather-wise... last week they got 6" of snow!

I'm a big chicken when it comes to driving in the white stuff. And it's not so much I doubt my abilities (although it's been so long since I drove on that stuff I am definitely aftraid of it), it's the other drivers I am concerned with. In Texas we have enough trouble with rain-slick streets. Adding snow to the mix is really problematic!

Bob's brother from Las Vegas and his wife arrived here on Monday, the day after the snowfall in Dallas. North Texas weather is literally a "crap-shoot" this time of year. Fortunately, their plane was not delayed or cancelled. One day earlier hundreds of DFW flights were cancelled and that would have been a disaster for the start of their visit.

I must say, our new-to-us 2004 Travel Supreme Select diesel pusher we picked up in Florida in October is very nice in cold weather. If you're fixing to get an RV, I'd strongly suggest getting a coach with thermal pane windows. We have not had wet windows once this winter, except for the windshield. Jesse, our black & white Chihuahua, loves the Hydro-Hot heating system. We now call him a "hot dog." He puts his little hiney right up against the furnace grate and literally becomes a hot dog.

As I said earlier, we're starting out our working year early this year by going to Texarkana. It's always exciting to see what new places are like. My parents, RVing snowbirds who flock to Yuma, Arizone from Illinois every winter, have stopped by the Oaklawn Opry many times on their way through Texarkana. They loved it. So I'm going to stop by and see if I can help them get more visitors and also enjoy a good show while we are in town.

This job will be both fun and a challenge since I'll be in both Texas and Arkansas seeking advertisers.

I just hope the big guy upstairs does not think it would be a hoot to see me slippin & slidin all over the place. Wish me luck :-)

Happy Trails...

Vicky & Bob Heron (Capt. Jack & Jesse James)

Roughing It Is Overrated

2010-11-27T20:37:00.001-06:00

Yes, we're at our home base in Teague, Texas. Actually, we reside in an RV Park when we're here, but are near our daughter and three granddaughters. In fact, the youngest is 7 weeks old and a little darling. I think this one may actually look like her Mommy.

We got the new (to us) motorhome to Texas without any further problems. That is, once we got out of Orlando, FL. We bought this rig in Fort Myers, got as far as Tampa and spent about 4 days at Camping World/Lazy Days getting the front step fixed. We knew there was a major problem with it but the techs at Camping World in Fort Myers assured us that the strengthened it and fixed it all up. I guess the mold in the carpet should have told us to look closer. As it turns out, we almost lost the step... which would have meant an nasty fall for whoever was on it at the time.

The previous owners of this rig never fixed anything. The front door had been leaking for a long time. While we were in Fort Myers they caulked it when we saw the water coming in. Had we looked under the bottom step's rubber runner we would have seen a mass of rotted wood. And many ants had set up residence there as well.

So Camping World in Tampa was not happy that the rig was allowed to leave the shop at the other store in this condition. It was a liability for sure. So, Tampa store called Fort Myers store and Fort Myers agreed to do the right thing and pay for the step to be reengineered/rebuilt. This time they used sheet metal. Let me tell you, this is now a SOLID step!

On the way to Tampa Bob noticed that he was constantly overcorrecting with the steering. So we asked Lazy Days if they would do a front end alignment.

They said they would love to but they told us but they were covered up with Workhorse recalls. Then the service advisor told us they don't even do the alignments on their high end coaches ($400k-500k+)themselves. They actually send them to JOSAM in Orlando.

So we got to thinking, our Travel Supreme Select 42DSI was about a $500k unit when it was new so we should probably take it to the same place Lazy Days takes theirs to. Plus, we purchased 8 brand new tires and wanted to make sure they wear well.

So next stop, Orlando. Good thing too... both front tires were toeing out. No wonder Bob was constantly over correcting! The dual axle needed some alignment also and the tag axle was just fine. Now we could start out for home and not have to worry about "should we get it aligned or not."

Everything happens for a reason I always say and in this case, getting the step fixed in Tampa led us to one of the best alignment businesses in the world. Big truck owners come from all over just for the JOSAM alignment services.

Goes to show you, we can all learn something new every day.

When I met Bob on the Internet in 1997 (before eHarmony, Match.com, or anything like that) in my first email to him I told him I like to Rough It Smoothly. Since he worked for an RV dealer at that time I figured he'd know what I meant. That's also the hook that got me to answer his personal ad... he worked for an RV dealer at that time.

Little did I know that we'd eventually be living in a luxurious coach like this one. I love the washer/dryer combo unit. I did 3 small loads of laundry today. Plus, my drawer dishwasher. We purchased a Fisher/Paykel at Lowes and had Camping World install it.

It is so nice to have squeeky clean dishes again... and Bob can now recover from dishpan-hands. Yes, I do the cooking and so he does the dishes. Only now the dishwasher does them.

I know many people, my sister included, say we don't camp, we "RV." And perhaps they are right. However you want to look at it, I just love Roughing It Smoothly and I always will!

Happy & Safe Travels,

Vicky & Bob Heron (Capt. Jack & Jesse James)

Excitement Can Be Exhausting!

2010-11-07T20:06:00.000-06:00

It's so hard to realize that just a month ago we were in Moab, Utah. Also a month ago today our 10th grandchild was born, Lily Marie Courtney. We've only seen her for five days before we had to head down to Florida to pick up our new home.

We are full time RVers and love the lifestyle. We start to feel antsy when we've been sitting still for too long. Now as we're headed into year #3 we decided we needed bigger accommodations and more amenities. Sooooooo Bob got online and started his quest for an diesel pusher in our price range that could meet our needs for a dual living area, washer & dryer on board and a dishwasher. It did not take him long to find it!

So we set up the deal while we were in Moab. Next we came home to Texas to see our new granddaughter Lily, Corynn, and Katelyn for about five days and off we went to pick up our new home in Fort Myers, Florida.

The new rig (to us) is a beautiful 2004 Travel Supreme Select 42 foot diesel with a 500 Cummins and 6 speed 4000 series Allison transmission. Now I'm no expert on engines & things mechanical, but I do know this will handle any mountain travel we want to do with ease.

We added eight brand new tires to replace the original tires, and a drawer dishwasher. We both love this touch and will really enjoy it when we're working on park guides throughout the year. I cooked a full meal tonight and it was so nice to just wipe things off and load them into the drawer, turn it on and voila... clean dishes.

We did have to make some repairs, but that was to be expected with a six year old model. But this was a very high end coach in it's day. Unfortunately, Travel Supreme is one of the economic casualties in the RV industry.

Last Tuesday we left Camping World in Fort Myers and thought we were on the way home. Unfortunately, we made it as far as Tampa and pulled into the Camping World at the Lazy Days RV center. If you ever get the chance to be near Tampa, stop by and see the Lazy Days complex. Since we were having some repairs done, we were treated to all the ammenities offered by Lazy Days. Free breakfast & lunch, morning paper, shuttle service and very friendly & smiling faces. It was a treat.

I must say that Camping World in Fort Myers did a lot to give us a good coach. They put in two brand new inverters and 10 new batteries. Yes, this is an all electric coach so it takes a big battery bank. I especially love the large GE Profile stainless steel residential refrigerator. Finally, room to put food and I can even put it in warm without taking the fridge hours to recover. Again, what a treat. I won't miss the LP gas nor the RV refrigerators with all their problems.

Tonight we're at the Sherwood Forest Encore Resort in Kissimmee, FL. Early tomorrow morning we're going to get the wheels all aligned and the whole suspension inspected. Bob has to do a lot of correcting in the steering. Lazy Days suggested we take our rig to Josam Frame & Alignment in Orlando. Since we've spent a fortune on eight new tires we decided this would be a good idea to protect our investment. Plus, when I start driving it I want it to steer easily as does Bob.

Hopefully, we'll be headed home to Texas tomorrow afternoon. We'll keep you posted.

Vicky & Bob Heron (Capt. Jack & Jesse James)

Holy Cow... Let Me Get Through This Alive!

2010-10-03T16:22:00.013-05:00

That particular thought/prayer did cross my mind a couple of times Friday night. You see, we went on a guided Jeep tour in the Sand Flats Recreation Area just outside of Moab, Utah.

Our tour guide was the infamous Dan Mick. I must admit I'd seen his signature white jeep, with yellow to orange gradient striped outlines, around town and wondered what made this tall, bearded mountain-man-looking tour guide so revered in this valley community.

Over the course of the next 5 hours we discovered why his reputation was larger than life. When it comes to crawling along the rocks and fins stretching out like fingers & legs all around Moab, this guy is king!

In the picture above where I'm taking a picture through the windshield you see the black streaks on each side of the rock crevice... that would be Dan's own Hell's Gate climb. No one else can lay claim to this steep climb (as we went up I was plastered to my seat by the incline) or has the kahunas to try it!

When I saw that looming in front of us, I had a serious discussion with God!!!

The picture of the Jeep reflecting in the pond is way up high on the slickrock formation. It was getting to be sunset and the scenary was full of reds, blues, pinks and yellows. The rocks and the sky all blended together.

I've enclosed a video of Dan taking me straight up a rock ledge then turning around and going down. Then he backed up the ledge as another jeep full of onlookers cheered him on. As I said, he is a legend in these parts!

There are many good tour companies in Moab and I highly recommend you use one of them when you come to Moab. If you want a white-knuckled trip... see Dan!

Till next time,

Vicky & Bob Heron (Capt. Jack & Jesse James)

Such A Beautiful Sight... Well Worth The Climb!

2010-09-27T21:50:00.011-05:00

We've been in Moab, Utah since September 6th. This is our second year creating guest guides for three parks here. It's much easier the second time around. The business people recognize you and you develop a friendship.

Some get bolder and kid around with you. It certainly makes the day go faster and makes the time spent here feel more personal. It's starting to feel like a home away from home.

However, as full-time RVers, home is wherever we park, so everyplace starts to feel a bit like home.

Saturday was a beautiful day. Mid 80's so we went hiking. We went to Gear Heads a couple of weeks ago and bought Camelbaks. A red one for me and blue for Bob. They are a backpack with a water bladder in it. Ours each hold 2 liters of water. A tube comes out of it and over your shoulder. It has a mouth piece that you just put into your mouth, bit down slightly and drink. These things are essential for the high desert... like her in Moab.

So Saturday we went to Arches National Park. Last year when we came out here we went to many of the easy hiking places in Arches. We saw the Windows Arches, Turret Arch, the Three Gossips, Balancing Rock and so much more. We drove by the Fiery Furnace fins... they are awesome. You can hike down in those but they highly recommend you go with a ranger since you can easily get lost. It is a very strenuous hike also. I think we'll just admire them from a short distance.

We did not hike out to the famous Delicate Arch last year because we didn't bring enough water. They recommend a minimum of 2 liters per person (and more wouldn't be a bad idea). It's a 3-hour round trip hike and you go up over 500 feet in elevation. About half of it is walking on slick-rock formation and that is very tricky to come down on. There is no real trail once you get on the slick rock. The only guidance you have is to follow the rock cairns. We got off the trail a bit one time.

We set out with our full Camelbaks and began our quest to the famous Delicate Arch. The reason this arch is so striking is because it used to be a fin. AND IT IS HUGE! It was so funny as we were almost to the top where we could be near the arch, people on the way down kept saying "You're almost there!" They'd say, "It's just around the corner."

If you've done this trek you'd know, these people understand. By the time you get up there you are hot, tired, just plain exhausted. But just like childbirth, as soon as you see this amazing wonder, you forget all the torture you want through to get up there. Oh yes, I ran out of my 2-liters of water on the way up. (Note to self, next time bring more water!!!)

In the pictures above, if you look at the very bottom of the arch on the right you'll see two people at the base. They look like a couple of specs. The second picture is of Bob and me. We're standing on a ledge. That's why the Arch looks so much smaller. Seriously, we are about a grain of sand compared to this behemoth! It is awe-inspiring.

I'll be honest with you... I didn't know if I was going to make it all the way up. It was upper 80's to 90 and close to 5000 ft high and I'm very much a flat lander! I found that out in Ruidoso, New Mexico last year. We were also wearing our Sketcher Shape-ups shoes and they were definitely not the right shoes for this hike. (Note to self, get hiking boots before doing this again!)

Would I do it again, you bet! But next time I think we'll do it later in October when it's a bit cooler. Next year we want to hike through the Devil's Garden. That's where the huge Landscape Arch is and the fallen Wall Arch. There is so much to see in this park. If it's not on your bucket list, it should be. Both Devil's Garden and the climb to Delicate are considered strenuous hikes.

When they say that believe them!

Oh yes, the mountains you see in the back ground are the LaSal Mountains. It's a small range and one of the youngest, but Mt. Peale is a respectable 12,747 (or so) feet. We saw snow up there in those mountains just before we left last year. The picture you see here with the snow capped mountains is taken from the City Market parking lot in the Moab valley (city). It was beautiful.

I hope you enjoy these pictures. If you want to see some spectacular sights, go see the National Parks, and please included Arches National Park. And allow more than one day, it's a very large park.

If you've been to Arches, let me know your favorite thing to see!

Vicky & Bob Heron (Capt. Jack & Jesse James)

Good To Be Back In Utah!

2010-09-11T22:14:00.004-05:00

We arrived in Moab, Utah on Labor Day. Staying at Arch View Resort for the 1st third of our stay here. It's so beautiful in this part of the country.

On the way into town I swear I saw things I did not see last year. It is awe-inspiring. We're in Site 72 again this year... a premium site with a bird's eye view of Arches National Park. And just like last year we can see "the Windows Arches" out our windshield. Sunsets are breathtaking from our vantage point.

We even have the same neighbors on our right as we had last year. They have a Hurricane Class A motorhome with a white Jeep toad, a trailer with their 4-wheeler and two bicycles. As they were setting up camp Bob was talking to them and discovered they were our neighbors last year. They stayed 2 weeks last year and loved it so much that they're staying 3 weeks this year. Don't blame them a bit!

Last night we went to one of our favorite attractions, the Bar M Chuckwagon. The evening starts out with an old-fashioned shootout (played by the owner Alan Brown and two of the musicians). Then we all mosey inside and settle down to a chuckwagon style cowboy meal. Then the entertainment starts and this is the highlight of the night.

Last night there were two bus tours who came to the see the show. One was a group from France and the other was a senior group from San Diego. All had a great time.

Alan & Valerie Brown own this western establishment that consists of gravel floors and long rows of picnic tables. Alan does all the cooking while Valerie is off working in town as a Century 21 real estate agent. Alan & Valerie are joined by two other musicians who sing and one plays base guitar while the other is a wizard on the steel guitar.

These four people harmonize like angels... it's beautiful. They also inject humor with jokes and skits between musical numbers. I even got on stage with several others and tried to make the toy lasso go in a perfect circle. How did I do? Let's just say I don't plan too make a living roping anything. I'd stink at it :-)

We enjoyed their music so much that we bought one of their CDs. We played it in the car on the way to the laundromat and it was just like being at the show. They even included some clever jokes at the end.

We couldn't wait to get back here. It is the highlight of our year. The only problem we had this year is an 18-wheeler kissed the side of our RV right outside of Amarillo, TX. We didn't feel that much, but our driver side mirror was ripped off and the slide topper on our bedroom slide was ripped off. All things considered, it could have been much worse. Bob calmly kept us on the road and unharmed. The semi kept on going. I don't think he even know it happened.

We have our insurance through Good Sam Club and they are being wonderful. They are doing everything they can to make sure we get things fixed as quickly & painlessly as possible. Thank you Good Sam!

These are the last three park guides we'll be working on this year. We have a new granddaughter who will be making her grand entrance into the world on or before October 10th. We won't be there. First time I'll miss my daughter giving birth. But, I plan to make it up to her just as soon as we get back!

And of course, we'll have to get the RV ready for next year's adventures while we're back in Texas.

If you've been to Moab, let me know your favorite watering hole, adventure or just your favorite thing you enjoy in this diverse destination. I'd love to hear from you!

Vicky & Bob Heron (Capt. Jack & Jesse James)

Man... Where does time go?

2010-06-10T09:27:00.004-05:00

Summer is almost here and we have worked five parks so far this year as we settle into our second year as AGS Reps. Even in this tight economy, this is still the best job to have as a working full-time RVer.

We've talked to some workampers as we travel along and several have expressed an interest in what we do. I guess we like it best because there are no long term committments, we don't clean toilets, and there is no back-breaking work or lawn upkeep.

We got a glowing testimonial from Laurie Scott at Pavilion RV Park in West Monroe, Louisiana. They are such wonderful people.

We picked up a wonderful local winery (Landry Vineyards) in West Monroe to participate in their guest services guide. They make wonderful Blueberry Merlot wine & jelly. Plus they also have a summer concert series on their property and plenty of room for RV parking. I highly recommend you stop there if you're going through West Monroe. And spend a night with the Scotts at Pavilion RV Park.

We just finished two parks in southwest Louisiana and it was very sad down there with the Deep Horizon oil disaster. Shrimp season didn't even get to start this year. And now the marshes are getting gunked up with that wicked crude stuff. Many of the restaurants that normally advertise in our guides were worried that they could not even keep the doors open if this keeps up.

We sure keep them in our prayers and hope things don't get to bad for the gulf coast residents, businesses and wildlife.

On a different note, last November we went to the Escapees RVers' Boot Camp at Rainbow's End in Livingston, Texas. We learned a lot of valuable things about RVing safety. Tire safety, fire & life safety... but the thing that thrilled me the most is how to quickly and easily defrost my RV refrigerator & freezer.

Normally I would have to carry around about 4 styrofoam coolers so I could unload the entire thing and put a pot of hot water in it to defrost the ice. It would be a royal PAIN! Plus, it took hours of my time and I have much better things to do, believe me!

During one of the presentations the speaker said the easiest way to do this job is to purchase a small, portable fan with a clip on it to clip onto the refrigerator doors or shelves.

First, empty the freezer contents into the refrigerator. Next turn off the fridge power & turn on the fan, directing the breeze to the back of the freezer. Almost instantly it begins to melt the accumulation of ice clinging to the sides and back. Depending on the amount of ice, this part should only take about 15-25 minutes.

Once finally thawed, mop up all the water in the bottom of freezer and wipe down sidewalls and top ceiling of unit.

Now, put everything from the freezer back into the freezer and shut the door.

Next, clear the area in front of the cooling fins so the air flow can get to them. Position the fan so the air flows on these fins and shut the door as much as possible. Again, depending on the amount of ice that has accumulated, this step only takes about 30-45 minutes.

Once all the ice has melted put removed items back into the fridge. Turn it on and shut the door. In a few hours the temperature is back down to where it was before you started... or cooler now that you've removed all of this ice.

This is so much easier. I now defrost my refrigerator about once a month instead of a couple of times a year and my unit works much more efficiently! This was my favorite take-away from the bootcamp.

If you have any handy tips you'd like to share with other RVers, send them to me by posting a reply to this post and maybe I'll post it here in the near future. And thanks a lot :-)

Vicky & Bob Heron (Capt. Jack & Jesse James)

Is their such a thing as RVing etiquette? Part 2

2009-10-16T13:03:00.004-05:00

I'm sorry to say that the "Golden Rule" doesn't appear to be as strong as it once was. Or perhaps it's always been this way and I didn't want to see it.

I remember, as a kid, if you took a walk you were expected to respect other peoples property. My parents drilled it into me not to cut across other peoples yards. Don't deposit any trash on anyone elses property.

When you think about it, these same rules SHOULD apply in campgrounds. Actually, this should be a common sense thing. And I've actually seen it posted in some campground rules for those who need to be reminded.

Since we stay in a lot of campgrounds all over the country, we see people disregarding their fellow neighbors and the park owners far too often.

Now for all of you who are responsible parents and/or responsible pet owners, I applaude you! And I hope you're my next RV Park neighbor.

We love children. Combined we've raised six children and we are blessed with nine grandchildren. We also love pets. We travel with two well-behaved Chihuahuas, Capt. Jack & Jesse James. They bring us much joy and companionship when we're away from the grandkids.

Like I said, we love children and pets, just not the barking, yelling, or making a mess in our postage stamp of a yard.

Traveling with Capt. Jack & Jesse James, we do our best to be "good neighbors." I'll explain...

When we take them outside, they are always on a leash and under our control. This is for their protection and IT IS THE RULE! They're not allowed to wander into other campsites. And no matter where they poop, we pick it up promptly. In fact, we have poop bag dispensers on each of their leashes.

I guess what boggles our minds the most is the complete disregard (and disrespect) some RVers have for park rules. Unfortunately, it's the small group that misbehave that creates hardships for all of us. Many campgrounds are starting to charge an extra fee for pets. Some are charging $5 extra per pet and limiting pets to two. Some parks won't let pets over 20 pounds into their park.

All campgrounds require all pets (yes, cats too) to be on a leash at ALL times when outdoors. They also require that owners pick up after their pets. After all, it's the right thing to do.

Did you know that pet fecal matter is a hazard for two reasons?

It's an unsanitary mess when other people step in it (especially when they track it into their camper).

When it rans, it washes into our watersheds that feed our water supplies. EEEEWWWW!

It really amazes us that many people feel they are exempt fron the rules. And it is frustrating to park owners and/or managers. Since the majority of RVers now travel with their furry family members, owners don't want to ban pets (although many we've talked to are considering doing just that).

Unfortunately, RVers who are ignoring the rules are forcing RV Park owners to make unpopular changes to their rules. Like the $5.00 per pet extra fee. The next rule to hit will be an additional $25 fee charged to your credit card if, after you leave the park, the workers find you did not pick up after your pet. Look for this idea to catch on as owners and managers are at a loss to find any other way of ensuring a pleasant stay is enjoyed by all.

Let me share an experience we recently had when we took our RV for repairs at an RV dealer. This dealer is gracious enough to provide six slots with full hook-ups for those customers who have no other place to go (like us) and need work done on their RVs.

When we pulled into our slot, Bob took care of the hook-ups while I took the dogs out to do their business. It had rained a lot recently so the ground was wet, and so was the poop all over the yard. Picking up poop from other peoples animals is unpleasant in the best of circumstances. But when it's soaking wet it's almost impossible. But this yard was so full that I had to before I could take my dogs out.

So I spent an hour picking up the disgusting mess!

Unfortunately, RVers are forcing RV Park owners and other related RV businesses to make the radical changes I talked about earlier. As with everything, many RVers do the right thing with their pets. It's the 5-10% who don't that are ruining it for all of us.

Here are some good neighbor, pet friendly ideas that are working for us:

If we leave and can't take Jack & Jesse with us, we put them in their kennels with a chew toy and cover them up with a sheet. They are more relaxed when they can't see out. This keeps them from barking and annoying our neighbors.
We don't put them in their pen unless we're sitting outside with them. This is also a rule in RV Parks!
We have a poop bag dispenser on each dog's leash so whenever and wherever they do their business, we promptly pick it up.

One problem dog owners may have (and cat owners would not) is barking.

Recently, we were parked next to a couple who had two large dogs. They were on a mission of traveling to see the national parks. That's great! What isn't great is that they left their dogs running loose in their rig while they were gone all day, every day. These dogs would be left alone for 8-10 hours every day.

If anyone walked by with their dog(s), these guys would bark up a storm. And since this was a tight park they were only about 10 feet from our rig. Every day, we had to listen to these dogs bark incessantly. Putting these dogs in kennels and covering them up may have calmed them down. Some animals get separation anxiety. I know if we leave our two alone for even 20 minutes, Jack tries to eat the carpet. By keeping him in his kennel and covered, he sleeps or chews on his toy. It's better for him and for the rig!

Next time you check ito an RV Park, be a good neighbor. Read the park rules and follow them.

The park owners will love you for it and so will your neighbors. And please don't take your dog or cat over to MY yard to relieve themselves. If you don't want it in your yard, use the pet walk areas provided by the parks. And pick up whatever your Fido leaves behind.

It's the right thing to do!!!

Till next time...

Vicky & Bob Heron (Capt. Jack & Jesse James)

Is their such a thing as RVing etiquette? Part 1

2009-10-04T13:36:00.004-05:00

You bet there is!

And I wish more people knew about it. Some RVing etiquette involves that sometimes perceptive yet elusive state called of consciousness known as "Common Sense."

We travel all over, staying at campgrounds for several weeks at a time. As you can imagine, we see people come and we see people go. We've discovered there seems to be a brain hiccup in many people that occurs when they make camp and break camp. I'll explain...

Before I continue, picture for a moment... eating and drinking out of your toilet. Pretty disgusting picture right? I'd say downright YUCK!

Yet we see more people doing the equivalent to this way more often than we see people practicing exemplary (or even decent) hygiene. Bob and I ask ourselves, are we being like Adrian Monk? Or do these people get sick with dysentery and not have a clue as to why?

We'll start at the beginning. Most people (hopefully) wash their hands after using the bathroom. Notice the key word here is "hopefully." We recently saw on TV where scientists went to an office. They swabbed door knobs, phones, keyboards... every surface they could think of. What did they find? E-coli & salmonella, and these were just the big bugs!

Now I'm not pointing any fingers here, but they found this bacteria more often in men's offices.

So where am I going with this?

Men are most often the worker bees who hook up the fresh (potable) water, electrical, and sewer connections. And when it's time to move on, men are usually the ones who unhook all of this and get the rig ready to get on the road again. And what we see, and what I'm about to tell you, may absolutely nauseate you! We see it daily and get sick to our stomachs every time.

Picture this: You're in an RV park. Parked just in front of you is another RV. It's a foreign family. (Note: Europeans are known to run around with little or no clothing at times... something Americans find strange... and it can be disgusting unless it's Fabio in a speedo or something.)

It appears he's having some trouble with his main electrical system so he has several extension cords coming out of his rig. One morning, he makes coffee outside. What's wrong with that you ask?

He's making it right next to the place where he dumps his raw sewage. Now if he did everything right and was careful what he touched and practiced good hygiene, then this would not be a big problem, except... he does not know how the people before him used all of these connections. We'll get into that more later...

Back to our European and his morning coffee. He came out of his RV in his underwear, silky, clinging boxer type underwear and he was pointing the way if you know what I mean. That in itself was more than I needed to see. But, to top it off he had rear cleavage showing. He was not wearing anything else but flip-flops. He had some scratching going on too.

So he proceeds to make his coffee outside. He touches the faucet handle to fill his coffee container. He adds the ground coffee and starts it brewing.

While his coffee is doing its thing, he pulls out his sewer hose and hooks it up to dump his tanks. Bare handed. When his coffee is done, he picks up a cup and pours some brew. With the same hands he has now handled a clean coffee cup that he'll drink from. He also picks up a bagel and begins eating it. Now I'll tell you what's wrong with this picture... other than the obvious just mentioned...

All RVers should know some basic things before they ever set up or break camp. They're common sense things as I mentioned earlier, but we are always surprised just how many people don't know or won't use these common sense practices... called good hygiene.

Let me paint you another picture.

Joe Smith pulls into his camping space. After leveling his coach, putting out slides, and hooking up electricity, it's time for the nitty-gritty stuff. Water & sewer.

He opens up a storage compartment and pulls out his sewer hose--with bare hands. Stored under his sewer hose is his potable water hose, yes, in the same compartment. Consider storing your drinking glass in your toilet and you'll understand the ramifications of this.

As nasty as this sounds, it's gets even nastier, unfortunately.

After handling the sewer and water hoses with the same bare hands, he hooks up the sewer. Which means he has to open a cap at the drain valve and hook up the hose securely so it does not leak its contents when he pulls the lever that opens the valve to dump the holding tank contents. Next he hooks up the drinking (Potable) water hose to the faucet and to his rig with those same hands. In doing all of this he has touched the most germ laden equipment with the same hands he's using to touch what should be the most ungerm laden items.

In case you're a newbie and don't know about holding tanks, RVs usually have three holding tanks. One used for dispensing fresh (potable) water for drinking, bathing, and flushing. The second tank is called the gray tank. This is where dishwater, shower water, and all "gray" water goes. Tank three is the black tank. This is what the toilet empties into. Think of it as the on-board sewage system.

If everyone knew and used proper sanitary techniques, the guy making his morning coffee would not be in danger of becoming sick, or making his family sick, or making the people who use his campsite after him sick.

Before I explain why this morning coffee could be so potentially dangerous, I'll explain how a camp should be set up properly and taken down. Then I'll show you how all too often it is done. We see it on a daily basis and just scratch our heads in disbelief every time. And GAG!

Best practice is to all store all clean items, like your potable water hose, in a separate location from your germy sewer hose. You don't want nasty little bugs crawling from your dirty items to your clean ones.

To begin with, wash your hands. Then take disinfecting wipes and clean your hose hook up before attaching your hose. Then spray it with a disinfecting spray like Lysol, don't forget the handle. These steps are necessary because you don't know what the guy before you did when he broke camp (I'll enlighten you in a moment).

Word of caution, don't take your garden hose and use it as your potable water hose. Standard garden hoses contain lead. What you need to use is a water hose specifically made for drinking water. These are usually white with blue lines on them. Just be sure it is a POTABLE water hose. Now your ready to hook up your water hose. Be sure you don't let open ends touch the ground because the ground could be contaminated with raw sewage (you can't see) by the previous resident.

After hooking up the water hose, you can now hook up your sewer hose. First, put on rubber or latex gloves. Do not use your bare hands. We go to the drug store and buy a box of disposable latex or vinyl gloves like doctors use for exams. This way, once you hooked up the sewer hose, you can pull the gloves off turning them inside out. Then just toss them in the trash.

The reason you should use gloves is you're handling items that come into contact with raw sewage. When you touch them, then touch your clothes, door knobs, and sink handles, you are contaminating them. If you touch your mouth or pick up a bite of food you're also risking ingesting e-coli and salmonella, among other disease causing organisms.

Remember the coffee guy picking up the bagel? He was ingesting a lot more than coffee and a bagel!

The other thing to consider is what the person before you does when they break camp.

Proper procedure is to wash your hands first. Then turn off the water and unhook the potable water hose. As you coil it up to put it away, make sure the open ends do not touch the ground. Once it's all coiled, connect the male end and the female end together so there are no open ends exposed. Now put it away in a clean, sanitary location.

Second, make sure your black and gray tanks are close to full. If not, fill them. Put on clean waterproof gloves (disposable preferred). Pull the black tank lever and empty it first. When you no longer hear water running, shut the valve.

Next, open the gray tank valve. Since the gray tank is mainly bath water and dishwater, it has soap in it and will effectively flush all solid debris from the sewer hose. Once the water stops, close the gray tank valve.

Now you may carefully unhook your sewer hose. Slowly walk the hose to completely drain its contents without spilling on the ground. Did you know it is actually illegal to spill contents from this tank on the ground. In fact, in some areas, like San Antonio where you have an aquifer below, this nasty stuff can get in to the drinking water supply. So be very careful!

Stow the sewer hose in a container in an area away from the fresh water hose. Remove your gloves and toss them. Now you can wash your hands and know you've left a sanitary place for the next person to hook up... and you won't risk making them sick.

Before I end this topic I just have to tell you what I saw this morning. One of our neighbors was breaking camp. He was using a green garden hose as his potable water hose. He came out, no gloves, and disconnected the water from his coach. Then he used that same hose to rinse out the valve opening to his gray & black tanks. This water ran all over the ground by the way... ILLEGAL and unsanitary.

Next he took that same hose, stuck it down his sewer hose and flushed it out about 5 times, spilling on the ground frequently. Then he put the sewer hose away and loosely piled his water hose on top of it. He wiped his hands on his pants and he was ready to go.

Now I have to be careful where I let my dogs run in our own yard. He let a lot of yucky water drain into our yard area. Not good etiquette!

First rule of being a good RVer... leave your campsite cleaner and more sanitary than when you arrrived. If we all do this it will be more pleasant for all of us.

Till next time,

Vicky & Bob Heron (Capt. Jack & Jesse James)

Travel & Get Paid For It... Not Bad...

2009-09-29T22:42:00.002-05:00

As we were walking the dogs tonight, we talked to a couple who were counting the years until they could go full-time RVing. They didn't know if their pension and social security would get them through and leave enough left over to have some fun.

So we explained briefly how we travel all over, like many of our AGS friends... how we get to visit friends & family... see the beautiful sight in this country... and meet so many interesting and friendly people. And best of all, we get paid for it a good deal of the time.

They were intrigued and thinking seriously that they may be able to move up their "full-timing" date. We gave them a brochure we got from AGS so they can send for more information. I hope they find the answers that will help them make their dreams come true. It was our solution for sure.

Switching gears, I had no idea so many Europeans traveled to this country. And some of them ship their rigs here from Belgium, France, Finland, you name it. Many others fly in and rent an RV. And Moab, Utah seems to be an international destination!

Could be because there are so many national parks, like Canyonlands & Arches. They are spectacularly awesome and beautiful. We've been here two and a half weeks and I still love the La Sal Mountains, the canyons, and the red-rock formations. There are a lot of arches outside of Arches National Park too. It's really amazing.

An intriguing family moved in next door today. They had five children and a good size travel trailer. These people have their own business and winter is their slack time. So they pack up the kids and go to each of the states as part of their home schooling program. When they pulled into Utah today, they had three states unfilled in their state display on their rig. They were putting in the Utah state puzzle piece tonight.

It was so nice to see the kids all having such a great time. They will see their two remaining states on their way back to New York, their home. That reminds me, we only have 8 states left to fill on our display.

Weather has been gorgeous as well. Only a few days over 90 degrees and evenings in the 60s or 50s. That said, we do have a cold front coming tomorrow. We'll have a couple of nights in the upper 30s, then it will slowly start warming up again. We are loving the low humidity. A lot different than what we experienced in Texas this summer. It was a scorcher this year!

That's all for now... may the wind be to your back,

Vicky & Bob Heron (Capt. Jack & Jesse James)

What about your shower?

2009-09-25T12:52:00.005-05:00

I just read this article by Jaimie Hall-Bruzenak and had to chuckle. By the time I had a camper with a shower in it, my daughter was 16. There was no way she could take an RV-Navy shower!

For years, my parents used their shower/tub area for storage. That was before basements became so large and accommodating.

So what do I do with my RV shower? I use it!

I've always used my own shower. When I owned a pop-up (Williamsburg by Coleman) it had a small shower in it. I used it.

My daughter, who loves long, luxurious showers, would don her flip-flops and use the campground's shower.

Next I had a Class C (Jamboree Rallye) and again I used my own shower all the time. For me it's a cleanliness & convenience thing. I don't like showering with shoes on and balancing to put on lotion and get dressed.

Now we have a Class A and we are full-timers. So both of us use our own shower all the time. To keep it looking brand new, the last one done uses a chamois and wipes it all down. It's not that big and it sure does keep the glass looking like new!

However, my next rig will have a shower with a seat in it. It will be so much nicer to sit down and shave my legs and smooth my feet.

When our daughter (now 30) takes a trip with us, she still prefers to use the campground shower because she really does like a hot, 45-minute shower.

Can't do that in an RV!

What do you use your shower for? Now I'm curious...

If you want to read Jaimie's article, click here

Till next time,

Vicky & Bob Heron (Capt. Jack & Jesse James)

So Much To See And Do!

2009-09-22T22:36:00.003-05:00

We've been in Moab for a week and a half and things are going very well. We can tell the economy has been affected here, but not all that bad. The guides are doing very well.

I've adjusted to the altitude. Interesting thing happened to me today. I was at a local store getting some of the Zero Powerade that Bob and I are gulping down. They had a great sale on it! I told the clerk that I have to drink a lot of water & powerade to keep hydrated or I get a headache and tired. She said everyone who lives there has to keep well hydrated because the air is thinner and drier. You lose body fluid faster.

Finally, an answer that makes sense about why people get altitude sickness. I also have to limit my intake of coffee and alcohol. I did finally have a glass of vino tonight!

Went to the Bar-M-Chuckwagon cowboy show and supper last weekend and it was a real treat. The gunfight was entertaining and the food was good. But the entertainment show afterwards was outstanding. The head wrangler, Alan Brown and his wife Valerie can really sing!

You see, Alan used to be in the group Up With People. I was so suprised when they said that. I used to have a best friend from Tucson, Angie Darzes, who also spent some time traveling and performing with Up With People.

Anyway, Alan & Valerie met in Nashville, of course they were singing. They also have a steel guitar player in the band. You just can't beat the sound of a well played steel guitar to blend it all together.

Also been to Hole n'' The Rock. It's a 5000 sq. ft. house chiseled and blasted out of a big, red sandstone rock. If you go to Moab, Utah, these are two places you must visit.

Next week we're going to golf at the Moab Golf Club. It will be Bob's first time so I'll have to give him some instruction. We're going on Wednesday because it's less busy. I have my clubs with me but we've not bought Bob any yet so he'll rent a set of left-handed clubs. I can't wait.

The weather is perfect this time of year. Cool to cold (40s-50s) at night and 70s-80s during the day. I'm loving it. The two little Chihuahuas, Jesse & Jack would like it a bit warmer though.

Time to turn in. Have a lot of stops and calls to do tomorrow.

Happy trails,

Vicky & Bob Heron (Capt. Jack & Jesse James)

What beautiful scenery!

2009-09-16T19:50:00.002-05:00

We arrived in Moab, Utah on Sunday, Sept. 12th.

We will definitely enjoy the mountains more when we have a diesel pusher with an engine brake. You can only do so much with a gas engine and regular brakes. This is steep country! Especially for "flatlanders" like us.

We are working three campgrounds here and have visited all three. They are very lovely and the view all around is breathtaking with its red rock formations, canyons, and majestic mountain peaks. We can't wait to go visit Arches National Park which is close by. And Hole N" The Rock.

One thing we have noticed is the large number of rented RVs. Come to find out many are occupied by Europeans. They come over here to see the sights. Moab is truly a destination town with it's majestic La Sal Mountain Range, and Mt. Peale at 12,731 ft. We can see that out our starboard side.

I really love my office which is an 8 ft desk all across the back of the rig, with a window view of course. As I'm working in the office (when I'm not out on sales calls) I can see the weather systems develop over the mountains. It gets very dark. In fact, yesterday we noticed it had snowed on the mountain tops. Of course, today it's almost gone. Been getting rain up there today.

Not much trickles down to the valley below. But after working a couple of jobs in the Texas Hill country during triple digit heat the whole time (and a multi-year drought), the 50s & 60s feel very nice... what a relief!

Back to renting RVs. I'm looking out my back window and in the next row there are 7 rigs, 6 of which are rental units. I would venture to say the RV industry is far from dead. In fact, we are seeing a large number of big gas units in addition to diesel units.

I have to cut this short. Got to get ready to make some money tomorrow. We'd like to upgrade to our diesel pusher next year sometime. We were hoping it would be sooner, but we traded our 1997 Isuzu Rodeo for a 2009 Saturn Vue XR while we were in the San Antonio area. It was time. the Rodeo was running great, but it was 13 years old. Plus we were pulling it on a tow dolly. That definitely does have its minuses.

So after we bought the Vue, we took it to Ancira RV in Alvarado, TX and had them install a Blue Ox towing system. Sweet!!! We also purchased a Brake Buddy supplemental braking system. It's so nice to tow with all four wheels down. We also lost over 1,000 pounds by losing the Rodeo and the tow dolly. That's a good thing.

So until next time, may the wind be at your back,

Vicky & Bob Heron (Capt. Jack & Jesse James)

So much to say... where to begin?

2009-09-12T22:01:00.002-05:00

I'm embarrased to see my last post was in February. But then again, neither Bob or I knew that our new lifestyle would be so exciting, everchanging, at times challenging, and yet so much fun.

In the last seven months we have stayed in some very nice RV parks as we produced their guest guides for the upcoming year. We've been to Abilene, TX; Ruidoso, NM, West Monroe, LA; Sulphur, LA; Lake Charles, LA; Uvalde, TX; and Lakehills, TX. Now we're on our way to Moab, Utah to produce guest guides for three parks.

Bob is quite fond of telling people that we get to travel all around and get paid for it. When people hear that he has their undivided attention.

In the last seven months I've noticed something quite astonishing. RV Parks and campgrounds are not just full of weekenders and vacationers. There are a lot of working full-timers out there.

As our economy has changed in the last decade, so many people have learned how to adapt. We seem to be a much more mobile society today. In Louisiana, both in the north and the south, RV parks were full. Many of the park guests were workers. There were pipe workers... railroad workers... oil & gas field workers.

Workampers are also an addition to the scene that is quite commonplace now. There are all kinds of workamper jobs. I've read about many of the job types out there and I feel that we have chosen the best "job" by far.

It is intense when we work, and we may work for 2 weeks or 2 months at a time, depending how many parks we are producing guides for. But I must admit, this is probably the best paying job we can find... and as Bob says, "We get paid to travel." Before we started heading for our next job, we just spent 5 weeks at the city park 2 blocks from our daughter & grandaughters house. (Their house is our "home base.")

Yes, we played games with the girls, took them out to eat, and kept them overnight sometimes. We thoroughly enjoy these times.

The thing I've found most interesting in our new full-time RVing lifestyle is experiencing the food, people, and lifestyles in each area we stay in. People in RV parks are very friendly and interested in each other.

Last night we stayed in Amarillo, Texas and met two couples (one from Florida and one from California). We all swapped information about where we were from, where we were going, where we had been and what we did (one had a new grandchild they just met).

Today we've learned a very valuable lesson, plan better. We didn't line up our traveling itinerary very well. We knew what city we wanted to end up in every night, since we only like to travel about 250 miles a day. (Remember, we're doing this to enjoy the camping/RVing lifestyle... not to just burn rubber driving endlessly down the road).

We learned a long time ago that we're not "Wal-Mart" campers. We like our full hook-ups. Roughing it smoothly is our style.

I digress... So the first three nights we were in some pretty nice parks. Then came night #4, tonight. We are sort of off the main path so to speak. We found ourselves in an area where there just weren't many parks close by where we wanted to stop. So we chose the first one we called, sight unseen.

It turned out to be a dump. Literally!!!

There are old junked cars piled around and quite a few old abandoned mobile homes laying around with windows broken and doors missing. The road coming to the park from the highway was not big enough to accommodate two RVs meeting each other. Thankfully we were the only one on the road. Hopefully we'll be as lucky in the morning.

This place is really out in nowhere land. I can only imagine the wild critters that will be lurking in the darkness around here. We're city-folks and not used to this much wild reality. You could say we're a good stretch out of our comfort zone.

But the park owner seemed like a decent, trustworthy person. His neighbors/partners are perhaps another story, but hey, we're only here for one night. And you can bet we'll plan our future trips much better!

One thing I want to close with, if you are going to be traveling to higher altitudes and you're not used to it (Bob and I are flatlanders), make sure you stay super hydrated. The air is thinner as you go up and it can give you headaches and much worse if you don't take care of yourself.

My friend Sallye wrote this to me yesterday... "Friends don't let friends drive dry." I suffered for a week with altitude sickness when we went to Ruidoso in March. So now I'm getting more rest and LOTS of water. We've also found the Zero PowerAde to help a lot. And it does not have any calories!

Stay tuned, I will be back...

Vicky & Bob Heron (Capt. Jack & Jesse James)

A whirlwind week but we're learning & having fun!

2009-02-18T21:23:00.002-06:00

We're here in the Lake Conroe/Houston North KOA Kampground at the AGS Publishing annual meeting. It's a huge park. I believe the manager said 48 acres. Even though the economy has slowed down, this place has a lot of RVs in it.

We did our training last month so the annual meeting is a good refresher before we go on our first job next week in Abilene.

Turns out everything we learned about how to do KOA Guest Guides in our training is now changed. I must say we're very impressed. KOA is putting a lot of "fun" into their new branding efforts.

We've always been big fans of KOA Kampgrounds and now were even more impressed. And our first job is at a KOA. How good is that...

We have new AGS logo jackets, name tags, and our business cards will be here tomorrow. So we're all set. Just a little review on our part and we'll be good to go.

Everyone at AGS is so nice and extremely helpful. There are two teams (Bob and I are one of them) who are "newbies" here. This means we've been through our training but have not worked a job yet. But that all changes come Monday morning.

We finish all of the company festivities about noon Friday and then I will catch up on laundry & reading. We'll also start setting up our new job and review our ops manual. From what I can see and what we hear from other rep teams, this looks like a great opportunity to travel and make money -- good money -- along the way. We're excited!

Oh yes, while we're here we'll find out where more of our future destinations will be. I'll keep you posted...

Right now we know we're going to Abilene for 2 weeks, then Ruidoso, NM for 2 weeks. Then we'll go back to Denton, TX and tie up loose ends (translation-do taxes) and visit Bob's mom for her 95th birthday, then on the road again.

Shut eye time for us now... till next time...

Vicky & Bob Heron (Capt. Jack & Jesse James)

We can't believe it's finally here...

2009-02-05T20:41:00.003-06:00

Retirement -- Bob's!

Actually, it's more like semi-retirement since we will be working some of the time. At least we will be living our dream lifestyle, traveling in our RV to places we have not been to before... all over the country. And our so-called "work" will be in the camping & RV industry. So life is good.

Yesterday was Bob's retirement party at work. He looked so happy. Lots of people showed up to wish him well and were sad to see him go. I know his shoes will be big shoes to fill. And tomorrow is his last day. I wonder if he'll smash the alarm clock???

A few last touches to the RV, lunch with a few friends before we go and in a few more days we'll be embarking on our new life adventures.

Of course, the sales and marketing skills I've used in my own business for the last decade have enabled us to land the type of work we'll be doing and the ability to make good money doing it. We'll update you more about all of this as we get on the road.

Over dinner tonight Bob and I were talking and both of us agree... the last 8 months have not been for the faint of heart! Getting the house ready to sell, getting rid of almost everything we owned, and finding a place for everything in the RV has been a huge undertaking. Thankfully, it's all gone pretty smoothly.

The last minute details have us in a tizzy right now. Doing things like getting new health insurance lined up, several months worth of prescriptions on hand so we don't run out, getting the mailing issues straightened out, brakes installed on the tow dolly, and loose ends like that are keeping us hopping. But we'll get through it.

You know it's so much different now. We're not going on a 2-week vacation. We may be gone from our home base for several months at a time. We've made many shifts in our thinking and continue to do more every day. It certainly is a new way of life. Shouldn't be boring!

Soon we'll be singing that Willy Nelson song -- "On The Road Again!"

Till next time,

Vicky & Bob Heron (Capt. Jack & Jesse James)

We've Been Soooooo Busy And Enjoying It!

2009-02-01T15:19:00.005-06:00

I've been meaning to get this updated much more often. But, with our lifestyle literally doing a 360 in the last quarter, this task is unfortunately way overdue.

My humble apologies...

After my last post, we...

moved into our new roving home over Thanksgiving weekend
had our moving sale on December 6th
(I-Vicky) had shoulder surgery (bicep tendon repair) on Dec. 9th
closed on our house December 17th (without a hitch)
went to Teague over Christmas to see our daughter & granddaughters and it was so nice to just go down there in our own home. There is a city park in Teague that we stay at (with full hookups) for $10 a night. Can't beat that! And, it's only two blocks from the kids!

Now for the big news... Bob retires next Friday, February 6th. Yippee!!! We are BOTH extremely excited about this. That said, we will not be sitting around the campfire twiddling our thumbs. Oh no...

January 16th we left for San Antonio and met up with our AGS Publishing trainers at Traveler's World RV Park. More about that in a minute. Traveler's World is a very well maintained and busy park. Paved streets, large concrete patios with a nice picnic table, palm trees, and nicely manicured river-graveled lots. Yes, they rake the gravel carefully into place almost daily.

You can always tell when you stay in an upscale park. People actually keep their dogs on a leash when they walk them and pick up after them. Remember, we have two little Chihuahuas, Jack & Jesse, and we never have them off leash and we always pick up after them. I hate stepping in poop and not knowing it until I get inside the coach... YUCK!

Why is it -- in some parks people read the rules and follow them faithfully, while in other parks people don't think the rules apply to them at all?

In a perfect world, everyone would think of the other person's welfare as a result of their actions. Wouldn't it be nice! Okay, I'll get off my soapbox.

Anyway, we arrived in San Antonio Jan. 16th and started training for our new "life on the road" and new job the next day. After 5 mind-numbing days we graduated. Our trainers took us to a lovely Italian restaurant downtown. We drank way too much wine -- but it was so good. Larry Chuippi and his wife Nancy Raimondi are great people!

After our training ended on Jan. 21st, we stayed at this nice park one more day just to relax and go next door if we had any questions while we were preparing for our first two jobs. In this economy it will be nice to be able to travel and see places while supplementing our retirement income as we do.

Since our job will be creating visitor guides for RV parks and campgrounds and selling advertising to pay for these guides, my copywriting skills will be invaluable. I'm going to be the one to go out and help area businesses grow their business by attracting the RVers from the area -- by selling the advertising.

Bob will take care of most of the paperwork and the creating of ads. I'll do some spec ads to show to prospective clients. It will be weird to have me going out to work and Bob staying at home. I'm already training him to keep the place clean! Poor guy :-)

Next stop, Teague, TX (our home base) to visit our daughter Bobbi and our two granddaughters Corynn & Katelyn. Then we arrive at Montgomery, Texas at a KOA Kampground for the annual AGS Publishing meeting. We're really looking forward to this. We'll be meeting all of the other company ICRs (Independent Contractor Reps) and I'm sure we'll come away with a lot of valuable information & insights.

Till next time,

Vicky & Bob Heron (Capt. Jack & Jesse James)

How to work & live wherever and whenever you choose!

We'll get the hang of this... soon I hope!

2008-12-02T16:12:00.005-06:00

It's been an exciting, fun, and exhausting week.

How did we spend our Thanksgiving last year? Oh yes, we traded up for our current RV, a 37' Damon Challenger with 3 slides while we were in Yuma, Arizona camping with my parents. Little did we know just how that little detail would change our lives -- forever -- just one year later.

But change is good. Through change we grow... explore... expand... and enjoy. And that's what we are doing.

So how did we spend our Thanksgiving this year? By turning our lives inside out and changing everything we knew as "normal" because of that little detail last year at Thanksgiving. I'll explain more about going full time, retiring, retrofitting the RV and our adventures to come. Just keep watching this blog for updates as we begin our new life "on the road!"

Vicky & Bob Heron (Capt. Jack & Jesse James)

Can things get any more hectic?

2008-11-24T10:07:00.006-06:00

I'm back, for a few minutes anyway!

Yesterday I received a wonderful message from a fellow full-time RVer and he was right in what he told me.

Don't worry about the market being down and not making as much money on the house as we would have last year. Instead we should celebrate that it sold in 30-days and has fit exactly into our time schedule. She is right on!

We are truly grateful that it sold so fast. In fact, this Sunday, November 30th, we're moving into our new roving home with our two Chihuahuas, Capt. Jack & Jesse James. I'll include a photo of both as soon as Jesse (who looks like a snow cone with his big collar on to keep him from licking his stitches after being neutered) is back to normal. He also had four baby teeth removed but he is taking it like a champ.

Yesterday we rented a uhaul truck and moved stuff out of storage to begin the next phase of our new-life-transition... the estate sale. As I said before, our children took what they wanted from our household items, so now it's time to sell what's left. We are getting really excited now.

IT IS REALLY HAPPENING!

Plus as Bob was cleaning out the attic and the storage shed in the back yard he found about 10 boxes of old tax returns so I'll be doing a lot of shredding... again. I paid my 8-year-old granddaughter, Corynn, to help me last time. I wish she was here now -- I could use her help.

First I have client work I must attend to, then I'll continue on with our preparations. We have our lot in a nearby RV park ready to move into.

For Thanksgiving weekend we'll be getting all the final touchups done on the RV. It needs to be thoroughly cleaned inside and out. Bob has a handy pressure washer so he'll be cleaning the rig from roof to tires while we can hook up to our own water... still. Weather permitting of course.

We've also been busy getting all of the medical check-ups and procedures done so when we hit the road we don't have to tend to these interruptions for a while. Our new life involves starting a new job together (which I'll go into to detail about more later) and we will probably be very busy traveling and learning starting in February.

For this Thanksgiving we truly have much to be thankful for. We are healthy and we have our two precious traveling companions, and we have each other. Life is good.

Till next time,

Vicky & Bob Heron (Capt. Jack & Jesse James)

Well that didn't take long...

2008-11-11T19:01:00.004-06:00

... the house selling that is. Yes, it is sold. The official phrase is we're "under contract." The offer has been made. Counter offer accepted. The inspection was yesterday and I can't think of anything serious that needs fixin. As I said in my last post, if we'd have done this last spring we'd have made more money.

No matter, we sold our lovely home in 30-days so we're not complaining. If I could give you one very important bit of advice when it comes to selling your house -- it would be to do your homework!

Don't go with the first real estate agent you come across unless you have thoroughly checked them out. Here are some things to look for:

Is their #1 goal to sell your home or to just get your listing (there is a difference).

How long has he/she been selling homes?

What is his/her track record? (Beverly sells 92% of her listings -- and it does not take her long because she markets aggressively)

Does he/she just come out and put a sign in your yard or do they tell you to get out a pencil & paper and give you specific directions on how to get your house "staged" properly so you'll make the most money possible in the shortest time?

Did he/she tell you exactly how to keep the house up while on the market?

So now we have about 1 month to get our estate sale ready. We're moving our rig into an RV Park just down the street on December 1st. We'll stay there until we go to our first job with our new company in February. The nice thing about this job is it's not a regular, full-time job. Bob and I get to work together, part-time, and travel is part of the deal. Win-Win!

As soon as the dust settles around here I'll give you more details... there should not be much dust since I've been thoroughly cleaning 1-2 times a day while waiting for the house to sell.

Waiting to get on the road,

Vicky & Bob Heron (& Capt. Jack)

How to work & live wherever and whenever you choose!

Go with your gut!

2008-10-29T11:12:00.003-05:00

Bob and I recently joined the Escapees (http://www.escapees.com/) organization. Now that the house is on the market and life is a bit slower finally, I've had a chance to begin reading the SKP forums and I've discovered a big item we should have done differently.

Simply put, we should have sold our house well before my husband's targeted retirement date. I'm not sure I could have gotten Bob to do it 2-3 years ago, but we regret we did not do it last spring. The market has changed so much since then. I'm afraid we've missed our prime window of opportunity.

Last spring I was ready to get going on this. Get the house sold and move into the RV. Bob could work on his current job until he was ready to retire. He just was not ready. Try as I might, I could not convince him to reconsider.

On the forum today I noticed many people have become full-timers several years before officially retiring. I wish we'd have joined SKPs earlier and read this useful information. Even though I know our house will sell soon, we could have made $10k to $15k more if we'd have acted sooner.

All last spring my gut kept telling me "this is the time to do it -- sell the house and begin full-timing." I know if Bob could have read the inspiring stories posted by other members, he would have felt more confortable with the pre-retirement change. I should have paid more attention to that little voice screaming at me to do it now! I should have followed my gut feelings.

If you are considering going full-time, I suggest you join the Escapees organization and devour the message forums. Lots of great advice and experience in those posts. As I said before, you can never have too much information at your fingertips. Escapee members appear to be very friendly and genuinely want to help each other. We're impressed!

Enjoy life, work, and traveling,

Vicky & Bob Heron (& Capt. Jack)

So you want to go RVing full-time -- What about money?

2008-10-08T14:05:00.004-05:00

When my parents, and their generation, decided to become full-time RVers, or to become "snowbirds," most knew how they were going to swing it financially.

Before I continue... just what is a snowbird? You see, my parents decided 22 years ago to keep the old homestead, our family farm in Illinois. But, they hate staying there in the winter months. As a matter of fact, many seniors and retired people living in the northern "cold winter weather" states are affected by this affliction.

The cure is to get in the RV and head south... to Arizona, Florida, or South Texas.

My parents went to Yuma, Arizona 22 years ago and have never looked back. Every year in late October or early November they pack up their home on wheels and go "on the road again." To Yuma. They love it there. Mom plays her keyboard and sings in "jam sessions" with other musicians. Dad just loves to listen to her work her magic!

Then in late March, or early April, they get the itch to come back home to roost. And there they stay until they repeat the whole process. We joined them for the trip to Yuma last year and was bitten by the RVing bug!

I'd say if there was a golden era of retiring in an RV it was the last 20 years. Before gas went up to $3.00 and $4.00 a gallon. Before pensions were lost (for whatever reasons). Before social security was in jeaopardy. Before RV park lot rent exceeded lot rent in a mobile home park.

So what are boomers to do about going on the road in an RV and driving blissfully off into the sunset? I'm glad you asked...

Before I answer that question, I'd like to share with you a trend I'm starting to see. People in their 20s, 30s, and 40s are deciding they want to experience the RV lifestyle too. With cell phones, wireless Internet, and home schooling, any couple or family with children can enjoy the traveling lifestyle. As a result, it is exploding.

The solution to all of these scenarios is to work as you travel. There are all kinds of jobs. Many are explained in the books you can buy explaining the full-time RV lifestyle.

One in particular sounded very appealing to us. And we found it quite by accident. You see, before we put the house on the market, we needed to find a place to park the RV. We needed it to be close since Bob is not retired yet.

While we were searching for the right RV park to move into, we found a great way to pay for our retirement and travels. I'll tell you all about it in my next post. Until then...

Enjoy life, work, and traveling,

Vicky & Bob Heron (& Capt. Jack)

The Exciting Life-Changing Journey Begins

2008-10-03T10:38:00.004-05:00

A few days ago I told you we were going to share insights into how we made the decision to become full-time RVers, how long we planned it, and how we got started. We also want these insights to make it easier for you. Some things along the way could have been planned a bit better. Hopefully our insights will help your transition into the full-timing RVing lifestyle a little easier.

First, there are a lot of good books on this subject. Read them. You can never have too much information when you're making a lifestyle change as substantial as this.

I think I bought about 6 or 7 books. If you don't know what type of rig will be best for you, these books will help guide you in this decision. We already knew we wanted a Class A motorhome. In fact, as I said before -- the purchase of our current motorhome inspired us to make this life change sooner rather than later.

So aside from the type of rig you want, what other things need to be considered?

Bob, my beloved soulmate, is 63-years-old this year. I just turned 54-years-old. With gas prices between $3.50 and $4.00 per gallon, we knew we should plan on working part time to help supplement our expenses. Another factor is we'll soon have to pay for health insurance.

This helped us to make the big decision to sell our house. It went on the market yesterday. We have a lovely and highly skilled realtor named Beverly Pironti. Her website is http://www.beverlypironti.com/. In 2004 she sold two houses across the street for full asking price. One went in eight days, the other in 27 days. We knew we wanted to keep her in mind for when we decided to sell (in 2004 we had no idea when that would be).

Right after she closed these two properties, Beverly sent out a postcard to our neighborhood announcing those house sales and how quickly they sold. I stuck that card away "just in case."

When the time came and we decided to sell the house, we couldn't for the life of us remember her name. We called our former neighbor (the Internet is sure helpful in finding people) to get this realtor's contact information. They could not find it anywhere.

As luck would have it, as I was cleaning out clutter and getting rid of "stuff," I found that postcard.

Now before I tell you why her houses sell so quickly, I'm going to share some of our mistakes with you.

1. Interview more than one realtor and ask good questions about how you need to prepare your house and how they will market your house for the quickest sale at the best price. We almost went with a realtor who was a lot less experienced. She was a lovely person, but she was not as knowledgeable about how to really move houses. She told us some brief things to do.

When I found Beverly's card I thought we were about to sign on the dotted line and list with the first lady we interviewed.

Boy -- was I wrong!

Which brings me to our next mistake...

2. Allow plenty of time to get your house in tip-top condition for showing. If you scrimp here it will cost you later.

Beverly came in and said to get out a paper and pencil and take notes. I'm going to tell you what you need to do specifically to get your house ready. She said right now "you're not ready."

Before she became a realtor, Beverly was an interior designer. And it showed! She told us to do things I never would have known to do -- or even thought of. I can't tell you specifically since these are her secrets to success. But suffice it to say, she gave us a week and a half to get our to-do list completed. It went well beyond touch up painting and cleaning off the countertops in the kitchen (de-cluttering).

All summer I told family members that we were putting the house on the market September 1st. Well... we did not start doing anything until mid August. Big mistake!

It takes time to sort through and decide what to dispose of, what to give to kids (if they want it), and what can and will go in the RV. Basically, our challenge was how to go from over 1900 sq. ft. of space down to 444 sq. ft. This includes when all three slide out rooms are extended. A lot has to go. Of course, there are certain things that must go in storage.

For example, I have my own copywriting and marketing business. So I have client files and lots of stuff I've accumulated over the years. When we decided to full-time it, we decided we'd enjoy doing work we could do on the road. Something we could work on together. Something that would take us to new places and help pay our expenses. We found it!

So I tossed (shredded) all of my old client stuff, our old tax stuff and about anything else I could get my hands on. Just kidding. We went through closets and cleaned them out. I finally got it through my thick head that I will not be a size 4 again, or size 6, or size 8. But that's okay, the Salvation Army got two big loads of really good items. It was alot easier than getting ready for a garage sale. Now all we have to do is give a value to all of the donated items and deduct it from our taxes.

If we would have started getting the house ready earlier, we wouldn't have been so rushed and exhausted. I'm happy to say that now we are enjoying our beautifully staged and uncluttered home. Why didn't we do this sooner? (Beverly says she hears that a lot :-))

Stay tuned for my next post as I share with you how I found the "perfect fit" for us job wise.

Please feel free to comment on these posts. I'll be looking at each one. If you have specific questions I'll be happy to answer them. Soon I'll get Bob to join in and share some important information about how to get your rig ready to go. He's working on a project right now that will potentially give us a couple of miles per gallon in mileage which will be a big help in that behemoth. We'll be testing it next weekend. I'll have him give you all the details, I promise.

So keep watching, better yet -- click on the link to follow this blog as it is updated.

Vicky & Bob Heron (& Capt. Jack)

Welcome to our new "on the road" blog!

2008-09-24T14:23:00.006-05:00

It all started with trading in our RV for a newer, larger one last fall.

Let me start at the beginning...

I've [Vicky] been an AVID RVer all of my life. It all started in the late 60's when my parents turned the bed of our pick up truck into a makeshift camper (of sorts).

You see, my Uncle Bob had recently purchased a brand new truck camper and from then on, my parents had the fever.

After a miserable, rainy weekend in the back of a pick up truck with a tarp over our heads (talk about primitive) my parents decided we needed a few more ammenities.

So, they bought a used Tour-A-Home truck camper. It looked okay, but the first rainfall had it leaking like a seive. Plus, Dad had to reinforce the upper bunk (you know, the one that hangs over the truck cab and kids love to ride in -- this was before seat belts were a law) because it was about to form its own entity.

We spent several good years in that RV. Went to Escondido, California to visit my great Aunt Ethel and Uncle Paul. I remember on the trip home we went through Las Vegas. The outdoor thermometer registered 120 degrees. That's as high as it went!

In those days, a farm truck from Illinois did not, as a rule, have air-conditioning. Neither did the camper. So we were hot!

But we did manage to have fun.

Because of this, I went on to get a truck camper of my own when my kids were little. Once we outgrew it, we bought a 22' Viking pop-up camper with two dinnettes. It was perfect for us!

Our youngest daughter, 1-year-old Bobbi Jean, needed a crib like structure to sleep in. So we took the table portion and propped it up between the seats to form a make-shift type of crib on the floor. We also bought an expanding play yard for outdoor play so she could toddle around and not get out of our sight (or into trouble).

Of course, we should have put then 3-year-old James in there. He was a mischievous child who could have put "Dennis-the-Menace" to shame. We have many memories of camping with my sister and her family in their pop-up, and with my parents in their truck camper. What fun family memories!

When we relocated from Illinois to Texas for job reasons, we sold the pop-up camper. Oh that was hard.

Finally, years later I was finally able to buy a "cream-puff" used Class C motorhome... a 28 1/2 foot Jamboree Rallye. I was living in Houston at the time. I joined Coast to Coast Resorts with my home resort in Canyon Lake -- The Summit. It's a beauty! If you ever get the chance to visit there and you're a Coast to Coast member, you gotta stay there and go tubing on the Guadalupe River.

My daughter, Bobbi Jean, and I spent many lazy days tubing down that river. Since it was only three hours from our home in Houston, we stored our rig at the resort and went up 2-3 times per month to savor all the "Hill Country" had to offer. It was delightful.

Next I sold the Class C and bought a brand new Coleman pop-up at an RV show. It came with a screen room and a built-in shower, two stoves and a gas refrigerator, and air-conditioner/heat-pump. Heavenly!

Before I continue, even though there were periods when I did not own an RV, I always had camping fever.

After I sold the Coleman, I met a wonderful man on the Internet... my husband Bob. In his bio he said he worked for an RV dealer. As you can imagine, I answered his ad ASAP!

We corresponded for several months. Flew between Denton/Dallas & Houston and visited each other. Then I quit my job and moved to Denton and we got married shortly thereafter. Turns out he was a manager at McClain's RV and one of his perks was theuse of an RV off the lot for vacations. Not bad - eh?

After he changed jobs a couple of years later, we were again without an RV. I was in withdrawal.

Last spring we decided to sell our conversion van and get a Class A motorhome. Once we made the decision to go for it, we found a 2004 31-foot Gulf Stream Ultra with two slides and hardly any miles on it. Now my Class C did not have slides so this was a whole new dimension in comfort for me.

While I was doing my thing over the years, my parents had found Yuma, Arizona. Since about 1985 or so they have been winter snowbirds. Just like the Canadian honkers, as the weather turns colder up north, they flock south to a warmer climate for the winter.

Last year, we decided to take a 2-week vacation (our first actually) and join them on the trip to Yuma and stay about a week and a half and come home. We had absolutely NO intentions of trading our newly acquired motorhome (even though you could barely walk around the bed even when the slide was out.

Now you must understand, RVers love looking -- window shopping -- at other RVs. Have you ever been to a deserted RV show? Didn't think so.

So one day Mom and I suggested we go "just looking" at RV dealers to see what the newer ones were like. Just to look... right...

Of course I fell in love with a Monaco diesel pusher that could accommodate a heavy load with ease. But the thing I really loved was it had an office area in the bedroom. And being a writer and copywriter I had to have something like this so I could work whenever and wherever we traveled.

There was one little wrinkle -- THE PRICE! It was $250,000. Unless I win the lotto, that's out of my range. Just as we were ready to call it a day and go home, the salesman said, "Do you have to have a diesel?"

When we replied no, he said I may have just the thing for you in a gasoline model. So we all piled into the golf cart and high-tailed it to the other end of the lot. And there it was, our new home. We just didn't know it yet. We knew it had great possibilities!

We spent Thanksgiving Day moving into our new gem -- a 2006 37.2 ft. Damon Challenger. It had only 6300 miles on it. The more we were in it, the more we got the "full-timer" bug.

Well, this is enough for today. Tomorrow I'll take you through our journey of deciding to actually make the transition to full-timing. How we prepared and what we suggest you do differently to be better prepared. And how we prepared our coach for our personal lifestyle.

There is so much I want to tell you... check back often as we embark on our journey. Step by step.

Vicky & Bob Heron (& Capt. Jack)