At the beginning of November we were finally ready to leave our home base of Colorado Springs, CO and wanted to go south before the snow started falling. Driving through unpredictable snowy mountain passes isn’t our idea of a good time.

We were heading south for the winter and paused for the cause for a few days in Bernalillo, New Mexico just outside of Rio Rancho, on the north end of Albuquerque.

We decided to stay in a small, inexpensive city-run RV park for several days to let forwarded mail catch up with us, filling prescriptions plus stocking up on groceries and supplies for the coach. It was as good a place as any to stay a while. D & I thought we would be heading to Yuma, Arizona in a few days and are never sure where the next grocery store or pharmacy will be.  We knew we were far enough south not to be concerned about snow, even though nighttime temperatures dipped into the 20’s most nights.

Every year, D & I try to do something special during the Christmas Season. After seeing the walk-thru light show at the Denver Zoo one year, we thought it would be fun to see similar Christmas light shows like this one: “River of Lights” at the Biological Park & Zoo in Albuquerque, near historic Old Town. Admission was $12 for adults with free parking. A gift shop and a place to buy hot drinks was appreciated on such a cold, damp night.

This is definitely an attraction for all ages and even on a Monday night, attendance was busy. This was a photographers’ paradise with part of the show set on a water bank and the reflections of the full size, lighted animals and dinosaurs were beautiful.  With Christmas music piped in along with millions of lights in the trees, it really was a fun, unique holiday experience. Some of the figures were even animated.  We saw everything from jumping fish to frog ponds, zoo animals, butterflies & Pegasus. 

Turtle

Pegasus-1

Peguins

Rock with sea stuff

Giraffes

Lily Pad Frog

Bio Park Music

To see our post on RV Christmas decorations, click here  Stay tuned for our next destination.  HINT: it wasn’t Yuma!

Just 30 days ago today we left the dealership in Jackson, Mississippi with our preferred version of a microhouse — a 40′ Class A motorcoach. Yup, with wheels and a 400 HP Caterpillar diesel!

It’s a 2002 Beaver Patriot Monticello with 2 slides–one of them is long, encompassing both the living area and kitchen. (mouse over any of the following pix for a discription of what you’re looking at.)

Front-Driver’s Side

Passenger front-side

Rear Left Quarter View with slides out

Right Rear Quarter View

Driver’s Side

Passenger Side View

Cockpit

Co-Pilot seat

looking forward from kitchen

looking rearward in living-kitchen area

entire area included in slide-out

microwave-convection oven1

microwave-convection oven2

lavatory

water closet

washer-dryer-combo

bedroomA

BedroomB

BedroomD

BedroomC

Cedar-Lined Closet

Bathroom-Kitchen Floor

Onan Quiet Diesel Generator

Cargo Bay

Engine Servicing Bay

Cargo Bay

Shorepower cord – electric reel

front tool bay

10-zone Water Manifold

Propane Tank

There has been alot to learn in the last 30 days; how to drive this beast, how to use and manage the systems, how to keep the Tire Pressure Monitor System from driving me crazy, where to park it overnight during our 1100 mile return to our hometown where our transition is accellerating now.

Since our hometown for the moment is still experiencing winter and sub-freezing temperatures, we rented a 15’x50′ storage unit but still felt the need to winterize just to be sure we didn’t inflict any damage to the systems that are reliant on water — before we even get underway full-time.

But more about the coach: 

Other Highlights from our shopping list:

• Side Entrance (more about this in a later post)
• Insulated cargo bays – one with roll-out Joey-bed
• Thermopane + dark tinted windows
• Solar Charging System
• 4 Door fridge with ice-maker (runs on either electricity or propane as needed)
• Microwave/Convection Oven (Jan loves it already–no need for a conventional oven)
• Slide-out pantry wall
• Automatic Main Awning, awnings on all other living and bedroom windows
• Large windows on both head and foot of the bed (more about this in a later post)
• Washer/Dryer combo
• Surround Sound system
• Silverleaf Electronics real-time diagnostic computer
• GPS
• Central Engine Servicing Bay
• 7.5 KW Onan diesel generator
• Natural solid Maple cabinetry in the acclaimed, hand crafted Beaver tradition.
• Satellite Dish / Direct-TV
• Great space for a paperless office
• 50 Amp shorepower electric cord reel
• Water system manifold
• Custom windshield privacy/protection screen and mirror and wiper covers
• and more

Along the way home, we discovered Flying J and their dedicated RV service lanes where fuel, water, propane and dump station are all in one place and offer alot of convenience. If you happen to be a Good Sam Club member you even get a discount on the dump station and the fuel price–I believe we dumped the tanks for $5.00 plus got 7-cents off per gallon on the fuel. I should also mention that they offer complimentary overnight RV parking, which turned out to be an experience we enjoyed three nights on this inaugural trip.

There’s a few things we’re opting to do “our new home” before we “move-in” officially, and if we get ambitious, perhaps we’ll share some video of the process, too.

Just a heads up on an RV selling scam we recently uncovered during our own shopping that may keep you from losing thousands of $$$$$$

If you’re in the market for a used RV this year, this expose might head off disaster.

Background:

This scam was first identified in the property rental industry, where overseas scammers would hijack, steal, or borrow from legitimate listings for vacant housing and offer to rent the property to you for less than anything else you would find. When answering the ad, the email-only communication would follow the steps we will outline below, but suffice it to say, many people were “taken” for big money.

This same scam that was discovered to exist all over the US in the real estate business, has apparently migrated to the RV marketplace. Using the same recognizable formula, it has spread nationwide to the RV FSBO arena. It typically starts with a classified ad –we saw the examples cited here on Craigslist  (NOT on the reputable RVT or RV Trader and other sites.)

The ads we saw were typically for a Class A RV at an extremely good price. There was a reference to “price reduced for quick sale”. The pix were awesome and the listing was detailed enough to sound legitimate (no doubt both pix and copy were pulled from the original, legitimate listing.) Of course the deal sounded great—too good not to explore! The immediate instinct is to respond. After all, we’re all looking for a good deal, right?

Here’s How This RV Purchase Scam Unfolds:

1. After seeing the listing, the RV shopper responds by email through Craigslist. In our case, we were asking for more specific questions and more information on the coach.
2. The response is relatively quick. In this email the RV shopper is told that this person is serving as an agent for the actual seller, who may be cited as another family member . The answers in this response seem like a cut and paste job, sometimes using poor english. In our case all of the questions were not answered. But the few details, if offered, seem to enhance the interest just enough to keep the RV shopper in the game. 
3. The RV shopper emails a response asking for a phone number, saying they would like to talk more with them about purchasing the RV.…..(Note: We recommend always asking for the phone number)….
4. The scam artist’s response typically says that the actual owner is out of the country and that (this scam artist you’re communicating by email with) is actually in the hospital, cannot be reached by phone, and would not be available to show the RV at this time.
5. The scam artist will suggest purchasing the RV, saying that the RV shopper will have full rights to inspect the RV before final acceptance when they come to pick it up, or if desired, the scammer will have the RV delivered to the RV shopper’s location within a week.

   They add a note stating that money paid will somehow be safe under the eBay buyer protection system. (Keep in mind before you take the bait, that the listing you saw was NOT on eBay, so has nothing to do with eBay buyer protection!)

STOP!!!!!

At this point we called the game. It should be over. In our final email we accused them of the scam thinking we might get a defensive response, but heard nothing more. Suspicion Confirmed. 

To protect fellow RV shoppers, we flagged the ad as spam.  In searching Craigslist nationally, we saw the listing appear in several other markets as well as seeing additional suspicious ads structured the same way.

Again, this is unfortunate for the many legitimate private sellers who do make great offers in the marketplace. We just hope these notes will better prepare you to make sure that your own great deal is legitimate.

Take Care, Keep Shopping for that Next RV and Good Luck!

Lyrics from “The Christmas Waltz” have become familiar to most of us through the timeless recordings of The Carpenters, Frank Sinatra and others.

But part of what makes this season so special is what we see in addition to what we hear. And how we choose to respond.

Christmas has always been a big deal at our house, and as we look ahead, that won’t change when we hit the road in the RV.

Sooooo, with that in mind, here’s something to ponder: Why couldn’t you decorate the RV? Just because you may be traveling or wintering someplace warmer for your holidays does not mean you have to miss this part of the season — just because you’re in an RV.

You might be saying, “There’s only a week left (ed: at this writing)…..should we even consider decorating?” My answer is, “Of course, even if you only do it for your neighbors in the RV park.” You could think of it as your Christmas card to your “new found friends.

Here are a couple of thought starters on what you might do, although it doesn’t have to be this extensive to be fun.

Taking a cue from the boat parades we enjoyed cruising past our homes when we lived in Florida, if you happen to be caravanning with a group of RVers, you might consider decorating your RVs and “parading” them together through town.

For addition RV Christmas Decoration tips and links to several video, please visit Pharr RVs.

We hope you’ll have a Merry Christmas wherever you may be, and we wish you a Happy New Year.

When it comes to deciding what we want for an RV toad, we don’t have any front-runners in mind. But we were wondering if you could help steer us in the right direction.

If so, the survey below is designed to help you help us. You can choose from a list of those we have kind of been interested in, or better yet, select the “Other” button and add your specific recommended toad — even if we haven’t already considered it. The survey will end soon, so click the Colorado Plate below and let us know what your experience has been. But first….

A few decision factors that we should share at this point include:

• We will be purchasing used — no desire to buy a new vehicle then add miles to the odometerfrom simply towing.
• While it’s just the two of us, we do have grandchildren and want enough room to take them along plus a few things with us on side trips.
• We both have previously owned vehicles with standard transmissions-not an issue if this is a better choice.
• We’re looking for the least amount of fuss upon arrival at the RV campground.
• Economy of both fuel mileage and potential repair costs is important.
• Initial towing adaptation and equipment costs need to be reasonable, yet safe.

There may be some other considerations, but for now, please share your thoughts, and opinions through this survey. You might find the results interesting, too!   Thanks for your participation. If you would like to provide additional information, please use the comment section below the survey. 

Click the Plate Below to Get Started!

Winter Weather Forecasting and Your Comfort Zone(s) Could Be Game Changers for Your RV Travel Plans This Year.

As VFWs (veterans of foreigners wintering), during the 15 years we lived in Clearwater, we watched RVers and others flock to Florida’s Gulf Coast every winter  —  usually arriving at the beginning of December and staying through at least February, many through Easter.

As Florida ex-pats, over the years we created a list of our favorite places,  so naturally we considered them our best choices until…….it snowed September 18th in the Rocky Mountain National Park! (close enough to where we live now). What does that have to do with winter weather RV destinations?

Obviously there’s a change in the weather. How wild will it get? How mild will it be…and where? Learning what effect that might impose on our winter travel plans deserved a little bit of research.

UH-Oh. El Nino? Is it Back? Will it Affect Our Winter?

We discovered through the Weather Channel’s outlook for this year’s winter, that our original plans might have to be adjusted…..or at least the wardrobe we plan to carry. Here’s what we found:

Note: There are at least two more videos behind the first one which will provide greater depth and detail. 

UPDATE: August 31, 2015  

Earlier this summer (June 26, 2015) we shared some research reflecting trends in the price of diesel fuel when compared to unleaded gasoline. This of course impacts RVers power at the pump, whether they choose to tow a rig using a diesel truck, or prefer a class A diesel motorhome.

For several years, the prices of diesel have exceeded gasoline, but at least in recent history, it appears that diesel now offers a significant savings and is holding that position.

This week-end in Colorado, one randomly chosen pump showed $2.439 for diesel fuel vs. $2.909 for Mid-Grade (super unleaded, used by all but the smallest vehicles in Colorado).

•   Advantage: Diesel $.47 per gallon!
• Impact: $56.40 per 120 gal purchase–possibly enough to cover up to two nights at a discount club participating campground.….or….a dinner for two…or… another absolutely necessary gadget for your favorite RV!

 While these prices are slightly higher than many states, the comparative savings is relative in other markets. 

POSTSCRIPT: “The U.S. average retail price for on-highway diesel fuel fell to $2.56 a gallon on Monday. That’s down 5.4 cents from a week ago, based on the weekly price survey conducted by  the U.S. Energy Information Administration.”  Hear the August 24 audio report here:   

This Circus has a RV Park in Las Vegas!

After D & I just returned from a 4 day conference in Las Vegas, we really thought this was one place we wouldn’t want to come back in the RV, until we discovered this RV Park in Las Vegas. (Even after experiencing the 3-digit temps in July!)

A couple we went with were staying at the Circus Circus hotel, right on the famous Las Vegas Strip and we discovered this hotel not only has all the ammenites you’d expect to see in a Vegas Hotel/Casino but they also offer a RV park, right next to the resort, complete with all the things you’d expect to see at a park anywhere else in America! And, as a guest at the RV park, you have use of all the ammenities the hotel has including the pool. (Slot Machine use is encouraged). Who’d a thunk it??

Several pluses to this are world-class entertainment right outside your door, including fun for the kids at the Adventure Dome, a complete indoor amusement park on-site. This type of vacation can be a little thriftier in an expensive town by coming back to your own “home” and save a bundle by eating several meals and having cocktails back at the RV instead of the high priced restaurants and buffets around town.  It’s one way to make the whole family happy; and how often does that happen?

When we drove through the RV park, the only downside I could see was the lack of shade trees. This is not a spot you will want to picnic outside and enjoy a park-like, quiet setting. It really more closely resembles a parking lot even though the park includes complete hook-ups.

With everything else to do, plan on catching up on your rest in a quieter town down the road.

But for now, run away with the Circus….Circus Circus!

For official details, visit the website: http://www.circuscircus.com/las_vegas_hotel/rv_park.aspx

We went shopping! — for what we hope will be The Right RV for us and we shot some video so you could join us. RV shopping trips for us really started on the Internet several months ago. We looked at various sites like http://RVT.com , http://RVTrader.com , and others. We laughingly say we have looked at 10,000 Class A RVs because we spent many of our evenings sharing listings on the big screen tied into our laptops with HDMI cables!

Checkin’ Out The RV Fit Factors

But for this video it was time to check out the 4 or 5 RV manufacturers we had narrowed our list down to. We wanted to know how these coaches felt inside—check out the spatiality, the quality, storage, layout and a host of other features — what we might call the “RV fit factors”.

The video takes you north of Denver on I-25 with us to Johnstown, Colorado where several RV dealerships are located in one compressed area. 

One of the dealers is RV America which claims to have the “World’s Largest Indoor Showroom,” and it is big! But the outside display area is equally humongus so we had an opportunity to poke around at our own pace. Inside the RV, we’ll talk about what we like, why we’re looking for certain amenities and features, as well as what impressed us.

We realize that your RV preferences will most likely differ from our own, but maybe you can benefit from some of the process we used as we examine the coaches we saw. We have chosen to feature just one in the video, but may share more later in another video as our on-site shopping continues. You are welcomed to subscribe to our channel and follow us on Facebook , Google+ and Twitter for breaking news.

Our blog: http://RVWranglers.com documenting a host of things we continue to encounter along the way in our transition to the full-time RV life and workstyle. You’ll find articles, reviews, opinion polls and tools you can use. So whether you’re just starting out (like us) or already on the road, we hope you’ll come along — for the ride!

RV fuel considerations –is Diesel or gas preferable– seems to trigger an ongoing discussion in the RV community—and the industry, too. We’ve discovered that the biases seem to be strong. Typically opinions seem to strongly favor one over the other—at times perhaps justified by rhyme, but not always reason.

What’s the right choice for you?

As soon to be owners ourselves (leaning heavily in favor of Diesel at this point), we’ve been encouraged lately by the prices of diesel fuel falling to at or below what we pay at the pump for mid-grade gasoline to fuel the family SUV.

True Trend or Just a Bump at the Pump?

Now I promise not to dwell on this topic in this blog, but at this stage in our pre-purchase considerations, we’re curious: “Is this a true trend, or just a lucky short term price adjustment in the marketplace?”  I wanted to know. Maybe you do too, whether you’re planning to buy an RV, or budgeting for the next leg of your RV journey.

After a little research, here’s the scoop:

According to  YCharts.com –The Financial Terminal of the Web – “US Retail Diesel Price is at a current level of 2.859, down from 2.87 last week and down from 3.882 one year ago. This is a change of -0.38% from last week and -26.35% from one year ago.”  If you would like to watch this trend over time, you might want to add this to your watchlist through a link on the top right of the page. Note that other chart views are available, but this one tells an encouraging story:

What does this mean to RVers

This information (you can read the entire report here—the Free information is more than adequate) probably should be folded into other considerations about the:

• Size and weight of your rig
• Where you plan to travel
• How much weight you want to tow
• Where you will find service facilities
• How much stuff you plan to load into the basement—stuff you just can’t live without.

Your comments are welcomed especially if you can shed some light on considerations we haven’t thought to include as we make our final decision.

Knowing why you make the choice in one direction or another will ease your mind if you’ve separated the rhyme from reason for RV Diesel vs. Gas.