Hello fellow campers, drop me a line about places to see, things to do, and new gadgets on the market that you would like to tell fellow campers about.

Thanks for your comments.

Camping News

September 2006

Hello RV'ers
This is the time of the year I really like. Cool nights to set around the campfire with hotdogs with a lot of mustard and relish on it dripping down the sides with a bowl of chili that says SPICYyyyy……

I love to see the leaves change colors. I remember when I was in elementary school the teacher would have us try to find the prettiest leaf we could find on the walk to school and then we would glue it to color paper and display it on the wall. What great memories. Do you have a special memory located in time that you remember….share it with us. E-mail your memory of fall and we will try to put it in next months mailer.

Folks, I’m not a marriage counselor but I saw a film the other day that I think anyone that is thinking of divorce should see, and if you have a wonderful marriage it will show you maybe some thing we have forgot. I know it did me. Your can rent it at your locate video store, its Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfiefer in The Story of Us.

Let me know of any good websites that will help fellow campers. I’m more than glad to put this on our home page. I'm looking for a web page (that doesn’t require you to sign up to see) with a list of tow vehicles that you can flat tow behind your motorhome. If you know of one please e-mail it.

Here some safety notes on electric:

Here are a couple of things that will help you to keep safe:

Line Voltage Monitor Get instant accurate readings (+/- 2%) from 100-135 AC line voltage. Plugs into wall outlet. Big D Price: $15.99

AC Line Monitor/Polarity Tester Make sure you are operating your appliance within the safe operating range of 110 to 130 VAC. Big D Price: $29.49

Here is a common problem ,you've hooked up to the park utilities and as you reach for the door handle, you find yourself tossed back, rump first onto the ground. If things go right, you dust yourself off and try and figure out what happened.

Sometimes things don't go right. A miswired campground electrical box can turn your RV shell into a live wire, and touching the rig can make an RVer a part of the circuit. Some RVers don't live to tell about it. But you don't have to become a statistic. With caution and inexpensive equipment, you can protect yourself from the danger of miswired campground 'electrics.'

If all three wires are present and correctly connected, electrical safety is pretty much assured. But when wires aren't correctly connected, problems can become more than just hair raising. Probably the most common wiring problem is that of reversed polarity, where the hot and neutral wires are reversed. Can anything dangerous come from this?

First, some appliances can be damaged by a reversed polarity condition, principally electronic devices. You'll notice that many electrical devices have "polarized" plugs -- having two blades, one of which is larger than the other, so it will only fit in an outlet box correctly. Fritzing your traveling computer or television due to a bad wiring situation can be frustrating at best.

A more serious situation could arise from reversed polarity situations. If for some reason the neutral side of your RV wiring came into contact with your rig chassis--say someone accidentally connected the ground wiring to the neutral, or a staple, screw, or nail penetrated the electrical wiring and allowed those two sides to make electrical contact, then a serious situation could arise. A reversed polarity connection could potentially allow electrical current to flow across your rig's metal skin, and if any hapless human (or animal) were to touch the rig while in contact with earth ground, a serious shock could result. We're talking mortality here, not a good way to come back from an RV outing.

A couple of other miswiring problems can also crop up. It's not uncommon to find an open ground — a ground that doesn't exist. Ground wires provide a safety factor, say if insulation inside an appliance should fail and allow voltage to come into contact with the case, the ground wire is there to conduct it away. While newer RVs are equipped with "GFIs" (Ground Fault Interrupters) that protect kitchen and bathroom circuits from most electrical shocks, even in the absence of a proper ground, it's always wise to have an effective ground. The last bad wiring problem is a reversal of the hot wire with the ground wire. This would most decidedly run current in all the wrong places. Similar situations can arise with 50 amp (240 volt) electrical outlet connections.

Circuit analyzers or "power line monitors," these devices plug into an electrical outlet and immediately show the wiring condition of the hookup

improper line voltage can raise Cain with electrical equipment. A low voltage situation is not uncommon, particularly in older parks on hot summer days when it seems everyone wants their air conditioning. If the electrical system isn't up to it, low power is the result. Air conditioner compressors, subjected to voltages below 108 volts can be damaged. In rare cases, too, over-voltage conditions can occur, which can fry equipment.

And on the lighter side…

For all those men who say, Why buy a cow when you can get milk for free. Here's an update for you: Now days, 80% of women are against marriage, WHY? Because women realize it's not worth buying an entire pig just to get a little sausage

1. Men are like ... Laxatives . ..... They irritate the crap out of you.
2. Men are like.....Bananas ....... The older they get, the less firm they are.
3. Men are like ......Weather . Nothing can be done to change them.
4. Men are like .......Blenders You need One, but you're not quite sure why.
5. Men are like .....Chocolate Bars .... Sweet, smooth, & they usually head right for your hips.
6. Men are like ....Commercials ....... You can't believe a word they say.
7. Men are like.... Department Stores ..... Their clothes are always 1/2 off.
8. Men are like ...... Government Bonds .... They take soooooooo long to mature.
9. Men are like ..... Mascara . They usually run at the first sign of emotion.
10. Men are like .... Popcorn ..... They satisfy you, but only for a little while.
11. Men are like ... Snowstorms .... You never know when they're coming, how many inches you'll get or how long it will last.
12. Men are like ......Lava Lamps .... Fun to look at, but not very bright.
13. Men are like Parking Spots ........... All the good ones are taken, the rest are handicapped.

Happy Camping,
Jerry Pressley
Email Me