Terry and I can really feel the difference in comfort levels between our MCI bus conversion and our Winnebago Ultimate Advantage motorhome in this cold weather! The Winnebago is much colder inside than the bus.
When we built the bus, we added a lot of extra insulation to the floor, walls, and ceiling. We were in temperatures down to 10 degrees a couple of times and a couple of electric cube heaters kept us comfortable. Last night it was 16 degrees here in Lexington, Kentucky, we had both furnaces turned up, and we were still chilly! I think we need to look into a catalytic heater. We let our Olympian Wave 8 go with the bus, and now I’m wishing we had kept it! That thing sure put out a lot of heat, and used a lot less propane than the RV furnaces do.
My appointment at the VA hospital Friday went as well as could be expected, and we are leaving today, headed back to the Escapees Rainbow Plantation RV park in Summerdale, Alabama. No place in the country seems to be warm right now, except for maybe the Florida Keys, but we have had to cancel our trip that far south this year. At least Summerdale will be a little warmer than it is here. We’re about 675 miles away, so we hope to be there sometime Sunday afternoon.
Then I have to chain myself to my desk and get the new issue of the Gypsy Journal ready for the printer. The unplanned trip back up to Elkhart to sell the bus, and the burglary that happened there, have put me way behind schedule. The paper should be printing right now, and all we would have to do is get the new issue ready to mail out. I hope our subscribers will understand about the delay. Most folks have been pretty easy going when we’re late, but as a lifelong newspaper publisher, it eats me alive to miss a deadline.
A lot of readers have been asking how we are making out with our insurance company after last week’s incident. One writer went so far as to say that the theft and vandalism were only the start of our misfortune, and the real violation would come from our insurance company. Things are not wrapped up yet, but so far, I get the feeling he was not far off the mark.
I won’t go into a lot of details yet, because I don’t know what the final outcome will be, but so far, it looks like our “disappearing deductible” sure had the right name, because when we needed it, it disappeared! All I will say right now is that I think we’ll definitely be shopping for a new insurance company once all is said and done. Of course, I’m sure that they will be just as bad. What’s that they say about a rose by any other name?
Meanwhile, Bad Nick is staying inside close to the heater outlet, and he posted a new Bad Nick Blog titled Keep It In Your Pants. Check it out and leave a comment.
Thought For The Day – He who digs a pit for others will fall into it himself.
Nick Russell
World-Famous, New York Times Best Selling Author, and All-Around Nice Guy!
Travel Safely and enjoy the warmer weather… BUT most of all have fun whenever you can!
Donna
We have fulltimers insurance with Gieco saving a lot of money. We had an awning claim with them and were happy with the settlement.
Nick, hope your waders are packed somewhere where you can find them easily (we all know how stuff gets stashed in places that defy “finding” in our rigs. It is raining here in Baldwin County and will be doing so (so they forecast) till Tuesday. Todays temps not hot, but, maybe up to 75 by Sunday, rain rain go away, come again another MONTH!
Safe rides. Find sun, bring it with ya!
Nick, here is a suggestion to help with the cold nights. We bought aluminum “bubble wrap” type insulation from Lowe’s and cut it to fit each window. It makes a huge difference in keeping the unit warm at night. If you only do it for the windshield area you will be impressed with the improvement in warmth. It is a bit of a hassle to put in each night, but only takes 10 – 15 minutes to go around to each window to put it in. We store it rolled up in several bundles in the shower during the day. In the summer it is stored in the bays. You need the 4′ length for the windshield and that works well for the windows also. We cut foil for the windows to fit inside the frame. We put it in place and then lower the day/night shades and draw the front curtain. Even in LA (Lower Alabama) you will have cold enough nights where the insulation would be a help.
We have progressive full time RV insurance with progressive, When we were hit by a drunk driver a few years ago, they were excellent both in dealing with the claims and understanding our circumstances as full timers. They went more than the extra mile for us and even helped us with the morons in Louisiana, where the accident occurred.
Don’t forget to get to Sea and Suds when you get back to Summerdale. They are closed right now but will open up on the first of Jan. Go and check it out if you can. We are going to check out Lambert’s next visit. My hubby’s sister lives in Foley now along with two of his cousins’, so when we go it is family time.
Before I forget. If you can try Royal Red shrimp. A little gas station looking place in Robertsdale sells them. I don’t know what resturants do. If you get a chance get a pound or two and boil them with some little red potatoes and eat your heart out. They are awesome. Can you tell I love food!
Have a good day with the VA and a safe trip south. Later