How long do you wait before you stop to fill your RV’s fuel tank? A thread in John Huggins’ Living the RV Dream Facebook group is discussing that topic, and by coincidence, I also got an e-mail from a reader the other day telling me that he learned not to trust his fuel gauge after running out not once, but twice.
He said in both instances he knew he was low, but was hoping to get further down the road to where Gas Buddy or one of the other apps said fuel was a little bit cheaper. He asked me when I decide it’s time to fill our Winnebago’s tank.
I start looking for a place to take on fuel at about the 1/2 tank level. Our motorhome is 40 feet long and we are towing a full-size SUV behind us, so I prefer to fill up at truck stops where it’s easy to get in and out. And while I don’t like spending any more money than I have to, the penny or two a gallon I might save isn’t enough to matter. We have a 100 gallon tank. Even if it was empty, we’re talking a buck or two. So why push it? Even if it was 10 cents a gallon cheaper down the road, we’re only talking about $10 on a completely empty tank. That’s not enough reason to run the risk of running out of fuel and sitting alongside the highway waiting for road service to bring me some.
Besides, experience has taught me that no matter where I fill up or how long I wait to get there, it’s always three cents a gallon cheaper a mile down the road.
Also, no matter how much fuel we have on board, when we’re going to be sitting still for a while like we have been this last month, I like to fill up before we get to the campground. That way I’m ready to go when it’s time to leave, I don’t have to worry about condensation inside the tank, and if power were to go out at the campground (which happens every so often) we have plenty of fuel to run our generator.
I spent a lot of time yesterday sending out renewal notices to our Gypsy Journal subscribers, and then we were busy processing their renewal payments as they came in. We appreciate all of our readers, but especially those who have been with us for years. Some have actually been subscribers since our very first issue 17 years ago! Now that’s loyalty!
Between processing renewals, I also updated our online bookstore to include all of my RV and nonfiction books, as well as my mystery novels. I still have to add our different booklets, like our free campground guide, guide to fairgrounds camping, guide to RV dump stations, etc.
About 5:30 PM we walked over to Charles and Chris Yust’s motorhome and visited with them for a while, and then the four of us went to dinner at Bonefish Grill. This was our first time at one of these popular seafood restaurants, and it was really busy because it was prom night and there were a lot of young people all dressed in their finest having dinner. But it was worth the wait, because the food was delicious.
We are leaving here today for the Daytona Beach Carefree Resort, which is actually in Port Orange, just south of Daytona Beach. Many Carefree Resorts have an off-season special of $299 a month, plus electric. And to add to the savings, we have a $100 off discount coupon from one of the RV shows. That makes for a pretty good deal! It looks to be about a 175 mile trip, so it should be an easy driving day. We’re looking forward to spending some time in that area, and Miss Terry hinted that with all of that beach available, there just may be some kite flying done!
Today is your last chance to enter our Free Drawing for an audiobook of my friend Ken Rossignol’s Pirate Trials: Famous Murderous Pirates Book Series: THE LIVES AND ADVENTURES of FAMOUS and SUNDRY PIRATES. To enter, all you have to do is click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn this evening.
Thought For The Day – A closed mouth gathers no foot.
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Nick Russell
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A quick little tip Often times East coast beaches prevailing winds are mostly from east to west usually anytime afternoon it puts the sun right in your eyes and it’s not fun Even with good sunglasses
I also believe Port Orange has a weather website as well as beach cam
But do enjoy yourself
Yep, three cents cheaper down the road…..and the line I pick for checkout at the grocery is sure to be the slowest…welcome to this thing called life! I am beginning to think that life in a motor coach is a study in glass half full/ half empty. We are always watching gauges…fuel, poop, propane, and showerability.
Nick, I forget whether you use the VMSpc program, but I never have trusted the dash fuel gauge. By comparison, I use the VMSpc program religiously to monitor our fuel consumption. It is usually within 1 or 2 gallons (at most) of what I actually pump into the rig at fill up.
That’s a nice campground. When you get to Daytona, check out the Halifax History Museum and the Southeastern Museum of Photography, and let us know if either of them are worth visiting! Just kidding, enjoy yourselves!