March Q&A

I’m back with more questions from blog readers about RVing, what’s happening in our lives since we hung up the keys, and all kinds of other things. While I try to answer all questions individually, I also share some here occasionally.

Q. Help, Nick! We spent all of February at an RV park in Yuma, Arizona, and planned to leave on March 1. Unfortunately, my husband had a heart attack while he was walking out the door of our motorhome and fell down the steps and broke his hip in the process. He still has at least another four weeks in the rehab facility and then two weeks or more of physical therapy, so we are not able to travel. The RV park where we are staying has not been accommodating at all and just informed me that they are shutting down for the season on the 15th to make major upgrades to the water system. I can stay at the full rate we have been paying but won’t have water for at least two weeks, and I will have to move sites at least twice. Do you know of any RV parks or private lots you could recommend? I don’t even know how to drive this thing.

A. There are a lot of RV parks in the Yuma area, and they should be emptying out by now. I would suggest doing a Google search and start making some phone calls. There are also many, many private lots in the foothills area on the east side of Yuma available. You might take a drive out there and look for signs for lots for rent. Meanwhile, I am reaching out to a couple of friends who may be in the area and able to help.

Update: A friend from our fulltiming days has arranged to move this lady’s RV to his private lot in the Foothills area of Yuma and is allowing her to stay there for as long as needed at no charge. RVers are great people!

Q. In a blog a few days ago you mentioned that you still have your two Sea Eagle inflatable kayaks. We are down at The Great Outdoors in Titusville and have been thinking about buying a couple of them. Would you consider selling yours? It doesn’t seem like you’d be using them very often.

A. I don’t think so. As I said, if my kids and one of their spouses visit, it would come in handy to have them.

Q. I heard a rumor in an RV forum that someone has bought the rights to Life on Wheels from Gaylord Maxwell’s family and will be bringing it back with many of the same instructors. I know you and Terry were two of their main instructors. Do you know anything about it?

A. This is the first I have heard of it, and I would be surprised if there’s any truth to it. Even if there is, many of the instructors we worked with are off the road now, and unfortunately, several of them have passed away. I don’t think I would put a lot of stock in this rumor.

Q. I know that sometime in the past, you mentioned some sort of sonic device that keeps dogs from barking. Can you please refresh my memory? We have inherited my mother’s schnauzer and she is a hyperactive dog that just will not shut up. My mother was deaf and didn’t seem to notice it, but the constant barking is driving us both up the wall. I promised mom we would take care of her after she was gone, but we can’t take much more.

A. You might try the GOTSEVEN Bark Control Device, or the Zomma handheld unit, both available on Amazon.

Q. We are both eligible for the COVID vaccine and I am eager to get mine, but my husband absolutely refuses. He has heard a bunch of stuff about how it has poison in it, some kind of microchips that let them follow you around, and that anybody who takes it is basically a guinea pig. How do I convince him otherwise? I’m going to get the vaccine whether he does or not, but I would like him to be protected, too.

A. The first thing you could do is turn off talk radio and talk TV and keep him off of the internet. We have family members that are the same way because some talk show pundit has filled their heads with a bunch of nonsense. In reality, I don’t know if you can convince him because when someone’s mind is already made up, confusing them with facts is pretty much a waste of time. If he has a cell phone, they can already track his movements everywhere he goes. And as far as it being poison, so are chemo and radiation when it comes right down to it. But 20 years ago, when my wife was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer and given six weeks to live, those poisons saved her life, and she is still with me.

Q. I received a phone call from Thousand Trails about an important meeting we had to go to discuss our membership options. According to the caller, attendance at this meeting was mandatory. I know that you and Terry were Thousand Trails members for a long time. Did you ever get one of these? We have a nationwide membership and are happy with what we have, and I don’t know what changes they might be talking about.

A. Yes, we got that one many times in the years that we were fulltimers using Thousand Trails. They just want you to go to a high-pressure sales pitch to try to get you to upgrade your membership. Nothing is mandatory, no matter what they tell you.

Q. When checking into an RV park in California this week, they wanted to know if we had any firearms in our motorhome. I figured that was none of their business and told them no. Did you ever encounter this question when you were traveling?

A. I was never asked the question, but we did see No Firearms Allowed on the list of rules at a couple of RV parks where we stayed over the years. I figure what I have in my RV is my own business, and it’s not like I’m going to sit out at the picnic table and clean my shotgun.

Q. Come on, Nick, don’t keep us in suspense. Did you buy the new pickup yet?

A. No, not yet. I can’t find what I want on a dealer’s lot anywhere, so I guess I will have to special order it. I haven’t bit the bullet and done that yet, and according to my daughter and son-in-law, I don’t need a new pickup, I need to buy Terry a new Ford Expedition. I guess only time will tell.

Q. I don’t know how or why it happened, but for some reason, one of the arms that pulls out on our Blue Ox towbar is bent. We have an RV repair guy that comes to this campground, and I showed it to him, and he recommended not to tow with it. Any ideas if it is safe to use or not?

A. Not seeing it, I really can’t give you an answer. Depending on how badly it is bent, it could well be an issue. I would contact Blue Ox in Pender, Nebraska, and speak to someone there for a professional opinion.

It’s Thursday, so it’s time for a new Free Drawing. This week’s prize is an audiobook of Big Lake Blizzard, the fourth book in my Big Lake mystery series.  To enter, click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name (first and last) 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 Sunday evening. Note: Due to high the shipping cost of printed books and Amazon restrictions on e-books to foreign countries, only entries with US addresses and e-mail addresses are allowed.

Thought For The Day – Whenever I am sad, I go to my favorite place, the refrigerator.