Sunday 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. We are soon to be fulltimers and plan to use a mail forwarding service in Green Cove Springs, Florida, as our “address” for registering our RV and tow car. But someone in a campground told us using Arizona or Florida was a bad idea because police profile cars and RVs from both states because so many drugs are smuggled from them, and we can expect to get stopped and searched a lot. Is there any truth to this?

A. Nonsense. There are many thousands of RVs registered in both states and millions of cars. At different times while we were fulltiming, we ourselves were registered in both Florida and Arizona. We were never stopped or profiled, and I have never heard of it happening to anyone.

Q. Not fair showing us the cheesecake Terry made for you while it was still in the springform pan. Can I see it naked and know how it tasted?

A. You win, here it is, ready to be served. One bite of it with the crushed strawberry sauce Terry made to drizzle over it and some homemade whipped cream had me convinced I had died and gone to heaven. Yes, it was that good.

Q. I know you have links on your blog to Amazon for your books, and sometimes you have a link to a product you bought from Amazon. I assume you make a commission from any sales from those links. What if I just buy something from Amazon? Can you get any commission from that? I like to help out when I can since I am buying from them anyway.

A. Yes, we are an Amazon Affiliate, and if you click the Shop Amazon link in the upper right sidebar of this blog, we do make a small commission on anything you purchase. But only if you go to Amazon from our link.

Q. We want to spend a couple of months in Florida, preferably near the beach, this winter. But every RV park we have contacted is already full. I thought with Covid slowing things down, it wouldn’t be a problem. Is this normal? Any suggestions?

A. Yes, it is normal. Many RVers who winter in Florida make reservations a year or more in advance. Things may have been slower last winter due to Covid, but more and more people are vaccinated and on the move. And with the border opening to Canadians, we will see more snowbirds from there coming south this winter. You might try one of the many RV parks inland, but I suspect that if the current trend continues, you had better do it soon.

Q. Somebody told us about a thing where you could put your RV on a barge and travel down the Mississippi River, but I can’t find out anything about it. Have you ever heard of that, Nick?

A. Years ago, there were RV caravans that made the trips you are referring to, but I have not heard of any in the last fifteen years or so. I believe they were halted due to insurance issues. You might contact the Escapees RV Club or Adventure Caravans to see if they know of any RV barge cruises still being offered.

And finally, here’s a chuckle to start your day from the collection of funny signs we see in our travels and that our readers share with us. Personally, I think this is an infringement on my rights. If I choose to breathe underwater, what right does anyone have to tell me I can’t?

Today is your last chance to enter our Free Drawing for an audiobook of The Driving Lesson by my friend Ben Rehder. While Ben writes some excellent mysteries, including the wildly popular Blanco County series, this tale of a boy and his grandfather on an unplanned road trip across the country is a coming of age story that will tug at your heartstrings. 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 this evening. Note: Due to the high 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 – they said it was safe to go to the grocery store in a mask and gloves. They lied. Everybody else had clothes on.