Flamenco Quartet Project

One of the things about trekking is the opportunity to see anything one wants. We stop by the Acorn Theater in Three Oaks MI because they usually have something we like.

We were fortunate to be in the area and saw a wonderful Flamenco group. I made a sampler video. Enjoy!

Original material:  https://roadtrek210.blogspot.com/

Photo Collections

Google has announced the shutdown of the Consumer version of Google Plus (G+).  So it is only a matter of time before my photo collections vanish.

Here's a few links to some of the collections:


Life on the Beach

Travel with Normie and Georgie


White Sands National Monument

Cooking, Mostly on the Road

National Museum of the U.S. Air Force

Savannah, Georgia

70 Miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway

Roswell, NM

White Sands Missile Base

White Sands National Monument

Travel with Georgie and Normie

Sabino Canyon

Fernwood Botanical Gardens

Chicago Area Treks



Original material:  https://roadtrek210.blogspot.com/

Fall Weather Changes - Rain and Mist

With the end of Summer we have moved into Fall.  Some nights as cool as 45 degrees, and some days only reach 64F. Some days are wet, while others are dry.  Some overcast, and some are sunny.  The monarch butterfly migration continues on warm and dry days.  On wet days they hunker down, and are not to be seen.  But as soon as  the sun comes out and it dries out and warms up, then the butterflies work their way south.

Walking shortly after the rain has ended, the mist flows with the wind.

Original material:  https://roadtrek210.blogspot.com/

Rip Current Rescue

Update September 25, 2018
Received today over at YouTube.com:
"Hi Norman - this is Teri Hoskin from Michigan Rescue Concepts, - Great Video! - Thank you for giving us permission to use it -We will use it in our rescue boat training seminars. Its very rewarding to see that our products and training make a difference and save a life! Thank you!!"


 Update September 23, 2018
Well, the video was a hit.  It was picked up by WSBT-TV in South Bend and by Newschannel 3 in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  ABC reached out and asked "Hello, I'm with ABC News. I hope that you are doing well! Did you shoot this video? if so, may we have your permission to use it across all ABC platforms/partners with credit to you?"

Glad to help! Actually, I'm most pleased to assist the people who trained the responders and provided the rescue craft.

Original Post September 22, 2018 5:36 PM
We had a very full day today and stopped by the Warren Dunes State Park late in the afternoon. There are permanent signs posted about the dangers of rip currents, but there are always some swimmers in the water even when the red flag is up.

Today, a young man was rescued after he was pulled into the lake by a rip current. The emergency responders did a fine job, while we all looked on. One very lucky guy.

Original material:  https://roadtrek210.blogspot.com/

Hurricane Florence

Florence - Sept. 14, 2018 8:29PM EDT from Davidson, NC, received via email:
"Florence is huge. It is hanging over Wilmington, 200 miles away. The rain bands from Florence reached Davidson this afternoon. The wind is picking up. It is starting to rain outside. The rain will start in earnest after midnight and continue through Monday night. Three days. [My spouse] and I have been through many hurricanes in our life. The worst was Hugo in 1989. We thought we were safe in Charlotte, but not so!! They eye passed over our house and lake house. So much devastation. They took 300,000 dump truck loads of debris out of Charlotte. We are ready for this one. We live on a hill (on purpose) and there are no big trees nearby. We have plenty of supplies. Our Roadtrek is topped up with gas, water, and propane. Batteries fully charged. If we loose power we have a second home in the driveway. And we can run our house refrigerator off the Roadtrek generator if we need to. Our real concern is for the folks down on the coast. They will need help when the storm is gone. [We] worked on seven houses with Habitat in Biloxi after Katrina. We will see what we can do this time......"   

Original Post (on my other blog) Sept. 13, 2018:
Our weather [currently in the Midwest] will be fine for a few days, but for those in the path of hurricane Florence the next few days will be difficult. For some the difficultites will last for weeks. I hope everyone stays safe on the east coast.   There are a few people living right at the ocean, in the track area who intend to ride it out. I've experienced hurricanes; the actual storm, under the eye, and even the aftermath.  I don't think riding these things out is a smart idea.

Original material:  https://roadtrek210.blogspot.com/

Some RV Buying Statistics

Who is Buying?
To understand the sea change in RVing I think we have to consider recent statistics about who is buying. I have an opinion and I attribute this uptick since 2010 for some of the issues I read on Social Media where RVers complain they can't get a campsite in popular areas, particularly in the winter.

Recent statistics indicate that approximately 8.9 million households own an RV (RVIA). The RVIA also states that "A leading force behind RV ownership’s upswing is the enormous baby boomer generation."

According to the 2017 Camping Report by KOA: "An estimated 13 million U.S. households plan to camp more in 2017 than they did in 2016, and more than 1 million new households have started camping each year since 2014. Millennials are driving this growth as they take to the outdoors in greater numbers, and they have no intention of letting up. This is according to the results of the 2017 North American Camping Report, an annual independent study supported by Kampgrounds of America, Inc. (KOA). Millennials now account for 38 percent of the 75 million active camper households in the U.S., up from 34 percent in 2016, and 51 percent say they plan to increase their camping this year." (The emphasis above is mine).

So there are two major groups driving RVing. These are Millennials and Boomers.

Baby boomers are defined as people born between 1946 and 1964 in the post-World War II era. About 77 million Americans were born in this time period, making it significantly larger than the generations immediately before and after. While the millennial generation is even larger, this is still a massive group of people. AARP states that 10,000 baby boomers are turning 65 every single day, and this is expected to continue into the 2030s.

Furthermore, a recent survey indicated that baby boomers are projected to have 70% of all U.S. disposable income over the next five years. Not only that, but baby boomers will inherit about $15 trillion in the next 20 years.  (WWW.Fool.com, emphasis is mine).

I suspect that many more boomers will be trekking in RVs over the next  12 years, as approximately 40 million of them retire between 2017 and 2029.

What about spontaneity? 
50% of Americans find road trips to be more appealing than other forms of travel because roadtrips provide the opportunity to be more spontaneous about stops and activities. - 2018 Ford Travel Trends Survey.

Original material:  https://roadtrek210.blogspot.com/

Approaches to trekking

G and I aren't usually the "jump in the Roadtrek and wing it " types. But we did just that in December 2013 a couple of weeks after taking delivery of our 210P.  That 2500 mile initial trek was a lot of fun and it ended well. But we did take some risks by doing that. Those types of risks might not be prudent for everyone.

There is an old expression "Be prepared and take advantage of opportunity when it is presented. "

I've been asked about our approach to trekking. Here is a quick summary of tools, etc. that we use and approach to such travel.

First and foremost we like to have our treks be as pleasant as possible, under prevailing conditions. So we do things to facilitate that.

Our first trek, overnight at a rest stop:

I put together this list and asked G her comments. She's partner, co-pilot and navigator!

1. Communications Tools A smart phone with internet access is essential. We carry a PC for more serious internet tasks. ·
2. Weather and inclement weather planning We closely monitor the weather, using 10-day forecasts when planning. When trekking we recheck each and every day. This is mandatory when travelling longer distances and at certain times of the year when fast moving storms do occur. We always carry rain gear and clothes for cool to hot weather, even in summer. 
3.  Insects and other pests and physical well-being We carry bug repellent, tick removal tool, a small medical kit. 
4. Trip and Route Planning Tools 

• Clio App (history, museums, culture, etc.) 
•  Allstays App (truck stops, campgrounds, overnight parking, stores, RV Dealers & Service, etc.)
• GPS [Real time - Verizon Navigator for online traffic (or Google Maps Traffic), etc.]
• GPS (Trip planning – Garmin, TomTom , Microsoft Streets & Trips 2013)
• Printed maps (Nationwide Rand McNally for truckers, local street and highway maps. 
• Sources for travel information We do online searches before and during travel. G as Navigator also consults printed material. Good Sams, KOA, AAA materials Roadtrip USA (a book by Jamie Jensen), FMCA membership data including the "cyberrally" email service.

5. Travel in Realistic Segments. We break each trek into segments which allow for a reasonable amount of daily travel. 

6. Use the distinction of “sightseeing” travel vesus “distance” travel.   We use two different aspects for travel segments. These are “sightseeing” and “distance”. We have different expectations and goals for each of these approaches. We use both approaches when trekking.

7. Be Flexible because Things do happen. We do our best to simply accept what occurs as a challenge rather than as an impediment. It’s good to have a plan “B”.

 8. Set maximum daily travel limits This is determined by objective or “time to distance”. For example, travelling at 70 MPH for 10 hours allows a maximum daily distance of 700 miles. However, there are bathroom breaks, meal stops, stretch stops and gas stops to consider even if we are going for distance. I use 60 MPH as a realistic average speed for distance driving on interstates, and that may be pushing it. However, it is prudent to combine these agendas for the stops. So we look ahead using the Apps to find truck stops we like and can provide the amenities per stop. Experience is a good teacher.  

9. Have Reservations To avoid booked campgrounds we make a reservation. We may do this the “morning of” but usually several days in advance as we progress along our route. In busy seasons, or in popular areas making reservations weeks ahead may be prudent. Sometimes months ahead is necessary. It is really comforting to have the security of knowing we have a place for the night before arriving.

10. Duration of the Travel Segments and Multi-night stays When trekking we may travel for the better part of one day, stay overnight and then travel the next day. However, this means we setup each night, and get back on the road each morning. To make segments more enjoyable we prefer two nights minimum in most locations. That allows us to stretch for an entire day, get up a little later on that first morning at the campground, explore the area, have a nice meal and even a campfire in the evening before settling in for the second night. 

11. Incentives We like to have something to look forward to each and every day. It may be a museum, or painted churches, or strolling through a town, or even driving to see an ancient bridge. And of course there are state and national parks, too. 

12. Shared responsibilities I do most of the driving and G is the Navigator. We approach trekking as a partnership for all. When the children were young they participated in my camping outings, too. Current duties have been determined by practical experience. I don’t mind driving for hours and I am inclined to travel near the speed limit. G prefers to travel at 5 MPH or so below the speed limit, but is willing to do daily planning and logistics. I view a 5MPH deficit as accumulating as much as 50 miles over 10 hours. That’s nearly an additional hour of extra driving per day. (10 hours @ 50 MPH = 500 miles per day. 10 hours at 55 MPH = 550 miles per day. The difference is 50 miles per day). Bottom line: If we are going for distance it is prudent to put the faster driver in the driver's seat.

13. Planning the Route We determine the rough route before beginning a trek. We establish goals. We then do some online research of communities and sights along the way. When researching these communities we look for festivals and the things that make each community unique. The day of arrival makes a difference. Some locations fill up with weekend travelers. Holidays can produce special problems or issues. 

We own a RT, a travel trailer and a 5th wheel. The manuals provided by RT were the best of the three. Howevever, our 2013 210P has minimal high tech or proprietary equipment. We have no fancy diesel engine, no Alde heating system, no proprietary lithium batteries, etc.

The manuals provided by Roadtrek with our 210P. I downloaded most of these from the manufacturer's website as pdf files. I've put all on a PC as well as the many "service manuals" I found on the internet. I carry a copy on a flash drive.  I've also read and studied all. Waiting until problems occur is too late to begin reading, in my opinion.

I've downloaded all of the service manuals for everything. Our 210P has performed extraordinarily well while travelling and living in it with ambient temperatures from 5F at night to 103F during the day. That's been the way it has been for 33,000 miles. We have lived in it for up to 110 continuous days and we have experienced good factory/dealer support. I suppose one could argue that "things have changed" since 2013 and a some people on social media insist that it so. That's not been my experience. One could also argue that "I am lucky" but I prefer that old definition of luck: Be prepared and take advantage of opportunity when it is presented.

I will admit I am probably unusual. I spent years reviewing class Bs before a purchase. We rented one before purchase. Then upon buying I took a lot of it apart to figure it out. And, oh, I read all of the manuals and tried everything. That includes stuff that wasn't clear to me in the manuals. After I thought I understood the tech I tried it all and practiced everything including winterizing and de-winterizing. I learned every valve, fuse, etc. and G and I even purchased certain spare parts to take with us.

Gee, I wonder why we've had great treks? Just luck of course!

Original material:  https://roadtrek210.blogspot.com/