Getting entertained in Three Oaks, MI

When travelling we look for local entertainment.  There are street fairs, county fairs, concerts, art fairs, classic car nights, and so on. There are bicycle events, garden and architectural walks. All kinds of activities.

 Many communities provide free, or nearly free concerts. There may be a request for a donation and we always comply. Compared to the cost of a first run movie, these events are really inexpensive. Other things to consider are local fairs. The Gem Show in Tucson comes to mind, as does the Krasl Art Fair in St. Joseph MI and the Sandwich Fair in Sandwich, IL. In the summer many communities have lots of outdoor activities. Some are free, and some charge a modest admission. Even the Gem Show has free venues.

Here are links to a couple of almost free events. One is an Open Mike which attracts various artist, and another is an outdoor concert. Both videos were made in Three Oaks, MI.

Acorn Theater Open Mike Night:

Three Oaks Music in the Park night:

Keeping cool in summer heat

Well, it is that time of year again, and the sun is beating down on some of us. One challenge is to keep cool, and keep that refrigerator running. A couple of years ago we were trekking in TX and hit 103F heat. We really weren't prepared.

We've done a few things to help us. Some are the same things others have done and based on my observation, some are not.  Of course, one thing is to park in the shade if possible. However that may be easier said than done. So if we have to park in full sun, then what? How to keep our Roadtrek from becoming a sauna?  The Duo-Therm Cool Cat heat pump works really well, but it does need some help when the sun is bearing down upon the front of the RT.

Here's a few things we have done to aid us in keeping cool in our RVs.

Reflectix
A bubble wrap reflective foil in windows has been a big aid, particularly in the Roadtrek, our class B. That has a large front window which simply seems to pull the heat into the vehicle. Reflectix has been very helpful. We use it in all windows except the side entry in summer and fall/winter trekking. Glass has a R-value of about 0.1 which means almost no insulating value. I understand that Reflectix has an R-value of 1.0. I understand the Roadtrek has an R-value in the walls of about 4.5. Anything we can to to improve the insulation is a good thing.

Screens
The Roadtrek came with side entry and rear entry screens. When the outside temperature is acceptable, if we can get better airflow that is an aid. However, we prefer to close the side door. I fabricated a magnetic held screen for the front side window. These can be purchased, if one prefers. The goal is to get the interior temperature down to the exterior without the use of air conditioning. We open the side window a couple of inches and use the Fantastic Fan, or open the rear door which has a full interior screen.

Fans
Our RVs have roof fans. These include Fantastic Fans. That's helpful for pulling warmer interior air out, and drawing in cooler outside air, when it is available. Or, after a shower, these fans can move moisture laden air to the outside, reducing interior humidity.

However, we also use a 12V DC fan in the Roadtrek, We found one that sits on the shelf above the side door. It has side air inlets and variable speed. Very helpful to move air around in the front of the RV, particularly if the vehicle is facing the sun.

A small 120VAC fan is also useful. This we use in the travel trailer to move the air around. Got a small 8 inch diameter Vornado which is also variable speed.

Create Shade
If one can't park in the shade, the next best thing is to create it. Many rigs have an awning, and if possible one might be able to orient the position of their RV so they get some benefit. Creating partial shade is easier than it may seem. We use several sun screens to aid us. One we fabricated from a roll of Coolaroo material. We hung that one the side of the TT which gets a lot of afternoon sun. It made quite a difference. We purchased a triangular piece and we position it as necessary with the Roadtrek. Usually to the front. I use a couple of expandable metal tent poles and 1/8 inch green nylon rope with tent stakes to get it into place. A 36 inch wooden dowel holds the front up to keep it off of the vehicle. I use aluminum carabiners to attach the sail to the tops of the poles. This allows me to quickly drop the sail if the wind comes up, or when evening approaches. The lines are strung to stay in place and hold the poles up with the sail dropped.

Here's the Roadtrek with awning extended, reflectix in the front window and the coolaroo sun sail up.

When not in use the sun sail folds conveniently and with the tent poles goes easily into the side storage compartment of the Roadtrek.

The travel trailer gets a lot of side sun in the dining/living slide. We hung a piece of coolaroo fabric. I used the coolaroo lacing kit to clean up the cut fabric ends. A custom wooden clamp the full length of the top keeps it in place. I fabricated a spacer to keep the upper area of the shade off of the side of the trailer. The spacer is made from a chromed shower rod and foam pipe insulators. That space is important to keep an air gap along the entire length of the shade. 

I use a couple of clamps designed for that purpose on the bottom with a bungees at a slight tension to hold the bottom out from the RV.  I attached the bungees with 1/8 nylon cord to a couple of bricks.

Cover the Roof Vents
A Maxxair vent cover is nice. It keeps the sun from directly striking the lid of the roof vent and it keeps bugs and birds away from an open vent. We added one to the Roadtrek.

However, the previous owner of our TT didn't install these covers and it has three roof vents. While on the roof I noticed that the covers were showing some distress after being in the sun for about 6 years. We also noticed a lot of heat in those areas during hot sunny days. One can install a insulator.  Camco has one which has a bright aluminized surface, which can be pointed up. These aren't very convenient if one wants to open the vent lid frequently. However, in cool weather we use one in the bedroom to keep the heat inside and provide some insulating value.

I decided to cover the vent covers with heavy duty aluminum foil. That reflects the heat away from these covers. It really made a difference in the travel trailer. I used a tube of exterior silicone caulk and after applying a bead on the edges, sides and in a pattern along the top I simply placed the aluminum foil and smoothed it into place. I trimmed the foil and folded the edge under the vent cover lid.  The travel trailer has 10 windows and frosted glass in the doors, so we get ample light even with the vents opaqued.

Camco vent insulator, aluminum side up:

Refrigeration
Our Roadtrek has a Dometic 3-way absorption type refrigerator. When we first encountered 103F we were on a site with the refrigerator side of the RT in full sun. The refrigerator had some difficulties keeping things sufficiently cold.

We had one of those battery operated fans and it was useful. An internal thermometer mounted on the top shelf told us the real condition inside. I did some research and read the Dometic manuals about "Power Ventilator Installation" and concluded that improved ventilation would be helpful. I added two very low power 12V DC fans and a thermostat with an in-line fuse.

Refrigerator interior fan

Ventilation Fans

Refrigerator Thermometer

An Evening at the Acorn Theater - Open Mike Night

The joys of trekking include all of the things one can do and see.  Here's a compilation video made during open mike night at the Acorn Theater in Three Oaks, MI.

We really enjoyed the evening and we have seen several performances in the recent three years. We aren't in Three Oaks on the right nights it seems, but yesterday we were and G suggested we go. It was a lot of fun. Great artists. Wow! And, we really like the theater, too.  I've included a link to the theater's social media page.

G's performance is at 26:53.

https://www.facebook.com/AcornTheater/

Quetico Provincial Park

I put up a video about a slightly different kind of trek over at YouTube. At one time I was a youth leader and as an adult I learned to backpack and canoe. I never had the opportunity in my youth. As part of my volunteering I went with a group of boys into Quetico Provincial Park in Canada. We canoed 90 miles on that trek. But the sons and I were never able to do this together. Some years later when I was asked by the elder son what I'd like to do together, I said "Let's plan a trek to Quetico."  So we did.

Here's a short video of that trek. G did not accompany us on this one.

West Coast Trek - Videos

A few years ago we learned that Bill and Rosemary were planning a trip to Los Angeles to handle a matter. Now Bill had spoken many times about a desire to visit the Columbia River Gorge and yet he had never gotten there. We discussed this and I suggested that they consider a trip through some of the national parks to the Columbia River and then back south along the coast. I suggested that they take a train north from LA and we'd pick them up in San Francisco or Oakland. 

I began planning a route, with overnight stays, generally manageable daily distances and so on. After we decided upon the nightly budget (for this trek we were to stay in motels) I began looking at all of the possible staying points along the route. That was one of the more difficult things because for some legs there were few motels, hotels or dining spots. I decided it would be necessary to tailgate at various points so G and I planned on coolers, ice and transporting food for lunches and snacks. 

After three or more months of planning we were set. 

I've finally put together some video segments of this trek and posted it on YouTube. Enjoy. 

Part 1. Yosemite and Bodie:

Part 2.This segment includes Lassen Volcanic Park and Crater Lake:

Part 3.This segment includes the Columbia River, Vista House and numerous waterfalls:

Part 4. This segment includes the Oregon coast:

Part 5.  South on the Oregon Coast, to California.  

Part 6. This segment includes more of the coast and California to San Francisco:

Note: Updated May 27, 2017 to revise description of Part 5 and add Part 6.

Our longest trek to date. Almost 6,000 miles

We are almost "full timers" but we cheat because we have a 5th wheel in Tucson and a 30 ft. TT in Michigan. Our Roadtrek 210P is our exploration vehicle.

We left for the west in November and returned at the end of April. Our most recent trek of 5+ months has ended. Total actual miles 5,948. Planned distance 5,671. The other miles were side trips, miscellaneous excursions, maintenance (changed the engine oil in Tucson, replaced the coach batteries (at 4.5 years), etc.). We stayed at multiple locations ranging from Tucson, AZ to Fredericksburg, TX to Baton Rouge, LA  and continuing to the west coast of Florida and then to the Florida Keys. Some stops were much longer than others. I prefer to spend at least two nights in each location, but we sometimes spend only one if we are going for distance.

Once we find a great locale we may stay for weeks, or months.

Some days we may only travel a couple of hundred miles. On others we may go as far as 713 miles, which was the maximum distance on one day for this trek. We simply wanted to get from point A to point B.

The trip was not without a few mishaps. No real issues with the 210P, but people sometimes break.

We are "almost" full timers; we could have delayed our "return" by three days and gone directly to our summer site in Michigan. But we didn't. Instead we went to "home base #1" No issues of any significance with our 2013 210P on this trek, but I did take the opportunity to replace the coach batteries which were nearing 5 years of age and not able to provide the desired capacity.

Current odometer mileage 25,698.

The above is a mileage history for one period for this trek. The data is from my Verizon Hum, which monitors the vehicle vitals via the OBD port as well as GPS. In general, I guess the data is accurate. I assume the high speed was achieved going downhill because I generally drive the speed limit. For much of the interstate travel that was posted at 70 MPH, but there were segments posted at 75, 80 and 85. My preference is speed limit to 5 MPH under if conditions are good. However, it seems that more than a few travellers prefer 5  to 10 MPH over the posted speed limit. Traveling on four lane interstates can get interesting (two lanes each direction). One can stay in the right lane and attempt to dodge those entering who apparently don't understand how to merge, or one can move to the second lane and be pushed down the road. However, the further west we go the easier it gets, until one hits CA that is, Then all bets are off.

Here is a longer term history summary for this trek:

We had a great time. But we did have a few advantages. For one, we have an automobile stored in AZ. That allows us to do a lot of local AZ travel without using the Roadtrek 210P, which is our major trekking vehicle.

For another, we have positioned a 5th wheel and a travel trailer at two locations which permits us to use these as "home bases" and to put our feet up in more comfort (more than the 700 cubic feet of the Roadtrek) and for longer periods of time. However, we have lived in the 210P for up to about 100 continuous days. I've made 20+ modifications to tailor it to our lifestyle.

Here's our AZ abode; 1-1/2 baths, 5 slides and more than enough room for a "home base." And it has an outdoor cookstation. However, we do take cast iron and in induction burner with us in the Roadtrek. We like to cook.

During this trek, I was able to bake my special recipe of cinnamon buns. We gave most away. I was pleased by the results of this 1/2 batch. No complaints by anyone.

There were the desert scenes, the sunrises, the sunsets and the rainbows:

We experienced wonderful Florida sunrises and sunsets, as well as low and high tides.

and Texas wildflowers as well as the desert bloom.

We experienced mermaids

And we ate extremely well. Most of or meals we prepared.

Ad, or course there were the people we met on our journey.

And there was the wildlife, or "not so wild" life. Some creatures large, and some small.

We stayed at a variety of campgrounds and resorts and even boondocked.

And of course there was laundry to do at a variety of facilities.