Recent content by JackT

Gary mentioned the course at LazyDays. My wife and I both took it and it was terrific.  The biggest advantage is the opportunity to do some closed course driving in their campground and get some experience moving a rig in close quarters.  As a result of the course, we were able to back into our...

Are you flat towing or using a dolly? You mention getting a manual transmission so that sounds like you are flat towing yet you mention a dolly.  In many states, you need brakes for anything over a thousand pounds and surge brakes typically fit the bill. However, legally required or not, I...

You cannot always trust truck stops either.  There is a truckstops of America on I -84 near the exit for the NY thru way.  If you want diesel and go in the truck lanes, you are fine but gas RVs are directed to an area with 12 feet of clearance.  Even worse, there is no sign until you are already...

Merry Christmas to all.  This has been our first year of RV ownership and our first Christmas in our motor home (in Cortez, Florida).  We have learned a lot from all of you on this forum and are thankful for your help.  We wish you peace and happiness in 2011. --jack

We are both the stupidest and luckiest RVers of the week, if not the year.  Yesterday we came close to blowing up our coach.  We took our dog for a walk and before leaving, we somehow accidentally turned on one of the burners on the gas cooktop.  We can't figure out how we did it but it does not...

Take a look at Sun and Fun in Sarasota.  It is a big park (1500 units) with lots of activities and amenities.  We will be there for February and March.  My wife is looking forward to taking a jewelry making class and there are dozens of other activities daily. --jack

We have Verizon cell phones but the cost of calling family in Canada is quite expensive.  My wife found this company called Digitz that offers incredibly cheap calls to Canada and elsewhere.  We use our cell phone, which has a Unlimited flat rate for domestic calls to dial a domestic 800 number...

Great advice.  I appreciate it. --jack

This winter will be our first opportunity to live in our MH for months at a time.  We will be parked in Bradenton, FL for December and January and then move down to Sarasota for February and March.  That is, the coach will be parked for two months at a time.  We will be living in it so the shore...

We live in northern RI and this is our route: 146 to i-90 to I-84 to i-81.  I-81 south to Harrisburg.  At Harrisburg, we take the beltway (322 and I-83) clockwise to route 15, which we take down into Maryland to I-270.  We take i-270 to I-495 (Washington Beltway) and connect to I-95.  We take...

Thanks -- great advice. --jack

We have a MasterTow which works well (although I still want to switch to a 4 down towable).  MaterTow makes a good product but there may be lots of others as good.  One thing that I have noticed, though, is that an empty dolly is a pain to tow.  When we have the car on the dolly, i feel...

We live in Rhode Island and are planning to spend the winter in the south in our MH.  Our reservations in Florida begin on December 1 but we plan to take the coach down earlier to avoid having to winterize it.  My question is how late can I wait without risking a freeze that will damage the...

We have stayed at Savannah Oaks campground and loved it.  Nice with lots of trees and full facilities.  Quiet but close to everything.  However, I have a question. Do you realize that it is likely to be very cold in Savannah in January?  As a fellow Canuck who now lives in the US, I realize that...

The good news is that you will love Wild Duck - nice facilities, nice people.  The bad news is that while there are some beautiful drives around the area, you are not in the best part of the state to see wildlife.  While Maine is a big state with a small population, the vast majority of the...