2014 Seattle RV Show in Seahawks Territory

On Saturday I made a run over to Seattle to the annual Seattle RV Show. Just days after an estimated 700 thousand Seahawks fans converged on the city for the Super Bowl victory ceremony, Centurylink Field was hosting the 2014 Seattle RV Show. 


I could still feel the Seahawks fever in the air. Some dealers were even offering Super Bowl specials. Here are some highlights from my RV show adventure:


After sleeping in, I took the ferry from Bainbridge Island over to Seattle. It was below freezing outside but a beautiful day. I couldn't resist spending the 30 minute ride outside taking pictures and shooting some video while the rest of the passengers remained inside staying warm.

A look ahead at Seattle and the Cascade Mountains

Looking back at Bainbridge Island and the Olympic Mountains
When I arrived at Centurylink field, I payed my $12 for a ticket and started my journey through the many, many, many RVs, trailers, campers, and RV stuff. There were so many RVs this year in multiple rooms, that I found it very difficult to get my bearings at first. I tossed the show map I was given at the door because I didn't think I'd need it. Turns out I needed it several times. After a while I figured out the lay of the land and started touring rigs...one section at a time.  Check out my video for a recap.

I also picked a couple seminars to attend. My favorite was the show director himself sharing tips on boondocking. I learned a few things that got me excited to come home and plan a boondocking adventure of my own. I'll have to put some of those tips together in a future post. Keep an eye out for that.

The show organizers promised a "Bigger and Better" show this year and they certainly delivered. I couldn't even see everything. After about five hours I was exhausted. It was time to head back to the ferry before darkness set in.

If you are in the market to buy, I recommend attending an RV show near you. You will be able to comparison shop and tour many RVs under one roof. As a bonus, most dealers offer RV show discount pricing. So save yourself the headache, time and gas driving all over the place to find the right RV for you. Go to an RV show first. You'll enjoy it.

Have you attended an RV show this year? What was your favorite RV?
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2014 RV Show - Coming to a City Near You

February is the month most RV shows come to town. Whether you are in the market for a shiny new RV or just want to see what products are hot in 2014, an RV show is the best place to see it all under one roof. Many shows also host seminars with industry experts on a variety of hot RV topics including my favorites...solar power and boondocking.


The RV industry has taken a big beating in sales in the last four years. If you've attended an RV show lately, you may have noticed the abundance of used travel trailers and RVs and the absence of high-end rigs. I noted this in my last RV Show video.


A look back at a past Seattle RV Show

Lately, the word on the street is that the RV industry is starting to bounce back and I'm sure that will be reflected in RV shows this year. The Seattle RV Show promises to be "Bigger and Better Than Ever." 


Eight cities, including Seattle, are hosting RV shows this weekend. The rest will host events throughout February and March. So why not drag the family out and check out the latest motorhomes, travel trailers and RV products.

UPDATE!
I'm back. The Seattle RV Show was huge and packed full of cool stuff! Read more about my visit and check out the video.
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Port Townsend Film Festival - A Great Getaway

It is so nice to pack up the RV and escape for an extended weekend. Am I right? Sure you could catch up on some yard work, but I prefer plan B. When Friday comes, I tell my boss that I've got to leave work a little early because I'm heading out of town. "Where will you go this time" he says. I explain "We're heading to a film festival with friends. So excited!"

Each night you can enjoy a family movie in the street in front of the Rose Theater
Last fall, we did just that. About an hour from our home in Washington is the lovely historic city of Port Townsend. Throughout the year Port Townsend hosts several festivals. Our favorite is the annual Port Townsend Film Festival.  Since 2000 the annual festival has attracted film lovers from around to region and from afar. This last year, there were over 50 documentaries, features and shorts presented in five venues around town. They even close off a downtown street in front of the Rose Theater for three days. The PTFF motto is "A film lover's block party celebrating films and film makers."

For the last few years we've taken our RV to Port Townsend for the film festival and have had a blast each time. Enjoy this video from our last visit.



If you are looking for something different to do in your RV, search your nearby towns and attractions for cool stuff like this. We have found this to be a great way to experience a new place. Try all the restaurants, browse the shops and hang with the locals. Who knows, you may find new home away from home.

Learn more about Port Townsend, WA festivals and events. We stumbled upon the Kinetic Skulpture Race a few years ago. There was strange crazy cool stuff going on there.

If in Port Townsend I recommend you book a reservation at nearby Fort Worden State Park. Fort Worden is one of our favorite places. Enjoy!

What are your favorite cool weekend getaways?
How about a music festivals, beer festivals, wine tour?
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Money Saving Apps for RVers


The RV lifestyle seems simple and inexpensive from an outside perspective, but it can be difficult to keep expenses down between food, gas, and parking. These apps are designed to help travelers find ways to save money on the road.

Gas Buddy for iPhone and Android is a free app designed to help you find the cheapest gas prices in the area. This app will show you all of the local gas stations with their per-gallon rate, as well as their distance from you. Gas prices generally only vary by $.02-$.20 so the savings don’t always seem drastic, but when you regularly venture hundreds of miles it can really add up.

This app depends on drivers to report gas prices, and there are prizes and points for reporting the cost of gas when you fill up. There are some inaccuracies and it does not cover all gas stations in all areas, but it’s worth a try if you spend a substantial amount of time traveling in an RV (or even just for a min-road trip).

If you are looking for places to camp, Passport America for iPhone or Android is a free app for finding campgrounds and getting discounted nightly rates. You can search by park or area to find prices, amenities, and contact info.

Passport America Search
Some people prefer to save money by spending the night in parking lots or other free public areas, but if you are in a less RV-friendly area or are looking for a place to stay a while, you will find 50% discounts at participating stops. 

Allstays Truck Stops and Travel Plazas for iPhone or Android ($9.99) is another great one for finding stops along your journey. It is designed for truck drivers, but can be equally useful for RV travel. It will show you big stops like Flying J, Love’s, and TA Travel Centers.

All Stays iPad Screenshot
You can filter searches for specific amenities like a particular brand, or ATM or UPS stops to make it useful to what you are looking for. It also works when your phone is out of service range.
If you are looking to use free overnight parking it can also help you identify places that allow truck and RV parking so that you can avoid camping fees.


There are also endless apps useful for purposes such as navigation, weather updates, world news, and entertainment. If you are traveling with kids you can load up your phone or tablet with games and puzzles, or if you want to keep up-to-date with what’s going on in your hometown, most regional newspapers have mobile apps as well. Smartphone data plans can be costly, so make sure that you are getting the full benefits that they provide.

Andi Singer is a blogger for www.yourrvconnection.com, a Jayco dealership based out of Indiana, and former cellphone salesperson. She regularly travels around the Northern United States and is always on the lookout for ways to save money.
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LED Light Bulb Comparison

Walk through the light bulb section of Home Depot these days and you're likely to see more LED replacement bulbs for your home lighting fixtures. Though expensive, the claims are that they use very little electricity and that you'll probably never need to replace them. So let's see. 
The Battle of the Bulb
Most of us already know that LED bulbs use much less electricity than traditional bulbs and that they last forever. I wanted to run my own test. I decided to replace the bulbs in my RV light fixtures with LEDs. During that project I ran this comparison to see exactly how much more efficient my LED replacement bulbs were over the original incandescent bulbs.



Are you thinking of replacing your bulbs with LED bulbs? Event if you just replace a few, it's probably worth the expense and it's very easy to do. I picked up my bulbs from Amazon. Here are some quick links (below) if you want to check them out for yourself.


I used this 9 LED bulb in my RV for about $7 each (I needed about 16 of them).

I later found these that come in a 2 pack for around $12.

If you try this out on your RV, leave a comment. Do you like the result? How much power do you think you've saved?
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RV Pumpkin Carving

It's time to break out the carving tools and get down, dirty and crafty with pumpkins. If you are in need of ideas, here's a good one. Of course you'll need a pumpkin to tow your trailer pumpkin so plan accordingly.


Our kids are older now and are not into that stuff much anymore. A couple of years back though, we took Halloween to our daughter at college, visited a pumpkin patch and had our own pumpkin carving party in the RV park. 

A fun time visiting our daughter during her first year at college
Whatever your plans are...Have a great Halloween. 

Have you got some cool Halloween carvings to share? Share them in a comment. 

Here are tons of pumpkin carving ideas if you are in need of inspiration.

Here's one of my favorites (The Pumpkin Cheese Burger). It looks good enough to eat. 

Yummmmmy!
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When WiFi is horrible, try borrowing bandwidth from your phone

When picking an RV park do you care about good WiFi? I do. Whether you work remotely on the road or just like to stay connected with your family friends, having access to a strong reliable WiFi signal is pretty important these days. Unfortunately, there are many situations when the WiFi either doesn't exist or is just too slow. 

 When the WiFi is really bad but wireless signals are strong I shift to plan B. I steal bandwidth from my phone (a.k.a. Tethering). 

As I'm writing this post, I'm hanging out Ellensburg, WA stealing borrowing bandwidth from my phone. We are visiting our daughter here at college and always stay at this RV place that is conveniently situated near town. The only problem with this place is that it has horrible WiFi. The wireless 3G and 4G LTE signals, however, are nice and strong. So I'm tethered to my Android phone right now and it's working pretty well. Better yet...it does not cost me additional fees. 

 Here's how this works. I've got an app on my phone called "EasyTether" which let's me use my phone's wireless signal to access the Internet. I've been using it for the last couple of years and it works really well when the wireless signals are strong. It takes a little setup and will set you back a one-time fee of $9.99. My wireless provider (sounds like horizon) want's to charge me a monthly fee for the same feature. So for me, the 10 bucks is money well spent. 

 Before you run out and download this app, consider these important details:
  • I think it only works on Android (sorry iPhone peeps)
  • I have an unlimited data plan on my phone so check your monthly data plan
In a future post I'll show you what I've got setup in my RV for extending the reach of my connected devices as well as reaching out and "borrowing" WiFi from open hotspots. 

So let's stay connected!
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What one day RVing on solar is like

Have you ever wondered what life would be like if you ventured away from the comfort and ammenities of the RV park for a day or two and relied solely on your batteries and solar for power? RVers often refer to this as boondocking. Think about it. What would you have to give up? Jason and Nikki Wynn from GoneWithTheWynns have put together this cool video showing us how they do it and still enjoy the comforts of home. Click here to check out their video.


The Wynns are young full timers who decided one day to say goodbye to the city life. What started out as a one year adventure to explore the country is now going on three years. They have spent the last few years traveling the country while living and working on the road. Along the way, Jason and Nikki blog, make videos and manage to earn an income while living a life many of us simply dream of in retirement.

To minimize expenses, Jason and Nikki can pull in up to 600 watts of solar power during the day. They also search for locations where they can camp overnight for free and get close to nature.

To learn more about Jason and Nikki visit their website.
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Funny Friday: Go RVing Skit aired on Jimmy Kimmel

"Hey Bro!"
Who ever thought RVing and streaking would go together.


This funny GoRVing skit was on Jimmy Kimmel Live this week. Happy tailgating. Enjoy!



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RV Roof Gets Cleaned - 11 Foot 8 Inch Railroad Trestle Wins Everytime

With an 11 foot 8 inch clearance, this train trestle in North Carolina has claimed many a truck and a few RVs. So many in fact that it has it's own website 11Foot8.com. 


Check out this video (below). The roof of this fifth wheel just clears the trestle. Unfortunately everything attached to the roof (antenna, vent covers and air conditioner) gets left behind. Oops! Like many many others, this guy didn't read the sign.


I guess I don't even need to say it, but I will anyway. 
Lesson #1: Know your clearance and watch the signs. 
I sure hope I'm paying attention if I ever drive up to an overpass like this one. Yikes!

Do you want more? Click here for a full 5 minutes of trucks testing the clearance on this trestle...and losing.
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Funny Towing Photos - Smart Car and Fifth Wheel?

Here are some towing related funny pics I ran across.

Not So Smart...
Tired of being towed, this smart car wanted a turn at it. I don't think you want to get stuck behind this guy going uphill though, because he's going to be rolling backwards. I bet this was just for moving campers around for short distances or something. Nevertheless, it's pretty funny.


 Monster Truck Trailer?
How do you tow a trailer with your monster truck? Here's how. I didn't even notice the porch swing hanging below it. Did you? Awesome!



"You crazy! I'm not gonna call a tow truck. I got this."
Ok this isn't a towing photo...but it should be. What is this? Some kind of redneck tow truck? I'm not even sure how this guy got this car up there. Tip: Keep your distance from this guy. 



If you've got funny photos you want to share, leave me a comment below.

Happy Friday!!
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Modern men are BORING and less adventurous than their fathers


According to a new study conducted at the University of St Andrews, young men have lost the spark needed to get involved in exciting activities. In other words, they are not as adventurous as their fathers were and are unlikely to take on extreme challenges, participate in sports or travel to remote places.


Say it isn't so! Hmmm...maybe it is. 

Studies conducted in the 1970s show that men were 48 percent more likely than women to show interest in "thrill and adventure seeking" activities. In 2013, that number has dropped to 28 percent.

Why? Scientists conclude that young men these days are less motivated lazier and in worse shape than their fathers were.

They examined 72 previous sets of data collected between 1978 and 2012 on "sensation seeking" traits including seeking thrills or lower-risk new experiences, enjoying "disinhibited" situations like public speaking, and susceptibility to boredom.
In fact, while young men become more boring, thrill seeking and adventurous tendencies seem to be on the rise for women. 
For goodness sake fellas, get out and make your mark on the world and not just a divot in the sofa.

Still with me?
Here's another write-up I published some time ago regarding another troubling trend in young men today. Have you ever heard the term techno-sexual? Read my post about the extinction of men with DIY skills. 
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Do you know how old your tires are? Here's how to find out.


As fall approaches, you may be considering a new set of tires for the RV, car or truck. Your tires are the only thing between you and the road, so it's important to take proper care of them and replace them when needed. One tip I picked up a few years ago was how to tell the age your tires. This is very useful when evaluating your own tires or when shopping for tires.




 How old are your tires? 
The answer may seem obvious. You should know how old they are so you know when to replace them. Right? While that answer may be correct, you might consider this other reason.

This is a story of an RV owner who went to buy new tires for his RV. Let's call him "Ed". In 2011, Ed was in need of some new tires for his RV. Being a savvy consumer, Ed shoped around and found a good deal at a local retailer.

Ed takes his Class C motorhome down to the store, waits for the tires to be mounted and installed, happily pays for the service, then drives home. When Ed gets home and parks his RV, he proudly inspects his brand new tires. But something is not right.

While admiring his 'new' tires, Ed realizes that his brand new tires are actually not brand new. In fact, the supposedly new tires he just got installed on his RV were actually manufactured in 1999, two years ago.

How did Ed know this? Well, Ed knew how to read the DOT markers on the side of the tires. Ed's only mistake was trusting the store and not inspecting the tires before they were mounted. Of course, Ed should not have to double check this. Unfortunately for Ed, this particular store probably had an overstock of truck tires that had been sitting in storage for a couple of years.

The moral of the story
Ed's story is not a horror story by any means. But it's like buying milk. Do you look at the expiration date on milk before you buy it? Most of us do. Well tires have a lifespan as well, usually a maximum of 10 years. When buying tires, verify that the tires were manufactured in the same year.

Needless to say, Ed will not make this mistake again. He will be sure to ask the store clerk to verify the date of manufacture on the tires before they are installed.

When were your tires made?
Each tire has a set of codes on the side that indicate the the week and year that they were made. The Department of Transportation requires these codes to be on all tires. Since 2000, the DOT codes include the week and year the tire was manufactured.

Here's a photo of a tire from my RV:

DOT markers on my RV tire which shows the week and year they were manufactured
On tires made after 2000, a 4 digit DOT marker indicates that week and year the tire was manufactured. My tire, for example, was manufactured in the 36th week of 2006. If you don't see this on your tire, then it may be printed on the other side of the tire. If you have only a 3 digit code, then it could mean that your tire was made prior to 2000.

Before 2000, it was assumed that all tires had a maximum lifespan of 10 years, so there was no need to print the two digit year. For these tires, a 3 digit DOT code is used. The first two digits indicated the week, and the last digit indicated the year within the current decade. You should probably not be driving your RV on tires made before 2000.

What is the lifespan of your tires?
Most would agree that you should not be driving on tires that are over ten years old. But follow the manufacturers guidelines. Many experts would say that, regardless of your tire's wear, you should replace them after 6-7 years. Whatever you do, it is a good idea to have your tires inspected regularly by a qualified tire shop. If they need to be replaced, play it safe and bite the bullet.

It looks like I'll be tire shopping next year.
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Kellogg Family of 14 lives and travels full-time in their RV


It's been said that traveling or living in an RV with your family often brings you closer together. Ever since our two kids were toddlers, we have vacationed and traveled together. So I can confirm that there is some truth to this. But what if we had 12 children? Would this still be true? 

Meet the Kelloggs. Mom (Susie), Dad (Dan) and their 12 children live, learn, and travel in their 36 foot class A motor home.

 How do they do it?
We live every day to it’s fullest. Perhaps this sounds impossible to the majority of families out there, but you have to clear your mind, you have to forget what society has taught you, get out of the mindset you are undoubtedly in and get down and naked. Bear you souls. Ask yourself in a perfect world what would make you happy. And then get it. Just go get it.
I've been following the Kelloggs since I first heard their story last year. They are truly an amazing loving family who love to spend time outdoors, kayak and share exciting experiences together.

Susie has even shared her experiences and parenting philosophy in her book Raising a Badass Family  that you can get on Amazon.

On the road with the Kelloggs
We are not superhuman, we simply have found the key to keeping our lives stress free and completely exciting
Bedtime
Common Questions

 Do the parents work?
Raising 12 children is work in itself. Other than that, Dan is a software engineer and works from the road.

Do the kids go to school?
Susie says "...we are what is called a Road Schooling family, we do all our school on the road and quite honestly the kids are learning more than they ever did while in school or while at home..." In addition to books "we are intentionally using nature and this beautiful country of ours as our classroom..." Read more from Susie about road schooling 12 children.

I'm Truly Inspired

Parenting has often been a challenge with my two children. I can't even imagine what raising 12 children would be like. When we become parents we all have to start at the beginning. As our children grow and develop, so do we. Our success as a family depends on our ability to communicate, adapt, compromise, learn from each other, pick our battles, and above all love and treat each other with respect. We can learn a lot from the Kellogg family.

Dan and Susie, you are truly inspirational parents with a BADASS Family!

Read Susie's book "Raising a BadAss Family"
Follow their story @ TheKellogShow.com

Photos: From TheKellogShow.com
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Photo Friday: Stop, Drop and Camp VW Conversion


Having owned a VW camper van I'm partial to these VW conversions. This has to be one of the coolest VW conversions ever. I want one.
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Full-Time RVing since 1997

I get a lot of feedback from RVers who have visited this site or watched one of my YouTube videos, and everyone has their own RV story.

Most recently I heard from full-timers George and Sharon who sold their house in 1997, packed up the fifth wheel and have been on the road ever since.


I'm always inspired by RVers like George and Sharon who have traded their permanent residence in for a life on wheels. As George put it:
"We sold our house in November 1997. Our kids took every thing they wanted out of the house then a garage sale took the rest."
They now travel around in their 2007 Dodge Dually pulling a King of the Road fifth wheel and don't appear to be slowing down any time soon.

"We have been to every state in the U.S. except Hawaii and most all of the provinces in Canada. We are still RVing and loving it! We are both in excellent health and probably will buy a house when we grow up."
Way to go George and Sharon! You guys appear to be living the dream. 

Do you have something to add? Leave a comment below.

Do you want to share your RV story? Send me an email and be sure to attach a photo of you and your RV.
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Cool RV Infographic


Statistics can be kind of boring to look at. Call me lazy, but I really like pictures and a good infographic. Here's an interesting infographic illustrating some interesting RV statistics.

View the full infographic here to see:

How has RV ownership changed in over the last 20 years?
Who owns RVs?
What national parks do RVers prefer?
What are the top causes of RV accidents?


Finally, does your RV have a name? Did you say NO? Well make it to the bottom of the RV infographic and you'll be rewarded with the RV Name Generator. I'm going with "Super Drifter" because I just can't pass up a name that starts with "Super". I'm already working on my SD logo for my rig. Enjoy! 
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Couple Hits The Road for a One Year Crowdsourced RV Trip

Screen Shot from democratictravelers.com
Man I haven't had the chance to write any posts lately because I've been sooo busy with work. Ugh! Nevertheless, I ran across this story the other day and really wanted to share it with you guys. So here it is.

This young couple, John and Laura, came up with this awesome idea to borrow their Mom's Airstream, nicknamed "Lorretta", and take a one year road trip starting in South Florida. What makes this story unique is not just the one year road trip part. The cool part is that they are letting the world tell them where they should go.

John and Laura 
Here's how it works. John, a freelance Web designer and programmer, built a website (thedemocratictravelers.com) and is asking anyone and everyone to pin a cool destination on the map that would be a great place to visit. Everyone can also vote on these destinations and, the places that get the most votes, make it to the travel itinerary. Pretty cool huh?

"On February 1st, 2013 we embarked upon a year-long journey across the United States in an Airstream trailer, guided only by the suggestions of our followers."
From democratictravelers.com
Need help planning that next trip?
As summer approaches, you may be wondering "where should we go?" Well maybe you should look at John and Laura's map because there are a ton of cool suggestions all around the country. Some are pretty common and some more obscure places that we would never have known about (those are usually to best stops).

Let's give John and Laura some suggestions of our own. What do you say? Right now they are in Utah.

Visit thedemocratictravelers.com and read John and Laura's blog. You'll see more photos and even have the opportunity to help support their trip by donating a few bucks for gas.

Happy Memorial Day!!
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Rental RV Stuck in Drive Through

"Honey! Let's rent an RV, grab some fast food and hit the road!"




Unfortunately, it didn't say anything about this in the CruiseAmerica "how to drive an RV" guide. Oops!
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Have Cabin Will Travel

"Honey! We're takin the cabin to the lake so pack up your britches and lets get a move on!"


This cabin is pretty cool and ready to roll. I've seen some pretty funny RVs, but this one scores high marks for retaining the essence of home while on the road.

What I love best about this are the rear view mirrors mounted to the roof. Awesome!
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