WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.080 Getting ready for a whole new adventure, work 00:00:02.080 --> 00:00:04.759 camping at Crescent Lake, plus our brand new 00:00:04.759 --> 00:00:07.400 Keystone Hideout experience, what went right, 00:00:07.719 --> 00:00:10.160 what went wrong, and how we're tackling stink 00:00:10.160 --> 00:00:13.679 bug invasions. And as always, an RV News update 00:00:13.679 --> 00:00:18.629 and pro tip you won't want to miss. Welcome to 00:00:18.629 --> 00:00:22.250 the Restless Nomads, the ultimate RV show for 00:00:22.250 --> 00:00:24.989 modern -day rubber tramps and weekend warriors 00:00:24.989 --> 00:00:27.969 alike. Whether you're chasing sunsets full -time, 00:00:28.289 --> 00:00:30.809 savoring seasonal escapes, or just hitting the 00:00:30.809 --> 00:00:33.350 road for a quick weekend getaway, this is your 00:00:33.350 --> 00:00:36.409 go -to show for tips, tricks, and tales from 00:00:36.409 --> 00:00:38.950 the road. Join us as we dive into everything 00:00:38.950 --> 00:00:42.289 RV, choosing the right rig. Surviving life on 00:00:42.289 --> 00:00:45.090 wheels, and navigating the highs and lows of 00:00:45.090 --> 00:00:47.829 life on the move. From towables to motor homes, 00:00:48.210 --> 00:00:50.990 budget hacks to campsite secrets. We've got you 00:00:50.990 --> 00:00:54.490 covered, so buckle up nomads, and let's hit the 00:00:54.490 --> 00:00:59.700 road to adventure, one mile at a time. And welcome 00:00:59.700 --> 00:01:02.359 back. Thanks for joining me. My name is Mike 00:01:02.359 --> 00:01:04.680 Wood. I'm the station manager of Gold Country 00:01:04.680 --> 00:01:08.680 Radio, where this broadcast originates, and a 00:01:08.680 --> 00:01:11.459 member of the Restless Nomads, along with my 00:01:11.459 --> 00:01:14.019 wife, Angela Wood, who's also a station manager 00:01:14.019 --> 00:01:16.780 at Gold Country Radio. Check out the travel vlog 00:01:16.780 --> 00:01:21.439 at therestlessnomads .com. That's therestlessnomads 00:01:21.439 --> 00:01:26.129 .com. Let's get right into it. RV news this week. 00:01:26.310 --> 00:01:28.810 There's a tire recall alert. Goodyear has announced 00:01:28.810 --> 00:01:32.150 a recall on select endurance RV tires manufactured 00:01:32.150 --> 00:01:36.150 in early 2023 due to potential sidewall failures. 00:01:36.750 --> 00:01:39.230 If you bought new tires recently, check your 00:01:39.230 --> 00:01:42.310 DOT code to make sure you're safe before your 00:01:42.310 --> 00:01:46.769 next trip. Also, RV dealers pushing huge discounts 00:01:46.769 --> 00:01:52.340 on 2024 models With 2025 units rolling in fast, 00:01:52.480 --> 00:01:55.599 RV dealers nationwide are offering major markdowns 00:01:55.599 --> 00:01:59.180 of remaining 2024 inventory. It's a great time 00:01:59.180 --> 00:02:01.640 for buyers willing to pick up last year's models. 00:02:02.239 --> 00:02:05.260 Expect savings of up to $10 ,000 or more on travel 00:02:05.260 --> 00:02:08.740 trailers and fifth wheels. We took advantage 00:02:08.740 --> 00:02:12.139 of that. Hey, we are prepping for Crescent Lake, 00:02:12.560 --> 00:02:14.819 our work camping adventure coming up. This will 00:02:14.819 --> 00:02:18.349 be our third. Job work camping. The first was 00:02:18.349 --> 00:02:20.810 at Lava Lake in the Deschutes National Forest 00:02:20.810 --> 00:02:24.729 up near Bend The second one was at Lake Cachise 00:02:24.729 --> 00:02:27.949 near Seattle, Washington Cle Elam, if you know 00:02:27.949 --> 00:02:31.169 the area and That was a lot of fun. Although 00:02:31.169 --> 00:02:34.110 that was dry camping and after that summer we 00:02:34.110 --> 00:02:36.969 decided that no more dry camping for an entire 00:02:36.969 --> 00:02:39.449 summer for us So that's one of the very first 00:02:39.449 --> 00:02:43.169 questions that we ask when interviewing potential 00:02:43.169 --> 00:02:49.479 employers In this industry, it's just as much 00:02:49.479 --> 00:02:52.099 them interviewing you as you are interviewing 00:02:52.099 --> 00:02:55.039 them because you have to live in the site that 00:02:55.039 --> 00:02:59.400 they provide for an entire season. So, one of 00:02:59.400 --> 00:03:01.719 the biggest questions we have right off the bat 00:03:01.719 --> 00:03:04.479 is, is there electricity? That's a deal breaker 00:03:04.479 --> 00:03:06.840 if there is not. We just don't want to live on 00:03:06.840 --> 00:03:10.780 a generator for months on end. Well, we're gearing 00:03:10.780 --> 00:03:13.500 up for this brand new chapter going up to Crescent 00:03:13.500 --> 00:03:15.819 Lake They do have electricity for the camp host 00:03:15.819 --> 00:03:19.340 by the way a lot of prop preparation from organizing 00:03:19.340 --> 00:03:22.379 our gear to making sure the rig is Ready, and 00:03:22.379 --> 00:03:25.419 this is a brand new rig, so we're getting things 00:03:25.419 --> 00:03:29.060 shook out and trying to get things fixed with 00:03:29.060 --> 00:03:32.500 a new RV Obviously you're going to expect little 00:03:32.500 --> 00:03:34.900 nit -noid things and some major things in our 00:03:34.900 --> 00:03:37.509 case to go wrong and we're trying to get that 00:03:37.509 --> 00:03:40.689 all fixed before we have to live in it all summer. 00:03:41.990 --> 00:03:45.250 Also setting up workstations so that I can manage 00:03:45.250 --> 00:03:48.250 the radio station remotely from an hour and a 00:03:48.250 --> 00:03:51.849 half away. That's done over satellite and cell 00:03:51.849 --> 00:03:58.110 networks and through a host of technology that 00:03:58.110 --> 00:04:01.629 gets the signal to the programming computer here 00:04:01.629 --> 00:04:04.349 in the studio and then sent up to the tower site. 00:04:05.349 --> 00:04:08.389 It's really interesting if you're a radio nerd 00:04:08.389 --> 00:04:12.090 or a computer nerd, but it's magic to everyone 00:04:12.090 --> 00:04:16.069 else. Also some things that we're doing to prepare 00:04:16.069 --> 00:04:21.180 the RV for some longer stays. So we just... put 00:04:21.180 --> 00:04:23.860 in a big amazon order and one of those things 00:04:23.860 --> 00:04:26.879 uh actually two of those things were designed 00:04:26.879 --> 00:04:30.920 to make our puppies and us a little happier we 00:04:30.920 --> 00:04:34.300 have two little dogs that we take with us one 00:04:34.300 --> 00:04:37.120 is a maltese yorkie and the other is a chihuahua 00:04:37.120 --> 00:04:41.959 yorkie both one's about 12 pounds the other one 00:04:41.959 --> 00:04:45.220 is about five pounds but they like to scratch 00:04:45.220 --> 00:04:47.579 things so we ordered a screen door protector 00:04:48.120 --> 00:04:50.620 because the flimsy little screen door on an RV 00:04:50.620 --> 00:04:53.740 is no match for any dog, even if they are only 00:04:53.740 --> 00:04:57.240 five pounds. So that's coming in the mail and 00:04:57.240 --> 00:05:00.459 I'll be installing that. And in case you didn't 00:05:00.459 --> 00:05:03.939 know that that was available, it is. So get it 00:05:03.939 --> 00:05:09.000 early and protect your screen from your pooch 00:05:09.000 --> 00:05:11.699 before they destroy it because that can get costly 00:05:11.699 --> 00:05:14.420 to replace it. Another thing we ordered, we have 00:05:14.420 --> 00:05:16.959 a little playpen designed for babies that we 00:05:16.959 --> 00:05:19.959 take along with us on short trips. And it's just 00:05:19.959 --> 00:05:25.079 a little six foot in diameter circle that we 00:05:25.079 --> 00:05:27.279 can put them outside so they can go to the bathroom 00:05:27.279 --> 00:05:31.000 and so forth. We don't have to always take them 00:05:31.000 --> 00:05:33.279 out on a leash, especially if we're in the middle 00:05:33.279 --> 00:05:35.220 of cooking dinner or something and we can't go 00:05:35.220 --> 00:05:37.699 on a walk. Although when we are camping, we walk 00:05:37.699 --> 00:05:39.879 about three times a day and we average around 00:05:40.199 --> 00:05:44.040 four miles or so at times while we're camping. 00:05:44.199 --> 00:05:47.500 It's a great way to get in shape and that's the 00:05:47.500 --> 00:05:51.060 whole goal. We're being very conscientious about 00:05:51.060 --> 00:05:54.860 how often we're walking the dogs and they absolutely 00:05:54.860 --> 00:05:58.920 love it. But this little six foot in diameter 00:05:58.920 --> 00:06:01.399 playpen that we have for the dogs works great. 00:06:01.720 --> 00:06:05.500 It's lightweight. We take it with us for shorter 00:06:05.500 --> 00:06:07.819 camping trips, you know up to a week long, but 00:06:07.819 --> 00:06:11.129 we thought And we've seen other people do this 00:06:11.129 --> 00:06:14.149 too. If we're gonna be in one spot for an entire 00:06:14.149 --> 00:06:17.829 season, it would be nice to have a fence that 00:06:17.829 --> 00:06:23.629 goes all the way around the passenger side of 00:06:23.629 --> 00:06:26.589 the trailer, you know, maybe 12 feet out or so 00:06:26.589 --> 00:06:29.269 and the length of the travel trailer. So we ordered 00:06:29.269 --> 00:06:32.810 a fence kit for that. I think it was about 200 00:06:32.810 --> 00:06:37.060 bucks and we'll set that up around the travel 00:06:37.060 --> 00:06:39.540 trailer there right in the front so that instead 00:06:39.540 --> 00:06:42.399 of having to wake up, put clothes on, put shoes 00:06:42.399 --> 00:06:44.180 on and everything first thing in the morning 00:06:44.180 --> 00:06:46.939 and get those dogs out to the playpen, we'll 00:06:46.939 --> 00:06:49.220 be able to swing the door wide open and they 00:06:49.220 --> 00:06:52.540 can go out there and go pee -pee after holding 00:06:52.540 --> 00:06:55.920 it all night. They are eager to do that and it's 00:06:55.920 --> 00:06:58.620 really not fun for them to sit there and watch 00:06:58.620 --> 00:07:01.779 you laboriously put on your stockings and your 00:07:01.779 --> 00:07:05.449 boots when they have to pee. So just think about 00:07:05.449 --> 00:07:07.649 it from their perspective. It's beneficial for 00:07:07.649 --> 00:07:12.389 them as well. All right. So like I said, we got 00:07:12.389 --> 00:07:16.129 a brand new rig. We picked up a 2024 Keystone 00:07:16.129 --> 00:07:21.149 Hideout. The model is a 22 ML SWE. It's a 28 00:07:21.149 --> 00:07:24.009 foot travel trailer. It's the perfect size for 00:07:24.009 --> 00:07:28.269 two people and two little dogs. It's last year's 00:07:28.269 --> 00:07:31.670 model. So we saved a bunch of money because they're 00:07:31.670 --> 00:07:34.410 trying to get rid of all those 2024s. They're 00:07:34.410 --> 00:07:37.209 brand new, never been used, but they are making 00:07:37.209 --> 00:07:42.029 room for the 2025 inventory coming in. So first 00:07:42.029 --> 00:07:46.410 half of the year or so, it's a great idea to 00:07:46.410 --> 00:07:49.689 look at these. Year prior models because you're 00:07:49.689 --> 00:07:51.990 going to save a significant amount of money you 00:07:51.990 --> 00:07:54.910 lose a little bit of negotiating power on that 00:07:54.910 --> 00:07:58.310 Because they are so hugely discounted because 00:07:58.310 --> 00:08:04.850 they're trying to move them but With all RVs 00:08:04.850 --> 00:08:07.589 you have your headaches, you know used RVs. You 00:08:07.589 --> 00:08:13.079 have no idea What has happened? where some moisture 00:08:13.079 --> 00:08:15.839 might have gotten in and somebody did a really 00:08:15.839 --> 00:08:18.079 great job repairing it and perhaps you missed 00:08:18.079 --> 00:08:21.240 it. That's a huge concern, but new RVs come with 00:08:21.240 --> 00:08:24.879 their own set of headaches. Now, of course, we're 00:08:24.879 --> 00:08:27.519 on the one year manufacturer warranty and we're 00:08:27.519 --> 00:08:30.459 using that for now, especially for things that 00:08:30.459 --> 00:08:33.419 are expensive to fix. There's no reason for us 00:08:33.419 --> 00:08:36.080 to shell out cash out of pocket to get those 00:08:36.080 --> 00:08:40.549 things fixed. of the things that went bad right 00:08:40.549 --> 00:08:43.070 from the get -go. In fact, we noticed it the 00:08:43.070 --> 00:08:45.970 very first night that we picked it up in Kelso, 00:08:45.970 --> 00:08:48.950 Washington, was that the fridge, it's a 12 -volt 00:08:48.950 --> 00:08:52.929 Furion fridge, did not cool. It did not work. 00:08:53.309 --> 00:08:56.409 And we troubleshot, you know, that we were troubleshooting 00:08:56.409 --> 00:09:00.149 it, did hard resets on it and so forth, and it 00:09:00.149 --> 00:09:03.169 would not work. So we were living out of a cooler. 00:09:03.629 --> 00:09:06.769 On the drive back from Kelso, Washington. We 00:09:06.769 --> 00:09:10.490 stopped in Eugene and then Made the drive back 00:09:10.490 --> 00:09:13.970 here kind of split it up a little bit But we 00:09:13.970 --> 00:09:17.570 were stuck waiting on warranty approval, which 00:09:17.570 --> 00:09:24.179 is no fast Process the the rig stayed in the 00:09:24.179 --> 00:09:27.419 shop now they did to be fair say that we could 00:09:27.419 --> 00:09:31.120 take it and use it while We were awaiting the 00:09:31.120 --> 00:09:35.139 approval and the parts to be shipped in But who 00:09:35.139 --> 00:09:37.159 wants to use an RV without a fridge. That's the 00:09:37.159 --> 00:09:40.379 whole reason I'm having an RV It's kind of like 00:09:40.379 --> 00:09:43.159 being in a tent if you don't have all the luxuries. 00:09:43.159 --> 00:09:49.220 So we left it at the shop and they Had to wait 00:09:49.220 --> 00:09:51.580 it's not their fault that's not the shop's fault 00:09:51.580 --> 00:09:54.139 that it takes so long for Keystone to approve 00:09:54.139 --> 00:09:59.179 things on the manufacturers warranty but I'll 00:09:59.179 --> 00:10:05.179 just say that There are some things the RV techs 00:10:05.179 --> 00:10:08.820 Do not care about your rig quite as much as you 00:10:08.820 --> 00:10:14.340 do so even after the Parts arrived and it was 00:10:14.340 --> 00:10:17.450 approved for warranty work They got the fridge 00:10:17.450 --> 00:10:19.690 working and we were tickled pink about that. 00:10:20.549 --> 00:10:24.210 But we noticed after our most recent trip that 00:10:24.210 --> 00:10:27.250 the fridge was hanging half out of the wall because 00:10:27.250 --> 00:10:31.330 they didn't pay attention to detail and they 00:10:31.330 --> 00:10:34.990 didn't remount the fridge back into the cabinet 00:10:34.990 --> 00:10:37.570 where it belongs, the hole in the wall where 00:10:37.570 --> 00:10:40.750 the fridge goes. There were just missing screws 00:10:40.750 --> 00:10:43.370 and it actually damaged a little piece of trim 00:10:43.370 --> 00:10:45.690 because that thing came sliding out and I thought 00:10:45.690 --> 00:10:48.090 man We are lucky that that thing just didn't 00:10:48.090 --> 00:10:51.409 come out all the way and then we have an 80 pound 00:10:51.409 --> 00:10:55.110 100 pound fridge Bouncing around on the interior 00:10:55.110 --> 00:10:57.370 of our travel trailer while we're rolling down 00:10:57.370 --> 00:10:59.870 the road that would have done some major damage 00:10:59.870 --> 00:11:02.750 so I'm a little bit ticked about that, but I 00:11:03.000 --> 00:11:06.440 I have come to expect it and I know that as a 00:11:06.440 --> 00:11:08.720 general rule of thumb the RV technicians that 00:11:08.720 --> 00:11:12.100 are working on your rig do not care about your 00:11:12.100 --> 00:11:17.259 rig nearly as much as you care about it. So this 00:11:17.259 --> 00:11:22.539 is why I typically do things myself and of course 00:11:22.539 --> 00:11:25.659 I'm not going to take the RV back up to the shop 00:11:25.659 --> 00:11:29.620 to have them put screws in there. Primarily because 00:11:29.620 --> 00:11:32.080 I'm like this is easy. I can do it in a couple 00:11:32.080 --> 00:11:34.379 of seconds I wish that they would have caught 00:11:34.379 --> 00:11:39.019 it after they did the the finished install But 00:11:39.019 --> 00:11:41.419 they didn't all get the screws in there and get 00:11:41.419 --> 00:11:44.159 it mounted properly Instead of having to go through 00:11:44.159 --> 00:11:46.379 the rigmarole of towing it up to the shop and 00:11:46.379 --> 00:11:51.860 waiting on them to do it You know another thing 00:11:51.860 --> 00:11:55.500 that we had the converter was bad out the gate 00:11:55.500 --> 00:11:59.919 to from Kelso The converter was no good so it 00:11:59.919 --> 00:12:03.120 was not charging our house battery. We have a 00:12:03.120 --> 00:12:06.940 lithium house battery and the converter auto 00:12:06.940 --> 00:12:10.360 converts but it was failing to do that so the 00:12:10.360 --> 00:12:14.039 shop also under warranty installed that converter 00:12:14.039 --> 00:12:16.960 and that took some time for approval and then 00:12:16.960 --> 00:12:19.320 also for the parts to be shipped in as well. 00:12:19.440 --> 00:12:21.620 They don't just keep this stuff laying around 00:12:21.620 --> 00:12:25.220 the shop. They have to have it shipped in generally. 00:12:25.940 --> 00:12:29.179 And understand that when you have warranty work 00:12:29.179 --> 00:12:31.320 to be done under the manufactured warranty, there 00:12:31.320 --> 00:12:36.559 really isn't a lot of incentive for them to pay 00:12:36.559 --> 00:12:41.200 to repair these things after you have paid them 00:12:41.200 --> 00:12:45.639 the money for the rig. It's all expense to them 00:12:45.639 --> 00:12:48.200 at that point. So obviously, they're going to 00:12:48.200 --> 00:12:52.110 take their time. So just know that about these 00:12:52.110 --> 00:12:57.649 manufacturer warranties. So like I said, moral 00:12:57.649 --> 00:12:59.429 of the story, no one cares about your rig as 00:12:59.429 --> 00:13:02.289 much as you do. If you want something done right 00:13:02.289 --> 00:13:06.509 on it, it's best to do it yourself. Also check 00:13:06.509 --> 00:13:10.809 all the work that they do. If you do have other 00:13:10.809 --> 00:13:14.450 folks doing the work, it's a good idea to just 00:13:14.450 --> 00:13:17.110 check the work and make sure that it's done correctly. 00:13:18.509 --> 00:13:22.110 Most of the little stuff when it comes to mounting 00:13:22.110 --> 00:13:28.610 and and small issues as long as Let me let me 00:13:28.610 --> 00:13:31.690 say it this way It does not take much to learn 00:13:31.690 --> 00:13:34.450 how to do most of the maintenance and upgrades 00:13:34.450 --> 00:13:38.149 and so forth on your RV The manufacturer warranty 00:13:38.149 --> 00:13:40.850 does come in handy for expensive items like this 00:13:40.850 --> 00:13:44.909 fridge that we had fixed would have cost $2 ,000 00:13:44.909 --> 00:13:48.120 if we had bought a new one So obviously we don't 00:13:48.120 --> 00:13:50.179 want to spend $2 ,000. We're going to use the 00:13:50.179 --> 00:13:52.519 warranty, the manufacturer's warranty to have 00:13:52.519 --> 00:13:55.639 it fixed. Now if it had been something minor 00:13:55.639 --> 00:13:58.620 and small, I probably likely would have fixed 00:13:58.620 --> 00:14:01.320 it myself right there in the campground because 00:14:01.320 --> 00:14:05.039 of the time it takes to get it approved and wait 00:14:05.039 --> 00:14:08.159 for parts to come in. So some things to think 00:14:08.159 --> 00:14:10.840 about when you're balancing it out. And hey, 00:14:10.899 --> 00:14:13.440 if you want to know, I'll spill the beans here. 00:14:13.870 --> 00:14:18.450 The cost of our brand new 2024 travel trailer 00:14:18.450 --> 00:14:22.929 was, I think we negotiated it down to $23 ,000. 00:14:23.870 --> 00:14:28.490 So that's, and I think MSRP on a 2025 model is 00:14:28.490 --> 00:14:31.649 around 40. So that'll give you an idea of the 00:14:31.649 --> 00:14:33.190 steep discounts that you're gonna get if you 00:14:33.190 --> 00:14:36.470 go with a year prior. Now, another problem that 00:14:36.470 --> 00:14:42.269 we have encountered. with the brand new RV is 00:14:42.269 --> 00:14:46.149 it sat on the lot in Kelso for a long long time 00:14:46.149 --> 00:14:50.029 and no telling where it picked this problem up 00:14:50.029 --> 00:14:53.450 but right off the bat when we went and picked 00:14:53.450 --> 00:14:57.649 it up we noticed that there were stink bugs and 00:14:57.649 --> 00:15:01.389 we would see a couple of dead ones here and there 00:15:01.389 --> 00:15:03.629 and so forth and ever since we picked it up in 00:15:03.629 --> 00:15:06.950 Kelso we've moved it three or four times now 00:15:06.950 --> 00:15:10.330 and we still Occasionally, we'll find the random 00:15:10.330 --> 00:15:15.970 stink bug. So there's probably a small invasion 00:15:15.970 --> 00:15:18.750 of stink bugs. Now, fortunately, they don't bite. 00:15:19.350 --> 00:15:25.190 They don't cause any real ruckus. So that's nice, 00:15:25.190 --> 00:15:27.590 although my wife absolutely hates them. So what 00:15:27.590 --> 00:15:29.330 are we going to be doing before we go to Crescent 00:15:29.330 --> 00:15:31.190 Lake? We're going to remove all the clothing, 00:15:31.710 --> 00:15:34.129 all the food, all the bedding, all the cushions, 00:15:34.529 --> 00:15:36.590 everything else in there, and we're going to 00:15:36.590 --> 00:15:40.649 bomb it. Pesticide fogger for indoor use bomb 00:15:40.649 --> 00:15:43.250 the whole thing and once that's over and it's 00:15:43.250 --> 00:15:46.769 ventilated we'll wipe down every surface and 00:15:46.769 --> 00:15:50.570 Get everything safe again for us mop the floors 00:15:50.570 --> 00:15:54.470 and so forth and it's important to know that 00:15:54.470 --> 00:15:59.190 dogs can be Exposed to those chemicals too and 00:15:59.190 --> 00:16:01.250 that's not good for them You don't want them 00:16:01.250 --> 00:16:03.669 licking that stuff. So a real good wipe down 00:16:03.669 --> 00:16:06.899 after you bomb an RV is a great idea Which brings 00:16:06.899 --> 00:16:10.440 me to another topic on just pests in general 00:16:10.440 --> 00:16:14.980 and we'll talk more about that right after this 00:16:14.980 --> 00:16:19.350 break. Visit goldcountryradio .org to see a list 00:16:19.350 --> 00:16:22.590 of featured community shows. 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Your 00:16:57.559 --> 00:16:59.700 message reaches a broad local audience while 00:16:59.700 --> 00:17:02.000 also targeting listeners who choose to tune in 00:17:02.000 --> 00:17:04.539 to the shows they love. Plus, we promote your 00:17:04.539 --> 00:17:06.960 sponsorship across our website and social media. 00:17:07.140 --> 00:17:09.339 For more information, email goldcountryradio 00:17:09.339 --> 00:17:15.539 at gmail .com. Call 541 -238 -6989 or visit goldcountryradio 00:17:15.539 --> 00:17:18.660 .org. Gold Country Radio, your message heard 00:17:18.660 --> 00:17:22.140 locally and beyond. All right. We're back from 00:17:22.140 --> 00:17:25.339 the break and we were talking a little bit about 00:17:25.339 --> 00:17:29.680 pests in the RV and that's no different in an 00:17:29.680 --> 00:17:33.740 RV than it is in a home. Same things pretty much 00:17:33.740 --> 00:17:37.779 apply. The only difference is that sometimes 00:17:38.769 --> 00:17:42.369 depending on how often you move, you'll pick 00:17:42.369 --> 00:17:44.369 up pests along the way and you'll drop off pests 00:17:44.369 --> 00:17:46.630 along the way and that can be an issue. You want 00:17:46.630 --> 00:17:50.029 to make sure that you're trying to protect other 00:17:50.029 --> 00:17:53.650 locations. You know, if you pick up a critter 00:17:53.650 --> 00:17:57.329 in one state and then move to another state that 00:17:57.329 --> 00:18:00.849 previously did not have an issue, an RV can very 00:18:00.849 --> 00:18:04.470 likely start an issue in that new state for that 00:18:04.470 --> 00:18:09.609 pest. And we faced a few of these in our career 00:18:09.609 --> 00:18:13.869 as RVers. Fortunately, in this one, we have not 00:18:13.869 --> 00:18:18.730 had to deal with mice at all, but that is probably 00:18:18.730 --> 00:18:21.710 the creepiest one that you have. In my opinion, 00:18:21.809 --> 00:18:26.170 I hate the idea of little mammals running around 00:18:26.170 --> 00:18:30.470 in an RV while we're asleep at night. When we 00:18:30.470 --> 00:18:35.440 were at Lake Kachis, we experienced mice There 00:18:35.440 --> 00:18:39.079 was just no preventing it everyone there seemed 00:18:39.079 --> 00:18:44.119 to have a mouse or two and So we would set up 00:18:44.119 --> 00:18:46.680 normal mousetraps and catch them some of the 00:18:46.680 --> 00:18:49.480 other hosts were more humane I guess than we 00:18:49.480 --> 00:18:51.319 were and they would catch them and then they 00:18:51.319 --> 00:18:53.140 would drive them a couple miles into the woods 00:18:53.140 --> 00:18:55.900 and release them We wanted those suckers dead 00:18:55.900 --> 00:19:02.569 so we would trap them, but it was always Not 00:19:02.569 --> 00:19:05.029 never fun to find the mice poop and the mice 00:19:05.029 --> 00:19:07.890 pee and stuff in your drawers and you can see 00:19:07.890 --> 00:19:10.329 where they were chewing on stuff But that's part 00:19:10.329 --> 00:19:12.789 of our being that's something that you will have 00:19:12.789 --> 00:19:15.549 to encounter now Here's a pro tip for you one 00:19:15.549 --> 00:19:18.089 thing that we started doing years ago that has 00:19:18.089 --> 00:19:24.329 helped in some some peace of mind as well as 00:19:24.329 --> 00:19:27.589 deterring mice from coming into the rig in the 00:19:27.589 --> 00:19:31.250 first place All the food that you have that's 00:19:31.250 --> 00:19:33.829 not going in the fridge or the freezer should 00:19:33.829 --> 00:19:37.809 be in Tupperware containers. If you put everything 00:19:37.809 --> 00:19:40.670 in Tupperware containers then you can rest assured 00:19:40.670 --> 00:19:44.309 that the mice won't be getting into those. Now 00:19:44.309 --> 00:19:48.490 they need to have a secure lid on them and if 00:19:48.490 --> 00:19:51.690 you do that it'll deter the mice from ever coming 00:19:51.690 --> 00:19:53.650 in because there's really nothing for them to 00:19:53.650 --> 00:19:56.390 eat. Also very important to clean up after every 00:19:56.390 --> 00:20:00.460 meal. Make sure you're practicing good camp hygiene 00:20:00.460 --> 00:20:03.859 in that way. And then get all that food, cereal, 00:20:04.619 --> 00:20:08.160 everything that's not in a sealed can. You know, 00:20:08.200 --> 00:20:10.400 if it's in a box or something like that, put 00:20:10.400 --> 00:20:12.119 it in a Tupperware container and then put it 00:20:12.119 --> 00:20:16.119 in your cabinets. And that's a great way to give 00:20:16.119 --> 00:20:17.920 yourself some peace of mind that, hey, the mice 00:20:17.920 --> 00:20:19.619 aren't going to get into the food and likely 00:20:19.619 --> 00:20:22.180 keep the mice out in the first place. At least 00:20:22.180 --> 00:20:24.819 that's the idea. Hopefully there will be fewer 00:20:24.819 --> 00:20:27.400 of them that make the trip into your RV because 00:20:27.400 --> 00:20:29.319 there's less to eat there. So hopefully they'll 00:20:29.319 --> 00:20:33.539 move on to the next RV, right? So that is something. 00:20:33.839 --> 00:20:36.519 Now another thing that many RVers have done and 00:20:36.519 --> 00:20:41.559 there are mixed reviews on the efficacy of this 00:20:41.559 --> 00:20:44.740 is they'll put a rope light on the perimeter 00:20:44.740 --> 00:20:48.900 of their RV on the ground. The idea is that mice 00:20:48.900 --> 00:20:52.779 do not like light so that they won't cross that 00:20:52.779 --> 00:20:56.220 rope light and make it into the RV. Some people 00:20:56.220 --> 00:20:59.240 say it works great. Other people say not so much. 00:20:59.799 --> 00:21:02.079 Another thing that people do is they put Irish 00:21:02.079 --> 00:21:06.579 Springs soap bars in cabinets and counters and 00:21:06.579 --> 00:21:10.940 things like that. We've done this. Never really 00:21:10.940 --> 00:21:14.480 noticed that it worked all that great. The traditional 00:21:14.480 --> 00:21:18.059 Irish Springs cheap soap. In fact, I remember 00:21:18.059 --> 00:21:21.720 one year when we had a Winnebago Motorhome, we 00:21:21.720 --> 00:21:25.079 found an Irish Spring soap bar that had teeth 00:21:25.079 --> 00:21:27.599 marks in it where a mouse was chewing on it, 00:21:27.839 --> 00:21:31.160 which told me it probably didn't work all that 00:21:31.160 --> 00:21:33.640 great. Now, keep in mind that if you use something 00:21:33.640 --> 00:21:38.240 like Decon, that's mouse poison, they eat a little 00:21:38.240 --> 00:21:39.940 bit of that and then they go off and they die. 00:21:40.759 --> 00:21:43.940 That can be dangerous if a pet gets a hold of 00:21:43.940 --> 00:21:46.259 it because that mouse consumed poison and if 00:21:46.259 --> 00:21:50.759 the pet handles or consumes that mouse, then 00:21:50.759 --> 00:21:53.380 you've got a real problem on your hands. And 00:21:53.380 --> 00:21:57.759 also just having poison on the ground level of 00:21:57.759 --> 00:22:00.599 anything, you really have to be concerned about 00:22:00.599 --> 00:22:04.980 your pets, especially dogs and cats, you know, 00:22:04.980 --> 00:22:07.839 obviously that are going to be curious and they'll 00:22:07.839 --> 00:22:13.180 be exploring things. So just keep that in mind 00:22:13.180 --> 00:22:18.559 There's some different You could Google how to 00:22:18.559 --> 00:22:20.960 control mice and RVs and so forth and you'll 00:22:20.960 --> 00:22:22.720 get a hundred million different opinions and 00:22:22.720 --> 00:22:27.140 different answers. We've always done the you 00:22:27.140 --> 00:22:29.180 know, try to make sure that all the holes are 00:22:29.180 --> 00:22:32.740 sealed up so that mice can't get in now, of course, 00:22:32.740 --> 00:22:34.519 that's really difficult if you've got something 00:22:34.519 --> 00:22:40.910 like a slide out where There's natural gaps It's 00:22:40.910 --> 00:22:43.150 just dang near impossible. So best thing to do 00:22:43.150 --> 00:22:46.269 is just for your peace of mind to know that no 00:22:46.269 --> 00:22:49.950 mice can get into your food Also dog food same 00:22:49.950 --> 00:22:52.329 thing put it in Tupperwares as well as human 00:22:52.329 --> 00:22:54.730 food Anything that's not in a sealed can or doesn't 00:22:54.730 --> 00:22:57.029 belong in the fridge something like that Put 00:22:57.029 --> 00:22:58.670 it all on Tupperware containers and then put 00:22:58.670 --> 00:23:01.970 those in the cabinet and then bonus is that it's 00:23:01.970 --> 00:23:04.230 easier to find stuff if you do that you can pull 00:23:04.230 --> 00:23:07.029 out smaller Tupperware containers one at a time 00:23:07.569 --> 00:23:10.390 and locate what you're trying to get, easier 00:23:10.390 --> 00:23:12.529 than trying to knock a bunch of stuff over in 00:23:12.529 --> 00:23:18.430 the cabinet to find whatever you're after. Well, 00:23:18.529 --> 00:23:20.490 we've been racking up the miles lately with our 00:23:20.490 --> 00:23:24.609 new Keystone Hideout. We went up to Kelso, like 00:23:24.609 --> 00:23:28.690 I said, where we picked up the RV. And we had 00:23:28.690 --> 00:23:31.970 them install the weight distribution system, 00:23:32.690 --> 00:23:34.890 my weight distribution system that I had with 00:23:34.890 --> 00:23:37.890 a former travel trailer. It's an equalizer. Love 00:23:37.890 --> 00:23:40.150 that brand. Not getting paid by them, by the 00:23:40.150 --> 00:23:43.049 way. It's just a really great brand for sway 00:23:43.049 --> 00:23:46.849 control and weight distribution. It does not 00:23:46.849 --> 00:23:49.849 require that you disconnect it for backing up. 00:23:50.049 --> 00:23:53.509 And it's got that Kind of foreign one it uses 00:23:53.509 --> 00:23:57.009 friction to control spay sway rather and then 00:23:57.009 --> 00:24:00.349 also operates as a weight control or weight distribution 00:24:00.349 --> 00:24:04.940 system as well but That RV tech there in Kelso 00:24:04.940 --> 00:24:07.599 Washington installed it and now I'm looking at 00:24:07.599 --> 00:24:11.339 the setup sitting in front of my house and noticing 00:24:11.339 --> 00:24:14.299 quite a bit of sag in the rear of the truck and 00:24:14.299 --> 00:24:16.460 thinking that maybe they didn't get that quite 00:24:16.460 --> 00:24:18.900 right. So I might have to go out there with a 00:24:18.900 --> 00:24:22.000 torque wrench and raise the hangers on it to 00:24:22.000 --> 00:24:26.359 try to get more weight off of the back of the 00:24:26.359 --> 00:24:29.279 rear axle. I'm sorry, the rear axle and then 00:24:29.279 --> 00:24:31.140 transfer some more of that onto the front axle. 00:24:31.579 --> 00:24:33.720 Also got to be kind of careful with that too, 00:24:34.279 --> 00:24:37.319 because the A -frames are only rated for a certain 00:24:37.319 --> 00:24:40.900 amount of weight as well. So that's something 00:24:40.900 --> 00:24:43.880 to think about. You've probably, if you are an 00:24:43.880 --> 00:24:46.720 avid RVer, you've probably seen posts where people's 00:24:46.720 --> 00:24:51.119 A -frames on their trailers just broke. And that 00:24:51.119 --> 00:24:56.039 is most commonly due to way overloading. the 00:24:56.039 --> 00:24:58.259 weight distribution, putting way too much weight 00:24:58.259 --> 00:25:02.200 on that A -frame when there shouldn't be. So 00:25:02.200 --> 00:25:04.819 I'm going to test the waters and see if I can 00:25:04.819 --> 00:25:07.960 get the sag out of the truck. It does not drive 00:25:07.960 --> 00:25:11.319 quite like I want it to. I noticed some lack 00:25:11.319 --> 00:25:15.579 of steering authority. Basically, my steering 00:25:15.579 --> 00:25:18.240 is a little sloppy. That's an aviation term. 00:25:19.019 --> 00:25:21.460 When you have rudder authority, it means that 00:25:21.460 --> 00:25:26.799 you It's harder to move the rudders, but the 00:25:26.799 --> 00:25:30.640 rudder operates more efficiently, essentially. 00:25:31.119 --> 00:25:34.480 And I notice that my steering is looser because 00:25:34.480 --> 00:25:39.619 my front tires do not have as much weight on 00:25:39.619 --> 00:25:44.000 them as they do when I'm not towing. So I'm going 00:25:44.000 --> 00:25:45.799 to look at the weight distribution. I'm also 00:25:45.799 --> 00:25:48.039 going to look into the possibility of installing 00:25:48.039 --> 00:25:51.380 some airbags, which are just basically shocks. 00:25:51.819 --> 00:25:56.000 That you can inflate on the rear axle to take 00:25:56.000 --> 00:26:01.960 some of that Some of that sag out of it now I've 00:26:01.960 --> 00:26:04.539 been told that that won't likely affect the ride 00:26:04.539 --> 00:26:07.279 And from what I see they're about a thousand 00:26:07.279 --> 00:26:10.920 dollars. They're not cheap to install those shocks 00:26:10.920 --> 00:26:14.259 And then more if you add a compressor system 00:26:14.259 --> 00:26:16.920 to where you don't have to have an external compressor 00:26:18.019 --> 00:26:20.700 So I'm definitely going to try to fix the problem 00:26:20.700 --> 00:26:24.019 in its root cause With the weight distribution 00:26:24.019 --> 00:26:26.460 and see if I can get that weight distributed 00:26:26.460 --> 00:26:32.480 a little more equally before we Investigate the 00:26:32.480 --> 00:26:35.220 whole airbag thing. Hey, if you've ever used 00:26:35.220 --> 00:26:38.819 the airbags Let me know send me an email goldcountryradio 00:26:38.819 --> 00:26:41.660 .org or drop us a message on the restless nomads 00:26:41.660 --> 00:26:45.759 comm If you have any experience with effective 00:26:45.759 --> 00:26:49.779 pest control whether it be mice or bugs, or if 00:26:49.779 --> 00:26:53.880 you've used the airbags to help take the sag 00:26:53.880 --> 00:26:57.180 out of the rear suspension of your truck, let 00:26:57.180 --> 00:27:01.900 me know. Now we're pulling our 7 ,500 pound trailer 00:27:01.900 --> 00:27:07.339 empty, that is, with a Ford F -150 EcoBoost, 00:27:07.880 --> 00:27:12.940 and the tow rating on it is 9 ,600 pounds. We're 00:27:12.940 --> 00:27:15.480 well under that. So I know that it's capable, 00:27:15.579 --> 00:27:18.059 although I don't think that we would have the 00:27:18.059 --> 00:27:20.859 same issues with a heavier duty suspension of 00:27:20.859 --> 00:27:23.380 like a three quarter ton or a one ton truck. 00:27:23.839 --> 00:27:26.779 So that might be in our future. We may be looking 00:27:26.779 --> 00:27:31.279 eventually when money is appropriate at getting 00:27:31.279 --> 00:27:36.819 a full size truck down the road. All right. So 00:27:36.819 --> 00:27:41.880 let's get into the pro tip. And this is something 00:27:41.880 --> 00:27:45.950 that's really Near and dear to my heart and I've 00:27:45.950 --> 00:27:49.470 never had an incident because I am religious 00:27:49.470 --> 00:27:57.250 about this always double check your RV Travel 00:27:57.250 --> 00:28:00.509 setup when you're breaking camp and you get everything 00:28:00.509 --> 00:28:03.099 hooked up You want to make sure whether it's 00:28:03.099 --> 00:28:05.660 a motor home or a travel trailer doesn't matter. 00:28:05.660 --> 00:28:07.579 There are some things that need to happen, right? 00:28:07.819 --> 00:28:09.900 Your water needs to be disconnected. Your power 00:28:09.900 --> 00:28:13.960 needs to be disconnected. All latches, doors, 00:28:14.299 --> 00:28:17.640 bay doors and so forth need to be closed. Sewer 00:28:17.640 --> 00:28:20.680 disconnected obviously is a big one. Cable TV 00:28:20.680 --> 00:28:23.900 disconnected. You name it. Those things. Making 00:28:23.900 --> 00:28:28.140 sure that the RV is ready to travel. One of the 00:28:28.140 --> 00:28:31.079 biggest things that you need to be doing is know 00:28:31.079 --> 00:28:35.559 when to chock and unchock your RV. You know, 00:28:35.880 --> 00:28:38.700 there will come a time at some point in the process 00:28:38.700 --> 00:28:40.539 that you need to remove the chocks, otherwise 00:28:40.539 --> 00:28:43.099 you're gonna jump chocks when you get ready to 00:28:43.099 --> 00:28:45.180 pull out there, and that's not gonna be comfortable 00:28:45.180 --> 00:28:49.880 at all. So, check your tires. Make sure that 00:28:49.880 --> 00:28:52.380 there's no uneven wear. Check your tire pressures. 00:28:52.839 --> 00:28:56.759 That is something that you should do. every single 00:28:56.759 --> 00:29:00.160 time you get ready to pull out. And even maybe 00:29:00.160 --> 00:29:03.599 100, 150 miles down the road, it's a good idea 00:29:03.599 --> 00:29:06.519 to stop and check your tire pressures again, 00:29:06.740 --> 00:29:10.660 just to make sure that you are good to go. Now 00:29:10.660 --> 00:29:13.920 they do have aftermarket TPMS, that's tire pressure 00:29:13.920 --> 00:29:18.660 monitoring system components that you can install 00:29:18.660 --> 00:29:20.839 a little sensor on the valve stem and be able 00:29:20.839 --> 00:29:22.920 to monitor those remotely, whether it's on your 00:29:22.920 --> 00:29:26.640 phone or on another device. in the truck or in 00:29:26.640 --> 00:29:29.799 the motorhome. And those are super nice because 00:29:29.799 --> 00:29:33.240 as long as you check it manually with a tire 00:29:33.240 --> 00:29:37.079 gauge enough times to begin to trust those numbers, 00:29:37.539 --> 00:29:40.359 then you won't have to get out and check with 00:29:40.359 --> 00:29:43.180 a tire gauge every single time. Although it is 00:29:43.180 --> 00:29:45.640 still important to put eyes on the tires to make 00:29:45.640 --> 00:29:48.900 sure there's no uneven wear. Another big one 00:29:48.900 --> 00:29:51.539 people forget is their steps. You want to make 00:29:51.539 --> 00:29:54.220 sure that you have your steps in before you set 00:29:54.220 --> 00:29:58.160 off. Make sure that all the lights are working. 00:29:58.359 --> 00:30:01.539 That's a great idea as well. Tongue jack up in 00:30:01.539 --> 00:30:05.440 the case of trailers. There are so many things. 00:30:05.559 --> 00:30:07.700 Breakaway cables and safety chains installed. 00:30:08.259 --> 00:30:11.480 It's just a good idea to develop a routine and 00:30:11.480 --> 00:30:15.460 I probably walk around the entire coupled trailer 00:30:15.460 --> 00:30:19.240 and truck. three times before I set out just 00:30:19.240 --> 00:30:21.259 making sure that I haven't missed anything and 00:30:21.259 --> 00:30:23.599 I point to each and every thing to make sure 00:30:23.599 --> 00:30:25.599 that I have it all right. Same goes for a motorhome, 00:30:25.740 --> 00:30:27.920 do the same thing. All right guys, well that 00:30:27.920 --> 00:30:30.259 does it for this week's Restless Nomads. We're 00:30:30.259 --> 00:30:32.960 super excited about going up to Crescent Lake 00:30:32.960 --> 00:30:35.559 and spending the season up there work camping. 00:30:36.119 --> 00:30:38.960 Check us out again on therestlessnomads .com. 00:30:39.289 --> 00:30:42.490 more episodes, blogs, and community stories there. 00:30:43.029 --> 00:30:47.809 Share your RV buying stories or your battle with 00:30:47.809 --> 00:30:51.390 stink bugs with us, if you like, and also tell 00:30:51.390 --> 00:30:55.130 us about your weight distribution woes and if 00:30:55.130 --> 00:30:58.690 you've ever used those airbags. Alright guys, 00:30:58.769 --> 00:31:01.490 have a wonderful week. We'll see you next time 00:31:01.490 --> 00:31:09.829 here on the Restless Nomads Radio Show. FIRE!