Safety for Solos

I recently read a blog post,  A Girl’s Guide to RVing: Self-Defense,  by Lynn at Winnie Views.  I've also written a post about that subject, and would like to add my thoughts to hers.

When I decided to hit the road full time, I also decided that I wasn't going to be fearful.  If I was afraid, I wouldn't be successful as a full-timer. This is still my life, my home, what I enjoy doing every day.  I'm not on a road trip or a vacation.  I'm living my life and doing the same things I'd be doing if I was living in San Diego in my two bedroom/two bath condo.  Except I have so much more.

I love having a different view out each window every few weeks.  I'm not the type of full-timer who stays in RV parks and sees the attractions of each city and town I'm in. I'm not usually parked close to another RV, don't usually have hook-ups, have no planned activities.  I also don't have a human traveling companion.

If a single person, man or woman, wants to be a full-timer and travel solo, but is afraid for his/her safety (men have fears, too), they can easily stay in RV parks.  The cost is more, bit it's safe.  There are lots of people around and lots of things to do. Club houses and pools and laundry rooms.  Some parks have lots more than that.  They are like small towns.  It's easy to meet your neighbors in an RV park.  If the people or activities or location aren't to your liking, you can just drive on to another park that you might like better.  If you find one you really like, you can pay by the month or year and the rates are reduced.

But for those of us solo travelers who want to be off the grid, park away from other RVers, live on solar power and occasional generator use for battery top-offs, it's a completely different life.  I can see why some people would be fearful living full-time in this kind of lifestyle.  But honestly, other than a couple of minor bumps in the road that turned out fine, I haven't had a minute's trouble or had my safety in jeopardy.   The minor bumps?  No problem - remember, people, we have wheels!

Can you imagine seeing these horses running past the front of your truck?

These free grazing horses were so great to watch - whether at the lake or in my camp site!

...and this was my camp site - overlooking the lake.

When I started planning for this full-timing lifestyle, I thought a lot about what kind of rig I wanted, how big, whether to get a motor home (Class A, B, or C) or trailer, slide outs or no slide outs, should I have a toad?  Eventually, after a lot of thought to my comfort, ease and safety, this is what I decided, along with some things I've learned while traveling solo.

Following the list below has allowed me to live every day without worrying:

1.   Small Class C motor home so I'm always near the driver's seat and can U-turn easily in the middle of a street if necessary.  I've done many U-turns, once for my safety, usually just to turn around.

2.   No slides.  I wanted instant departure if needed it and didn't want to take the time to bring in a slide.  (Or deal with slide issues/repairs.

3.   No toad - I didn't want to have to take the time to hook it up, or leave it behind if I needed to leave in a hurry.  (And I didn’t want additional insurance, registration, maintenance and repairs.)

4.   Unless I'm in a place with lots of other people nearby and plan to stay for a few weeks, I don't put out rugs, chairs, plants, bird feeders, etc.  Maybe two chairs, a couple of bird feeders and a welcome mat, but that's it.  If I have to take off in a hurry, I don't want to worry about or miss anything left behind. 

5.   Have a dog with me.  I had Katie when I bought The Palms and she has been a perfect traveling companion/guard dog.  Katie definitely barks if anyone comes near The Palms. Once a man tried to reach into the window on the dinette side. (I can't remember why, but I had the screen open to show him something and he reached in.  That wasn’t very smart with a barking dog right there - I thought Katie was going to take his arm off.)

6.   Never park anywhere without at least two other RV's close enough to hear me scream. FYI, I've never had to scream. :)

7.   Air Horn.  It's a pet air horn to stop Katie from barking, but it's LOUD and within reach.

8.   I bought two small $5 canisters ofpepper spray.  I keep one Velcro'd to the wall near the cabin door and the other up in the bunk near my pillow.  (I also have a Spray Shield – Animal DeterrentSpray attached to Katie’s leash in case an animal threatens us and we can’t get away.)

9.   Speaking of the bunk, if I’m not feeling safe, I wouldn’t want to open any windows, except that the bunk windows are high. I could open one and scream and blast my air horn without worrying about anyone reaching in.  And then jump down and start my engine and drive away. 

10.   Park in rest stops only if other RVs are there for the night and it’s very well lit around my parking space.

11.   Always carry a set of keys in my pocket. If I lose my purse or wallet, I still have my keys.  (And I won’t be locked out.)

12.   Keep an ignition key by the driver’s seat. In an emergency I don’t want to be looking for the key.

13.   When away from The Palms, always lock the doors.  Don’t trust that your things are safe inside when you are gone and the doors are unlocked.  Or that no one is waiting inside for you on your return. I usually lock the doors if I'm inside, too, unless I'm around people I know, or there are many RVs nearby.

14.   Use common sense.  If in doubt, start the engine and drive away. Don’t even think about it, just drive away.

Most of the above are the same things I'd be doing in San Diego in a house or condo - they are obvious safety precautions wherever we live - park in well lit areas and keep the car key in my hand while walking to the car, keep the house locked, don't go into dark places away from other people.

So... just have a plan, keep to it, and enjoy.  I've happily and safely lived in all these campsites, and many, many more - what an interesting life I'm living!   At the end of the day, I couldn't be happier.

If you can think of anything I've missed, please leave a comment.  I love this topic and am always open to learning new things to make full-timing as fun and safe as possible.

From Me and Katie, have a great Friday, everyone!  :)

Katie's New "Dog Car Seat" Review

Here she is - Katie in her new Car Seat, the Snoozer Luxury II Lookout Car Seat!  As the name implies - doesn't she look like a good "lookout?"  And she loves it!

It was supposed to arrive this week, between Monday and Friday, but it came last Friday.  That was nice. I immediately took it out of the box to see what it looked like and I was happily surprised.

It was well packed, and I put Katie in it to see what she thought.  She just sat there, looking around and didn't seem to want to get out.

This model seats the dog high enough to look out the windows, even if they are lying down, so there's lots of room underneath the car seat to put a drawer for storage.  It's a good sized storage space.  I haven't decided yet what I'll use it for, my stuff or Katie's stuff.

I installed the car seat on the passenger seat of The Palms, and it was super simple.   I like the way the seat is held by the car's seat belt, not wrapped around the passenger seat with it's own straps, like the one I returned.  This is much more secure, and looks like the seat won't move in an accident.

The lap part of the seat belt holds the car seat down and the shoulder harness is used to attach the included tether, which is attached to the dog's harness.

It is recommended that the dog wear a harness for attaching the tether, rather than their collar.  I can understand this - if I stop quickly, Katie could have neck damage if I attached her collar to the tether and she was jerked forward.  She has a couple of harnesses and this pink one works perfectly.

I like that the clasp is a thick, sturdy metal and not plastic like the clasps on the car seat I returned.

I took photos from all angles and Katie just sat there and watched me.  See how high up she is?  She seems to like that pillow she's sitting on, but I might take it out and put in a blanket, which would put her lower in the seat and more enclosed if she wants to lay down and sleep.

You can see how large the Snoozer Luxury II Lookout Car Seat  is - this is a Medium. I'm thinking the small size would have worked - Katie is only 12 or 13 pounds, but I wanted her to be able to lie down.  You all know how long I drive sometimes - in fact next Sunday Katie and I are driving back to San Diego for my annual medical appointments.  We're leaving early in the morning, and will be driving all the way - close to 10 hours on the road. That will be a good test of how well the car seat works on the road, and how well Katie does with it over a long period of time.  I'll let you know. :)

Yesterday morning the sun was streaming in the front windshield and I put her in her seat to see if she would stay there.  I left her and went about my business, and she settled in and laid down for a long time.  Finally Lauren came over and knocked on the door and she jumped out.  I didn't see if she jumped over the back of the seat or down onto the floor between the two truck seats.  I'd love to get her used to hanging out in her seat.

If you are interested in checking out this car seat (it's pretty expensive, but there are smaller sizes and less expensive car seats that I considered, too) check on amazon.com, hopefully using a link on this post. :)

P.S. -This morning with the sun shining in through the windshield, Katie climbed over the passenger seat back and settled down with her chin on the car seat arm rest.  She likes it!

Thank you to all our readers/followers who have commented and sent e-mails on my advertising - I appreciate you saying you'll support my site and use the links here.  I know it's important to many of us full-timers to have a little extra income, and I'll continue to support some of the other bloggers who advertise and will use their links when I'm purchasing something on amazon.com.  Put  my money where my mouth is!

From Me and My Dog, have a great Monday, everyone!

Camco Flying Insect Screen - correct size for Suburban 6 gal HWH

The end of November I installed my Camco Insect Screens on the vents outside The Palms.  That was something I had been wanting to do for a while.  As I blogged on November 23, 2012,  the refrigerator and furnace screens fit fine and went on easily.  However, the hot water heater screen didn't fit.  The screen I ordered said it fit my Suburban 6-gallon hot water heater (HWH), but it was too big.  It was shaped like a rectangle and my screen vent is a square.

This is the correct package, #WH400 - a square shaped screen

I did some research and finally ordered the Camco Insect Screen, Item # WH400.  If your hot water heater vent is square - you need this size for your Suburban Flush Mount 6 gal. Water Heater Vent.  Don't believe the information on the WH500 - it's the wrong shape and won't work. I don't know if mine is considered an older model or a newer model, but I think it has something to do with the year of your RV or HWT.  Not sure, but I think I saw that somewhere in my research.

So this is what comes in the package - minus one of the little screw attachers - there should have been two but my package came with only one. 

The last screens I installed went on easily, but I had trouble with this one.  Finally I took the Hot Water Heater cover off and brought it inside to attach on my dinette table.

First I used a wire to attach the screen in one corner, then I attached the wire/spring that came with the unit, and finally I found in my craft things another small wire with a bee attached.  I kind of liked the idea of using a bee attachment to keep out bees.

Guard Bee :)

Here's a photo of the HWH vent before I installed the screen:

Here it is after I installed the Insect Screen and re-attached the vent door:

Close-up - I wonder how long that bee will last...

I'm going to have to find some wire that's a little more sturdy than my craft wire, then I'll attach the corners more securely.  I'd hate for it to fly off while I'm driving down the freeway! (I'm happy to report the furnace and fridge screens survived all the horrible freeway roads coming through Los Angeles.  If they survived those washboard roads and freeway potholes, they should be attached for good!)/

So now all my outside vents are covered - the hot water heater, furnace and refrigerator.  And I have the vent covers on the roof for my bathroom and kitchen vents and the Fantastic Fan in the living area.

I  keep thinking I have everything I need for The Palms, but you know how it is - something else comes along.  Each modification makes full-timing easier, safer or more fun.  What's next?

I don't know if you'd consider this a mod, but I've received Katie's Car Seat and it's a real winner.  I'll post about it next time with lots of photos.

SUPER BOWL SUNDAY!!!

It's almost 3:00 pm in California and Matts parents are coming over for the game.  Kristy has the chili cooking in the crock pot and the pre-game nibbles are ready.

Good Luck, I hope your team wins - as long as your team is the San Francisco 49ers!  (Sorry Raven fans, I'm a San Francisco Bay Area girl - born and raised.)

8:30 PM PST

Well, after the way the game began, I'm happy for the 49ers that they had such a good showing during the second half.  And Kristy's chili is the best I've ever had - I NEVER like chili.

I thought it was a great game with lots of excitement - CONGRATULATIONS, RAVENS! 

From me and Katie, have a great Sunday, everyone!  :)

Short and sweet

The other morning the sun was coming in a high window and both dogs found a spot in the sunshine. When I transferred this photo to my computer, I thought it looked like a studio portrait.

Portrait of Katie and Cody

And here are two exhausted grandchildren:

Sometimes I feel the same way.

From me and Katie, have a great Thursday, everyone! :)

Family Crab Feed

Last Friday night Kristy and Matt hosted a family crab feed.  Matt's sister, Allison, and her new husband, Wes, stopped over for a few days on their way to Texas.  Wes is in the Air Force and just returned from Korea where he's been serving for a year. Matt's parents, Marie and Dave, also came for dinner, so including grand kids Lauren and Drew, we had nine people for crab legs. 

Matt was at Costco in the morning when they opened their doors and bought almost all the crab legs they had for sale.  Along with a Caesar salad and bread, it was truly a feast!

This was the first batch!

We also had some of the wine purchased during our wine tasting trip earlier in the week.

The crab legs are already cooked, but Matt put them on steamers with a little water in these big pots, covered them, and let them steam until they were hot.  A bunch of bowls of melted butter and we were ready to go.

Matt's Dad moved out of the way so he wasn't blocking the shot, and I told him I wanted him IN the shot, so we took another.  Unfortunately, that picture was blurry, so - Sorry Dave - at least I got your arms and hands. :)

For dessert, Matt's mom, Marie, baked some brownies and brought sweet strawberries and vanilla ice cream.

She bought a bottle of a desert wine from Convergence Vineyards while we were there tasing.  It's a Raspberry Zinfandel Chocolate wine and we poured it over the desert.  Wow!  It was delicious!
 

Here is Uncle Wes - tall, strong, and a kid magnet.  Even shy Lauren couldn't leave him alone.  He has such patience and the kids just LOVE him.  He picks them up and spins, dunks, twirls, tosses, etc., until he can't do anymore.  The kids laugh hysterically and want more, more, more.

Drew and Lauren sure love their Aunt Allison and Uncle Wes; they are now on their way to Texas and it will be a while before they can visit with them again. I hope you guys find a good house, and thank you for your service, Wes.  Safe Travels!  :)

The photo above is Kristy's family dog, Cody, and that little poodle is Roxie, Marie and Dave's new dog who is about 18 months old.  She is a pistol, and loves to run, play with toys, and generally be playing with Cody all the time.  When we first got here, Katie instantly assumed the Alpha position with Cody.  Then when Roxie was added to the mix, Katie became Cody's (unnecessary and unwanted) protector.  You can see her barking at Roxie from above when Roxie tried to get Cody to play.  Katie did NOT want Roxie playing with Cody.  Sometimes our dogs are noisier and need more discipline than our kids! 

The Crab Feed was wonderful and delicious, and I enjoyed spending more time with your family - thanks Matt and Kristy!

From me and Katie, have a great Tuesday, Everyone!  :)