Ang and I were finally able to leave Malibu today (long delay/story), and decided to Casino Camp it tonight. Not sure of the name of the one we are parked at - its the Indian Casino that is smokey and crowded and they have a lot of slots and tables and stuff. Sound familiar? ;)

 

Big RV parking area with lots of rigs. We had some Casino Dinner, I played cards for about an hour and doubled my $$, came back to the rig for a little nap. Have to save up for later partying!!

 

Where are you? What are you doing? Good start to the new year, or more of the same?

 

 

--kev

We're in St. Louis.. spending time with Chris' family.  Brought in the new year with some friends of ours in the area.Nice and low key..and lots of geekery :)

 

Happy New Year all!

- Cherie 

Hey guys, Happy New Year!!!!

We are in sunny but crowded Los Angeles for about the next two weeks, mooching off my parents and eating way too much. In about 2 weeks when we've done our rig maintenance, we'll hit the road for the Slabs. 

Can't wait to meet up with everyone in Texas! 

Currently in the back woods of my parents place in the bustling metropolis of Ocklawaha, FL.  Wintering here and working out the few minor kinks in our new rigs.  We'll be heading west, uh... when we feel like it. ;)

We're in chilly Minnesota (is -28 considered "chilly" or "ridiculous"?)...without our rig. Flew back for a month for the holidays. Our RV is in the L.A. area...we are READY to get back to our own bed!! Looking forward to hitting the road again...heading to San Diego and then to Quartzsite...and then on to Texas.

Wow. You are NOT allowed to use the word "chilly" with -28 degrees!! I think your rig was staying nice and warm, waiting for your return - hurry!!

 

Looking forward to seeing you guys in the desert!!

 

--kev

We've been adjusting to 28 degrees (above zero) in our rig for the last few days...  I'd hate to consider how much propane it'd take to survive below zero.

Brr!

Here in St. Louis we've been in a hard freeze for days..  and predicted to get down to zero by Friday. We've winterized the rig and are staying indoors with family, thank goodness.   But we are plugged in and running a space heater to keep things above freezing inside the trailer..  space heaters, when you're plugged in, totally rock.  Propane furnaces are good. especially for off grid.. but ..  between the moisture and noise, not very practical for extended use. 

ZERO?? Go south. Now. Oliver will thank you :)

 

I just did a whole blog on heating while off grid, and I hit a mouse button that nuked the whole thing just as I was finishing :(  The RV furnace is such a 12V power hog, and we have found that many blankets, socks, and the dog help get us through the night. We have closed off the back of the rig, pulled in the bed slide, and set the furnace to 52 degrees to prevent our noses from freezing.

 

Today we looked at some catalytic heaters. People out here swear by them. They burn at almost 100% efficiency, so they do not require an outside vent. They also don't use any electricity. We saw one for about $200 that had a thermostat and was 10k BTU, which was suppose to be good up to ~300 sq ft. Really sounds like the way to go - even when plugged in.

 

 

--kev

That sounds like an awesome solution, Kev!  I believe one Oliver owner even had one of those built into theirs.   We'll definitely be looking at cold weather camping options before next winter, including some sort of heating system between our fiberglass hulls (where all our water systems are).  We seem to do a-ok at above 20 degrees... but below that, we have start to have problems. 

 

We'll be heading south as soon as we can.. right now, we're house & dog sitting for Chris' folk while they're enjoying life in Arizona. They get back soon.. then we'll be trying to find somewhere warmer!  Given that Florida is getting snow flurries this week, I can't say that I'm all that anxious to get out of here.  Besides.. this is my first ever snow accumulation experience. :)

 Keep warm all!

 - Cherie 

 

 

We're back in Detroit; the Incorrigible is in my parents' driveway plugged in with furnace and space heater running to keep things above freezing while we stay with relatives.  We may be here for a bit; the last drive across country beat the crap out of our elderly moho and there are repairs to be done (windshield seals have come loose, exterior mirrors damaged by high winds, ongoing electrical issues, there's apparently a Ford fire danger recall on the F53 RV chassis' cruise control, plus we need a brake job!).  Additionally, we're enjoying the time with friends and family.