RVs Sharing The Road With Truckers

RVers and Truckers share something in common besides the road. We both have control of large and heavy vehicles which require more forethought when maneuvering through traffic. Today's smart and safe RV tip is to merge into the center or left lane when approaching a truck weigh station. The next time you come to one of these commercial transport weigh stations you'll notice the truckers who don't pull off moving into the center or far left lane. They do this because they know chances are high a truck will be emerging from the re-entry ramp on the other side of the weigh station as they pass by. They are too large and heavy to accelerate or brake quickly and if another vehicle is in the left lane preventing them from moving over it could create a problem. So to avoid all this, they simply move over well before they get to the weigh station re-entry ramp. RVers should follow suit and practice this same safety procedure. Driving with at least one eye on the road - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing

Galveston, Oh Galveston, I Still See My RV Dashing...

Thousands of people flocked to the beaches of Galveston, Texas enjoying the surf and sun as we drove RV-1 down the strip. Bathing suits, kites, surf boards, fishing poles, motorcycles, bicycles, ice cream, baby strollers, walkers, gawkers and body art are now imprinted on my brain under the file heading “Galveston”. The Glenn Campbell song kept encroaching gently on my mind as we followed the ebb and flow of traffic across this spit of sand in the Gulf of Mexico. The loud music blaring from an open air biker bar helped shake the melody out of my brain long enough to get my bearings as we headed for the Ferry terminal. Once at the terminal we underwent a security inspection and were asked to turn off our propane tank. The Texas Ferry system is free and enjoyable. Folks get out of their cars to take advantage of the 15 minute ride across the channel to Bolivar Peninsula. Our 40 foot RV scrapped the ramp as we loaded, but other than that the trip was uneventful. I grabbed a soda from the icebox, made a snack and headed out to take some pictures and enjoy the day. We ended up at a nice campground with full hook-ups and a front row seat to a very nice sunset. And as I watched the sun retire I heard somewhere on the backroads of my mind...

“I still see her standing by the water
Standing there lookin' out to sea
And is she waiting there for me?
On the beach where we used to run...
At Galveston, at Galveston”

Traveling across America on land and sea - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing

True Confessions of an RVer and Fisherman

Many RVers like to fish and some of the greatest fishing spots also boast great RVing. The last two weeks I've been fishing off several piers in Corpus Christi, Texas. I caught a small hammerhead shark, several gaff top (they look like blue catfish), who knows how many perch, an eel, several sand trout and two speckled sea trout. I threw them all back except one of the sea trout which I brought home and turned into fish tacos. My Texas out of state license cost $60 bucks, throw in another $40 bucks for bait and tackle and this fish taco cost me $100 bucks. I could have eaten lobster tacos all week for that! Since sport fishing really doesn't pay for itself why do it? To be honest I'm not sure why I do it other than I enjoy it. Why do people fork out money for all kinds of hobbies that don't pay for themselves? I've thought about giving up fishing and taking up golf, but after seeing how much it costs to play I think I'll stick with fishing. Working all the angles - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing

RVer Discovers Aluminum Foil Trick

My good friend and full time RVer Joyce McClain told me about how to more effectively deploy aluminum foil. I did a quick survey at the market today asking ladies if they knew about this secret and not one single lady knew about this. Perhaps you are one of the rare enlightened ones who already knows this secret.For years I've been dropping the roll out of the box while trying to extract the correct length. I've always thought this was frustrating but never thought to look at the end of the box. Sure enough, there is a perforated tab at the end of the box that will hold the roll in place as you reel out the foil. Just push this tab into the box on each end and it will prevent the roll from escaping the box. Now you can get the exact amount you need the first time. Many other brands also have this device including clear plastic wrap. Thank you Joy for this helpful tip. Giving you more control in your RV galley - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing