RV Improvements and Maintenance

Since being here in Houston, we found time to take care of some preventive maintenance on the motor home and make a couple minor modifications:

• Took the motor home to RV Masters for service: oil change and lube; replaced the fuel filter; topped off the differential fluid; and inspected the wheel bearings, emergency brake, and brake system
• Repaired one of the fog lights
• Replaced the water pump
• Replaced the faucet set for the outside shower
• Replaced the Dicor sealant around the TV antenna and refrigerator vent
• Applied Eternabond tape to the roof on each slide, to prevent water intrusion
• Washed and waxed the motor home
• Sealed all exterior windows with 100% Silicone
• Installed illuminated switches for the hot water heater: Blue for LP mode and Amber for Electric mode

And we've added a few gadgets to our collection:

• A Kobalt 120-PSI 120-Volt Horizontal Electric Air Compressor, capable of inflating everything we have, from the Dolphin's 22.5" RV tires to our bike tires. This is a light-weight, inexpensive ($50) piece of equipment that takes up very little space
• A wireless thermo-hygrometer with remote sensor, which we use to monitor the temperature in the water distribution compartment
• A Thermostatically Controlled Outlet, which turns on at 35°F and goes off at 45°F. We use this with the drop light in the water bay, so the light automatically comes on when the temperature gets close to freezing

We're Here! Key West, FL

We drove down from Marathon to Key West this morning, and made our way onto the Navy Base which occupies most of Dredgers Key. We're checked in at the campground and temporarily camping in the Overflow area, awaiting a spot with full hooks-ups. I think it will only be one or two nights before we rotate into a regular campsite.

Every winter, beginning in October and going until around April, hundreds of retired military snowbird RVers make their way to the Naval Air Station Key West Campground. At a cost of only $23 per day in one of the best winter locations in the Lower 48, Key West is the destination of choice for many of us. But it does get crowded.

To ensure everyone gets a fair shot at enjoying the facilities, this campground has a 14-day rotation policy. This means a camper occupies a full hook-up site for 14 days and then rotates out to the Overflow area until space becomes available so they can rotate back in for another 14 days. This early in the winter, campers usually wait in Overflow for only 2-3 nights before a full hook-up site becomes available. In the peak of the winter, January and February, campers can wait in Overflow as long as 30 days.

The Overflow area is a large meadow on the north side of Dredgers Key, overlooking the ocean. It's nice out here and the fact that we don't have any hook-ups is no big deal. We have plenty of fresh water and holding tank space and two generators at our disposal: the on-board Onan, a 7KW generator that uses close to a gallon of gas per hour, and a portable Honda eu2000i generator that can run on a gallon of gas for up to 8 hours. The Honda generator provides enough power for everything except the AC unit. But, we don't need air conditioning as the temperature is around 75F and it's very breezy. Our Honda eu2000i generator is brand new and so I had to get it ready for first time use. She runs like a boss!

After getting settled in, we went over to the full hook-up area and found Fran and John. They've been here for 3 or 4 days and rotated into a full hook-up site yesterday. We have plans to get together with them tomorrow.

Our Dinghy is Ready to Roll!

After considerable research, we confirmed that we would get a Honda CR-V as our "dinghy" or towed car. Even before we did the research, we knew this was what we wanted but it's always good to validate with information. We decided to focus on finding a 2005 model but, as it turns out, we bought a 2003.

We found this car at a local Knoxville dealer and only went to look at it because we were bored. But the car was in such great shape we decided to buy it!

The next step was to get the car configured to be towed - that is, install a base plate and wiring for independent lighting (brake lights, etc. powered by the motor home instead of the car battery). We decided to use an authorized Blue Ox dealer to take care of this for us. We ended up going to 1-Stop Automotive in Crossville, TN - the owner gave us a very competitive price on all the towing equipment (baseplate, wiring kit, towbar, cables, etc) and the installation. They did a great job!

We also needed a braking system for the car. Well, that was checked off the list when some friends of ours, out of the blue, gave us their gently used Brake Buddy Vantage Select system. What a generous gift!

Our New Home: 2004 National Dolphin LX

We picked up our new-to-us 2004 National RV Dolphin LX motor home yesterday!

This is a Class A-type RV that offers a very comfortable living space - complete with all the comforts of home: air conditioning, heating, hot water, 2-door fridge with freezers and icemaker, 3-burner stove top, convection oven/microwave combination unit, double sink, ceramic tile, Corian counter tops, entertainment system, etc. This motor home also has two slide-outs - one in the lounge/living area and one in bedroom.

Over the next two weeks, we'll be moving stuff into the RV and doing minor things to make her ours. Click here for more information about our new home.