Thursday, August 13, 2020

RVing (or NOT) in the age of Coronavirus

I had planned on taking my RV up the Pacific coast this year, but Covid-19 has squashed all desire to get out and deal with unfamiliar places. With so much of the country shut down, including many state and national parks and campgrounds as well as private RV parks, it just seemed like too much effort to try to find a safe and enjoyable way to travel and sight see this year. 

So Minnie has been sitting in my side yard since last October, and there she will stay until this pandemic subsides. I even let the license expire and reduced the insurance coverage to bare minimum, just to cover anything that my homeowners policy would not.

Every month on the first day, I get an iPhone reminder to check my generator and battery. I go out and start up the gennie and the engine. While those run, I check the batteries and add water if necessary. Then I roll Minnie forward or backward a few feet to change the position of the tires. They only have a couple thousand miles on them and I don't want them getting flat spots. Luckily, my side yard is well shaded throughout the day, so they don't get much direct sun, which could dry them out and damage them. The last thing I do is run some water into the black tank. All my tanks are nearly empty, but adding a couple gallons of water to the black tank each month keeps it from smelling. After tending to Minnie, I take my Fit out for a 4-5 mile drive around the block and put it back in the garage. I keep battery tenders on Minnie's batteries so they don't go dead. Last year Dale installed a battery disconnect switch on my Fit, so I just turn that one off. These steps keep my whole RV rig in shape while in storage.

I'm hoping that I can get back to my plan of making a trip up the coast early next year. I've been reading some blogs of other RVers and mentally bookmarking several campgrounds and places of interest that I want to visit.

I had to put that sign on it to stop people from interrupting my nap 
by ringing my doorbell and asking about it. :)

2 comments:

  1. This pandemic has really changed our lives. You have had to put plans on hold for an RV trip, Daryl has had to cancel a cruise, and R&D have had to be careful to stay isolated as much as they can. My lifestyle has probably changed the least.

    I thought when you dropped the registration on a vehicle, you had to back-pay all the months it was lapsed? They made me pay lapsed months on my car I bought. Maybe it’s different with an RV.

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    1. Yes, I guess I should actually check into that, or I might have a big bill when I try to renew! Thanks for the heads up.

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