Some Cool Stuff for RVing

Sarasota, FL             High:  88    Low:  71

One of the things Sparky has missed while traveling full time in an RV is gardening---growing her own vegetables and flowers. Other than carting around a bunch of pots with messy dirt, how do you garden in an RV? Wouldn't you know, somebody has thought of this specialty niche! This is from Mike Wendland's blog/website, Roadtreking.com

New store helps RVers grow gardens on the road

Here's a cool new business startup of interest to RVers: One thing many RVers miss on the road is growing their own vegetables and herbs. A new business called RV Sprouts has opened that features home gardening supplies, seed starting supplies, and vegetable seeds and plants that are perfect for RV users. The store's annual flowers, herb seeds, cottage flowers and fruit plants are perfect for starting a robust garden on the road or at home. Check it out!     http://www.rvsprouts.com Sparky might just decide to start growing vegetables! (Vegetables? What are those? laughs E., who is severely deficient in those lately.) Sparky is not very good about getting the daily fruit and veggie requirements in for the both of us. Shame, shame! She knows..... Are you looking for gifts for an RVer? Pinterest has just the board for you. What is Pinterest? It's a pinboard style photo sharing website. It's a visual smorgasboard of digitally pinned photos, videos, etc., sort of like a collection of digital bulletin boards that ordinary people have compiled. It's addicting! Some of these ideas are a little sketchy and maybe not as useful as we full timers think. A remote controlled rolling beverage cooler? C'mon...seriously????  A magnetic knife board that looks like wood? That doesn't seem like a good idea to have your knives out on display hanging magnetically while traveling down the highway. The Pinterest board is still a fun to look at and Sparky loves looking at Pinterest anyway. It's like eye candy. Sparky is SO easily captivated by bright colorful photos...Sparky likes the LED flashlight on this cool gifts for RVers board.  http://pinterest.com/rentzio/cool-gifts-for-rv-ers/ Here's a link to Sparky's Pinterest page in case you are interested in another example of what Pinterest is like. How about a grill that fits in your pocket? A stainless steel portable camp grill that weighs just over a pound, is dishwasher safe and folds up. It's only 49.99 and can be found here: http://pocketgrill.com/buy-now. Shipping is FREE! Are you bored today? You shouldn't be if you are full timing! There's WA-A-A-Y too much to see and do out there on the road! We've been in the same spot for 5 1/2 months, so we thought we'd throw out a little RV trivia quiz for you, courtesy of Island RV Guide.... RV Trivia Challenge Are you an RV Guru, a fairly well informed RV enthusiast, or are you an “RV For Dummies” candidate?  Check it out and let’s hear how you score. 1) When changing lanes you use your directional signal.  The signal should be canceled when… A) When you are completely in the new lane. B) When you are at least half way into the new lane. C) As soon as you start crossing into the new lane. 2) When descending a steep long grade and slowing is needed, the service brakes should be… A) Not needed B) Applied lightly during the descent C) Applied hard and released as needed 3) The coolant in a large diesel engine is…. A) Polypropylene antifreeze. B) Special antifreeze made for sleeved diesel engines. C) Is the same glycol that is used in all engines. 4) What is an ICC switch for? A) To switch daytime running lights on and off. B) To signal other traffic. C) To verify your headlights are not on high. 5) What is meant if a front axle is referred to as having “Wet hubs”? A) A seal failure has occurred in the front hubs. B) Water has seeped into the front axle housing. C) The hubs are oil bath type. D) The bearing grease has turned to a liquid state. 6) At what pressure do you maintain your RV tires at? A) Using the weight of the vehicle and based on the tire makers specifications. B) At the pressure shown on the sidewall of every tire sold. C) At whatever the tire manufacturer specified maximum pressure is. 7) If your transmission temperature gets too high, what’s the best way to cool it. A) Stop, and speed up the engine while in neutral. B) Shift into the highest gear you can to slow the pinion speed. C) Stop then Shut off the engine. 8) What is the correct hitch weight for a trailer that is 3500 lbs. gross weight? A) 350 lbs. B) 100 lbs. C) Between 500 and 750 lbs. D) Hitch weight has no bearing on trailer weight. 9) When turning left at an intersection that has two left turn lanes, which lane should you use for your over-average vehicle length? A) The inner, far left lane. B) The outer far right lane. C) Either will work. 10) What was the unique feature of the older 6-71, 6-92, 8V-71, 8V-92, and like Detroit Diesel engines? A) They would run on gas or diesel fuel. B) They were a two stroke engines. C) They were made by Cummins. D) All of the above. 11) What is a turbo waste gate? A) A fast dumping black tank valve that uses a garden sized dump hose. B) It acts as a boost regulator on a turbo charger. C) It catches unburned fuel and recycles it through the engine. D) A new high speed trash compactor available in highline coaches. 12) What does the term “common rail” refer to? A) Fuel injection manifold. B) Chassis main frame rails. C) A cheap way to ship parts. D) An assistant handle located at the door of a coach. 13) What is the most popular sized inverter used in “A” coaches today? A) 7 to 10 kw B) 100 to 300 watts C) 2 to 3 kw D) 4000 to 6000 watts 14) Generally RV class size from larger to smaller is….. A) C, B, A. B) A.B.C. C) A.C.B. D) B.A.C. 15) A 30 amp campground power outlet delivers 30 amps @ 120 VAC.  What does a full 50 amp output? A) 60 amps @ 120 VAC B) 50 amps @ 240 VAC C) 50 amps @ 120 VAC 16) What is the best voltage to set an AGS (Auto Gen Start) at? A) 12.3 volts B) 11.5 volts C) 12.5 volts D) 13.0 volts E) 10.5 volts So, how did you do? Check the answers below. 1) A - When you are completely in the new lane. 2) C - Applied hard and released as needed 3) B - Special antifreeze made for sleeved diesel engines. 4) B - To signal other traffic. 5) C - The hubs are oil bath type. 6) A - Using the weight of the vehicle and based on the tire makers specifications. 7) A - Speed up the engine while in neutral. 8) A - 350 lbs. 9) B - The outer far right lane. 10) B - They were a two stroke engines. 11) B - It acts as a boost regulator on a turbo charger. 12) A - Fuel injection manifold. 13) C - 2 to 3 kw 14) C - A.C.B  15) B - 50 amps @ 240 VAC 16) B - 11.5 volts Here’s your rating based on your score. 16 - Super RV Guru 14 - Well informed RV enthusiast 12 - Pretty smart 10 - Probably about average 8 - Below average RV knowledge 6 - Possible candidate for “RV For Dummies” Under 6 - Good Night Nurse!  Better give the keys to someone else. Today was really hot....89 degrees...whewee! So we went looking at STUFF indoors...window shopping for nothing in particular...dreaming big about finding a house someday in Sarasota. After we looked around for awhile, we were hungry. (Correction: SPARKY was hungry, clarifies E.) Sparky decided she wanted to try a restaurant/dive bar in Siesta Key called Captain Curt's Crab and Oyster Bar. It's not modern, but it's cozy, family oriented, the food is reasonably priced, AND they have an award winning chowder. This restaurant won first place in the 2012 Best Chowder Award at the International Chowder Championships in Newport, Rhode Island. The chowder festival has been featured on the Food Network and the CBS Morning Show. So Sparky and Eldo had some of Captain Curt's award winning chowder and it was DELICIOUS! The day passed by quickly, and tomorrow it's going to be hot, hot, hot again...We'll see what Eldo has in mind...Stay tuned......