RV Navigator Episode 51 - From BBQ to Cajun

05/02/10 • -1 min

We have been on the road most of the month, although for us that means staying for a week or so at a time in each campground. After the Texas coastal experience, we headed in land to check out the Texas Hill country near Austin. Spring in this area brings the Bluebonnets to life creating a blue tapestry on the side of the road. This is all courtsey of Lady Bird Johnson. She was a wild flower lover and had the seeds spread along the highways of the the area. The LBJ ranch is in the region so she spend alot of time in the area. It does give a splash of color to the landscape and give towns the excuse to have a festival. We attended the Burnet Bluebonnet festival and enjoyed its small town atmosphere. Even better for me was the discovery of real Texas BBQ for which this area is famous. It was a whole new experience in dining. From Texas we headed to rural Lousiana, 2 hours outside New Orlaens to sample the Cajun specialtiies. Once again we found much to love about the cuisine of the area, but not the hot sauces. Featured were crawfish in season. Tasty to say the least and a special treat for those brought up on beef and mash potatoes. We ended the month at the Biloxi Crawfish festival on the Mississippi coast. This mont was the month of the iPad introduction and I was at an Apple store on April 3rd to get mine. Check out our impression in the podcast. That is not the only technology improvement in our RVing life as we also purchased the SilverLeaf engine monitor system. They sell a small box which interfaces the computer to the diagnostic port found on most modern engines. Once connect all of the engines operating perameters can be displayed on the computer screen while the engine is operating. Our netbook has been pressed into service as the display for the SilverLeaf and it works well. We also talk about many other topics as we get off topic to discuss things not in notes. We always hope that you enjoy our musings about the state of RVing and our world. We appreciate your comments and suggestions both by email ([email protected]) and on our listener comment phone line, 815/230-0772. Also send us your rig photos for inclusion on the "rig photos" page. There are many new rigs represented so send yours in now.

Previous Episode

RV Navigator Episode 50 - A shady story

I toyed with making some lame Aprils fools joke this month, but we did not want to mislead our listeners. We make enough honest mistakes so that intentional ones would not be appreciated. The RVIA reports that February RV shipments to dealers is up 95% over last year, so maybe we can be optimistic about RVing next year. Plus have lots more company in the campgrounds. Our travels have taken us to the Gulf beaches of Texas near Houston. As many of your will remember, just 18 months ago they were hit by a major storm, IKE. We found that the area has recovered remarkably well. Yes, there are signs of storm damage, but most tourist sites are fully operational and welcoming tourists. Aside from the Texas state wide spring break, we found most campgrounds and venues uncrowded. Although we did just see a TV report on South Padre (near our January headquarters in McAllen), which looked like a human zoo during spring break time. It is extended here due to its national popularity. We have been spending a week here, a few days there and generally moseying around the Houston area for most of the month. An interview with MCD products CEO, Dave, gave us a chance to introduce our new cockpit shades. We had a complete set installed at their factory in McKinney TX during the first week of March. Clean water is important to RVers. We are always on the lookout for useful products for clean water. Reverse osmosis is considered to be the best method of purifying water but it is hard to set up in an RV. Not only does it produce lots of waste water, but it needs its own faucet. We found and purchased an interesting product which offer a temporary reverse osmosis system when ever you have campsite water and sewer. Also this month, I polished the headlight lenses on the RV. After years of exposure to the elements, they had become dull. Using my trusty drill and a special kit, I gave them a polish - it was easy. We also talk about many other topics as we get off topic to discuss things not in notes. We always hope that you enjoy our musings about the state of RVing and our world. We appreciate your comments and suggestions both by email ([email protected]) and on our listener comment phone line, 815/230-0772. Also send us your rig photos for inclusion on the "rig photos" page. There are many new rigs represented so send yours in now.

Next Episode

RV Navigator Episode 52 - The Long Way Home

After 4+ months of travel on the road, we headed back North to the Chicago area to visit our stick home. Having traveled about 7 months out of the last year, we wonder if having a home is really worth it. It is, however, nice to be "home" again. The Chicago summers are pleasant and the list of activities is extensive. So we'll be on the home front until mid-August when the wanderlust will catch up with us again. After detouring around Nashville and other flooded point of Tennessee, we made our way north in a leisurely fashion arriving early in May. Topic in this months podcast include an interview with friends who spend extended RVing time in Mexico. Mexico camping is of interest to many full timers and part timers alike so this topic is very relevant. They share first hand experience (having just returned from several months in Mexico) about the dos and don'ts of Mexico camping. Their experienced mirrored our experiences (more limited travel in Mexico) - once you get away from the boarder towns it is a rewarding experience and not that different than camping in the US. It does take some preparation and planning so give this interview a listen if Mexico is on your itinerary anytime soon. We discuss some unusual family issues with retiring parents and the always present list of tech topics that face every RVer. Join us for 45 minute tour of the RV landscape for the month of June. We always hope that you enjoy our musings about the state of RVing and our world. We appreciate your comments and suggestions by email ([email protected]).