RV Life - January 2009

Jane loved the adventure of RVing and being written about in my stories. She died last June in her mid 80s, still living the RV travels vicariously through me and my RV Life columns.

Gaylord Maxwell, founder of Life on Wheels, left this earthly plain in September. It was my privilege to give seminars in that program for ten years. Instructors were constantly uplifted by the excitement of countless students around the country who wanted to know how to live the RV lifestyle. He is missed.

Gone Green

A recent Oprah program on “living green” suggested that you could wrap Christmas packages in the Sunday funnies or wrap them in white paper and paint holiday scenes on them. Hello? I did that 45 years ago when my kids were babies and we had no money! Living green? Who knew! As a full-time RVer, I lived 20 years in roughly 220 square feet, and then settled in a park model with a sunroom in less than 600 square feet. Sometimes we do things right in spite of ourselves!

As always, it was a year of ups and downs as I assume yours was. If you forget that the best things in life are truly free, step outside your rig in the middle of the night and if no one has left an obnoxious outside light on, you will see a magnificent array of incredible stars.

I wish you many free and shiny stars in 2009. God Bless.

■

Autographed copies of RVing Alaska and Canada ($19.95 for the revised 2009 edition, $16.95 for the 2001 edition); Adventures with the Silver Gypsy (14.95); Full-Time RVing: How to Make It Happen ($14.95); In Pursuit of a Dream ($8) and Freedom Unlimited, the Fun and Facts of Full-timing ($9) are available through author Sharlene Minshall, Box 1040, Congress, AZ 85332-1040,www.full- time-rver.com or Amazon.com.

Fire safety expert Mac McCoy, in concert with Nationwide Insurance, has issued a series of fire safety tips for RV owners, pointing out that if a fire breaks out in an RV, owners often have less than 30 seconds to exit the vehicle safely.

To encourage safety, Nationwide Insurance is offering a 5 percent discount to policyholders who install either an engine fire suppression device or LP gas refrigerator suppression device.

McCoy offers these additional recommendations:

• Keep multiple extinguishers on hand for different types of fires and make sure they are functional and contain the proper pressurization.

• Inspect the underside of your motorhome to check for transmission leaks. Fluid can be ignited if it comes in contact with the exhaust system.

• Inspect electrical systems for damaged or frayed wires or loose connections.

• Develop an evacuation plan.

• Keep clothes, linens and other combustibles far from the kitchen, and be aware of the fire hazard that can be created when you cook near paper towels or kitchen curtains.