Regardless of the type of RV you have, you need to get in the habit of making these pre-trip checks every time you use your RV and not just at the beginning of the season. Taking a few minutes to complete these simple checks before leaving home can save you time and money on unnecessary repairs to your RV.

OUTSIDE OF YOUR RV:

- Check and adjust the air pressure in all tires. Always check the tires when they are cold, before traveling more than one mile.

- Check the lug nuts on the wheels. Discoloration and stains around lug nuts indicate they may be loose.

- Make sure all items in the storage compartments are secure. Lock all outside compartments.

- Check the bike rack and bikes for secure mounting, if applicable.

- Make sure the power cord, water hose and the sewer hose are disconnected and properly stowed.

- Make sure all slide-outs are stowed and slide-out travel locks are securely in place.

- Make sure the TV antenna and/or satellite are down and stowed in the proper position for traveling.

- Check the awning. Make sure that it is securely retracted and all travel locks and knobs are tight and locked.

- Raise all stabilizer jacks or hydraulic leveling jacks.

- Look under the RV for any indications of leaks (motorized) or anything out of the ordinary.

- Stow or retract the steps.

- Fill the fresh water holding tank with enough potable water to get to your destination.

- Check and secure the cap on the sewer outlet.

- Turn all LP gas appliances off and turn the gas supply off at the tank or bottles.

- Double check all hitch work on towable RVs and on vehicles being towed behind motor homes.

- Check all fluid levels for motorized RVs and tow vehicles.

- Remove and store wheel chocks and any type of leveling blocks.

- Check all running lights, turn signals, brake lights and headlights on the RV and tow vehicle.

- Check for an up-to-date inspection or emission sticker and license plates.

- Check trailer brakes for proper operation.

- Make one final walk around the outside of the RV and check for anything you may have overlooked. You might be surprised what you missed the first time around.

INSIDE OF YOUR RV:

• Walk through the entire RV and secure all loose items that could move, fall or get damaged while traveling.

• Turn off all appliances, gas and electric. Turn off all pilot lights.

• Close all roof vents.

• Close all doors, drawers and cabinets.

• Check for anything in the refrigerator that could spill. Lock the refrigerator and freezer doors.

• Turn off the 12-volt water pump.

• Close the range top cover.

• Turn off all 12-volt lights and accessories that could drain the auxiliary battery. Don’t forget the TV antenna
   booster.

• Close the windows and secure blinds.

• Secure any items like TVs and computers that might move or fall while traveling.

• All weight in the RV should be distributed evenly. Adjust your mirrors and seat and hit the road.

This pre-trip checklist does not cover everything, but it’s a good start. You can add to this list and tailor it to your specific type of RV. The most important thing to remember is to use this checklist every time you use your RV. It’s easy to forget something without a reminder!

This is an excerpt from my Checklists for RVers E-Book available at www.rveducation101.com

Steps

May Day is a time to celebrate the onset of May, the month that sees the Earth reaching
itself ready to burgeon to its maximum capacity. Since the ancient days in England there prevailed a custom of "bringing in the May" on MayDay. This was why people would go to the woods in the early dawn. There they picked flowers and lopped off tender branches to bring them in and decorate the houses.

May Day and flowers:
It has always been strongly associated with flowers. Partly may be because of their availability in abundance. But that is not all. There are other reasons as well. For instance, the May Garland and beggar girls.

Making garland is one of those ancient May Day customs that has survived still today. May garlands, is meant for the coming of summer. May garlands were also used while begging by the kids from door to door. At other times of the year begging would have been an offence. But if it was done at May time with a garland. This is why groups of small girls, crowned with leaves and flowers, went from door to door singing and begging.

Maypole dance:
On the first day of May, English villagers woke up at daybreak to roam the countryside gathering blossoming flowers and branches. A towering maypole was set up on the village green. This pole, usually made of the trunk of a tall birch tree, was decorated with bright field flowers. The villagers then danced and sang around the maypole, accompanied by a piper.

May Queen:
Also part of the celebration was the crowning of a May Queen. When the sun rose, the maypole was decked with leaves, flowers and ribbons while dancing and singing went on around it. The Queen was chosen from the pretty girls of the village to reign over the May Day festivities. Crowned on a flower-covered throne, she was drawn in a decorated cart by young men or her maids of honor to the village green. She would be crowned there right on the green spot. She was set in an arbor of flowers and often the dancing was performed around her, rather than around the Maypole.

Morris Dance:
Another colorful feature of the this celebration was the energetic Morris dance. Groups of men dance together in costumes of traditional characters, often animal-men, in ceremonial folk dances. The central figure of the dances, usually an animal-man, varies considerably in importance. The name Morris is also associated with the horn dance held each year at Abbots Bromley, Staffordshire, England. This dance-procession includes six animal-men bearing deer antlers, three white and three black sets; a man-woman, or Maid Marian, and a fool.  

These dances are still performed in England. And also survive in various parts of Europe, Asia, and, America. One such comparable surviving animal custom is the May Day procession of a man-horse, notably at Padstow, Cornwall. There, the central figure, "Oss Oss," is a witch doctor disguised as a horse and wearing a medicine mask. The dancers are attendants who sing the May Day song, beat drums, and in turn act the horse or dance in attendance. The name Morris is also associated with groups of mummers who act, rather than dance, the death-and-survival rite at the turn of the year.

Throughout history, the Morris seems to have been common. It was imported from village festivities into popular entertainment after theinvention of the court masque by Henry VIII. The word Morris apparently derived from "morisco," meaning "Moorish." Cecil Sharp, whose collecting of Morris dances preserved many from extinction, suggested that it might have arisen from the dancers' blacking their faces as part of the necessary ritual disguise. The name Morris dance is sometimes loosely applied to sword dances in which a group of men weave their swords into intricate patterns.

Facewashing in May Dew:
Washing the face with May dew was yet another custom. There was a belief among the women in Great Britain and other parts of Europe those days that May Day dew has the power to restore beauty. This why in the Ozark Mountains, a cradle of American folklore, girls used to nurture a belief that having their faces washed with the early dawn dews on the May Day would help to be married to the man of her choice.

Courtesy of theholidayspot.com

It's not unusual for retired people to live the recreational vehicle lifestyle, but Jason and Nikki Wynn are both just 30 years old, less than half the age of most RV full timers.

"When we roll into an RV park, we definitely stand out. We walk down the road and people see us and they're like, 'Hey look, youth!' " Jason laughs.

Jason is a photographer and Nikki, a make-up artist.

With their first camper, an old Volkswagen van, they came to love the camping lifestyle so much that eventually, they chucked their former lives and replaced their home in Dallas for one on wheels. They've been on the road for the past year.

"We do not have a home base," said Nikki Wynn. "This is it. It is our home on the road. Everything we have fits in 32 feet."

"We want to go somewhere where we can be outside, we can enjoy the mountains, enjoy the beach and that sort of thing," said Jason.

The Wynns are managing to find ways to make money by writing articles for publications and shooting photographs or videos for RV parks around the country.

With Internet connections and smart phones, the Wynns say there are many ways for people today to make a living on the road.

"We get really creative and it's not one thing we do that makes us money, it's just reaching out and finding a need and fulfilling that," Nikki Wynn said.

Adjusting their lives from a 4,000 square foot house down to a 32-foot motor home seemed impossible for the Wynns at first, but they did it and now they have advice for others who may be thinking about downsizing their lives.

"We have a rule of three, which is if you haven't used it in three months, toss it," said Nikki. "Of course, if it's a seasonal item, if you haven't used it in the past year, it's time to get rid of it."

The Wynn's adventures in RVing have been featured on HGTV, they're working on a TV show for the CW network and they have their own website, "Gone with the Wynns".

But all that may be just the start.

"The open road just provides so many opportunities," Jason said.

The Wynns spent last year on the West Coast. This year, they're making their way up the East Coast. Jason Wynn said their original goal was to spend two years on the road before settling down. Now, they think it may be more like four years.

Article taken from WDPE News Channel 15

Just to let you know - we have one left of this exact motorhome!  2011 HR Trip

The reasons you go RVing are the same reasons you take any vacation!

     To get a break from the daily routine
     To be with family and friends
     To rest
     To relax
     To see new places
     To try new things 

But the difference between RVing and other types of vacations is that RVing allows you to truly achieve all those goals - and more!  RV owners cite escaping the routine of the everyday world, enjoying nature resting, relaxing and recharging their batteries as the main reasons for taking RV trips.  

It's Fun...and Affordable.  Owning an RV makes economic sense.  You are able to travel while spending significantly less.  You have unlimited flexibility, even on a limited budget.  Many RV models allow a family of four to save up to 59% on vacation costs over other forms of travel. That's a calculation that takes into account RV ownership costs, including payments, insurance, maintenance, tires, tax breaks, registration and depreciation.

No Pet Left Behind!  Unlike most family vacations where the four-legged members get left behind, RVers can take everyone with them for a true family vacation while saving pets and owners from boarding stress and expense.  It's estimated that 48% of the nation's eight million RV owners travel with their pets, with dogs topping the list. Family pets are widely welcomed at campgrounds, but be sure to confirm prior to check-in and see if any specific rules exist.

And last but not least, you will find that all RVers are friendly and always willing to help!

Parts of this blog were taken from the GO RVing website.  Be sure to check it out - there's lots of great inforation three!