Relaxrv Podcast

Season 2 Episode 59 Released 11/30/20So we finally got our rig registered. It had been sitting for weeks so the first thing we wanted to do was to make it look nice and pretty.We went to Blue Beacon Truck Wash in Montgomery New york.We paid almost $50 by the time they were done it was dark out so we drove home.Next day went out to look at the rig and WOW there were areas on the rigged where the gloss and shine has been stripped off it looked chalky and dull.We went back to Blue Beacon.Show the manager. He submitted it to corporate.We decided we would hire an attorney to sue them. Our friend Scott suggested instead to go through the insurance for the damage repair.They sent an adjuster over to look at the rig and he said all that needed to be done was to Buff it back to a shineHe said the paint was faded. I explained to him that prior to the car wash the paint was not faded at all and looked great just dirty.We got two estimates each one was just over $5,000. they said that the finish needed to be compounded.

Season 2 Episode 58 11/13/20Picked up the rig and drove to a campground about an hr away. On the way, I noted the gas gauge was at less than a quarter tank and there was no water in the fresh water tank not a fresh water hose.The turn signal cameras and the radio weren't working. AND there was no heat coming from the dash.We spent the 1st day getting gas, buying a 7pin to 4pin adapter for the toad, fixing the cameras and radio which was checking all the 12v fuses and finally resetting the radio with a paperclip.Then we visited the Yankee Candle store in Deerfield Ma. Wow spent an hour. Then had dinner GiannaFig also in Deerfield. We walked around town a met a local guy and his wife and chit chatted for a good half hr. We went back to the campground and got the tow bar installed on the rig.The next day we headed home and worked on a bunch of small fixes. Lubricated the slide, awning, front sliding windows, basement and front door locks, and engine lid. It seemed like none of these things were maintained a

You see we are now on season 2, this because we are now on RV #2. We decided to sell our rig and buy a newer one. The episodes numbers will continue the same sequence so this is episode 57, can you believe it??We placed our ad on RV trader and cost $250. It was sold in 1 month. I've always heard how much RVs depreciate. When we sold this one we got back our purchase price plus the cost for all of the solar and the cost for the two ceiling vent fans etc. I think the big thing is stay on top of the problems as they arise with the ring then when you're ready to sell you don't have a list of things to fix.Prior to selling it we got it detailed from National Detail Pros in Draper Utah, for almost $700. . They have contracts with local detailers and they sent a mobile guy to us here in New York. However there were a couple of issues with his service. He said he would be here for most of a day. It took him almost 2 days and he missed some areas. When I contacted the company they basically ignored my complaints.

So my back ache started in January. Turns out it's mainly arthritis with very minor bulging discs. So thinking back to when the pain had started and I think it was from being too inactive. We had started our 2019 southeast trip and it was cold, so we weren't very active and so I was sitting a lot more than I typically do. I do believe that's what caused the flare. I had been in PT for 6 weeks and it's feeling much better now.So we decided to hit the road for a little bit. We drove out to Pennsylvania and we stayed at Starr Hill winery which is part of harvest hosts. When we went in, there were no other customers. We did a free tasting. Bought a bottle of their wine. Their Wines were very good and not expensive at all. And then headed over to town to take a walk on the river. But the pouring rain came in and that ended that. We went back to the winery and we took a walk for about an hour through the back country roads. For a harvest host location this winery is very unique and had 50-amp hook-ups albeit th

We visited Trishs' daughter and grandson in south Jersey. Then visited with with a friend in PA. Then went up to the Finger Lakes NY for a few days. We installed a Easy Start in the roof air conditioner and can now run the A/C off of the inverter.

Episode 54 6/6/20Here in New York restaurants are still closed downwe are hoping to travel at some point this summer but we are no rush to get somewhere where everything is closed. Our restaurants are just starting to open and they're packed with people. We're trying to use our best judgment in avoiding large crowds but still trying to enjoy ourselves.We go on hikes but we pick places that are not popular heights. We live a little over 1 hour from the George Washington bridge so we get a lot of folks from the city in this area who won who enjoy the hiking also. We've done a pretty good job avoiding crowds on the trails. We've also taken our kayak and thrown it in local Marsh and reservoir without issue.Now if you remember or towards the middle to latter part of our last trip to the southeast I was complaining of back pain and I thought it was from sitting too much and the bad couch and it turns out I have two bulged discs. When we returned home we started cutting a lot of firewood and my left elbow started h

Stayed in (and liked) Billings Montana then off to White Sulphur Springs and it was cold, sleeting and snowy and this was in August 2018 !!!!!!  Remember you are in the Rockies. We wanted to get out the cold and figured a glass of red wine would help so we looked and found 2 bars, "The Lane" and "The Sockman". We figured Stockman sounded more like Montana so we went in a met a couple of locals (transplants from PA). We sat, talked, laughed, and made life longs friends with Kevin and Dee. We find that even with the stresses, RVing is fun and fantastic !

We visited the Mall of America (the largest mall in the US) then stayed in Wisconsin, nice.  We visited the Badlands National Park in South Dakota where Trish developed Heat Exhaustion !!!! It was over 100 degrees when we did an easy (for us) 4 mile hike.  Then off to Montana (big sky country) and the Purple Mountains Majesty. 

We ripped the topper on the slide Ugh.  Batteries still dying too fast because of the Battery Control Center and it looks like the generator will be dead till its fixed. But we are seeing lots of things and places.

We started our 1 year long road trip on July 8th 2018, but befoe we left I fried our battery cutoff switch and blew the solenoid behind the BCC (battery control center) which killed our camera system on the rig (back up and side view) and is killing the house batteries faster than normal.And if that ain't enough stress, our generator died in 90 degree weather.  So with the hot weather we are staying in more campgrounds than we expected and thus spending more money than we expected.The stress continues.

After weeks of working on the solar we finally get it installed, but we still need to wire the inverter to the rig.  All that while heading into the final weeks of my career as a RN. All of this is new to me, RVing, solar, retirement, podcast production etc. So, be patient I will continue to tweak this podcast. Paul, remember to breathe .....

I am preparing to retire and installing 800 watts of solar on the roof, a charge controller, 300 amp of batteries, and a 3000 watt sine wave inverter.  Whew ... talk about STRESS !!!  So, I then talk about stress management tools.

Released 5/13/20Podcast moved to Podbean. Then moved back to Spreaker. A tad more money but SO WORTH IT. You can still access it anywhere. 2 different battery monitors Bayite DC 6.5-100V 0-100AVery accurate. No State of Charge (SOC). No indicator that showered level of charge. Cost was $16I then bought the Victron Energy Battery Monitor, BMV-7002 wires just plug in. SOC and battery level indicator. No bluetooth at this level but love it. $145Then after I installed the battery monitor, we noticed sometimes the batteries were fully charged and other times they were not. At first I thought it was a solar charger that was the culprit. But then I talked to Scott and George Frey and they both said no it's the onboard battery charger converter. So I ordered a new one from Amazon and its supposed to be delivered today, we shall see. When i install it I will put together a video on the install. you can check out my videos on YouTube relax RV.We will be heading to our friends Scott and Amy's in Pennsylvania so Sco

Episode 52  - Released  4/4/20These are strange and trying times.It seems that people who are "not essential" are experiencing new stressors at this time of change...lack of income..frustrations of try to negotiate super inundated systems like unemployment..kids and adults are stressed with isolation from their friends..adults are dealing with working at home OR being an essential employee..hard to get comfortable with the uncertainty of when their lives will go back to the routine they are comfortable with..try to keep needed supplies in the household"Essential " people may be feeling overwhelmed because of being overworked or fearful because of possible exposure to the virus.Either way These ARE trying times.Signs and symptoms of stress overload:Anxiety or panic attacks, A feeling of being constantly pressured, hassled and hurried, Irritability and moodiness, Stomach problems, headaches, or even chest pain, Allergic reactions, such as eczema, Acne  or asthma, Problems sleeping too much or too little, Over o

Take 7 Minutes to Relax I recorded this many years ago, I hope it helps you to relax. Do NOT listen to it while driving or operating heavy equipment. Find a safe comfortable location. Use headphones or earbuds if available. 

Progressive Relaxation  I recorded this many years ago, I hope it helps you to relax. Do NOT listen to it while driving or operating heavy equipment. Find a safe comfortable location. Use headphones or earbuds if available. 

An Introduction to Stress I recorded this many years ago, I hope it helps you to relax. Do NOT listen to it while driving or operating heavy equipment. Find a safe comfortable location. Use headphones or earbuds if available. 

Episode 48 - Released 3/26/20We visited Centralia Pa on our way to Bloomsburg Pennsylvania.  Centralia is a town had an iron field under it and had caught in fire many years ago.  We then arrived at our Boondockers Welcome host site, and met our hosts Scott and Amy.. They invited us to join them for dinner the next night we said absolutely and we would bring wine and dessert. We looked online and found Dalos bakery in Berwick, Pennsylvania.The next morning Scott reached out and asked if our generator was working. Scott came out and after some finagling he noticed a wire dangling behind the carburetor. We spliced them together and voila it started and runs without a hitch.  The next day we got all packed up then our goodbyes lasted another hour. It's nice when we leave a place knowing you have new friends.  We already have plans to get together with them.We drove 2 hours home along the way we dumped and filled up with gas. We tend to fill up on every leg of our trip. Which means we have about 20 gallons to fil

We visited Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium. The next stop was in Hardy Va. We stayed at a BDW and visited the Booker T Washington National Monument. We then stayed at Devault Vineyard a part of Harvest Hosts. We then took a ride over to Lynchburg Virginia. We stopped in at a restaurant called Bootleggers. The next morning and drove to Gordonsville Virginia and stayed at Honah Lee Winery. We hooked up to 30 amp and had a water hookup which is totally atypical of a harvest host.     The next day we drove to Messicks Farm in Bealeton Va. Which is another HH. Tuesday 3/17 we packed up and drove to a BDW in Keymar Md.We were pleasantly surprised when we met out host that we had met them at boondockers welcome site in Defuniak Springs Florida. We drove over to the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in Emetsburg Md which is beautiful and peaceful. The next day we went hiking in Catactin Mountain Park we visited a rock formation called the chimney rock then we headed over to Cunningham Falls and took

On 3/10/20 this podcast celebrated it's 2 year anniversary.Our Boondockers Welcome hosts in Brooks Georgia invited us in for ice cream. We sat with them for over an hour having a really nice conversation about a lot of different things. Then I met my buddy Rob at Nic & Norman's in Senoia. This is the town where Walking Dead was filmed.The next day we drove to The Cottage Vineyard and Winery which are Harvest Hosts. After setting up we drove over to Helen Georgia. We were pleasantly surprised by it. We liked it better than Frankenmuth Michigan.  You can park for free at the Unicoi Hill Park or in the City of Helen parking lot on the other end of town. Otherwise it's $5 to park (March 2020). We ate at the Heidelberg restaurant which had really good heavy German food. We had nice conversations with some of the shop owners.That evening we got back to the rig Trish suggested starting up the generator you hadn't started it in a while. It started right up and ran for about 10 minutes and then it died. It's not s