Upstanding citizen
 

On 6/13/14, 11:47 AM, wrote:
On Fri, 13 Jun 2014 06:36:15 -0400, F*O*A*D wrote:

Camping out was a lot of fun when I was a Cub Scout and Boy Scout, and
it was ok when we started going out to the Shenandoah, but there's a
nice building out on the lot now, with a wood pellet stove for heat when
we need it, a Honda genny, and bunk beds. We still cook outdoors, for
the most part, unless it is raining.

When I was a kid we used to camp with the neighbors in the Blue Ridge.
That was real camping
I have camped in the Keys for mini season but I usually just slept in
my truck. (snaking out a 100' cord to the adjoining "powered" site
where my buddies were for my fan.)

Once I introduced the idea of just renting a house, we stopped
camping. In the end it wasn't even that much more expensive.
The one we found had canal frontage enough for 3 boats, 4 bedrooms and
a commercial ice machine. (Big Pine Key)


I see the attraction in heading out to a forest and spending a couple of
nights in a tent and cooking meals over a campfire, et cetera. Towing a
mobile motel room and parking in an RV compound is not something we'd
enjoy.

I got to do "mini season" twice. It was great fun and we took home a
cooler full of Florida lobsters.

--
If right-wing assholes could fly,
rec.boats would be an airport!

Upstanding citizen
 

On Fri, 13 Jun 2014 07:58:24 -0400, H*a*r*r*o*l*d wrote:

On 6/13/2014 7:48 AM, Poquito Loco wrote:
On Fri, 13 Jun 2014 00:46:03 -0500, Califbill wrote:

F*O*A*D wrote:
On 6/12/14, 3:44 PM, Califbill wrote:
F*O*A*D wrote:
On 6/12/14, 12:16 PM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 6/12/2014 12:09 PM, wrote:
On Thu, 12 Jun 2014 11:38:06 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 6/12/2014 11:07 AM, wrote:

I am surprised they don't have the antenna connected to the leveling
foot circuit. Pick up the feet and the antenna goes down.



Most of them are manual ... hand cranked.

It sounds like the opportunity to sell another $300 accessory to the
RV crowd. (a motor on that crank)

One broken antenna would pay for it.

I still wonder how many trips a year you would have to take to
amortize the costs of an RV..
My neighbor figured out it would be cheaper to fly 1st class, rent a
nice car and stay in a good hotel for the 3-4 weeks he actually used
it in a year. (based on what he paid to buy, store, maintain and drive
his diesel pusher).
I think he paid close to $180k for it and had to work hard to find a
buyer at $90k 5-6 years later. That alone amortizes out at over $500 a
day if he used it 4 weeks a year. It seemed to be a black hole he
threw money in when he had it. He said it was worse than his boat,



I don't think people who are into the RV thing try to justify it from a
financial point of view. They simply enjoy traveling around, seeing
new places, meeting people, all at a pace that they can define.

I never got into the "camping" thing but I'll admit that the few times
we tried it, we had some fun. An RV is a giant step up in terms of
comfort from a tent and sleeping bags.



Ahh, but a tent and a sleeping bag is "camping." A big RV is nothing more
than a towable or driveable motel room.


Actually for long tours is much better than tents and motel rooms. In the
late 1980's I had a sabbatical and took 7 weeks to tour the US with two
teenagers and the wife. Did not have to worry about finding a motel room
where we wanted to stop, ate healthier, and when traveling, the kids could
do hobbies, etc at a table. Cost was probably comparable to motels. I
have a truck camper, but tow my boat to some remote lakes and rivers. I
think a 40' diesel pusher, unless you are living in it full time is pretty
worthless. Lots of Federal and State campgrounds limit out at about 28'.


I was talking about "camping," not driving or trailering a large metal
and plastic motel room. You know, tent, sleeping bag, campfire...camping.




The settlers in prairie schooners, were camping. And they towing a camper.

Yeah, but they weren't really 'roughing it' the way Krause would!

There's nothing like roughing it on a cot in a cinderblock shelter
listening to the hum of your sleep apnea machine and the drone of a
Honda generator while sweating or freezing your balls off depending on
the season. Absolutely nothing compares to Harry's experiences roughing it.

OK. You get the funny award of the day.

Upstanding citizen
 

On 6/13/14, 11:53 AM, wrote:
On Fri, 13 Jun 2014 08:51:52 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Thu, 12 Jun 2014 12:09:52 -0400, wrote:

I still wonder how many trips a year you would have to take to
amortize the costs of an RV..
My neighbor figured out it would be cheaper to fly 1st class, rent a
nice car and stay in a good hotel for the 3-4 weeks he actually used
it in a year. (based on what he paid to buy, store, maintain and drive
his diesel pusher).
I think he paid close to $180k for it and had to work hard to find a
buyer at $90k 5-6 years later. That alone amortizes out at over $500 a
day if he used it 4 weeks a year. It seemed to be a black hole he
threw money in when he had it. He said it was worse than his boat,

===

Hey, let's not start doing cost analysis and justification on our
adult toys. :-)

You can't take it with you, and if it's something you've always
wanted, then what the heck. That said, I would challenge anyone who
thinks their RV is expensive. Ask your friend when was the last time
he took it in for a fill up and left with an 800 gallon purchase, or
took it in for routine service and left with a $15K tab.

I know what you mean. My buddy's landlord has this rig

http://gfretwell.com/ftp/Bobs%20RV.jpg

He is a bazillionaire tho.
That barn is stuffed with collectible cars.
They own about 400" of lake frontage (Keystone north of Tampa) and
they have just about every kind of toy that floats there.
My buddy gets a deal on a little lakefront house and we are not even
sure why.
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/Milts%20yard.jpg



Poor W'hine...he's got the biggest fuel tank and the biggest service
bills. Awwwwww. :)

--
If right-wing assholes could fly,
rec.boats would be an airport!

Upstanding citizen
 

On Fri, 13 Jun 2014 08:51:52 -0400, Wayne.B wrote:

On Thu, 12 Jun 2014 12:09:52 -0400, wrote:

I still wonder how many trips a year you would have to take to
amortize the costs of an RV..
My neighbor figured out it would be cheaper to fly 1st class, rent a
nice car and stay in a good hotel for the 3-4 weeks he actually used
it in a year. (based on what he paid to buy, store, maintain and drive
his diesel pusher).
I think he paid close to $180k for it and had to work hard to find a
buyer at $90k 5-6 years later. That alone amortizes out at over $500 a
day if he used it 4 weeks a year. It seemed to be a black hole he
threw money in when he had it. He said it was worse than his boat,

===

Hey, let's not start doing cost analysis and justification on our
adult toys. :-)

You can't take it with you, and if it's something you've always
wanted, then what the heck. That said, I would challenge anyone who
thinks their RV is expensive. Ask your friend when was the last time
he took it in for a fill up and left with an 800 gallon purchase, or
took it in for routine service and left with a $15K tab.

I think you got us, Wayne.

While out on the water at Solomons, my wife asked if I missed the boat. I told her if I could afford
to have a boat in a place which took total care of it and would have it ready to go whenever I
asked, I'd have a boat. Or, if we lived in a house where I could put the boat and trailer in the
back yard, I'd have a boat. Leaving the damn thing on a trailer in storage is tempting fate too
much. And it's a pain in the ass to have to go get it!

Upstanding citizen
 

On Fri, 13 Jun 2014 11:53:42 -0400, wrote:

On Fri, 13 Jun 2014 08:51:52 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Thu, 12 Jun 2014 12:09:52 -0400, wrote:

I still wonder how many trips a year you would have to take to
amortize the costs of an RV..
My neighbor figured out it would be cheaper to fly 1st class, rent a
nice car and stay in a good hotel for the 3-4 weeks he actually used
it in a year. (based on what he paid to buy, store, maintain and drive
his diesel pusher).
I think he paid close to $180k for it and had to work hard to find a
buyer at $90k 5-6 years later. That alone amortizes out at over $500 a
day if he used it 4 weeks a year. It seemed to be a black hole he
threw money in when he had it. He said it was worse than his boat,

===

Hey, let's not start doing cost analysis and justification on our
adult toys. :-)

You can't take it with you, and if it's something you've always
wanted, then what the heck. That said, I would challenge anyone who
thinks their RV is expensive. Ask your friend when was the last time
he took it in for a fill up and left with an 800 gallon purchase, or
took it in for routine service and left with a $15K tab.

I know what you mean. My buddy's landlord has this rig

http://gfretwell.com/ftp/Bobs%20RV.jpg

He is a bazillionaire tho.
That barn is stuffed with collectible cars.
They own about 400" of lake frontage (Keystone north of Tampa) and
they have just about every kind of toy that floats there.
My buddy gets a deal on a little lakefront house and we are not even
sure why.
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/Milts%20yard.jpg

Jeeees. An RV that big and a trailer that big too. I wonder if he takes cars to shows or something.
The three axles on the trailer indicate he's hauling something besides lawn chairs.

Upstanding citizen
 

On 6/13/2014 11:53 AM, F*O*A*D wrote:
On 6/13/14, 11:47 AM, wrote:
On Fri, 13 Jun 2014 06:36:15 -0400, F*O*A*D wrote:

Camping out was a lot of fun when I was a Cub Scout and Boy Scout, and
it was ok when we started going out to the Shenandoah, but there's a
nice building out on the lot now, with a wood pellet stove for heat when
we need it, a Honda genny, and bunk beds. We still cook outdoors, for
the most part, unless it is raining.

When I was a kid we used to camp with the neighbors in the Blue Ridge.
That was real camping
I have camped in the Keys for mini season but I usually just slept in
my truck. (snaking out a 100' cord to the adjoining "powered" site
where my buddies were for my fan.)

Once I introduced the idea of just renting a house, we stopped
camping. In the end it wasn't even that much more expensive.
The one we found had canal frontage enough for 3 boats, 4 bedrooms and
a commercial ice machine. (Big Pine Key)




I see the attraction in heading out to a forest and spending a couple of
nights in a tent and cooking meals over a campfire, et cetera. Towing a
mobile motel room and parking in an RV compound is not something we'd
enjoy.

As a younger man I used to enjoy that also but mats on the hard ground
and sleeping bags don't do anything for me anymore.

I can understand your aversion to owning a RV. I've had them and I
never got "into" the campsite routine. But, I can also understand that
there are many people who enjoy it, often meeting up with friends who
share the same interest.

I relate it to boating in a way. I really enjoyed (and look forward to
doing again) the whole process of planning a voyage, getting and
storing provisions, planning the route and entering waypoints in the
chartplotter each morning after getting the marine weather for the day.
I also enjoy the navigation to new ports that you've never been to and
even the delicate maneuvering in unfamiliar marinas.

So, I don't knock people who enjoy the RV lifestyle just because I don't
participate in it.

Upstanding citizen
 

On 6/13/2014 12:03 PM, F*O*A*D wrote:
On 6/13/14, 11:53 AM, wrote:
On Fri, 13 Jun 2014 08:51:52 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Thu, 12 Jun 2014 12:09:52 -0400, wrote:

I still wonder how many trips a year you would have to take to
amortize the costs of an RV..
My neighbor figured out it would be cheaper to fly 1st class, rent a
nice car and stay in a good hotel for the 3-4 weeks he actually used
it in a year. (based on what he paid to buy, store, maintain and drive
his diesel pusher).
I think he paid close to $180k for it and had to work hard to find a
buyer at $90k 5-6 years later. That alone amortizes out at over $500 a
day if he used it 4 weeks a year. It seemed to be a black hole he
threw money in when he had it. He said it was worse than his boat,

===

Hey, let's not start doing cost analysis and justification on our
adult toys. :-)

You can't take it with you, and if it's something you've always
wanted, then what the heck. That said, I would challenge anyone who
thinks their RV is expensive. Ask your friend when was the last time
he took it in for a fill up and left with an 800 gallon purchase, or
took it in for routine service and left with a $15K tab.

I know what you mean. My buddy's landlord has this rig

http://gfretwell.com/ftp/Bobs%20RV.jpg

He is a bazillionaire tho.
That barn is stuffed with collectible cars.
They own about 400" of lake frontage (Keystone north of Tampa) and
they have just about every kind of toy that floats there.
My buddy gets a deal on a little lakefront house and we are not even
sure why.
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/Milts%20yard.jpg



Poor W'hine...he's got the biggest fuel tank and the biggest service
bills. Awwwwww. :)


And enjoying a lifestyle that he enjoys and you can only dream of.

Upstanding citizen
 

On 6/13/14, 1:06 PM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 6/13/2014 12:03 PM, F*O*A*D wrote:
On 6/13/14, 11:53 AM, wrote:
On Fri, 13 Jun 2014 08:51:52 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Thu, 12 Jun 2014 12:09:52 -0400, wrote:

I still wonder how many trips a year you would have to take to
amortize the costs of an RV..
My neighbor figured out it would be cheaper to fly 1st class, rent a
nice car and stay in a good hotel for the 3-4 weeks he actually used
it in a year. (based on what he paid to buy, store, maintain and drive
his diesel pusher).
I think he paid close to $180k for it and had to work hard to find a
buyer at $90k 5-6 years later. That alone amortizes out at over $500 a
day if he used it 4 weeks a year. It seemed to be a black hole he
threw money in when he had it. He said it was worse than his boat,

===

Hey, let's not start doing cost analysis and justification on our
adult toys. :-)

You can't take it with you, and if it's something you've always
wanted, then what the heck. That said, I would challenge anyone who
thinks their RV is expensive. Ask your friend when was the last time
he took it in for a fill up and left with an 800 gallon purchase, or
took it in for routine service and left with a $15K tab.

I know what you mean. My buddy's landlord has this rig

http://gfretwell.com/ftp/Bobs%20RV.jpg

He is a bazillionaire tho.
That barn is stuffed with collectible cars.
They own about 400" of lake frontage (Keystone north of Tampa) and
they have just about every kind of toy that floats there.
My buddy gets a deal on a little lakefront house and we are not even
sure why.
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/Milts%20yard.jpg



Poor W'hine...he's got the biggest fuel tank and the biggest service
bills. Awwwwww. :)


And enjoying a lifestyle that he enjoys and you can only dream of.



Not at all. There's nothing about W'hine or his "lifestyle" that appeal
to me. There are limits to my self-indulgence. I'm still working at what
I like to do, and hopefully I'll be able to continue to do so. Filling
my day with hobby pursuits because I have nothing of significance to do
is not for me.



--
If right-wing assholes could fly,
rec.boats would be an airport!

Upstanding citizen
 

On 6/13/14, 1:09 PM, wrote:
On Fri, 13 Jun 2014 12:28:53 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:


I can understand your aversion to owning a RV. I've had them and I
never got "into" the campsite routine. But, I can also understand that
there are many people who enjoy it, often meeting up with friends who
share the same interest.

I relate it to boating in a way. I really enjoyed (and look forward to
doing again) the whole process of planning a voyage, getting and
storing provisions, planning the route and entering waypoints in the
chartplotter each morning after getting the marine weather for the day.
I also enjoy the navigation to new ports that you've never been to and
even the delicate maneuvering in unfamiliar marinas.

So, I don't knock people who enjoy the RV lifestyle just because I don't
participate in it.




I thought about the RV thing when I was younger but as I aged and got
more averse to driving, I started to embrace flying.

I will be getting on a plane this afternoon, actually 3 if everything
works out.
It is hard to get from Ft Myers to Bozeman. RSW/ATL/MSP/BZN

I will have some pictures up in a few days.



Have a safe trip!

The airport in Minneapolis is my least favorite. :(

--
If right-wing assholes could fly,
rec.boats would be an airport!

Upstanding citizen
 

On 6/13/14, 12:28 PM, wrote:
On Fri, 13 Jun 2014 12:03:30 -0400, F*O*A*D wrote:


Poor Wayne...he's got the biggest fuel tank and the biggest service
bills. Awwwwww. :)

I am going for the lowest bills
I still average 1.3 GPH and after almost 600 hours, my motor has still
never seen a dealer.
Maintenance has basically been a thermostat, an impeller, 7 filters,
oil, grease and shop supplies.
When I get back from Montana I am going to do a more extensive service
(anodes etc)


Anodes and tonsils, or just anodes? :)

--
If right-wing assholes could fly,
rec.boats would be an airport!