Utah Wrap-up: tips, wins, planning 

That's funny. I did have french in school and thought the same thing, or worse, "sick camper." Whatever your name, you will always be my German friend. ;-))

Thanks Patty. We feel the same way about our viewers. They feel like friends we have known for years. Congrats on downsizing. Our neighbors got a 23' van and now realize it is too long. LOL. Merry Christmas to you and safe travels.

Does John work at Chevron plant in El Segundo?

Oh my. Even the most experienced people can get into trouble.

Truth is, we've probably only used it half a dozen times. Of course, you have to be on shore power to use it (or turn on the generator) unless you have a huge bank of batteries. We used it in Alaska (of all places) during a heat wave and I had to edit a video. And in Utah at a KOA because I had to edit. I think it is pretty much just when I've had to be stuck inside to edit. We do our best to move away from the heat. I understand that there is a unit that Advanced RV sells that is much quieter. Would be much nicer to have that. We don't sleep with it on because it is too loud and nights usually cool off. We carry a rechargeable fan for sleeping and have the roof fan that helps a lot.

Awesome. Have a great trip but be prepared for some pretty chilly weather.

Yes, I do love it. Just takes a little practice.

Congratulations, let's hope they can get the production schedule moved up. Would be wonderful to meet up down the road.

instablaster

You're so right. I had been looking for a vest that covered my bum for a long time. Finally found one and I hardly take it off.

I try to do a lot of prep before we leave. So I'll package things up together. Maybe make dishes that can just be re-heated. We eat really simple one pot meals. Egg dishes, pasta meals in the instant pot are good. John eats meat so I buy the pre-cooked Angus burger patties from Costco that he says are really good. I'll often pre-make a pound of bacon that can be re-heated. Tacos are big in our house. I make veggie tacos but you can use meat. Lots of our meals use flour tortillas to wrap around whatever it is, beans, eggs, avocado, cheese, etc. And we always have a salad kit ready to go. I throw in a can of beans or hard boiled eggs, nuts, dried fruit, etc. As far as the counter space issue, you might look into adding another mount for the Lagun Table so you have more space in front. I have one on order and will be attempting to put a mount in the front and one in the back. I have no idea what I'm doing but there are tons of RU-vid videos on it. We also recently purchased a portable "Gas One" burner so that we can cook outside on a picnic table. But as I always recommend to people, don't buy a lot of stuff until you have had a number of trips in the rig. Takes awhile before you work out the kinks and figure out what works for you. Feel free to email if you have other questions. energymaven@gmail.com

I think John gets tired of me asking him for a weather report every morning. I can do it myself but more fun to bug him.

We'll get there, for sure. But it's my job to spend other people's money. ;-))

Maybe a Lagun Table? Hope you have a beautiful Christmas!

We recently purchased a small gas stove that works on both propane and butane to serve as a backup: gasone.com/collections/portable-stoves/products/gs-800p

@@FromShetoMe hi that stove is great, in that BOTH BUTANE & PROPANE Operate it, so you have the choice , when replacements on the road N;B, BUTAANE is the propellant in AEROSOL CONTAINERS ! Happy New Year ! Cheers 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

Awww. You're a "type A" like I am. ;-))

Thanks. We love them too.

How exciting for you. We have the 17" and I can't imagine a larger one in that rig; I'm not even sure it would fit. I would also caution against buying a lot of stuff until you have taken several trips in your rig. Save some of the fun of selecting gear for later. Remember, less is more.

Thank you Deb for your advice. I bookmarked a lot of things. I also liked the table you mentioned in one of your videos (the blue color one that you can take of the legs and roll them over). It is fun just imagine what would be like out in the nature.

Probably not. Although we really like the power from the diesel engine. We'd probably opt for the Ford chassis. That said, I think I heard somewhere that the new Mercedes Sprinter vans may have addressed that issue. Best to check.

@@FromShetoMe Thanks! I had not heard that so I will keep researching.

I think it just depends. Most places, yes.

It has a pan that it sits on that forms an air gap to separate the pan from the flame. So you would have to come up with something similar to keep the bottom from burning.

I do need to get back to my tree. But there are so many shiny objects to distract me these days..

@@FromShetoMe I can relate to the shiny objects...Talk to you later.

Most places it should be fine. Always recommended to stop in at the nearest agency office (whether BLM or USFS or State Park).

@@FromShetoMe thank you very much for the quick response.

Love it! We gotta keep it Public, too. Love our State.

Absolutely. Little kids especially don't pay attention.

It just fits in the rear of van. Not an inch to spare.

Thanks for your reply.

I'm trying to figure out how to get the coordinates out of my Gaia GPS map. Can you email me so that I can send it to you? energymaven@gmail.com

We just use a cable lock but we remove the batteries for transport. All locks can be broken/cut/dismantled but you can only do so much.

@@FromShetoMe Thanks. I'm concerned about bike theft while parked on streets when visiting cities on our trips.

@@stevecabacungan Yes, in cities I would be concerned. Abus makes some really good locks.

No and that is the problem. Many times, if it is B20 there will be a ticker but you just don't know for sure. Some states like Minnesota have mandated all stations buy B20. Oregon may be another state that mandates it. I did some reading on line and discovered that many of the bigger truck stops sell the B20. You would think that truckers would get a bit bent about it because your mileage will be a little bit worse on B20. I think this is mostly a problem with Mercedes. George at Humble Road made a comment awhile back referring to the issue and said he always fills his tank when it is half empty so as to hopefully dilute the B20 with B5. The colder states change to a winter blend which I think is closer to B5. But don't know for sure.

It’s just a stainless steel bowl with an added magnet for a handle.

@@FromShetoMe thanks! 💙

Not sure what you mean by "audio guide." If you are referring to the map guidance, that was just Google Maps. If you want something geared more for off road and hiking, then Gaia GPS is hard to beat. But that is a subscription service.