Is your RV equipped with all of the important safety equipment? Every RV should be fully equipped with a smoke alarm and appropriately charged fire extinguisher. Have you checked the expiration date on your fire extinguisher and made sure your smoke detector has new batteries? Is your coach equipped with a carbon monoxide detector and have you recently replaced the batteries in this device? Finally, do you have an emergency medical kit, flares and a road hazard triangle available in your coach? These could definitely keep you safe if your vehicle breaks down during your road trip. As the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Now is the time to check the safety equipment on your coach and make repairs as may be needed to keep you and your family safe on your road travels. Happy Holidays!
Take the Train to the Grand Canyon
A railway line has served the Grand Canyon since 1901 and is a great way to travel back in time and enjoy an interesting way to experience the Grand Canyon at it’s finest. Beginning in Williams, Arizona, you will leave the Williams Depot at 9:30 in the morning. You can enjoy the scenic Arizona beauty along the way and arrive at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon at 11:45 A.M. Spend time having lunch and exploring the beauty of the area and then depart from the Grand Canyon at 3:30 P.M. arriving back from the 65 mile trip in Williams, Arizona at 5:45 P.M. There are four classes of service from Coach to First Class to Observation Dome Class to Luxury Parlor Class available. Costs range from $70 per adult and $40 per child for Coach Class to a cost of $190 per person in the Luxury Parlor Class. Children under the age of 16 are not permitted in the Observation or Luxury Parlor Class coaches. There is also a motorcoach tour available at the Grand Canyon that will take you out to the west rim viewpoints so you will get a great view of all parts of the South rim. This is definitely a great way to see the Grand Canyon and can give you that old time feel of yesteryear at the same time.
Longer Lasting Batteries
In 2002, I purchased Optima batteries Blue Top (Deep Cycle Marine) batteries for my Alfa fifth wheel. This has proven to be a great investment as they have lasted for 8 years now without any problems. Prior to this, I was purchasing new batteries for my rig about every two years. I also purchased an Optima red top for my tow vehicle in 2006 and have also had good luck with it as well. While I don’t get 8 years out of that one, it lasts significantly longer than the 1 year I was getting out of other batteries in the hot, Arizona heat. These batteries emit no gas and need no water maintenance so they are ideal for an RV. The next time you need a new battery in either your RV or tow vehicle, I definitely recommend that you consider the Optima.
Slide-Outs Improve Resale Value
Over the past decade, an important addition to RV’s has been the addition of slide-out rooms to both trailers and motorhomes. Slide Out units offer more space and living area without adding additional coach length so they have become popular additions to the RV lifestyle. Although slide-out units are popular, they do add additional weight to the toe-load your vehicle will need to handle. This is an important consideration when you are considering purchasing a unit with two slide-outs or even three slide-outs. People want RV units that provide the extra room that having nice slide-out rooms can provide. This means that if you purchase a unit without slide-out rooms, you may well have difficulty when it comes time to trade in or sell the unit. Silde out rooms do require lubrication of the mechanical rails and periodically, the seals will need to be changed. Be sure to carry an extra fuse or two as you travel in case your fuse happens to blow and leaves you with an extended slide-out when you had planned on loading up and heading out. This has happened to me and fortunately, I was camping in a town large enough to be able to buy the right type of fuse so that I could get the slide-out operable again and get myself on the road without too much delay. I now carry extra fuses for just such problems because you never know….