I’m back with more questions from blog readers about RVing, what’s happening in our lives since we hung up the keys, and all kinds of other things. While I try to answer all questions individually, I also share some here occasionally.
Q. I am a member of the Living The RV Dream group on Facebook and we hope to become fulltimers in a year or two. There is a large Camping World near us and we have driven by many times and seen all the trailers for sale there. But I hear so much bad about the way they do business from sales to repairs that I am almost afraid to look at anything they have. Are they really that bad, Nick?
A. I have never purchased an RV from Camping World, but my sister-in-law did and it was not a good experience. We have heard from many readers who regret ever purchasing from them, as well as some (not as many) who said they were happy they did. We had work done at two or three different Camping World locations back in our fulltiming days, and every time we did, there were problems afterward that they did not remedy to our satisfaction
Q. What are you and Miss Terry doing while you are self-isolating? I know you’ve been doing a lot of writing and hope to hear she has been weaving. It’s been a long time since you have shown us any of her beautiful creations and I miss them. Please don’t tell me she has given up on it.
A. As you said, I’ve been doing a lot of writing and I am getting close to the end of my new John Lee Quarrels book, The Road to Wrinkle Ranch. Terry hasn’t been weaving in a while, though she has multiple projects on her different looms, and she tells me she has been researching some new projects, too.
Q. Have you been able to find any face masks for when you go out, or is Terry making any?
A. There don’t seem to be any masks available anywhere. We have not left the house in over 10 days, except for when I walk out to the mailbox, and have enough supplies on hand to be good for another week or two. Terry will be making us some masks before we do that.
Q. We are going stir crazy with four kids home from school. We were tempted to go to Disney, but with it shut down, do you know of any campgrounds that are open in central Florida where we could all escape the house for a few days? We feel very closed in.
A. You’ll be even more closed in when they put you in a coffin. What part of stay home don’t you understand?
Q. Someone told me not to fill out the new Census forms because then all of my personal information will be floating out there in cyberspace for any identity thief to steal. He said anyone can go online and look at Census records. Is this a real threat, Nick?
A. That’s nonsense. Anything the Census asks for can probably be found online anyway. They don’t require any banking or financial information. As for the records being online, they are only released to the public after 72 years. Nothing more current than that is available to would-be thieves.
Q. Do you think now is a good time to go RV shopping, with so many people not going out and doing things? I would think the dealers are hurting for business.
A. I think most dealerships are closed, and I think anyone who leaves home for anything not necessary to feed or care for themselves and their families or to go to work is a fool. How many germs could an infected person leave in the close confines of an RV that would be there waiting for you if you are the next person to walk in? Stay home. There will be plenty of time for shopping when this is all over.
Q. I have been getting a kick out of your blog posts about your newspaper career. You should put them in a book. I’m sure you must have more to share, and I hope you will. Can we expect more?
A. I have plenty of stories to tell about those days and will be posting some others in the blog.
Q. Do you know if the RV Museum in Elkhart, Indiana is open or will be anytime soon?
A. According to the museum’s voice mail, it is closed until further notice.
And finally, here’s a chuckle to start your day from the collection of funny signs we see in our travels and that our readers share with us. This has to be the best strip club sign of all time.
Congratulations Barbara Westerfield, winner of our drawing for a USB drive with all eight years of John and Kathy Huggins’ one hour weekly Living the RV Dream podcasts and live radio broadcasts about the RV lifestyle. That’s over 400 hours of solid RV information, a $100 value, to keep you busy at home while you are social distancing. We had 70 entries this time around. Stay tuned, a new contest starts soon.
Thought For The Day – I want to open a Two Dollar Store for folks who enjoy the finer things in life.
