Reading labels

This post is aimed at women RVers as the blog is titled and because we're usually the ones who shop for the groceries. I was always told not to write in anger so I waited to see if it would subside. It hasn't. Soapbox mode on.

I'm a locavore. That means I try to buy food grown and distributed locally if I can. I started to have problems doing this last year when I worked in Cloverdale and shopped at the Safeway in Healdsburg, CA, in the middle of Wine Country. There was a display of grapes in the produce section and I almost bought a package until I saw they came from South America. I went to the produce manager and asked, "Did we use all the grapes we grew for wine? Why should I buy grapes grown outside the country when I'm surrounded by grape growers?" A couple of women shopping near me overheard me, looked at the display and walked away. The following week, the same display held beautiful red grapes with American flags on the bags. Amazing what a little logic and a complaint will do.

Fourth of July came and I looked for a flag to hang on my RV. Every one I found was made in China. I didn't fly a flag. Is it too much to ask that my country's flag, a symbol many have fought and died for, be made in the USA? How much is it worth to have a US-made flag? Is there an American flag made in the USA or are we forced to buy one from China? That's not OK.

Then came Thanksgiving and for this vegetarian, I found plenty of locally-grown squash, yams, potatoes, cranberries, celery and olives. I purchased Safeway's brand of apple cider for wassail, the hot apple cider I prepare and share at the winter holidays. It said 100% juice from concentrate. As I added the cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, cloves, fresh lemon and orange slices, I went to put the bottle in the recycle bin. Then I noticed the print on the label above the title: "Concentrate from Chile, China." Huh? Did we run out of apples? Why is the apple concentrate coming from thousands of miles away? Did it come from Chile or China (there is a comma, not an and/or)? Where did they get the apples? What pesticides were used? How was it processed? How safe is it? Most important, are you telling me with all the apples we have in the US that it's cheaper to buy the concentrate from one or both countries that are thousands of miles away (and thousands of miles from each other)? No answers to those questions. That's not OK.

My Coleman watch was made in the US; the watchband was made in China and fell apart the first time it got wet. My Coleman sleeping bag, a brand I used to rely on, was made in China. That's not OK. Have we forgotten how to sew?

My plastic containers were made in China. My plastic dishes were made in Taiwan. That's not OK. Do we not manufacture plastic any more?

You do remember that it was Chinese-made dog food that poisoned our pets and was recalled. You do remember that the Chinese-made toys had lead in them and were recalled. Two men were recently executed in China because they added melamine to the baby formula that poisoned their own country's babies. That's not OK.

I love going to farmers markets (San Francisco has at least one in the city every day of the week except Mondays). The sellers are also the growers and can tell you everything about the food they've raised. The shopping bags are recyclable and made right here in the Bay Area. My coffee is fair trade and distributed locally. My tea comes from a farm in Oregon and distributed locally. Best of all, the dehydrated food I have on hand is grown organically and processed safely in the US. It's stored in canning jars made in the US by Ball Mason and Kerr since 1884. I look at my cases with their American flag on them and feel a sense of pride.

So basically, I'm asking you to think about how you shop and what you buy. Read the labels and decide whether it's OK to put it in your one precious body.
Soapbox mode off.

It's that time again

Yes, once again, it's time to turn our clocks back one hour. This year, daylight savings time ends on Halloween night so not only will you be able to go trick-or-treating an hour longer, you won't be deprived of sleep.

Also, this is my semi-annual reminder that you should also change the batteries in your emergency radio (you do have one, don't you?), smoke detector, CO detector, propane detector, flashlights, lanterns, and clocks.

Take your fire extinguishers from their brackets, hold an end in each hand, and rock them gently to distribute the powder. Check the valve on each one to be sure it's in the green.

Exercise your generator under load for at least one hour.

Top off your propane tank.

Top off your fresh water tank.

Dump your black and gray water tanks.

Fill your gas tank if you have a motorized RV or your tow vehicle's tank.

When there is a weather emergency and you're relying on your RV during a storm and power outage, you'll be ready. You can transfer refrigerated and frozen food to your RV's refrigerator.

A little preparation will eliminate a lot of worry.

Sharing the RVing Women adventure

Since I haven't been on the road much, I'm sharing the adventures of another RVing woman. Enjoy!

Last year I started a dialogue with you explaining my plans for the summer. Actually there were NO plans. My motorhome, affectionally called the “coach,” is stored in Kentucky. As a resident of Hawaii, I visit KY often especially in the spring when I can do my dewinterizing. Pipes will burst just as easy in a motorhome as in a house--well, probably easier due to the minuscule insulation. Nevertheless, it never ceases to amaze me that critters seem to find a pinhole to enter my coach, making themselves leisurely at home. That’s the dreaded part of “dewinterizing.”

Back to the beginning. I mentioned there were no concrete plans for travel, but this year is a little different. My grandson will be graduating from high school in Mulkiteo, Washington, and I am headed for Seattle. With a phone GPS and a commercial GPS, I should not get lost. Famous last words! As my true friends say, I might be overdoing it with two GPS as I am following one main road (I-40) from KY to California. What they don’t realize are the state parks I seek out could be a far distance on a less-than-desirable-gravel road with 80-foot sinkholes.

On the first day traveling south by southwest...that was to avoid Florida, as per last year...I was going to stop at an RV park in Natchez Trace, TN. With a burst of energy, I drove right on past and was able to reach Arkansas by nightfall. As an omen of what might be a discouragement, found out later a tornado made a dead hit at the campground in Natchez Trace, smashing several of the motorhomes with folks trying to take shelter in their coaches. The aftermath found trees had toppled directly on them or the wind had furiously turned them over, and the swath of destruction on the campground was enormous.

Not to belittle the tragedy of Natchez Trace, I came upon a state park sign and excitedly veered off the Interstate. Following the signs as the road became narrower, I thought I had lost my way. My GPS’ were useless. No Service. Well, enough about what I thought of the GPS. At the gatehouse I registered and the kind hostess lady from the Corps of Engineers said they would give plenty of time to evacuate if needed. I had wondered why there was so much water around and she explained it had been generously raining for days, and the Mississippi River had swollen over its banks and into the park. With the thought of Natchez Trace and now the prospect of floating down the river in a Foretravel, I was up every ten minutes during the night to measure the rise of the river. Morning arrived and I decided it would be best for me to move on, but not before I took a picture of the park moniker: TOAD SUCK STATE PARK. I kid you not! With a name like that, there would have to be a global incident before any paper editor ever placed that name in the headlines.

Leaving the park and entering I-40 westbound...not to say I didn’t get lost trying to find the highway...I really believe my diesel consumption has plummeted due to the backroad bumps and grinds. Speaking of roads, if I were to judge the economy with what I’ve endured so far in this trip, I would have to say we are in dire straits. Most of the highway is so bad, it jars the teeth right out of your mouth. Not to say the extreme wear and tear of the tires and shocks are being obliterated. Not only is the road bad, but the billboards are either empty or businesses have joined together to split their ads on one billboard. All along the Interstate, many of the garages, gas stations, and small restaurants have shut down. The state of our economy is disastrous, but I don’t want politics mixed in with the (mis)adventures of traveling the country.

After a couple days of mediocre state parks in Oklahoma and Texas, I have now ventured into New Mexico. The pancake flat of the Interstate has turned into the gentle hills of the desert interspersed with a clump of trees here and there, although the same empty billboards, slightly better roads, but the utter desolation and tornado-torn towns are pitiful sights. Most of the state parks I’ve visited have been park ranger poor, and it’s the honor system to pay your fees, put them in the furnished envelopes, and place them in the padlocked box. With no maps or site plans, one does not have the slightest idea where to go or find a place within the park with electric and water. I have managed to “wing it” and have been decently comfortable every night.

The stories should be increasing in intellectual frequency very soon as I will head into Albuquerque tomorrow, then Flagstaff, Arizona, and on to California. As these future stories unfold, I will share them with you as promised. Until next time...?

SydnyG

Preparing for fall

It's time for my annual reminder to all RVing women solo or paired to get ready for the fall and winter weather. You may not be traveling in your RV at this time of year but your RV can be a safe haven during a storm or power outage.

Be sure your emergency radio is fully charged including its internal batteries.
Be sure you have all sizes of needed fresh batteries for all emergency devices: lanterns, radios, flashlights, etc.
Be sure you have a full tank or tanks of propane for your back-up portable heater.
Be sure you have a full fresh water tank and bottled water (at least one gallon per person per day for drinking).
Be sure you have a full propane tank in your RV.
Be sure each person has enough food for at least one week (dehydrated is best or canned soups and stews). Check the expiration dates.
Be sure each person has enough medication for at least one week.
Be sure each person has enough clothing including jackets and hats for one week.
Be sure your pets have enough food for one week.
Be sure your bedding is clean and ready for use, including sleeping bags and linens.
Be sure your cell phone can be charged with a 12 volt connection or plugged into an inverter.
Check your roof and seams for any potential leaks, and caulk if necessary.
Check your house batteries and generator.

I know--it's August and I'm nagging you already.
But having been through this for several winters and helping others who were unprepared, I thought I would remind you now.

Community

The definition of "community" has changed for me over the years, especially since I became a full-time RVer. Originally, I traveled in the Pacific Northwest with my husband and dogs in a Dodge van conversion. We lived in Bellevue, Kirkland and Spokane, Washington, and our community was stable in each of those cities.

We traveled and lived in the van while living and working in Reno and Sparks, Nevada.
Then I became a solo RVer in a 22-foot Winnebago living in an RV park in Reno. Northern Nevada was my community for 13 years and I had friends and business contacts there.

I moved to Berkeley and worked in San Francisco, and they became my communities. I had friends and business contacts in both cities. If I needed my car smogged or a good doctor, I looked to my community.

Then I became a workamper and my community was a campground in West Marin County. I knew where the closest stores, bank, auto repair places, and medical services were. If I didn't know, I could ask someone in my community.

When I travel as a solo female RVer, my community is online. I have to rely on wome RVers all over the US for referrals and recommendations. However, I don't have the face-to-face contact I would by actually living in the same community.

What about you? How has your community changed and how do you define it?

The slime of spam

I've received several private emails from readers who wondered why I haven't posted in the blog recently. My health is fine, thank you. We were attacked.

Early in the morning of July 8, 2009, there were 551 on the forum, the most we've had online concurrently (see the bottom of the RV Travel Forum screen). What that means is on July 7, there was an ad placed online promising a great deal of money to computer users all over the world if they would register on as many websites as they could. I assume the pay was per website or per post made on a website. Remember that it is called the World Wide Web for a reason.

On July 8, I received over 100 new forum member enrollments that needed to be read and approved or removed. On an average day, we receive 3-4. Nearly all the potential members were spammers and had invalid email addresses. Each spammer had to be investigated and removed individually.

Since the 8th, I have received at least 50-60 registrations a day, 95% of which is spam and must be individually removed. Those who list their location have sent their spam from Croatia, The Gambia, Egypt, the Czech Republic, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Hong Kong, Mongolia, Ethiopia, Guam, Bolivia, Ecuador, Russia, Kazakhstan, India, Pakistan, Burma (which we all know is actually Myanmar), Abu Dhabi, Belarus, Bali and many other locations. Of course, most of these are false and I can trace them back to their IP address through the major servers in the US.

I have no idea how much the spammers are paid or how they verify their work, but I remove them from the forums (yes, they try on http://www.freestays.com and http://www.freecampgrounds.com, as well as the blogs) immediately. By the time they report their work to whomever the BBS (Big Boss Spammer) is, they have no proof.

That means I work 8-12 hours a day seven days a week keeping the forums spam-free, and all posts have been read and edited if needed. Unless the spammer is extremely clever--and some are, registering months before their first post with a legitimate email address--you will not be subjected to their spam.

And that's why I haven't blogged.

P.S. If there are any spammers reading this, you will never successfully register and exist on the database for more than a couple of hours. Forum administrators never sleep either, no matter what side of the planet we occupy.

Rules for successful camp hosting

For those of you considering a camp hosting position, there are good and bad points you should be aware of:

You're a volunteer so unless you break the law, you can't be fired.
You're not on at the location forever so if it's a bad place, you don't suffer too long. If it's a good place, you can return.
Your main activity is to be nice to campers and visitors: you're the nice one who answers questions.
You don't have to enforce the law (that's why there are rangers) but you can create some rules to make your job easier.

Last weekend, I created these rules:

*No dogs in the restrooms
*No bicycles in the restrooms
*No scooters in the restrooms
*No skateboards in the restrooms
*Girls only in the girls restrooms
*Boys only in the boys restrooms
*No washing your little brother's dirty feet in the toilet in either restroom (see previous two rules)
*No pooping in the shower (someone did)
*No swinging from the tree branches
*No riding bicycles, scooters or skateboards without a helmet: if you do not have a helmet, you do not ride your bike, scooter or skateboard
*Hold your hand flat with the palm up and the carrot in it if you want to feed the horse. One horse may eat politely; the other will take your entire hand in his mouth and you'll know what his tongue and teeth feel like from the inside. Ewww!
*If you leave your bicycle, helmet and backpack outside on the ground all day, it will be locked up at the camp host's site until you (accompanied by your parents) pick it up in the morning. Then you can explain the Lord's Prayer approach to theft prevention: "Lead us not into temptation." Your stuff was locked up so no one else would steal it.
*Finally, if you make enough noise after quiet hours and keep the camp host awake, she will be sure you are out of your tent or RV to join her for birdwatching at 5 am.

Believe me, the parents will support you, the staff will support you and the ranger will laugh at you. You'll have fun and isn't that what camp hosting is all about?

Safe, solo and self-protected

When I began RVing alone, I felt unsafe in a canvas-covered pop-up so I traded for a hard-sided travel trailer. I felt completely safe in the trailer; however, I usually camped in a campground (private or public). I did not stay overnight in retail establishment lots because, to move on, I would have had to leave my trailer to get to my truck. I think some form of motorhome would be ideal because one never has to leave one's rig to move on. If you don't feel comfortable, all you have to do is drive away.

I never felt unsafe traveling alone. I had roadside assistance, a cell phone, a CB radio, a lockable trailer, and I remained vigilant of my surroundings. I also had a tire iron close at hand! Kathy Frazier

Kat is a member of RVing Women and we concur on safety issues while traveling alone. I don't carry a tire iron but since I have years of aikido training, I have other means of protection. No, I don't have a black belt. Aikido practioners work for years to attain the next belt level so I have a brown belt. The first six months, you learn to fall properly so you're not hurt. I fall better than anyone I know. If you want to see an aikido sensei in action, watch any Steven Seagal movie. A little trivia: When Sean Connery was filming "Never Say Never Again," Seagal was hired to train him and broke Connery's wrist.

There is quite a bit of philosophy attached to the moves and the best part of this discipline is that little strength is involved. It is suitable for all ages and levels of expertise. I've taught classes to everyone from an eight year-old boy to a 66 year-old woman with much success. Do a little reading about aikido and see if it might work for you.

Basically, be aware, be alert, be prepared and then--be having a good time on the road.

Beat the mouse (finale)?

I picked up the humane mousetrap from the post office in lovely downtown Lagunitas today and it's baited with peanut butter on the floor in his usual running path. the mousetrap will only hold one mouse at a time and I plan to deliver each of my captives to the creek far, far away from my RV.

Update: 10:00 PM Wednesday, May 20, the trap closed with Beat inside. I rounded up two women from the girls kayaking club who were camping here. One had a lantern and they lighted the way to Beat's new home away from the campers in the underbrush next to a large redwood. He scampered away within seconds.

I went back inside and reset the trap--just in case.

At 5:00 AM, I heard a commotion in the trap. Yep, Beat invited friends. I stayed in bed until light and then we took a stroll to the creek so he could join his buddy.

I went back inside and reset the trap--just in case.

Beat the mouse continued

The mouse has decided to stay. For those who suggested fabric softener sheets as a deterrent, they didn't work. My RV smells like laundry and the mouse just ran right over them as he dashed around the floor.

I pulled out the kitchen drawers revealing a large open space under the counter all the way to the exterior wall behind the sink. The most noxious chemical I have in the RV is Lysol, so I sprayed it liberally inside the opening. He was next to it this morning.

As I was working, he boldly ran out onto the carpet from under the shelf on the desk. As I stood up, he ran back under the shelf. I sat down. He came out. I didn't want to keep playing this game so I stood up again and stayed standing. He peeked, crept out again and dashed to the bedroom. Great: now I won't be able to sleep tonight.

The guys in maintenance are going to bring me a humane trap and that should take care of him before he brings additional family and friends to join him.

No traps in maintenance but Beat came running out of the bedroom and went under the desk again to hide. At least I'll be able to sleep.

I told my friend about the lack of mousetraps and he immediately found a company to ship a humane trap to me here. He reminded me to release my mouse companion to an area where he can hide and feel safe. At least I know what to bait the trap with: peanut butter and cheese.

Update: this morning at 5:40, I heard the plastic bag lining the paper garbage sack rattling and realized I had forgotten to hang the sack off the floor on the key hook. I turned on the kitchen light and expected the mouse to run out of the fallen bag. Somehow, he had found a way into the bag without knocking it over and must have been nibbling on the popcorn kernels I had dumped there last night. I picked up the bag by the handles, opened the door and threw the bag outside next to the trees. Plenty of places to hide and feel safe in the bushes. Now I wait to see if he was alone.