Ah yes - winter RVing - what an adventure. The temperature did manage to make it up to above freezing yesterday - all the way to about 37 degrees in the sun. But then the wind came up and made it feel more like zero again outside.
Peggy and I enjoyed a nice slow morning and then traveled over to visit the gang around 3 in the afternoon. On the way over we stopped by Home Depot to pick up materials for my next motorhome improvement project - but more on that down the blog a bit. We visited with Brian for a bit before the kids starting arriving back home from school. Then it was time for G'ma and G'Pa to get busy. Have you ever played "Spin Sorry?" If not - think about it first. Remember the board game "Sorry?" - Pretty simple - Start at the begining - roll a dice - go around the board - and end up at home. Well Spin Sorry is sorta the same except you pick up cards to see what your "turn" allows you to do. You can go forward, backward - or end up "spinning" the board which is a geared affair that changes every body's position and situation! It's much harder to be a G'Pa these days!
So after a rousing bout with Spin Sorry - we all headed out for a nice dinner at Outback and then back to the house for coffee and conversation. I gave Alyssa the task of figuring out our "fun" outing for tomorrow (today). About the only limitation was it had to be inside. I think the forecasted high for today is about 20 degrees! She thought it would be fun to head to Philadelphia and visit the science museum. It looks like they have fun stuff for kids and adults alike so that's our plan for today. Wish us luck negotiating the Phily traffic!
Meanwhile back at the Winne ... . I came to the conclusion yesterday that if I'm going to be crazy enough to travel in the winter months anywhere north of the Mason-Dixon line for any more than a couple of days - and apparently even south of the Mason-Dixon line anywhere north of Key West - I need to be prepared to deal with a freezing water supply line. I know - all I have to do is put water in the internal fresh water tank and it won't freeze and we can use the DC powered pump for all our needs. Although this works - it is a bit of an inconvenience as it always seems that when we need more water - it is really freezing outside and I really don't want to go outside - hook up the hose - fill the tank - and then disconnect and drain the hose again! So I decided to do what other cold weather RVers do and make up a heat traced and insulated water supply hose. Now I've seen advertisements where you can buy these items for hundreds of dollars - but most folks I have seen or read about make their own for much less $$. During our side trip to Home Depot yesterday I picked up a new fresh water hose, some Electric Water Pipe Heating Cable, and some flexible foam pipe insulation. I have started the project by taping the heating cable to the water hose and then wrapping the hose/cable with the insulation. I need a few more pieces of hardware to complete my new water supply system so it may take another day or so before I get to see how it works.
So that's about the situation here in the winterlands of New Jersey. Trying to stay warm, thawed out, and enjoying our visit with the kids/g'kids.
Hope everybody is having a fun Saturday - wherever you are!
Ummm, I still think it is a whole lot easier to stay in places where the water don't freeze!!! So, come on down; although I did have to unhook the hose last night. But I don't have to drain it or take it inside like you do and I can fill our potable water tank when it's fairly warm outside. Judy and I have scratched "winter camping" off our bucket list - been there, done that! See ya soon.
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