Orion

Eagle Cap Truck Camper

News Flash

Truck Camper Magazine has an article about my son and his wife. They have a Eagle Cap truck camper and love to travel and take pictures. Check it out at: http://www.truckcampermagazine.com/mike-johnson:-honeymoon-suite-to-go/

Preparation II Reading

For the past year I have been reading, reading, reading. I have read many blogs trying to gain from the experiences of other adventurers. I have read RV.net’s threads on Alaska nearly everyday. Naturally I have been studying maps, and reading books on the subject.

Some of my favorite blogs are:
http://www.serenitysys.com/photogallery/alaska_2009/ http://rvstufff.blogspot.com/ (2008)
http://www.drs32.com/ (2006)
http://www.mytripjournal.com/Peddy-DickMar2-29667&p=1
http://suethomas.ca/
There were many more good ones but these seem to stick with me.

Of course there are countless books on Canada and Alaska. The two the experts say you can’t live without are: “The MILEPOST”, and “The Traveler’s Guide to Alaskan Camping” by Mike and Terri Church. Another good selection is “Rving Alaska by Land and Sea” by Bill and Jan Moeller.

I also have some of the Lonely Planet’s series on Alaska, BC, and the Yukon.

There is no shortage on reading material, just time. My concern as the time for departure grows short is, have I read the right stuff and have I remembered the right things in my packing. We will see how good my literary preparation was. The books are going too!

Progress

I warned you that I was just learning about this high tech blogging stuff. Tonight I posted my first picture, Our Tioga. Two weeks until blast off and I have a lot to learn. Can't wait to post more pictures.

Our Tioga Motorhome

Preparation: Motor Home

What I have learned is that a Class C Motor home is a never ending do it yourself project. Mine is a 2008 Tioga Ranger made by Fleetwood. I have been making improvements and customizing it for my needs. Leaks in the roof due to seals around fans, pipes,lights, ect create big problems later with rod and structure deterioration. A large part of my preparation has involved caulking and adding Eternabond tape to the seams at the front and rear caps.
I also changed to Bilstein shocks and added a HD steering stablizers making it drive better. Next I am working underneath to seal and leaks that will let dust into it. Also underneath I am wrapping pipes and lines to protect them from rocks and other objects that could harm them.
I have a Preventative Manual that outlines required or suggested maintenance on each of the RV systems. It has taken a fair amount of time to keep this under control.
Next time I will update the Reading and studying I have been doing for over a year. Also I will post useful maps and reading material I feel are required for trip preparation.

Preparation-_Post number 1

This is my first ever blog post. Everyone has to start somewhere and this is it for me. I have no idea how this thing will turn out but can only hope it gets better with practice.
I have been preparing for this trip for over a year now. We are down to 30 days before departure and I still have many tasks to complete. In my next couple of posts I will try and detail some of this preparation and the lessons learned. I will publish the good and the ugly so maybe we can learn together from my mistakes.
The good news today is gas prices are now projected to fall as much as $.25 a gallon. That can be huge at 6 to 7 miles per gallon. I expect to drive around 10,000 miles so those quarters will turn into dollars rather quickly. Til next time, Earl