5 Easy Spring RV Maintenance Steps

Yours truly blowing out the aircon

As everyone knows regular maintenance is a key part of beast happiness. Now, I’ll readily admit that Paul and I are not exactly mechanical geniuses. I’m pretty handy with the tools, and Paul can be electrically suave with a multimeter, but we’re not the types that will have the confidence to take on all the complicated RV stuff ourselves.

Thankfully, like good old dogs we’re willing and able to learn. We’ve figured out how to keep the RV squeaky clean, we take care of our tires, and we do a regular pre-flight check before each drive. But how about the rest? Often it only takes someone to show you how to do it once and you’re on your way to RV maintenance glory. That’s why I love, love (did I mention love?) YouTube. You can learn just about anything online and there’s now a bunch of useful RV maintenance videos on the web that show you exactly how to do the steps yourself. In this post I thought I’d share my top 5:

1/ RV Air Conditioner Maintenance - Do-it-at-home aircon maintenance is super-easy and one of the best ways to make sure your unit keeps up with those hot summer days. The basics are all about making sure the aircon has a clear air-flow, so that means cleaning the inside filter and accessing the roof to do a quick cleaning of the coils. Jim Twamley and rvtravel.com put together a post and excellent video showing exactly how to do it:

http://rvnow.rvtravel.com/2009/01/performing-air-conditioner-maintenance.html

2/ RV Freshwater Sanitization - Whenever we’re not hooked up we draw all our water from our freshwater tank. Since we dry-camp a lot we keep a good flow going and our tanks stay pretty nice and clean, but once or twice a year I find it makes sense to sanitize the system. This involves filling your tank with a diluted Clorox® bleach solution and flushing it back out. Mark Polk of RV Education 101 has a simple video with the instructions:

http://rvhelp.org/sanitizing-rv-water-system/

3/ Battery Maintenance - We recently switched to maintenance-free AGMs (yeah!), but before this we had wet-cell batteries and they do require regular maintenance. You want to be checking water levels (~once/month) and connections/terminals. It’s a good idea to learn how to check voltage levels too.
Pedata RV Sales has a good, simple video on battery maintenance, and rv.net has a blog post on how to test your battery state of charge:

http://blog.rv.net/2009/11/testing-your-battery-state-of-charge/#more-13336

4/ Check & Seal Roof Seams - Keeping your RV roof clean and checking the seams regularly is a real key maintenance item. Eternabond is a fabulous, easy-to-use sealing product & a hands down favorite with many savvy RVers. Mark Polk has a very basic RV roof video and Gary Bunzer, the RV Doctor has a great demo on how to apply Eternabond:

5/ Generator Maintenance - This is perhaps the most “advanced” of our 5 items, but it’s not as bad as it seems. All generators need basic maintenance such as oil and filter changes every 100 or so hours of use. Once again, Jim Twamley comes to the rescue with a fabulous video showing you how:

http://rvnow.rvtravel.com/2008/10/save-money-by-doing-your-own-basic.html

And that, as they say, is how you do it. Got any favorite videos of your own?

The Great River of the North – Rio Grande Gorge, NM

Picture postcard perfect. The stunning view from the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge

Once upon a time, around 29 million years ago or so the earth moved. Two massive plates, the North American and Pacific scraped and opened up a rift in the earth. Colorado and New Mexico rose nearly 5,000 feet, volcanic eruptions and lava flows covered the earth and the Rio Grande began it’s life. From a trickle in the San Juan Mountains of CO to the gulf of Mexico the 1,896 miles (3,051 km) long river wound its way through the valleys to become the fourth or fifth longest in North America.

Playing on the banks of the Rio Grande

This interesting geological event created a spectacular gorge just West of Taos, NM which is where we’ve been secretly hanging out. Here is the rift that formed the river (rather than the other way around), and you can walk right over it at the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, the third highest in the US at 650 feet (200 m).  The fact that the valley came first is obvious once you’re here. Taos lies on a high desert plateau, practically flat apart from the surrounding mountains. From a few miles away there’s nothing to tell you the earth opens up in such a spectacular way, and the gaping jaws of the gorge surprise you as you get closer to the bridge.

"The Bus Stop" provides refreshments and local color at the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge

We’re camped right in the middle of it all, next to the grand river and surrounded by the beauty of the steep valley walls. Many feet have trodden here and the gorge repeats its history with hidden petroglyphs, hot springs (at Ojo Caliente) and massive remnants of volcanic rock. Wrapping it all in a great, big present is the spiritual play-area of Taos where outdoor enthusiasts combine with artists, history and native pueblos.

But…we’ll come back to that later For now, you may imagine pooch and us hiking the trails and splashing in the water. The weather is perfect (from what our neighbors tell us we just missed the one single week-end of rain of chill they had last week), cacti are starting to bloom, a breeze is fanning the RV and miles of open space are calling our name. That’s what we’re here for, after all.

The rift that formed a river. Another great view of the Gorge.

The top of the Picuris Trail. An old stock trail leading into the gorge.

Back in the Wilds and Summer Planning

Running amok in our new, secret spot

Well, we’re back in the wilds, off in the boonies and deep in the wilderness where the wild things roam. Although we enjoyed our brief stint in civilization we were all overjoyed to let our hair down, blend back into nature and go amok in the privacy of our new great, big backyard. What’s even better perhaps is that we’ve found a gorgeous, remote and very quiet place to spend the craziness of Memorial Day Week-End, the details of which I’ll release shortly.

Which brings me to a question -> Am I the only one that dreads the big holidays? 

Even the beast seems happier out here

This week-end it seems everyone goes camping and for us full-timers that creates a dilemma, from a planning point of view. You see ideally I hate to plan, preferring to let the wind blow us in whatever direction smells best. New Mexico has been perfect for that with an abundance of first-come-first-serve sites (including the secret gem where we’re parked now), but I know when we go North into Colorado for summer I’ve got to plan the stops as well as where we’re going to be for those big, pesky holidays. I have to do this not only because CO is popular and has a ton of reservation sites (which get booked up fast), but also because our beastly size means there’s less choice of those forest mountain campgrounds that we love so much.

Thankfully I’ve got a system. This involves a stiff drink, some patience (admittedly intermingled with bouts of cursing), quite a bit of guessing, a few handfuls of luck and a multitude of hours pouring over cheap and natural campgrounds. And I’m proud to say I’ve done it folks. Many bottles later we have a full plan for June through August (all in the wilds) which I thought I’d share with others in case our paths cross:

• June = New Mexico – Rummaging around Northern New Mexico. No firm plans here since we can rely on first-come-first serve sites
• July = Colorado - This year we’re going to explore some of SW Colorado driving from New Mexico into Pagosa Springs, heading West to Durango and then following a meandering route up to Grand Junction.
• August = Idaho – We’ll be crossing into Idaho via Wyoming and the Flaming Gorge (just on the tip of NE Utah) and then heading steadily West towards Boise. I’ve got a family reunion back in Denmark which I’m flying to from there after which things are open.

Visually I plotted our campgrounds into Microsoft Streets and Trips, and took a snapshot of the general routing for viewing. We’ve planned a combo of National Forest (NFS) and State Park stops all the way. Driving details may change, but most of the main campgrounds are locked in, so here we go (click on the maps for a bigger view):

JULY TRAVEL – SW COLORADO

AUGUST TRAVEL – SOUTHERN IDAHO

So, if anyone fancies a meet-up, just lemme know and I’ll give ya details of our dates at each spot. Our cellar is full…for now anyway.

RV Park Review – High Desert RV Park, Albuqueque, NM

The entrance to High Desert RV Park

A convenient and inexpensive private park stop-over in Albuquerque.

Link to park here: High Desert RV Park
Link to map location here: High Desert RV Park

1. Site quality = 2.5/5
   This site quality is just OK here. There is a selection of large pull-through or back-in sites on compacted dirt with full hook-ups (either 30 or 50 Amp). Not much in the way of extra’s on-site except for an older picnic table. This is your typical parking-lot-style private park and you will be close to your neighbor with no real separation or landscaping.
2. Facilities = 4/5
   Good facilities here. The main showers were spacious with good pressure and temperature, kept nicely clean and with cute, little touch’s (e.g. pink shower mats in the girls). There is a second shower facility (OK but not as nice) in the middle-side of the park which has individual shower/toilet rooms.
3. Amenities = 3/5
   A decent, but not extensive set of amenities here. There’s a very nice on-site community room with TV and pool tables. Also 3 good-sized dog runs, a “car care” center, 2 laundry facilities and a small convenience store. On-site propane. WiFi is available, but you gotta pay for it. No pool.
4. Location = 4/5
   Overall this park is in a good location. It’s right off Hwy-40, only a few miles from Petroglyph National Monument, ~8 miles from downtown and right opposite Camping World. Despite all this it doesn’t feel too cramped and has open space behind and around it.
5. Pet friendliness = 5/5
   Good spot for doggie considering this is a private park. In addition to 3 good-sized dog runs there is a large open space behind the park, with several miles of dirt trails on which to run and walk around.

 Overall rating = 3.7

Summary: We needed to spend a few days in Albuquerque stocking up and wanted a simple, dog-friendly park as a base. High Desert worked perfectly for this. It’s your typical private-park parking lot, but has the advantage of being slightly out of town (~8 miles) and surrounded by a large open area with space to walk. The sites are basic, but do provide full hook-up and the campground has nice/clean facilities and good/decent amenities for one of the better prices in the area (in fact it was the best price/value I could find in the whole of Albuquerque). We liked the location being right off the highway, close to Petroglyph National Monument, accessible to town and opposite Camping World to boot. On-site propane was a nice bonus too. Overall it’s not a place I’d rave about, but a very decent and convenient stop-over if you need one in town.

Extra Info: Verizon aircard and smartphone had full signal. Sites $ 19.95/night (30 Amp), $ 23.45/night (50 Amp). They do take Good Sam’s and offer weekly/monthly rates. 

Extra, Extra Info (Boondocking): I couldn’t find any state parks or BLM next to Albuquerque, but there are casino’s in the area that allow free dry-camping. Thanks to Matt over at Operation Tally Ho, I now know about Sandia casino as a potential place to stop next time. Cheers!

Our site (#605) in the middle of the park

Typical site view. Large pull-through with older picnic table.

View down left side of RV Park

View of RV Park from entrance

View of one of the 3 dog runs

View of main facilities/store/office and propane

The big, open area behind the RV park where we walked Polly. This trail goes for several miles, with some side-spurs into deeper desert area.

A Quick Left Turn at Albuquerque, NM

“I knew I should’ve made a left turn at Albuquerque.”
Bugs Bunny (1953)

The gorgeous San Felipe de Neri Church in Old Town

Albuquerque is the crossroads of New Mexico, and Bugs Bunny isn’t the only one that’s ended up in the boonies with a wrong turn here. This is where the desert meets the mountains, the high plains transform into forest, and a whole lotta nothing goes off to each side. It’s a southwest melting pot and contains a little bit of everything in New Mexico all wrapped up in one. And of course, it’s the largest city in the state.

Albuquerque was founded in 1706 by Don Francisco Cuervo y Valdes as the Spanish colonial outpost Ranchos de Alburquerque. It straddles the Rio Grande almost exactly in the central part of the state, and retains both Spanish and traditional Indian heritage. In the early 1900′s growth followed the famous “mother road” of Route 66 that passed right through town, and by 1950 Albuquerque gained a whole new reputation with Sandia National Laboratories and the coming of the Atomic Age.

Iconic history along Route 66

 And it’s all still here…

You can walk through tradition in Old Town, catch a few pieces of iconic American history along Route 66 in Nob Hill, see some traditional Indian rock carvings at the Petroglyph National Monument (with doggie in tow, of course), explore the Atomic Age at the National Museum of Nuclear Science, and finish it all off with a panoramic view from one of the world’s longest tramways atop Sandia Peak. If you want the full party come back and experience the whole thing all over again during the spectacular annual Balloon Festival in fall.

Hiking with Polly along the Rinconada Canyon Trail at the Petroglyph National Monument

We spent a cool few days exploring the city and the surroundings, managing to squeeze in a dinner with one of Paul’s old highschool buddies as well as sampling some excellent Southwestern food (watered by a few tasty margaritas, of course) at Sadie’s.

This town definitely has a cool vibe and a bit of something for everyone. Just remember to take that left turn before you leave…

Spicy, Saucy & Sassy- Old Town Road Kill and Famous Last Words

Paul takes a seat in Old Town

Adobe-style streets in Old Town

Bright New Mexico colors & sculptures at the Garden Critters store