Traveling

[O Really]

The article seems to imply that this thing is besmirching a nice residential area. Not exactly. The Ballard district does have some nice neighbourhoods, but where this pic was taken is in a sketchy commercial/light industrial area with quite a few immobile RV's, tents, cars on blocks, parked cars with graffiti and bashed windows, bascart homes, etc. Not that I'd really want to live down the street from this frankencoach either, but actually, nobody lives close by.

[O Really]

Not far from where that creative build is located is the Fremont Troll


And the statue of Lenin


And the area where Ballard and Fremont run together is referred to as "FreeLard" - Probably could have come up with a better name.

[Vrede too]

... And the area where Ballard and Fremont run together is referred to as "FreeLard" - Probably could have come up with a better name.

"FreeBall"?

[O Really]

Interesting weekend crowd at the park we're staying for the week. Basically an old lesbian convention, officially the Northwest "RV Women's Club". At first, we just thought it was unusual that so many of the incoming visitors were women, and I asked her about it. She was the one who called it an "old lesbian convention," and said it hasn't always been that, but they've been doing it for 20 years - they used to be middle-age lesbian convention. Anyway, it's an entertaining, friendly group.

[GoCubsGo]

As long as they're not militant lesbians you should be all good.

[neoplacebo]

If I had my choice, I'd go to the young lesbian convention.

[O Really]

If I had my choice, I'd go to the young lesbian convention.

Well sure.
This group doesn't seem to attract or seek younger members, though. So I suppose another 10 or 15 years and the group will just die off. Strange, though, what with so many new people buying RV's. You'd think some of them would be young lesbians.

[neoplacebo]

If I had my choice, I'd go to the young lesbian convention.

Well sure.
This group doesn't seem to attract or seek younger members, though. So I suppose another 10 or 15 years and the group will just die off. Strange, though, what with so many new people buying RV's. You'd think some of them would be young lesbians.

I think the intriguing aspect of it is that so many (old) lesbians have or rent RV's. If i were an investigative reporter, I'd jump on this story. And have a lesbian camera and sound crew just to get an authentic aspect of the whole thing.

[O Really]

Not our kid, but our view from the front of the coach - Anacortes WA, looking toward San Juan Islands.

[GoCubsGo]

That's a nice way to spend an evening.

[Vrede too]

Update: O Really has left Anacortes, WA. For some reason Lady O stayed behind, nttawwt.

[O Really]

Update: O Really has left Anacortes, WA. For some reason Lady O stayed behind, nttawwt.

Well, she did say she enjoyed making a few new friends. As to leaving, the lesbian club left. We're still here. She's been sad about them leaving, though. NTTAWWT.

[Ulysses]

If I had my choice, I'd go to the young lesbian convention.

Well sure.
This group doesn't seem to attract or seek younger members, though. So I suppose another 10 or 15 years and the group will just die off. Strange, though, what with so many new people buying RV's. You'd think some of them would be young lesbians.

I think the intriguing aspect of it is that so many (old) lesbians have or rent RV's. If i were an investigative reporter, I'd jump on this story. And have a lesbian camera and sound crew just to get an authentic aspect of the whole thing.

Even more interesting are the news stories about the increased demand overall for RV's and the rise of defective new RV's getting foisted off on new buyers. Supposedly most of the defects are relatively easily repaired by someone with a modicum of mechanical aptitude, but it must still suck. I saw one opinion where buying a used RV where the various defects have already been addressed might be the best way to go.

Me, I'll just rely on my camping skills, and maybe my vintage van, if I set out to enjoy the great outdoors. Probably not until next year, though. It's not a camper van, just a bare bones panel van. A friend has referred to it as a "rape van", cause no windows, LOL. I have enough camping gear, including a little oven/cooktop combo, still in box, that I'll be testing out at some point. And, a 12 volt powered 2 cu ft cooler. That plus a mattress pad and sleeping bag... what more does one need?

Oh, also have a little 12 volt solar panel. Just in case.

[neoplacebo]

If I had my choice, I'd go to the young lesbian convention.

Well sure.
This group doesn't seem to attract or seek younger members, though. So I suppose another 10 or 15 years and the group will just die off. Strange, though, what with so many new people buying RV's. You'd think some of them would be young lesbians.

I think the intriguing aspect of it is that so many (old) lesbians have or rent RV's. If i were an investigative reporter, I'd jump on this story. And have a lesbian camera and sound crew just to get an authentic aspect of the whole thing.

Even more interesting are the news stories about the increased demand overall for RV's and the rise of defective new RV's getting foisted off on new buyers. Supposedly most of the defects are relatively easily repaired by someone with a modicum of mechanical aptitude, but it must still suck. I saw one opinion where buying a used RV where the various defects have already been addressed might be the best way to go.

Me, I'll just rely on my camping skills, and maybe my vintage van, if I set out to enjoy the great outdoors. Probably not until next year, though. It's not a camper van, just a bare bones panel van. A friend has referred to it as a "rape van", cause no windows, LOL. I have enough camping gear, including a little oven/cooktop combo, still in box, that I'll be testing out at some point. And, a 12 volt powered 2 cu ft cooler. That plus a mattress pad and sleeping bag... what more does one need?

Oh, also have a little 12 volt solar panel. Just in case.

Even more interesting is the fact that some of those motor homes cost a quarter million dollars or more; and one flat tire can shut it down. And even more interesting is the fact of the lesbian concept, which, as I noted, is a damn good story. I wouldn't be surprised to see it on 60 Minutes and someone other than me make a lot of money from it. But I've got other shit to stomp.

[O Really]

I'll summarize. There has always been a wide range of quality in RV's of all types, and there have always been issues with new ones. But since the demand went up so much with covid, pretty much anything built after 2019 has been crap. But - having said that, anyone looking for a quality motorhome should generally consider Winnebago, Tiffin, and Newmar, not necessarily always in that order, plus a couple of truly high dollar brands. A lot of the other brands have been bought by Thor, the largest RV company in the world, and almost all their stuff is crap. They've taken some formerly good brands cut the quality and sold them on reputation for a few years until people realized they've bought shit on wheels. Anyone wanting to buy now should look for a 2015ish -2019, Winnebago, Tiffin, or Newmar - maybe Jayco for trailers or class C's, with about 5,000 miles per year on it, and you'll have a good chance of being a happy camper.

[GoCubsGo]

I know zero about this.

What defines a crap motorhome?

[O Really]

I know zero about this.

What defines a crap motorhome?

Good question - it would divide along two main lines, within a set of conditions. (1) it is crap if it's built with cheap, fragile materials and/or bad equipment; (2) it is crap if it's built with good materials but with poor workmanship. And both of those are all dependent on what the owner is going to do with it. If all you're going to do with it is take it out camping a few times a year, you can get by with lower quality.

Examples of bad materials:
Cardboardy cabinets
Peely wall coverings
Lightweight plastic toilets and fixtures
Slab of sponge rubber for a mattress
Cheap furniture upholstery that is either subject to tears, holes, or can't be easily cleaned.
Offbrand equipment like water heater, furnace, fridge

Examples of poor workmanship:
Poorly fitting windows, unbalanced hung doors, unaligned cabinet doors
Awkwardly installed water piping or electrical wiring
Missing screws, screws going into nothing, loose panels
Gaps in seals

Motorhomes are built onto a frame/chassis produced by a manufacturer, commonly Ford, Freightliner, Mercedes. The "truck" that's under the motorhome is the same "truck" as a heavy duty commercial vehicle. So most of the problems arise in the "house" part of the thing, not so much the "truck" part.

And then from a nuisance standpoint, even a relatively minor problem can be major if it makes the unit unusable and the repair shops are way behind and the parts are late arriving and the dealers don't give a damn. So maybe 5 years ago, if you were reasonably handy with your own repair, and a trip to the repair shop only took a week maybe, then shabby work may not have been so awful. Now, you really don't want to have a disabling problem. We've had stuff that may be subject to trouble replaced even if it wasn't broken yet just because it was convenient to do so and we don't want to get stuck in the boonies.

Buy good equipment, keep it maintained, and keep a list of reliable mobile repair people in different areas of where you travel.

[Vrede too]

I know zero about this.

What defines a crap motorhome?

No lesbians or potential lesbians?

[Ulysses]

I recall back in the 80's and 90's when I was working turns at major motorcycle races, someone pointed out a motorhome in the lot and said, "That's a rich person's ride". I forget the brand, but it was one of those sleek numbers, quasi-aerodynamic, and, well, looked plush. And of course I never got to tour the inside. I associate Winnebago with non-aerodynamic exteriors and a sort of thrown-together look, even back then. But if they work well and last, OK by me. And, apparently you can get a very upscale Winnebago these days...

https://youtu.be/ypcpFtagQYQ

[O Really]

I recall back in the 80's and 90's when I was working turns at major motorcycle races, someone pointed out a motorhome in the lot and said, "That's a rich person's ride". I forget the brand, but it was one of those sleek numbers, quasi-aerodynamic, and, well, looked plush. And of course I never got to tour the inside. I associate Winnebago with non-aerodynamic exteriors and a sort of thrown-together look, even back then. But if they work well and last, OK by me. And, apparently you can get a very upscale Winnebago these days...

https://youtu.be/ypcpFtagQYQ

Oh, the classic Winnebagos, like the Brave, for example, were definitely boxy and campish. Now, they make some really good and good looking models. However, they've also brought back an upgraded version of the old Brave - vintage looks are popular.