RVillage Spirit of the Road Rally Day 2

Thursday started out at 0900 with a Master Class on RV Electricity - Part 1 - Hot Skin Voltages presented by Mike Socol. With so many Master Classes and Seminars it was sometimes hard to choose which one to attend.

Any time you have a chance to attend a class or seminar presented by Mike Socol, you should definitely take advantage of it. He not only knows the information , he is able to present it in a manner almost anyone can understand. He is funny and informative and has all kinds of equipment he built to demonstrate his points so you hear it and see it.

Some points I jotted down.....
     - 30 Amps - 125 volt
     - The lower the voltage - the shorter the cord you should use
     - Hot skin = step voltage = contact voltage
     - Recommended a non-contact voltage tester for about $15 - it looks like a pen
           -- Always hold it in your fist not with your fingertips
           -- Tester will go off two feet away on a 30 foot RV if there is a problem

- Points for Basic Outlet Testing
     -- Slots at the top of the outlet not the bottom
     -- Never cut off the ground pins or use outlets without them

- Why you need an Energy Management System (EMS) 

Nothing can protect from a direct lightning hit, even an EMS.

The Top RV Safety & Security Tips and RV Mods sounded very interesting and I hated to miss it but Mike Socol is a top notch presenter. The huge room was completely full.

The next Master Class on How to Find Boondocking Spots was presented by Marianne Edwards.

I was lucky enough to be a part of Boondockers Welcome when it first started as I followed Marianne's blog on frugal-rv-travel.com. She was first famous for her Shunpikers Guides which are still available and updated on her website. Marianne and her daughter Anna started Boondockers Welcome which is a site you can join to offer a place for an RVer to stay. It is extremely popular. Guests usually just stay one night and amenities you offer are completely up to you. Both hosts and guests rave about it. There is an online site you join and there is a cost. If you host, you get credits for each guest which usually makes it free for you. I have a friend who is excited about becoming a host.

Marianne also mentioned several other sites that she likes for finding boondocking sites. 

 -  Days End Directory from the Escapees ($15 for Escapees members)

 - iOverland.com

 - Freeroam (new in 2019 and gaining popularity quickly)

The next seminar I attended was Maps and Apps for RV Trip Planning presented by Geeks on Tour. I have followed Jim and Chris Guld for years because I follow their blog. There is a charge to join Geeks on Tour to get access to all their training and notes on numerous areas of electronics. However, go to their site even if you are not a member because they are very generous with the information they share for free. You will have free access to numerous seminars and handouts.

Chris gave a good presentation on Google Maps especially a feature called "Want to Go" which allows you to save future sites you want to visit. She recommended Roadtrippers.com to find places you want to go. She also recommended Elks Lodges in RVillage for places to stay and RVparky for overall planning. Check out Tutorial 416 on the Geeks on Tour website for a video on Google maps as well as their uTube show #117 on how to use Google maps. Video 503 combines Google maps and Google photos which shows you how to take a photo then tell Google Maps to get routed to it by swiping up.

Lunch break was from 1 to 2:30 but it was also a time for Get-Togethers and open social time. Did I mention the free ice cream scoops every day?

At 2:45 I attended the Instant Pot Seminar presented by Patricia Allee and Debbie Long - the Potheadz (not to be confused with stoners, lol)

These ladies were great presnters. The first seminar was cover all the basics and clear up confusion about this type of cooking.

- Manual and pressure cook mean the same thing
- Use the same cooking time and temperature even if you increase or decrease the recipe
- Steam valve and float valve are the same thing depending on the brand of pressure cooker
- Lids are dishwasher safe but the electric pots are not
- If someone accidently pours water into the cooker without the removable pot being in place, immediately turn the pot upside down for 72 hours and it will probably be okay

- You can get additional silicone rings in different colors
- Pre-set functions just mean they are preset, you can do the same thing setting time and temp yourself
   -- Time & temp - you don't always need, you follow the recipe
- Recipe times do not include the time for the pot to come to pressure or to come off pressure so allow additional time (10 min before and after the actual cooking time)

- You can cook lots of vegetables for 0 minutes
- To saute, wait until the display says hot - then add the oil
- Always deglaze (add liquid) any time you saute
- If you get a "burn" message, release steam and clean bits off the pot then restart the pot for remaining time.

Check their Facebook page "Potheadz"

- To heat the pot up and pressurize sooner - hit saute then change to appropriate cooking
- Air fryer lid is coming out for the 6 quart Instant Pot so you won't need an additional appliance
- Some new Instant Pot blogs
  -- 6 sisters
  -- Paint your kitchen red

Accessories
 - steamer basket - great for eggs
 - Push bottom pan
 - Eggbites (silicone) you can stack (Also good for microwave or airffryer

- Always have at least one cup of water in Instant pot
- Natural release (rotate the vent)
- Controlled release - just keep tapping slowly to release pressure
- May pop breaker if you use Instant Pot and Microwave on the same circuit.

The original plan was to have a huge potluck with all the attendees under the main tent but it was cancelled due to a heavy downpour and the difficulty of getting all that food and people down to the tent. We just had our own potluck with the 7 of us and decided we would do that each night with contributions from several people each night.

I should also point out that there were several bands or different types of entertainment each night in addition to the Firebirds. None of that was cancelled so there was more than enough going on to keep the latest night owl happy......we were not night owls.