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.

Spirit of the Road RVillage Rally Opening

We were less than an hour from the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park where the Spirit of the Road RVillage Rally was held so we didn't have to leave early but we wanted to get checked in and settled before noon. The park is huge. They had a separate entrance set up for RVillage Rally attendees and lots of volunteers so the lines of RVs waiting to get in last year was completely eliminated this year. We were quickly checked in and given badges and programs and led to our sites. Everyone but Martha was in the Loop section. She was way over by the lake in a less than desirable sloping site. Our friend Karan was supposed to come but had to cancel due to RV issues. She graciously allowed Martha to move to her site which meant we were all close together. I'm on the left and Mary Jane is next to me.

Carolyn is in the center and this was taken before Martha moved in between us. Birdie was on my other site and Liz and Bob were just across the road.

Lots of trees here.

We all got badges on a lanyard just like Carolyn's which we had to wear all weekend to get into everything. They were really nice.

This is Curtis Coleman, the founder of RVillage, welcoming first time rally attendees. In case you don't know about RVillage, it is a community of full-time, part-time, some-of-the-time RVers who learn together and connect both in-person and online on a free website. There are a lot of different groups for various interests on the website. Check it out at RVillage.com.

There were lots of first-timers.

Later in the evening a large number of attendees met at the amphitheater.

Curtis introduced Cherie Ve Ard and Chris Dunphy. You may know them as Technomadia or the Mobile Internet Resource Center. They were the technology help bringing RVillage to life.

We moved over to another area of the park and set up some chairs for some more entertainment.

These are called firebirds. There were four of them and they are stoked with wood and build up huge flames. It was pretty early so they aren't fully engaged yet.

We had a good time but hit the road back to the RVs while the night was still fairly young. There were shuttles going around so we managed to get places between the shuttles and a couple cars when shuttle timing wasn't reliable.

Advent Christian Village in Dowling, FL

We spent two nights at Tresca RV Park in Advent Christian Village located in Dowling Florida. Advent Christian Village is a long established retirement village with options from your own home to full care. I have several friends who were full-time RVers that decided to settle there. They still RV just not full-time. The activity schedule at this place would keep the most active person satisfied. My friends kayak, volunteer, attend all kinds of plays, concerts, etc.  Actually they have a much more active social life than I do. They have their own homes near the RV park on site. Liz fixed a fantastic dinner the first night. The next day, Birdie took us on a tour of the place.

ACV is located right on the river with lots of walking paths.

This place actually started back in the 1920's.

Birdie, Martha, another visitor Cheryl, and Carolyn stopped for a photo. Mary Jane was a little behind us.

It was an interesting tour and a long walk for some of us.

Cheryl took this picture of the rest of us.....me, Birdie, Mary Jane, Martha, and Carolyn. I should mention that Liz was busy volunteering at one of the village activities.

Speaking of Liz, these are two of her photos on exhibit in one of the buildings. She is a very talented photographer.

It was great visiting with long time friends and even better that they were also going to the RVillage Rally with us the next day.

On the Road Again!

After my last trip in January, I winterized the RV because you just never know about the weather. Of course, we didn't have a single freeze until the day I picked up the RV to prepare for my next trip. We got what the weather people called gravel hail. It actually looked like "dip & dots ice cream" and didn't last for even an hour after it fell because it was too warm to freeze.

I left home on Friday morning heading east. The first night, Mary Jane and I stayed at Gulf Coast RV in Beaumont Tx. It is a Passport America so the price is right and they even have breakfast with texas waffles. The next day we headed further east to Butte LaRose to meet up with another friend. We were going to park in her year but they had gotten a lot of rain and there was an 80% chance of more rain that night. So we boondocked at the Atchafalaya Welcome Center. It is a great Rest Area because they have separate parking for cars, RVs, and trucks so you don't get lost among the trucks. They also have a nice film and lots of displays as well as great free coffee. Definitely a great place to stop.

We had to make another trip to Borden's for lunch.

For dinner we had eggplant parmesana after olives, cheese, tomatoes, and crackers.

Martha joined Mary Jane, Carolyn, and Mary Jane when we left Butte LaRose Sunday morning.

We had an easy trip through Baton Rouge because it was Sunday morning and we were off down the road east.

Sunday night we spent at Wilderness RV Park in Robertsdale Al. Guess what else we found in Robertsdale?  The only Buc-ees outside of Texas. They were doing a booming business. Prices were a little higher than in Texas.

 We stopped at another rest area in Florida......they have one about every 40 miles along I-10 which is certainly different than Texas, Alabama, and Mississippi.

Tonight we are at Advent Christian Village near Live Oak FL We have a couple of friends who retired here. They have a small RV park for visitors.  I guess I should have mentioned that all of us including our friends here are going to the RVillage Rally on Wednesday.