RVing

by

Tonight, I Love Being an Albertan

Jody just emailed over a scan of my vehicle registration papers for Miranda. Total cost for a year, $84 and change. It was about $100 the Yukon and it was a whopping $650 in Quebec. Am I glad I don’t have to register a motorhome here again! The amount for the car would have been the same and will be the same for my new toad.

That said, registering a trailer in Quebec is about as cheap as in Alberta and has the same benefit: it’s a one-time registration fee. My sister just bought a travel trailer and I think her registration was $7o. Add $270 per year to register a personal vehicle (have I mentioned that I’m glad I don’t live in Quebec anymore?), such as a truck to tow the RV, and it makes sense to own a towable in Quebec. I wonder if I would have considered this route way back when had I known what I didn’t know.

Now, I just need to figure out how to advise Alberta that I won’t be renewing the car registration seeing as the car is six feet under and will soon by replaced by a cute little pickup. I think my grieving period is over. 🙂

by

Narrowing Down the Toad Choices

I think that my choice for a new toad has been made for me, based on what’s available in the market I’m shopping in and how far my money could go.

While I really wanted an import truck, either a Nissan Frontier or a Toyota Tacoma, there are very few older ones for sale in Alberta. Pickings are slims, options are non-existent, and prices with a canopy could easily reach $4,000 for an early 1990s bare bones model. Add another $2,000 for the towing system and $1,000 for the braking system, and I’m at $7,000 for a new toad.

There is another option that is plentiful and cheap in Alberta. The ratings for the vehicle are excellent and I am familiar with the manufacturer. I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but right now, the top contender for my toad is a Ford Ranger! It would be hilarious to have my Ford motorhome towing a Ford toad when I’ve bad mouthed Ford so much in the past! But if I go with the Ford Ranger, I’m suddenly looking at a late 1990s or even early 2000s model for $3,000 to $3,500 with a few nice options.

The ads I’m seeing for the Ford Ranger are a lot less depressing than those for the Nissans and few Tacomas, showing newer, cleaner city-used vehicles with less mileage. I’m actually getting excited about the idea.

I should be able to borrow my mother’s car tomorrow afternoon to talk with the RV repair shop and get the ball rolling on getting Miranda fixed up and me back in a vehicle. Hopefully the insurance cheque really is in the mail. 🙂

by

Back to the Grind

It’s a holiday in Canada today, but I’m treating it like a normal Monday. I neglected a lot of projects over the winter and have tons of stuff to catch up on. I am also sending out tons of bids on contracts. I have no intention of looking for a part-time job this summer. My budget is solid into August, especially since I won’t have the car and car insurance payments, so as long as I keep plugging away at whatever transcription comes in, I’ll be fine. This is definitely a more relaxed start to the summer than was last year!

I’ve started to do some online shopping for my new toad. I’ve decided that buying it in Alberta really does make the most sense so I’m just waiting on the insurance cheque to buy a plane ticket. What I want exists, but it soooooo rare. I’d definitely have more choice if I was going with an automatic, but a manual transmission is a non-negotiable. I’m looking at 1990s models only.

My first choice is a Nissan Frontier, then a Toyota Tacoma. I’ve heard mixed reviews of the Mazda B-series, but am not ruling it out. I’m considering American models (eg. Chevy Sonoma and Dodge Dakota) on a case-by-case basis and I’d prefer a truck that already has a canopy/topper. One thing I have accepted is that I won’t be getting power windows and doors as those options just weren’t available, but AC is not negotiable. The Nissan Frontier is 3,000lbs, just under three times what my toad weighed, and that’s as heavy as I want to go.

I also hope to time the trip with the motorhome repairs and other projects (I’d like to leave a few thousand of the car settlement money to do some work on Miranda). I got a lead from my younger sister, who just bought a travel trailer, on a good place close by that could go through my entire list:

-the repairs covered by the insurance, including the bumper and the tow hitch, and I want them to confirm that my suspension is okay;

-remove the over hang window and fiberglass the overhang seams;

-replace my propane regulator (have the part, just need a pro to get it in);

-replace the house door window frame;

-square and plumb the house door;

-repair the body damage to the metal portion at the bottom of the rig and repaint that part only (I doubt I’ll be able to afford this right now, but I’ll ask for a quote).

Well, I just found out that a big and messy project is incoming so I’m off to get ready for that. Definitely a better to start to the summer than last year!

by

So Glad I Made It

Tonight was the big family party that was the reason why I needed to get back to Canada when I did. I would have really missed out on something special. I had a great time and got to see most of my extended family. It will be nice to catch up with everyone over the summer. There are lots of new babies to cuddle and houses to visit!

by

Remember to Check Outlets Before Plugging In

This afternoon, my mother changed the exterior outlet she wanted me to plug into. She’s very electrically savvy, so she knew that would have to be done since the outlet was more than 40 years old and only half of it worked. While she was out getting parts, I tested the existing outlet to see what kind of shape it was in.

The left side of the outlet claimed to have an open neutral (white) while the right side registered as being correctly wired. I then tested the outlet with the multimeter and it only registered 90 volts!

My mother removed the existing outlet and gently sanded the oxidized copper wiring to improve connectivity. We retested the wires with the multimeter and got a voltage of 122. Now that we knew the wiring was good, it was a simple matter to wire in a new outlet and double check the connections with the tester before I plugged in.

This exercise reminded me to keep checking outlets before I plug in and this advice goes to both RVers and hosts. If you want to offer someone a connection while they’re parked on your property, make sure that it’s on its own circuit, that it’s wired correctly, and that it registers the proper voltage.