Archive for October, 2009
Knowing When to Evacuate RV Waste
If you’re anything like me, you associate your RV with pleasant memories – those camping trips enjoyed with family where you get away from the mind-numbing routine of everyday life. For the most part, spending time in an RV is a riveting and exhilarating experience, especially when you’re traveling through unfamiliar terrain to a brand-new camping site. Unfortunately, every now and then you’ll be reminded of life’s unpleasant realities. Those are the moments that bring us back down to earth.
Personally, the RV waste disposal system is the last thing I want weighing on my mind during a family vacation. Most campgrounds have their own set of waste disposal protocols. In my experience, I’ve found that the “gray” tank, which holds liquid waste from the sink, needs to be evacuated much more often than the “black” tank, which holds solid waste. I recommend waiting until the black tank is at least three quarters full before emptying it through the proper channels.
What is a RV?
The acronym RV stands for recreational vehicle, which usually is defined as a piece of enclosed equipment that can be used both as a vehicle and a temporary travel home. They are also commonly referred to as motor homes. RVs are designed for everything from vacations to camping to part- or full-time living, for which they are often parked in special parks designated for them. RVs are available to rent in most major cities and popular tourist destinations.
Some enterprising people use RVs as mobile offices. RV supplies and accessories can allow RVs to be customized with generators, extra desk space, and upgraded electrical and satellite Internet capability.
Still Camping after All These Years
No matter what twists and turns life might throw my way, there’s one thing that will never change: my undying love for the wilderness. I’ve been an avid camper since childhood, when my family would take extended trips to the great National Parks in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah. Then in my teenage years camping became an excuse for my friends and I to temporarily get away from our parents’ tyrannical rule.
Back in those days, I could sleep beneath the stars on little more than a thin sleeping bag or a scrap of canvas tarp. Of course now that I’m older that wouldn’t be practical – my back has a tendency to give out on me from time to time. Now that I take my own family for excursions in the RV, I let the kids do the hard work. For my part, I sleep in comfort and luxury on a memory foam mattress pad. I figure that after putting in all those years on the hard, unforgiving ground I’ve earned this particular indulgence.