FTC Disclaimer and Privacy Policy
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By Katrina Kane, on April 11th, 2016 Just passing this along. Best time to visit national parks is when they are free!
http://www.nationalparks.org/national-park-week
“Each spring, the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation invite everyone to celebrate National Park Week. From April 16 – 24, you are invited to celebrate all that America’s more than 400 national parks have to offer. And in honor of the National Park Service Centennial this year, all parks are offering free admission the entire week. From diverse wildlife and iconic landscapes, to vibrant culture and rich history, our National Park System has something for everyone. “
  
By Katrina Kane, on April 6th, 2016 One RV chore I really hate is refilling propane tanks. It ranks right up there with vacuuming for me as a true pain in the you-know-what. First you have to wrestle the tank out of the outside cabinet it is stored in. Space is tight in there and you have to get it clear of the hoses, regulator, hold down clamp, and shelf lip. Once that is done, you have to transport it to the station to get it refueled without it rolling all over your truck bed. Then, if you have more to do in that same trip, you need to drive extra careful to keep it from rolling around all day. By law, it should be secured well.
One solution I have used is a molded plastic base you can find at Wal-Mart and other places. It helps to keep tanks upright and has places you can hook bungee cords to so the tank absolutely stays upright. You can also use it for transporting gas cans. It works but it takes up a lot of space in the truck bed whether you are transporting a tank or not. Some folks use milk crates instead but, again, those take up space when not transporting and don’t fully secure to the truck.
A few weeks ago I found a better solution. It is called the Tailgater Strap. It is a high-quality nylon harness specially designed to cradle a propane tank and secure it to a truck tailgate like a baby to a parent’s chest. The strap fits between the tailgate and the truck bed and comes around the tailgate then over the top of the tank to a ratchet. A second connected strap connects between the tailgate and tank to keep tension and keep the tank from rubbing the tailgate. Once your baby is tightened down in this harness, it isn’t going anywhere, even if you get in an accident. At only $14.95 plus shipping on sale, the strap is well worth it to me.
  
LIKES:
- Very secure
- Bright color
- Can be removed and stored easily elsewhere out of the elements, in a small space
DISLIKES:
- Takes a little time to insert strap into ratchet and roll it up which could be resolved if they added a quick buckle to it. This could actually be a good thing though in that if someone wants to take your tank, it will take them more time than a quick unbuckle to get at it.
By Katrina Kane, on March 25th, 2016   
Who needs a pet when you live and work in Texas? For several weeks I had pets again. The ranch cat on my ranch got together with the ranch cat across the street and they had four kittens which they decided to raise under the cattle guard under my gate. It was a pretty good choice really as it was very secure from predators and provided a long tube for the kittens to hide or sleep in. Daddy Cat came by some mornings to check on his brood and bring food. Nothing like a fat dead rat or bird for breakfast, yum! Momma Cat came in the evenings to hang out with them and feed them again. She brought mice and rabbits.
The trucks and tankers coming in didn’t seem to bother the kittens and eventually they didn’t mind me being around too much either though I kept my distance. As they grew, they got bolder and started popping their heads up above the cattle guard and venturing outside the fence next to the cattle guard. Whenever Mom or Dad were around, they all came out and played all over the driveway. It was quite a show.
I knew they would be leaving soon when they started sleeping outside the fence in the open grass because they were outgrowing their small sheltering tube. While I was away on vacation, Momma Cat came and took them away. I miss them.
Previously, I had a clearly domestic lost dog in bad shape come to the gate for help so I had a dog for a few days until the police came to take him to the shelter. Except for chasing trucks, he was the most well-mannered dog I have ever seen and so loving. I would have liked to have kept him if dogs were allowed at gates.
By Katrina Kane, on March 5th, 2016 As a full-time RVer, I don’t live in one place but I do have a mailbox service in Livingston, Texas with the Escapees which also gives me a “residence” to use for vehicle registrations, driver licensing, and voting. Recently, a legislator in South Dakota tried to strip that state’s full-time Rvers of their voting rights on the premise that their only link to the state is their mailbox. I understand how someone who doesn’t know RVers would think we might unfairly sway voting on local issues and elections. However, while it may be a possibility, it doesn’t happen and such thinking does not take into account those who travel mainly within that state who are directly affected by local issues. If that legislator had taken the time to actually speak to full-time RVers before trying to turn them into second class citizens, he would have found out that RVers are actually a pretty ethical bunch. Most I have spoken to don’t vote on local issues and some don’t vote on state issues because they feel it would not be right to do so unless they are willing to take the time to get to know the issues and candidates which involves more than just reading the propaganda emailed to them or the sometimes confusing text on a ballot. We may vote on a state legislator candidate because he/she does affect the laws of the entire country and therefore us, not just his/her state. We certainly have a right to vote for who the next president of our country will be as that most certainly affects us. Taking the right to vote away from full-time RVers is short-sighted, un-American, and trying to solve an issue where there isn’t one. Thankfully, the legislator’s proposal in South Dakota has been tabled for now. Let’s hope it dies completely or we may have to arrange some “education” for South Dakota who seems to have no problem with taking registration fees, licensing fees, wheel taxes, and sales taxes from RVers.
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