the Essential Equipment

People have been asking about the details of our daily RV life. Here are a few details about our routines and the oh so important gadgets that made our trip possible.

Usually I pull in to our RV site and get set up while Bruce is finishing his ride. Thankfully most RV parks have pull through sites so I don’t have to back in. We have a little bubble thing that tells if we are level. If we are not, then I get out these plastic blocks and place them under the RV, then drive up on them to level the RV. This is a pretty simple process.

Next I get out the big electric cord and plug in the electricity at the electric box.

Lastly I get out the hose and hook it up to the water source and to our RV. Each site at an RV park has their own electric box and water pump. Each RV park is a little different. Some electric boxes are big and some are little like in the picture. Usually the water is separate.

I usually wait to hook up the sewage hose until I am disconnecting the next morning. If Bruce is setting up, he goes ahead and hooks up the sewage hose when hooking up the electric and water.

When it’s time to unhook, just do it all in reverse. I make sure all the windows are shut and locked. I put any loose things in a secure place. Turn off the lights etc. I put on my plastic gloves and then hook up the sewage hose and unload the black and then the gray water tanks, by pulling those little handles. Unhook the hose and stick it back in the secret compartment in the back bumper. Unhook the water hose and put it in the front bin. Unplug the electricity. Drive off the yellow blocks and then put them in the front bin. Gotta be sure to shut the car door because if there is any water collected on Harvey’s roof, it will come crashing down on me.

Lastly I go completely around the RV and make sure all the compartments are locked and nothing is laying around. Check that the cycle is secure and locked. Push up the little step, climb in the side door and lock it. I’m all about locking everything which kinda drives Bruce crazy, but he’s almost getting used to it by now. I guess the very last thing is to make sure the fridge door is completely shut. I learned the importance of this when I pulled out one time and the refrigerator door flew open. Luckily nothing fell out.

The first time we ever took Harvey out (when he was still just “the RV”), we pulled away from the curb in front of our house and as we went around the corner onto Peppertree our cabinet door flew open and all our dishes crashed to the floor. Thus we learned to make sure all the cabinet doors are shut completely. Plus Bruce made sure they all have working do-hickeys on them to latch securely.

Here are some of the essentials inside Harvey.

In my console I keep all my essentials: my water bottle, hand cleanser, 3 kinds of gum, hand cream for my super dry hands, my watch charger, my phone charger and cash (which I’m not sure I ever used this trip). Not pictured on the seat next to me is my white notebook with trip details and a box of kleenex on the floor.

I keep my phone plugged in to my dash. Then as it charges, I can see everything from my phone on the screen. My directions, my music, my back up camera. It will even read me my texts and then send texts that I speak. And make calls.

Before we left I planned our route on Google maps using bike friendly roads. I had originally assumed that we would just stop whenever Bruce felt like it and find an RV Park. But as I started looking for RV Parks I realized that they are not always conveniently placed where we wanted them. For some reason they were usually closer to the interstates. Go figure! I tried to find parks within 5 miles of our route because when you’re biking, an extra 15 miles adds an hour both ways. If I couldn’t find a close RV Park, we planned to either Boondock or I would meet Bruce and give him a ride out to the RV Park. I printed off our weekly route map and all the tentative RV Parks for us to stay in and put it all in The White Notebook. I usually didn’t actually make reservations for the parks until I knew we would for sure be staying there. Some required you to pay first, some didn’t.

The most important gadgets by far were the essentials for the biker. So many gadgets! There’s even a reason for all the spandex. He starts with his regular kit which includes padded pants and a shirt with pockets to put his cell phone, extra clothing accessories, etc. He has special bike shoes for each bike. They have clips that clip into his pedals. He also has a variety of jackets, long pants, rain gear (including shoe covers and a helmet cover), arm warmers and gloves. He always wears a heart rate monitor. And of course head phones connected to his phone in his back pocket.

Here are some of the gadgets on Bruce’s bike that help him navigate, be seen and keep an eye on the other traffic.