Caverns of Sonora - A Lesson in Power and Patience

 

 

“Its beauty cannot be exaggerated, even by Texans.”

~Bill Stephenson~

 If you're a rock hound, crystal-lover, or cave enthusiast, this blog is for you. Let's talk about the Caverns of Sonora.

Yesterday, I did a TikTok video which basically summarized the camping grounds at the Caverns of Sonora. You may or not be a TikToker, but regardless, I gloated about the wonder of their amazing gift shop, then came down pretty hard on their camping facilities, which I stand by. The gift shop is beyond amazing and their camping facilities suck. But...that was before we took the guided tour of the caverns.

My wife and I have toured several caves/caverns and joked a bit about how "If you've seen one cave, you've seen them all." You haven't. The Caverns of Sonora offers a 1 hour and 45 minute tour (ours went a full 2 hours), complete with a competent tour guide. It's a workout that encompasses going 155 feet (16 Stories) underground in warm and humid conditions. The total distance down, up, and all around is about 1.8 miles. The price? 28 bucks. A bargain at twice the price.

We were blessed with a small group of four people who all shared an appreciation for the wonder of the cavern. Our tour guide, Dakota, was amazing and took time to answer questions, offer history, tell us personal stories of paranormal activity, and even let the old folks rest as necessary.

This cave was unlike any we've seen. The path is narrow and you're up close and personal with all the formations. And there are a LOT of differing formations. And no, you cannot make any type of contact with the formations lest you be held on federal charges. They're serious about protecting the sanctity of this natural wonder.

You can Google pictures of the place, or better yet, make the trip to see it for yourself, but the message we got was not just the beauty of the place. The truly important message is HOW it got to be what it is today and how long it took to accomplish.  

While this cave was discovered in 1909, the miles and miles of rooms and paths and formations took millions and millions of years to form through the power of water. Once underwater, this magnificent cavern was formed over time, by the sheer power of water. Trillions upon trillions of gallons of water transformed rock into a masterpiece.

But what is TRULY amazing are the multitude of unimaginable, mineralized formations, formed in the course of many millions of years...one drop of water at a time. One particular piece being formed is happening at the rate of 1 mineralized drop of water every 3 hours. For me, it's an incredible lesson in the power of patience. At one drop every 3 hours, in 10 million years that water will have joined a stalagmite and stalactite into a beautiful column of florescent wonder. And this cave is full of billions of examples of that process already in-process or completed.

It's a lesson for us, don't you think? We can be both powerful and patient. Sometimes, it can be necessary we clear a path with brute force. And sometimes, we take life one drop at a time, knowing the best is to come at the hands of our patience. Like a painting worthy of an art gallery, we may start with broad strokes, but the beauty is in the details. It takes time to get good at choosing what works best...and when. 

Don't beat yourself up if you don't get it right the first million times. You'll get there.

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Stay safe. Be smart. We'll see ya on the road.

 

 

In or Out!!

 

"I do the outside. Your mom does the inside. That's what works for us."

~Billy Leatherwood~

 

If you travel in pairs and you're wondering how to split up tasks to make your RV setup more efficient, this blog is for you. Although, this takes some practice! Let's talk about it. 

When I was a kid, my dad told me exactly what you see in the quote. Only thing is, he was talking about household stuff. Turns out, it works for RV life, too. Admittedly, Gina and I are still ironing out the wrinkles in our routine (mostly because I keep stepping outside the box), but we get better and faster with every setup. 

This applies mostly to back-in sites, but it can be applied to pull-thru's.  Just eliminate the jeep disconnect.

1. Once we're at the site, we determine the best place to unhook the jeep. Gina gets out, starts the jeep. I get out and unhook. She backs away, secures the jeep and heads for the RV pad where she directs me into the spot.  Her job is to make sure we're reasonably square, haven't backed in too far, and our rear jacks don't fall above any concrete bumpers. 

2. At this juncture, we basically switch. I go outside to hook up power, water, and sewer. I place the jack pads then come inside. In the meantime, Gina has been preparing to deploy the slide, removing things like paper towels and knives from storage and placing them on the counter, etc. 

3. I take my place in the driver seat while Gina monitors the level bubble and we deploy the hydraulic jacks to level the rig. Once level, Gina deploys the slide. And we're done.

4. Sometimes, depending on location, I'll go out and put down our large pad, outdoor rug, and deploy the awnings.  

When we're leaving, this whole process works pretty much in reverse, but you can add dumping the tanks, which I do. Then Gina drops the pod in the toilet and adds water. She then brings in the slide. The last step is to start the rig and let the system air up so we bring in the jacks and have brakes!

Just a couple things I'd like to run past you if you're the outside person. When you're hooking up to electric, be sure the breaker is off before you plug in. Connect the pedestal end only, turn on the power and make sure your surge protector displays the colors to let you know the wiring is safe. Then, turn the power back off, hook up to the rig, and turn it back on. Try to avoid hooking your rig up to a hot source without verifying it first. And turn it off before you unhook it.

Also, if you're the outside person, stay with what you know. Gina is good-humored about it, but I've been known to come inside and start doing stuff to "help out." It rarely does help and it messes with the routine. I've also been known to hook the jeep up to the Blue Ox on my own (which is basically Gina's job) and I've been known to leave the emergency brake on (which makes a hell of a racket) and failed to unlock he steering wheel, which is also problematic.

So, because I've been prone to be where I don't belong and then done it wrong, we've developed a system of double-checking each other on both inside and outside stuff. It takes about 30 more seconds and saves lots of trouble down the road.

Look, the bottom line is, if you're working as a team, you'll be much better off if you divide the chores in ways that work for you. This is just what works for us. And we're getting pretty fast! If it doesn't go smoothly for awhile, don't worry. You'll get better and better. 

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Stay safe. Be smart. See ya on the road. 

Four-Season Campers and RVs

There's no such thing as a 4-season camper."

~Matt Leatherwood (and probably some other people)~

 

So, you and your partner (Or by yourself. No judgement) are heading out to the local RV dealership or maybe your friend, Bob's house, to pick out a snazzy new camper. You want to go where you want, when you want, so you're gonna pick up a fancy 4-season unit.

Well, before you get packed up to spend January in the Arctic or Canada, or hell, even Wisconsin, there's something you should know. There's no such thing as a 4-season RV. Let's talk about it.

Ok, so there is a label in RV land called Four-Season. Dealers love to use this term to describe campers (travel trailers, truck campers, fifth wheels, etc) that are "designed" to be used year-round - in hot summers and cold winters. "Oh, you betcha. This baby will keep you nice and cool in the desert and warm your toes during a snowstorm in Minnesota...eh."

But here's what you don't know and likely what they don't WANT you to know. There is no official industry standard defining what qualifies a rig as "four-season," meaning the truth behind that label varies greatly from manufacturer to manufacture, or from Bob to Hank. 

There is definitely a difference in campers when it comes to seasonal considerations. But regardless of make, model, and size, you simply MUST consider things like insulation levels, tank heating, heated underbelly, dual-pane windows, HVAC capacity, plumbing protection and more. These features do help prevent freezing pipes, etc. They help. They don't prevent. Don't confuse the two. A true four-season rig supports camping through extreme cold and heat without constant DIY attachments.

To be fair, there are some models that are considered by the industry to be pretty decent in the four-season department. In no particular order, (And I'm not promoting any of them one way or another and I'll tell you why in a minute):

Northwood Manufacturing who make Arctic Fox, Outdoors RV, and Nash; Northern Lite for truck campers; Oliver Travel Trailers are equipped with double-hull insulation, etc; Glacier Peak, and Bigfoot Trailers. All of these consider their rigs to be four-season and seemingly are better than many.

But here's the thing and why I don't support the label. None of these; not one single one of these is built like your house. They aren't built the same, insulated the same, heated the same, cooled, the same, sealed the same...and on and on. They aren't. Remember, you're staying in a tin can with paper for insulation. It may have two layers of insulation and some crap they call a heated underbelly, but it's still paper and crap. 

Now, if you'd like to consider a four-season camper as something you'd be comfortable taking between, say 25F and 90F, I could get behind that. But you won't catch me in anything, regardless of their claims, in any extremes. And I recommend you don't either. And we haven't even talked about cost yet!!

You'll be miserable trying to keep up with the temps, and no matter who makes it, you'll be adding features to keep it warm or cold. Extreme temps are no place for RVs of any kind, and that's another hill I'll die on. 

If you like this content, please comment below and let me know you've been here. And be sure to follow along at RVing with Matt and Gina on TikTok.

In the meantime,

Stay safe. Be smart. See ya on the road. 

 

 

 

 

Pulling a Toad

"

"I GO WHERE I'M TOWED"

 

If your primary source for camping is a motor home and you're wondering how to get to town for groceries once you're all set up, this blog is for you. Get ready to tow a toad. Let's talk about it.

 

As is likely evident by now, we do our RVing in a 37' motor home. We love everything about our house on wheels, but going this route comes with a unique set of options when it comes to getting around once you're set up. If you're pulling a 5th wheel or a bumper pull, you're already driving your vehicle for site-seeing and running errands. If not, you already know your rig probably won't fit in the parking lot of the Dollar General. Thus, you need a toad.

To bring along a separate vehicle for just getting around town, you basically have 5 options for getting it there. Yes, five. Honestly, there may be more, but I can't think of any short of an air drop. And to be fair, I've only tried one of these. Here are the five:

1. Using a car dolly. The advantage to using a car dolly, is that it opens up your options to bringing along nearly any front wheel drive vehicle on the market. The disadvantage is that once your car is unhooked, you still have a trailer back there. Unless you're in a pull-thru campsite, you'll have to unhook it to back in...OR you're a way better backer than me.
2. Using a car trailer. The advantage to this one is that you can bring along any vehicle you can get up there. Car, truck, Side-by-Side, Mule, ATVs...whatever. This disadvantage would be similar to Number 1. Once you get your car unloaded, you still have to unhook the trailer to back up. Unless...you're better at backing a trailer with a short tongue than I am.
3. Using an enclosed trailer. This one comes with great advantages. If it's big enough, you can bring your car, tools, bicycles, lawn chairs, etc and it's all protected from the weather. The disadvantages would be the same as the first two, plus, you have considerations of weight. Be sure you have a rig with enough horsepower to tow this and expect your fuel mileage to be affected.
4. Flat-towing. This is the option we chose, but it wasn't without some serious investigating. If you invest in a good towing setup, like Blue Ox, this is a system that makes hooking and unhooking a breeze. We can do either with our jeep in under a minute. That's the big advantage for us. The disadvantage is that you're seriously limited to the vehicles you can tow.  Let me explain. Not very vehicle on the market is designed to be flat-towed. It's not as simple as just putting it in neutral and heading down the road. Modern transmissions can be ruined by this method. Be SURE you check with your manufacturer about your vehicle's specs on being flat towed. WE found, the simplest, most reliable vehicle for flat towing is a Jeep. There are those that will tell you they've been towing their Honda Civic (pick your own vehicle here) for years with no issues. Just remember, you've been warned. Your transmission guy will love you. And remember, no matter how good you are a backing things, DO NOT attempt to back up with this configuration. It's expensive to install the first time. Don't break it.
5. Tagging along. We have run in to more than one traveling team that split the driving. One person drives the coach, the other follows along driving the smaller vehicle. Advantages would be not having to hook up and unhook. And if you're tired of sharing the same space, I guess there's that. The disadvantage is that you're not spending road time with the person you chose to make the trip with in the first place. Kinda defeats the purpose, in my opinion, but you do you.

Whelp, that about covers it. I can't stress enough that you really, really need to do your homework on this one and determine what setup works for you. What kind of vehicle to you have? Under what setup can you tow it? What's your budget?  How far are you traveling? How much do you like your partner? And for god's sake, ask your mechanic and manufacturer about whether your vehicle is fit for flat towing.

If you like our content, please follow the blog and leave a comment. Look for us on TikTok: RVing with Matt and Gina. Also, Horsefeathers: Energy and Life. In the meantime:

Stay safe. Be smart. See ya on the road. 

 

 

 

 

Traveling with Pets

 

"Pets are not just animals; they are family members who fill our hearts with love."

 

"A house is not a home without the pitter-patter of paws." 

 

 ~Unknown~ 

 

If you're traveling with your pets or are considering traveling with your pets, this blog is for you. Lets talk about our furry loved ones. 

When Gina and I first started talking about longer term RV life, we had one dog and two cats. Then we had one cat, (RIP sweet Jerry), then we had two cats again (Welcome Roscoe!), then we had three when Molly just showed up from the feral group in our town. Then Molly had 4 kittens in my closet. We kept one, of course, soooooooo, now we have 4 cats and a coonhound. Is it a lot? It can be, but for the most part, it's highly manageable and we wouldn't be without them. They're part of our family...our home...whether that be in Nebraska or on the road. 

All that wonderful mushy stuff being said, there are a number of considerations to keep in mind when you're traveling with your pets. 

The first consideration for us was deciding which rig to get. We were fully equipped with the right truck to pull a 5th wheel or bumper pull. However, we didn't want that many animals riding in the truck with us all the time, and we refuse to leave them in the camper while pulling it. Please, don't do that. It simply isn't safe for your pets. If you just have one or two and you have room in your tow vehicle, then it's not an issue. If you have as many as we do, we felt like we only had one option: a motorhome.

After the rig your camping in is established, the rest is just remembering a few quick tips and handling the food storage and sleeping arrangments. So, here's a list you might consider.

• Almost everywhere you camp, be it BLM land, national parks, state parks, RV parks, Harvest Host, or wherever, will require your pet be on a 6' leash at all times outside the rig. That includes cats. If your pets aren't leash trained, get them that way before you pull out of the driveway.  Our cats stay almost exclusively inside, but a couple of them like to go out for a short visit on the leash. We do have a long lead for our dog that we use only when sitting in our lawn chairs outside. In SOME instances, we have stayed in places where I can find a remote trail or field where I can let our coon hound run a bit. Remember, this is generally not allowed and I'm not recommending it. But our Sugar likes it, so there. 
• Having 4 cats obviously creates a poop issue. We use a single, covered, igloo-type litter box in the bathroom. We us a silicon based product like Pretty Litter (there are others at places like Petco or Petsmart) and I cannot recommend those products enough. They are odor-free, incredibly easy to clean, and not that hard to find. Keep extra bags on hand. Are they expensive?  A little, but a single bag lasts up to a month for one cat. (Times 4). Seriously, this is a game-changer for a tight space.
• You have to plan ahead to stay stocked up on food for all your critters. Our dog is easy. She'll eat anything, but we still can't buy a 40 pound bag. It's too much storage space. Just plan ahead and buy smaller amounts. Same goes for the cats. They eat a urinary tract-based food which generally only comes in small bags anyway, but we can't buy 5 at a time...storage, remember?
• Water is not an issue for most, but because we've had cats with urinary tract issues, they ALL get distilled water. We buy 12 bottles at a time when home. On the road, it's 4 at the most.
• It likely will never come up unless you're crossing someone's border, but you need to carry proof of your animal's vaccinations. And let's be real, even if you're not likely to be inspected, having your animals vaccinated is a good idea. 
• Speaking of meds, be sure you stock up before you leave. Most pet meds don't take up much space. We got a 6-month supply of our dog's heartworm, flea, and tick medicine. And don't skip giving it to them, especially if you're heading south. Mesquitoes don't take a winter break down south.
• Climate is always a consideration. Our pets are all perfectly fine being left alone for longer periods when necessary. That said, if it's hot outside, your camper will bake a pet just like in a car if you lose power to your air conditioning. There are dozens of products on the market at varying prices that will allow you to monitor the conditions of your inside temp remotely. We highly recommend the investment.
• Be sure you vacuum...daily!

So, that's basically it. Although traveling without our pets would be "simpler," it would be so much less fulfulling.  They seem to love the road as much as we do.

If you like our content, please follow this blog and leave a comment. In the meantime...

Stay safe. Be smart. See ya on the road.

Matt 

 

Park Review: Bit O'Heaven RV Park

 Bit O' Heaven RV Park

www.bit-o-heaven.net

(956) 464-5191 

1051 W. Business Hwy 83
Donna TX 78537 

 

If you're curious about tightly-packed, 55+ RV parks for snow birds in southern Texas, this blog is for you. Let's talk about Bit O' Heaven. 

 

To be honest, we had no plans to go this far south on our 5 month journey, but we had some friends contact us while we were in San Antonio. They told us that in only 4 more hours, we could be in beautiful Donna, TX where they stay in their park model...ok two park models, a motorhome, 3 golf carts (one of which they let us use), a pickup, hotrod, and mustang convertible. You gettin my drift here? This is NOT RVing on a budget, although we did get a price for a weekly stay that equated to about 30 bucks per night for full hook-ups. 

 

Let's talk about the good stuff, first:

 

1. The park is clean.

2. They have a decent dog park with all the supplies

3. They have two heated pools (one inside and one outside) with hot tubs which were nice and hot!

4. They have a huge array of activities from dances, to live music, to Bocce Ball, mini golf (sort of), yoga, two club houses, etc. They even have a dirt track for remote control cars and pickle ball courts. A full time entertainment director sees you stay as busy as you want to be. We don't like to be that busy.

5. It's only 30 minutes to Nuevo Progreso and an hour or so to South Padre Island. 

6. The electric and water seem to be reliable.

7. It's gated and everyone gets a unique code. Unless it's yard sale day, in which case the gate stays open for the general public. So basically, it's secure...sort of.

8. The staff was great. We really did get excellent service on every front from the park staff. 

 

Now the bad stuff:

 

1. The non-permanent pads for people coming through (like us) are grass, with one small concrete pad as a "patio." The grass is thick with stickers that stick to everything. And it wasn't just our site. They're everywhere. And that means our dog's feet were covered in them. Our shoes, clothes, RV tires, Jeep tires and clothes were covered in them. And THAT means they were in the camper. We'll be finding remnants of them the whole trip. Even if I loved this park (which I don't), this one item would make me never rent or buy here. 

2. The units, whether temporary or permanent, are WAY too close together. Every unit is packed in like sardines. Definitely not our jamb.

3.This one is politically based, but it applies in our case. It may not in yours. If you're a Trump-loving MAGA Member in good standing or prefer to call our beloved Gulf of Mexico the gulf of america, or think tariffs are good for our economy or that our attack on Venezuela was a good thing, or that Charlie Kirk was a nice man, this place is absolutely your cup of tea. If you're highly liberal, empathetic, and woke like we are, this is DEFINITELY not your place. Are there other liberals amongst the herd? Probably, but every conversation we had with anyone we met would lead you to believe otherwise. 

 

If you love butting up to your neighbors property, don't mind stickers on your shoes and love talking about how your cult leader is saving our country, this place is absolutely your home away from home.

 

It most definitely is not our kind of place and we won't be back at any price...at any time. But hey, the weather was nice.

 

Stay safe. Be smart. See ya on the road. 

 

 

 

 

 

Pulling a Rig

               "Remember when I asked for your opinion?  Neither do I."

~Everyone~ 

 

If you're new to RVing and you've ever wondered, or are wondering now, how big a truck you need to pull your bumper pull or 5th wheel, this blog entry is for you. 

Undoubtedly, this is likely the most contested debate I've come across on Facebook, regardless of what RV group or page you belong to. But, believe me when I tell you, I often seem to hold the minority opinion about this one. I've been called things like over-cautious, ignorant, uninformed, and stupid (yes, stupid. And you know how I've said you can't own an RV and be stupid). I've even had them use the"Tell me you've never pulled an RV without telling me you've never pulled an RV."

Well, I HAVE pulled an RV and numerous other trailers of varying lengths and weights. Like I said, this is often a minority opinion, but this is an RV hill I will die on. I can wiggle on other topics like what kind of fuel additive to use or what RV app you prefer, but I refuse to budge an inch on what rig I'll use to tow a camper. You may be mad at me now, but you'll thank me later. Or, you'll ignore me now and your mechanic will thank me later. Your call.

Before I get too deep, I get it. There CAN be some exceptions, but they're rare. I've talked to more than one asshat, er um, expert that explained to me they've pulled their 40' 5th wheel all over the country with their 1/2 Ton Ford and they've never had an issue. They've even used hyperbole like, "Can't even tell it's back there." I'm yet to hear someone make that statement with a bumper pull, but I'm sure they're out there. And look, who am I to say? I've never pulled a camper with a Ford, but still, I'm calling BS to all of it. Ok, so finally, here's why and I love to start with this little tag line. Repeat this any time you're questioning an RV decision:

"Just because you can, it doesn't mean you should."

Remember when I bought my shiny new 28' Patriot? It weighed in dry at about 5,500 pounds. Loaded, that probably equated to 6,500 or 7,000 pounds, water, gear and all. Maybe less, but the truth is, it doesn't matter.

My loaded, 1/2-ton, Chevy Silverado Z71 was equipped with a towing package and rated at roughly 9200 pounds of towing capacity. My RV dealer and I had a long discussion about this.

"I don't think I have enough truck to pull this."

"Oh, that's plenty of truck and you even have a couple thousand pounds to spare!"

Made perfect sense to me, so I had them custom install the hitch and adjust the height. I hooked up my shiny new camper and pulled out of the parking lot. It took me two blocks and a trip up the entrance ramp to a freeway, along with a long blast from a trucker's air horn to determine, I did NOT, indeed, "have enough truck." 

Would it pull it? Sure, but it grumbled and groaned each and every mile and my mileage dropped into the single digits. It wasn't just a little "not enough truck." It was a lot "not enough truck." But, damage done, I eased on down the road to state park after state park, then pulled to South Texas and back, them made two trips to Oklahoma and another two to Kansas. The transmission began to slip on the last trip back from Oklahoma, but I was expecting it to go out long before. That was a $6,000 lesson learned the hard way.

Again, I can hear the arguments about cost, and brand of vehicle, and on and on and on. And if you're pulling your camper to the lake and back twice in the summer, you can pull it with your lawn tractor for all I care. You'll likely be fine. But if you're going full-time, nearly full-time, or simply going further more often, you need a bigger truck. Period.

Right here is where people start talking about tongue weights, horsepower, load limits, towing capacity, horsepower, blah, blah, blahbiddy, blah. You can give all that crap consideration if you want to check the boxes, but you'll check ALL the boxes, if you just get a bigger truck. And by bigger, I mean at LEAST a 3/4 Ton and while you're at it, go ahead and get the F350 or Chevy 3500 dually and make it a diesel. Yep, that's gonna set you back $85,000 to $150,000 these days depending on options. But it'll save you twice that in heartache and repairs. 

Yes, it's excessive. If you're pulling a tent camper, pop-up or something in the 17-20 foot range, go for it. Use your jeep or 1/2 ton or something lighter. You'll be fine. If it's bigger, your truck needs to be, too. You can do math until you're blue in the face, or you can simply use a rig big enough, or better yet, bigger than enough and your math solves itself. And as far has the hitch you use, have a professional install it and set it up.

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 Stay safe, be smart. See ya on the road

 Matt