Scribble World Travel Blog

New Year’s Eve in Tucson

Happy New Year everyone! We decided to try something different this year and it turned out to be a wonderful night out on the town exploring Tucson’s historic entertainment district as part of the “First Night Tucson 2010” event. A $12 admission button earned us admission into the Beowulf Alley Theatre, the Fox Tucson Theatre, the Scottish Rite Cathedral and The Screening Room. There were plenty of other choices, including the Armory Park Center, Leo Rich Theatre, and the Tucson Museum of Arts that we didn’t quite have time to squeeze in, but we were very pleased by the remarkable selection and variety of talented performers and there were plenty of free events to choose from also, and a midnight fireworks show.

We had a quick and tasty bite to eat at Jimmy John’s sandwich shop on Congress St. before heading over to the Fox Theatre next door (17 E. Congress St) to listen to the Larry Redhouse Quartet weaving jazz, latin and funk rhythms together in the 1,100 seat theatre. This was my most relaxing experience of the night-just closing my eyes and letting the music carry me off to faraway thoughts.

With performances lasting just 45 minutes, it was an excellent opportunity to sample a variety of venues over the course of the evening. For our second, we chose to walk over to The Screening Room, another place we have never been in Tucson, to watch the year’s best short comedy films.

Next we were off to the Scottish Rite Cathedral on 160 S. Scott Ave to listen to the Santa Cruz River Band. A variety of instruments and talking in between songs cast a story-by-the-fire kind of mood as Teodoro Ramirez and Michael J. Ronstadt peformed songs in English, Spanish, Welsh and American Indian. Most was their own original work, and I enjoyed them very much. A week later I still have one of their songs in my head.

By 9 P.M. we were at the Beowulf Alley Theatre on 11 S. 6th St. to watch a one man skit called: LNT@the Alley- 3 am: In the Absence of Time and Memory, an “uproariously acerbic trot across one man’s night of anger, angst and unemployment.” Some of it was quite funny, while other parts you had to feel kind of sorry for the guy. I hope he was just acting.

We stopped back at The Screening Room to see the Best of 2009 short film winners, but to our surprise many of the comedy films we had already seen were winners so we left a little early. It was a chilly night and we decided to skip the fireworks show and head back to The Big Blue house B&B where our warm room and all its amenities awaited. We had our own suite with microwave, fridge stocked with juice and other goodies, tea, pastries, cereal, etc. The décor was fun too.

There are 7 rooms available for rent and we chose #7 “Elegant Deco.” All the rooms have full kitchens, LCD televisions with 300 channels, free WiFi, water dispensers, ozone air purifiers, their own bathroom and a private commons entrance so you can come and go as you wish. Our room was just $120 and I feel it was a bargain and would happily recommend it to others. We’ll have to do something like this again sometime. The Big Blue House is located on 144 University Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85705.

Hello

Just checking in for a quick hello! We’ve been in the midst of end of semester stuff for school like studying for finals and a project on the evils of factory farming…that pretty much took the turkey out of Thanksgiving.
It was hailing a few days ago-very unusual for Tucson, but it pretty much had all melted by the time I grabbed my camera-oh well.
Hopefully we’ll have time to play around on here more soon, We’re looking forward to a long and leisurely winter break!

U of A Underwear Run Across Campus

Saw a funny sight on campus tonight while waiting for chris to come pick me up…all these students in their underwear and bras walking past me…finally I had to ask what was going on.

It’s homecoming weekend but they were having a ‘donate your clothes’ event tonight for some charity. A few minutes later, at 8 PM, all these half naked students went running past me again, going the other way this time, and I saw one guys penis accidently slip out the pee slot of his boxers, he said “oh sh*t,” and tucked it back in.
Funny the things I get to see waiting for a ride! har har har! Chris was running late, so he missed it all-I said, “I’d tell you what I just saw, but you’d never believe me…”

I didn’t take any pictures but quite a few others did on their cell phones!

I gave a Homeless Man Respect and Rice

After driving to school for my one class of the day and playing “vitamin and mineral jeopardy” for extra credit points, I decided to take a new route home.
I stopped for a bottle of kombucha, which I never actually got, because I was lured into a Sushi restaurant instead. On my way over, I saw a man-he was homeless but I didn’t know that at first-I just saw an elderly struggling gentlemen in obvious pain-barely able to move. I asked if he was alright and he thanked me and said it hurt, but it would pass-he just needed to sit down a while.

I went inside, soon forgetting the homeless man, which sadly is a little too easy to do when the pain is not our own. But I found what I wanted and got it to go. The man was still resting against the building when I came out and I asked how he was doing and if he was hungry. He seemed a little better now that he was sitting and yes, he was hungry. I asked if he’d eat rice (half expecting him to look disappointed and say ‘no thanks, what else do you have?’) and I was surprised when he said sincerely, “yes, I’ll eat rice,” and slowly and with obvious effort rose to his feet-I objected, not wanting him to hurt himself, but he insisted and said he wanted to show his respect and gave a little salute.
I asked if he knew how to use chopsticks-he said sure he did, he’d spent a few years in South Asia. I said, “then I give you my respect because I don’t even know how to use them,” I handed him the rice and chopsticks, we shook hands and parted ways.
I left with mixed emotions. I’m glad he appreciated my small gesture-but at the same time, I think basic food, safe water, shelter, healthcare, and dignity ought to be universal human rights-and I’m not sure what that indicates about mankind if they’re not. We don’t seem to be doing a very good job of taking care of our own. I may not be in a position to give a lot-small luxuries are all I have-but even I can give something-even if it’s just a little respect and my rice.

Things to Come

Soon, Chris will give an update and share some pictures from his trip last week to San Francisco to attend the Norml conference.
Thanks to all who took the time to answer the Scribble World Question of the week. I will definitely look into those time management suggestions and books….just as soon as I have time-LOL! No seriously, I will, thank you!

I also look forward to sharing more of what I’ve been learning about wapis which are reusable water pasteurization indicators which allow people to know when their water is safe to drink in parts of the world where clean water is not readily available.

Scribble World Question of the week

Been thinking of making something called a WAPI for developing nations or the outback in Australia but don’t know if I will have any time because of all the homework.

I’ve been using a timer lately-where I tell myself I’ll only work on something for one hour—but then it beeps and I’ll, of course, be in the middle of something-so I’ll keep going and next thing I know, another hour’s gone by, and I’m still not ready to put it aside, but it’s finally something like hunger or exhaustion that tears me away…and then I start to remember all the other stuff I wanted to do as I start to drift off to sleep… oh not again!
I’ve also tried putting post-it notes up on the walls with things I want to get around to doing, but after a week or so, they just start blurring in with the background—and Chris once suggested I write everything that I want to do down and put it in a cup and then whichever one I choose, make that the priority for the day..so I did that for a day or two, that cup’s still sitting around this jumble somewhere…

Scribble World Question of the week: Anyone have a time management tip that works?

Still Alive

Wow I am sick today. Haven’t had that happen for a while. Maybe its the stress of going back to school.
At least I have Chris to be nice and give me some of his treasured Puffs Vicks plus lotion kleenex-probably the best tissues ever invented–they were discontinued, so when they’re gone they’re gone.
He also gave me some sore throat lozenges that he brought back from Australia called Strepsils. They are Eucalyptus & Menthol flavored, antibacterial, and help clear the nose.

Nimbus Brewery, Tucson, AZ

While many have had the good fortune of trying a Nimbus beer, relatively few have yet had the opportunity to enjoy their Nimbus on location at the Nimbus Brewing Company, and I can see why-until I found myself looking online for something to do this Saturday, and saw an ad for Clam Jam 2 at the Nimbus Brewing Company, I wasn’t even aware the Nimbus brewery was a place to hang out! Tucked back in the obscure south central side of Tucson in the industrial district, it is not where you would expect to go on a Saturday night looking for a good time. We nearly turned around, “this can’t be right,” as we took a right onto Ajo, then another right on Dodge, and we were about to turn around midway down 44th Street when we suddenly saw another car approaching and our headlights lit up the Nimbus sign. Yes, it is that tucked away that even an employee admitted to thinking she was lost when she first tried to find it. But once you find the Nimbus, you’re in for a treat.

The atmosphere is at once welcoming and laid back. Whether you want to sit at the bar, one of the busy tables downstairs, play a game of pool, sway your hips on the dance floor as The Tryst rocks you into the night, or make your way up to the more secluded upper level for a bursting-at-the-seams burrito and a root beer, iced tea or beer sampler, the Nimbus Brewery has you covered.

The Nimbus Brewing Company is actually Arizona’s largest brewery producing some 22,500 barrels of beer annually-an impressive rate of growth considering when they first opened in 1996 they produced less than 200 barrels. Today, each of their 3 fermenters hold 5,000 gallons of beer. They have won awards for their English Strong MonkeyShine Ale, oatmeal stout, Red Ale and Pale ale. Pressing Chris for his favorite, he really liked the pale ale and the old Monkey Shine but insisted we would have to go back before he could make an “official” decision. Also available are the dirty guera and brown ale.

Saturday, April 4th, Chris and I sat in the upper balcony enjoying our food, drink and a great view of Clam Jam Two going on below with music from Tucson’s independent music scene featuring some of Tucson’s best female rockers including Courtney Robbins, The Tryst, and Mozart’s Sister. Cover was just $5 (or free if you came early) and the Clam Jam went from 9:30 P.M until it was nearly closing time around 1 A.M.

Official Nimbus Review: An enthusiastic thumbs up. A highly recommended little treasure in Tucson’s industrial district and a great place to get away

Spring Fling in Tucson, AZ

If you love carnivals then Spring Fling in Tucson, AZ is the place to go! More than 3,000 University of Arizona volunteers are at the heart of Spring Fling making it the largest student run carnival in the country! Spring Fling is a 4 day event kicking off on April 2 at Rillito Downs, 4698 N. 1st Ave, about 3 miles from the U of A where it is being held this year to accomodate its growing size and avoid the construction currently in progress at the UofA.

Admission was just $5/person but we attended free by bringing in a coke product to be recycled. Parking is two dollars. All food, games and rides require tickets which can be purchased in bulk- 32 tickets for $20. Some pricing examples: Two tickets for a thai tea, 5 for a haunted house ride, 4 tickets for an old fashion lemonade, 5 tickets for a chance to win an over stuffed Scooby Doo toy, 6 for a funnel cake, 33 tickets to tempt fate on the bungee swing. $20 wristbands for endless rides were also available for purchase but excluded the bungee drop. But thankfully, some things are still free-porta potties, walking around the grounds, relaxing at a table or bench, and taking in one of the student band performances.

Spring Fling is a fund raiser for the University of Arizona’s organizations and clubs. Last year, with more than 30,000 people attending, they were able to raise more than $60,000.

Picking Citrus Fruit for a good cause

In the spirit of President Barack Obama’s inaguration address and call to service, last Saturday, Chris and I got up early to go pick citrus fruit in the Catalina Foothills in Tucson, Az. We learned about the volunteer event through USA Service where you can simpy type in your zip code and the distance you’re able to travel for a volunteer event.

We filled the Food Bank truck up with a variety of citrus fruits from more than 40 trees around the neighborhood, including different types of oranges, lemons and grapefruit. The citrus aroma was invigorating to say the least and the sunshine warmed our souls and helped us get our daily dose of Vitamin D too.

We were in good company. The sign up sheet indicated only 7 people would be volunteering (they were looking for up to 20 helpers) but to all of our surprise, MORE than 20 people turned out, including a family or two, and young and old alike. The extra help made for light work and the estimated 4 hours of fruit picking was finished in only two. All were eager to pitch in and help out a good cause. A nice bunch of people and a great way to spend a Saturday morning.

Time Capsules

Sometimes, senior citizens have some of the most unusual insight. A social work class I took up in Moorhead, MN once led me to volunteer at a nursing home to spend time with an 82 year old woman named Lydia. Her words are sort of like a time capsule to me-I didn’t quite understand the significance then, but I knew what she said was worth remembering and it makes more sense to me now.

Lydia had such an awesome awareness of the “small” details in life-she talked about the taste of the food she’d had for breakfast, the birds she heard outside her window, and I learned that she was still, at 82, self conscious about her appearances. But what probably surprised me most is when she talked about the pattern of the carpet– explaining she didn’t like it at first, but it grew on her with time and now, she couldn’t imagine it being anything else.

Year’s later, I think back on that carpet Lydia spent hours looking at and, for me, it’s a reminder to slow down and try to really see something as it is that very moment- the little details in life (something that is not easy to do, especially for multitaskers).

The pursuit of little details and the feeling that there is more to life then working, paying bills and being busy all the time is part of what prompted me to go travel….I knew there had to be a great deal more to experience in the greater world, if I would only take the time to notice.

Our travels around the U.S. are like more time capsules awaiting the depth of meaning to be extracted. So often we felt rushed or driven by bodily needs-the quest to satisfy hunger, find somewhere to take a shower, or a place to sleep. And all I really wanted to do is slow down and get to know a place-notice the finer details of the moment. Occassionally, I succeeded.

One delightful accident, that happened to us while traveling, occurred after we took a wrong turn and found ourselves entering a toll road. Fighting the panic of knowing I was nearly out of cash, we scrounged up every last cent we could find to cover the toll. It was just enough. We were led to the small island of Key Biscayne in Florida.

Amazingly, we were able to spend the night in our van in the library parking lot, without the local law enforcement forcing us to leave. The next morning, Chris went inside to use the wireless internet connection while I waited outside to see if I’d notice anything interesting. I found myself watching the activities of the goofy looking birds, who became more animated and brave the longer I sat still, hopping and dancing about my feet.

The longer I observed, the more I kept becoming aware of-noticing other details such as a turtle, then turtles swimming in a nearby pond. The turtles were eating away at something. I struggled to figure out what it was, and then spotted an iguana on some nearby rocks so still, it was blending into the scenery. It took me a while, but I started noticing others as well. Had Chris not lost track of time on the internet, we would have missed it all. You can see the pictures we took at Iguanas at Key Biscayne.

I love that it was an accident, but led to some interesting surprises.

10 Ways to Get a Shower On The Road

Hello travelers, people living out of a vehicle and other awesome folks, here are 10 Ways to Get a good Shower On The Road.

1. At a campground. Campground showers vary from one place to the next. Some are hot, some solar powered so they’re only hot at certain times, and some are unheated altogether. Some have consistent water pressure while others will only get a weak stream when someone hops in the shower next to you. Some are private with your own changing room and a real door while others are separated from the others by a curtain or in rare instances, nothing at all. Some are well kept and impeccably clean while others you get to share with a few hopefully harmless spiders, mosquitos and other mystery guests.
2. At a community pool. You may have to pay a few bucks to use the pool, but the showers are free. And hey, why not go swimming while you’re at it? They usually only accept cash and are often only open certain hours and days.
3. Get a 5 gallon solar shower. This is cheap, usually less than $20 for a simple one, and can be useful when you’re in the middle of nowhere. If you leave it in the sun for a couple hours you’ll have a nice warm shower. If there isn’t enough sun to make it hot, you can add a cup of boiled water and that will at least make it warm. If privacy is an issue, for a little more (around $70) you can get the Texsport Deluxe Camp Shower/Shelter Combo. It works well for car camping.
4. The Solo 465 Stainless Steel Sprayer can be used as a medium pressure camp shower. Several people have commented that they place it on a stove top burner and heat it up, then pressurize it and it’s shower time. My Dad tried this by pouring hot water into a 2 gallon plastic sprayer tank that he had and it made a great shower. It uses about 40 ounces per minute so that is a 6 minute shower using only two gallons. Also,if you lather up with Dawn Direct Foam soap instead of bar soap, when it’s empty, you could refill it with your own scented soap and distilled water. The foaming soap lather would not be affected by local hard water supplies. And it also works great for dishes! 
5. Get a day pass to a local fitness club. They’re usually just $5 or $10 for unlimited hot showers, plus you can get a good workout while you’re at it.
6. Stop at a road house or large gas station such as Flying J, TA or Pilot, and other road trip stops with amenities for travelers and truckers alike. These tend to be some of the nicest showers you can get on the road as you get your own private bathroom and lots of available hot water, plus your own sink and toilet. They usually provide towels and bar soap though you’re welcome to bring your own supplies. Usually costing between $5 and $10, if you’re with your significant other, they’re usually happy to let you pay the one fee and share the room. If you’re a little hard up for cash, you can also try asking a trucker if he or she by chance has an extra shower coupon. Truckers oftentimes receive a coupon for a free shower when they fill up on gas and oftentimes have an extra they just might part with if you ask nice enough.
7. Visit a friend, relative or make a new acquaintance and ask to use their shower…sure, you might get a funny look, but what are friends for?
8. Try the “It Makes Sense Shower head.” You still need a water supply, but this will help you conserve water. You can get a hot shower using very little water which is helpful when you’re on the road. It has a chain to pull to adjust the flow of the water from a full spray to a trickle while you lather. It’s an interesting variation of a navy shower.
9. The Zodi Hot Tap Single Burner Travel Shower runs off propane and 4 D batteries, so you can get a hot shower any time of day at the push of a button. It holds 4 gallons of water which is good for a 10 minute shower. Costs about $130
10. Some hotels with swimming pools will let non-guests use it for a small fee, and have public showers in that viscinity as well.

Want one more? The Carwash! Please laugh responsibly:  Shower on the Road

Walmart-A travelers delight or a McHuman experience?

When Chris and I were traveling the country by van, there were times when coming across a Walmart, particularly in a small town, was a traveler’s delight. Finding Walmart meant having a place to park for the night. There was one notable exception, but otherwise, Walmart seemed like a great idea for travelers and Walmart alike, generating all kinds of goodwill and customer loyalty. It seemed like the natural choice to go inside to gather whatever traveling supplies we needed before continuing on our road trip. If Walmart made an area specifically with travelers in mind, with showers, laundry, and a little kitchen area, it seemed it would be a perfect haven catering to travelers and I suspect this would help soften and humanize the Walmart experience. My recent experiences with Walmart, however, have been less than inspiring.

After an hour of weaving our cart through the crowded Walmart aisles in Tucson, Arizona, Chris and I were ready to check out. Not surprisingly, the lines were long and they seemed understaffed as usual. Finally up to the register, Chris noticed one of our items rang up a different price than was stated on the sign. Our cashier seemed reluctant or unable to do anything about it. I guess they’re used to most people shrugging their shoulders or changing their minds-which is what I did the last visit when this happened. This time, we took the trouble of asking for a price check. She slowly walked to the phone to call someone over, then stayed to gab with a fellow cashier about the effectiveness of her hand lotion.

Meanwhile, a line was piling up behind us. I commented on this and our cashier suggested they try another register since we were waiting on a price check. Some of the crowd moved along but others immediately swarmed in to take their places. A woman finally showed up-only to ask what our item was ringing up as-”$59 instead of $49 like the sign said…”– and she simply sided with the ring up price saying she thought that one looked like it was more expensive. “But that’s not what the sign said,” Chris protested. It was just kind of like, “we wait here for 5 minutes so you can give your opinion? How does that help us?”….Chris said he would show her and so we walked her back to where they were and pointed out the sign. She was unfazed by this. Breathing heavily, she bent down and began rearranging items on the shelf as though this was supposed to console us. There were two almost identical products, one of which they were out of and the one that was $10 more but was in the less expensive price slot. She called the cashier to tell her the higher price was right.

It took a moment for that to sink in. I’ve noticed that the employee attitude at Walmart is that “the customer is always wrong.” Why is that? Never mind that they put things in the wrong spot. It’s a very belittling experience and the woman’s attitude was one of complete indifference as to whether or not they kept or lost our business. She just wasted our time by making us wait as she bent down to straighten everything out while we waited thinking she was going to acknowledge the price the sign said….but she didn’t-apparently if Walmart makes a mistake, it’s the customer’s fault. She actually blamed it on customers too-by saying customers probably moved them.

We left Walmart without buying a thing. We walked past the cashier who still stood there helplessly waiting as piles of sardine-like McHumans piled up behind our stuff that would all have to be voided. Believe it or not, I think this is a good thing. It is by their own design that so many people are inconvenienced-and for what? Ten dollars? If cashiers aren’t given the power to adjust a price, and instead Walmart would rather make everyone wait while a price check is called, when there already aren’t nearly enough registers open-well that is their bad design. I think the ridiculousness and inconvenience should be noted-it’s a poor business model-it builds feelings of ill-will, wasted time, and emphasizes the herding McHuman nature of the store-the depersonalization of the experience. The cashiers should just wear a button that says “Wrong price? We don’t care.”

People want to be seen as more than mere animals mindlessly herded along-fighting for every dollar….don’t they? We are individuals. If our inherent goodness is not recognized-if we are devalued and replaceable, what is the future going to be like? It turns what is meant to be an enjoyable experience into something disheartening-ugly-it shows us Walmart is rigid and we are too small to matter. I suppose it is meant to make us feel like we have no choice—but we do. Walking out the door felt good.

Sometimes dignity means more than saving every last nickel. It keeps us human. It was crazy to hear about the Walmart crowd shattering through glass and remorselessly stampeding a man to death in a dash for limited quantity holiday deals. This was on Black Friday at the Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, in Nassau County, New York. The victim, Jdimytai Damour, was only 34 years old. Mr. Damour was among the 6 to 10 Walmart employees responsible for holding back the crowd of 2,000 plus from breaking their way in 5 minutes before their official opening time of 5 A.M. People were reluctant to abandon their shopping even when the store announced it needed to be cleared out until 1 P.M, due to the death.

Chris and I have decided to stop shopping at Walmart. I am curious to know what kind of experiences other people have had. Where are the best places to shop and where do you feel like a McHuman?

How we traveled with 2 cats

We have had quite a few people express curiosity as to how we managed to road trip around the country in a van for 6 months with TWO cats, so today I thought I’d share how we did it.
We began our adventure in Arizona in October and slowly traveled north before eventually driving down south again through early April. For the most part, we had very decent weather, but that’s not the half of it. I don’t think we could have traveled with two cats, let alone one, without some important safety measures.

For starters, we put an extra deep cell battery in our van. We then hooked it up to a
pure sine wave inverter to power a fan…so the fan worked even when the vehicle wasn’t running.

Second, We customized our van effectively changing the temperature dynamics by removing all the back seats and installing an elevated bed instead. The bed consisted of a wooden platform, covered by memory foam and piles of insulating blankets and pillows. Having the bed in our van not only saved us a lot of money along the way on accomodations, it also provided an excellent basement-like shelter for our cats to chill under.

The temperature difference was HUGE! The warmer air would
accumulate in the upper level, while beneath the bed the temp was always a bit on the chilly side.

We also had a large roof rack bag. The roofrack bag served as additional insulation for our van, deflecting the sun rays and providing yet another barrier. The roof rack bag was filled with clothes and extra blankets.

We made sure the cats always had plenty of food and fresh water at all times.

Their litterbox was easily accessible in the back of the van-also making it easy to clean simply by lifting the hatch.

We put up window shades on all the windows. Also, we would leave all the windows in the van partially open to allow a natural breeze and prevent the oven affect.

Common sense also played a role-we parked in the shade, did most of our site seeing during
the cooler morning and evening hours as much as possible and most importantly did
our van traveling before the hot spring and summer months.

I also recommend monitoring the temperature of your vehicle at all times. On some days, it’s probably a good idea to spray your pet with cold water which will have a cooling affect as it evaporates,
while you run your quick 10 minute errand. Some people even shave their pets.

I’d rather be overly precautious than not cautious enough whereas our cats are concerned. They are family members-unfortunately, it may be a while before they start opening doors and calling us on our cell phones, so in the meantime, another possibility is to leave the vehicle running with the a.c. on if there is a spare key. Another precaution is to wear a stopwatch as a reminder there’s a
pet waiting for you.

On another precautionary note, it is very important to realize that our pets are far more sensitive to heat than we humans are. The first sign of panting is a red flag that the animal has gotten too hot. Panting can be a sign of heat stroke. Other signs are findng your pet in a stupor and even seizures. A vet should be consulted at the first sign of heat stroke. According to the Maricopa County Gov site, normal body temperature for dogs and cats is between 101-103 degrees Fahrenheit, but it only takes seconds to rise to deadly levels.

Also relating to vehicular pet safety-did you know that antifreeze containing ethylene glycol is deadly, yet sweet and appealing to pets? Instead you can use products with propylene glycol, which are more pet friendly.

Many tourist destinations are taking positive steps in becoming more pet friendly and we found this very encouraging on our travels. The Fountain of Youth in St. Augustine, FL encouraged people to bring their pets with them- and also, The Kennedy Space Center near Titusville did too-they had a complimentary pet kennel.
***

MaxCold Igloo Cooler Review

This is a review of the MaxCold Igloo Cooler 5 day cooler, which we used while traveling the U.S. in a van for six months as our travel cooler.

The MaxCold Igloo cooler with its 70 quart capacity is a decent size for a road trip cooler. It has a light blue reflective color and ultratherm insulation throughout. The advertisement states that ice can be kept cold for up to 5 days at 90 degrees Fahrenheit. “Up to” are the key words. Ours never seemed to last longer than 2 or 3 days- and in the warmer parts, like Florida, we found ourselves replenishing ice daily.

Now, before I scare you into thinking the MaxCold Igloo Cooler may not be a good investment, let me just add that we kept the cooler behind our van on a black cargo rack-so while the blue color of the cooler may have been reflecting heat, our cargo rack was absorbing it. Next time, we’ll attempt to insulate/shield the cooler better.

The cost of ice varied quite a bit on our travels. The self service ice stands tended to be the best deal. On average, it was probably around $2/bag for a 10 or 20 pound bag. Replenishing ice almost daily at times can add up so determine if what you’re trying to keep cold is worth the cooling cost. If $60 for a months supply of ice is saving you from buying hundreds of dollars in eating out than it’s worth it, but if you’re just keeping bottles of mayonnaise and a few hot dogs cold, it’s probably not worth the expense. We usually kept a few of shelf stable single serving size packets of our favorite condiments on hand. The kind fast food restaurants usually give too much of at the drive thru.

Having a cooler while camping and boon docking saves a bundle. We’d pack our MaxCold Igloo Cooler full of ice, (frozen water bottles work well too, then as it melts you have cold water to drink).  No need to waste gas driving into town for food with a good cooler.

When staying at a motel, we could usually use their ice machine to top up our ice also.
It’s all in the details…but make sure you’re having fun, afterall, that’s what road trips are all about!

p.s. Stay tuned for more Road Trip Travel Tips and advice to Save You Money-

Whether you’re trying to travel on a thin budget of $15/day or just wish you had more money for the things that matter, we’ll be sharing our road trip lessons in budgeting and making the most out of traveling and being on the road.

RV Pros and Cons

If you’re thinking about buying a new or used Rv, here are some RV pros and cons to consider based on our experience with a Maui Rv rental in Australia.

Space:

After traveling around the U.S. in a Honda Odyssey where space was at a premium for long term travel, space in our Maui RV rental was a definite pro.  I loved the fact that there were cupboards and under seat storage compartments for storage.  The closet was small but still a nice feature and then there were separate drawers and cabinets for kitchen-wares.  A shoe rack above the door and hooks to hang coats also made life a little more organized.

We took advantage of additional storage by keeping some things in the bathroom when driving.  During the day, we could use the bed above the cab as storage for our suitcases. At night, we’d move the stuff down to the cab.  This would have made it a little difficult to leave in a hurry though.  Also, if you have to do it everyday it could get a bit tiresome, depending on how heavy your “must have” stuff is how much time you have to complete the maintenance task.

A kitty litter box would have fit nicely on the bottom step by the door for those traveling with a pet…

A RV space con is that after we started using the kitchen sink to do our dishes, we discovered the gray water was overflowing into the bathroom, which also doubles as a shower.  We couldn’t be certain anything we stored in there wouldn’t get wet.

The Shower…

The Cons: Aside from the gray water gurgling up into the shower after washing dishes we also noticed a bad smell.  At first we thought it was from the black water, but we hadn’t yet used the toilet and we didn’t notice the smell until we started doing our dishes.  It became something we had to tolerate and we would open the roof vents when parked.

Balancing Act

We had a few scares when we started driving away suddenly realizing nobody had shut the roof vents-so that was always fun- trying to close the vents while driving-swerving all over the place.  The RV felt precariously tippy at times-and it occurred to us that perhaps our things were out of balance-we probably shouldn’t have had so much heavy stuff in the upper storage levels and cabinets.

Water Limitations..

Considering the water limitations, it was impractical to take a real shower, so that surprised me that the shower- something we thought would make the RV experience a step up from our van travels- was a pretty much useless feature.  There may, however, be tubes you can buy to give you extra water, but you would probably need to have a place to empty your gray water-and a nice environmentally friendly shampoo and soap so you could let it out on the side of the road as necessary.

Rv Toilet

The toilet we avoided as much as possible, but in a pinch, on those dark and scary nights, it was a bonus not to have to go outside. The strong smells didn’t make this an attractive long term solution though-even with the blue liquid chemical additives the RV dealership provided us. There’s surely a better way?

Gas

Gas, obviously was more expensive than our van.  It would cost around U.S. $130 to fill the gas tank in Australia with prices in the $1.45 Australian dollars/liter range.

Structural Integrity

As far as structural stability, I wouldn’t recommend taking an Rv some of the places we went.  In Karijini National Park, the closet door jiggled right off the hinges while we were driving over a particularly rough patch of dirt road.  We had a pocket handyman to re-attach it, but that was a rougher ride than that RV was probably built for. Luckily our dishes didn’t break. Driving to the Wilderness Camp at Cape Leveque called Kooljaman also would have been a bad road to take the Rv down-luckily we had a 4×4 for that, but even so, structural integrity seemed questionable at times.

The Awning

We never did get around to using the awning…it may have been nice, but we didn’t stay any one place long enough to make learning how to put it up, and take it down again, worthwhile.

Fuses/Power

We had a couple fuses blow on us.  Chris would probably be the one to talk more about this issue.  He found it odd that he was able to make a set up for our van to run a laptop and GPS program while driving with sufficient power, while in the Rv, it was easily overloaded because the fuse between the battery and the cigarette lighter power outlet didn’t allow as much power as we were trying to draw from it.  The AC outlets were only powered when plugged in at a campsite.  Chris bought an inverter in Australia for around $60 to plug into the cigarette lighter. The inverter made it possible to power one computer at a time.  In our van we had a thick cable going from the main battery to the auxiliary battery and a 1,000 watt inverter hooked up to the auxiliary battery allowing for more power.

Temperature Control

Another pitfall of the RV was that some days we would get really hot sitting in the back. Having the windows open seemed to make things worse, not better..so we had to wait and give the A.C. from the cab a chance to reach us in the rear, which could take a while.  I recommend water and an ice cold ginger beer in such situations.

Radio

The radio rarely had a good signal. Satellite radio is the way to go. We used Sirius radio while traveling in the U.S. which worked very well.

Fridge

One concern with the fridge in our Maui RV-it seemed to work well for most items, but the small freezer was not quite cold enough for our ice cream snacks-which became quite melty and we were “forced” to eat them right away.

Ants

As soon as our first day on the road, we discovered ants had already nested in our RV rental.  We did our best to keep the kitchen crumb free, but still, they were present and it was not particularly fun sharing our home on the road with ants but we could not seem to find where they were hiding in the RV. To avoid this problem, you’ll want to keep food in sealed containers or zip lock bags and clean up spills and crumbs immediately. Ants are drawn to these things-even in an RV.

A Simple Table…

I’ll end on a pro-it was great to have a table in the Rv as it makes such a convenient place for the laptop and other items.  Space was a constant struggle traveling in the van and having a table to work at would have made been a big pro.

Happy Road Trip Travels!

President Bush in Tucson, AZ

Cops were all over Swan and other nearby roads in Tucson, AZ last night.  This was a mystery to Chris & I until we got home and searched online news for the cause.  I thought maybe a bus packed full of convicts had escaped   But nah, it was just the President. 

President Bush departed Davis-Monthan Air Force Base sometime a little after 10 P.M to spend the night at Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa.  He was attending a sold out $1000/plate early morning fundraiser for Tim Bee, the Republican Congressional candidate who will be running against U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, a Democrat, who in my opinion is doing a nice job.  You can learn more about Giffords at http://giffords.house.gov/ if you’re interested.

But those Republican’s stick together, which is to be expected, even though President Bush’s approval rating is only 28%-the fundraiser is reported to have been attended by more than 400 people, raising more than $500,000 for Tim Bee.

This was President Bush’s fourth visit to Tucson since taking office, and it was a short one.  He left before noon, and plans to spend the weekend at his ranch in Crawford, Texas.

Rain Clouds Catalina Mountains Tucson, AZ

What a sight to behold!  Dense smokey rain clouds smothering the Catalina Mountains in Tucson, AZ.  You could just feel the energy in the air as the clouds struggled under the weight. No sooner had I snapped these shots, the downpour began and I raced for cover! It’s nice that it’s a warm rain.

Summer Storm In Arizona

Monsoon season is fast approaching and we got our first taste of it tonight watching a beautiful Tucson sunset followed by a good rain and some thunder and lightning.  It was fun trying to capture a picture of the lightning, but challenging-so sporadic, you almost have to be psychic to know when and where to snap your photo.  Hopefully in the upcoming weeks, we’ll get some more good practice.

Chris is holding onto Paws with one hand which is rather a challenge-Paws is a big boy, around 22 pounds last time we weighed him. The bathroom scale was one of the many items we sold last October before setting off on our van travels across the country.  Some things are not missed!  Paws is a cat, by the way, not a dog.

We’re on the lookout for a good cat sitter right now, so we can go do some more traveling. During the colder months we could take them with us most places, but with 100 plus degree weather, that is no longer an option.  It’s bizarre though, ever since we stopped traveling, they’ve been yowling a lot-especially at night when we’re trying to sleep. I think I need to get more Feliway-the synthesized cat pheremones that are supposed to be calming.

You wouldn’t think so, but the cats actually really liked the traveling lifestyle-I suppose because the van was kind of cozy with lots of great hiding places and comfortable perches-kind of a kitty palace in a way-just the right size to make them feel like kings.  Plus there were windows all around, so they were getting the royal view to all kinds of interesting activity.  The apartment is probably a bit dull by way of comparison.  Ever since we took Paw’s ratty old collar off him, it’s become his favorite toy. He’ll carry it around in his mouth like a dog bone and yowl until we throw it for him.

We’ve been adding more movie reviews, and Chris has been working on some new guitar lessons and is anxious for some feedback.  He was also playing some fun “Chinese” music to go along with my “virtual trip to China” entry.  He doesn’t think it’s very good, but I like it and I’m trying to get him to put it up.

Oh, I got my 19 momme silk duvet cover and silk filled comforter-it is dreamy to say the least, so soft and smooth.  Wish I could afford to give one to everyone as a Christmas gift.

Virtual China

While it may not have been possible for me to physically be in China this week, I saw no point in depriving myself of a little Chinese fun-so I opted for a virtual Chinese experience instead. How did I go about this amazing feat you’re probably asking yourselves….well, I can’t give away all my secrets…but my first stop didn’t even involve leaving the coziness of my kneeling Yoga-Chair.

The fascinating world of E-Bay transported me all the way to the sights and sounds of the tempting Shanghai Silk Marketplace where I learned all about momme weight-(the official measuring system for a fabric so fine) as well as the many varieties and lusters to choose from.  I found, what I believe, will make a most luxurious silk filled comforter topped with a 19 momme Charmeuse duvet cover.  I am ecstatically and impatiently awaiting it’s arrival.

To make my Chinese trip even more authentic, I found an Asian Market in Tucson, called Grant Stone.  There were enough varieties of tea to fill a whole aisle. I’m experimenting with two kinds I’ve never had before-one is called Gohyah tea which comes from a bitter melon.  The information that came with it is mostly in Chinese, but it states that it is good for the liver, bile, and digestion among other things.  I gave Chris some the day after he’d had a few beers and wasn’t feeling so hot.  He didn’t like the taste too much, but it seemed to make him feel better.  I kind of liked it, it’s an unusual taste, unlike any other herb I’ve tried.

I’m also trying Hawthorn tea for the first time. It has a nice mildly sweet berry flavor, and according to my herb book, Hawthorn tea has been taken as a heart tonic and to enhance circulation.  I also found an old favorite, a box of Gunpowder tea, also from Shanghai.  I’m going to attempt to make my own version of a boba tea (bubble tea) drink with it.

Add to that list some yummy hot and sour soup and it wasn’t half bad for a virtual trip!  Now if I could just get a massage…