RVing Background
One of Terry's biggest concerns was technology on the road. We started without a GPS and wonder how we ever survived! Our cell phone was just a plain Jane cell phone, too. A small, compact laptop worked well since we had to lug it to wherever we could find a dialup telephone connection. How things changed when we got an Aircard! No more lugging the laptop around. Then along came the iPhone, and it changed our life! And the Apps! The big-screen GPS that we bought with the RV was relegated to storage. We relied on the Maps (GPS) App on the iPhone and loved it. No more recalculating! And no RVer should be without The Weather Channel or something similar! The AroundMe App is another that works great for RVers on the road. It shows what restaurants, theaters, gas stations, etc. are nearby. A tap of the finger and the location comes up in the Maps App to take you there, or displays a phone number to call. We love it! Among the newer apps we use now are iExit, GasBuddy, and Allstays Camp & RV. Then there is the Kindle and now the Kindle Fire! Gerry loves them, mainly because we no longer have to keep a drawer-full of paperbacks that take up valuable storage. For Terry, who is a voracious reader, Kindle was a definite adjustment, but she loves it, too. With the Kindle App on her iPhone, Terry now can read anytime, anywhere. Another tap of the finger is all it takes to sync to the page she was reading on the Kindle or Kindle Fire - and back again to the other device. Our latest technology upgrade was trading in the Aircard for a HotSpot that will connect 5 devices, including the Kindle Fire. So now we can use it as our GSP and enjoy a bigger screen.
A question that we are sometimes asked has to do with gas versus diesel. With diesel prices at $4.19 a gallon in mid-April 2012, and gas prices about 30 cents a gallon cheaper, you might think that gas would be a better choice. However, there are more things to consider than just the price per gallon. We had a gas motorhome for five years and we've been in our diesel for five years. We would not go back to gas. The ride in the diesel is so much nicer, as is the coach itself. Engine maintenance for the diesel is done just once a year, while the gas engine required more frequent attention, but typically costs more. The advantages of diesel over gas are that the engine provides more torque and towing power, it increases the weight it will carry, and it will outlast the gas engine. We put more miles on our (gas) tow car, a Saturn Vue, than the RV, but it definitely gets better gas mileage!!!