Day: January 22, 2017

Posted in Blog Series

#12: Adventures in RV – January 22, 2017

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

 

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Trip to the Everglades

Above is an alligator in the Everglades. Big guy. We were high above him – thank goodness!

Maybe I should wait until later tonight to write this blog post. We are waiting on really serious storms here tonight. Another issue when you have a RV which I addressed in my earlier blog post #11. Unfortunately, I’m getting to use my own advice tonight! We have secured everything around the RV and I think the RV park is going to encourage us to go to the Clubhouse if things get bad here. I wonder if they are encouraging everyone to bring their dogs and cats! 🙂

Now, onward! We have now been at the RV Park four full days and it has flown by! Yesterday, we went to visit the Everglades which is one of my favorite side trips when I am in South Florida. It’s a pretty long side trip from where we are, but you can do it in a day. The Everglades seemed a little different to me than it did a few years ago. One of the biggest problems the Everglades has is the pythons. Pythons are not native to the U.S. People have taken their “pet” pythons and dumped them in the Everglades where they have eaten a lot of the native species. Imagine what that means. The Everglades is one of the most important wetlands in the world. The fact that people have a “pet” they never should have had in the first place – a PYTHON SNAKE – and then they get scared of it and think they have to get rid of it and dump it in the Everglades has almost ruined this wetland environment.

Python hunters are paid a bounty to kill pythons but pythons are notoriously hard to find and kill. Bounty hunters have made very little progress, but the pythons have made an incredible amount of progress. I did not see as much wildlife this year as a few years ago. What damage man has done to this planet. End of rant.

We did see a few native species. We always see the alligators. Here is a photo I really like, though alligators are not my favorite species!

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We drove all the way from Pine Island to Everglades City, which is actually the last stop before reaching the tip of Florida. There is not much beyond Everglades City except….well….the Everglades!

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I don’t know what kind of bird this is. If anyone knows, please put it in the comments. Thanks.

I hope you enjoy the pictures. I’ll share more another time. More from “Adventures” tomorrow! I’ll finish our Everglades trip!

 

Posted in Blog Series

#11: Adventures in RV Travel – January 22, 2017

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

How to Prepare Your RV for a Storm

Here in South Florida, we have a poor weather forecast for today, Jan 22, and tomorrow, Jan 23. We have a severe thunderstorm advisory with a high wind (50 mph) advisory. We also have a tornado watch…..and it’s early yet. We’re sitting here in our beautiful park in a RV! So how do you prepare your RV and yourself for a storm so you sustain as little damage as possible? Here is my checklist:

  1.  First and foremost, roll up your awning and secure it. You don’t want it torn off your RV!
  2. Stow away anything loose around your RV such as chairs, tables, rugs, and mats. Obviously, this also means candles, glasses, and everything outside.
  3. If you have a satellite dish, either secure it somehow or do what we do and take it down. Most importantly, protect the eyes of the satellite.
  4. Close the RV roof vents if they do not have covers.
  5. If you’re like me and you eat out a lot, get in some groceries. You might need to eat in for a day or two.
  6. Charge up all your electronics. Get them charged early so if the power goes off, you’re prepared.
  7. Make sure the wheels of the RV are secured and the RV can’t roll.
  8. If you use propane for heat or to run some of your appliances, make sure it is filled.
  9. Be sure you know where the bathhouses are if you are in a RV park. If there is a tornado, you will need to get into one.
  10. Be sure your car is gassed up in case you need to evacuate.

I hope this helps you. I will be back later today with another “Adventures” post, assuming I still have Internet! If you don’t hear from me, hang on. That only means the Internet is down here due to the storms.