House is set. Rig is packed. Might as well get the road and travel to warmer climes for the winter.
Author: Paul
I'm a Stress Management Consultant and a retired Nurse Supervisor. I worked in the healthcare field since 1980, in 1993 I became a Nurse and 24 years ago I started working as a Stress Management Consultant. I have been certified as a Hypnotherapist since 1999. And an RVer since 2017. Now we're talking Stress.
Relax RV Podcast – episode 32 – Back in our mortar and stone house. Made some improvements to the rig.
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We arrived home from our 2019 Northeast trip. We were gone for 4 months and traveled 6,000 miles. In this episode I talk about how many nights we stayed at various types of places (Harvest Hosts, Campgrounds and Boondockers Welcome). Made some improvements to the rig.
Relax RV Podcast – Episode 31 – Ohio, Pennsylvania, N.Y. and ….. home
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We were pleasantly surprised with the service at Thor!!!
We then headed back east and revisited Ohio, Pennsylvania and some wonderful towns in upstate NY. Then for our last night, we stayed at a winery in the finger lakes. Along the way we also found a casino.
This is episode is the last one for our Northeast 2019 trip.
With over 6,000 miles of memories and problems, it was wonderful!!!!!
Pictures of:
Rock City
Kinzua Bridge
Thunder Rocks in Allegany State Park
Relax RV Podcast – Episode 30 – West Coast of Michigan then to …. Thor
Relax RV Podcast – Episode 29 – U.S. border crossing then to Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan again
Relax RV Podcast – Episode 28 – Montreal, Kingston Ontario, and make our 2nd visit to Port Dalhousie …. and then another water leak
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Here’s links to my pictures of:
Old Montreal, Chinatown and the Waterfront
Notre Dame Cathedral Also, check out the video below !!!
The Montreal Botanical Gardens
Gay Village Montreal
Kingston Ont.
1000 islands … and a tunnel
Paddling through the KINGSTON MILLS Locks
Niagara Falls, Ont
Here’s a video of Aura (the light show at Notre Dame Cathedral) in Montreal
Relax RV Podcast – Episode 27 – Nova Scotia to New Brunswick and then to the Walled City of Old Quebec !!!!
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We drove on another beach and pulled a car out that was stuck in the sand. We visited some cute towns in Nova Scotia and also the capital, Halifax.
Here’s pics of Levis and ile d’Orleans Quebec, Levis is across from Old Quebec on the St Lawrence River. ile d’Orleans is an island on the St Lawrence.
Here are pics from a waterfall park (Chute de la Chaudiere) it was really really nice.
And pics from Quebec City
Relax RV Podcast – Episode 26 – Back to Nova Scotia … to be locked out of our RV
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We arrived back to Nova Scotia and stayed a few days with our friends Patty and Andrew. Then headed south-west through Nova Scotia.
We visited Tiverton and went on a whale watch and took these pics.
And check these photos out of Truro, Victoria Park and the Tidal Bore
Here’s videos about being locked out of our rig, when the lock failed:
Relax RV Podcast – Episode 25 – A wonderful garden on Eastern P.E.I. then back to Nova Scotia and …… home :(
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We spent a total of 10 nights on PEI. This episode we talk about the Eastern side of the island and the trials of getting off of it.
When we got back to Nova Scotia, we stayed with our friends Andrew and Patty. Visited Tatamagouche, wait till you hear about the train ! We then visited Cape Breton Island, wow!!!
Not sure if you know, Nova Scotia translates to New Scotland. And Cape Breton is where the Irish settled, it’s so Irish, the street signs are in Gaelic.
Pics of places I talk about in the episode:
Cavendish N.P. and the Hope Gardens
A beach and light house in Panmure
Cape Breton Island and the Highlands National Park
Truro, Victoria Park and the Tidal Bore
Here’s a video describing our route across PEI
Relax RV Podcast – Episode 24 – A water leak, wineries in New Brunswick and fresh lobster on P.E.I.
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Check out the photos of:
St John and New Brunswick
Sea Caves just north of St John on the Bay of Fundy – New Brunswick.
Tyne Valley and western PEI (Prince Edward Island)
Here’s a video describing our route around PEI
Relax RV – Episode 23 – Dead batteries and furnace, Acadia National Park, Campobello Island and a couple of border crossings
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Here’s a link to the pics of:
Acadia National Park
The little known Schoodic Peninsula (a part of Acadia NP)
Campobello Island
More photos to come, I’m still editing them 🙂
Here’s my youtube video showing the furnace issue
Here’s my youtube video showing the furnace SOLUTION
Relax RV Podcast – Episode 22 We start our 2019 Northeast Trip
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Here’s links to pictures from the places we visited in this episode:
Mystic Seaport in Connecticut
Rock Harbor Cape Cod, Massachusetts
We drive on the beach in Cape Cod
A day at a lake on “the Cape”
Salem, Massachusetts
Gloucester Massachusetts
Relax RV Podcast – episode 21 – Dewinterizing and destroyed our water heater
Can downsizing lower your Stress?
In episode 20 of my RelaxRV podcast I talk about how living on the road in our 30′ motor-home for four months changed my view of “size” and things.
It is a fact that today buyers aged 35-54 are the largest segment of RV owners, according to the 2011 University of Michigan study. This is the 1st time that the average age group of RVers are not retirees. During our travels we met a lot of young families living fulltime on the road while homeschooling their children.
While writing my notes for episode 20, I did some research and found a couple of articles and a great book that talk about the reduction of stress associated with downsizing.
In the article in WebMD (https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/cut-stress-simplify-life#4) the author talks about how living “smaller”, can reduce your stress by lowering time constraints. She also talks about the importance of “disconnecting” and reducing debt as associated with downsizing.
In another article “6 Reasons Downsizing Your Home Can Lower Stress” (https://seniordirectory.com/articles/info/can-downsizing-really-lower-your-stress) the author focuses on the financial benefits of downsizing.
And an interesting book (Voluntary Simplicity: Toward a Way of Life That Is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich by Duane Elginwhich looks at ways to live without being obsessed with “things” and may inspire you to start living a life that is simple, happy, and less cluttered.
So, take a deep breath in ……. let it out and relax.
There are links to the articles and to the book on Amazon (of which I am an associate and. Following the link will not cost any more in your purchase but I will receive a small financial boost for each purchase.
Relax RV Podcast – episode 20
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Relax RV Podcast – episode 19
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Relax RV Podcast – episode 18
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The photo for this episode is what happened when I was watching the gas pumps and not the top of the rig while filling up with gas.
Relax RV Podcast – episode 17
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Regarding the picture for this episode, we added shelves to our closets. Easy and functional.
Relax RV Podcast – episode 16
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Relax RV Podcast – episode 15
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Relax RV Podcast – episode 14
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Harvest Hosts
Do you RV? Do you know of Harvest Hosts? After you join you can stay at farms, wineries, breweries and museums for free.
Here is a discount code, check them out. We love them and will use them for life! BUT HURRY, their prices will increase on January 1st 2019.
Follow this link for 10% off: http://harvesthosts.refr.cc/trishjimenezp
Relax RV Podcast – episode 13
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Relax RV Podcast – episode 12
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Relax RV Podcast – episode 11
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Relax RV Podcast – episode 10 – a ghost town, Jackson MT and Yellowstone
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We headed south-west and stayed in Bannack State Park, where we were pleasantly surprised. It’s a great place for kids of all ages. Jackson (NOT Jackson Hole) is a small, warm, welcoming western town, here’s a link to Jackson.
Then we stopped at a RV shop and bought a new topper for the rig. Eric Stark is the owner and he has a great podcast that focuses on repairs. We called Dee and Kevin – see episode 8 – and had it shipped to their house (for free), as we planned to stay with them soon.
We stopped and saw Antelope and Bison at the National Bison Range.
Then off to Yellowstone N.P. Wow wow wow. Geysers !!!!!!!!! Hot springs !!! Elk and Bison!!!! Many hikes and a SWIM in the Boiling River !!!!
Relax RV Podcast – episode 9 – Glacier National Park finally
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We could see the glaciers even before we arrived at the park. There was a lot of road construction outside of the park which slowed our travel. But oh well, because Glacier is so beautiful !!! We did many hikes including our 1st hike on the Continental Divide, we saw Bighorn Sheep, Moose (mom and calf) and came face to face with Mountain Goats ! Wow wow wow ! We will be coming back.
I’m still figuring out the Podcast, formatting and file sizes and how it sounds on your end)
Relax RV Podcast – episode 8 – We picked up bear spray and made life long friends
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Stayed in (and liked) Billings Montana then off to White Sulphur Springs and it was cold, sleeting and snowy and this was in August 2018 !!!!!! Remember you are in the Rockies.
We wanted to get out the cold and figured a glass of red wine would help so we looked and found 2 bars, “The Lane” and “The Sockman”. We figured Stockman sounded more like Montana so we went in a met a couple of locals (transplants from PA). We sat, talked, laughed, and made life longs friends with Kevin and Dee.
We find that even with the stresses, RVing is fun and fantastic !
Relax RV Podcast – episode 7 – Traveling west and saved Trish’s life
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We visited the Mall of America (the largest mall in the US) then stayed in Wisconsin, nice. We visited the Badlands National Park in South Dakota where Trish developed Heat Exhaustion !!!! It was over 100 degrees when we did an easy (for us) 4 mile hike. Here’s a link to the signs of heat emergencies. Then off to Montana (big sky country) and the Purple Mountains Majesty.
Relax RV Podcast – episode 6 – NY to Canada to Michigan and ripped our topper
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We ripped the topper on the slide Ugh. Batteries still dying too fast because of the BCC and generator will be dead till its fixed. But we are seeing lots of things and places.
Relax RV Podcast – episode 5 – finally on the road and ugh
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We started our 1 year long road trip on July 8th 2018, but befoe we left I fried our battery cutoff switch and blew the solenoid behind the BCC (battery control center) which killed our camera system on the rig (back up and side view) and is killing the house batteries faster than normal.
And if that ain’t enough stress, our generator died in 90 degree weather. So with the hot weather we are staying in more campgrounds than we expected and thus spending more money than we expected.
The stress continues.
Relax RV Podcast – episode 4 – solar install pt2 and preparing to hit the road
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After weeks of working on the solar we finally get it installed, but we still need to wire the inverter to the rig. All that while heading into the final weeks of my career as a RN. All of this is new to me, RVing, solar, retirement, podcast production etc. So, be patient I will continue to tweak this podcast. Paul, remember to breathe …..
Relax RV Podcast – episode 3 – installing solar in our rig
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I am preparing to retire and installing 800 watts of solar on the roof, a charge controller, 300 amp of batteries, and a 3000 watt sine wave inverter. Whew … talk about STRESS !!! So, I then talk about stress management tools.
Relax RV Podcast – episode 2 – stress management tools
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I talk about Stress Management Tools.
Where do you RV?
Share with me where you RV or Caravan. And how you travel.
I have backpacked, tent camped in a campground and now traveling in a RV (class A) and will be doing our 1st night boondocking in April 2018 ! Looking forward to a free nights stay and all of the challenges that come along with it.
Relax RV Podcast – episode 1 Introduction to me and my podcast
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This is the 1st episode, I will focus on RVing and its stressors. It is a work in progress so if you have any comments or suggestions, let me know at relaxrv@hotmail.com
I will talk about our RV travels (trip planning, travel updates, problems encountered in relation to the RV, our travels AND how to deal with those stressors and stress in general.
Peace, Paul
Let’s Relax
When things go wrong while traveling on the road in a RV, how do you relax? Take some deep breaths? Take a walk? Talk about the problem? Or find something to take your mind off of the problem (find a diversion)?