Month January 2020

Carbon Monoxide Safety With First Alert

The compact size of First Alert's portable tabletop CO alarm is easy to take anywhere.

As perpetual road trippers, we live over our truck's tail pipe. While this is no big deal in a best case scenario, in the case of a carbon monoxide (CO) leak, our health and safety is at risk. We have been rather blasé in the past but this winter, in the process of insulating our living space, we have cut out most of the drafts in our camper. We now live in a cozy home on wheels. But cozy can be dangerous when fumes start building up. So, we got a carbon monoxide detector.

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Brophy Camper Tie Downs

Brophy tie down, turnbuckle, and camper jack point.

When we first pick up our 1970 Avion truck camper we have no special equipment aside from our basic 2015 Ram 3500 to cary it. We set the camper on wooden 4x4s and secure it with cables wrapped around factory loops in our truck bed. In hindsight, if we actually came to a stress point where the only thing keeping the camper in the truck bed is the cables, I'm pretty sure something would fail. Fortunately, we are already suitably cautious about the whole affair and avoid steep, bumpy, or fast roads. Instead, we keep the ride smooth and slow from our pickup point in Florida to our workshop in Tennessee.

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Shopping for a RV Refrigerator

Hiking the North Grove Trail in the snow of Calaveras Big Trees State Park in the Sierras outside of Murphys, California and Highway 49.

Refrigerators are major power draws. As much as technology has advanced, the RV refrigerator is still a serious consideration when calculating how much power you need. After all, it is an all or nothing proposition. Either you run the refrigerator or do not. There is little you can do to improve its efficiency while it is in operation aside from keeping the ambient temperature down.

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Pomegranate Margarita

Grab your favorite bottle of tequila, orange liqure, and lime! It's time for our favorite Pomegranate Margarita recipe.

Back when I lived in NYC, one of my favorite haunts specialized in frozen Pomegranate Margaritas. They became a touchstone for a period in my early 20s that I haven't had the opportunity to revisit in years. But this last week I bought a cup of pomegranate seeds to eat and discovered that they fermented faster than I could consume them. So, here I am, unsure what to do with a bunch of partially fermented pomegranate seeds when it occurs to me: these would be great in a cocktail!

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Yosemite Valley

Braving traffic to see Half Dome and El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.

Most pictures that you see of Yosemite are of and from the Yosemite Valley. This haven in the Sierra Mountains is flanked by El Capitan, Half Dome, and numerous other dramatic monoliths. It's no surprise that everyone wants to come here. But I do mean EVERYONE. Even in the fall, as we were, driving through Yosemite Valley is one extended traffic jam. Finding a parking spot is borderline Sisyphean. When we finally found a parking lot with space, we either walked or rode the bus. It's a beautiful place but the crowds are overwhelming.

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20 Road Trips For 2020

The vastness of the United States frontier has made road trips a classic piece of Americana. It is the ultimate way to the explore the states. But that said, there are so many routes to take. In celebration of a new decade and the 50th birthday of our Avion, we are sharing 20 road trips—from half day excursions to multi-day epic quests—that you should add to your bucket list.

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