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Perhaps he is effective at praying for a tailwind. I found an easy and effective way to increase mileage while coming north thru California. I find major trucking drivers who are running at 58 to 60 miles per hour and tuck in close behind her/him. I don't use the cruise control as this would be inviting a disaster. This only works on the flat but what the heck, I was driving up the flat central valley. Drafting got my overloaded V6 up to 15.8 MPG (using regular gas) for two tanks in a row. The downside is that I almost ran over the large wheel mounted tire laying in the lane. Couldn't see it till last second. I lucked out and missed it but 12 vehicles on the side of the road weren't as lucky.

Sounds like a good find. I have a 91 Spirit. It had 47K miles on it. I've put on 9K this year. I immediately had all hoses, fluids, belts changed and have not had a single problem (knock on wood). I also changed out all tires and had the timing belt and waterpump changed replaced, too. When I took it to my small town mechanic he said "I don't work on motor homes" to which I replied just work on the Toyota part. Now he wants to know how our trips went and what my mileage was. Get a mechanic emotionally invested and you have found a great resource. Towing? Hmmm? Maybe 500 lbs max, but if you do then consider changing over to synthetic lubricants in both the engine and transmission. I'm also looking into adding a heavier rear springs so I don't have to worry about tearing off my very exposed plumbing. The Spirit is one saggy butted rig. A trailer would only exacerbate that.

We managed not being blow away or flooded downstream. The weather has changed back to a more normal pattern.. Today was great! The folks who showed up were interesting and good cooks. A great evening had by all who attended. Leadership of this rally sucked but those of us who attended made do and had many interesting conversations evening over a campfire, made new friends, swapped lies about mileage, shared leak problems, etc. 10 to 12 Toyboxes participated. The original organizer/host never showed up but we managed and had a great evening. Thank you, TIKA. Dave Oglevie Chelan, WA

Run, don't walk, away from this deal. It needs some work, and it needs alot of money. Keep searching and you will find a better deal.

So far only two Toyboxes in attendance. It is raining heavily any my vehicle is constantly rocking. There are small streams running thru the RV show bigtop. Dress appropriately if you are coming!

Barb, When are you planning on your trip? This would give me a date to aim at. Dave

Maineh, How does the voltmeter figure in? I know how to aim at the sun and where it is going. Check out the system at www.rvsolarnow.com and look at the 120 A portable system. Now I have another couple of new questions. This is a portable system. That means that it is is easily stolen. Hmmm. How to deal with that? Chains thru the legs (aluminum cuts very easily). Anti-tamper sound device? Pitbull? What are your thoughts? Dave Oglevie Chelan, WA

Newbie Old Guy, Nope, didn't happen. Any thoughts about next year? Oregon, B.C., Idaho? I'm gonna attempt to make the NW Illinois get together next fall but that is only on my wish list. I am also attempting to get to Arizona or Baja in the next few weeks. New timing belt tomorrow, solar system before we leave, etc. Your thoughts about a site and date for the Pacfific NW would be appreciated. Best wishes, Dave Oglevie Chelan, WA

RHS, Please stop by when you are in the neighborhood.. Was your's the SunRader pictured with the castle in the background on Craigslist? I saw an ad out of Mallot and there can't be that many in Mallot. I was tempted but I already have too many 'Toys'. Best Wishes, Dave Oglevie Chelan, WA 800-645-3848 or 509-860-4800

Howdy All, I'm about to head to either Arizona, or if things are working well perhaps to Baja. First of all, I have Scottish blood in my veins. I'm always tempted by cheap. Next to know is that I believe in quality. I still have three 25 year old Pendleton shirts. Enough rambling. I'm looking for a solar collection/storage system to do some boon docking. My spouse and I are not major power users. No TV, no air conditioning. We have LED lights in the coach. We would like to have the option for a few minutes to use the microwave. A trusted local vendor has given me a price of $1350 to install a 130W Kyceorga (sp) panel with an installed controller on my roof. I'm not sure about putting holes in my roof. Is flat mounted OK or do I need to crawl up and tilt it up? Have any of you had experience with a "portable" brief case type of system. It is supposed to be two 65w panels that hinge and then fold down to an easily transported parcel. It also has a controller. This is on eBay. I like the idea of being able to park in the shade and put my panels in the sun. I'm also concerned about the loss of energy in the cables, but that is easily taken care of (just get larger conducting wires). Your thoughts are eagerly desired. Dave Oglevie Chelan, WA

Yes, I'm interested in learning how to flush the whole transmission. Please share. Thank you in advance. I'm getting ready to head South next week. The rig goes to the mechanic on Monday for a timing belt replacement before I attempt Mexico Baja. If I only make Arizona it will be worth the trip. Dave Oglevie Chelan, WA

I'm hoping we can attend the Quartzite MMX (2010 in Roman Numerical) Toy-In. My spouse is sceptical. I am having the timing belI changed on the 11th and we are over a thousand miles away. I have a few questions. How far away are the public outhouses? How close are the vehicles in the campsite? Is there dust (just kidding!)? Are there any istallation opportunites if I find a nice solar arrangement at a good price? Do the vendors make any deals at the end of the week so they don't have to haul their goodies home again? Inquiring minds wanna know. I intend to head down into Mexico for a couple of weeks following Quartzite. Anyone else care to caravan? Thank you for helping to organize this event. Best Wishes, Dave Oglevie Chelan, WA

We have a '91 Itasca (owned by Winnebago) Spirit. It has worked well for us but occasionally we wish we had more separation between the overcab bed and the dining area. My wife is a very early riser so she is concerned that she might cut into my beauty sleep (too little, too late in my case). We have mid-cabin dinette and our bath/shower is in the rear. You might want to consider what type of floorplan you would be most comfortable with, eg. a rear dinette with a larger picture window, or the mid cabin dining area. We rented a small motorhome in Australia that had the rear dinette and it was great to back up to a place on the beach and have a picture postcard view of the ocean. It also afforded more privacy. Figure out what would be the most useful floorplan for your needs and then find a model that accommodates your desire. Good luck with the hunt. Dave Chelan, WA

Ken, I, too run my airbags at about the 40 psi level (now if only they would quit the slow leak). I tried higher and lower by putting my spouse in the back and heading for a bumpy road. She determined that she was most comfortable at about 45 psi. Dave

Try a pipecleaner to clean out the gas exhaust vent It may be plugged. Start cheap and then move up. Dave in Chelan

Thanks for the warning. I have seen several of these ads. I played with one for a couple of communications. Please Flag these bozos when you encounter their deceptive ways.

Mike and McShank, Thank you for sharing your knowledge (border crossing, nice campsite, and thoughts about the Grand Canyon. I read an interesting story in the November 29th travel section of the NY Times (available free on line at www.nytimes.com, then search the site for "Grand Canyon") that claims the best time to see the canyon is in the winter. No crowds, decent weather for hiking, and easy to get rooms at inns in the park. I hate crowds. We made the mistake of trying to visit Lake Louise in Alberta during prime time this past summer. Never again! Way too crowded. That is why I want to visit the Grand Canyon in the winter. The south rim is fine with me. I think I'd like to hike down in and overnight to get the full experience. Again, thank you for sharing your experiences. I hope to hear more about Mexico from other 'Toyhome' owners. Best Wishes, Dave Oglevie Chelan, WA

These short days at 48 degrees north are beginning to drive me crazy. Time to unleash 'Homer's Roamer' for another road trip. I'm figuring to hit the road around New Years. We will head over to Richland, WA, catch the interstate to Twin Falls, ID, then jump onto Hwy 93 and head south toward the Grand Canyon, do the tourist thing (never been there before), and then head south to Mexico. My question to those of you who have done Mexico trips is this, should we head for Baja or is the mainland more scenic? We have been hotel hoppers in Mazatlan, Guymas (sp?), PV, etc. in the past. We are more comfortable in small towns and now that we have our Toybox we hope to get a more realistic view of Mexico. Your suggestions are eagerly requested. Good towns, bad towns? Great experiences you might wish to share? Boondocking in Mexico? Please share your experiences. Thanks for looking. Dave Oglevie Chelan, WA

Howdy, I owned a sailboat that I kept in the water year round in Seattle. We knew moisture! The primary way that I kept condensation down was by having two solar powered vents above the head. One was intake and one was exhaust. Keep that air moving! At the least let the interior release the moisture that occurs with large temperature swings. I supplemented these with "Dri-Z-Aire' or Starbrite No Damp Ultra Dome moisture collection pellet devices, a small heating rod (Golden Rod) to take the nip off, and occasionally a space heater set to low. The fan action kept the moisture from beading. I also left all cabinets open so that they could breath. These defense actions kept the cabin smelling OK and seeming dry. My cockpit storage areas didn't get the benefit of these steps so mold and mildew collected there. One other idea, you might want to put an air pocket between your mattress and the base. Marine supply stores like West Marine can supply you with all of the above, www.westmarine.com . Hope this helps. I now live in high desert surroundings so I am dealing with wide temperature swings but very low humidity. Dave Oglevie Chelan, WA

3700 miles, V-6, 2 mountain ranges, 13.7 MPG average.

A little off course, but has anyone heard of basing an RV conversion on one of the older Toyota FJ60 Landcruisers. It is definately a 4X, goes down the highway like a tank, but will pull tree stumps out of the ground with the low gearing. The reason I ask is that I have one in my garage. I purchased it new in '84. I like my old 'Toys'. Your thoughts?

I hope this helps. Consumer Reports magazine rated auto batteries in the April 2009 issue (page 20) and the Everstart Maxx rated at or near the top of most of the group sizes they rated. They didn't test group 27 but I have two in my fishing boat and one in my toyhome and I have been happy so far. Available at Walmart. About $75. If you have a problem there is usually a Walmart within a reasonable drive. Dave Chelan, WA

I am attempting to attach a photo of the drain plugs. While taking the photos I found that I actually have four of these, two side by side just to the left of the hotwater tank, and two under the fold down sofa. You can see why I have chosen to mark these with bright plastic ribbons. They are easily overlooked. The first photo was obtained by sticking my camera under the sofa and blindly shooting. You can see the colored tapes, one in the left side and the other is barely visible to the right of the back of the water pump. The second shot is a close up of the two by the hotwater tank. Hope this helps. Dave