** Always be grateful for the journey **
Snowbirds... |
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The term snowbird is used to describe people from the U.S. Northeast, U.S. Midwest, or Canada who spend a large portion of winter in warmer locales such as California, Arizona, Florida, Texas, the Carolinas, or elsewhere along the Sun Belt region of the southern and southwest United States, Mexico, and areas of the Caribbean. It is also used for northeners who migrate to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, for the winter. Victoria is known for having very mild winters by Canadian standards, and has an annual "blossom count" in mid-February to prove its warm winter status.
Snowbirds are typically retirees, and business owners who have a second home in a warmer location or whose business can be easily moved from place to place, such as flea market and swap meet vendors. Some snowbirds carry their homes with them, as campers (mounted on bus or truck frames) or as boats following the east coast Intracoastal waterway. It used to be that snowbirds were the wealthy who maintained several seasonal residences and shifted residence with the seasons to avail themselves of the best time to be at each location.
Many of these "snowbirds" also use their vacation time to declare permanent residency in low, or no tax states (where the taxes are sustained by high tourism taxes), and claim lower non-resident income taxes in their home states. The right to vote for local office is governed by local law, so it may be possible to vote for local offices in both places if the locality permits nonresident voting, but representation in the United States federal Congress is for residents as enumerated by the decennial census.
RV ers...
A significant portion of the Snowbird community is made up of recreational vehicle users (RVers). Many own a motorhome for the sole purpose of traveling south in the winter. Often they go to the same location every year and consider the other RVers that do the same a "second family". Many RV parks have deemed themselves "snowbird friendly" and get the majority of their income from the influx of RVing snowbirds. There are places like Quartzsite, Arizona, that have been labeled "white cities" because from a bird's eye view all the motorhomes cover the landscape in white and then in the summer are gone.
Snowbirds are typically retirees, and business owners who have a second home in a warmer location or whose business can be easily moved from place to place, such as flea market and swap meet vendors. Some snowbirds carry their homes with them, as campers (mounted on bus or truck frames) or as boats following the east coast Intracoastal waterway. It used to be that snowbirds were the wealthy who maintained several seasonal residences and shifted residence with the seasons to avail themselves of the best time to be at each location.
Many of these "snowbirds" also use their vacation time to declare permanent residency in low, or no tax states (where the taxes are sustained by high tourism taxes), and claim lower non-resident income taxes in their home states. The right to vote for local office is governed by local law, so it may be possible to vote for local offices in both places if the locality permits nonresident voting, but representation in the United States federal Congress is for residents as enumerated by the decennial census.
RV ers...
A significant portion of the Snowbird community is made up of recreational vehicle users (RVers). Many own a motorhome for the sole purpose of traveling south in the winter. Often they go to the same location every year and consider the other RVers that do the same a "second family". Many RV parks have deemed themselves "snowbird friendly" and get the majority of their income from the influx of RVing snowbirds. There are places like Quartzsite, Arizona, that have been labeled "white cities" because from a bird's eye view all the motorhomes cover the landscape in white and then in the summer are gone.
A few things to check out first
BCAA Membership
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Check above for information on your travel insurance and other roadside assistance
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RandMcNally Atlas
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Canadian Snowbirds on the loose...
click photo for link
Have a look at this site, it provides plenty of information for us Canucks as we flock to southern skies and warmer weather each winter, as a guy born and raised in New Westminster BC l can tell you that when my lips start turning blue in the fall..."l'm outta here"
Tips for Easy Border Crossings
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Freely crossing the border north and south simplify the routes we RVers wish to follow. Most agents do what they can to make crossings fast and pleasant. The following few ideas will help ensure a smooth crossing. If there is no RV/bus lane it may be faster or easier to go through the car lanes. HOWEVER if your mirrors are located at the side and not at the front of your RV, your unit could be too wide for the car lanes. A better move is to look for a bus lane or as a last resort to take the slower moving truck lanes.
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Always take off your sunglasses so the agent can see your eyes. Even if your RV is your ‘home’, at the border it is ONLY a vehicle. Searches only happen occasionally, but if your unit is searched you will be expected to repack it – just like a suitcase at the airport. Answer the questions asked. A reply to “Do you have any cigarettes?” should not be “I do not smoke.” But also NEVER provide more info than you are asked for. Have proof of where you call home, especially if your driver’s license and vehicle tags each list different states or provinces.
Do NOT relay to an agent that you are a FULLTIME RVer. Officials feel that if you have no ‘home’ you may have no reason to return to your home country.
Reference to food that you can take across the border - due to new diseases that surface from time to time, the rules of what food – especially meat – that you can have on board differs from day to day. As a result it’s wise to travel north OR south across the border with minimal food in your refrigerator and cupboards.
Citrus fruit is never allowed, but pet food may also be confiscated if it is not in the original bag/container. We simply plan for our first stop at a nearby grocery store.
Practice the Golden Rule Respect and go with the flow.
Do NOT relay to an agent that you are a FULLTIME RVer. Officials feel that if you have no ‘home’ you may have no reason to return to your home country.
Reference to food that you can take across the border - due to new diseases that surface from time to time, the rules of what food – especially meat – that you can have on board differs from day to day. As a result it’s wise to travel north OR south across the border with minimal food in your refrigerator and cupboards.
Citrus fruit is never allowed, but pet food may also be confiscated if it is not in the original bag/container. We simply plan for our first stop at a nearby grocery store.
Practice the Golden Rule Respect and go with the flow.
Here are some helpful tools we've used along the way...
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GasBuddy.comThis is a great tool to find cheap gas, you can enter your own vehicle information as well as your destination, add in your estimated miles per gal and cost out an estimated trip. Check it out.
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Good Sam ClubWe joined this the Good Sam Club and added the Roadside Assistance, we had to use it once when our motor home ran out of gas, faulty gauge, with in an hour 5 gallons of gas were delivered to us on the highway, no cost, and we were on our way again. Check out the link.
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Here is a cool site we found, a map of attractions and tourist information while your travelling down your RV Highway.. We did register, nothing to much involved, got an email confirmation back and were on our way. It has some easy to use tools for seeking out things to do other then stopping are rest areas, Check it out..
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Wally-Docking...
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Guidelines for RV Camping at Wal-Mart
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We have used Wal Marts in the past, we usually stay at the location in Pt Angeles Washington our first night after getting off the Black Ball ( COHO Ferry ) from Victoria. They have security there, we stock up on some groceries and leave in the morning. Some locations do NOT allow overnight stays, be sure to check with the store manager for permission.
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RV Friendly Casino's
I found this site with listings of Casino's and the amenities offered to RV'rs for overnight stay. We have numerous fellow travellers who have used Casino's as well as Wal-Marts, we may have to give this option a try on our way south this fall.
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Street View click image for website
Just type in the address of where you are going and a street view appears...try it out, it's pretty kool...
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RV Check List
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Make sure you have everything you need when you hit the road. Travel checklists are to help you plan ahead, stay organized and never forget important items! These lists are brought to by Good Sam Club*
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Check out *Pinterest for some great
RV Packing ideas._ |
Vonage phone system
click above for link
Vonage allows you to make VoIP phone calls by connecting your existing high-speed Internet connection and home phone with a Vonage phone adapter.
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*Our Adventure WEBCAM*
Check out our online webcam, it isn't always on but when it is there are usually some pretty spectacular views |
Click Logo for our WebCam
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Click image for link to Tracfone
TracFone is America’s #1 National prepaid wireless service provider
I don't know too much about this phone service but l have spoken with a number of fellow snowbirds that have used it, they say it works great. This Sept when we hit the USA border heading south we will certainly look into getting one.
I don't know too much about this phone service but l have spoken with a number of fellow snowbirds that have used it, they say it works great. This Sept when we hit the USA border heading south we will certainly look into getting one.
Magic Jack Phone
click for website
We use this now as our primary land line, we paid $39.95 US plus another $10.00 US for a Canadian area code ( 250 ) It works great but we do have some issues with calls breaking up if we are on a busy router in an RV Park, otherwise it works just fine. We have called our friends in the Canada, the USA and Mexico, both clear as a bell..( no pun ) There are no monthly bills, just a yearly $29.95 US charge, until someone tells us we can't use it, we'll just continue.
We purchased ours at Walmart in California but l did see them in Walmart in Canada, you may want to check there, it downloads by itself and allows you to pick your phone number online. Its worth a look-see.
We purchased ours at Walmart in California but l did see them in Walmart in Canada, you may want to check there, it downloads by itself and allows you to pick your phone number online. Its worth a look-see.
Starchoice Satelite System ( Shaw Direct )
click dish for website
We have used Starchoice for almost 12 years. We take our dish and our reciever south with us, there has been mention of issues in Mexico but to date it still works fine for us. We use a tripod that we set up when we get to an RV Resort, l bought a satelite finder from Camping World for a few dollars, it makes finding the satelite a lot easier.
Starchoice is now Shaw Direct. Check out their website, this may be something you could use, it also helps us keep up with local news from home...
Starchoice is now Shaw Direct. Check out their website, this may be something you could use, it also helps us keep up with local news from home...
Canucks Hockey Radio
clik for "live" broadcasts
Your away from home and you miss your Canucks Hockey Games, if you didn't bring your satelite TV system, well here is the link to Team 1040 for Canucks live broadcast.
Beachfront Radio
click on picture for link
This will help you get in the tropical mood, l play this on my laptop all the time. It takes me to a warm place with calm winds and swaying palm trees.
Your home for the best Independent *Trop Rock Artists along with your favorite rock and country hits plus a great line up of radio shows featuring your favorite Trop Rock artists!
Your home for the best Independent *Trop Rock Artists along with your favorite rock and country hits plus a great line up of radio shows featuring your favorite Trop Rock artists!
Baby Boomer Radio
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Enjoy the free Baby Boomer Radio classic internet rock and roll online oldies jukebox radio streaming oldies music that we all grew up listening to 365 days a year. You can listen to the free internet classic online killer ultimate oldies songs and online oldies love songs, 40s oldies, 50s oldies, 60s oldies and 70s oldies music 365 days a year.
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Cheers Art and Helene |
Kool *Apps for your I-Phone, I-Pod or I-Pad
(Open iTunes to buy and download apps.)
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Allstays Camp and RV - Tent Camping to RV Parks
The number one camping app for iPhone, iPods, iPads and Android. From resorts to hike-in spots. Amenities, maps, truck stops, rest areas, Wal-mart and casino parking, low clearance alerts, RV dealers, sporting goods stores and much more. Two modes: one uses GPS and maps that you can filter. One is an offline manual lookup mode for when you don't have service. |
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The MobileRVing mobile app assists RV'ers and campers to find the best RV Parks and Campgrounds in their current area as well as their destination. View detailed Park Information, Amenities, Detailed Site Maps and Mobile Guides, Bookmark your Favorites, access contact information and websites from home or on the go. With this easy to use and extremely detailed app, finding the right place to stay and making your reservations has never been easier or more reliable.
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Description
Instantly find FREE Wi-Fi Internet hotspots wherever you are in the world online or offline! JiWire's Global FREE Wi-Fi app uses your iPhone's GPS and network triangulation capabilities to locate free Wi-Fi Internet access. |
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Canada / USA Border Time WaitsThis application provides the wait times for travellers crossing the Canadian/U.S. border by road.The FIRST and BEST app that provides BOTH directions!
View border crossing stations on a map as you approach, or as a classic list. |
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Sanidumps has the largest up-to-date RV dump station listings found anywhere. Quickly identify locations for emptying the gray and black water holding tanks in your trailer, camper or motorhome. The listings contain dump station locations at campgrounds, National, State and Provincial Parks, Forest Service sites, military campgrounds, highway rest areas, truck stops, sewage treatment plants, gas stations, fair grounds, RV dealerships and many more.
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Description
Dish Align is a simple yet powerful app for alignment of the satellite dish. It allows you to select exact location of the dish and requested satellite, them shows you you can align the dish to get proper signals. It has a built-in compass specially designed to simulate the dish as your iPhone, so you will get the exact direction of the dish to be pointed. |
Medical Items of Interest
HEART to HEART CLICK TO ENLARGE
The first hour of a heart attack is known as the "golden hour." If you get help during that first hour, your chances of recovery are greatly improved. Yet many people hesitate to get help when they first experience symptoms. They're afraid of the embarrassment of going to the emergency room and finding that nothing is wrong. So, it is important that you know the symptoms that may indicate that a heart attack is in progress
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Click *heart* for
Heart Rescue Video |
HOW TO SURVIVE A HEART ATTACK WHEN ALONE?
Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack without help, the person whose heart is beating improperly and who begins to feel faint, has only about 10 seconds left before losing consciousness. However, these victims can help themselves by coughing repeatedly and very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken before each cough, and the cough must be deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest.
A breath and a cough must be repeated about every two seconds without let-up until help arrives, or until the heart
is felt to be beating normally again. Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating. The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm.
In this way, heart attack victims can get to a hospital.
A breath and a cough must be repeated about every two seconds without let-up until help arrives, or until the heart
is felt to be beating normally again. Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating. The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm.
In this way, heart attack victims can get to a hospital.
HEART ATTACKS AND WATER !
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Drinking water at a certain time maximizes its effectiveness on the body. For example 2 glasses of water after waking up - helps activate internal organs 1 glass of water 30 minutes before a meal -helps digestion 1 glass of water before taking a bath - helps lower blood pressure 1 glass of water before going to bed - avoids stroke or heart attack.
Some Physician's say that water at bed time will also help prevent night time leg cramps. Your leg muscles are seeking hydration when they cramp and wake you up with a Charlie Horse. Most heart attacks occur in the day, generally between 6 A.M. and noon. Having one during the night, when the heart should be most at rest, means that something unusual happened. Somers and his colleagues have been working for a decade to show that sleep apnea is to blame. If you take an aspirin or a baby aspirin once a day, take it at night. The reason: Aspirin has a 24-hour "half-life"; therefore, if most heart attacks happen in the wee hours of the morning, the Aspirin would be strongest in your system. There are other symptoms of a heart attack, besides the pain on the left arm. One must also be aware of an intense pain on the chin, as well as nausea and lots of sweating; however, these symptoms may also occur less frequently. Note: There may be NO pain in the chest during a heart attack. |
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The majority of people (about 60%) who had a heart attack during their sleep did not wake up. However, if it occurs, the chest pain may wake you up from your deep sleep. If that happens, immediately dissolve two aspirins in your mouth and swallow them with a bit of water. Afterwards: - Call 911
Click for Website
As we age, we all need to be concerned with Alzheimer's disease. This puzzle is easy to put together if you are not affected by the Alzheimer's but apparently impossible to do for someone with the disease. Give it a try. If this puzzle is particularly difficult for you then your physician can offer you additional testing to check you for Alzheimer's.
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Alzheimer's Test http://www.brl.ntt.co.jp/people/hara/fly.swfThe sooner you deal with the disease the more years you will enjoy life. There have been some very remarkable new discoveries over the last year or two in the research to cure the disease. Nothing yet cures it but electrical stimulation of the brain seems the most promising along with other new drugs. |
Click image for website
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Previously Unknown Prostate Cancer Gene Identified
A new paper, authored by BC Cancer Agency postdoctoral fellow Francesco Crea and colleagues, has identified a prostate cancer gene that can be recognized through a simple blood test, and could be used for early detection of aggressive tumours. As the most common cancer in Canadian men, prostate cancer is curable when it is confined to the organ of origin, but often becomes lethal when it spreads (metastasizes) to surrounding tissues and organs. The newly-identified gene is required for prostate cancer cell metastasis. When turned off, metastasis is blocked and cancer cells are killed. The discovery of a completely new cancer-related gene that is a potential therapeutic target to treat metastatic prostate cancer is rare, and is an exciting advancement for the future treatment of prostate cancer. For more information on prostate cancer, please visit the BC Cancer Agency's website. |
Canadian Diabetes Association
click image for website
I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes a couple years ago, we should all be aware of the dangers of leaving this unchecked. Unfortunately some of us Snowbirds have a tendency to party a bit to hard and pack on a few pounds, which as most of you know is very hard to take off. Try and keep active. Have a read on the website for information, symptoms and things to watch for.
Parkinson Society Canada
Click for website
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Parkinson Society Canada is the national voice of Canadians living with Parkinson’s, a neurodegenerative disease. Through regional partners and 240 chapters and support groups, we provide education, support, and advocacy on behalf of over 100,000 Canadians living with Parkinson’s every day. Funding innovative research helps expand knowledge on prevention, diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson’s and will ultimately lead to a cure.
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THE WALKAIDE SYSTEM
click on pic for more information
WalkAide is a revolutionary FDA approved medical device that leverages functional electrical stimulation (FES) to improve walking ability of people living with foot drop. The WalkAide is also utilized as a Neuro Rehabilitation tool by Clinicians. We met a lady who uses this system, she said it greatly improved her life, we thought we would pass the information along. We're not endorsing this product, we're just letting our fellow snowbirds know about it.
Travelling to Mexico |
Click for Weather
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Click FLAG for Visit Mexcio
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Make Mexico the excuse for your next vacation and get your senses ready for an experience full of magic, color and warmth. Come and fall in love with Mexico!
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Mexican Insurance
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This is where we bought on Mexican Auto and RV Insurance, they are located in Nogales, they spoke English and were very helpful.
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Homeland Security
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Here is the link to the USA Homeland Security, check it our for warnings when traveling out of the country.
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RV Caravans to Mexico
click here for web link to Caravan Groups
I continually have folks asking me if l thinks its safe to travel in Mexico or if l’m worried about it. Well for us it has been without issues but you need to be aware of where you are at all times. You do not want to travel at night and you stay on the main roads and highways. We have about a 350 kms drive from Nogales ( truck crossing only ) to San Carlos. We generally cross the border around 9:00 am and counting customs, getting our auto and visa permits as well as the toll booths and military checkpoints it takes us about 7 hours. I have mentioned a number of times that there are groups of RV'ers who meet and travel together, l just found this link with a few of these groups mentioned, if you are interested in traveling to Mexico by RV and don't want to venture the journey alone perhaps this site is worth viewing. Good luck Snowbirds...
RV'ing and Camping in Mexico
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We have found travelling in Mexico to be a great experience and to date have never felt threatened. Although we have not ventured to far south in our 9 years of visiting here we are planning an extended trip in the motorhome this year ( 2015 ). I will be adding more information about safe travel in Mexico over the next while, if you would like to see the locations of the RV Campground available click on the photo to the right, it will take you to a #Google Map of Mexican Campgrounds. Check out the travel clubs above for guided trips south.
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What's up San Carlos, Mexico
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San Carlos is where my wife Helene and l have spent our last 12 winters, It is our second home and we never stop talking about it. If you ever get the chance to visit this beautiful place you will never forget it. There are a few website links to San Carlos but this one seems to work fine, and the editors and writers are good friends of mine from down there.. Click on the image to the right and have a look see.
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Language Translation
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Here is a helpful site if you need to translate English to a foreign language. Fortunately for us my wife speaks Spanish so we can usually get around Mexico without to many language barriers. I know there are some kool *App's a person can use for this same purpose, check out the app store on your mobile device.
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Art and Helene
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Art in San Carlos, Mexico 2018
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Art on accoustic guitar playing and singing
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*All tips and advice on this web site are purely the personal opinion of the author who assumes no responsibility or liability for any consequences resulting from following said advice.*
Contact Art at 250-803-8058 or email art@rvsalesandadventures.com
The things you are passionate about are not random.They are your calling.