Road Warriors Live

I thought I would do a quick post with my new toy and give everyone a quick update.

I want to apologize if you’ve got a couple of e-mails today with some errant posts. I’ve invited some guest posters to post on this blog. Unfortunately they are not posting what I feel to be appropriate content. I usually catch them in time but today those two got through. Sorry about that and it won’t happen again.

It’s been 24 hours since I started using the new computer with Dragon NaturallySpeaking. All I can say it’s been almost like a dream. I’ve used these text-to-speech programs before but never one with the accuracy like this. I swear I’m not a salesman for them but I could be. It’s really high on the geek scale plus it works exceptionally well. Enough about the geek update now on to something a little bit more meaningful.

I was trying to figure out a couple posts about the time I spent in Charlotte at the Coca-Cola 600. What I didn’t want to do is post every little thing and bore you all to death. Well, it’s been a little over a week and there are two things that still stick out in my mind.

The first thing is how crowded the campground was. I have done a lot of camping over the past year and have never seen this many RVs in one place even at the Camping Shows. One thing I can say is these folks sure know how to pack them in. I put together a little video of some of the prerace festivities and a view from the top of the stands looking over just one of the campgrounds.

I’m not sure if you can get a feel for it from the video but the campground that we were in was huge. Now if you can imagine a campgrounds just like this all around the race track you’ll get a feel for how many people were actually there and camping. I had somebody asked me if I thought the gas prices kept people away from the race. From the amount of people there camping in RVs and the distance they drove. I would say no, at least for this one. I don’t know what it will look like next year but as far as I’m concerned everyone that planned on going showed up.

As for the party atmosphere that I thought was going to be there that didn’t really materialize at all. Maybe we were at the wrong campground, maybe I believed all the hype, from what I saw it was just a bunch of folks at having a good time enjoying Memorial Day weekend. I could’ve brought the kids and they would’ve had a great time. I would’ve not been worried about them at all. I have been the campgrounds much worse than this and they were supposed to be family-friendly.

Don’t get me wrong, people were drinking and having a good time but it was NOT an out-of-control party like I was led to believe it was going to be. It was a little bit of a letdown as I was prepared for something a little different but it turned out okay and was one of the best Memorial Day weekends I can remember a long time.

There was one more thing that sticks in my mind even a week later and I’ll share that with you tomorrow in another post.

Hope you enjoy the video. And for my fellow geeks (you know who you are) this whole post was done on my handheld computer and dictated through the microphone. (very cool)

Steve

Sorry I haven’t been able to give an update in a while.  It’s a very busy around here trying to fix the problems that we had at the Coca-Cola 600.  We were about halfway through the trip before we found out the audio was really distorted.

In addition to that we ran into problems with the data card and transmitting remotely.  it took a little while but I think we have everything all worked out. I hope you’re able to see the video we transmitted from the race and the campground.  Even though we did not transmit as much video as we had planned to go that a lot done.

Since this was my first NASCAR race I didn’t know what to expect.  All-in-all we had a great time and the people at the campground as well as the race were a blast.

I want to thank everyone that called or sent a text message for all the help.  I don’t think we could have gotten it done without you.
 
We are planning our next trip starting today.  It’s a little tough and we are coordinating between Jonathan’s T-ball schedule and Jennifers swim schedule before we make definite plans.  I also have another trip planned to California in mid-June so we have to take that into account also.

In the meantime will be testing a new microphone for some live video in the next couple days so stay tuned.  As soon as I have an update on the next trip I will let everyone know.

Steve

I am in the final planning stages of the trip now. Since I will be traveling solo on this trip I am over planning a little on this one. Even though I am looking forward to this trip I am a little nervous. I am surprised on how much I have come to rely on my co-pilot (Jen) on these trips. As I sit here planning I guess I never realized how much she takes care of and I never even have to think about it. So in a very public way I just want to say thanks.

I spent the weekend installing some new electronics in the RV.  It has been on my to do list for almost a year so it’s a huge weight off my shoulders getting it done.

Some of the new stuff that went in are a new Pioneer Avic-d3 stereo/GPS/XM Radio.  This thing does everything except bring you a cup of coffee in the morning and should eliminate a bunch of lighter plug ins in the coach.  It was starting to get really bad and getting rid of all the individual pieces was a necessary. 

I was also able to install my HF Radio and CB Radio.  We found out last year that cell phone coverage is pretty good across the country but very spotty in the Rocky mountains and out west.  Being able to call for help in case of an emergency is important to me when traveling with my family.  It also helps keep me awake on the long drives.  I have a Amateur Radio license so it gives me even more people to talk to when the drive gets boring.  After a short test when driving the RV back to storage let me know everything is up and running great.

Last but not least is the Scan Gauge I installed.  This little display hooks directly to your vehicles computer and lets you know what all the gauges are reading.  Another necessity as far as I am concerned.  The big plus for it is that it will tell you what you gas mileage is as you drive down the road.   With the price of gas now over $4.50 a gallon it should pay for itself in one trip.  In just the short trip back to storage I was able to adjust the way I was driving and increase my MPG.  I will show some live shots once we are on the road.  I will also drop in some links to the equipment I installed so you can check it out yourself.

On the way back to storage I went a head and filled up the tank (as much as they would let me).  I figured there will be another price hike just before the weekend so it’s almost like getting it on sale .  My question to everyone is how high do you think the prices will go?  This is really starting to get out of hand.  I heard a news report this morning that the oil companies are making over 2 billion dollars A WEEK in PROFITS.  Now I don’t have a problem with them making money but it really seems like there is some price fixing going on.

Below is a map of the final route I will be taking on this trip.  I you have any suggestions or something I should not miss along the way I am all ears.

View Larger Map

I have also posted an article on the Coca Cola 600.  Feel free to rate it and leave your comments.  

Stay tuned for more updates.  I will be testing the new tech stuff today and tomorrow so keep a eye on the site for a sneak peek.

Steve 

I love it when a plan comes together.  We just got back from San Diego and now it’s time to get ready for the trip.

The plan is starting to come together with just a couple of hiccups.  As it turns out the folks I am suppose to meet at the campground outside the track are going to be coming in on Friday instead of Thursday.  So after a 14 hour drive I get to party by myself on Thursday evening.  Since I have never done a race before I don’t know what to expect.  I am fairly easy going and don’t have a problem with making new friends so I am pretty sure Thursday night will be OK.

That is the only “problem” we have had in planning this trip.  If that’s all that goes wrong I will be very happy.

The tech side is coming along well and like I said before we will be able to transmit LIVE video from the campground on the days leading up to the race. 

If you can’t make this race or ever wondered what it would be like camping with a bunch of NASCAR fans this is your chance to check it out.  From what I have seen it can be a ton of fun.

Stay tuned for more updates as things move along over the next week.

Steve

Gentlemen Start Your Engines

Sorry for the long delay in between postings.  I am sure you thought that we have dropped off the face of the earth or we ditched the RV and went back to work.

I just wanted to check in and let everyone know what is going on. 

We have been busy preparing for the summer and getting our trip schedule together.  We are also working out the bugs as far as video and audio transmission on the road.  We have actually taken a couple trips since I last posted but they were for testing equipment and working out some of the kinks that we experienced on the way to and from Florida.

The main website work is still not done since developer we use ran into some problems. We have a very cool trip planned for the end of April and unless they get their work finished we will need to use the back up site again. http://www.roadwarriorslive.com/BackUp since the camera is not live now you might get a 404 error when you try to bring it up.  When the camera is on that site will load just fine for you.

Now that your updated on the tech stuff here is where we are with the trip schedule. 

Due to the spiraling cost of gas as well as some new family commitments we have decided push the date of the Route 66 trip until the end of the summer.  We were not expecting Diesel Gas prices to climb to over $4.50 a gallon and with an 80 Gallon tank it gets cost prohibitive pretty quickly.  We will still be making the trip but have decided to combine it with other business.  Instead of making 2 or 3 cross country trips this summer we are cutting it down to just one at the end of Summer.  We will be taking our time getting there and back so it works out better for you while riding shotgun.

Instead of taking the Cross Country trips we have decided to stay a little closer to home base and take frequent trips within a one day drive.  This should also work out better for everyone since you will not be staring at the road all the time but also enjoying some cool vacation spots in the Midwest.

Since some of you are not in the Midwest I know you might think of unsubscribing now but I have something for you too.  I have invited a few friends to also post here on their travels.  This way we can all get a little taste of different places to go and things to do and you don’t have to wait on us to get there.  Keep an eye out for those posts.  Comments on those posts also qualify you for our souvenir give-a-ways.

That brings me to more exciting news we have to share with you.  On Memorial Day weekend we will be testing out some new technology that will let you come along not just for the ride but when we are out and about.  We will be testing a way to get you LIVE VIDEO when we are out of the RV and exploring. Will will still be hooked to the GPS so you will be able to see where we are.

Next Trip
I have been invited to the NASCAR Race at Lowes Motor Speedway on Memorial Day weekend.  This will be a solo trip and I will be taking the RV.  The plan is to get on the road early Thursday morning and get there and setup before dark.  It’s a 700+ mile trip so I will need you to keep me awake.  I will be transmitting video the GPS will be running.

Once I am setup and if everything works out as planned you will be able to see the party at the campground on Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun, & Mon.  From what I understand things can get a little crazy so you will want to tune in and see what trouble we get into.

Mark your calendar for the trip: May 22 2008 I should be starting around 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning and driving all day.  Then also set a reminder for yourself to check-in the whole weekend and he drive back on Monday.

Stay tuned for updates as we get closer.  I can’t wait to get back on the road again.
Steve

P. S.  We will be giving out Souvenirs so start commenting now to get in the running.