MAX Burner

Exactly what I recall, @topgun2 - although I got it from you! HA!

We like this State Park because of its close proximity to the Old Mexico border town of Puerto Palomas. Palomas is fun for its shopping, restaurants, and local color. PV SP is located in very south central of NM in the town of Columbus which is about a 5-hour or so drive for us, the boys, and Casablanca. In fact, we just returned Monday from a "let's go where it's warm" roadtrip with our RV friends. The park was originally the location of US Army Camp Furlong. General "Black Jack" Pershing, who would later command the Allied forces of World War I, pursued Pancho Villa into Mexico. This pursuit was initiated after Pancho Villa and his soldiers attacked Fort Furong on March 9, 1916. "General" Pancho Villa State Park contains extensive historical exhibits which depict this raid, the first armed invasion of the continental United States since the War of 1812, and also the last one. "Black Jack's" 11 month pursuit led 10,000 American soldiers 400 miles into Mexico, but ended without the capture of Pancho Villa. Several buildings dating from the time of Villa's raid still stand in Columbus, and the U.S. Customs House, built in 1902, serves as the visitor center. Annually, in early March, the residents of Puerto Palomas conduct a mock "raid" into Columbus in memory of Pancho's assault on the US Army - a popular event for RV'ers to watch from the SP. The border crossing is a short 2 or 3 mile drive from the SP where there's POV parking and an easy "walk-across" into Mexico with the two Knuckleheads, "Magnus and Oscar". After a stop at one of the many "pharmacias" - we usually head over to the "Pink Store" where there's artwork and souvenirs from each of the 31 Mexican states. Shoppers can enjoy "free" adult beverages courtesy of the owner. The Pink Store also boasts one of the best restaurants in the region. The boys are welcome in the Pink Store and its restaurant: Although the Park has accommodations for full hookups, they've been struggling with a septic system issue that is expected to be resolved in mid-MAR - so our group opted for no-hookup Bdock sites. Pancho Villa is a popular location for many RV rallies in the spring and fall when the weather is absolutely phenomenal. Check it out when your in the area... It's very cool. Cheers! A & D

Chain sleeves:

Look again a bit closer, they're already on the chains... HA! Thanks, anyway, @Patriot!

So... for those of you with "older" OTTs and want to know to what level your gelcoat has oxidized, try this: Take off the Oliver Logo and find out! Which is exactly what we did this afternoon - a couple plastic razor blades, a heat-gun, some "Goof-Off", and a little elbow grease and about 45 minutes later: The new graphic is from the movie credits - we've been to many of the places on the map and thought it fit our lifestyle... The graphic is held in place temporarily with painters tape and will be fixed permanently after we have CGI do their magic in Fredericksburg during the eclipse rally. Yellowing was apparent but not as bad as expected. Until the rally in April, we'll be using the same 3M anti-oxidizer that CGI uses to blend in the gelcoat with the Cyclo and bring it back to life. Piece of cake... Cheers, all!

Full Disclosure: Actually noticed these "Antlers" as a nice mod on @Patriot's rig in a post where he described his new front storage box made by SeabiscuitMetalDesigns.com... After installing our DC/DC charger which requires a substantial 1/0 Anderson connection and cables, our front hitch area seemed to be getting "crowded." The Moose Antler addresses the mess of cables, chains, clips, hooks, etc... They actually look like antlers - and do a great job in getting your hitch kit off the ground and tucked neatly and tidy under the A-frame: Moose Antlers.mov The PITA was removing the 7-Pin plug and the DC/DC Anderson connection to route the cables through the holes in the lower area of the antlers. The rack is made of approx. 3/16" powder coated T6061 Aluminum - no moving parts. If interested, you'll need to head to Home Dumbo for a U-bolt to fit the rack onto the hitch strut, $4.65. Simple design and efficient - we're liking it! Cheers! Moose Antlers.mov

....same here, nice hack!

Same here, good call, @Patriot, TKX!

We're interested in getting our's coated in Fredericksburg during the totality event...

So... after having converted our Starlink kit from 120vAC to 12vDC last month, we bought a cheap ($22) pan/tilt WiFi camera from Amazon. We leave the Starlink energized and the inverter on (to power the camera - which we'll convert to DC after we're home from this trip). We had great WiFi coverage in Old Mexico yesterday while monitoring the Knuckleheads in the Casablanca - one country away. The Micro-Air WiFi thermostat allows us to monitor and change interior temps for the furry beasts while away. We're pleased with the set up... Typical quality of the image from the Casablanca Puppy Cam: "Pet Obsessed"? Yup! Cheers, A & D

...a couple real Knuckleheads:

Same here, we're bringing our cruisers too.

Sunday 11FEB24, sunrise snap at Pancho Villa SP near Las Palomas, Old Mexico... ...walking the Knuckleheads at sunrise: Colder than anticipated last night - the Solo Stove came in handy: Cheers! A & D

FYI.... We recently stayed several days at Hopewell Lake in northern New Mexico near Tres Piedras at about 9,500'MSL - the Dometic fridge operated well on both gas and DC modes.

Pancho Villa SP... Saturday 10FEB24: Headed to Old Mexico later this morning....

in deed...

Our security includes: The hitch lock, not the BS or the pizza oven... The wheel boot (makes it more difficult for them to drag it up on a flatbed - this one is our's on our friend's AS... Cheers, from Columbus NM - entering into Old Mexico after breakfast for some "shopping"... OBTW: A squadron of quail running by Casa Blanca as viewed by the forward dinette seat... Cheers, amigos! A & D

Layer 8: ... a well placed 220gr .45ACP round where it belongs

That would be interesting to know the back story, @topgun2... In the decades we've been camping, the only theft we've experienced was perpetrated by bears and, believe it or not, monkeys - that wasn't a funny story, however!

Your solar charge controller should handle that charging profile for you. Depending on the type of controller you have, MPPTs probably use a better AGM charging profile than the PWM type controller. Either way, the controllers should be configured to their specific AGM setting. We had AGMs in our previous camper and used a Blue Sky MPPT solar charge controller wired with 10AWG wires from the controller to the battery bank. Our solar modules would provide enough energy for a 13.6vDC bulk charge to the bank on a good sunny day then drop to a about 13.2v for a float charge after 13.6v was reached. But all charging profiles and systems are not the same... Suggest you contact the battery manufacturer and inform them of the type of controller you have and ask them for their recommendation.

Great post, @dewdev! Thanks for sharing - we've got this mod listed on our spreadsheet as a priority... I'll be calling Ryder this morning! Thanks again!

This is an interesting topic. Good article, as well. Many thanks for sharing with the group, @Patriot... FYI, We've been with USAA for over 45 years - and started carrying Roadside Assistance Coverage soon after our son was born in '88 when a pop-up tent trailer was added to the stable. Never claimed a "RAC" incident until after many years and 4 RV's later when, in the middle of the Oklahoma Panhandle, we loose the alternator and the TV (a Suburban) is a roadside DOA. We had Verizon cells phones at the time, with a marginal signal, called USAA and they had a tow truck to us in less than an hour from a local town. Rigged up the "Sub" on the truck, and pulled it and the AS back to a Chevy dealer in nearby Guymon, OK. I'm certain there's similar experiences among OTT Owners out there - but, although a "claim", our premiums were not affected. Whether covered as a rider with your primary insurance carrier or from a secondary standalone RAC provider, we think it's worth it. We're glad we had it back then and we still have it today... My $0.02

He'll be sorely missed by many, many, many....

Concur 100% with the crowd allergy! That's one of the really cool aspects about Q - one can b'dock after a 5 min drive from the big white tents and be alone on a LTVA and completely enjoy the winter conditions of the Sonoran and lose that allergy...

I'm thinking a 4" Valterra vent between the forward dinette seat through the bathroom bulkhead near the toilet would be just as efficient, IMO.