Zephyrs

Eric Peters says “So You Got a Speeding Ticket…“. Don’t just sit and take it but be aware of just what it can cost you and what you can do about it.

Traffic court’s a lot like buying a car — because there’s lots of haggling involved.

Or should be — if you’re smart.

The fact is that traffic citations mey be more than just paying the bail. If it results in a mark on your driving record then it may cost you in increased insurance premiums for several years. Peters says ” it’s crucial to fight that first one — no matter how small it may seem.” Either do it yourself or hire a lawyer. The difficult part is usually realizing just what kind of situation the citation business really is.

It isn’t about safety. It isn’t about ethics or morality or other such hifalutin ideals. It is all about who pays and how much. The game has rules and success at it more often has to do with knowing those rules and using them to your advantage. Just sending in the bail and writing checks for the next few years is like getting told to play a football game and then forfeiting it by not showing up.

The least you can do is to show up for the game. Hire a lawyer for maybe $500 if you want professional assistance or do it yourself with a bit of time and commitment.

you have absolutely nothing to lose by doing this. It’s free — and it’s a good way to game the system, just as the system is trying to game you.

At the very least, your showing up forces the other team to also show up. They may be professional heavyweights but there is only so much damage they can do if you join the game as they do have to follow the rules. You can use those rules to your advantage and significantly increase your odds of winning.

The October 2008 Newsletter has been posted. See the link on the SNU 2008 newsletter index. Links to photo galleries and additional information mentioned in articles in this newsletter can be found at that URL, too.

Topics in this newsletter include:
* October Rally at Blue Lakes
* November special Death Valley rally
* Report from the Obsidian Rally
* Courtesy Parking
* Time to renew or join the SNU for 2009

Blue Lakes Rally

Thursday October 16 to Sunday 19, 2008 the SNU will hold it’s last regular rally for 2008 at Blue Lakes dispersed camping area off Hwy 88 in Hope Valley. Melissa says once you turn on Blue Lakes road, there is no way you can miss the rally site. This area has lots of great fishing spots, excellent hiking opportunities and beautiful scenery.

Alternate Site – IF there are chain controls on Hwy 88 the October Rally will be at Pyramid Lake Pelican Point. If in doubt as to the rally location check the website or call 775 972 9392 the Monday before the rally. We will also try to send out an email alert if there are any changes in the October rally.

Time to renew

It is time to renew your membership in the SNU for 2009. If you are not currently a member, please consider joining us in 2009. The renewal/application form is posted on the SNU website along with a link that enables you to pay your dues online.

Check Zephyrs to find out if there have been changes in the October rally and links to road conditions and weather or other relevant items of interest.

For only what’s new on the website see the Zephyrs What’s New category

–
SNU HQ

ps -California Highway Conditions sr88and Carson Pass weather. More about Hope Valley and the Blue Lake area, Carson Pass and Highway 88, the Mokelumne Wilderness and Fall color will be provided soon!

Down by June Lakes around back of one of the Mono Domes (or USGS) - here’s a photo gallery of the September SNU rally.

See all the pretty pictures!

RGJ reports that Rules are about to change on backcountry roads. There has been so much ATV and other vehicle traffic on National Forest Service lands, often creating new trails, that the NFS will now be defining roads and citing vehicles that don’t use them. The fines will start at $250.

Wisebread suggests 5 Easy Recipes Perfect for the Traveling Chef

on the lookout for simple, good, food that can be cooked with a minimal number of widely available ingredients, and prepared in variable portions. Of course, I am thinking mainly of travelers staying in accommodation, be it a hostel, friend’s house, or rental house, with a basically stocked kitchen.

Think maybe an RV might apply?

The suggestions include fritatta, lentil or bean stew, sauted noodles, baked fish, and drunken chicken.

gettin’ hungry?

In the pine trees above Eagle Lake, the SNU occupied nearly half the sites in the campground.

See the photo gallery!

This is a hosted BLM campground about 30 miles north of Susanville. The sites are rather cramped for modern RV’s and there is quite a slope to the campground. facilities include water, trash, and privy’s for campers. Each campsite has a fire pit and a table but tent space could be interesting. The rocks could also provide a challenge for the ground pounders.

A full service RV park with a general store and restaurant are only a mile or so down the road. There is also some dispersed camping on the beach above and below the campground.

The Reader’s Digest Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things has 2,317 uses for common household products to clean messes, repair problems, and save money and time. The list of ‘Super Items’ is probably a good inventory list for your RV.

These Super Items include Aluminum Foil, Ammonia, Baking Soda, Bottles, Cardboard Boxes, Duct Tape, Lemons, Nail Polish, Pantyhose, Paper Bags, Petroleum Jelly, Plastic Bags, Salt, Sandwich & Freezer bags, Tape, Tea, Vinegar, and WD-40. Peruse the suggestions and you will likely find new ways to use things and get a job done or solve some hassle you haven’t figured out.

Some folks decided to get together for a weekend at an RV park near the Lava Beds National Monument.

See the photo gallery!

The August 2008 Newsletter has been posted -Links to photo galleries and additional information mentioned in articles in this newsletter can be found there, too.

Topics in this newsletter include:
* Sweetwater Rally Report
* August rally at Eagle Lake
* News from Region 12
* Welcome new members
* Time to renew or join the SNU for 2009

Thursday August 21 to Sunday, August 24, 2008 the SNU will hold a rally at Eagle Lake BLM Campground at the North end - about 30 miles northeast of Susanville, CA off Hwy 139 Fees are $5 per night SNU Rally Kitty plus Individual campground fee $14 p/n Members & guests welcome. Board meeting Saturday open to all. Activities include hiking, birdwatching and fishing and boating in nearby Eagle Lake.

Only three more rallies for 2008! Don’t miss out. Join the fun, plan to attend!

Check Zephyrs to find out what else is new on the website

–
SNU HQ

Rally Thursday August 21 to Sunday, August 24, 2008 Eagle Lake BLM Campground — Just a reminder, the SNU August rally at the Eagle Lake BLM campground is right around the corner. We checked fire restrictions and found that campfires and bbq’s should be OK as long as they are in the designated fire pits.

There are only two rallies plus our special November Death Valley rally after this before winter so if you haven’t had a chance to come to a rally this year, now is the time.

There are several issues SNU members need to address at the August rally. These include confirming the 2009 SNU event schedule and determining the nominees for the 2009 SNU board of directors. This is your Unit. Your voice, opinions, and ideas are key to the success of the SNU. Plan to come to Eagle Lake and provide your input. We want to hear from you.

Time to renew — It is time to renew your membership in the SNU for 2009. If you are not currently a member, please consider joining us in 2009. The renewal/application form is posted on the SNU website along with a link that enables you to pay your dues online.

Region 12 News — The SNU has recently received several communications from Don Clark, Region 12 President that he wants to share with our members. We have posted his communication on the SNU website.

For information on the rally, a link to Region 12 news, and other updates check this link.

Check Zephyrs to find out what else is new on the website

See you at Eagle Lake!

–
SNU Hq

The company town at the Anaconda mine was bought by the Tibbals in 1982 after the mine closed down. The open pit copper mine has now filled with water and the town just outside Yerington is something of an unusual resort ‘destination’.

“It’s a half hour away from the nearest east-west and north-south highways, and getting here is like taking a Sunday drive to a home town you never had.” (NevadaWeb)

The RV park has a good number of shaded RV sites and a large community center with laundry and showers. The Nevada Good Sams Club often gathers here in September.

Some snowbirds have found this to be a good summer stop after wintering in Arizona.

See the photo gallery!

The mine itself is a US EPA superfund site. See also the UNR page Copper Mining in Nevada.

If US 95 through Nevada is your route and you need a good spot to stop midway with full facilities, Weed Heights is worth considering.

A rather warm weekend, even at 6800′, made for a good equipment test rally. A few things got fixed, too. As always, good food, good fellowship, scenery that does something to you, and away from it all for a few hours with the Airstream.

See the photo gallery!

Hot Hots And Cool Cools Protect Picnics - Cross-Contamination, Bad Temperatures Can Aid Bacteria by Shiloh Woolman, Staff writer at Fox news describes a few things to keep in mind when you want to take the dinner outside.

Temperatures? the 40/140 rule; avoid cross contamination; cook the meat properly; see the article for a number of things to keep in mind to make sure you minimize the risk of an unpleasant day after.

Don’t forget to check the sidebar links: basics Food Safety Smarts and others (many at revolution health - watch out for ads)

The July 2008 Newsletter has been posted. see the newsletter index. Links to photo galleries and additional information mentioned in articles in the newsletter can be found there too.

>*>*> News from Bozeman! Check out these pictures

Topics in this newsletter include:
* Portola Rally Report
* July rally at Sweetwater Summit
* The President’s Ramblin’s
* Time to renew or join the SNU for 2009
* Preview of the 2009 rally schedule

>> Thursday July 17 to Sunday July 20, 2008 the SNU will hold it’s rally at Sweetwater Summit, a National Forest Service dispersed camping area between Yerrington and Bridgeport. The area is located on highway 338 in Nevada, which comes out of Bridgeport as California highway 182. If you are heading north on Nevada 338, at the Sweetwater Summit there is a large parking area to the right with a weather gathering station at the south end. There are no facilities. This is a take it in, take it out rally.

>*>*> Just In
Jack Clark says he has a 1999 Bambi 19′ for sale that is in like new condition. The plastic is still covering the rugs on the floor. It has been kept at home and towed less than 1,500 miles. Includes complete Eazy-Lift hitch with sway control. Compare to the cost of a new one and make an offer. Shown by appointment. nvcaped (at) verizon.net

> Check Zephyrs to find out what else is new on the website

–
SNU HQ

The download squad took note of some web sites that help you figure your fuel costs on a trip. See Simple but powerful Drivepricing helps calculate gas costs .

With gas prices so high its nice to be able to know how much to put in the piggy bank to save up for the trips you have coming up this summer.

The references are to Drivepricing and FuelEconomy.gov. The comments include other links.

These sites would be more valuable if they not only used your fuel use rate on trips but also your fuel tank capacity. Then they could figure optimum fuel stops and calculate costs based on current local pricing. That may be in someone’s thinking for the future.

If you plan to head out to the Sweetwater Summit rally and are looking at the thermometer in the current hot spell, weather comes to mind.

The Nevada Road Weather Information System (RWIS) for this location is still offline after many months. It doesn’t provide forecast information, anyway.

To get a forecast courtesy of modern weather modelling, the National Weather Service point forecast for Sweetwater Summit (38.53N -119.2W Elev. 6842 ft) will get you out a full week.

Keeping cool isn’t the only concern. The agencies are at paranoia level 1 regarding fire. Anita sent along links to Reno Gazette Journal stories on this: Fire restrictions in Western Nevada underway as of July 1 and Fire restrictions start this week — don’t plan on a charcoal grill, campfire, or even an outdoor smoke in these conditions!

Randy took a scouting trip to Medicine Lake and the NFS campgrounds there. This is a place you don’t get to unless you are going there.

See the photo gallery!
location coordinates 41.595547,-121.609039
To get there, head up CA 89 to Bartle halfway between Mt Shasta and Burney Falls. Head north on NFS 49 and Medicine Lake is about halfway to the Lava Beds National Monument.

5 Tips for Avoiding Mosquito Bites—and West Nile Virus is timely. This appears to be a good year for mosquitoes and you can take action to reduce the damage. The five tips include advice about repellents, clothing, screening, and the elimination of breeding sites.

Near dawn and dusk is when the risk is highest. Let’s see, that’s the morning wake up with coffee when all is quiet (see Washington Times for Noise) or it is the evening social hour after the pot luck dinner.

Take care. Don’t get bit.

June 2008 WBCCI International Rally – Bozeman, MT - reports are trickling in. Jerry and Dyanne sent this picture

That’s PeeWee (see his history collection at Dale (Pee Wee) Schwamborn -Wally Byam, Helen Byam Schwamborn) with Jerry surrounded by Schwamborns.

Robert took some pictures - see the photo gallery

Here he is with the SNU flag.

Warren Meyer, a small business owner in Phoenix, Arizona took a look at the Economic Impact of Gas Prices. There has been much discussion about the recent bump in the cost of energy, especially for the fuel we put in our RV’s. Some are limiting their excursions to avoid the pain at the pump. The Coyote Blog post took a time out to consider the big picture. How has the fuel cost changed over time as a part of our per-capita disposable income?

What prompted the Coyote Blog post was Economist Mark Perry, at his blog Carpe Diem.

For gas to reach a record high as a percent of per-capita disposable income, it would have to sell today for about $5.50 per gallon to reach 14.90% of per-capita disposable income, like it did in March of 1981, when gas sold for $1.42 per gallon, and per-capita disposable income was only $9,500.

It looks like the cost of gas ran about 6% of disposable income from 1985 until recently. Starting about 2003 it has increased from there to near 10%.

Meyer realized that the price of fuel was only a part of the picture. He factored in the average MPG rating for passenger vehicles to determine the fuel cost for a typical 15,000 miles per year. That graph accounts for the improvements in efficiency and starts its rise from about 3% in 1998 to a current 7%.

You might think that RV fuel efficiency hasn’t changed as much as it has for passenger cars but consider: A typical Suburban tow vehicle used in the late 70’s through the 80’s got about 8 miles per gallon. A modern diesel with the same trailer can get up to 14 and the big block gasoline tow vehicles will get 10 to 12 mpg. That’s an efficiency improvement of 20% or more in fuel efficiency. So Meyer’s adjustment makes sense for RV’s, too.

The pain at the pump has put some people in a panic. There is talk of re-doing the seventies with price controls and the double nickel speed limit. They didn’t work then and took a long time to get settled. It may be why there is a sharp drop to a fairly steady level starting about 1985 in the graphs. A proper perspective and learning from what has been done before will help to avoid repeating the same mistakes.

So, while I too think paying $4 for gas is not my favorite way to dispose of my income, in terms of average household pain created, gas prices are quite far from their historic highs.

It will take some time to settle things out. There are many experts trying to figure out why dropping demand has not had an impact on prices. There is also some wondering about why the pipeline isn’t getting clogged as supply keeps up and demand drops. There is also quite a bit of ‘blame game’ going on looking for scapegoats and conspiracies.

The increased pain at the pump has dampened demand. It is also stimulated a re-examination of ideas about energy and where we get it and how we manage it. That should lead to good things.

But, for now, perhaps the best bet is to put more emphasis on enjoying the places you visit rather than the journey and travel for its own sake. If history is any guide, this will work itself in due course. All you have to do is to be patient and avoid succumbing to the fear mongering that is being peddled in the news.