RV Home Yet?

Must have? Scooter-powered caravan

Ed Greenberg sent me a link to a tiny caravan - or trailer, as we call them - touted to be perfect for seeing the royal wedding. Well, we're too late for that but if seeing the Rose Parade is on your bucket list, you'll have plenty of time to save up for one!

An elderly person can park this on the sidewalk and then lie down to view the goings-ons. And, with the big-screen TV, they can also monitor the event at the same time.

While I doubt this was a hot seller for the royal wedding - at £5,500 it's a bit pricey - someone had fun coming up with the idea and drawing. Thanks for sharing, Ed! Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

Watch that height!

A post a RVDailyReport.com reminds us that you should know the height of your RV. Caravan Guard in the U.K. offers a free sticker where you can record the height of your RV and place it your window. The company has noticed a decrease in related accidents as a result.

We don't have a company in the U.S. doing that, but it is an excellent suggestion. Write your RV's dimensions on a sticker and place it where you can see it.

Below is a short YouTube video showing the results when a 5th wheel tried to go under a drive-through at a bank. Not a pretty picture! Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

Would you buy a hybrid or electric tow/toad vehicle?

The answer is "no" if you are a typical consumer. According to a study conducted by J.D. Power and Associates, a global marketing information services company, the share of hybrid and electric vehicles is expected to remain below 10 percent of the U.S. market through 2016. Most surveyed cited concerns about cost and range of these vehicles. Those considering them did so more for personal economic reasons than concern for the environment.

George and I did a cost comparison of a hybrid several years ago. We subtracted the cost of the regular model from that of the hybrid - a several thousand dollar difference. Then we computed the fuel savings, using an average number of miles driven a year and the cost of fuel at the time. In ten years, we would not have made up the price difference in fuel savings. So, even though we are concerned about the environment, we did not make the purchase.

In the case of electric vehicles, you are limited in range. And, unless you live in a metropolitan area that has charging stations, you are even more limited. For RVers who are often in remote areas, charging an electric vehicle could prove impossible or difficult at best.

In 2009 there were only 31 hybrid and electric model vehicles; by 2016 J.D. Powers expects there to be 159 models available for purchase. The tax credits on purchasing "green" vehicles has ended. Considering the results of the study, manufacturers will need to keep the prices of hybrids closer to the regular models to encourage purchases. Perhaps the government will reintroduce tax credits. Winnebago has developed a concept hybrid RV but it is not for sale yet. That may come into play before 2016.

You can read the study at the J.D. Power site. Happy RVing! Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

Does this apply to RVs?

We saw this sign in the parking lot of a business next to a saloon. We were wondering if 1) they ever did hoist a vehicle up on the rood and 2) if it applied to RVs! Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

Have mobile salon will travel

Now there is a mobile hair, nail and makeup salon available for purchase. It gets a little convoluted, but Jeri Cady, in partnership with BusWest- has sold the first traveling salon for $119,000. It was specially outfitted by Quality Coahces in Ontario, CA. You can see a slide show of the finished result (the first 8 photos.) It looks quite snazzy! I first saw mention of this at RVDailyNews.com.

Cosmetologists must be licensed in the state where they practice so this would not be a good solution for traveling the U.S., but it could be a nice way to earn money where you were licensed. It would open up new markets.

If you have an idea for a traveling business, perhaps you could work with a company like Quality Coaches or BusWest to build an RV with a combination business/living quarters to use while you travel a larger network - to shows, or to clients who need your services yet would appreciate the mobile approach. Never be afraid to think outside the box! Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

Port Gibson- Civil War and strawberry chilled Soup

As we retraced Grant's progress in the Vicksburg Campaign, we stopped in Port Gibson- twice. Plus, we visited several nearby places associated with the campaign.

Port Gibson would be Grant's first victory. Grant managed to transport his troops across the Mississippi River undetected. At the Shaifer House (below left), a few miles out of town, the first shots were fired: the battle of Port Gibson had begun. From there they would move to nearby Grand Gulf, a strategic point on the river and important to capture.

Port Gibson celebrated its 200th anniversary eight years ago. It was under French, Spanish and English rule before becoming part of the U.S. The area has been occupied from around 7000 BC with Natchez, Yazoo and Choctaw Indians using the area. It was the first European settlement in Mississippi, had the first library in the state and was the 3rd oldest incorporated city in the Mississippi territory.

At the City Hall (above right), Mayor Fred Reeves welcomed us. In City Hall, there was an exhibit of old photographs from the Allen Collection of 1906-1915, "Picturing the Past." Worth seeing. We returned to Port Gibson after seeing the Ruins of Windsor and the Shaifer House. We had a wonderful lunch under tents, entertained by "Hard Tack and Coffee." They played a number of Civil War songs.

Shaifer granddaughter Libby Hollingsworth hosted our table as we munched on a delicious lunch catered by Trish Hayes (pictured below recipe) of the bed & breakfast, Gibson's Landing, provided us with recipes for her dishes. The food was both unique and typically Southern. Delicious! We had strawberry chilled soup, grillades and grits, okra chips, olive pasta salad, a fruit and vegetable platter plus a wonderful tomato cobbler (pictured below) for dessert. Trish gave me permission to share a recipe.

Here's the recipe for Strawberry Chilled Soup:

• 2 cups fresh strawberries or 2-10 oz packs of frozen strawberries
• 1 3/4 C water
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1-8 oz container of strawberry or plain yogurt
• 1/3 C dairy sour cream
• 1 C strawberry fruit juice

Blend strawberries and 1/4 c of water in blender to puree. Cook fruit and 1 1/2 c water and juice over low heat until mixture boils. Cool and add yogurt and lemon juice. Pour into bowls or serve as smoothies in small glasses.

We did a driving tour of town. I mentioned the Presbyterian Church in a previous post. It is a Romanesque Revival style building. Its claim to fame is the "Hand Pointing to Heaven." Originally it was wood, but woodpeckers and weather destroyed it. The hand is ten feet, four inches tall and the index finger that reaches skyward is four feet long. The current hand is made of 24-gauge sheet iron, cover with German gold leaf. The church's acoustics are marvelous and the stained glass beautiful. The chandeliers of solid brass come from the steamboat Robert E. Lee.

While you will not want to take your RV down Rodney Road to the Shaifer House, you can follow most of the other roads along the campaign in an RV. You are only a few away from Grand Gulf Military Park where there is a campground for RVs with full hookups.

It is said that Grant said that Port Gibson was too pretty to burn. It survived the Civil War unscathed. As you explore the Vicksburg Campaign trail, be sure to spend time in Port Gibson too. It is a pretty little town full of history. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

A personal connection to U.S. Grant

I grew up in the summer home outside San Diego built by the son of U.S. Grant. Grant is not remembered as one of our better presidents. He was elected 18th president of the United States because he was a war hero. He had been the commanding general during the Civil War. (Portrait below hangs at Vicksburg National Military Park.)

Apparently U.S. Grant was not an exceptional student at West Point or regular school. However, his Vicksburg Campaign is still studied and was perhaps the most important victory in the Civil War for the Union. According to our guide, Parker Hill, Grant had a drinking problem. He knew he had problems and that people were urging President Lincoln to get rid of him. His wife Julia sent their 12-year-old son, Fred, to war with him because his presence would keep Grant from drinking. Fred was wounded in the foot during the Vicksburg Campaign. Hearing about Fred made me wonder if he was my personal connection.

However, after talking to my sister, I realized that it was his second son, U.S. Grant, Jr. that we are connected with. It was U.S. Grant, Jr. who built in 1896. He also built the U.S. Grant Hotel in San Diego, naming it after his father.

I don't have a picture to post of the house - it's on another computer - and it's not the original design. Over the years, my mother made changes from the original. It was a two-story house with large rooms, but it needed updating. In 1954 my mother added an addition that included a new kitchen and bathroom plus a bathroom upstairs.

It always seemed special to grow up in a house with a historical connection. It made it more interesting to learn more about Grant - both strengths and weaknesses. Parker had also told us that the Secretary of War, Henry Halleck, did not want him to attack Vicksburg, but when Grant sent the telegram advising him, he knew he had 16 days for a telegram to get to Washington and be returned. He moved into position and then later, after receiving orders to go down river, he ignored them, saying it was too late.

On our last day in Vicksburg, Larry Clowers, who travels around portraying U.S. Grant, spoke to us about the campaign. He is originally from Southern California so was familiar with the general area where the house was and has been to the hotel in San Diego. He now lives in Gettysburg. He verified that it was U.S. Grant, Jr. who was in San Diego.

Some will argue that the Battle of Gettysburg, which ended the same day as Vicksburg surrendered - July 4, 1863 - was more important. Parker Hills argued that Vicksburg was more important and that Grant understood the political ramifications of the taking of Vicksburg and that it was crucial to Lincoln's reelection campaign. Lincoln was losing support in the North from businessmen who needed to get their goods down the Mississippi River. Vicksburg, held by the Confederates was the one strategic spot that kept that from happening. And, if Lincoln had lost the election, the War would have been over or some sort of compromise solution would have had to have been found. Lots of what-if's!

So my childhood home, which is now owned by someone else, gives me ties to Grant, even though indirect. I am pleased to find out that his campaign was brilliant and find it interesting that he took his son to war with him, even if it wasn't Grant, Jr. Retracing the steps of the Vicksburg Campaign, knowing how little information Grant and other military leaders had because communications were so slow, makes it come alive to me. Come see the terrain. Retrace the steps of the campaign across the Mississippi through Port Gibson and Raymond to Vicksburg. You'll have a much better appreciation of these events that shaped our country. Things could have been so different now had Grant not done what he did. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

Watch for potential flooding

We've written about this before, but a reminder: pick your RV spot carefully this time of year. Any number of news items involving campgrounds mention flooding. A few days ago deadly tornadoes came through the Midwest north of where we are in Mississippi all the way to the Carolinas. Besides the damage from the tornadoes, campgrounds all along the storm's path experienced high waters. RV parks in Utah, Alabama and Pennsylvania were also flooded from storms. Another park in Wyoming is preparing for floods.

Now is not the time to pick a spot by a river or creek to park your RV. You never know when a storm could come through causing the water to rise. Be safe- pick one on higher ground. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

B

RVers - laptops can be seized at U.S. borders

According to BusinessNewsDaily.com, "...digital devices such as a laptop computer can be seized at the border without a warrant and sent to a secondary site for forensic inspection." That ruling was from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

In this case, the computer was seized because the man stopped was a registered sex offender. Many files were password protected, so the computer was sent to a digital forensics lab in Tucson. Because pornography was found, he was later arrested and indicted. The court ruled that this did not violate his 4th amendment rights because he was crossing a border. The 9th Circuit Court noted that the Supreme Court and other courts have held that "by definition all border searches are reasonable because they occur at the border."

When they ran this man's passport, they found out he was a registered sex offender. What other information is in this database? I imagine tickets and arrests. If you looked "suspicious" you might also be pulled over to be inspected. It sounds like they could take a look at your computer too. If you would not want the U.S. government looking at the contents of your laptop or other electronic devices, either don't take them across the border in your RV or stay in the U.S. At what point do or will they draw the line? Will Canada treat U.S. citizens in kind if this happens to their citizens when crossing the border? Thanks to RVDailyReport.com for linking to this article. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

The siege of Vicksburg and a Civil War camel!

Today, as we drove around Vicksburg and into the Vicksburg National Military Park, we could see the natural defenses that kept Grant from taking Vicksburg in his previous attempts. He had attacked several times - from the north, from the south and east, but the natural fortifications, made even more impenetrable by the Confederates, doomed Grant to failure. Rivers, valleys and hills plus the bluffs of the Mississippi River protected Vicksburg from assault. In this photo, we're standing above the Mississippi by cannons that overlooked the river. Visible is the old bridge from the 1930s. To the left is the newer four-lane bridge built in the 1970s.

Author Winston Groom, who wrote Vicksburg 1863 spoke to us first. His book focuses on more of the personal stories of the siege. His other acclaimed histories had had a personal connection to a relative, however he could not find one for Vicksburg - at first. Finally he found a distant relative in the Mississippi cavalry who probably fought here.

After an enormous and delicious lunch at Walnut Hills Restaurant with its round tables loaded with food and a driving tour around historic Vicksburg, we stopped at the city cemetery to see the Confederate soldier burial site. Confederate soldiers were not allowed to be buried in the national cemeteries. Most of those buried here are unidentified. A unique headstone marks where the bones of Old Douglas, a camel, are buried. Old Douglas has an interesting story. Suffice it to say, he was the mascot of a Confederate regiment. After he was killed, he was eaten by starving soldiers. His bones were honored, though, and a headstone erected.

When we got to Vicksburg National Military Park, our guide was NPS historian Terrence Winschel. After viewing the NPS film, our first stop was to see an Old Douglas presentation complete with camels! Doug Baum of the Texas Camel Corps, was a special guest in the park and had brought two camels. No rides, but we could pet them. Doug gave us the history of camels in the U.S. Jefferson Davis, when Secretary of the War, imported them for the Army's use in the western deserts. The project died but camels remained. Old Douglas was adopted by the 43rd Missisippi Company A and accompanied it in the campaign. We found out that a variety of animals and birds were used as mascots. It's hard to imagine them not taking off with all the gunfire. Mascots included Old Abe, the bald eagle, bears and other creatures. An interesting aside is the fact that the King of Siam, hearing about camels in the war, offered to give elephants for the same purpose! His gift was declined.

Within the park, the 28 states involved in the War Between the States have erected monuments to their soldiers. Some are more elaborate than others but they dot the road which follows the Union/Confederate line along the crest of hills were cannons were set up. This park is called the "Art Park of the World" because of the Tiffanys and works of prominent sculptors of the 19th and 20th century that have works in the park.

We also saw the Cairo, an ironclad Union gun ship that had been sunk by enemy fire and laid in the Mississippi for almost 100 years. NPS historian, Edwin Bearss, studied all sorts of documents and maps and was able to plot approximately where the ironclad lay. He was correct. Much of the Cairo had rotted away, but they were able to salvage part of the ship. It was hauled on land and has been partially reconstructed. Another interesting fact: it was found in the Yazoo River. The Mississippi changed course leaving Vicksburg without river access, but the Yazoo was diverted so that Vicksburg would still have river access for its port activities.

After several direct assaults on Vicksburg failed, including tunneling under fortifications, Grant called for a siege to starve the city out. The siege lasted 47 days. Shelling of the city went on day and night. Citizens resorted to tunneling caves and living in them, especially at night. Finally on July 4th, 1863, General Pemberton surrendered to Grant. Diaries by Emma Balfour and an account by Mary Webster Loughborough called My Cave Life in Vicksburg, are among the accounts that describe the siege from within. Vicksburg, by the way, did not celebrate the 4th of July for 80 years since this was the day of their defeat.

Vicksburg, Port Gibson and Raymond are working together to commemorate the Vicksburg campaign sesquicentennial in 2013, culminating in the surrender on July 4th. If your travels in 2013 take you this way, the celebration will be worth your while. Activities commemorating Civil War events have already started and will continue through the ending of the war in 1865.The first shot on Fort Sumpter was fired April 12, 1861. One website for Mississippi events is the Mississippi Civil War Sesquicentennial site.

For RVers, there are several RV parks in the area including one at the downtown casino. See the Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau site for a list. You might want to check RVParkReviews to help pick your spot.

Life was so different during the Civil War than now. It took 8 days in each direction for a telegram to get from the Grant in the field to Washington and back. There was no way to have an aerial view. And thousands, upon thousands of men died. Being here, seeing where events happened help us to understand what happened and to appreciate the strength and determination of the people who lived then. It was an amazing time in history. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak