This week’s low temperatures in San Antonio averaged 28 degrees, with daytime highs in the 30s. Unless you prepare for them, these temperatures can wreak havoc on RV water systems. With temperatures in the 20s, water hoses can freeze, tanks can freeze, and water lines to disastrous effect.
What should you do to prevent RV issues from frozen pipes and possibly frozen tanks?
First, empty your black and gray water tanks before the cold weather and unhook your sewer hose. Store your sewer hose.
Second, fill your fresh water tank and unhook all water hoses.
The only connection is to electricity when temperatures stay below freezing for extended periods during the day.
Bertha looks like this when the weather is going to be below freezing because, buttoned-up, she can retain all the heat generated by the furnace, heat pump, or space heater. The furnace ducting is run to provide heat to the wet bay.
Notice the silver ducting in the wet bay. This allows for safe operation and helps prevent frozen tanks and pipes.
The bottom line is that it only takes a minute to protect you and your RV from costly repairs and other issues when the temperatures drop and stay below freezing. Thankfully, I learned this lesson by reading and YouTube instead of by living it.
The RV life can be enjoyable and extremely frustrating, especially when others don’t follow the rules. I had someone else’s parking decision affect me as I was leaving a campground. Parking in a campground should be in designated areas and should not block entrances or exits to campsites.
The Golf Cart and the Pickup Truck blocked an Exit
In this case, the pickup truck and the golf cart were parked so that they blocked what is normally a loop in and out of this campground.
What I ended up having to do was back up until there was an empty pull-through campsite and pull through to the main campground thoroughfare, which worked out just fine, but if there weren’t one available, I would’ve been stuck until most of the campers awakened.
By the way, at this campground, I could’ve used a different exit and not encountered this problem; so, some of the blame is on me, too.
With so many new RVers since the onset of the COVID pandemic, many are unaware of how their actions can affect others. I’ve come up with a few ‘suggestions’ that might help you have an enjoyable stay at your next campground.
Be aware of your surroundings and how your ‘set up’ might affect others who are using the campground.
When entering or leaving a campground, make sure that you leave adequate room for others to maneuver around your camper, coach, toad, or tow vehicle. At almost 9 feet wide, it takes at least 10 feet to safely clear other vehicles.
Playing your television or radio loudly can definitely have an adverse affect on your campground relationships.
One item I didn’t realize was an issue is how bright your outside lights are on your coach or camper. Bright lights on all night can upset neighbors because they shine into bedrooms.
Don’t walk through other camper’s sites without getting permission. It may be a short cut to an amenity, but it’s better to just walk around than walk through their ‘yard.’
Be neighborly like Mr. Rogers always suggested.
I’ve learned many things while staying at different campgrounds and have also seen negative reviews of campgrounds where I didn’t have any issues. The easiest way to play the RV life is to ensure that your actions don’t adversely affect you or someone else. I can’t completely guarantee an issue-free stay if you do that, but you will have a much better time.
I had been trying to plan a fly fishing trip with Capt. Kevin Merritt since we’d reconnected back in the early summer of 2021 while recuperating from my fall in Fredericksburg, TX. This pre-Christmas trip was the perfect chance to do just that.
It had been twenty years since I’d been fishing with Capt. Kevin Merritt, but we picked up right where we left off back in 1998 when he guided me fishing in the Florida Keys for tarpon, snook, and other saltwater species. On this trip, we were after trout and it was also an opportunity to test all of the recent upgrades to Bertha before I embark on the Winter 2022 RV Tour on December 30.
We left Barker’s Boat and RV Storage at 7:00 AM on Thursday, December 23 for the four hour drive to Cherokee. The drive would give me the opportunity to test the new Kenwood Dash Cam and the RVI Command Center which provide tire pressures for Bertha and Rosie. I had also installed a towed battery charger on Rosie to keep her battery charged. During the 2021 Summer RV Adventure, Rosie’s battery would die after four hours of towing and would need to be jump started. This new addition would prevent the discharge and allow me to use Rosie immediately without the need to worry if the jumpstart battery could get her started. The RVI Command Center also provided charge information during the drive. The upgrade to the RVI Command Center keeps all my RV drive time information in one place.
We arrived about two hours early at the Cherokee/Great Smoky Mountains KOA and weren’t allowed to check-in early. But, they accommodated us by parking us in their check-in line and allowing us to leave Bertha there while we went fishing. The first stop was River’s Edge Outfitters to get the lay of the land and purchase our tribal waters trophy and regular fishing licenses. With fishing licenses in hand, we headed back up Big Cove Road towards the KOA and found some likely waters about a mile up the road. Kevin rigged us with an indicator ahead of a weighted nymph and a midge dropper. The length of the entire tippet was almost twelve feet which made for interesting casting with a seven and a half foot four-weight fly rod. I looked like I was doing hand-to-hand combat; whereas, Kevin being the professional he is, made it look like poetry in motion. It only took me three hours to get the hang of it.
Rainbow Trout from the Raven’s Fork – Cherokee, North Carolina
At two o’clock, we checked back in at the KOA and were able to move to our site and set up. Once set up, we walked across the campground road to the Raven’s Fork Creek and set up for some more fishing. We were now fishing in keeper waters. About ten to fifteen casts into our fishing, I hooked a nice rainbow and brought it to hand. A couple more hours of fishing netted a few more fish, but we didn’t keep any of them.
My wading stability is not what I need it to be, and twice I went to my knees in the very cold stream. I’m thinking I need a wading staff to help with walking on the uneven and slick river bottoms because the fly-fishing bug has definitely bitten me.
As the sun started going, thoughts turned to supper, and we decided to head into town and pick up a couple steaks and potatoes for dinner. With dinner cooked, we sat down to enjoy a couple jiggers of High West’s Rendezvous Rye with the meal. All in all, a perfect day fishing in the mountains.
Overnight the temperatures plunged to 24 degrees and the city water hose and filter froze and left us without water for a period of time. I was washing my hands when the water went from good pressure to nothing; so, I went outside and noticed that everything was frozen. I turned off the city water, and made sure once back inside the motorhome that we could use the fresh water from the water tank. All was perfect when I turned on the water pump. We had running water again. I’d missed the weather report where it said it was going to be that cold. The last one I looked at had shown 34 degrees for the low. In the future, the only question left in my mind is whether I need to purchase a heated hose or just fill the water tank until temperatures rise.
Once the sun came up and it warmed up a little, we went back to fishing before the 11 AM checkout time. We missed a couple of really nice fish, but all too soon, we had to check out and head back to Belmont for Christmas Eve festivities.
There are already plans in the works to do this again in the spring after I return from my Winter 2022 RV Adventure. I can’t wait to do more fly-fishing in the North Carolina mountains or wherever the opportunity presents itself to wet a line.
The sofa that came in Bertha was uncomfortable and didn’t allow for anything more than a place to sit or as a pull-out bed, a place to sleep. I spent the entirety of my Summer 2021 RV Adventure complaining about it. So, on November 5, I took Bertha to Quality RV in North Belmont for her scheduled maintenance and a furniture upgrade.
In doing my research, I found that the Thomas Payne Seismic Theater Seating by Lippert would fit my needs perfectly. The Seismic theater seating comes with power recline and lumbar functionalities, a chaise-style footrest, heated seats, and massage options, LED lighting, dual cupholders, a storage compartment, and a fold-down center console. The cost for the furniture with shipping was roughly, $2,250.00. Installation would be an additional charge from Quality RV.
Dinette Cushion – Before Rejuvenation
The dinette cushions after spending my summer using the dinette for eight to twelve-hour workdays were beginning to flake and crack at the edges. When I returned home on October 23, I decided that I would need to get them recovered and have the foam replaced since it had weakened over time as well. I went to J&J Auto Upholstery in Gastonia, North Carolina, and showed him the cushions. He quoted me $225 per cushion to recover and replace the foam. Three weeks later, the cushions looked great and the foam will allow me to work comfortably for hours.
Dinette Cushions – After Rejuvenation
The installation looks great and will give me years of enjoyment. I can’t wait to use them on my Winter 2022 trip which starts on December 30th with a visit to Kick Back Ranch & Event Center in Alabama.
Blowouts, Bearings & Bull Riders: TPMS Truths from the Beyond the Chutes Super C — Live at Mountain Cove
byStan Cromlish
Recorded on location inside Doug Simcox’s custom Super C (the Beyond the Chutes Bus) at the 11th Annual Mountain Cove Cowboy & Cowgirl Reunion at beautiful Mountain Cove Farms Resort in Chickamauga, Georgia. This special round-table features Doug Simcox of Beyond the Chutes and his co-host/partner Sam Swearingen—retired saddle bronc rider, longtime stock contractor, and rodeo producer—swapping real roadside stories and hard-won lessons about keeping rigs (and horses) safe on the highway.
What you’ll hear
Sam’s rodeo road life: from broncs to stock contracting—and the nightmarish run that chewed through 11 tires before he ever reached the arena.
Why TPMS matters (RV & equine trailers): heat, pressure, and the early warnings that save tires, bearings, fenders, wiring—and sometimes your day.
Bearing failures & fire risk: how rising temps show up on sensors before you lose a hub (and how that protects expensive horses and gear).
Cold snaps & PSI drops: Stan’s real-world pre-trip where falling morning temps triggered low-pressure alerts on all ten tires.
Walk-arounds that work: quick routines, saved time, and the “data beats guesswork” mindset for safer travel.
Black tank bloopers: comic relief with clogged gates, mislabeled flush ports, and why “education beats excavation.”
Expandable setups: configuring multiple trailers, adding sensors later, and pairing layouts for duals, fifth wheels, and living quarters horse trailers.
Guests
Doug Simcox — Host of the Beyond the Chutes podcast; owner of a Super C, a long-haul tower, and storyteller.
Sam Swearingen — Co-host/partner on Beyond the Chutes; former PRCA/IPRA saddle bronc rider, stock contractor & rodeo producer.
Beyond the Chutes Podcast: rodeo history, legends & cowboy storytelling
Disclosure: Some links are affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you—it helps keep the coffee hot and the wheels turning.
If today’s chat helped you adventure more and worry less, follow/subscribe, drop a review, and share this episode with a friend who tows—especially anyone hauling horses.
Music Credit
Theme: “Brother Highway” by Ned LeDoux — officially licensed for the Wandering Gypsy RV Life.
