Lemont Southworth, author of this blog, has 40+ years experience camping and in selecting, maintaining, repairing, modifying, and using RVs and OHVs. He was one of the founders of the Desert Rats in southern California, an unofficial group of family-oriented, recreational dirt bike and ATV riders. The Desert Rats gathered for fun rides in the Mojave Desert almost every holiday weekend. Upon moving to Utah a few years ago, he was recruited to the board of directors of the Utah Trail Machine Association and later appointed president for 4 years. Lemont and all members of his immediate family are avid dirt-bikers. His oldest daughter raced Women's Desert Expert for three years and won the #1 Women's Motocross Plate in Los Angeles in 2001.
Lemont has owned and used almost all types of recreational vehicles, including tent trailers, truck campers, camping trailers, and all three classes of motor homes. He has pulled both bumper-pull and fifth wheel trailers. He designed and built the interior of his own enclosed motorcycle trailer. He has personally experienced -- or at least witnessed -- many of the problems that beset RV-ers. He has replaced the engine in Class A motor homes a couple of times and has twice repaired major structural damage to travel trailers (with the advice and guidance from a professional motor home engineer). Those stand out among dozens of routine RV system maintenance and repairs such as servicing water heaters, water pumps, furnaces, converters, 12-volt electrical systems, interior and exterior lighting, awnings, and leveling systems. He also worked as an ATV mechanic and assistant manager for an ATV resort. He has worked closely with the BLM and local OHV dealers in both California and Utah to organize and conduct service projects to clean up and enhance designated off-road staging areas.
Lemont has extensive tent camping experience as well. He served for several years as a Scoutmaster in the Boy Scouts of America, participating in many adventures ranging from simple over nighters and summer camps to a week-long canoe trip down the Colorado River. He is certified in Advanced Wilderness Life Support and as a Red Cross Professional Rescuer.
Lemont has had a life-long fascination with sailing and his dreams were realized in 2017 when he got a free sailboat! It was nearly 50 years old but still solid and serviceable and a lot of fun to sail.
Lemont has ridden and maintained just about all types of off road vehicles as well, including dirt bikes, ATVs, UTVs, dune buggies, Jeeps, and even tracked vehicles.
Lemont is also a volunteer firefighter, an EMR, and a member of the Community Emergency Response Team (C.E.R.T). He is passionate about emergency preparedness and survival, both of which are (at least in his mind) closely connected to RVing and camping. He has also been a licensed personal protection specialist (Executive Body Guard).
Lemont credits much, if not most, of his expertise to his father and grandfathers. His father was an automobile mechanic, one grandfather was a carpenter and the other was a farmer. All three were highly capable and self reliant individuals. His father built their first family house himself (with advice and some assistance from his carpenter father-in-law) using materials salvaged from a house that was to be demolished that he purchased and tore down. All three of Lemont's mentors were extremely innovative, creative, and self sufficient. Pretty much, if one of them couldn't fix something, it couldn't be fixed.
If you don't find what you're looking for on the blog, send an email to desertrat@desertrat.org and Lemont will research and respond to your question. Questions about RVs, OHVs, camping, sailing, and survival in general are welcomed. If Lemont doesn't have the answer he has access to networks in RV, OHV, camping, and survival who can help.
That's me.
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