Happy New Year: Go Campers!

First I want to thank all those who have viewed this blog during the past year.  And I want to give a special thanks to those who took time to leave comments.  Your feedback helps inspire me and is often useful to other readers.

The New Year is a good time to make new plans for camping, boating, and off roading. Very few if any of us every get to do our favorite recreational activities as often as we would like.  Looking ahead to a New Year is an opportunity to commit to fulfilling some of our wishes -- things we wish we had, things we wish we did, places we wish to go.

Each New Year many people make New Year's Resolutions.  Unfortunately, many of those resolutions are just good intentions that never get implemented.  You can avoid this problem by either not making any resolutions at all or by only making resolutions you know you can and will complete.

For campers, RVers, OHVers, boaters, and other outdoor recreationalists,  New Year's Resolutions often take the form of goals they want to achieve in the next year.  They can be helpful in focusing attention and resources on your priority goals.  If you really want to implement your New Year's Resolutions, make sure they are reasonable.  For most of us a goal to purchase a million dollar motorhome this year is not at all realistic while a goal to upgrade so some reasonable level might be.  You can still hang onto that dream (or pipe dream) of a million dollar motorhome in your fantasy folder.

Some more mundane but potentially important goals might include completing needed repairs or upgrades to your equipment or planning visits to new destinations.  

Once again, make sure you plans can be accomplished with the resources you have available.  A goal to spend a week camping on the Sea of Tranquility on the moon is way beyond just about anyone but Elon Musk, but a visit to someplace like The Grand Canyon or Yellowstone National Park is probably within reach for most of us, depending on how far we live from those magnificent attractions.  And there are wonderful places to visit all over the country, so do some exploring!  Many places offer historic or geologic insights that are informative and entertaining.  Making a resolution to visit an important historical site near your home might be a good, achievable resolution that would pay many dividends.

Some very worthwhile goals might include establishing a regular schedule to perform required and preventative maintenance on your recreational vehicles and equipment.  Set aside some time, perhaps every week or at least every month, to inspect, clean, and maintain all of your equipment.  Taking a little time to clean things up regularly can help you detect problems early so they are easier and less expensive to take care of.  Cleaning is usually a good way to thoroughly inspect each item.  Look for damage, normal wear and tear, and any stains or foreign substances that might interfere with normal use.  Any issues left unattended are only likely to get worse over time.  Be sure to lubricate any moving parts with the appropriate lubricant.  I like to use a dry Teflon lube on things like awnings and camp chairs so it doesn't stain the fabric.  Some mechanical parts require a specific lubricant.  You are probably already familiar with the grade of motor oil engines on your vehicles require.  Other mechanical parts require different types and grades of lubricant, such as gear oil in manual transmissions and differentials and grease in wheel bearings.  RV slide-out mechanisms require a specially formulated lube that clings to the moving parts without dripping onto the floor underneath while providing sufficient lubrication to ensure smooth movement and reduce wear.  A drop or two of just about any kind of oil is all that is usually needed in the manual fuel pump cylinders on gasoline stoves and lanterns.

Another worthy goal that most of us should be able to accomplish is setting aside time for our desired activities.  Having made a New Year's Resolution to, for example, go camping, boating or dirt biking at least once a month may help you to avoid putting it off.  It is all too easy to allow normal day-to-day things to keep us from having fun.  Sticking to a New Year's Resolution might give you a little more incentive to make time for the fun you and your family need and deserve.  Once again, make the goal one you actually can achieve.  Weekly outings are probably too much for most people while monthly forays might be within reach of almost everyone.

Here is an admittedly self-serving suggestion:  resolve to review this blog at least once a week!

Happy New Year!