RVers are Spoiled Vs the Settlers

[Steven@147]

After reading a bunch of posts today I got to wondering, you suppose we whine too much? Did the Settlers set around thinking whether their Conestoga wagons had enough cargo carrying capacity or if their mules had enough payload or gross weight to pull their wagons? I wonder if they thought about cooled air or heat. Or carrying enough candles or kerosene lamps for light?
Did they load their wagons heavier at the back or the front? Then how many barrels do they needed to store their food and water for a 6-12 month trip across country?
I doubt many of them were worried about bathing suits or having enough clothes with them. Then each night cutting fire wood to cook and wash. Gotta drag that old kettle out of the wagon and put it over the fire! If I got rid of my kettle I could drop my payload a little!
Then clearing trail just to get over the next hill. Mountains - heck my mules or oxen can pull over that! Do you suppose the weight police was stationed at every river bridge waiting to catch over loaders? Of course you can always build a raft or use float poles to get their RVs across the river!

I guess I'll just set back in my Thomas Payne heated and massage reclining chair and ponder the situation. Oh I need to fix me a rum and coke first, oh there are no ice cubes, Darn!

[WhittleBurner]

We are a spoiled bunch. Even looking back to our Aliner days we have softened quite a bit. Now If it rains we go inside. Back then if it rained we set up tarps and stayed outside with the fire going. We don't cut out own wood any more either, today we bought some at a farmers market... But life is good and we are enjoying life with no calluses or blisters.

[1st Cav Duke]

LOL, I was discussing that with my brother last spring when we traveled from Corpus Christi to Tacoma , Wash. He had no idea what planning and the requirements were to pull an RV weighing probably 13300 lbs, ours being a 310 GK. When I tried to explain to him about the discussions on this forum about Payload, and pin weight, he was just mind boggled.
Hell, I was, and still am when I think about flying an Ah64 Apache and being concerned constantly about Gross weight, and CG when flying loaded with 30mm, Rockets and Hellfire missiles, at higher elevations or in a Hot Desert with sand blowing and restricting your landing visibility! I am getting more comfortable now pulling our RV, but I still was so concerned about the Dang Westlake G rated tires on our 2018 310GK, that I changed them out two months ago for Goodyears. Now I am thinking about maybe upgrading the suspension so I don't have a spring break. What did they do in those darn Conastogas when a wheel Broke? Heck I watched enough Westerns and remember watching them get about two or three Big OLE Boys, lift the wagon and put on a spare wheel they sometimes brought with them! Didn't see any red grease either. Probably used Cooking Lard back then!

[WhittleBurner]

Those trails they traveled back then were also littered with left behind broken wagons along with gravesites.

[Steven@147]

Those trails they traveled back then were also littered with left behind broken wagons along with gravesites.

Yup Marcy/Gary,
You know, when you get to thinking, there really are a lot of similarities between the settlers and RVers of today.
I am sure a lot of their wagons were over loaded, broken axles or wheels caused by over loading, after all they were carved out of wood. They could just use their axes and chop another axle out of a nearby tree. They did carry spare wheels and yup, they used whatever lubricant ( maybe animal fat lard) they had to grease the wheels on the wooden axles held on by an axle nut. Some didn't make it, and today we see little white crosses by the side of the road where a tragic accident took place. I am sure they had their share of traffic accidents running their wagons & teams into each other. But did were they traveling through a no fault territory? Did they get off their wagons and nearly beat each other to death long the trail?

Their cost for a new wagon and team to go across country must have been a pretty hefty investment for their level of income, just as our RVs are today for us. I wonder if they took their wagon back to the manufacturer if an axle broke when the wagon was empty? Then I wonder, did the axle manufacturer obfuscate their responsibility for a poor quality made axle, when maybe they used Chinese railroad slave labor to carve cheap axles or wheels? What, you didn't notice that payload plaque nailed to the side of your wagon, did the salesman not tell you of the cargo limits? Maybe they were a little more savvy concerning what their wagons could and could not carry and didn't rely totally on what a salesman told them. But maybe their salesman were more honest back then!?
And when their canvas cover over their wagon ripped, did they get off their wagon and shoot out to anyone that would listen how terrible their wagons quality was? Or did they just get their twine and J-hook out and sew up the rip and move on? I am sure had they taken their wagon back to the livery stable where the canvas top was installed, it would have been fixed free of charge. Of course in those days honest and integrity and quality manufacturing meant something. You think?

Well, Our latest trip with our Solitude, when we almost ran our truck out of diesel ( 2 gallons left) trying to get to our camping place before the sun went down. And we had two empty 5 gallon diesel cans onboard the RV, because we failed to fill them up. Stupid Ram truck! It must have been its fault!
Or later that night when the Jensen crapped out and refused to make any sound at all playing a DVD, CD or radio, did I stomp around outside yelling how bad GD was? Nope! When the service department screwed up my brakes on our last trailer, did I yell out how bad the manufacturer was. Nope, I fixed it myself like I should have done in the first place.

Im just saying keeping everything in the right perspective, makes for a more pleasant life experience.. It is what it is, live and learn, hey dont sweat it, get'er done and move on.

Steve

[boyscout]

Boys, lift the wagon and put on a spare wheel they sometimes brought with them! Didn't see any red grease either. Probably used Cooking Lard back then!

Your comment reminded me of the following.

A few years ago I met a genial weathered rancher who owned land just outside City of Rocks National Preserve in Idaho. He told me that a year or two before our conversation he had driven by a couple of National Park employees who were power-washing graffiti off of one of the big rocks in the park. He leaped out to stop them.

The rock is called Camp Rock, and most of the graffiti on it was inscribed there by west-bound settlers who camped in the shelter of the big rock in the 1800s. They typically wrote their names and dates using... axle grease. So whether it was made of lard or something else I guess it was black and greasy and has survived well over a century in the elements until those diligent employees tried to power-wash it off. Fortunately they were only a bit successful on the other side of the rock before the rancher stopped them and much of the original graffiti remains, supplemented with only a few more-recent additions by morons. It's a treasure to see it.

[Gimpyknee]

Oh I need to fix me a rum and coke first, oh there are no ice cubes, Darn!

....Why you no have ice, mon?

Awesomeness

[1st Cav Duke]

You are so right Sir. I used to teach US History in my second Career, to fifth graders, and the kiddos couldn't understand what it meant when I would describe the hardships those pioneers and adventurers suffered traveling West. They could Not understand it when I told them that some days they could only travel 2 miles due to the rough terrain. I had to find videos that described how they would have to cut down trees with an Ax, not chain saw, or move huge Boulders so the wagons could pass through. They didn't understand that there were NO roads, these settlers had to make their roads! How many Rivers did they have to forge? There were NO Bridges. Many would drown during a river crossing. If someone got injured, there were NO ER's out in the frontier. Indians were not so friendly out west. There wasn't an established Police Force to call. There were No Cell Phones, OH MY! No Wall Mart, Grocery stores or FAST Food places; NO McDonalds! Heaven Forbid. No computers or TV or Internet. Heck No Electricity. I would have them imagine what it would be like, and that was the toughest writing assignment I gave them. They just couldn't fathom what it was like not to have even the smallest convenience. They would get so excited to read their papers, and then I would ask the class to critique the paper. Some would catch the modern convenience entered into their paper, most did not. It was EYE Opening for them and fun. It also got them to think critically which helped them in other subjects as well. GOSH, I LOVE HISTORY !

[Steven@147]

....Why you no have ice, mon?

Awesomeness

Sorry for the replying delay, got busy doing something else. We didn't have any ice because I didn't fill up the ice maker with water! What is it the kids say, My Bad!

[Steven@147]

You are so right Sir. I used to teach US History in my second Career, to fifth graders, and the kiddos couldn't understand what it meant when I would describe the hardships those pioneers and adventurers suffered traveling West. They could Not understand it when I told them that some days they could only travel 2 miles due to the rough terrain. I had to find videos that described how they would have to cut down trees with an Ax, not chain saw, or move huge Boulders so the wagons could pass through. They didn't understand that there were NO roads, these settlers had to make their roads! How many Rivers did they have to forge? There were NO Bridges. Many would drown during a river crossing. If someone got injured, there were NO ER's out in the frontier. Indians were not so friendly out west. There wasn't an established Police Force to call. There were No Cell Phones, OH MY! No Wall Mart, Grocery stores or FAST Food places; NO McDonalds! Heaven Forbid. No computers or TV or Internet. Heck No Electricity. I would have them imagine what it would be like, and that was the toughest writing assignment I gave them. They just couldn't fathom what it was like not to have even the smallest convenience. They would get so excited to read their papers, and then I would ask the class to critique the paper. Some would catch the modern convenience entered into their paper, most did not. It was EYE Opening for them and fun. It also got them to think critically which helped them in other subjects as well. GOSH, I LOVE HISTORY !

So True. I love History, We tried to take our kids on vacations (like Gettysburg) when they were growing up where they could learn from History. Went to some fun places too. Now they are taking their kids on vacations. There used to be a TV show, can't remember what it was called, where they would take a modern family and place them in an environment and living conditions of the 1700s or 1800s for at least a month or more. They had to make their own soap, milk a cow, and wear period correct clothing for example. I remember how most of the family kids hated the experience.

Last week on our latest trip with the GDRV Rally and Escapees Rally, the Wife and I spent a day at the WWII Museum of the Pacific War in Fredricksburg Texas. Hadn't been there in awhile. We were staying in Kerrville TX at the time. A group of Veterans from the 101 Airborne were there touring the Museum as well. As a Veteran 1975-81 it was an honor to shake their hand. Great place the Museum. Also Fredricksburg has Pacific Island invasion live reenactments, and are outstanding!

Back to today - Our Solitude is a great ship! She takes us places we can explore although with modern conveniences. Sorry for the sexes connotation, but you know, its the relationship between a older sailor and his mistress's, the Ship and the Sea.
Can't wait till we go full time so we can travel much farther away, and keep going, without having to be concerned about returning home. We have a nice plaque on our RV wall, "Home Is Where We Park It"!
On our latest trip I spent a couple days without a cell phone and the TV was shut off. There are some advantages to unplugging from technology for a little while. Was kind of refreshing! My wife However kept her's with us in case the family had to get a hold of us. Her mother, now in her 80's, had fallen and broken her hip and was recovering.

Gosh there is so much of this country we have not seen. In all of our travels we have never been to the far North and West. Montana, the Dakota's, Utah, Wyoming etc. We plan to rectify that as soon as possible. Our Solitude will take us to all of the these adventures, come what may.