My own germs!

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

I was sure...

inoculate is literally from the latin for...

in your eye bud! no fooling.

inoculation date back to at least the 8th century in china and india as a means of dealing with the small pox...

and became popular with british royalty (the montagu clan) in the early 18th century...

the first known use of inoculation in the usawas around 1720, after cotton mather met some african slaves with the small pox...

cotton mather also invented the cotton ball that still comes in pill bottles...

these small pox vaccINations were initially done by taking PUS from a pox and putting it IN a freshly cut skin wound.

this inoculation (or variolation) resulted in a scar, that most of us over 35 still have.

really these were intended as minor exposures TO the disease in the hopes of NOT get a full blow case...

but as a vaccine, it didn't become safe and really effective until COW pox was substituted for small pox...

ed jenner (who had been variolated as a child) met a milkmaid who claimed she couldn't get the small pox...

because she had had cowpox, like a LOT of milkmaids at the time, she had had cowpox on her hands....

horses, btw, also got 'the pox' but it was referred to as "GREASE", no not the travolta/john musical.

btw, small pox was named 'small' to contrast it with the "GREAT" pox, which also could be found on the faces of royality...

the great pox was/is syphilis and it really WAS a kissing disease...

it is unclear IF dr jenner spent much time kissing the milk maids while doing his research...

which brings us back to "in your eye bud"s inoculation....

most of us think of a 'steam as a rolling accomidation for food, drink and sleep...

in other words an INN.

but the word inn derives (with english revisions) from the latin hospitium ...

which is of course the origIN of the words hospital, hospice and hospitality...

and hospice was once uses as the term for an INN for travelers....

SO if we DID SHARE SHOWERS, that would be in the spirit of hospitality and in a sense...

INN-oculation...

so my spelling was covered, either way!

or u can refer to my former forum tagline...

"I don't give a damn for a man that can only spell a word one way" m. twain.

cheers
2air'

[slowmover]

Man, that was a real jazz riff, 2Air . . . .

[Gene]

Originally Posted by 2airishuman

inoculate is literally from the latin for...

in your eye bud! no fooling.

cheers
2air'

2air, you left out the comma 'tween "eye" and bud". Eye and bud were used as synonyms in the definition from the superbly authoritative Dashboard dictionary. Thus Latin for "into the bud" or "eye", i.e., grafting a shoot into a plant, but why quibble*, Bud?

After all, the riff was worthy of a lawyer or other humble wordsmith.

Eye wonder if the Cow Pox was responsible for those rebellious cows we suffered those many months ago?

Let's ask the bears which they prefer—the woods or the Airstream?

Gene

*Why quibble? Because it's more fun than thinking.

[cms4140]

I realize my post here is not on-topic with the OP (i.e., use of campground facilities). However, the thread title is extremely fitting as a reason why some of us prefer to travel/vacation in our 'streams over hotels in light of recent articles such as:

A microscopic look at hotel hygiene - CNN.com#

Now, if only I could figure out how to do my business related travel using my 'stream!

-Chris

[rock60]

i always use campground showers if there clean, usely right after they clean them.
love that hot water and don't have to rush.
anyway, talking about bath rooms. over the years wife and i sometimes stop and look at new rv's at different dealers here and there to see what was new and find sometimes that someone before us that was looking at them had used the toilet, no 1 and 2.

[DreamStreamr]

Back to original poster and without reading all thirty of the replies, we love our shower (25'CCD INTERNATIONAL) but will use the hosted facilities to save on our propane. We don't keep our water heater on, only fire it if really greasy dishes (not usually) or for showers or, when dry-camping, for heat.

When in a state or national campgrd we opt for their showers almost every time. Oh, and so often we dont have three points hookups so lengthens time between dumping tanks.

regards, Jim http://dreamstreamr.com

[DreamStreamr]

Okay, I've read the entire thread, thanks. 2air, great hx on inoculate. Never would have thought to look here but fits great. And kposey and the rest of you, who has ever run out of hot water in their two-person trailer. We take showers one after the other (would take them together if only the shower was half again larger) and in six years we never ever have come close to running out of hw. Has anyone else run their trailer's water heater cold after waiting for it to be heated completely?

regards, Jim http://dreamstreamr.com

[Gene]

One reason not to use campground showers is athletes' foot. Using common facilities is a good way to get it.

I find the hot water heater uses very little propane. It's the inefficient furnace and heat distribution system that uses a lot. We always wait between showers because we fear running out of hot water in the middle of a shower—that's quite unpleasant. But the hot water heater (on propane, maybe not electric) heats water quite fast and probably could keep up.

Like Jim, I would like to take showers together to save water and propane. Expanding the shower size would eliminate the wardrobe. Taking them together in the present shower might mean getting distracted and forgetting to actually shower and that saves the most water and propane. That sounds pretty good—why even turn on the water?

Gene

[Ed Emerick]

Originally Posted by DreamStreamr

Okay, I've read the entire thread, thanks. 2air, great hx on inoculate. Never would have thought to look here but fits great. And kposey and the rest of you, who has ever run out of hot water in their two-person trailer. We take showers one after the other (would take them together if only the shower was half again larger) and in six years we never ever have come close to running out of hw. Has anyone else run their trailer's water heater cold after waiting for it to be heated completely?

regards, Jim Dreamstreamr Odyssey Chasing 75 Degrees

We have in the past when our daughters would travel with us. Not only can they run the water heater tank out but how about a 35 gallon fresh water tank too! But with that said I don't mind schlepping water in 5 gallon cans, showering in the Airstream beats any campground I have been in (and some hotels).

Just don't ask about the gray water disposal......................

[Nuvite-F]

Originally Posted by Ed Emerick

Just don't ask about the gray water disposal......................

Don't ask, don't tell. . .

Dang! Is that gray water valve leaking again?
.

[noreen&sal]

Originally Posted by Nuvite-F

Don't ask, don't tell. . .

Dang! Is that gray water valve leaking again?
.

I didnt see a thing. Sal.

[CanoeStream]

Guilty as charged. Comes as a result of more boondocking & less full-hookup camping than most. There's a ter-let in this campground? Headed there with the sports section right now... Y'um betcha!!!! Viva la difference.

[3 Dog Nite]

We will generally use our own facilities. However if the CG has clean & well maintained facilities, in we go. We full time & the luxury of a long hot shower in a large stall is very exciting. Maybe I could get Tami to shower with me sometime.
It may be common to most AS'ers but we miss being able to soak in a hot bath. There are times when we'll stay at La Quinta hotels just to use a tub.

Ricky

[Ed Emerick]

My wife will kill me but I think this fits with this thread. As my girls grew up I told them that there are 5 rules of life:

Never take a wooden nickel
There is nothing worse than a Slush Puppy headache
Every song needs some Cow Bell
Never trust a Naked Bus Driver

AND

Life is too short to poop in a dirty potty - thus the need for an AIRSTEAM.

As they grew into their teens there was one more, the sixth rule....... not one shared often in public, but I will here:
All boys are pigs and I, your dad, is the king of Pigs.

[rock60]

Originally Posted by noreen

I didnt see a thing. Sal.

that is realy not showing respeck for other campers that has to use that site and should be reported at the gate. i have seen that alot of times and have found in my site the last person had done that and stunk real bad. i for one will report anyone that does that and have. thats right we don't want anyone else's germs
theres alot of familys with kids running around that step in that, let the health department catch you and see what they do to people that dumps waste on top of the dround.

[eubank]

Originally Posted by rock60

that is realy not showing respeck for other campers that has to use that site and should be reported at the gate. i have seen that alot of times and have found in my site the last person had done that and stunk real bad. i for one will report anyone that does that and have. thats right we don't want anyone else's germs
theres alot of familys with kids running around that step in that, let the health department catch you and see what they do to people that dumps waste on top of the dround.

Use of grey water is actually permitted and encouraged in some southwestern states. There are, however, restrictions, including (crucially for RVs) that grey water from kitchen sinks must be put into the sewer.

Lynn

[klattu]

I always enjoy the 'open house' time during rallies...it is a good time to test out other's bathroom facilities.

[rock60]

Originally Posted by eubank

Use of grey water is actually permitted and encouraged in some southwestern states. There are, however, restrictions, including (crucially for RVs) that grey water from kitchen sinks must be put into the sewer.

Lynn

not on the east coast

[CanoeStream]

Originally Posted by klattu

I always enjoy the 'open house' time during rallies...it is a good time to test out other's bathroom facilities.

There are laws and then there are laws... Smokin Camel's thread on gray water.

I'm an ADD fly-as-you-go camper. Three nights is the max I feel comfortable sticking around a campground. The black tank never gets more than a third full -- okay, hit that on the way out. We don't seek out water hookups but with a jerry can or two of fresh water to get by, we still manage to fill our gray tank in 3 days. Thus the spoken-about trickling sound after 10:00PM at night.

We're not accustomed to the southwest boondocking ethic of hand- and dishwashing ethic of making do with a jigger of water. That gray tank sure does fill. Not sayin' this is the best solution but there are some better watered trees after I've over-spent my stay. OTOH this is NOT the solution for people who squat in a site for a week. Get a room... (sorry, I meant to say 'Get full hookups')

[Gene]

Grey water in some residences is used for irrigation in the West. The problem with it is soap and food particles if the kitchen sink is part of the grey water system. If the soap is biodegradable, no problem. Food particles are a pretty small part of the total amount of grey water. To some, leaves and pine needles are food too, but trees are allowed to drop them on the ground. Black water is the nasty stuff so far as bacteria goes and dumping that is really bad.

Early RV's had no tanks, grey or black, just daylight.

At a campground, dumping grey water is not good because there is too much of it if everyone did it, but in the wilderness, I don't think it is a problem. The water absorbs into the ground very fast because of our dry soils. Generally the soil is dry again very quickly.

Even at western campgrounds when some water is spilled, it disappears fast. It's best to flush a spill with fresh water. After I drain the tanks, close the valves, wait a while and disconnect the hoses, a little water may come out. I expect there are drops on the inside of the pipe that run down the sides then flow out.

In the east, there are few spots that are not used frequently and dumping grey water there can run into problems by overloading the soil.

Gene