Motor Coach Security

[pognumber26]

Iwas approached at a Flying J @9pm one evening by three suspicious brothers insisting they wanted to WASH my coach...It was alraedy dark and the coach was parked in the middle of an empty truck parking lot...After several minutes of SMALL TALK , I had to confront the leader,I walked the 3-4 feet over to him,looked him in the eye,and told him to get the F--- out of my face and leave me alone...Maybe it was my native NY surety or my physical presence-6'4/350 lbs...The three pulled their car across the parking lot and pointed it toward the coach with the lights on... I got back in the coach and drove 50 miles to the lighted safety of a patrolled Walmart...Since then I ALWAYS alarm and lock the coach...We even have locks all around on our towed H3 rig...I am trained and experienced in the ways of the street...But when it comes to armed conflict,these days, I refer to the wisdom of Sun Tzu...The general who must resort to armed conflict,has ALREADY LOST THE BATTLE...faced with death, I have ALWAYS chosen to live...Short of that choice, I have always found good planning and sense more powerful than raw aggression...

[Just Plain Jeff]

We're all looking forward to the much-touted Barclay dinner at the POG rally, in whatever form that takes. It'll be great for us all to have an opportunity to meet. The Ultimate Webmaster POGmeister Jim is getting the working agenda for the rally together. Looks like a neat balance between scheduled events and free time for the first face-to-face meeting between members and others. Already there are some pretty cool surprises emerging and I expect that there will be more. Helen and I will have a surpise for everyone (and ourselves) and are hoping for a tolerant reaction from the group.

Yesterday I was going through some of my old crinkly papers from the military and it said, "Counterinsurgency Experience, Republic of Vietnam, 1966-67." As to the general business of security of which I know just a a tad, it was my experience, and still is, to make sure that I am not in the wrong place at the wrong time. We have invited people on several occasions into our Prevosts in the past and had quite pleasant reactions. Some of you know about this and we got 'the eyerolls.'

Before we wised up and stopped going to Prevost in Florida, we were roaming around around town trying to find a good greasy cheeseburger. Helen stopped the truck at a place that said, "The Best Cheeseburgers in Town." Nothing wrong with that! We went in and found it was a topless joint with very loud music. I, well, er, stayed to get the food and Helen went outside and sat on the back of the truck gate. This wasn't in what you might call the best part of town. (For those who are inclined, it is called, "Waco's," and we decided NOT to post this as a campground suggestion here on the site).

We did really well, both of us, ahem, but decided to get out of Dodge and enjoy the burgers in the bus. I am sure Helen doesn't want to go there again, but I might be pushed into it...you know, for the cheeseburgers, perhaps, well.

Picking the best place to be at a given moment is most important.

I would rather be at the POG rally having fun than in a vulnerable place somewhere else.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

We have a lot to learn and maybe if there is time at the rally we can all participate in a disussion of this topic. We do not like guns, and we like it even less that we felt compelled to own them.

[lewpopp]

The pictures that you gentlemen paint is very clear. From now on, when I am on the road, I will lock my compartments. Thanks

I nice Prevost was parked a couple doors from me in the park and it was from Maine. I thought it was the Northern Command but it left in a day or so. Wow, a lot of one or two day campers.

Bye the way. I refuse to lock my compartments while I am at my home base here in Florida. I am into nearly all of them on a daily basis friggin with something. Hell, if I did lock them, I would have to get a ring and put it on my belt like a local janitor. Mops are next, but I'm not beyond that either.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Lew, I hate to tell you this, but real coaches not only have air operated pocket doors, and automatic leveling, but we also have a button we push that locks all the bays at once, and it unlocks them all at once. No keys.

Its a status thing.

[ken&ellen]

Even my old Liberty has that lock feature. Some of the locks needed some TLC when we first got her, but now they all function. Cool. Ken

[lewpopp]

You really know how to try to hurt a guy. But you cannot hurt a big boy like me and I will keep my chin up and strive on. My prior coach was newer than this coach and had door locks operated by a remote switch and this doesn't. I will take this coach any day over the newer plastic jobbie.

Help, Mango, they are trying to pick on me.

[MangoMike]

Hey Lew,

It's pure jealousy. They all want to be the Lewman.

Mango

[Jerry Winchester]

I can't believe Jon will shoot an NDB approach, but use an automatic leveling system. Only a wuss uses automatic leveling.
What next? Auto flushing toilet? Hang in there Lew.

Security Update

While dry camping in an arena parking lot, the lot manager used traffic cones to establish a "buffer zone" between us and the parked cars. It was a noble effort, but many MangoMike wannabes just moved the cones if we were not there to smack them down.

Other than hire a guard, I don't know how to thwart this type of encroachment. I guess a big A barking / biting dog might work or some of that crime scene tape, but I can't believe the brazen disrespect. But of course there were OU, Mizzou, Kansas and Whorn fans in the lot.

[pognumber26]

Just came from the Marathon/Nascar rally...They did a great job of creating a SEPERATE secure area with portable rented fences...We were protected from over enthusiastic/drunk/rowdy fans and got THE CHANCE to get a little drunk and rowdy to boot!!! Without proper/secure camping at this event,the potential for an ugly incident was GREAT... Thanks to proper pre-planning the potential problems were eliminated and I could attend the race without worrying if my coach was OK...