Thursday, November 1, 2012

Hazards on the Road - Air and Water Issues

There are so many benefits of traveling full time. Yet, there are many disadvantages.  

Through the years I've learned to always try discern if the problem I am facing is due to living in a camper and traveling full time or if it is a problem that I would have had in a sticks and bricks home.

Often times the difficulties are not caused by our lifestyle.  No matter where we live there are hard times.

Other times it has everything to do with traveling.  When I come to that decision I make necessary adjustments, get a good attitude, and start to be thankful I am even alive.

Lately, I have been facing a problem I have not had in three years.  During my pregnancy I had breathing problems.  My lungs did not want to cooperate with my body and I had a very difficult time breathing.




There were many causes - some were my fault - too much stress - not setting boundaries in my life - 
                                      - some were not my fault - exposure to sickness - stress I could not avoid 

I was also exposed to a huge fire in central Florida that year, and that must have been the trigger for my emergency room visit.

Three years later my lungs have decided to go on strike again.  We are in Utah this year.  It was difficult to avoid the fires in Missouri, Oklahoma, and Colorado, but we did and we made it to Utah with no smoke inhalation.

Sadly, not long after we arrived the fires from Idaho sent there poisonous smoke south to us.  There were two weeks I could not even leave the camper.  Then two more fires were west of us and then south.

Why didn't we pick up and leave?  I guess we were hoping it would stop. We have spent so much money to get west and have plans to stay for a long time.  No one wanted to change those plans.

After the smoke subsided, my husband and I went for a hard hike up a mountain. When we left there hadn't been smoke in the air for days. Little did we know a fire had started west of us and the smoke was still not visible.

Notice the smoke hovering in the mountains
Since then my lungs have been hurting.  So, I ask myself, is this something that is the fault of our lifestyle?  No, there was a ton of smoke in Missouri this year! If we had our home there still smoke would have been an issue.

In other ways yes.  I think it is important to consider the environmental impacts in the locations we travel to.  I am always going to www.homefacts.com.  They tell me how many tornadoes have been in the area, sex offenders, environmental hazards, and other necessary information.

Another problem here is the radon.  There were huge uranium mines in the mountains all over the area.  Thankfully we have our water filter.  The radioactive material can get in the water supply.  We also stay away from the mine dumps. Some have mercury around them.

Whether you are traveling full time or just going on a trip - be informed.  Be careful and count the cost and benefit of each place you go.  Our home is on wheels so we can pick up and leave or be patient and make the necessary changes to stay where you are at.
Below is an Amazon Widget that has the water filter we have used for over a year. It is amazing. I used to get sick all the time from bad water at campgrounds.  Every few days I would feel tired, my belly would rumble and maybe some of the diarrhea.  Which, with living in a camper is not a pleasant thing to have, especially when everyone hears everything that goes on in the bathroom.  Too much information you say?  Well, for those of you thinking about going on the road - this is the reality.  Those of you on the road already - I know you totally sympathize.



We also have a great air filter.  There are many on the market. You can shop through our website on Amazon.  Also, check out our Amazon Market for more products - hey, we gotta make a living, too!! he he
But seriously, these are really important issues that we deal with sometimes on a daily basis and can really affect our health.  I joke about it, but I have almost no voice because of my lungs. I hack and cough when I eat and have a hard time jogging now.

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