I figured this was an important topic to discuss. Primarily because we're still in Austin for the Austin Film Festival and the weather has been less than gracious. By now, I'm sure you've read the diatribe about Formula 1 and the weather debacle from last week. We thought that garbage was over. It wasn't.

After severe flooding in South central Texas this past week, plus a few tornado watches, I realized if something were to happen, did I even know what to do? So, I did a lot of research on how to prepare for a tornado in an RV so that not only could we be prepared, but also so our readers can hold onto this for future use.
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If You Are At An RV Park:

When you first arrive, find out if the park has a plan in place, even if you are staying for only a night or two. Tornados are one of the only storm systems that have very little warning. Sometimes as little as 3 minutes notice. So having a plan in place already will save you loads of time and trouble.

Some quick tips to keep in mind:

• DO NOT stay inside your RV
• Grab essentials ONLY
• Bring your pets
• Do not waste time. It probably isn't worth it anyway.

If there are no buildings nearby, say you are boondocking and there are no bathrooms or shower houses available to go to, leaving the RV is still the best option.

The general guideline for tornado safety is to get as low to the ground as possible and assume the tornado safety crouch. Wind speeds will be slower close to the ground. This way you won't be hit by a flying object. Also, try to refrain from being near any trees. Lightning and flying debri are more likely to happen there. Look for a cave, ditch, rock, or the like. Any of these will offer more protection.

Having a tornado plan in place is very important. We learned this after a few nights of torrential downpour and extreme lightning. Although staying in your RV might sound like the logical answer, it often isn't. Even if you are a full-time RV traveler.

Hope this helped! Stay safe and we'll see you on the road.

Vanessa and I decided we wanted to get away from the Austin city vibes for a bit and decided to check out a little slice of heaven that's centrally located: McKinney Falls. Around 10-15 minutes from South Congress and Ben White, McKinney Falls is a bit of natural paradise and a Texas hikers dream.

We arrived around 2pm and checked in at the office/general store. They had wood for sale, plus s'mores ingredients, coffee, snacks, starter fire, anything you needed for a campout to make it memorable. We of course, grabbed some s'mores stuff and firewood, before paying our camp fee. Probably the coolest part about this Texas State Park is that the camp fee is $20. That's right, for us to be parked in the woods with a water and electric hookup -- $20 per night. Music to our spendthrift ears.

We got to site 52 and set up shop. Unrolled Maude's awning and set the ambiance for the rest of the stay. We love feeling at home everywhere we go, so this is always important to us. We made some soup and sandwiches for lunch and enjoyed the gorgeous weather.

After lunch, we decided to hike the Onion Creek trail which wraps around the state park at about 3 miles. On the hike, we saw an armadillo, very busy doing important armadillo stuffs, and a family of deer grazing. There were rumors of coyotes on the trail, but we didn't get to see any. The trail ended up at Upper Creek Falls, which is where we stopped for a swim.

Since the water was about 50 or so degrees and it was about 65 degrees outside, I probably wouldn't have jumped in if it weren't for some coercion on Vanessa's part (she can be quite persuasive). So, we did, and although my lungs seized in my chest, I don't regret taking the plunge.

Nighttime settled in back at camp and we got the fire roaring. We made some tea and played a round of Rummikub by the fire. Dinner consisted of veggie hotdogs, mustard, and Just Mayo (sriacha style) with a s'mores dessert.

Camping rules. We love getting immersed in nature and falling asleep to the sounds of crickets and rustling trees. I would recommend this Texas State Park to any RV travel blogger, any family looking to get away, or any couple looking to reconnect. If you don't have an RV, bring a tent! And if you're lucky enough to meet Kurt, the park host, then you've found the site where The Roamans stayed.

Big things happening this week from the Austin Film Festival. We're lucky enough to be working with The Sundance Documentary Club. Stay tuned!

Formula 1 Austin came to a close yesterday, and I can't say I'm all that bummed about it. The weekend was an interesting one to say the least, and although there were some highlights, there were also some absolute lows. 

First things first, the weather was absolute garbage. Torrential rain every single day. With Hurricane Patricia off the coast of Mexico, we were getting some of that gnarly weather by us. What did this mean for us while we worked? Standing in soaking wet shoes, and clothes, for hours. Ah, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

We picked up work with a company called Stadium People. They hire out for stadium events and pay pretty well just to keep things organized. We were hired as Premium staff for VIP suites. This we assumed, was a jackpot.

We went through two separate training events with other Circuit of the Americas Staff, which really were just about being prepared and being nice to people. We still didn't have any idea what our assignment was, nor where we were placed on the track. You see, Circuit of the Americas is huge. Over 20 turns, 3.4 miles long, with tons of suites and skyboxes. They were so adamant in the training that we know our surroundings and didn't give people wrong directions, yet it wasn't until 6:30am Friday that we even found out where it was we were working.

Which brings us to not working together. We were separated at first, and both had a terrible time finding out where we were going. There was so much error in organization, that we were sometimes dumbstruck with the lack of efficiency. This is a billion dollar track and a 300+ million dollar event -- how is it not more organized?!

But I digress, Vanessa and I did end up working together in the Owner's Box where we met some of the highlights of this meaningful work experience for us. Sarah, Rhonda, Tim, Anita, Pamela, and Brittany. The staff that busted their asses to keep the Owner's Tent running smoothly and efficiently. Not to mention, we all had some good laughs and silly banter the entire weekend. If it wasn't for Sarah and her always-positive spirit, or Rhonda and her kind-nature and determination for efficiency, we probably wouldn't have had very many highlights.

Watching the Formula 1 cars practice, and seeing the ways they risk their lives doing something they absolutely love.

It was a hell of a weekend, and we're still feeling the backlash of being under the weather. But, onwards and forwards as we prepare for another weekend of finding work on the road at the Austin City Film Festival.

We've been on the road full time in our small RV now for almost three months. It's been a wild ride, and truthfully not one that we could adequately prepare for. When we ripped out the couch, pre-full time, we were doing so to gain some space in the slide. We never would have expected that the storage would have been welcomed on the road. Nor would we have thought that the queen pull-out bed in the couch may be a bit more comfortable than the bunk.

Don't get me wrong, I love our bunk bed. There's this throw-back to being a kid every time I climb that ladder and nestle in for the night. It's safe and snug, and definitely keeps us warm when the temp drops down. The issue though was that it just wasn't all that comfortable.

I can't stress enough how important a good night's sleep is while on the road. The smallest things can rouse you from a deep sleep and ruin your entire mood, especially when you're dry docking all over the city. Safety is our main concern, making sure we're some place that doesn't put us in danger. But also noise levels, traffic, construction, those noisy Austin birds that are like a weird crow-mockingbird hybrid. But also, comfort. It just didn't seem like we were all that comfortable in our bed.

So, we decided to treat ourselves to a little upgrade. After working out asses off at ACL Fest, and securing our next job at Formula 1 Austin, we decided that spending our hard-earned money on a few bed upgrades were necessary and absolutely welcomed.

I've never been one to buy into the gimmicks of these revolutionary pillows. A pillow is a pillow and each is soft and special in its own way. Yet, there was something about the Hydraluxe Air that I needed to disprove, because I'm a realist at heart and could not understand for the life of me how this thing can cool from the inside out.

So, I hugged it. At Bed, Bath & Beyond. And guess what, the damn thing was cool. Really cool. Like sticking your arm out the window cool. Which was absolutely perfect for us because dry docking doesn't leave much in the way of AC here in Austin. Purchase #1 was a success. I recommend this pillow to anyone looking to slide their arms under their head at night, or for those lovers of the cold side of the bed. A worthy purchase.

A mattress topper is crucial for all you full-time RV people out there. RV mattresses aren't like normal mattresses which means they aren't super supportive for your back. Many a-time Vanessa and I woke up in the mornings with back pain, or tossed and turned at night because we couldn't get comfortable. We bought a mattress pad prior to hitting the road but realized it just wasn't enough. We could still feel everything below it. So, the Dream Support mattress pad from Walmart was a great buy for us. We got the queen size, which is a little big, but it works. We paired it with our mattress pad and it is absolutely perfect. 10x more comfortable now than before.

Note: the packaging was a little odd and the actual topper itself isn't all too eye-catching. Plus there was a weird smell initially. But we let it unroll and take shape and air out and we were in business.

Comfort on the road is important. Full-time RV travel can be quite demanding on your body. This is why we wanted to upgrade our sleeping experience to feel rested and relaxed every step of the way.

Feel free to share any of your bed upgrades!

Although it's a bit late, we wanted to give a quick recap of our Austin City Limits Festival experience. We worked again with Futurgarb, the Chicago-based company we worked with in St. Louis. It really is always a pleasure working with them. The value that they show every employee is astounding, especially in today's world where some companies treat employees like they're disposable. Vanessa and I feel appreciated and respected every time we work with Futurgarb, and we hope to work with them again next year for festival season.

A downside to the ACL experience was that Vanessa and I didn't get to work together. We had to stagger days since there were already four other veteran employees from Futurgarb who came along. We were frustrated at first, because that defeated the purpose of working together to foster deeper bonds, etc., but it quickly became clear that six people working in a 10 ft by 10 ft space would've been brutal.

Now, let's talk music. These are the noteworthy bands we were able to see and/or hear while we worked slinging some garb:

Drake
The Weeknd
Florence & the Machine
Foo Fighters
Hozier
Jose Gonzalez
Brand New
Disclosure
Flosstradamos
Vance Joy
Bassnectar

We worked two weekends in a row, about 35-40 hours each weekend. It was very exhausting but that doesn't mean we didn't have time for some fun with the Futugarb crew......

Like participating in our very first escape challenge at Maze Room Austin! If you haven't tried an escape room challenge then I implore you to do so. We had such a blast solving puzzles and figuring out riddles and working together. It truly was an experience we'll never forget. A huge thank you to Maze Rooms Austin.

We also visited a few local bars and bonded over some Fireball whiskey (sans Vanessa) and pool sharking. Lots of laughs were shared, and memories made. Thank you to Max, Ali, Sheree, and Irina for welcoming us into the Futurgarb mix and for bringing extra light into our lives.

We've been busy this week gearing up for our next meaningful work experience at Formula 1! We also finished writing about the Austin Humane Society for the next issue of Suncoast Pet. Big things happening for The Roamans. See you all on the road.