State Parks: Crater of Diamonds, Arkansas

I was inspired to learn more about this unique site after watching an episode of “18 Kids and Counting” on TLC a few weeks ago, wherein the Duggar family visits the park to dig for diamonds. Please chime in with comments to share useful information or tell about your experience visiting the area! Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas is the only diamond-producing site in the world open to the public. It covers 37 acres of plowed land, the remnants of a volcanic pipe eroded down to surface level. Owner John Huddleston found the first diamond here in 1906 when it was part of his farm. The land has changed hands many times and several failed mining ventures have been attempted. The State of Arkansas bought the land in 1972 to establish the state park. The three most common diamond colors found (in order) are white, brown and yellow. More than 40 different rocks and minerals can be found in the park, including amethyst, garnet and quartz.digg_url = 'http://digg.com/travel_places/State_Parks_Crater_of_Diamonds_Arkansas'; After having your stone identified at the Diamond Discovery Center, you can have your diamonds weighed and certified at no charge. However, the park staff is not trained nor equipped to estimate the value of your find. But they are happy to provide you with a list of diamond cutters, who will be able to price your diamond upon examination (a diamond’s value is based primarily on its ability to be cut, with color and clarity as secondary... Read more

1996 Prevost Marathon XL 40

1996 Prevost Marathon XL 40 Previously $209,000 – Now $199,000 Luxurious 40 ft. bus conversion with interior by Marathon. Washer/dryer, dishwasher, two leather sleeper sofas, large HDTV, granite tile in kitchen/bath, 3 cruise ACs, new tires, complete pre-delivery inspection just done by Marathon. Trades considered; more photos available. Offered from Kenai Coach in Yuma, AZ. Learn More! As featured on  Read More →

Moving and Preexisting Conditions.

First off, I want to say to my readers (if any of you remember me) that I am sorry I haven’t written anything lately.  Life outside of camping and RV.Net sometimes takes all of your time.  So, let me tell you what has happened to me in real life.  As some of you know, we have been looking for a new house out in the country (we like camping so it should follow we like the country).  We had several near misses and looked at some wonderful and beautiful homes.  It seemed that when we found a nice piece of land, we didn’t like the house and, when we liked the house, the land was less than wonderful.  Still we found several that we liked but could never come to terms.  However late in November that changed, we found a three bedroom farm house on 11 1/2 acres.  We made a very reasonable offer, and, almost to our surprise, it was quickly accepted.  Which was nice because we were having storage and other problems at our old place and wanted to move quickly.  Now I hadn’t purchased property in many years, and found some of the new government rules and regulations to be very, very confusing as well as well as having to play the mortgage percentage game! But to make a long story short, we started MOVING Thanksgiving weekend, for us it was truly Thanksgiving!  So, that is when we lost our internet connection.  But the following Monday my real problems began.   As some of you know, I hunt, and I was out on the first day of buck season with my daughter.  While... Read more

Top 15 RV Parks and Campgrounds to Take Your Pet (Part 2)

Do you agree with this Top 15 list of the best RV parks and campgrounds to visit with pets? If not, be sure to reply with your suggestions to add to our list. Perhaps we can compile at Top 100 list! Please include where the property is, a few of its features and a link to its website (if applicable) or a phone number. Read more  Read More →

Record a Tour with Google Earth

Last week I told you about Google Earth’s latest version – 5. I want to give you a sample of just one of it’s new features, ‘Record a Tour.’ Every traveler I know likes to share their travels and we’re always looking for better ways to do it. You need to use maps to show where you’ve been, and you want to show pictures or video too. Now, with Google Earth, you can actually take them there. First, you need to create your places. For this short sample, I just created 3 places in Florida: Then, to start the recording, you click the ‘Record a Tour’ button in the toolbar: When you do that, you will see a small set of controls in the lower left corner. You click the red button to record movement and the microphone if you want to record your voice as well. When you’re done, you can save it and you will see the ‘Tour’ show up along with your places. This tour is a Google Earth .kml file that can be emailed to anyone and they can view it using Google Earth. If you want to have a movie file that you can upload to Youtube, for example, you need the Pro version with the Movie Maker module. To create the movie below, I played the Google Earth Tour on my computer and recorded the screen with my screen-recording software, Camtasia. It’s very short and simple. I hope it sparks some ideas for sharing your travels! Chris Guld, www.GeeksOnTour.com Computer Education for Travelers  Read More →

RV Doctor – How Long Should Major RV Components Last?

Dear RV Doc, We are shopping for a used motorhome and would love to have some guidelines for how long major components should be reasonably expected to last. Recognizing that there will always be wide variations because of usage levels, maintenance done and how many hours in campgrounds with poor voltage, etc., how long might refrigerators, air conditioners, generators, awnings, water heaters, water pumps, etc., last? We’re looking at a seven year-old Damon with only 23,000 miles on the chassis and 107 hours on the generator. But we wonder how much we might have to spend over the next couple of years. Should the roof air conditioner likely be good for a few more years or should we just replace it now even though it works? Ditto for the other bigger-ticket items. Keith Bryan, (Grant, FL) Read more  Read More →

2008 Winnebago Voyage 33V

2008 Winnebago Voyage 33V Previously $135,222 – Now $118,112 With only 1,234 miles, this 33 ft. Class A RV has lots to offer: 2 slides, awning, booth dinette, double kitchen sink basin, leather sofa, leather lounger chair with ottoman, and much more! Great condition. Offered from Alpin Haus RV in Amsterdam, NY. Learn More! As featured on  Read More →

VIDEO: The Long Long Honeymoon’s “Top 10 Useful RV Products”

The Long Long Honeymoon #81 – A Few Fave Products from Sean Michael. Since it’s “Top 10″ month here at RV.net, we thought we’d take this opportunity to launch our “fave products” video. So here are ten products that we don’t camp without. Read more  Read More →

Producing Large Prints

Many of us never print images, preferring to view them on computer screens, TVs or digital picture frames. Even when we do print, it is often as 4″X6″ photos that are given to friends & relatives that don’t have email or computers. If you have a photo ink jet printer, unless is is one of the few designed for large prints, you are probably limited to 8″X10″ as the largest size you can print. Every once in awhile, you may decide you want a larger print. A 16″X20″ or even 20″X30″ print mounted on foam core is light enough to hang on the wall of any RV, and a wonderful reminder of friends, family or places you have visited.  If you do sessions at workshops, they are useful to illustrate your discussion. There are many contests all over the country that offer chances to exhibit your work; even win prizes or money, that require large prints. So, can you make one from your digital camera file? Read more  Read More →

Do You Practice These Six Rules of Boondocking Courtesy?

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