National Balloon Museum

We’ve all marveled at their beauty and grace as they float through the air. Airplanes will get you to your destination quicker, helicopters may get you into places where no roads go, but for the ultimate flying experience, nothing compares to a balloon lazily drifting on the air currents. At the National Balloon Museum in Indianola, Iowa, 200 years of ballooning history is chronicled, from the first lighter than air flight in 1783 to present day sport ballooning. Here you will find displays of balloon gondolas, flight equipment, historic artifacts, and the U.S. Ballooning Hall of Fame, which honors the greatest names in American ballooning. Read more  Read More →

The Economy Didn’t Stop Rally Attendees

By Bob Difley I’ve been teaching seminars at The Rally even before it was called that, when its official title was the eloquent Great North American RV Rally, or as it was known by its acronymn, the pirate-sounding GNARR. During this ten year run, the RV industry, as well as the rally attendance, has risen and fallen on the whimsical gyrations of the economy, foreign oil prices, orange and red alerts, and the weather (oh, did it rain in Perry, Georgia in the spring of 2001). This year may have been the largest test of RVers confidence, not the weather in the high desert climate of Albuquerque (though it was quite chilly the first few days), but rather the condition of the economy. Would RVers show up eager to learn the intricacies of the RV lifestyle through the morning to afternoon seminars? Would they have cash in their pockets to purchase the gadgets, goodies, and necessities offered by the flock of vendors who traveled from across the country to set up their booths and display their wares? Would the retired and soon to be retired pull their heads inside their shells until the economic outlook predicted more sunny days? And would they even care about boondocking, birding, and wildlife watching (my seminar subjects) in the face of economic crisis? What a surprise it was on the first day of “Pre-Show” days–Thursday–when my 8:30 boondocking class overflowed and a second class was hastily scheduled to accomodate those who didn’t get in.... Read more

Boondocking Is Not Free

Some people have a misconception that boondocking is “free.” It is not. It can be inexpensive, but not free. For example, I have reported here before that our nightly camping cost is $4.67, averaged out over a year. This includes not only all money paid for a campsite, but also includes expenses involved with dry camping that we would not have in a full hookup campground. For example, gas for our generator, and the cost of going to a laundromat, since we would use our onboard washer and dryer if we were in a park. Read more  Read More →

2009 Fleetwood Prowler 270RLDS

2009 Fleetwood Prowler 270RLDS Previously $27,900 – Now $24,900 New 31 ft. travel trailer with bamboo interior sleeps 6. Slideout with bunks, Horseshoe dinette, large living room, HD LCD TV with DVD player, and much more! Offered from Genuine RV Store in Nacogdoches, TX. Learn More! As featured on  Read More →

America’s Oldest Underground Tourist Attraction

General Info: Mammoth Cave National Park preserves the world’s largest known cave system, stretching for more than 360 miles under Kentucky’s southern mountains. It is also one of the oldest tourist attractions in the U.S., offering cave tours since 1816. This Cave is also #17 on the Good Sam Club’s 20 Trips Every RVer Should Take (see Highways, November 2007). Hours and Fees: Entrance and access to most of the park facilities is free of charge, except for cave tours, camping and certain picnic shelter reservations. See the table of fees for more details. digg_url = 'http://digg.com/travel_places/America_s_Oldest_Underground_Tourist_Attraction'; Activities: Clearly the main activity is touring the caves, and there are several options of varying difficulty and length to satisfy your curiosity. Cave tours are only available in the spring and summer months. For the safety of all guests and the preservation of delicate cave structures, some items are banned from cave tours. Since I have mild claustrophobia, I probably will not be venturing far into the cave system for a tour, but that’s okay because there are plenty of fun things to do above ground! Take a hike or horse ride along the 70 miles of backcountry trails, or set a spell on the 31 miles of shoreline along the Green and Nolin rivers. With 52,800 surface acres, the park offers plenty of other interesting things to see and do aside from exploring the caves. The park has trails of varying length and difficulty,... Read more

Making your RV your home

RVs are pretty much built with cookie cutter molds – all come out looking much the same. With the exception of those custom builders, they are like subdivision houses. You may have a choice of a couple of floor plans and a couple of colors, but not much else. In fact, manufacturers discourage changes. When George and I were trying to find an RV sized between his 33′ New Horizon 5th wheel and my Lance camper, we finally zeroed in on the Safari Trek. However, it would need modifications to work for us. Safari charged $750 as a re-engineering fee, and that was not including any parts or labor. That was just to interrupt the assembly line. Needless to say, we decided against that and kept the New Horizon. With an existing rig there are many ways RVers make it a home. Add or change furniture – typically remove couch and dinette and replace with recliners, real table Convert an area to an office or work area Take out or recover valances with own material. Put up new window treatments Add throw rugs, pillows, bed coverings Put up personal photos or paintings Replace knobs on cabinets and drawers Change faucets Repaint the exterior with different colors or design or add a rear mural Replace carpet with vinyl or wooden floors Exchange the mattress for a more comfortable one Make rig more handicapped-accessible Some go to more extreme measures like painting or modifying the walls. One RVer even gave the walls a stucco effect. RV door modified for lift In our original... Read more

RV Weekly Round-Up (April 18-24, 2009)

Check out these highlights of RV-related news, events and video from this past week. 1. Newmar Extends Service to all RV Owners : RV maufacturer Newmar Corp. announced it will now service all makes of recreational vehicles, regardless of the brand or type of coach. If the manufacturer of your RV went out of business or no longer offers factory service support, you now have the option of having repairs done at Newmar’s Nappanee, Indiana, full-service facility. Learn more about the factory services offered. 2. Pomona RV Show Partners with Summer Fest: Originally scheduled for this weekend, April 23-26, the Pomona RV & Travel Show will now be held June 19-21 at the Fairplex in Pomona, California. Show attendees can register to win one of four Keystone RVs in the “Live Your Dreams Sweepstakes.” Tickets are $10 for adults, children 12 and under get in free. See a list of the show’s scheduled events and vendors. 3. Five-Day Grand-Opening Celebration at Bella Terra Luxury RV Resort: Bella Terra Resort is planning a Grand Opening celebration to take place May 6-10, marking the official launch of the resort, which had a soft opening last November. Five days of festivities are planned at the Class A RV resort in Gulf Shores, Alabama, including a wine-and-cheese kickoff reception, a traditional Gulf Coast Crawfish Boil (to be held poolside with live entertainment) and a catered continental brunch in the resort’s Grand Cubhouse. 4. Maine Parks Making Major Upgrades... Read more

RV Today Archive- Quick Tips: Traveling With Pets

A lot of people like to travel with their pets and this clip gives you some quick tips to make the trip with your pets a better experience.  Read More →

2008 Peterson Industries Inc. Excel Limited 35FLR

2008 Peterson Industries Inc. Excel Limited 35FLR Previously $91,390 – Now $80,423 If you are looking to live in your fifth wheel, you have to look at the Excel. It is a true 4 season RV. uvw:13,940 gvw:17,500; 36 ft. long and under 12 ft. in height! Offered from Noble RV, Inc. in Owatonna, MN. Learn More! As featured on  Read More →

African Queen

On a trip to the Florida Keys, we stopped to pay a visit to an old time movie star. Sitting in a cradle at a small marina next to the Holiday Inn in Key Largo is the African Queen, the small wooden boat made famous in the 1951 Humphrey Bogart/ Katharine Hepburn movie of the same name. The years have not been good to her and she’s in pretty bad shape today, but this grand old lady had a colorful past indeed! Read more  Read More →

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