Gr8LakesCamper: Introductions & Whatnot

Hello fellow RVers, and welcome to Gr8LakesCamper! Gr8LakesCamper celebrates the world of RV camping in the Midwest — you know, that mostly flat part of the U.S. with a three-week camping  season. Actually, if that’s your impression of the Midwest, then hopefully Gr8LakesCamper will enlighten you on all the Midwest has to offer. First and foremost, there’s the Great Lakes and its miles and miles of gorgeous shoreline. The sand dunes in Michigan and Indiana are spectacular, and Door County, Wisconsin is a not-to-be-missed destination. Minnesota is known for its lakes, and the wooded hills of Pennsylvania makes for some jaw-dropping vistas. Want more? How about white-water rafting in West Virginia or spelunking in Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, which just so happens to be where my family and I are camping at the end of June. The Midwest also is home to some great man-made attractions as well, such as the Baseball Hall of Fame in New York and the big-city-style-minus-the-attitude of Chicago, Illinois. There’s also Cedar Point Amusement Park in Ohio, which is once again on our camping plans this summer. It’s not all going to be about camping destinations, though. We’ll also talk about camping with kids, camping with dogs, camping with noisy kids and barking dogs at the neighboring campsite … basically, anything and everything that we love — and love to hate — about camping. That’s quite a bit to pack into a three-week camping season,... Read more

Solar panels: Difference between winter and summer

By Bob Difley The last remaining snowbirds, except for the hardy “desert rats” that won’t head north until successive days of 100-degree plus temps have turned them into brown lizards, have finally started their migration north to the cooler forests of the northern states and Canada. But Boondocking in the national and state forests presents new challenges quite different from those in the southwestern deserts. One of these challenges is producing enough electrical power from solar panels to meet your daily needs.In the desert, your considerations are: Because most desert campsites are open to the sky, you get charging from your panels from the first glint of sun over the morning horizon until it has passed out of view in the western sky. However, since the angle of the sun is lower, you will not get full charging unless you tilt your panels toward the sun’s trajectory across the sky, and position your RV horizontal to the sun’s movement, and verify that your panels–or other roof top equipment–do not shade the charging (silicon) part of the panel. Since the days are shorter, your total charging time will be shorter, and your batteries may not have sufficient time to become fully re-charged. Therefore, you may have to schedule more electricity-using hours (meals, showering, computer use) during daylight, so as not to deplete too much from your batteries overnight. When you move from the desert to a Ponderosa pine forested campsite, your... Read more

Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum

She was America’s flying sweetheart, the girl next door who took to the air. Amelia Earhart was a pioneer, not just in aviation, but in setting an example for generations of women to follow. 70 years after her mysterious disappearance, she remains a symbol of the power and perseverance of American women, and the adventurous spirit that built America. Read more  Read More →

2010 Forest River Cedar Creek

2010 Forest River Cedar Creek Previously $41,500 – Now $38,900 35 ft. triple-slide fifth wheel sleeps 8, features king size bed, bunk room, flat-screen TV, 50 Amp Service w/ Washer & Dryer Prep, dining table w/ 4 chairs, and more! Offered from The Great Outdoors RV Company in Evans, CO. Learn more about this 2010 Forest River Cedar Creek! Find more great RVs on  Read More →

Should ALCOHOL be BANNED in campgrounds?

Long Long Honeymoon is now available on DVD. Here in America, we like to toss around the word “freedom” a lot. We supposedly live in “the land of the free.” In reality, we live in the land of the taxed and regulated — but that’s not such a catchy phrase. Case in point: MARYLAND HAS BANNED ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION in State Park campgrounds. No more frosty beer by the campfire. No more glass of wine with dinner. It may be five o’clock somewhere, but never in Maryland campgrounds. Read more  Read More →

The Lug_Nut RV Trivia Challenge #11. Give It A Try!

The Lug_Nut Trivia Challenge No 11 deals with a mixed bag of RV related topics. Keep in mind, this is not an I.Q. test, it is a trivia requiring some guess work.  So, get a pencil and paper to record your answers.  When you have completed the 10 questions and scored your answers, please post your results in the comment section found at the very bottom.  Good luck. Read more  Read More →

Explore Louisville at The Rally

The Rally is excited to be back in Louisville, KY, “The Gateway to the South.”  Guests can explore this beautiful, historic city with one or more of the many tours being offered or help to give back to the local community during The Rally’s Annual Volunteer Day. Make the best out of your Rally experience in Louisville, KY.  The Rally is offering optional tours that showcase some of the best attractions of the region, including Churchill Downs, the Belle of Louisville, the Muhammad Ali Center, the Bourbon Heritage Center, the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory, and much more!  Tours are assigned on a first come, first served basis, so don’t delay!  For more information, visit http://therally.com/events/optional-tours-2/. In an ongoing effort to thank our host community, Rally guests are invited to participate in our second annual volunteer day on July 21, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. This year, The Rally has adopted Brightside, Louisville’s “Keep America Beautiful” affiliate, committed to keeping Louisville clean, green and beautiful. Participating Rally guests will again tackle a local beautification project. In exchange for guest participation, the Rally will provide one night of free dry camping on July 20, as well as transportation and a sack lunch on the actual proj­­ect day.  Click here http://therally.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Brightside-volunteer-agreement.pdf to download the registration form. The Rally kicks off in Louisville on... Read more

Time to go Camping, but First…

It’s time again for my annual RV spring preparation checklist. If your RV has been sitting idle all winter you need to whip it back into shape for another season of camping.  At first glance this checklist looks like it would take two days to complete, but it’s actually something you can do on a Saturday when there’s nothing else to do. Following a checklist helps make sure nothing is overlooked.    Read more  Read More →

Friends, not grandkids, key to happy retirement – or not?

Some couples who consider full-time RVing have a difficult time leaving the grandkids. In fact, sometimes it prevents a couple from making that choice or causes them to get off the road. However, a British study by the University of Greenwich found that participants who had friends or a social network were more likely to be happy in retirement. Having grandchildren mattered little. Read more  Read More →

Getting deeper into our search for the ideal DP

We have had a lot of good comments throughout the course of this series of posts on finding the ideal DP.  In this post, I am going to list the first 10 topics that were brought up, along with my thoughts on the subject.  I would like to hear from all of you about your thoughts and experience with each topic.  When we are finished, we should have a pretty good start on a roadmap for finding the ideal DP. 1. hydraulic vs. electric slides  Since I have only had electric slides, I can’t offer an opinion on hydraulic slides.  I would like to open this one up for comments.  Has anyone had hydraulic slides and is willing to offer an opinion?  What would really be nice is if someone has had both and can offer a comparison of the operation. 2. three point vs. four point leveling I have had both 3 and 4 point leveling systems.  I understand the advantage and disadvantage of each.  After using both systems, I think I prefer the three point over the 4 point jacks.  This is not a hard core feeling, just slightly tipped in that direction. 3. electric vs. hydraulic vs. air leveling Here is another situation where my experience is limited, specifically to hydraulic leveling systems.  I would welcome comments on the other two systems from actual users, and particularly from those who have experience with two or even three of the systems. 4. single piece vs. split windshield. Although I have only experienced the split windshield, I can understand the desire for a large, single piece... Read more

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