Wi-Fi is Like a Box of Chocolates

by Chris Guld, www.GeeksonTour.com Wi-Fi can be the best way to connect on the road: All current laptop computers have the capability to connect to Wi-Fi hotspots Wi-Fi hotspots are easy to find.  Lots of RV parks, cafes, truck stops, and libraries have Wi-Fi hotspots. There’s no contract, it’s pay-as-you-go.  Many hotspots are even free. Some Wi-Fi hotspots are extremely fast. BUT … “You never know what you’re gonna get.” You may get a Great Wi-Fi Hotspot One RV park may have multiple Access Points (the antennas/routers you connect to) and have a full T1 connection to the Internet (a high-capacity, high-speed, direct line thru the phone company.)  In this park, you could be just about anywhere and get a good connection.  When you do, it will be a nice fast web-browsing experience because of the T1. You may get a Poor Wi-Fi Hotspot Your next RV park may be using a residential size satellite dish for their Internet connection and only have one Access Point/Router.  A residential size satellite dish may be a good way for one person to connect to the Internet – but not for dozens of people to share.  And the one Access Point means you need to be close to it – it may only work in the clubhouse. You may even get a Great Hotspot that Turns Bad Lots of things can change or go wrong. You may have a great connection – and then some large RV pulls in next to you and blocks your signal so you can’t connect to the hotspot. Radio Frequency (RF) interference... Read more

Lizard feet – is that you?

The RV Daily Report had an intriguing article: “Avoid lizard feet- they’re a common problem for RVers.” Lizard feet? According to Judy Jackson of the Edmonton Journal, her feet were like leather on the bottom from going barefoot and wearing flip flops so much of the time. This can cause your feet to get dry, cracked with possibly bleeding, calluses, and blisters from getting dusty, dirty and dry, getting wet, drying, getting wet again, and losing natural moisturizing oils. How about you? Do you have “lizard feet?” Many RVers take off their shoes when they enter their RV to keep it cleaner. For a short trip to the pool, office or laundromat, sandals, flip flops or clogs are certainly easier. Though I rarely wore shoes as a kid growing up, now I don’t do too well on dirt and rocks. My feet, though, probably tend towards lizard. So what’s a gal to do? (or a guy?) According to the article – moisturize. Choose a foot cream or lotion that has a high percentage of urea. Other oils are good too. Putting a lotion or oil on before bedtime and then wearing white cotton socks at night will help your feet absorb the oil and keep them soft. After soaking her feet for an hour and one-half, the pedicurist then got out the razor. Oh my! For the rest of the gruesome story, see the article at the Edmonton Journal. I think I’ll keep my lizard feet, though perhaps soak them once in a while. How about you?! Jaimie Hall Bruzenak  Read More →

Long boondocking trips: A fresh foodie’s challenge

By Bob Difley Food supplies usually don’t limit the number of consecutive days you can boondock, like a full holding tank or an empty water tank does.  Canned, dry, and packaged foods will keep for months.  Frozen foods a bit less.  The food items that will put limits on your camping trip are those you forgot, ran out of, or only eat fresh–and their importance depends on your culinary lifestyle. Read more  Read More →

5 Tricks to Make Your Grandchildren’s Camping Vacation a Lasting Memory

Article Courtesy of at Woodall’s Family Camping, RV Campground and Travel Destination Blog. When you’re used to flying solo (or as a duo), a week of camping with grandchildren can be as stressful as it is fun. Here are 5 quick tips to creating a functional, safe and enjoyable environment for your short-term (and just plain short) guests. 1)      Kiddy-Up Your RV Besides packing kid-stuff, think about how the RV itself is or is not a place that welcomes your grandchildren. Just like you would child-proof your home before they come to visit, you should child proof your RV. Don’t forget to cover electrical outlets, eliminate dangers like hanging blind cords, and secure stove knobs from accidental turn on.  I’d also suggest taking a good look at how easily your door opens outward – I’ve seen too many children push on the screen only to pop it open and tumble down the steep RV steps. Create a fun, comfortable place for your grandchildren to sleep in the RV too. Camping with grandchildren is the most fun when you’re not exhausted from lack of sleep. When I was younger, my grandfather had names for each part of the RV, labeled from his old naval days. There was the poop deck, the crows nest and of course, where Grandpa slept was the captain’s quarters. If you’re taking your teen grandchildren camping with you, remember that their needs are different too. My grandfather mounted a mirror on the wall next to an outlet, and used a new cutting board... Read more

Droid watches Traffic

by Chris Guld, www.GeeksOnTour.com:  We were recently at a State Park in Georgia (Fort McAllister – a wonderful park) when a fellow traveler advised us that we might want to avoid I-95 on our way south.  “There is a lot of construction on I-95 between here and Florida”, he said. We heeded his warning, but also have our own reluctance to travel on two lane roads with a lot of stop and go.  So, we decided to check the map on our Droid app phone.  It has a layer you can turn on for Traffic information.  Here’s what we saw: You can click on the picture for a larger image.  The fat green line going vertical is I-95.  If traffic was moving slowly it would be colored yellow or even red.  This is real time traffic data.  We decided to take I-95 after all.  Yes, there was definitely construction going on, but it did not slow down traffic The Droid continues to delight and amaze us.  If you have a Motorola Droid from Verizon, you can see this traffic feature by touching the ‘Map’ app icon (it comes with your phone, it’s Google Maps – all free.)  Once the map is displayed, then touch the menu button on the Droid -    and you’ll see an option for ‘Layers.’  Traffic is one of the layers you can turn on.  Touch it, and you’ll see the green checkmark – and you’ll be back at the map with the traffic data showing up. If you don’t have the Droid, do you use any other traffic data tool?   Chris Guld www.GeeksonTour.com  Read More →

Two Sweet Deals in Hershey

Anyone headed to Hershey, PA this year? If so, they have a couple of sweet deals going on. I know the below information sounds a bit like a commercial, which I apologize for in advance, but just in case we  have readers who are planning to visit Hershey, PA this spring or summer, I thought it might be worthwhile to let them know about some of the potential savings they get if they stay at the Hershey Highmeadow Campground. This campground is rated 9.0/9.5/8.0 by Trailer Life Directory. P.S. Please let us know via the comments section if you want to continue to hear about deals like this or if you find them  “too commercial” to really be of benefit. Per Rachel Dinbokowitz, the Hershey, PA media contact: A sure way for guests to make their visit to Hershey and Hersheypark even sweeter – and an even greater value – is by adding an overnight stay at Hershey Highmeadow Campground. In addition to providing excellent accommodations for tent, RV and cabin campers, Hershey Highmeadow Campground also provides benefits and packages to make planning and paying for a summer vacation even easier to digest. Read more  Read More →

A New Innovation In Slides. The 5 Slide Coach

The Lug_Nut report.  Through the years we have seen motor home and trailer slides multiply.  First there was one, then two, and soon after three and four.  In the last couple of years the full wall slide has made an appearance.  Is that it?  Are we done with slide out innovations?  It would appear not.  The Monaco Dynasty, for one, is now offering a five slide.  Now, more than four slides, two each side, five does not sound very appealing.  After all, what can an additional slide offer that can not be accomplished with a good four slide floor plan?  Well, apparently, lots.          Monaco’s fifth slide is actually a slide within a slide, or telescopic.  The design is capable of expanding the salon area by as much as five or six feet.  This is a very dramatic difference from the normal two or three feet offered by there competitors.  It also opens up the possibility for some all new floor plans.  The floor plan shown in the photos is the Majestic V.         Why is this such a great design?  After all, anyone could just add a 5 or 6 foot slide and have the same effect.  Wrong.  The beauty of this design can be quickly seen when the slides are in the retract travel position.  The interior is still livable.  You can get to the bathroom and move about just as you could in a conventional 4 slide.  Any single slide much deeper than 36” would render the interior nearly unusable in the travel mode.     So, hats off to Monaco on this one.  Their innovative... Read more

National Parks Week offers free admission this week, from April 17-25, 2010

By the Associated Press: Entrance fees will be waived at all 392 national parks April 17-25 for National Park Week. Many parks have organized events, talks, volunteer clean-ups and other projects to encourage the public to visit that week. Details, including a “Find a Park” search option, are online at http://www.nps.gov/npweek/. Events include an invitation to help plant a demonstration garden at Cane River Creole National Historic Park in Louisiana, April 22; a re-creation of Paul Revere’s row across Boston Harbor to Charleston, Mass., April 18 beginning at 7 p.m. at Boston National Historic Park; as well as other hikes, wildlife programs and heritage celebrations around the country. Read more  Read More →

Transporting A Firearm Across State Lines

Article Courtesy of at Woodall’s Family Camping, RV Campground and Travel Destination Blog. Written by RA Manseau So your family is crossing the country to see Aunt May and Uncle Joe. And,  they love to go target shooting and hunting with you. Do you know the rules for gun transporting across state lines? Transporting a firearm across state lines in the U.S. is normally not a problem as long as you follow the gun transport laws laid out by the Gun Control Act which is enforced by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Federal gun transport laws provide that any individual (except convicted felons, persons under indictment for felonies, mental defectives or incompetents, illegal users of controlled drugs, illegal aliens, veterans dishonorably discharged, those who have renounced their U.S. citizenship, fugitives from justice, persons convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, and persons subject to domestic violence restraining orders) may transport a firearm from one location where the individual is lawfully allowed to posses and carry a firearm to another location the individual is lawfully allowed the firearm, as long as it is unloaded and not in the passenger compartment of your car, which normally means in the trunk. But, what about in your RV, where you have no trunk? Gun transporting in your RV across states lines is basically the same; the gun should be unloaded and stored in the back of the RV in a locked compartment.... Read more

The Rally’s Got Talent Contest – Open Call to all RVers!

Louisville is known for being the home of Muhammad Ali, Diane Sawyer, Lance Burton, and Hunter S. Thompson, but the talent doesn’t stop there. The Rally, taking place July 22-25, is the largest RV event of the year, and it will showcase not only the talented likes of Bob Newhart & Tanya Tucker but also the remarkable skills of its talented guests. Read more  Read More →

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