The Ghost of Minnedosa

I have been a camper all my life, since I was a child living at home. But the first time I took my wife camping was an experience for everyone in the campground. I took my wife, Joan, camping to Lake Minnedosa, Manitoba, where my family used to go all the time. We had gone with a group of friends. While sitting around the campfire the conversation turned to a ghost that used to roam this paticular campground. It was the ghostly apparition of a young female who had been swimming in the lake and unfortunately drowned. My wife and I went to bed later that evening. My wife got up to use the campground washroom in the early morning hours while it was still dark. Unfortunately the closest one was at the other end of the park. In the morning the campground was all abuzz about the ghost everyone had seen that morning walking with flowing robes through the campground. What was funny about the whole thing was, my wife had packed a white penoir set, sort of like a white nightgown with a pure white silk matching coat. That is what she wore to bed the previous night and when she went to use the washroom. When we found out the approximate time of the ghostly sighting, it matched my wife’s little stroll. My wife became known as the Ghost of Minnedosa within our camping group of friends. We still laugh about it to this day. Submitted by Ron McKenzie of Mesachie Lake, BC Canada as a part of the RV Centennial Celebration “Share Your Favorite RV Memory” contest. Do you have a favorite... Read more

Where’s the Water?

It was Alaska, it was early May ( 1972 ) and it was my families first RVing experience. We had been assigned to a US Army base just north of Anchorage and most of my time was spent in the “field”… away from my family and so we decided that when I was at home, we would spend that time doing family things in a “camper”. Our first RV was a fifteen foot Scotty travel trailer that we pulled with an International Travelall. The Scotty was used, but it had all a young family of five needed: a two burner stove, a three-way refrigerator, a porta-podi storage area and it “sort of” slept five. The water tank held, if I remember correctly, fifteen gallons of water and was dispersed from a pump faucet in the kitchen sink. Prior to our first outing, the family scrubbed the Scotty from top to bottom and I took care of cleaning the water system by filling and dumping the water tank a few times (through a pet-cock beneath the camper). Once it was cleaned to our satisfaction, we filled it with food, clothes, water and kids and we were on our way to adventures in the wilds of Alaska. Since we were new to the camping scene, we decided not to travel too far away from our home base, just in case we had a problem, and picked a very RUSTIC, electric only campground about an hour away. What a beautiful site we chose…it looked out over a lake, had a stream running close to it, was quiet and we felt it was the perfect site for our inaugural trip. What a great start !… BUT… when my... Read more

Like Oregon Wine?

We’re on a budget so weekend trips are all we can handle this season. But we discovered a local dry dock. The only catch is buy a bottle of Oregon wine. Hey that was easy. The place LongSword Winery’s side field adjacent to their Tasting Room at 8555 Highway 238 in Ruch, Oregon. It’s a great viewing spot for the many paragliders that jump from Woodrat Mountain throughout the summer. And we drove up to nearby Applegate Lake and soaked up the rays while perched on a rock downstream. And in the evening, enjoyed the abundance of stars, the smell of the aromatic wildflowers while sipping their award winning wines. My favorite is their sparkling wine – Accolade, a mouthful of fruit with a hint of sweetness and just enough effervescence to tickle your tongue. My husband’s favorite is their double silver medal winner, Barnstormer’s Red Tempranillo, bursting with bold fruit flavors of cherry, plum, berries and vanilla. It accompanied the BBQ ribs. For the price of a bottle of wine, this dry dock is worth the stop. Click here to visit LongSword Winery’s website! Submitted by Maria Gath of Ruch, OR as a part of the RV Centennial Celebration “Share Your Favorite RV Memory” contest. Do you have a favorite RVing or camping memory you’d like to share? Submit your favorite memory here!  Read More →

Our Dog, Watson

My husband and I recently purchased a 2009 Jayco Grey Hawk with plans on driving to Alaska to see grandson Chris, stationed on Kodiak Island. Our dog Watson will accompany us on this extraordinary adventure. To get the experience of both driving and using our new home-away-from-home, our first attempt was a seventy-five mile trip south of our shore home to the charming area of Cape May County, New Jersey. Watson in the window. The campground we chose was lovely and our site was just across the street from their inviting pool. We arrived in the early afternoon, found and parked the trailer with ease on the pull-thru site, then went about setting up the electric, water and sewer. We extended the slides , pulled down the awning and proceeded to make our 20’ x 70’ space as warm and comfy as possible. Throughout this process Watson was his usual well behaved self. He is a six year old mix of Sheepdog and Otter hound. We adopted him from a rescue farm in eastern Pennsylvania two years ago, and is now our baby, so to speak. He is spoiled. After all, what dog do you know that gets a new trailer and trip across the country because his owners couldn’t bear to leave him behind? After the set up, David and I proceeded to eat a quick lunch, change into our pool attire, grab our books and maps of Alaska, put Watson into the trailer, and proceed to walk across the street to the pool. As I looked back at the trailer, there was Watson, up on our bed, sadly looking out the back window. “Okay... Read more

The Lug_Nut RV Trivia Challenge No. 12 Extreme Destinations

    The Lug_Nut Trivia Challenge No 12 deals with some extreme RV travel 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.       So, let’s go!   1)    This popular destination has a Bavarian theme and boasts of the largest year round Christmas store in the world.  Where is this great destination. A)    Branson, MO B)    Frankenmuth, MI C)   Pigeon Forge, TN D)   Portland, OR E)    Lake George, NY 2)    The highest structure in the Western Hemisphere, CN Tower, is a top attraction and draws tens of thousands of visitors in this city.  If you were making it your RV vacation destination, you would have to book one the many parks found within a short drive.  What city would you be visiting? A)    Houston B)    Seattle C)   Montreal D)   Toronto E)    Calgary 3)    At a height of 235’ this rock structure ranks as the third highest “intertidal” structure in the world.  It draws visitors from all over the country and is the focal point for many photographers.  What is its name and where can it be found? A)    Haystack Rock, Oregon Coast B)    Hilton Head, South Carolina C)   Cape Hatteras, Outer Banks, North Carolina D)   Flowerpot Island, Georgian Bay, Ontario E)   ... Read more

My First Camping Trip

My first campint rip is ethed in my memory – Dec. 26, 1971. Before I continue, let me tell you a little background leading up to that trip. My husband, Tom, enjoyed Thanksgiving weekend on a eer huntng trip with his buddies for many years. During that timeframe, he would say to me-’we should go camping’. I certainly was not a person who wanted to be a camper. Sleeping in a tent just didn’t seem like enjoyment to me. Plus dealing with 3 young children would only make it miserable. Give ma a cozy room at a hotel with a pool, room service and restaurant. When he left on his 1971 trip something happened inside of me that I never felt before. I got a very strange ‘bug’ that I just couldn’t explain. It’s called the ‘RV Bug’. So the kids and I went looking at RVs while he was gone. Tom had always said “I never want to pull one of those big trailer”. I began my mission looking at pop-ups. I gathered numerous pamphlets of different manufacturers. The next move had to be strategist because it would be a big expense for our very limited budget. I put the pamphlets in my drawer and wondered how I was going to present them to him. I even said a prayer asking God to let me know”when” is the right time. Tom came home from that trip with a deer so he was full of stories. As I was listening to all the action of the hunt and he finally stopped to take a breath,I jumped in and quickly asked about camping in the tent.... Read more

Lessons Learned!

In 2004 we decided to take our Forest River Wildcat on its first vacation trip. At that time it was two years old but had not been on any road trips as yet, however it had been our home for 1 1/2 years while building our home. The first day as we started on our way to Mountain Home, AK our goal was to reach northeastern Texas or southwestern Arkansas. We prefer to drive back roads and avoid interstates as much as possible. Somewhere in northeast Texas we heard a pop and upon looking in the rearview mirrior I saw what was left of a tire. Hoping that was what I had run over it but knowing that wasen’t the case I pulled over on the side of the road. In most cases in Texas there is a wide paved area along the side of the road but as luck would have it not on this road. I got out and found the right rear tire was shredded. I decided to change it myself and got out all of the necessary equipment, loosened the lug nuts, jacked the trailer up and then removed the tire. As I was attempting to put the spare on (I had insisted that the dealer add a spare to the trailer before leaving the dealership) my wife said “it won’t fit.” I asked why and she pointed out there weren’t enough holes in the wheel. Thank goodness we had a emergency road service plan. I called and they dispatched a repair truck (one hour away). I picked up the remains of my tire and made a call to the RV dealership in Dallas, I “discussed” with the dealer the fact that the spare... Read more

Tent Trailer Initiation

Our first RV was a new tent trailer in 1991. We were so proud, and anxious for our first big outing to Calaveras Big Trees State Park. We were meeting my sister and her family, who were traveling in their 24 foot travel trailer. We arrived first, and checked out the two sites that were assigned to our families. One was up on a seemingly high knoll, the other on a slope. Thinking that our small lightweight rig would handle the knoll better than the larger trailer, we went about setting up on the knoll. We were about all set up and Ricky Ranger comes and informs us that this site was for the travel trailer, and we were to take the sloping site. So we had to start all over again, we collapsed our tent trailer, hooked up and moved down to the other site. Once again, we unhooked the trailer and assessed our position. Remembering what the dealer had told us a few days before on how easy it is to move a tent trailer by hand to better position it, we decided that turning it a bit would give us a better view. So, we removed the tire blocks and started to shove our little trailer. Well, it moved all right—right down the slope! It was rolling uncontrollably, dragging me along. It finally stopped—right into the side of our van!! Naturally leaving a nasty dent! Ok, hooked up again—pushed it up the hill, unhooked, and start to set up once again. In the mean time, we now have two cranky, hungry kids and a missing dog. While dealing with all of the above, we notice a 5th wheel pull... Read more

A Unique Camping Trailer

In the late 50’s I had a camp trailer that was the coolest thing around. It was about 14 feet long with sleeping quarters inside. The back wall folded down making a counter and a complete kitchen with a two burner stove, an iicebox, a sink with water tank and storage compartments for dishes and food. THE BEST PART OF THE CAMPER WAS THAT THE TOP WAS A 12 FOOT FIBERGLASS BOAT THAT CAME OFF AND WAS USED FOR FISHING OR FUN. When the boat was off there was a canvas top with ribs that you installed. I had this trailer for three years and had many great times with it. It only had one drawback – you had to explain it to everyone. I don’t remember the brand. There are lots of trailers with a fold down counter and kitchen but I have never seen another one that used a boat for a top. Submitted by Trent Miller of Ellensburg, WA as a part of the RV Centennial Celebration “Share Your Favorite RV Memory” contest. Do you have a favorite RVing or camping memory you’d like to share? Submit your favorite memory here!  Read More →

A Learning Experience

My wife and I had been married about 5 years. My wife never camped growing up but I had the opportunity to camp both in scouting and with my family. I “talked” my wife into getting a tent and take our two small girls camping. The first trip was just a short trip to a local campground and we setup the tent and had a great first day. As it got dark I heard my wife in the tent fogging it for bugs and the like. I told her not to spray the bug spray on the canvas of the tent because if it rained the tent would leak. I told her if she wanted to spray she could just spray her side of the tent. Later that night a big rainstorm came up and I heard the little ones talking so I turned on the lantern. There the three of them sit looking like drowned rats, their sleeping bags soaked and water standing on their side of the tent. I knew it wasn’t going to be good for me so I kept my mouth shut and told them they could have my sleeping bag. As soon as daylight broke they were packing the car – needless to say our first camping trip was cut short. It must not have been all bad because my two daughters are grown and they love when we can all go camping with their families but things have improved – grandma and grandpa now have a Class A if it begins to rain. Submitted by Alan Bryant as a part of the RV Centennial Celebration “Share Your Favorite RV Memory” contest. Do you have a favorite RVing or camping memory you’d like to share? Submit your favorite memory... Read more

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