Our Alaska Trip Epilogue

We decided to add a brief concluding chapter to this series, mainly to answer a few questions that have come up several times in the comments section   FIRST:  To find the entire series (plus our earlier articles), go to http://blog.rv.net/author/barry-zander.   THE RIGHT RIG:  The trip into Alaska via western Canada takes you through vast, gorgeous expanses.  We really don’t think the size of your rig matters.             On our 58-day trek, we pulled our 28-foot Bigfoot trailer with a GMC 2500 diesel and had no problems, other than one of the first unexpected frost heaves, which cost us a bottle of blueberry wine and a bottle of balsamic vinegar.  Also on our caravan were 12 motorhomes with towed vehicles, two Class Cs, a Winnebago View, two fifth wheels and a Class B van conversion.. That’s a pretty representative group and each handled the trip without any special problems, suffering only the same types of inconveniences that can happen in the Lower 48.             One commenter to the series weighed in that the best way to take this trip is in a truck camper.  It might have its advantages, but we think you can make the trip without concern in whatever RV you have now.  When you take the trip, do it in what makes you comfortable.  We saw very few pop-ups on the 5,700-mile journey.             That said, we’ll pass along the advice of just about every expert on making this trip:  Make sure your rig is in good condition, particularly... Read more

Utah and other states clarify rules for overnight sleeping in rest areas

By Bob Difley Officials from the Utah Department of Transportation and the Highway Patrol, in response to my questions and blog (Aug. 6th) about the rules for sleeping overnight in Utah rest areas, provided the following clarifications: David Moreno, Utah Highway Patrol: “There is no difference from overnight parking or overnight camping. Rest areas are designed for travelers to stop and rest for “short periods” It may include drinking water, toilets, tables and benches, telephones, information and other facilities for travelers. We don’t expect the travelers to stop, park and spend the night. This will be a violation and all rest stops have posted signs which indicate you can not spend the night. Of course we expect travelers to not drive fatigue and we encourage if they need to take a nap for a few minutes or even an hour or two to please do so, at least to allow the travelers to get the nearest town. Overnight parking is prohibited.” UDOT: I also spoke to Bill Juszcak, Facilities Maintenance Manager of the Utah Dept. of Transportation, who said that there was no law that specifically defined the question of rest area stays, and the state attorneys felt that the issue was not worth getting more specific. The following rules apply: * No slides out. * Don’t put anything outside on the lot (barbecue, chairs, etc.) * No unhitching unless in an emergency. * If the rest stop is quite full you maybe asked by attendants to move on after a few hours. *... Read more

UPDATE: Dangerous Fugitives CAUGHT at Campground!

A few days ago, we alerted you of a dangerous situation regarding escaped Arizona prison inmates. Those inmates are linked to the recent murder of an RVing couple (Gary & Linda Haas) in New Mexico. They were suspected of staying at campgrounds as they fled police. McCluskey arrested! After many days of silence, we finally have some good news. The final escaped convict (John McCluskey) and his female companion (Casslyn Welch) have been apprehended at an eastern Arizona campground on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, authorities said late Thursday. Read more  Read More →

The Headlight Flash. What Does It Really Mean

The flashing of one’s headlights is something we have seen for years throughout Europe.  It was, and is, used to generally signal the intention to overtake another vehicle.  Kind of a heads-up and to ensure the vehicle being passed was aware of this action.  For this use, nearly all the vehicles sold in Europe for the last forty plus years were equipped with a momentary headlight switch built into the directional signal. Read more  Read More →

New Casino Proposed – Targeting RVers

Penn Harris Gaming is trying a different twist on the “RV friendly casino” and they hope to create a destination for a broad spectrum of travelers.   They’re starting with an existing Holiday Inn hotel about 10 miles from Harrisburg, PA and plan to build a casino and “RV World”. I have to admit I was skeptical when I first heard about their plans, but as I learn more about it I’m warming up to their idea.  The state requires that all casino hotels have at least 275 rooms.  The hotel that Penn Harris hopes to convert to a casino resort only has 239, and they’re moving RVs onto the lot to make up for the additional 36 rooms.  The first image that popped into my mind was a FEMA trailer park, but that thought was quickly replaced by a more appealing one.  It seems they have a multifaceted approach to different segments of the RV community. Read more  Read More →

Our Alaska Trip Part XXXII-B Some Final Thoughts

This is the second part of a two-part article, No. 32 in a continuing series about our trip through Canada to Alaska CB Radio – Since caravans require having a CB radio to communicate with the staff and other rigs while on the road, on my son’s advice we got a powerful CB radio with a faceplate loaded with knobs and toggles.  That gave us more opportunities to accidentally hit or turn the wrong feature, … opportunities we took!  Suggestion 1) Get a good CB radio, but if you’re not familiar with them, don’t go overboard with features. And 2) ask advice on which antenna to buy and where to put it on your truck or rig.  It makes a difference in reception, particularly, for us, when you’re trying to talk with a caravan member located behind the trailer. Speed Limits – I mentioned earlier that I taped a chart on my steering wheel to convert mph to kph.  We’re still in Canada and I’m still referring to it often.  An inconvenience is that Canadian roads don’t have “Resume Speed” signs, so it’s not obvious when you can legally get back to 90 or 100 kph.  And it gets tricky in towns posted at 40 which have a stretch of unpopulated areas and then you realize you’re still in town where 90 could get you a hefty ticket.  Also, when a road sign before a curve says “SLOW,” it’s a good idea to slow down. Sales Tax – The merchants often explain, “The ministry wants its share” when adding the sales tax.  In Alaska, there is no sales tax – except... Read more

Gr8LakesCamper: Online Campground Reservations

A while back I posted a press release from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources shifting all of its campground reservations to the Internet. Several people commented on this post, basically taking exception to the state parks contracting with third party vendors and passing the costs onto us. I promised a follow-up, and here it is. (Note: You can read my Illinois DNR post and the comments by clicking here.) In a nutshell: State park systems are losing money and staff; contracting campground reservation systems with third-party vendors are paid for by campground users; the two primary vendors are both owned by the same parent company. That’s the overview; the details are best explained by how one state — Ohio — went about it. The Ohio State Park system is the third most visited park system in the nation, with over 50 million “visitor occasions” annually. Visitor occasions are essentially anytime anyone uses a state park. For Ohio, this includes day users and overnight stays at nearly 10,000 campsites in 57 campgrounds; 1,025 miles of shoreline, 80 public beaches and 188 boat ramps; 36 nature/visitor centers; 183 playgrounds and 6 golf courses; 394 individual trails totaling 1,167 miles; 518 cottages and 9 resort lodges. In 2009, people camped at an Ohio State Park a total of 582,000 nights. John Hunter, Acting Chief of ODNR’s Parks & Recreation Division, said Ohio began exploring using a reservation program in 2003. Prior to that, cottage... Read more

THE LONG, LONG JOURNEY TO FIND THE IDEAL DP

Tiffin Phaeton 40QTH   Number 6-7 (Tie) Tiffin Phaeton 40QTH   Before any of the loyal Tiffin owners scold me for rating the Phaeton this low, please keep in mind I am not taking into account quality of construction, factory support, and any of several other features of the various motorhomes.  I am using a list of 32 specific standard features or options offered on a specific motorhome.  I have long felt that Tiffin motorhomes are among the best built and best supported coaches on the market.  However, I had to be true to the task and this is just the way it has worked out.  Phaetons are obviously beautiful motorhomes.  However, there are a few areas where things just don’t work out for me.  Please keep in mind, we are taking this journey in order to learn more about what can be available in a diesel pusher motorhome, and some of the things to look for.  In many cases, what works for me, may not work for you, but at least check it out. First, the plusses:  The Phaeton comes standard with both bottom mounted side view mirrors, and windshield wipers.  Both of these are considered better than the top mounted versions.  Another very nice feature is the option to order a stackable washer/dryer.  My DW definitely wants this option the next time we buy a motorhome.  The bed is standard as a queen, but there is a king size option.  This garners another point for the Phaeton, which is lost later because there is no option available for a basement freezer which some consider... Read more

Our Alaska Trip Part XXXII-A Some Final Thoughts

This is the first part of a two-part article, No. 32 in a continuing series about our trip through Canada to Alaska   Until you actually get on the road and enter the Canadian Northwest and Alaska, you can’t appreciate the distances involved — or the grandeur.  We made this trip knowing there was a lot to see, but maybe just as important to us was to check “Alaska” off our list of states we’ve visited as RVers.  Boy, what an eye-opening experience!  It’s a long way up there with lots of rough driving, but we now know we have to return. As I drove over the past two-and-a-half months, Monique jotted down a few thoughts to include in our articles.  Here are some that we haven’t mentioned or didn’t emphasize enough.   Taking Pictures — I wrote an article about photography for RV.net earlier this year called “Keeping a Visual Record of Your Travels.”  [http://blog.rv.net/2010/05/keeping-a-visual-record-of-your-travels/]  In it I asked, “Why take pictures?  Are you looking to keep memories alive?   Are you planning to give a talk to the Kiwanis Club when you get home?  Or is there a big bodacious dream of having your pictures published in a table-top book or in magazines?  These are all good reasons to keep a camera with you and snap pictures.” During our Alaskan trip, I took about 10,000 pictures, which I downloaded into my laptop.  Then I deleted about a third.  Then I looked again and deleted about a third of those.  The remainder... Read more

How to find dispersed campsites in national forests

By Bob Difley RVers and normal people call camping without hookups boondocking, regardless of whether it is on the baking black asphalt in a Walmart parking lot or so far back an old forest service logging road even the coyotes can’t find it. But you rarely see a magazine ad photo of that sparkling new 40-foot diesel pusher in a Walmart parking lot. So if what you see in the RV ad–a canopy of lofty pine trees on the edge of a wildflower strewn meadow with a gurgling mountain stream flowing through it–looks like the campsite you picture your RV in, then I have news for you. You’re going to have to discover it for yourself, because it won’t be in a Walmart parking lot and it won’t be in a campground either. Those campsites are called “dispersed” by the Forest Service and BLM, which is a good word for them. They are scattered about, with no directional signs leading you to them, sometimes no room for more than one or two vehicles, not identified in any printed directions, nor located on official maps. They are the best kept secrets of boondockers that have taken the time and effort to find them. So how do you find them? It is not usually efficient to find a one night free boondock stopover while enroute to a destination, but rather when you have a few days or longer to stay in one place, and are willing to take some extra time to find just the right campsite. One of these options below will work, depending on your and the area’s... Read more

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