Some Days Are Diamonds, Some Days Are Stones

Some Days Are Diamonds, Some Days Are Stones, was made popular by John Denver in 1981. For the Arkansas couple that recently found a flawless 2.44-carat silver white diamond at the Crater of Diamonds State Park, it was one incredible “diamond day”. The RV lifestyle is like no other but occasionally a stone or two is thrown into the mix. By taking certain precautions and safety checks on travel days, we’re likely to experience mostly “diamond days,” but that’s the topic of another post. The RV Industry, unfortunately, is not immune from scam artists. The following stories have recently been in the News for All the Wrong Reasons—the first three relate to consignment sales of recreational vehicles. Complaints Filed Against Defunct Dealership A dozen customers of Top-O-Hill RV Service Center in Aurora, south of Portland, have filed formal complaints with the Oregon Department of Justice over consignment contracts, according to local television station KGW News. The complaints range from Top-O-Hill selling their RV but not paying them any money for the sale to a camper trailer disappearing without the owner notified where it is or if it has been sold. Some customers who bought RVs from Workman said they found out they could not get a title for their purchase, even though they had paid the agreed amount. The Top-O-Hill sign in front of the large empty lot on one side says, “Thanks for 22 years,” and on the other side, “We’ll miss you Bill.” The owner, Bill... Read more

Calculating Fuel Costs with Streets and Trips

We have plans this summer to travel 10,758 miles. That will cost us approximately $4,707 in gas cost if gas prices are $3.50/gal.  If the price goes up to $4, make that total $5,288.         First Plan your Route How do I figure this?  By using the Route Options feature of my Streets and Trips program.  Our summer travels are dictated first by the Rallies where we will be presenting our computer seminars.  I add them all as Stops on our route using Streets and Trips Route planner.  Then I add a few of our ‘must-visit’ places in between.  The software plots the course based on these stops. Then Set your Options Whenever directions are given, they include a summary: Of course, it needs a fuel price in order to calculate this.  You enter that in the Route Options, under the Route menu.  This is also where you enter your average miles per gallon for city (7mpg for us) and highway (8mpg) driving.  So, it’s a simple matter to get the calculation for several different fuel prices. Try Changing your Route Let’s say we decide this is just too expensive, how much would we save by not going out west this summer?  All I need to do is to delete the route stops out west and get directions again.  This only takes a few clicks and  I now have a new summary:   Other Calculators If you don’t have Streets and Trips, or you just want a quick estimate without planning your exact route, there are plenty of calculators on the web. www.travelmath.com/fuel-cost/: You... Read more

National Park Week: Start Planning Now

Looking for an affordable place to visit this spring? Look no further than a National Park. From sea to shining sea, the United States has some of the most breath taking national parks and scenic wonderlands. Each national park has very important significance embedded into the landscape and historical heritage. Every year, mountain travelers flock to America’s national parks like Utah’s Canyonlands National Park. © Rex Vogel, all rights reserved One of the most budget friendly vacation ideas just got more affordable as national parks that usually charge entrance or day-use fees are waiving them during National Park Week—April 16-24, 2011. About 147 of the 394 parks and historic sites operated by the National Park Service charge admission fees ranging from $3 to $25. National Parks Service has compiled a complete list of the parks that are waiving fees. This list can be accessed by Name and by State. National Park Week is an opportunity to hike, bike, learn, share, and experience the majesty in the nation’s national parks. Visit any of America’s national parks and enjoy free admission all week long! Whether you prefer to hike Zion (Utah),  photograph the wonders of Arches (Utah), wander in the paths of the Anasazi at Aztec Ruins (New Mexico), explore the desert scenery and granite monoliths of Joshua Tree (California), or tour an ancient cave dwelling at Mesa Verde (Colorado) moving outside is good for you and offers a chance to explore these special places. In... Read more

The Zen of Boondocking Part VIII – Boondocking on public lands

Bob Difley Now that we’ve solved the problems of dumping, water, and electricity and you’ve had a few nights of tether-less camping at non-hookup campgrounds or at a Walmart, let’s tackle the essence of the heart of boondocking–camping out in the boonies. So just where can you camp legally outside of designated campgrounds? That’s the good part. There are millions of acres of public lands which are open to all forms of recreation, including camping and boondocking. Wikipedia defines and identifies public lands as, “The majority of public lands in the United States are held in trust for the American people by the federal government and managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the United States National Park Service, Bureau of Reclamation, or the Fish and Wildlife Service under the Department of the Interior, or the United States Forest Service (FS) under the Department of Agriculture. Other federal agencies that manage public lands include the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the United States Department of Defense, which includes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.” Most of these public lands are open for recreational use, though the type depends on the managing agency. On Forest Service and BLM lands restrictions are minimal (BLM alone manages 253 million acres–one-eighth of the country’s landmass, but most of it is in the eleven western states), though more controlled in national and state parks... Read more

Finally, a Pay-as-you-go satellite TV offer made for RVers!

By Marcel Guajardo, DISH Network RV Products Manager During the last year, I traveled to several rallies and trade shows across the country.  I started at the Winnebago Rally in Forest City, Iowa, speaking to RVers about their satellite TV experiences.   It was obvious that RVers love their TVs, but many travel only a few months a year and don’t want a year-long commitment.   So we launched our new “Pay-as-you-go” program that lets you simply pay for TV service for only the months you travel. RVers can sign up for a no-contract plan in which you only pay a monthly bill for the months that you travel. This presents huge savings for RVers since you don’t have to pay a monthly bill all year long.  You can start and stop monthly service as many times as you want at no charge.    The program offers HD programming and the convenience of having a dedicated receiver in your RV.  There’s no better offer for those who want to enjoy television while they travel! Key features of our Pay-as-you-go program: No contract required No additional monthly service fees No charges to start or stop monthly service HD programming Compact HD receiver View your off-air channels through your HD receiver Have a Ku-band mobile satellite antenna?  Want HD in-motion? Only DISH Network offers HD programming with any Ku-band mobile satellite antenna! To learn more, visit www.dish.com/rv. We are also in all Camping World stores!  Read More →

A Fond Look Back at SUPERMOON

One of the reasons we camp is to get closer to nature. But in this instance, “nature” just happened to be getting closer to us — and even though it was a couple hundred thousand miles away, it was still quite spectacular. Every once in a while, the wonders of the universe remind us that we inhabit a pretty special corner of the Milky Way. Recently we experienced a so-called “SUPERMOON,” which is not a pants-dropping superhero, but rather a condition that exists when the moon is unusually close to the earth. Here’s the way SUPERMOON looked from our neck of the woods. It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's SUPERMOON! When this photo was taken, the moon was a mere 221,565 miles away from earth. In other words, if you were to stack enough unsold Taylor Hicks CDs on top of one another to extend from the earth to the moon…well, you’d need a lot fewer CDs. (But this would be a rather silly exercise, and I predict you would encounter serious logistical problems once you exit the earth’s atmosphere.) Scientists also claim that SUPERMOON was 15% larger and 20% brighter than the norm. Although I have no way to confirm these statistics, I nevertheless believe them to be correct — mainly because we were able to snag a number of photos in which the moon does not resemble a frosted incandescent lightbulb. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed SUPERMOON, wherever on planet earth you may reside. It was proof that sometimes “the best... Read more

A new trailer that’s old

Airstream, arguably the most recognized RV manufacturer in North America, has partnered with Eddie Bauer to produce a new trendy trailer—the 2011 Eddie Bauer Airstream travel trailer. The all new 2011 Eddie Bauer Airstream. Photo courtesy Gear Patrol First unveiled at the 48th Annual National RV Trade Show in Louisville, Kentucky in late November 2010, the Eddie Bauer Airstream is now available at dealers nationwide. With more than 160 years of combined experience, two iconic brands, Airstream and Eddie Bauer, have partnered to create the ultimate adventure travel trailer, specifically designed to bring outdoor enthusiasts closer to Mother Nature in comfort and style. Designed to meet the specific needs of outdoor adventure travel, the Eddie Bauer Airstream includes a unique sport hatch in the rear of the trailer. The hatch allows for easy loading and unloading of oversized equipment such as bikes and kayaks which can then be secured in the fold-away dinette/lounge area. The unit is also equipped with premium oversized Michelin tires to provide greater ground clearance and rugged wheel-well cladding to protect against off-road debris. A handheld exterior shower makes for easy cleanup for the traveler, their equipment, or pets. Extra clotheslines and racks are intended for hanging wet clothing while durable exterior tie hooks are ideal for securing equipment or making sure Fido stays close by. The interior features an Eddie Bauer-inspired décor, including maple and soapstone... Read more

Mark’s RV Garage Episode #4 Released

RV Education 101 releases Episode #4 of the brand new Internet based RV How-To series titled “Mark’s RV Garage.” The new episode is available for viewing at www.rvconsumer.com and on You Tube On this episode of Mark’s RV Garage: * The vintage trailer project is taken apart down to the bare studs.  * Rescuing Roxie, watch the story of a dog Mark & his family rescued last year. * Discover an easy installation for your RV that keeps the dirt at the door.   * Find out what you can do to win a free copy of Microsoft Streets and Trips. * Discover what www.rv4thecause.org is all about and how you can register for some free information packed webinars.     If you missed previous episodes of Mark’s RV Garage they are archived at www.rvconsumer.com for easy retreival and viewing Episode # 5 will be available for viewing on 4 April 2011. Happy RV Learning, Mark Polk www.rvconsumer.com  Read More →

The Zen of Boondocking Part VII – The yucky part of boondocking

By Bob Difley Though we dealt with water  in last week’s post we did not answer the question of what to do with waste water from the sinks and shower (the somewhat yucky part) or with black water  from the toilet (the really yucky part). So bear up and let’s face it now. The main difference between boondocking and hookups regarding waste tanks is the length of time the yucky stuff stays in the tanks. Hookups, very short. Boondocking, long. That means that when boondocking you should: Monitor the levels of each tank. Have an idea of the tank levels just to affirm that your gauges are correct. Determine how fast your tanks are filling and how much time you have left before you need to dump. Install a venturi-type roof vent (photo) to your black water tank to extract odors. No chemicals needed. Move to a dump station before your gray tank bubbles up into your shower. Use conservation habits to empty as little into your holding tanks as possible. Dump your tanks into a portable holding tank (sometimes called a Blue Boy – see photo) and transport it to a dump station rather than moving your whole rig. If you are in a no-hook-up campground with a dump station, you can tow the Blue Boy for short distances. The difficulty is loading  a full tank into the bed of your pick-up or the trunk of your dingy. The other trick for extending your boondocking days between runs to the dump station requires new ways to deal with water usage. The black water tank will not likely... Read more

TVA Campgrounds Open This Weekend

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a corporation owned and operated by the United States government. Its purpose is to promote the unified development of the resources of the Tennessee River Basin, an area that includes parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia. TVA’s varied activities include water control to prevent floods and improve navigation, production and transmission of electric power, and conservation and recreation programs. TVA operates 30 major dams and a number of smaller ones. Before these dams were built, the Tennessee Valley was periodically ravaged by floods that caused vast property damage. Today floodwater is held in reservoirs behind the dams. The dams on the main stream form a chain of lakes through which commercial vessels may navigate for 650 miles from Paducah, Kentucky, to Knoxville, Tennessee. Millions of people enjoy recreational activities on TVA reservoirs each year. They offer nearly limitless opportunities for fun-filled activities, including water skiing, canoeing, sailing, windsurfing, fishing, swimming, hiking, nature photography, picnicking, bird watching, and camping. Camping and Recreation Areas Cherokee Dam is on the Holston River in east Tennessee, 52 miles upstream from the point at which the Holston and French Broad Rivers converge to form the Tennessee River. Photo courtesy TVA TVA operates 80 public recreation areas throughout the TVA region, including day-use areas, campgrounds,... Read more

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