What Do You Need for Casino Camping?
June 20, 2008 by Mac McClellan · 1 Comment
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I know that some readers of this blog are experienced dry campers and stay “off the grid” far more than we do. At the other extreme are RVers whose only dry camping experience is stopping for lunch at a rest area while en-route from one RV resort to the next. In between, and probably more typical, are those who occasionally dry camp overnight at Wal-Mart or Flying-J, or for a few days at a RV rally, etc. Coming from all these different RVing experiences you’ll likely have different notions of what casino camping would be like. I’ll share a few random thoughts with you about how it may differ from things you’ve done before, and maybe get you thinking about how this parking opportunity would (or wouldn’t) fit into your future plans.
Heat Exhaustion, stop it before it gets worse!
June 9, 2008 by Gary Smith · 3 Comments
When this blog started, in January, I was writing about hypothermia and frostbite, and summer seemed like it was years away. Now suddenly IT IS HERE! This past week in Pennsylvania it has been above 90, and the humidity seems to match! So, now in honor of Summer, I want to write about … You Guessed it … HEAT! Please don’t think I am all about gloom and doom and that nothing can make me happy, or even that I find something wrong with every thing. But each season has its perils, and, if you know about them, you can be prepared to avoid them and make your trip not only safer but happier!
Now, heat is something that everyone expects in the summer, but few worry about. Now, as some of us approach middle age (do I really think I am going to make it past 96?), we find we don’t tolerate it as well as we used to. The young (below 8 - 10) and the middle age to elderly ( I will let you decide where that line falls) have more problems with the heat. So, let’s explore the beginnings of dangerous heat exposure by learning about Heat Exhaustion.
Helping Others Enjoy Boondocking
March 22, 2008 by Bob Difley · 2 Comments
Yesterday was the last day of the Tucson Life On Wheels RV Conference. Because of the economy, gas prices, etc. the turnout was below last year, which was saddening. However, the students and instructors were as enthusiastic as any previous year, reinforcing the importance of the program and its superb educational classes and seminars. One point that struck me was the interest in boondocking, which seemed to be at a high level of interest with the students, many–if not most–of them new to RVing.
Three boondocking seminars were presented, one by the solar guru, Greg Holder, of AM Solar, which was the more technical side of boondocking, another by Nick Russell, Editor, Publisher, and owner of The Gypsy Journal, and mine, titled Boondocking and Camping on our Public Lands, which looked at the more fun parts of boondocking, places to stay, how to find neat boondocking spots, and the joys and freedom of the un-tethered life.
It’s not surprising that with the climbing prices of campgrounds, fuel, and it seems like everything else, the concept of boondocking to these new RVers was NOT just a way to save money, but also seemed to be at this high level of interest because of the aesthetic features of boondocking.
Yes, these RVers were interested in the technical side, like installing solar panels, wind turbines, instant hot water heaters, and all the technical tools that make extended boondocking possible. But they were also interested in finding a quiet spot by a mountain stream, a place under a palo verde tree in the open desert, or a nose-in spot in a forest service campground on the coast just feet from the ocean.
I gave this blog site address to all my students as well as telling them that it was OK to approach other boondockers if they needed help or had questions, and I ask all of you experienced RVers out there, whenever one of these “newbies” asks you a question, give them the value of your experience, passing on to them that boondocking can be as isolated or as communal as one desires, it can be a techie adventure or a simple lifestyle, whatever one desires.
With all of our help, our community of boondockers will grow with the kind of environmentally sensitive, nature appreciating people we all like to be around. Happy travels and keep boondocking.
Bob Difley
RV’ing Baja - Part 8 - RV Adventure Video
March 13, 2008 by John Holod · Leave a Comment
Decision to Make a “Baja RV Adventure” Video
This was getting ridiculous! I had come to the famous lagoons of Baja to get up-close and personal with the gray whales, but this was harassment! The calf and its mother kept coming back over and over again to be petted. The encounter had been going on for over two hours and I was getting tired. They were so close they were sliming my camera when they spouted to breathe, and believe me, their breath didn’t smell too good, kind of like old tuna fish you find at the back of the fridge after a year or two. Finally we tried to head back to the shore. As we slowly moved away from the whales I looked back to see them following us, they wanted to play some more! It was an incredible experience that I will never forget.
The whales are a great reason to visit Baja, but there are many others. I fell in love with the place back in 1975 when I drove the entire 1,060-mile Transpeninsular Highway on my Harley-Davidson. The temperature was a balmy one hundred and five degrees. A funny thing happens on a motorcycle as you drive across the desert. Instead of a refreshing breeze being created by driving six-five miles an hour, the reverse is true. It’s like driving a car in the summer with windows up and the heater on, a real blast furnace. Then a true miracle happened. An old Arnold’s Bread truck passed my biker friend and I. When they got in front of us, an arm came out of the left and right side windows with an ice-cold beer in each hand. A brew never tasted better. I have gone back several times since and continue to find new and interesting reasons to visit. Making an adventure travel video was the next logical step.
To be continued next Thursday ….John Holod - RV Adventure Videos
John & Jodie will be leading a Born Free Caravan to Alaska this summer. For more information check out his website below.
John’s personal appearance schedule and videos can be found on his website, where he can be reached via email at www.rvadventurevideos.com
March Schedule: 28th - 2nd Phoenix AZ RV Show - 3rd (Jodie) Miami OK - 4th Bakersfield CA - 6th - 9th Denver CO RV Show - 14th - 17th The Rally Perry GA - 27th - 30th Sacramento RV Show
Having a Ball, Camping with Ice Cream
March 12, 2008 by Roy Scribner · 5 Comments
The Play & Freeze™ Ice Cream Maker, from Industrial Revolution in Redmond, Washington, just might be the greatest camping gadget ever invented – at least if you frequently camp with kids it is! You might have seen these before and wondered if they were just some cheap gimmick, or if they actually make good ice cream? Let me assure you, there is no difference between the ice cream that comes out of the Play & Freeze and the ice cream that comes out of any other ice cream maker, and the Play & Freeze does not require any electricity – although it sure helps to have enough kids around to keep the thing moving for 30 minutes. Ice cream can be a powerful motivator, though!
The Play & Freeze comes in two sizes; the “Original” size makes one pint of ice cream, while the “MEGA” Play & Freeze (shown here) makes a whole quart of your favorite summer snack. The concept is similar to most other ice cream makers; pack ice and rock salt around a metal cylinder filled with the ice cream ingredients (cream, sugar and flavoring), then agitate the mixture until it freezes solid. It is the agitating part where the Play & Freeze makes a significant departure from traditional ice cream makers. What used to be mom and dad’s job, tirelessly turning a crank to spin the cylinder, is now a fun game of sitting in a circle and rolling the “ice cream ball” to each other! A quart of ice cream takes about 30-minutes, with a short break in the middle to add more salt and ice (1 bag of ice and 1 cup of rock salt is enough for the entire batch), and scrape the already freezing ice cream from the sides of the cylinder, so that the entire quart freezes evenly. It is nearly impossible to mess this up, provided you start with whole cream and use enough sugar (just shy of a full cup, for 1 quart of cream).
The Play & Freeze is easy to transport, and seems rugged enough to last a lifetime. We inaugurated ours during last summer’s triple-digit heat wave, here on the west coast, and it not only kept the kids busy for part of the afternoon – it also tasted darn good (thanks kids!).
Happy camping!
RV’ing Baja - Part 7 - The End of the Road
March 6, 2008 by John Holod · 2 Comments
The End of the Road
The capital city of La Paz is the next stop. Many travelers, including Mexicans, say this is 
their favorite city in all of Baja. In addition to a beautiful beachfront walkway, La Paz is famous for scuba diving. It’s not uncommon to dive with friendly giant manta rays and sea lions. This is a good place to pick up supplies or hard-to-find parts. This is where you can catch a ferry to the mainland city of Mazatlan. The Casa Blanca RV Park in town actually has some 50-amp plugs.
After La Paz, the highway splits on its way to Cabo. If you go west, you can visit Todos Santos, which has excellent shopping, restaurants and is considered an artists’ colony.
Satellite TV on the Cheap – Part 2
March 5, 2008 by Roy Scribner · 29 Comments
Last week I talked about the $49 “Disaster Readiness Kit” (DRK) that I purchased through my account on DirecTV.com. I am happy to report that the system is very complete, the tripod is very solid, and it can be setup quicker than my camp kitchen! It comes with 50-feet of RG-6 Cable, allowing the dish to be positioned anywhere around the RV that has a clear view of the southern sky. The tripod itself is very sturdy and solid, but not at all heavy, and includes long spikes that can be driven into the soil to secure it. The dish is a dual-LNB model, which means that it has two cable connections coming off of it that you can tap into, for use with two separate satellite receivers. The two satellite receivers could be in the form of two separate TV’s, or a single TV with a Digital Video Recorder (DVR). Two independent signals allow the DVR to record one channel while you watch another. My setup is rather simple, as I am just using one of the LNB connections to feed one satellite TV receiver which, in turn, outputs to two different TV’s. Under this scenario, both TV’s are limited to displaying the same channel, but that works fine for us since the kids will be asleep whenever we are watching the second TV in our bedroom.
RV’ing Baja - Part 6 - Oasis in the Desert
February 28, 2008 by John Holod · 2 Comments
Oasis in the Desert
Further south is one of my favorite towns: Mulege. Founded in 1705 as a Jesuit mission, it’s known as the “oasis in the desert.” The river is one of the few freshwater streams that flows year-round, and the abundant supply of water brings many species of birds into the area. The 
Orchard is the best RV park for birders. There are good fishing and diving opportunities as well.
The Sierra de Guadeloupe Mountains contain the largest number of known prehistoric mural sites in Baja. The Hotel Serenidad has a small RV park out back.
A few miles south of Mulege, the Bahia de Concepcion is considered by many to be the ultimate Baja destination. Thirty miles long and only three miles wide at the mouth, the crystal-clear turquoise bay is the most idyllic seashore on the entire peninsula. There are no full hookups, but the scenery makes up for the inconvenience. Most beach spots cost about $5 per night and there are many from which to choose.
I Have a Dream: The Ultimate Boondocking Machine
February 23, 2008 by Bob Difley · 9 Comments
The main reason I chose the RV Lifestyle was to spend as much time as I wanted in natural surroundings, in Mother Nature’s playground. RVing has enabled me to hike more trails, discover hidden Alpine lakes, track and study wildlife, enjoy the quiet and solitude of the deep forest, watch birds in their natural habitat, walk through wildflower covered meadows, and to just enjoy the natural surroundings of forests, deserts, lakes and rivers, shorelines and estuaries.
For this reason I search for little known boondocking hideaways, secluded forest service campgrounds, and the wide open desert. None of the campsites I find in these pristine spots offer amenities such as potable water supply, electrical hookup, waste tank disposal, and especially not espresso service, wireless internet access, or fresh fish market.
Often the best campsites are the most remote, several miles over a gravel or washboard dirt road, and even more miles along a two-lane asphalt connector from re-supply points. So with each trip into the back country we boondockers have devised ways to extend our stays, such as carrying extra jerry jugs of water, installing a rooftop of solar panels, a satellite dish, and a galley crammed with packaged or canned, rather than fresh, food.
Hiking - Essential Items
February 18, 2008 by Gary Smith · 5 Comments
Just a walk in the woods!
Imagine this, you are at your campground and decide to go for a walk; the sky is a beautiful blue, the temperatures brisk with the oncoming spring. You decide to go out and look for some of the beautiful spring wild flowers others told you they have found in some of the hollows and near by streams in the area. Your day is wonderful, and you hike back up into the hollows and find trilliums, Lady’s slippers, Indian pipes, and sprays of violets from purple to yellow. Your camera is full of pictures and your stomach empty, feet tired.
You look around and realize that, in your wonderings, you have left the trail and have hiked over a few hills while you followed the flowers. You aren’t sure where you are but decide to follow the nearby stream down to the campground. While this is usually a wise choice, you find swamps and blow downs in your way, and, before you know it, it is getting dark and the formerly brisk spring air is now down right cold.
