ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT ALASKA?

By Barry Zander, Edited by Monique Zander, the Never-Bored RVers Ah, Alaska is in the air … or at least in the thoughts of many RVers. Last week I received the following email from a couple in Florida: “We are new owners of a 40 ft allegro bus, never had an RV before. My husband wants to take a trip from Florida to Alaska but not through Canada. We have been there. Please give me your experiences and what time of the year is best.  I will follow this blog [more on this below*].   It is very educational and fun.  We have no friends that have RVs.” An interesting email, to which I replied:  Monique and I went up through Washington State to Oliver, B.C., over to Banff and up to Whitehorse.  There were many notable sights and experiences, but following the Canadian Rockies was the highlight.  If you haven’t purchased “Milepost, Alaska Travel Planner,” that’s where you should start your planning. Unbelievable Beauty for Hundreds of Miles Along the Canadian Rockies [I am assuming that by not going through Canada, she means that they don’t want to cross the border from Detroit to Windsor, Ontario, or from Minnesota.  “Milepost” gives several alternate routes with crossings in Montana and Washington.] I have often written about journey-versus-destination travel. Depending on your time and financial resources, my suggestion is to start as the weather warms up and work your way across America visiting places you haven’t been.  There... Read more

Vote for Your Favorite Park

The second annual America Is Your Park campaign was recently launched by National Park Foundation, in partnership with Coca-Cola, America’s State Parks, and the National Recreation and Park Association. America Is Your Park campaign urges families to get out and discover fun ways to get active in the park while helping their favorite park win big. Families can vote for their favorite park to win the title of “America’s Favorite Park” and a $100,000 recreation grant made possible by the Coca-Cola Live Positively initiative. “Our national parks are home to our country’s treasures—from our iconic landscapes to the hallowed places where history happened,” said Neil Mulholland, President and CEO, National Park Foundation. “Thanks to dedicated partners like Coca-Cola and the America Is Your Park campaign, our nation’s parks can continue to receive the vital support they need.” Last year, thanks to more than 1.6 million votes cast by its supporters, Bear Head Lake State Park in Ely, Minnesota, was named “America’s Favorite Park.” The following two articles may be of interest: Minnesota state park wins national contest How Bear Head Lake won national contest? Bear Head Lake is using the recreation grant to build a new warming hut to ensure safety and comfort for winter sports enthusiasts all season long. Vote for your favorite park. Pictured above Great Smoky Mountains National Park. © Rex Vogel, all rights... Read more

Are You Bear Aware?

Wildlife is a huge part of the mountain and wilderness regions of Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Arizona, Alaska, Alberta, and British Columbia. Deep snowpack, more grizzlies Grizzly bears are powerful, top-of-the-food-chain predators, yet much of their diet consists of nuts, berries, fruit, leaves, and roots. Bears also eat other animals, from rodents to moose. (Credit: talktocanada.com) Numerous encounters between grizzly bears and humans have been reported this spring, attributed to a growing bear population stuck in the low country as a result of the deep snowpack. High winter snowpack levels mean bears are moving to lower elevations and are likely to stay there longer than in previous winters. Grizzly bears are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, but their numbers have been growing in recent years, increasing the chance for encounters with humans, according to Chris Servheen, the grizzly bear recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In addition, heavy snowfall this winter has taken longer to melt in cool spring weather. “You have more bears, and then you have these high snow levels so the bears can’t be in the mountains where they want to be,” Servheen said. In a nonfatal encounter, two hikers were mauled by a bear in the Gallatin National Forest (Montana) when they came across a young grizzly bear and a sow chasing an elk. The 36-year-old woman tried to climb a tree when the sow bit her in the leg. The man was bitten in... Read more

Grand Circle — Treasuring the Moments and Set-Backs

By Barry Zander, Edited by Monique Zander, the Never-Bored RVers A few days ago, Monique and I completed a whirlwind, unforgettable tour that took us to most of the “must-see” places in the Grand Circle of Utah, Colorado and Arizona, with a peek into New Mexico.  We saw a lot and still had opportunities to be in nature, along with Monique’s brother and sister-in-law from France. In a blog early in our trip, I wrote a piece about why I take numerous photographs, emphasizing that I then delete more half of them, keeping the rest for memories and other future uses.  I was expecting at least one comment from among our nature-loving readers suggesting that I spend less time with the camera at my eye and more time savoring the views.  Just because no one questioned that doesn’t mean I don’t have an answer. During our 35 days on this trip, we saw an incredible number of scenes that are already bringing back fond memories only a few weeks later.  I’m not one of those National Geographic-type photographers who spends weeks in one spot waiting for the perfect sunrise or a mountain lion ravaging an elk.  I like to take a few shots of what I see and move on. Yet, when I find a vista that speaks to me … that has some quality that whispers, “Stop, sit, stare” … I usually obey that loud whisper.  During our recent travels, as we hiked into a canyon in Capital Reef National Park, I perched on a rock at the base of a cliff and looked at the 180-degrees of escarpment... Read more

The World’s First National Parks Turn 100

What was the first country in the world to establish a national parks system? If you guessed the United States or a European country such as Austria, Switzerland, Norway, or Sweden you would be wrong. Jasper National Park, Alberta. © Rex Vogel, all rights reserved This year, Parks Canada, the first national parks service in the world, celebrates its 100th anniversary. Banff was discovered accidentally in 1883, when explorers fell through the roof of a cave into a warm, sulphur-water spring below. Sixteen miles around Sulphur Mountain and the Cave and Basin, were set aside as a National Park in 1885, predating Parks Canada by 26 years. Other sites were added until 1911, when the Dominion Parks Branch of government was formed. In 1911, when J.B. (Bunny) Harkin was appointed Canada’s first commissioner of national parks, he thought “the word park seemed a very small name for so great a thing.” The number of visitors to the Canadian Rockies at mountain parks now known as Banff, Jasper, Yoho, Glacier, and Waterton Lakes was increasing and the federal government felt it needed to protect the magnificence of the region. “Wonder, reverence, the feeling that one is nearer the mystery of things—that is what one feels in places of such sublime beauty,” wrote Harkin. Today, Parks Canada administers 42 national parks, 167 national historic sites, including nine canals, and four national marine conservation areas. More than 4,500 wardens, guides, scientists,... Read more

THE GRAND CIRCLE PART V – Everyday Is Different

By Barry Zander, Edited by Monique Zander, the Never-Bored RVers Ridin' the Range in Monument Valley © All photos by Barry Zander. All rights reserved Four weeks on the road with Monique’s brother and sister-in-law from France sharing a 28-foot travel trailer – we’re still enjoying the experience of seeing the Great Southwest through their eyes. There is so much to see out here when you have the time; but you can’t see it all, at least enough to appreciate what you’re looking at, no matter how much time you have.  When I tell you about a few of the places we’ve been in the past week, it will sound like we’ve rushed around without staying long enough to see anything, but that isn’t really the case. I mentioned Bluff, Utah, briefly in the last blog.  It deserves more than that, not only because of the awe-inspiring bluffs towering over the town, but also because of the history behind Bluff Fort.  In our travels we have encountered the continuing saga of the Cherokee Indians on the Trail of Tears from the Carolinas to Oklahoma.  We have crossed the path of Lewis and Clark often.  We traversed the Alaskan Highway and the Natchez Trace, and have found ourselves on Route 66 for a half-dozen stretches. We have, on several occasions, witnessed the rugged paths carved out by early Latter Day Saints (a.k.a. the Mormons) as they went westward to settle in the Utah Territory.  One of the most heroic episodes in their missionary work was their trek over practically... Read more

Great Outdoors Month

Are you planning a camping trip this month? June is National Great Outdoors Month, which is a wonderful time to enjoy fun outdoor activities with family and friends. Presidential recognition of Great Outdoors Week was begun in 1998 by then-President Bill Clinton. Since 2004, Presidential proclamation of Great Outdoors Month has come annually, celebrating a variety of important events and actions that occur during the month. The 2011 Presidential Proclamation states in part: “America’s vast and varied outdoor spaces are a source of great national pride, and we have long strived to protect them for future generations. Our lands and waters provide countless opportunities for exploration, recreation, and reflection, whether in solitude or with family and friends. During Great Outdoors Month, we renew our enduring commitment to protect our natural landscapes, to enjoy them, and to promote active lifestyles for ourselves and our children.” Great Outdoors Month highlights the benefits of active fun outdoors and our magnificent shared resources of forests, parks, refuges, and other public lands and waters. Media attention to the proclamation triggers actions by millions of households and prompts public discussion of important issues linked to outdoor recreation, including volunteerism, health, and outdoor ethics. Additionally, the majority of governors issue proclamations declaring June as Great Outdoors Month in their states, and many take further actions ranging from Governor’s... Read more

30 Tips to Cut Your RV Travel Expenses

The Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial kickoff to the summer travel season, with many families either hitting the road or planning to do so within the following summer months. Try local wineries for wine tasting and tours. Pictured avbove Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia. © Rex Vogel, all rights reserved Following are 30 tips that will help you save money while still enjoying all the fun, freedom, and flexibility that RVing has to offer: Buy a local newspaper when checking into a campground or RV park and check it for coupons, bargains, and savings before going out to shop for groceries. Don’t buy all of your groceries at supermarkets. Buy food and other necessities at thrift bakeries, discount stores, dollar stores, church and charity bazaars, flea markets, roadside fruit and veggie stands, canning plants, and u-pick orchards. Shop at a local farmer’s market and chat with the folks selling the fruits and veggies. Pick up something “new to you” and ask them how to prepare it—then go back to your RV and try it. When in a campground connect to “shore power” and use THEIR electricity, not YOUR propane, to heat your water and run your refrigerator. Water heaters in particular consume considerable amounts of propane. If you’re staying in a metered park and paying for the electricity, you can determine which energy source is most economical—paying for the electricity or using your propane. Multiply the kilowatt rate being... Read more

What do Ohio, Tennessee & British Columbia Have in Common?

The following headline may provide a clue: As Washington State prepares to charge admission to all state parks, British Columbia is launching free admission to its provincial parks. BC Parks Mount Robson Provincial Park, British Columbia. © Rex Vogel, all rights reserved B.C. Premier Christy Clark recently announced that parking will now be free in all provincial parks to encourage families to take advantage of the system. With 13.6 per cent of the province set aside as parkland and protected areas, B.C. has the second largest park system in Canada, second only to the national park system. Special events will be held in parks across the province all year, as BC Parks honors 100 years of conservation and recreation. It started with Strathcona Provincial Park in 1911 and now BC Parks has grown to be one of the largest park systems in the world. “The parking meters are coming out and parking will be free, effective immediately, so that British Columbia’s parks are even more welcoming for families,” said Clark, as she launched BC Parks centennial celebrations. “Our parks not only contribute to a healthy lifestyle and protect our environment, they are important to our economy. More park visitors mean more tourism dollars and more jobs for rural British Columbians and we want to eliminate any barriers to using the parks.” Clark said parking fees earned about $1 million annually, “although the ‘net’ was a lot lower than that.” She also announced a... Read more

THE BACK ROAD TO VEGAS

By Barry Zander, edited by Monique Zander*, the Never-Bored RVers This wasn’t part of the Grand Circle Series I mentioned in our last RV.net blog, but Saturday was too interesting to let go by without telling you about our drive from California’s “Inland Empire,” east of L.A., to Las Vegas. The Back Road to Vegas © All photos by Barry Zander. All rights reserved You are in my target audience for this article if:  1) you don’t think it’s important to RV out West; 2) you’ve been to Vegas already, but you took interstates all the way; and 3) you think the destination is what it’s all about. So, let’s address each of those as it applies to what we just experienced. 1) In my formative days in my hometown of New Orleans I didn’t have any concept of the grandeur of the Golden West, and, therefore, I didn’t care about what new vistas it held.  I traveled expensively around the Eastern U.S. by car, but when I had business on the West Coast, it was by air. Let me tell you easterners this – if you don’t point your RV westward at least once, you’re missing out on America at its grandest. What we saw Saturday was desert … with jagged mountain peaks and ridges on either side of us … and desolate patches of land where people eke out an existence … desert vegetation and much more.  For more than five hours, we were never bored. 2)  We have a GPS to tell us how to get from Point A to Point B.  A few days ago, I was trying to figure out Google route planning... Read more

Next Page »