Go Leaf Peeping Now, Before It’s Too Late

Ahhh, wonderful fall. The waning warmth from the sun brings a welcome chill from summer heat, migrating birds start heading to their southern range, and deciduous hardwoods begin turning red, orange, and yellow heralding the leaf peeping season. Sugar maples give up the green for eye-popping reds, orange and brown tones come to the stately oaks, and white-barked aspens put on a display of vivid yellows and golds. But if its aspens that trigger your camera finger, take your pictures now, as aspens from Arizona to Colorado to Idaho are falling by the tens of thousands. Read more  Read More →

Boondocking Podcast with Brian Brawdy & Bob Difley

by Brian Brawdy In my opening 18 months as an RVer, I have learned that the attraction, at least for me, is one of self reliance and nomadicism. The places that I have explored and the people I have encountered have only reinforced the sense of independence one cultivates while bringing the far away to their own front door. Early on I began to feel, not that I was learning this philosophy, but that I was remembering it. That adventure and exploration are latent in the human being. To that end, I started a blog called Buried Logic. Today it is my great pleasure to share with you an hour long podcast with author and fellow RVer Bob Difley. Read more  Read More →

Tribute to early RVers: my parents

by Chris Guld, Geeks On Tour One of the seminars we taught at the Gypsy Journal Rally was one of our very favorite topics: “Creating Narrated slideshow movies with Photo Story 3”  We have our routine and material down pat with this one, so my mind was free to wander a bit in getting prepared.  It dawned on me that since my Mom is with us it would be cool to show a sample Photo Story movie using pictures from my family’s RV travels in the 60s.  RVing in Alaska, Mexico and Canada are popular topics in RV circles – and we did it in the 60s.  So, I made sure my Mom was in the audience for this seminar and I quickly put together this little movie as part of our presentation:   To learn how to make your own narrated slideshow/movie, see our tutorials at: http://geeksontour.com/photostory.cfm It’s SOOO easy!  And, Photo Story is free, just like everything else we teach.  Read More →

Gene Autry Museum

Before the days of cable television, computer video games, and the internet, kids of my generation sought entertainment at the local movie theater, where the cowboy was king. The Gene Autry Oklahoma Museum in Gene Autry, Oklahoma remembers those gold old days and preserves them in a time capsule of movie memorabilia. Read more  Read More →

Are you Online while Driving?

by Chris Guld, Geeks on Tour I remember when we had to schlep our laptop up to the RV park’s office and plug in to their phone line in order to use dial-up to get online.  Then came Wi-Fi.  You could browse the Internet from the comfort of your RV.  We even got a Datastorm Satellite dish that gave us high-speed Internet *wherever* we were parked – in the middle of the desert, or in the most remote national forest.  What luxury that was.  We live fulltime in our motorhome and we need to work to make our living.  Our work is primarily on our website so it’s important that we be able to connect wherever we are. Read more  Read More →

Six Words About Your RV Life

Hello intrepid travelers, Calling all wordsmiths, writers, witty individuals or families…can you condense your RV and camping experiences and expectations into six words? I double dog dare ya to share Six Words About Your RV Life!! Have you heard of the six word memoirs project from SMITH Magazine? In 2006 the fine minds behind SMITH Magazine offered aspiring writers, poets, those with something to say, and plain ole witty folk an opportunity to tell their story in six words. It’s said that Hemingway did just that when challenged to write a six word story. He came up with this: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”  Thousands of others from the famous to the neighbor-next-door have submitted their six word story in several SMITH Magazine projects including a series on Love & Heartbreak. And this got me thinking about my own six word memoirs…stories about my life on the road, as an RVer. My motto and the RV Cooking Show’s tag line is a mere six words – “Love to travel. Love to eat.” I quickly realized we all have a story to tell, a short ditty to share – especially when it comes to our RV and camping travels. So, with much anticipation and excitement I am delighted to introduce a special six word series – Six Words About Your RV Life. Think about your adventures and see if you can craft a six word memoir about your RV vacation, lifestyle, camping experiences. Leave your six words on my RVCookingShow blog or right here on this RV.net blog posting – Six... Read more

Coyote Camping in the Southwestern Deserts II

By Bob Difley In last week’s blog I described how to find dispersed boondocking campsites (coyote camping) in the American deserts. Now that you know how to find coyote camping spots, the following tips will help to enhance and expand your desert boondocking experience: The best way to find dispersed campsites in the desert is to explore first in your tow or toad, checking the road surface for soft spots, lethal potholes, and muffler-killing rocks. Try to find roads that follow the less-eroded high ground rather than up a wash, where the surface could be sandy and soft. You can often find “desert pavement” on the higher surfaces, a naturally occurring tile or cobblestone-like surface that is very hard and supportive of even heavy rigs. And you are likely to have better views from the higher ground. Choose a spot, if available, that has been camped in before, rather than destroying desert plants in creating a new site. Haul as much water in Jerry Jugs or inflatable blatters (available at Camping World or RV and boating supplystores) with you as you can carry. Dump these into your fresh water tank as it goes down to give you extended staying time. Buy the type of sewer cap that has a fitting for a garden hose, which you can then lead off away from your site for your gray water to drain into (dig a deep hole and cover outflow with a layer of sand after each use). Never dump your black water except into an approved dump station). Solar panels work great in the desert, even... Read more

RV Weekly Round-Up (Sept. 5-18, 2009)

Check out these highlights of RV-related news, events and video from this past fortnight. 1. Indiana Sees Returning Jobs as RV Sales Rise: Elkhart County builds about half the RVs sold in the U.S., making it the center of a $14 billion domestic market. Evidence of a turnaround is showing up in new companies such as Heritage One, sprouting from the remains of failed manufacturers, and in no-vacancy signs at a motel favored by RV-hauling truckers. Keystone RV Co., a Goshen-based unit of Thor Industries, the largest U.S. RV maker, announced last month it will add 200 workers to expand travel-trailer output, said Dorinda Heiden-Guss, president of the Economic Development Corporation of Elkhart County. Jayco is also recruiting, she said. Read more  Read More →

The Jewels of Fall Camping (Part 2 of 2)

Last week we looked at the jewels of Fall camping in the north eastern climates.  This week, we will explore the events and attractions found in these areas that only occur in the autumn.  While there are literly hundreds to choose from, we will only touch on several around the country.   So let’s see what and where some of these are.       Ontario Canada See the fall colors in all their splendor on the unique Agawa Canyon Tour.  This popular tour is a day trip via train through the Agawa Canyon.  The canyon, and much of the 228 mile round trip journey, is only accessible by rail.   It operates from downtown Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and runs north to the canyon and returns.   Depending on the weather, the best time to catch the most brilliant autumn colors is between the last two weeks in September and the first week of October.  Reservations are a must during this period as it is very popular.  Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario is located just across the bridge from Sault Michigan at the most northern part of I75. There are several RV parks in the area including a KOA.  Here’s a link to the canyon event. Website: Agawa Canyon Quebec Canada A short drive north from Montreal will bring you to the Laurentians, a mountainous region that comes alive with the fall colors each year.  Mid September ushers in the fall season in this picturesque area.  Many towns and small villages can be found, each with their own special character and weekend fall events.  As mainly... Read more

Preparing Your RV for the Colder Months Ahead

As summer winds down, it’s time to prepare your RV for the cooler weather ahead. Fall and winter are really great times to take in the changing seasons on the open road. But when it’s time to turn in for the evening, the overnight temperatures can plummet, especially at higher altitudes, resulting in increased propane usage, interior condensation, and other plumbing-related issues.  And then there is that freak snow storm you wake up to that while beautiful, can catch you off-guard, leaving you unprepared to deal with freezing temperatures.  If you plan to camp well in to the colder months, here are some ways you can make your cold weather RVing ventures less of a chilling experience. 1. Examine your RV’s plumbing to determine what measures may be needed to prevent damage from freezing temperatures. Some RV’s have plumbing exposed to the outside elements. In this case, you should wrap the exposed plumbing with heat tape and foam pipe insulation. . 2. Part of the plumbing system includes the holding tanks. Some RV’s have enclosed holding tanks that are heated by the RV’s furnace through heater ducting to the holding tank areas. As long as the furnace runs occasionally, the tanks won’t freeze unless it’s very cold (below 20F). For those tanks that are not heated and/or enclosed, tank heating pads can be affixed to the bottoms of the tanks. These are very easy to install, thermostatically-controlled, and come in both 12-volt DC... Read more

Next Page »