A Proposal part 2. A Monkey Wrench in the works…

Ok last week I wrote of my plans for traveling down to Okefenokee Swamp to propose to my “Co-planner” of trips, Pamela.  Several of you have responded with some wonderful ideas for my proposal. So far my favorite bit of advice has been “Good luck, and remember: going down on 1 knee is proposing, going down on 2 knees is begging.” Thank you GK for that bit of advice. Right now I am leaning towards the sunset proposal at the observation tower / nature trail. But either way I want to thank all the wonderful blog readers for reading and giving me some wonderful advice and encouragement. Read more  Read More →

RV Cooking Show – Grilled Cuban Sandwiches, Cuban Cowboy Caviar & Cortez, FL

If you ask me, there’s nothing better than a warm weather getaway by the beach. Bonus points if it’s a stay in a thriving town with a terrific RV resort, lively dining and entertainment in walking distance, and fresh fish right off the boat. Well, that’s just what I stumbled upon when I pulled into Cortez, Florida. This little town is tucked away on the land side of Anna Maria Island and is often eclipsed by its big neighbor to the south – Sarasota. But don’t be fooled, you could easily while away many memorable days and nights in this West Coast of Florida paradise. In our latest RV Cooking Show –Grilled Cuban Pressed Sandwiches, Cuban Cowboy Caviar & Quirky Cortez Florida – we’ll show you around town and, with a special guest, make a mighty tasty meal. I’m especially excited to bring you Paulette’s Cuban version of an old RV-standby – Cowboy Caviar. Take a look – you’re gonna love it. Don’t miss the “From my RV kitchen” section on my website’s show page – I share many of my favorite Cortez “locals’ haunts” with you. I hope you enjoy watching this episode of the RV Cooking Show as much as I enjoyed making it! Evanne RVCookingShow.com   Read More →

Some Interesting RV Poll Results

The outcome of any poll depends on several factors like; what type of poll it is, how the questions are worded, who is asking the questions and of course who does and does not participate in the poll. Each week we conduct an RV poll in our e-newsletter. The RV poll is not a scientific poll, a political poll or a marketing poll. It is basically used to give me some idea of what our newsletter readers are interested in, how they use their RVs  and just for the fun of it. I  thought it would be interesting to look back at some of our past RV polls and see how the participants responded. Here’s what I found out. 85% travel with the refrigerator on and 15% travel with it off 53% prefer diesel and 47% prefer gas 79% eat more meals in the RV and 21% eat more meals out 89% conduct a spring check-up on their RV before using it and 11% don’t 67% said the recession won’t change plans to use the RV and 33% said it will 72% said their average RV trips are one week or less and 28% said their average RV trips are two weeks or longer 54% own motorized RV’s and 46% own towable RV’s 91% plan two or more summer RV trips and 9% plan only one 63% store the RV on their own property and 37% make other storage arrangements 82% check the tire pressure before each trip and 18% don’t 24% said a hybrid RV chassis would affect their buying decision and 76% said it wouldn’t have any affect 90% said they use environmentally friendly holding tank chemicals... Read more

Free Boondocking on BLM land

By Bob Difley In the early developing years of  the new country of the United States of America, the government promoted expansion into unsettled lands, partly to accommodate settlers, but primarily to settle the land before other governments–Mexico, Spain, France–could grab the land first. In the east the land was quickly gobbled up by railroads, cities, and whoever could get some of it. By the time settlers reached the Wild West, this fear of other nations’ land grab no longer existed, and most of the land was retained in Federal coffers. Lucky for us. Now all that land–or much of it–is what is called public land–which means that we, as voters and citizens, own it, and we designate various Federal agencies to manage our land for us. The agency that manages the most land west of the Mississippi–and most of the desert land–is the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The BLM administers 260 million acres—about one-eighth of the nation’s land mass–in the twelve western states, including not only the vast stretches of desert that are home to snowbirds in winter, but also wildernesses, monuments, and 38 wild and scenic rivers. The BLM has over 400 campgrounds, most large enough for RVs of all sizes and with low or no fees, with some more developed sites that carry higher fees. In addition you can boondock anywhere on BLM land, unless specifically prohibited by signs or fences, for up to 14 days within a 28 consecutive day period,... Read more

For snowbirds, Spring is just around the corner

By Bob Difley This is one of the best times to be in the Southwestern Deserts. When the New England states are trying to cope with single digit temps and the south and mid-west are experiencing record cold, the mid 60-degree readings in the desert bring us out in T-shirts and shorts. But it still is only mid January, and though the nights are dipping into the mid forties, the day time sun not only triggers our Spring genes, it also begins tickling the genes of Spring wildflowers. Read more  Read More →

Young Fulltime RVers – Keep or sell the house??

Dreams, goal setting, and action plans play a starring role at the turn of the year. You may be considering the full time RV lifestyle. Good for you! If you are a home owner that’s a piece of the puzzle that must be in place before you hit the road. In this short Young Fulltime RVer video I’ll share with you a few questions to ask yourself when pondering this issue.  Happy New Year everyone! Be safe and dream big!! Evanne www.RVCookingShow.com PS – Explore the Young Fulltime RVer page for more fulltime insight.  Read More →

RV Water & Waste Issues

WATER AND WASTE ISSUES: Please follow these instructions; You or your loved ones could become ill from miss-handling of the sewer and water hoses. Reduce the threats from e-coli, germs and bacteria when handling the sewer hose by following these tips: SEWER HOSE USE: Throw-away Gloves should be worn while handling the sewer hose and its fittings. Remove the gloves, without touching the outside of them and properly dispose of them before starting other chores. Tanks should be drained, in this method; Black Water (toilet), then Gray Water (sink water). Additional flushing of your sewer hose can be done by opening faucets in the RV and/or stepping down on your stool valves. WATER HOSE: Before we hook up the Water Hose, we should use a spray bottle to disinfect the area. The threat of cross-contamination from improper sewer hose use may be eliminated by following these safety tips. Beware, as past campers, using the site may have washed their sewer hose at the faucet, causing contamination. A backflow preventor may be installed on your campground faucet. Your RV fluids cannot contaminate the campground water system when the campground water pressure is lost, or is lower than your tank pressures. PORTABLE DRAINAGE TANKS are used to transfer waste from your RV tanks to the nearest sewer drain. Be sure and follow good practices while using these tanks. Do not spill the contents on the ground. Be sure and open the vent on the tank before filling, and close it while transporting. DISINFECT... Read more

RV Cooking Show – Crockpot Ham ‘n Beans in Moab, Utah

What could be better than a few days in magnificent Moab, Utah, Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, and Dead Horse State Park? Exploring Moab and environs then returning to a fragrant, ready to eat crockpot full of delicious ham and beans. Stick with your RV Cooking Show friends and we’ll show you how! Read more  Read More →

RVIA Show, Louisville Ky Opening Day

Well, the first full day of activities has now concluded here at the RVIA show and Linda and I are worn out from walking and talking.  We are somewhat overwhelmed with the size of the show and amazed that this show is less than half the normal size.  I told Linda there is no way we will be able to see and absorb all that is here. Today started out at 6:30 AM with the opening breakfast and associated ceremonies including entertainment and several speeches by industry dignitaries including Jim Sheldon RVIA Chairman, pictured below: Chairman Jim Sheldon This activity was very upbeat and positive, with information about the current state of the RV industry and predictions regarding future sales.  I will be devoting more time to the opening activities in a later post. The show actually opened at 9am, following the breakfast and we began to explore the many RVs and vendor booths at the show.  There were three events scheduled for this day that we didn’t want to miss.  First one was at 11am where the new Fleetwood RV was to unveil their first new product, a “crossover” motorhome known as the Encounter.  Here is a brief video of the Encounter. This RV was introduced by John Draheim COO of Fleetwood RV, and then a tour followed.  I will have more on this RV in a later column. Next we visited the Tiffin area to see Bob Tiffin unveil his “BIG” surprise.  This was certainly the most clever event we will see at this show.  Tiffin had the new RV covered... Read more

RVIA Show Louisville Ky, Ready for Opening Day

Registration Entrance Well, our first full day in Louisville is drawing to a close with the only thing left to do being watching New Orleans and New England play football tonight.  We managed to get a bit of exploring done today, and yes, we did make it to Walmart to do our part to keep the local economy going here in Louisville.  I have also noticed that as the day has gone by, the RV park here at the Expo Center has started to fill up.  I was concerned that I would be the only “dedicated” RVer at the show, but that is not to be the case. Read more  Read More →

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