RV Cooking Show – Key Lime Pie & Key West, Florida

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our E-mail Digest. We will then send you the stories that are posted each day in an e-mail digest. We use a service called Feedburner for delivery of these emails. You will receive an e-mail from Feedburner after you subscribe and you must click on that email to activate your subscription. Thanks for visiting and enjoy all the information!

RV.Net Blog Admin

Labor Day may have come and gone but we still have plenty of fabulous camping (and potluck) weather ahead. In my quest for an endless summer I’m delighted to share this episode of the RV Cooking Show – Key Lime Pie & Key West, Florida.

It’s unbelievable how much there is to see and do (or just to enjoy lazing about) on a 4×2 mile island but…there it is. I’ll take you to just a few of my favorites on the island, let you in on a little known National Park, and share much more – including links on my website – www.RVCookingShow.com. We’ll then take our taste buds on a magical tour with this easy and delicious Key Lime Pie recipe – direct from Nellie & Joe’s. I’ve found this to be a potluck winner – if it can make it out of the camper in one piece or at all!

Get the recipe.

Happy Travels,
Evanne

Back to the basics: Some friendly advice from a seasoned RVer

By Guest Blogger, Ted Kasper

Traveling, a seasonal home, camping-each RVer chooses how they will enjoy their RV. Even so, there are a few simple steps RVers of all experience levels should follow before going on a trip.

Enjoy the journey
Take some secondary roads and enjoy the countryside. The interstates are a quick and convenient way to get from point A to point B in the shortest amount of time. When driving through mountains, the interstates also often have wider curves and less steep grades for easier driving.

When traveling, most RVers will agree that you shouldn’t make the drive too long. Try to travel no further than 350 miles in one day; go no faster than 65 mph; and, limit your driving to the daylight hours as much as possible.

It’s also useful to remember the old “Truck Driver’s Adage” applies to RVers as well … “never drive in where you can’t drive out.”

Be prepared
Supplies such as a roll of duct tape, a can of WD-40 and bungee cords should always be kept on board before a trip. Keep in mind it’s not uncommon to forget things, so knowing locations of the nearest stores is useful.

Those with travel trailers, fifth wheels, tent campers or those towing a vehicle should always double-check their hookup before the pull. Brake lights and turn signals should also be tested before you embark on your journey.

Learn the tricks of the trade
Inexperienced and seasoned RVers alike should keep up on the latest RV tips and information. Find a trusted RV book/manual and educate yourself. Use the Internet to create on-line discussions in chat rooms and forums. The more you know, the more relaxed you’ll be in your travels.

A good attitude goes a long way
Keep a sense of humor and remember to have fun. A positive attitude will maximize enjoyment for both you and your family. The kids will remember the time you stopped along the roadside by the water to have a swim and some lunch more than they will remember going to dinner at that fancy restaurant. Pair a positive outlook with the implementation of these basic practices and you’re on your way to creating some great RV trip memories.

Keep up on the latest trends
RV shows are the perfect place to see all the latest RV innovations… from new models and features to the hottest parts and accessories. They are also a great place to attend seminars, talk to other RVers and gather information about campgrounds and places to visit. If you’re in Michigan, be sure to check out the area’s biggest RV show, the MARVAC Detroit Camper & RV Show, held October 1-5, 2008, at the Rock Financial Showplace in Novi. See www.marvac.org for more information.

Casino Camping Location Report - Carson City Nevada

A few weeks ago I posted a report on the Reno/Tahoe area and I left out Carson City because we hadn’t finished exploring there.  Now I can tell you about the capital of Nevada, and it’s a great little city to visit. Read more

CoolRVToyz.com Product Review

We live fulltime in our 30 ft class C motorhome. I learned early on to eliminate *all* unnecessary weight, and that included those big campground directories we used to have. So, I was delighted when asked to review this CD from CoolRVToyz.com. They call it “The Ultimate RV Parks and Campgrounds Directory.” “With more than 50,000 National & State Park Campgrounds, Public & Private Campgrounds, RV Resorts, Military FamCamps, RV Dealers, Camping Supplies, Truck Stops & more …” It is sold online for $49.95. You can download it immediately, or you can order the CD to be mailed to you. Either way, the fee includes 1 year of free updates to the listings.

I don’t know why, but I was expecting a self-contained directory with it’s own user interface, but instead, it is a compilation of Points of Interest to add to your GPS navigation device or trip planning program. For us that’s even better since we have our GPS mapping software running all the time we’re driving. Loading this data as points of interest (POIs) in that program will make the data very accessible to us. However, if you don’t have such a device or program, this CD won’t do you much good.

My husband, Jim, does most of the planning with our Navigation software, Microsoft Streets and Trips, so I asked him to install the CD on his computer and put it thru some paces.

Installation: When you run the setup program from the CD you are given several choices of what to load and where to put the files. The documentation and support files take 114MB then you choose files for your device or mapping program.

Garmin users have 2 choices. One for the Nuvi 3xx family, which moves the descriptions to the top, and Standard for the Nuvi/StreetPilot/Zumo family GPS devices. Note: You need the latest POI Loader to load the files on your Garmin GPS.

Magellan, TomTom, Navman have individual files and there is a generic file for other GPS devices. There is a choice for Delorme Street Atlas and one for Microsoft Streets and Trips.
I chose the Streets and Trips option for this review.

The included documentation is well written and easy to understand. There is a separate instruction file for each supported GPS device. The process of installing the files on individual devices varies greatly. You will need the manual for your GPS to complete the documentation and successfully load the files.  There are completely different files for the different devices.  .GPX and .GPI files for Garmin, .OV2 and .ASC files for TomTom.  That’s a lot of conversion work already done so you can easily transfer the data to your GPS device.  The listing at left is just a partial listing.

Streets and Trips Files: There are two ways to load the information into Streets and Trips. The setup program gives you a complete map file that can be opened directly which includes all the included Points of Interest. Or, you can use the Import Wizard to import data from the individual files in the CSV folder that is created by setup. I prefer the individual file import. There is less clutter and I get just what I want. The complete file is impressive, though.

The Information: There is a tremendous amount of information included in the files. We did a little spot-checking and found all the parks we had just visited in New England were listed, with the correct contact information.  But, we looked at our home park in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and it showed up in the CoolRVToyz info as ‘Buglewood RV Park.’  We happen to know that it hasn’t gone by that name in many years.  It’s had the name Paradise Island RV Resort since at least 2003.  The phone number listed was also incorrect.

When you click on the link for more info, the link takes you to www.coolrvparks.com, and its listing for the park, not the park’s website. A feature to correct inaccuracies is promised, but not yet implemented.

Many of the POIs on the CD are already included in the Microsoft Streets and Trips program. I expect the same is true for other programs and GPS devices.  And, there were still some missing that we use all the time - like Thousand Trails and Resorts of Distinction.  These are membership parks, and only available to members, so I can see why they wouldn’t be included, but we found a POI file for them on Discovery Owners website and we use it all the time.

Most, if not all of the information on the disk can be found for free on the web, if you want to search - and tweak. If you’re the do-it-yourself type, you’ll enjoy browsing POI-Factory.  The Technology Corner in the RV.net forums is a good place to get information too. Don’t expect everything to be up to date, though. And it will take you many days to get as much as is on the CD.

I recommend downloading the limited free demo version of The Ultimate RV Parks & Campgrounds. Then you can try it for yourself and see how it installs on your GPS!

Chris and Jim Guld
www.GeeksOnTour.com

RV Today Archive- Estes Park CO

Looking for a destination high in the Rocky Mountains where you can ride horses, hike and get in tune with nature? Than Estes Park, Colorado, featured in this RV Today Video, is the place for you, with many people saying it is “quintessential Colorado”.

With its close proximity to The Rocky Mountain National Park, the village of Estes Park has been a fan favorite for years. In addition to all the shopping downtown you can also do a little rock climbing next to Mary’s Lake. While you are in the area, you can park your RV at Mary’s Lake Campground and RV Park. A favorite activity in the area is a horseback ride into the beautiful back country at the Aspen Park. Estes Park, Colorado is truly the best place to get away from it all and get in tune with nature.

Camping on Route 66

America is replete with family owned RV campgrounds. Some of these parks have been in operation for decades. The best deliver not only a pleasant camping environment, but also a sense of history. You get more than a good night’s rest. You get a cultural experience. Read more

Coastal Oregon’s Umpqua Discovery Center

By Bob Difley.
If you do your RVing in the West, sooner or later you will find yourself wandering the Oregon coast. When you pass through Reedsport, be sure to stop at the Unpqua Discovery Center, a fine interactive museum a few blocks off the highway depicting the history of the area where the Umpqua River empties into the Pacific Ocean. Read more

The Ultimate Travel Companion

What weighs 15 ounces; is the size of a deck of cards and could possibly save an RVers marriage? Let me give you a scenario. You’re driving your 35-foot RV on a congested four lane highway, during rush hour, somewhere you have never been before and your better half is your navigator. You miss your exit and now you need to go 25 miles out of your way to get back on the correct route, arguing about whose fault it was the whole time. Sound familiar?

Now, let’s see what we can do to fix this problem. You’re driving your RV on a congested four lane highway, during rush hour, somewhere you have never been before and your new Global Positioning System (GPS) is your navigator. The unique, turn-by-turn, voice prompt feature instructs you to turn right in eight tenths of a mile. You don’t miss your exit; you don’t need to go 25 miles out of your way and your marriage remains intact.

In the past, whenever we would take a trip in the RV, I would print the driving directions from a trip planning website. Then, as we traveled, my wife would inform me of when and where we would make any changes in our route. Needless to say we missed turns, took wrong exits and on more than one occasion there were those last second, white knuckle lane changes; if you’ve been RVing for a while you know what I’m talking about.

I finally decided to take advantage of modern day technology and purchase a GPS system. All I can say is I should kick myself for waiting so long to do it. The more I learned about these GPS systems the more fascinated I was with the capabilities they had to offer. Most come preprogrammed with detailed maps, automatic trip routing, voice-prompted turn-by-turn directions along your route, and easy to follow touch screen displays, which is exactly what you want when you’re traveling in an RV. If you get a text-to-speech feature the GPS actually calls out the turns you need to make, so you can keep your eyes where they need to be, on the road. If you miss a turn the GPS system automatically recalculates the quickest way to get back on the correct route.

Other features we liked about the GPS are the Points of Interest (POI) like, restaurants, shopping centers and tourist attractions.  In addition to all of these features the GPS model we purchased includes a built in MP3 player and a JPEG picture viewer too.

I don’t know about you but driving an RV in places you have never been before can be nerve-racking at times, especially if you are navigating the old school way, using a map. I am a little slow to change sometimes, when it comes to keeping up with the latest technology, but getting a GPS system to help navigate the RV is the best thing I’ve done since switching from dial-up to high speed internet service. This truly is a great way to make traveling in your RV less stressful and who knows, it just might result in a happier marriage too.

P.S. I still print the route from a trip planning website and keep my maps next to the drivers seat, just in case!

Happy Camping,

Mark Polk

RV Education 101

Casino Camping Location Report: Reno/Tahoe

As many of you know we’ve been in the Reno, Nevada area, and southern Lake Tahoe, since mid July.  We’ve visited many casinos and stayed at three of them; two old favorites and a new one (new to us).

In summer, the whole Reno / Tahoe area is packed with opportunities for outdoor activities; hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, kayaking, skiing, trout fishing, boating, even scuba diving, and more.  There’s also plenty of sight seeing and exploring to do, along with shopping, dining… the list goes on.  Read more

North to Alaska…Fort Nelson, BC

Once you leave Dawson Creek, Milepost 0 on the Alaska Highway and head north, Fort Nelson is an easy day’s drive away and a great place to spend the night. Once in Fort Nelson, be sure to allow enough time to visit the Fort Nelson Heritage Museum.

Right alongside the highway, the main museum building is made of logs and houses a splendid collection of artifacts, including much that was used in building the Alaska Highway. The best part of the museum, though, may not be readily apparent, though. Curator Marl Brown, shown here, lovingly restores antique automobiles, and a large metal building on the museum property houses dozens of them, all in running condition. Here Marl sits at the wheel of an automobile that first drove down a road in 1908–that’s right, this is a 100-year-old car.

Marl himself turned 75 this year, and to celebrate that milestone in his life he figured he’d take his century-old car for a spin. He drove up the Alaska Highway from Fort Nelson, across the Canadian Rockies, to Whitehorse, Yukon…and then drove back in early July. Total round-trip distance was about 1,200 miles.

When you visit the museum, you’ll probably have to ask to see the cars as the building is usually locked. If Marl is around, someone working in the museum will fetch him, and if he has time he will open the doors to one of the finest collections of antique automobiles in North America.

Contact Ron at rdcomm@gci.net to order a copy of his book, Guide to the Alaska Highway.

 

Next Page »