RVs of the Rich and Famous!

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Amongst the general public, RVs have something of a mixed image. Some people just don’t appreciate the difference between a motor home and a mobile home. To the uninformed, there’s a thin line between a campground and a trailer park.

But walk onto any Hollywood back lot, and you’ll find yourself surrounded by RVs.

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Clean Teams!

For the past 12 years, the Good Sam Club has held a National Cleanup Day to remove litter from our public roads and lands.  Hundreds of Good Sam members and local chapters take part, cleaning up tons of litter each year.

This year, we chose the weekend of September 6-7, a week after Labor Day weekend, for our cleanup efforts, with the hope that we could make a difference in cleaning up public lands as the traditional camping season comes to a close.

We also partner with the Take Pride in America program on our Cleanup Day events.  Take Pride in America is a U.S. Department of Interior initiative that aims to seek, support and recognize volunteers who work to improve our public lands, including our parks, forests, grasslands and wildlife refuges, as well as our cultural and historic sites, local playgrounds and recreation areas.  Volunteers can simply log on to their website, www.takepride.gov, and record their volunteer hours on any of the Take Pride projects.  After working 500 hours, volunteers earn an America the Beautiful Volunteer Pass, which allows free access to participating federal lands, including our National Parks.

Employees at Affinity, the Good Sam Club’s parent company here in Ventura, have also participated in the Club’s Cleanup Day, and this year was no exception.  39 of us spent our lunch hour last week picking up trash at San Buenaventura State Beach, which located right across the freeway from our offices.  Although it’s a bit back breaking, the day is a great opportunity to spend an hour at the beach picking up all kinds of litter, from cigarette butts (lots!) to the occasional kid’s toy and candy wrappers.  It’s a great way to build teamwork amongst our employees, and hopefully make “our” beach more enjoyable for countless beach going families, not to mention preventing litter from going out to the ocean.

Our hope is that, in one way or another, every Good Sam member will participate.  Cleaning up the country is a BIG job - we’d like everyone to join us.

And thank you, Good Sam volunteers!

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.

RV Marvels - I Madonnari Street Painting Festival

Prepare to be amazed as you tag along with me as I spend the day at the I Madonnari Street Painting Festival in Santa Barbara.

Happy Travels!

Photo Safaris

If you look through photography magazines, you will find advertisements for photo excursions all over the world. Some are actual safaris to Africa and the like, with a chance to shoot exotic animals, but many others are to photogenic locations almost anywhere in the US or the rest of the world. These excursions are often expensive, and, unless you are familiar with the guide’s work, may be below or above your experience level. Although it is possible to learn a great deal working with individuals that have far more experience than you, it can also be a bit intimidating. In any case, the good excursions give you a chance to go to popular photographic locations with an experienced guide who will save you many hours of scouting to find the ideal camera positions, time of day to shoot, places to stay, etc.

Although you may not consider yourself a “guide”, there is no reason you can’t put together your own “Photo Safari” for a group of friends or local photographers.

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Of Mice and Laptops

We are currently in Branson, Missouri attending the RV-Dreams rally. This is a very computer intensive group because they all got to know each other through the RV-Dreams website and forums. They’ve been chatting with each other online for a year or so, now they get to meet face-to-face and party! So, what do they do? Sit down at a table and get online to the chatroom! Actually, some of these ladies are learning to use the chatroom by joining this impromptu class.

For the last two days, we taught a Computer Boot Camp pre-rally. One of the things we taught is a real quick tip that I thought I’d pass along to the RV.net readers.

By far the majority of computers used by RVers are laptops. Users of laptops have a love/hate relationship with the touchpads that perform the functions of a mouse. If you hate it, it’s probably because the mouse pointer on the screen jumps to unpredictable locations because you touched the pad and you didn’t mean to. You may use an external, USB or wireless mouse so you don’t have to use the touchpad. If this describes you, please watch the video below which will show you how you can customize, or even completely disable, that pesky touchpad. Some computers have a button above the touchpad that will turn it off and on, but most do not.

Chris Guld
www.GeeksOnTour.com

Life On Wheels RV Conferences: College for RVers

It’s not quite an old adage yet, but it seems that the more we RV the more we find we don’t know. Like the times when we’re trying to change a thermocouple in the water heater or installing a new left-handed framistan. That’s when blogs like this one and the RV.net forums are like a oases in the desert. And not just for newcomers to the RV Lifestyle, but for we oldtimers too (why I remember when a camper was a Conestoga Wagon with a buffalo hide for a bed). Maybe even more so for we oldtimers, since RV systems seem to keep changing and adding new geegaws.

Several years ago RV Hall of Fame member Gaylord Maxwell, who even then had spent more years in the RV business and as an active RVer than many of us will ever see, wondered how all these newcomers (he likes to call them “newbies”) learn all the stuff they have to learn to make their RV experience fun and enjoyable, instead of stressful and unpleasant. His idea was to teach a class on RV Basics. He proposed the idea to the University of Idaho and that first class became the incubator for what is now the Life On Wheels (LOW) RV Conferences. LOW is a non-profit operation, with no commercial booths, much of its financial support coming from the RV industry, and instructors are not permitted to pitch specific products.

This week-long program of classes offers everything you could possibly think of in RVing, with beginning classes such as How to Pick an RV and RVing Made Easy, technical classes like RV Electrical Systems, MotorHome and Tow Car Braking Systems, All About Batteries, and Is Solar Power Right For You, and lifestyle classes including exercising for RVers (taught by my wife, Lynn–I had to mention that), Work Your Way Across the USA, Hosting in NW State Parks, Boondocking (one of my seven classes), and Digital Photography. And many more. More than thirty classes a day, spread over four 90-minute periods, are taught by some of the most well-known experts in RVing–Gaylord, of course, Joe & Vicki Kieva, popular seminar leaders and book and magazine article writers, Greg Holder, owner of AM Solar, Al Cohoe, RVIA Master Technician certified in both the USA & Canada with thirty-six years of RV experience, Mike & Teri Church, writers of seven popular RV Guidebooks including Alaska and Baja, Eric Davis,who founded and operates Eric’s RV Performance Center in Sequim, WA, Mac McCoy, Fire Training Coordinator for Oregon’s Fire Marshal’s Office and Public Safety Academy, Nick Russell, publisher of the Gypsy Journal–the list goes on.

You can learn just about everything you need–or want–to know at Life On Wheels. But no matter how hard you try, you can’t attend all the classes, there are too many, often with eight or nine classes going on at once. That is why RVers attend year after year, to pick up what they missed and to get updated on what is new.

This year’s Idaho Conference is at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston on July 6 - 11. Additional conferences are in Harrisburg, PA (September 7 - 10, 2008), Tucson, AZ (March 18 - 21, 2009), and Bowling Green, KY in May 2009. Space is still available for the Idaho Conference. For more information or to register click here. You can read my wife Lynn’s take on Life on Wheels in a previous post and you can also visit RV.Net’s forum thread on this topic.

Geocachers largest gathering in the world!

In approximately 1 month, geocachers from far and yon will begin to converge on a little town called Wheatland in Northern California. They will be there to take part in the largest annual gathering of geocachers in the world!

GEOWOODSTOCK IV

Saturday, May 24, 2008 in Wheatland, CA (just north of Sacramento)

Just what is the this big hoop-tee-doo about?

First a little history…

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Happy Earth Day!

It is Earth Day 2008. For many Americans it is just another day. Let’s take a few moments today to protect one of the things we hold most dear, the outdoors.

Here are some links to a few sites giving tips on easy ways to green up your Earth Day and every day.

• Things You Can Do
• Earth Day for Lazy People
• Choosing Sustainable Seafood
• Earth Day Tips for Your Home
• Saving Energy and Lowering Bills

The Rally Featured in USA Today

The RV world gets national attention as The Rally in Perry, GA and the RV lifestyle are featured on the front page of USA Today’s Travel section.  Check out a great video featuring the dog show, another video comparing a nice class A motorhome to a practical pop up camper and an interesting article of the RV lifestyle for those that haven’t savored the joy of it, yet…

Although it brings up the fuel controversy, it’s worth reading.

Here’s the link:

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2008-03-20-rv-boomers_N.htm#

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