Young Full Time RV Perspective

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Today, instead of sharing a recipe like I normally do with my RV Cooking Show posts, I want to branch out a bit and share with you a bit about my journey and perspective as a young full-timer. Watch the video below, and then share with me your perspective by leaving a comment.

Happy Camping!
Evanne Schmarder

Canada’s Lake Louise - An Elaborate Hoax?

A few years ago, a couple of employees at Yellowstone National Park played a classic joke on the tourists. They placed a large hand crank apparatus on top of a wooden box. Next they set the whole contraption in the vicinity of the world famous Old Faithful geyser, which always naturally erupts once per hour. Just as Old Faithful was ready to erupt, they began vigorously turning the crank. Voila! The geyser’s steaming hot waters spewed forth into the sky.

To their credit, the employees had finally answered that legendary Old Faithful tourist question: “How do you turn it on?” Alas, their employers were not amused. Some rather gullible tourists who witnessed the spectacle left convinced that the venerable geyser was a sham. The two guys got canned.

Upon viewing Canada’s stunning Lake Louise, I began searching for the crank and wooden box…

Airstream RV Blog #27 - Geez (Lake) Louise from Sean Michael on Vimeo.

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What’s Simple About RV Camping?

When in college, I worked a couple of summers in Yellowstone National Park. My job was usually in the kitchen, where my friends and I could be found chopping vegetables, flipping burgers, or (if we were lucky) scooping ice cream for tourists. As you might imagine, the work paid peanuts. We invested many long, hot, thankless hours in the belly of the Park’s food service beast. But we did so eagerly, for the promise of living in one of the world’s most beautiful places. Our off days were cherished. Whenever possible, we maximized our free time by going camping.

In those days, primarily because we were financially strapped students, camping was a simple proposition. Someone would have a tent, usually a modest 2-4 person affair. We’d bring along our sleeping bags, a couple of canteens, some snacks – and that was pretty much it. “Camping” really just meant a few good friends sharing basic shelter under the stars. And yet, the experiences were spectacular.

My wife and I have enjoyed some spectacular camping experiences with our RV. We LOVE our Airstream. So it’s tempting to position RV ownership as a simple, elemental lifestyle. After all, camping is camping, right? But is it really so simple?

Airstream RV Blog #12 - The Simple Life? from Sean Michael on Vimeo.

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RV Today Archive - Toronto

Visit Toronto, a vibrant and cosmopolitan city, the fifth largest in North America. Rich in cultural diversity, there are more than 100 languages and dialects spoken in Toronto, and a great variety of food choices as well. It sounds hard to believe, but one third of the Canadian population lives within a 100 miles radius of Toronto. While there, you can enjoy the lakefront, visit Ontario Place -96 acres of man made attractions including a great waterpark downtown-, and take a bird’s eye view from the CN tower, the tallest building in the Americas (at the time of this footage, it was still the tallest building in the world but has since been surpassed in height by the Burj Dubai). Toronto West KOA Kampground is a common selection for RVers, with large leveled sites and friendly staff to assist travelers beyond the norm.

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In this video you can also catch a glimpse of a rare RV -a Rotel- which seems to have more than 20 bunk beds. These are used on tours around the world, organized by a German company, Rotel Tours. Before you sign up, take into account that travelers probably have more limited space than most of us RVers are used to …

For more RV Today Destinations, Product Showcase or Quick Tips episodes, visit the RV Today Archives.

Let the Computer Navigate with GPS

I’ve had some conversations with fellow RVers that went something like this: “What kind of GPS navigation system do you use as you travel?”, I asked. They responded with something akin to: “I don’t need no stinking GPS to do my navigating! I can read a map just fine.”

hmmm, that got me to thinking. I’ve told many people that I won’t travel without a GPS navigation system anymore, Read more

RV Cooking Show - Oh My Gosh! Grilled Steak in Bend, OR

I’ve loved Bend, Oregon and the central Oregon area for years…even before it was trendy! There’s something about the Juniper scent in the air (which for many years I thought of as pinion pine) and the diversity of things to do from poking around museums to exploring obsidian lava flows to simply being near or even on the Deschutes River. Central Oregon seems to be everything to everyone whether you enjoy an active outdoor RV getaway or prefer to just relax and take in the scenery. Join me as I take you to some of my favorite central Oregon spots and then I have a delightful surprise for you.

You know and I know that nothing says summer like steaks on the grill and that’s exactly what this RV Cooking Show’s episode delivers with the help of my good friend - our guest chef - Chef Doug Miner of Cross Wind Catering. Chef Miner shows us how to add an easy and elegant finish to grilled steak and shares a useful tip on testing for doneness. I think you’re going to like this show!

Visit the RV Cooking Show website (and find more info and links to the beautiful central Oregon area there, too). Print the recipe here and give it a go yourself. I love to hear from you so feel free to drop me a line.

Here’s to a summer full of happy RV travels,

Evanne

PS - Vegetarian viewer Angie loves the show but doesn’t do steak. If that’s you, too, consider substituting meaty portabella mushrooms for the steak. It’ll be just as delicious!!

RV Today Archive - African Lion Safari - Toronto

Join Stew Oleson while he visits African Lion Safari, just an hour outside of Toronto, and an hour and 15 minutes from Niagara Falls. You will see lions, baboons, giraffes, rhinos, monkeys, zebras and many other animals roaming freely. Great entertainment and quite an educational experience with this close up view of animals from more than 132 species. This is a wonderful destination for families or anyone who will enjoy this close exposure to wild animals, in a much more natural setting that a traditional zoo can allow - as you can see in the video below.

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Since the time of this footage, there have been many additions to African Lion Safari, including elephants, cheetahs and flamingos.

For more RV Today Destinations, Product Showcase or Quick Tips episodes, visit the RV Today Archives.

Blowing All Your Money in Canada

Last week we discussed beating gas prices by camping close to home. So it seems fitting that in this week’s post we consider what happens when you throw caution to the wind, viciously abuse a few credit cards, and camp FAR AWAY from home. For my wife Kristy and I, the time we spent in Canada’s stunning Banff National Park qualifies. Here are a few thoughts about camping in Canada, with some pesky dollar amounts attached.

Airstream RV Blog #26 - Banffff from Sean Michael on TheLongLongHoneymoon.com.

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RV’ing to Parks and Wineries in Italy

Faye and I recently returned from Italy, a wonderful country that we last visited in 1985. The cuisine and the wine were even better than we remembered from our last trip.

One of the things that has changed is the emergence of RV’s across “the boot”. According to IdeaMerge, there are over 2000 campgrounds frequented by RV’ers in Italy. Their prevalence surprised us for a couple of reasons: there’s a lot less space in Italy than in North America - 58 million people in an area just larger than Arizona; and gas prices there are about twice what they are in the US. On the other hand, rigs were smaller than at home, and since stuff is closer together there are fewer miles to pump up for!

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RV Today Archive - Unstuffed Cabbage Skillet

In memory of best selling cooking author JoAnna Lund (30 Minutes to Mealtime and Cooking for Two among many others), enjoy her wonderful legacy of healthy recipes.

Watch the video below to see how she cooks this delicious dish: unstuffed cabbage skillet. It has all the flavor of stuffed cabbage rolls, but without the work! With so much flavor, being easy to make and on top of it knowing it is a healthy recipe, this is a must cook!

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Want the recipe? Click here.

Follow the release of more RV Today Archive episodes on RV.net.

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