Touring America

Ocoee Scenic Byway

Ocoee Scenic Byway is in southeast Tennessee about ten miles east of Cleveland. It runs across Cherokee National Forest (http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/cherokee/) for 29 miles, following US 64 and Forest Road 77. The two-lane road winds past Parksville Lake, through the scenic rock bluffs of the Ocoee River gorge, and past the Ocoee Whitewater Center (http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/ocoee/).

There are several Forest Service campgrounds along this scenic byway. The Chilhowee Campground has 82 campsites and is open April to late October. Parksville Lake Campground has 16 RV/tent sites and is open year-round. Thunder Rock Campground is open April through October and has 42 sites. Camping fees vary from $12 to $20 per night.

To learn more, go to: http://www.roadnotes.com/scenicdrives/tn03.htm

Packing the Kitchen

by Donna Flanders

Packing can be methodical or haphazard. We have a friend who was new to RVing. Someone told him he had to have a chainsaw. He went out and bought one and has never used it when camping. Certainly folks that are new to RVing can learn from their fellow RVers, but you have to take your own style into consideration. If you have printed the packing list for the kitchen and bath from my website, you noticed there is a section for "Appliances that fit your cooking style."

Pardon me if I get a little analytical here. But after computer programming for twenty years, I understand that you have to look at the output (dinner) to know what is required for the input (appliances and ingredients). I'm not a gadget person. Give me a cutting board, a good knife and I am well on my way to making dinner. However, I do need a small electric chopper because I make my own pesto and spicy vegetable dip that requires a lot of fine chopping. Other folks won't go anywhere without a bread maker or a slow cooker. I have both of these things in my kitchen at home, but don't use them often enough to take up precious storage space in the RV.

To read the rest of this article, visit Donna's web site: http://www.rvvacationplanner.com/article_display.php?article=13

Fun Stops U.S.A.

Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Eureka Springs (http://www.eurekasprings.org/) in northwest Arkansas is a small 19th century Victorian mountain village. There's a wide variety of things to do and see in this small town. In addition to its many restaurants and shops, there is the Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Railway (http://www.esnarailway.com/), which offers train rides from April through October. There is the Great Passion Play (http://www.greatpassionplay.com/), trolley tours and horse-drawn carriage rides, and festivals throughout the year. And just to the west of Eureka Springs is Beaver Lake (http://www.swl.usace.army.mil/parks/beaver/), a Corps of Engineers project with several campgrounds.

Casino Camping

by Jane Kenny

Popular "Casino-Hopping" Destinations

Planning your 2005 RV trips? Does your itinerary include a trip to a gaming destination? Check out

Casino Camping for helpful information about popular "casino-hopping" destinations for RVers.

Tunica County, Mississippi is one such destination. The area is home to nine casino resorts; among them are three very nice, modern RV Parks - all reasonably priced. These RV Parks are at The Grand, Sam's Town and Hollywood Casinos.

Tunica is located in the northwestern corner of the state, nestled near the cotton fields in the fertile Mississippi River Valley. In Tunica you'll find lots of slots, including all the latest releases from pennies up, the full range of pit/table games, poker rooms and a wide variety of food venues, from fast food to fine dining at nine casino resorts. There are several golf courses in Tunica and cruises on the Mississippi are also available. Popular country and western stars are always among the headliner entertainment featured at virtually all the resorts throughout the year.

Las Vegas still reigns as the premier gaming destination for RVers. If Vegas is on your calendar,

Casino Camping also has detailed information about RV Parks at casinos, free shows to enjoy in Vegas and many other pointers for enjoying your trip to the Strip.

To learn more about Jane's book,

Casino Camping, visit our web site: http://www.travelbooksusa.com/

Road Trip Dreams

by Carol White

The following article is from Phil and Carol's travel journal during the time when they were living their road trip dream.

The Great Adventure Begins

The parties have been given; the possessions have been left behind, stored or stowed; the good-byes have been said; and the great adventure has begun.

Making the final decisions on what to take was really hard. We had "candidates" of things and clothes set out for weeks. Each day we would eliminate a few items we thought we could live without. In the end, it was amazing how much we really could store in 19'. The van is very well laid out, with nooks and crannies in every possible location.

Since we both really like our "creature comforts", some of our choices reflect not practicality, but a desire to still have nice things around us. We took our down pillows, a Tiffany bud vase (for wild flowers, of course!), big, fluffy monogrammed towels, cloth napkins, Egyptian cotton sheets, and, of course, the heating pad and eye compresses for those days which are too much for the body, if not the soul.

To read the rest of this article, visit Carol's travel journal web site: http://home.att.net/~retirement_lifestyles/news3.html

Phil and Carol White are the authors of

Live Your Road Trip Dream, a book that describes how they turned their dream of traveling into reality -- and how you can do the same. To learn more go to: http://www.roadtripdream.com/

Discovering Your Public Lands

Apalachicola National Forest

Apalachicola National Forest lies southwest of Tallahassee in Florida's panhandle. The forest offers boating and fishing along the Ochlockonee and Apalachicola Rivers, and swimming in numerous lakes. Trails and roads accommodate hiking, mountain bike riding, horseback riding, and off-road ATV and motorcycle riding.

There are five designated camping areas within the forest. Primitive camping is also allowed throughout the forest. Among the designated campgrounds, Wright Lake is the most developed with 20 campsites, flush toilets, and hot showers. Camping fees are less than $10 per night.

To learn more go to: http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/florida/recreation/index_apa.shtml

Exploring State Parks

Missouri

Missouri's Department of Natural Resources manages nearly 50 state parks throughout the Show Me State. Most state parks have basic campsites, which include a parking pad, table, grill, and lantern post. Some also have sites with hookups. Motel-style lodging and rental cabins are also available in many parks.

To learn more about each of Missouri's state parks, go to: http://www.mostateparks.com/

RV Education 101

by Mark Polk

Water weighs 8.3 pounds per gallon. A forty-gallon fresh water holding tank full of water adds 322 pounds of weight to your RV. Depending on the type and size of RV you have, the added weight and movement of the water, when you are traveling, can be a concern. You should only take the amount of water that will be required to get to your destination and refill as required. Don't forget your gray and black tanks too. Try not to travel with full holding tanks if at all possible.

Mark is the producer of several educational videos for RVers. And now through December 20th, all of his VHS and DVD titles are on sale. You can save up 30 percent on each title. To learn more visit the RV Education 101 web site: http://www.rveducation101.com/

Gadgets & Gizmos

Flameless Candle

http://www.campingworld.com/

Made from real scented wax, this flameless candle flickers like the real thing without the flame. It operates on two C batteries that last more than 300 hours.

WonderWash

http://www.laundry-alternative.com/

WonderWash is a portable, non-electric, pressure washing machine. It's quick, simple, and uses a small amount of water and laundry soap. It'll wash a five-pound load of clothes in about two minutes.

Find more gadgets and gizmos at our web site: http://www.roadnotes.com/gadgets/

Bumper Sticker Wisdom

• I used up all my sick days, so I called in dead
• Born free... taxed to death
• My wife keeps complaining I never listen to her... or something like that

Legends of America

by Kathy Weiser

Old West Words & Phrases

What in the world is a bazoo, a berdache, crowbait, or a hoosegow? What about a benzinery, a pecker pole, a curly wolf, or a poppet? What would you rather be? -- "roostered" or "above snakes?" Well, depending on your point of view, you might want to be both! When is a coffee boiler not something to make coffee in? When you're in the Old West!! Back then, a shirker or a lazy person was often called a "Coffee Boiler," 'cuz they'd rather sit around the coffee pot than pitch in and help.

Are you ever watching an old western or maybe reading an Old West book, and just can't figure out what in the world they're talkin' about? Then you go look it up in a dictionary and, of course, it isn't there? Well, we've compiled a whole list of these old time words, so now you'll know.

You know, the weirdest thing is, I grew up in West Texas and I was using a lot of these words when I was "between the hay and the grass," and many of them, I continue to use today. Now, I'm either showin' my age, or perhaps just ignorance, but geez, I sure already knew what a lot of those words meant.

Come to think of it, back when I was working in New York City here a few years back, I now understand why those folks didn't think I was "cuttin' too much of a swell" when I first met them. Shoot, they'd come into my office and ask me to go to lunch maybe, and I'd say somethin' like, "I'm fixin' to finish this up, I'll be there directly." Then, they'd just stand there with a look of "shindy" on their face and "shin out." I'd go meet them for lunch and they'd be long gone. Well, I "pulled in my horns" and didn't "take on" about it, and after a time they began to "cotton to" me. Ended up working in "the old states" for about eight months.

Go figure.

To see the complete list of western slang and phrases, go to: http://www.legendsofamerica.com/WE-Slang.html

Roundabout Roundup

RV Videos

http://www.rvtvdirect.com/

Four videos about the RV lifestyle are available from RV TV Direct. Video titles include: Discover America by RV, Top 40 RV Camping Tips, Budget RV Travel, and Easy RVing.

The Silver Gypsy

http://www.full-time-rver.com/

Sharlene "Charlie" Minshall, widowed at 45, left Michigan four years following the death of her husband and almost 26 years of marriage. She sold their property, quit her nine to five job, moved into an RV, and the rest is major adventurous history. During the following 18 years of full-time RVing solo around North America, she has traveled over 300,000 miles in all the fifty United States, seventeen Mexican States, and all the Canadian Provinces and Territories except Nunavut, which doesn’t have a road leading to it.

Montana Campgrounds

http://www.campingmontana.com/

At this web site you'll find information and links to private campgrounds in Montana.

4 EZ DAYZ

http://ackerman.irvamerica.com/

This web site is a travelogue of full-time RVers Dick and Kay Ackerman. They've posted stories of their travels from 1999 to the present.

Theft Gone Foul

When a man attempted to siphon gasoline from a motor home parked on a Seattle street, he got more than he bargained for. Police arrived at the scene to find an ill man curled up next to a motor home near spilled sewage. The man admitted to trying to steal gasoline and plugged his hose into the motor home's sewage tank by mistake.