Touring America

Maine's Route 26

Route 26 Scenic Byway is located in the mountains of western Maine near the town of Newry. The 14-mile route follows State Highway 26 through forests and valleys surrounded by the Mahoosuc Mountain Range. Part of the byway takes you through Grafton Notch State Park. Within the park are several roadside turnouts for enjoying a picnic or photographing the scenery. If you're interested in hiking, part of the 2,000-mile Appalachian Trail passes through the park and can be accessed from the byway. The byway officially ends at the New Hampshire state line but you can continue on and follow the Moose Path Trail scenic drive.

Camping facilities are not available in Grafton Notch State Park. There is, however, a campground on US 2 about one mile east of Newry. The Stony Brook Recreation and Camping park has about 50 sites. Most sites have water and electric hookups; there are ten without utilities. The camping fee ranges from $16 to $28 per night. The campground is open year-round.

RV Vacation Planner

by Donna Flanders

Donna is retired from computer programming. After 20 years of computer work, she now devotes her analytical, organizational and research skills to developing vacations for others. She is a list maker and she shares her lists with you at RV Vacation Planner.

Don't Forget the Fun Stuff

Storage space in an RV is limited. Some RVs have a lot and some have less, but every RV has a finite amount of space. As we pack an RV for a trip we often focus on critical items necessary for cooking, repairs, clothing, linens, bathroom needs and that sort of thing, but if you are heading south for the winter consider reserving space for hobby items. Certainly your tools for repairing your rig are very important, but once you settle in for the winter, having a good time becomes a priority. Boredom can ruin a perfectly wonderful vacation spot.

If you are new to snow birding it may be time to find something completely new. Have you always wanted to try to learn a musical instrument? Perhaps this is the time. Ready to try golf? More than likely there will be other folks in your winter RV park with similar interests who are willing to share their expertise.

Select this link to read the rest of the article.

Road Trip Dreams

by Carol White

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.

Ten Tips to Jump-Start Your Road Trip Dream

Everyone has a travel dream. For many it is hitting the road for a relatively unlimited time, either here or abroad. But how many people actually get from the dreaming to the doing? Here's a list to inspire you to go live your personal vision of a road trip dream.

RV Dump Stations

I recently added a new search feature to the RV Dump Stations web site. Now you can try searching for a dump station in a particular city or town. Give it a try. Here are some of the most recent additions to the web site:

• La Cygne, Kansas - Lake La Cygne (Linn County Park), 23095 Valley Rd, 913-757-6633, fee unknown. Park is located east of US 69 at KS 152 exit.

• Rockland, Maine - Wastewater treatment plant, $10. From US 1 northbound in downtown Rockland (Main St), turn right at light on Tillson Ave and left at wastewater treatment plant. Dump site is a manhole cover with hole just past first gate on left (sign on fence). Open 8am-4pm weekdays; go to office to pay fee. No water available.

• Medford, Oklahoma - Bob's One Stop at northeast corner of US 81 and OK 11, free

Discovering Your Public Lands

Cedar Bluff Reservoir

Cedar Bluff Reservoir is a 6,900-acre Bureau of Reclamation project in western Kansas. The reservoir is about 13 miles south of Interstate 70 near Wakeeney. On the lake, fishing, boating, windsurfing and skiing are popular activities. Anglers will find bass, crappie, and catfish in the lake. Wildlife viewers will find deer, turkey, pheasant, Canada geese, and even the occasional eagle in winter.

Recreation areas around the lake are managed by the State of Kansas. Cedar Bluff State Park is divided into two areas, Bluffton and Page Creek. The Bluffton area is on the lake's northern shore and is more developed than Page Creek. The state park has a total of 121 sites with water and electric hookups for less than $20 per night. There's also hundreds of primitive camping sites for less than $10 per night.

Visit the photo gallery to see pictures of Cedar Bluff Reservoir.

RV University

by Mark Polk

Mark Polk is the producer of training videos on how to use and maintain your RV. Mark also provides the RV Savvy segments on the new television show called RVTV.

RV Talk 101

I guess because I work in the RV Industry and around RVs almost everyday I take some things for granted. One of those things is RV terminology. When you hear these terms everyday you just assume that everybody understands them. It would not be uncommon for a typical conversation between two RVers at the campground to go something like this.

"Hi my name's Fred. Nice rig you got there." "Thanks Fred, I'm Joe. It's a new pusher my wife and I just got. This is our maiden voyage with it." Fred replied, "We still have our Class C, it works better for us with the kids. I told my wife we'd upgrade when we're empty nesters and can go full timing." Joe said, "Well I've seen some Class A's that aren't as nice as that, you have two slides and a full basement." "We don't have any complaints, it's 29 feet long and with the Triton V10 it has plenty of power. I do wish the holding tanks were bigger, it seems like I'm dumping them all the time." Joe said, "We had the same problem with our fiver we traded in. I told the wife this time we're getting bigger holding tanks, pass through storage, 50-amp service and filon with aluminum frame construction. No more stick and tin for us. I couldn't keep up with the black streaks." Fred said, "I know what you mean. Fiberglass sidewalls are the only way to go, but I'm a little concerned about delamination. My neighbor's Class A is only four years old and it's already delaminating." Joe replied, "That crossed my mind too. You really need to keep an eye out for any water damage. When we bought the new motor home I had a 20 X 40 foot shelter built to store it under and keep it out of the elements. I'm not sure which is worse, what I paid for the shelter or paying to have some delamination repaired." "Hey Joe, is that the dinghy you tow behind your motor home?" "Yes, we just got that too." Fred said, "I didn't know you could tow that model with all four wheels on the ground." Joe replied, "That's why we got it. I didn't want to use a dolly and it only weighs 2,800 pounds. With the motor home fully loaded we can tow it and not worry about exceeding our Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR)." Fred asked, "Did you have to make any driveline modifications to tow it with all four wheels on the ground?" Joe said, "No, and there are no speed or distance restrictions." "Well Joe it was nice meeting you, I better finish with the campground hook ups." "Nice meeting you Fred. Why don't you and your wife stop by later." "We'll do that."

Now, for an RVer with some experience this conversation makes perfectly good sense, but for the new RVer it may be a bit confusing. To help clear things up I'd like to offer some common RV terms that you will encounter during your RVing experiences.

Select this link to read the rest of the article.

Exploring State Parks

Killens Pond State Park

Killens Pond State Park is located near Felton in central Delaware. The park's centerpiece is the 66-acre millpond, which offers non-motorized boating and fishing for largemouth bass, catfish, and bluegills. The park also features walking trails and a new water park.

The park's campground is open year-round and has nearly 60 sites with water and electric hookups. The camping fee is about $26 per night for non-residents. There is also a primitive camping loop with 17 sites for tent campers (about $20 per night for non-residents). The park also has ten rental cabins and a cottage with a view of the pond. A downloadable campground map is available from the park's web site.

Killens Pond State Park is about 13 miles south of Dover via US Hwy 13. The park's main entrance is on Killens Pond Rd; the campground entrance is on Paradise Alley Road. Select this link to view the state park web site for more detailed information.

For information about all of Delaware's state parks, visit the Delaware Division of Parks and Recreation web site.

Legends of America

by Kathy Weiser

Kathy is a personal friend and webmaster of the Legends of America web site. Her site focuses on the history-rich travel destinations of the American West.

Cripple Creek, Colorado - World's Greatest Gold Camp

The first discovery of gold in the Pikes Peak region was made in 1874 when a man named T.H. Lowe picked up some rich ore in a meadow near the present site of Cripple Creek. Excited, he quickly organized a prospecting party to search the nearby gulches. Though they found a little gold, there was not enough to warrant mining and soon they departed.

It would be another ten years before any gold was heard of again. In the spring of 1884, word spread that a man named Chicken Bill was taking nuggets out of the ground by the handful. Three thousand men quickly swarmed the area to find absolutely nothing. Soon, it was discovered that the nuggets produced by Chicken Bill were from a salted mine and the disappointed miners quickly left in search of more profitable opportunities.

In December of 1890 a man named Bob Womack really did discover gold, but miners were slow to respond remembering the hoax of six years prior. By the summer of 1891 Wommack struck a very rich vein and hurried to Colorado Springs to celebrate. In a drunken stupor the foolish man sold his mine for $500 cash. Word then spread and men began to stake claims all over a six mile square area surrounding what would soon be The Cripple Creek Gold Camp.

Tents and cabins began to spring up and a mining district was organized in the fall of 1891. The creek, which flowed through the camp, had already been named by area cowboys, because so many cattle were lamed while crossing the rocky stream. The camp took its name from the creek. The land where the many claims were being staked was owned by Denver real estate men Horance Bennett and Julius Myers and they soon platted eighty acres for a town site, selling lots to the many miners and their families flooding the area. At first, the two men wanted to call the new town Fremont, but the post office officials rejected the name as there was already one by that name in Colorado. Soon, they settled with the name of the creek.

Select this link to read the rest of the story.

Bumper Sticker Wisdom

• Never let your mother brush your hair when she's mad at your father
• I wondered why the Frisbee was getting bigger, then it hit me
• Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not so sure about the former - Albert Einstein

Camping in City and County Parks

Arizona

Northwest of Phoenix, Arizona, in the "Valley of the Sun" lies Lake Pleasant Regional Park. It's about 14 miles west of Interstate 17 Exit 223 via AZ 74 and Castle Hot Springs Road. The county park has a total of 148 campsites in two campgrounds, 97 of which have water and electric hookups for RVs. The fee for these "developed" sites is about $18 per night. Campsites without hookups are about $10 per night. The park offers a variety of outdoor activities including boating, fishing, hiking, and picnicking. Visit the park's web site or call 928-501-1710 for more information.

Indiana

In Fort Wayne, Indiana, there's a city park called Johnny Appleseed. It's located on Coliseum Blvd (US Hwy 930) behind Memorial Stadium. The park's campground has 36 sites with electric hookups and is open mid-April to mid-September. It will cost you about $15 per night if you've got an RV or $12 to pitch a tent. The park also has restrooms with showers and a dump station. For more information you can call 260-427-6720 during the camping season or 260-427-6000 during the off-season.

RV News

RV Maker Shuts Down for Two Weeks

PAXINOS - The Fleetwood plant in Paxinos will be idled for two weeks and seven white-collar positions have been eliminated at the facility, a company official said Monday. More...

Pricey Gas Won't Keep RV Lovers Away From Annual Rendezvous

BROOKSVILLE - They are gas-guzzling behemoths. But pricey gasoline apparently won't keep RVs and their owners away from the 25th annual Southeast Area Rally of the Family Motor Coach Association, which opens Wednesday at the Hernando County Airport. More...

Video Tape Shows Wild RV Chase

TOLEDO - A video tape released by Toledo Police on Friday shows an unusual chase involving a stolen R.V. It started on the evening of October 11th when the driver, 25-year-old Timothy Kurth, hit a car in central Toledo. He took off with police in pursuit. For nearly 30 minutes, the R.V. wound its way through the city with Kurth picking up speed as he tried to get away. More...

Roundabout Roundup

Camp for Free on May 12, 2006

The third annual KOA Come Camp With Us Day will take place on Friday, May 12, 2006. More than 27,000 free campsites and cabins will be available. It's a great chance to get your RV or tent ready for the summer season.

How Stuff Works

Have you ever wondered how things works? Things like hybrid cars, LP gas, television, tornadoes, GPS receivers, and even how Mobil Travel Guide rates hotels. Well, there's a neat web site you should check out called How Stuff Works. Be prepared to spend a lot of time at this site.

Public Lands Information Center

If you're interested in recreation on America's public lands, you'll want to take a look at the Public Lands Information Center web site. At the present time, the web site only includes information for 11 western states but the site will continue to grow over time.