From the Editor

Whew! The holidays are over, it's the start of a new year, and the Kansas City Chiefs extend their season by at least one more game (thanks to Denver, Cincinnati, and Tennessee for losing). (I just had to mention the Chiefs being in the playoffs for the family members in Denver and the Chiefs fan in Indiana.)

Off the subject of football, some new information has been added to the Traveler Services section of this web site. I've added a complete list of Camping World stores and a directory of Wal-Mart discount stores and supercenters (more than 3,200 stores are listed by state).

I hope you enjoyed the holidays and wish you well in the new year.

As always, I'm interested in receiving your comments and suggestions. Feel free to contact me.

Touring America

Wyoming

Seminoe to Alcova Back Country Byway is located in south-central Wyoming about 32 miles southwest of Casper. The 64-mile route follows county roads across a mostly desert landscape between the small towns of Sinclair and Alcova. Features of the byway include Pathfinder Reservoir, Seminoe Reservoir, and the North Platte River.

Much of the land surrounding the byway is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Several public campgrounds are along or near the byway. Dugway and Prior Flat campgrounds are managed by the BLM. Dugway has five sites (no charge) and Prior Flat has 15 sites for $7 per night. Alcova Lake Campground near the northern end of the byway has 200 sites, some with hookups. Camping is also available at Seminoe State Park for about $10 per night.

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.

The Best of the Best

There is a reason why a particular area gets designated a national park. It is often because of such scenic beauty that it takes your breath away, or perhaps it is a place that shaped the course of history for this country. Many RVers travel to national parks for just these reasons. These areas are simply the best this country has to offer. The same is true of the Provincial Parks in Canada as well as other countries throughout the world.

In 1872 Yellowstone National Park became the first public park controlled by the U.S. government because it was recognized as a place that needed to be preserved and open to all the people. Indeed, Yellowstone was the first National Park in the world and set an example for other nations. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson created the National Park Service and established the Department of the Interior which is responsible for the protection and administration of the National Parks.

Select this link to read more.

Fun Stops U.S.A.

Arkansas

The Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, Arkansas, preserves the Ozark Mountain heritage and presents it as living history. Visitors are treated to traditional American mountain music and can watch blacksmithing, pottery making, and other pioneer folk art and craft demonstrations.

RV Dump Stations

Here are some recent additions to the RV Dump Stations web site:

Discovering Your Public Lands

Florida

Lake Okeechobee and the Okeechobee Waterway is a Corps of Engineers project in southern Florida. Information about the project is available from the Project Office on the south side of Lake Okeechobee in Clewiston, which is about 65 miles west of West Palm Beach. There are three campgrounds suitable for RVers: Ortona South has 51 sites with electric and water hookups; W.P. Franklin is open all year and has 30 sites with hookups; St. Lucie South is the smallest campground with only nine sites that have hookups. Camping fees range from $10 to $20 per night. Those with a Golden Age/Access Passport receive a 50 percent discount.

RV University

by Mark Polk

Mark Polk is the producer of training videos on how to use and maintain your RV. He is also the author of The RV Book, a personal guide to understanding and enjoying your RV.

Dinghy Towing 101

A motor home offers us the freedom to explore the open road. We can go where we want when we want. But what happens when we arrive at a destination where we plan to stay put for a day, a week or a month? How do we explore the area, or take a quick trip to the grocery store? Well, we have our bikes with us right! Bikes are nice and we even get some much needed exercise, but are they really practical for touring the surrounding area or taking a day trip? Probably not, so what do we do?

One option is to disconnect everything from the motor home and take it. What a pain this can be just for a loaf of bread. Another option is to tow a vehicle behind the motor home. Now when we need a loaf of bread or want to take a day trip we have our transportation. This makes much more sense, but just how do we do this?

How much weight can we safely tow? Do we need to use a tow dolly or can we tow it with all four wheels on the ground? If we can tow it with all four wheels on the ground do we use a vehicle mounted tow bar or a coach mounted tow bar? What about brakes?

What else will I need? These are all good questions, so let's start at the beginning.

Select this link to read more.

Daily RV Logbook

Mark and Dawn Polk of RV Education 101 and RV University have created a Daily RV Logbook page that you can download for free. Select this link to open the file in Adobe Reader (PDF). You can print this page, have it photocopied on three-hole paper, and place in a three-ring binder to create your own personal logbook of your daily travels.

Exploring State Parks

West Virginia

Blackwater Falls State Park is located in northeast West Virginia near the town of Davis. The park is named for the falls of the Blackwater River whose amber-colored waters plunge five stories then twist and tumble through an eight-mile long gorge. Overnight accommodations include a lodge, rental cabins, and a 65-site campground (30 sites have electric hookups). The campground is open April through October; camping fee is $17 to $20 per night. Canaan Valley Resort State Park is nearby and also has a campground.

Gadgets & Gizmos

Rid-A-Tick

Rid-A-Tick is a simple patch for removing wood and deer ticks from people and pets. The patch allows you to safely remove a tick without using tweezers. It is made of medical tape that has a subtle odor. See the Rid-A-Tick web site to learn how it works.

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.

Branson, Missouri - From Hillbillies to State of the Art

In 1882 an entrepreneur named Ruben Branson opened the first general store and post office as settlers began to come to the area seeking and finding plentiful game and fertile land. The area began to thrive because of the great fishing in the White River. 1895 saw the beginning of a new agricultural crop - tomatoes thrived here and soon a cannery was built in nearby Stone County. The many cans of tomatoes were loaded on to Paddle Wheel boats on the White River, the start of an industry that would last for over 75 years.

In the early 1900s, there were many farms near the Branson Post Office, as well as a handle factory, a tobacco barn, cotton gin, and a steamboat landing at the waterfront. The tobacco industry was the largest agricultural crop of the area and would continue to be so until 1959 when the tobacco farms became the bottom of the newly formed Table Rock Lake. The first school sat high upon the hill overlooking what is now downtown Branson. The settlement took the name of its first postmaster until 1901, when the second postmaster, named William Hawking, changed the name of the post office to Lucia.

Select this link to read more.

Camping in City and County Parks

Colorado

Town Park is a city-managed campground in Telluride, Colorado. The park is located on the east end of town off CO Hwy 145. It has 33 sites for $12 to $16 per night (no hookups available). The camping fee is reduced to $8 for seniors. The RV-friendly campground has a 30-foot RV length limit and a seven-day stay limit.

Do you know of a city or county park that has a campground? Tell us about it!

RV News

Here's the latest RV news from Yahoo! News.