Touring America

Flint Hills Scenic Byway

The Flint Hills Scenic Byway stretches 47.2 miles across the Flint Hills of Kansas on K-177 between Council Grove and Cassoday. It is a beautiful drive year-round showing off the panoramic vistas of the tallgrass prairie.

Historic sites abound in Council Grove including the Kaw Mission State Historic Site and Museum, Council Oak, Santa Fe Trail, Old Cowboy Jail, Post Office Oak and Museum, KATY Depot, Hays House and the Last Chance Store.

The byway passes the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve with its showcase limestone mansion, Fox Creek Schoolhouse and barn then follows the roadway through Strong City and Cottonwood Falls, site of the Chase County Courthouse, in operation since 1873 and the Roniger Native American Museum.

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I'm Paying For What?

by Donna Flanders

I like campgrounds. I prefer a campground to staying in a truck stop. But the more I camp, the more hidden charges upset me. My latest one - we were charged because we brought our kayaks into a campground on a lake. The campground rents kayaks so we were penalized for bringing our own at $5 per boat.

I remember the time we paid for 1 and 1/2 sites. When I looked up the campground in the Trailer Life Directory, it said pull thru sites. I called to make the reservation while we were on the road. When I asked for a pull thru site they said "We don't exactly have pull thru sites." When I asked what that meant, they explained that the sites are back to back and so the first camper who pulls in can pull through but the other camper has to back in behind you. If I wanted a pull thru site guaranteed, then I would have to pay for 1 and 1/2 sites. Not exactly a pull thru! Is that anything like being a little pregnant?

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Fun Stops U.S.A.

SpringHouse Country Market

The SpringHouse Country Market in Eighty Four, Pennsylvania, opened in 1975 when the Sam and Bev Minor family started milking cows, processing hormone-free milk, and running the country store. Over the years, the SpringHouse has grown. In addition to fresh milk, they now offer a variety of cheeses, homegrown sweet corn, and old-fashioned hickory smoked meats. Learn more by selecting this link.

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.

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

Statistics from the Road of the Great American Adventure

With half the year now behind us on our Great American Adventure, I thought you might enjoy a few "stats".

We have traveled over 19,000 miles across 32 states. We've bought almost 1400 gallons of gas at an average cost of $1.59, and we're getting an average of 13.1 MPG on The Rolling White House. The most we've paid for gas has been $1.91 in Trinadad, CA, and the lowest was $1.34 in Frankfurt, KY.

We've spent about 1 month sleeping in the Van at an average camping cost of $23 a night, and 5 months of nights in Motels at an average cost of $85--including some spectacular resorts, as well as expensive cities like New York City. We hope to do more camping (we budgeted 3 nights a week camping) as we get back into warmer weather and longer days. Our most expensive night was $350 at The Greenbrier at White Sulphur Springs, W VA, and the least expensive, a camping night at $11 in a very nice city park in Iron River, MI.

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Discovering Your Public Lands

Croatan National Forest

The Croatan National Forest encompasses nearly 160,000 acres between Morehead City and New Bern in coastal North Carolina. Visitors will find eight camping areas, four developed and four primitive areas (free camping). The four modern campgrounds are Cedar Point, Long Point, Neuse River (also called Flanners Beach), and Oyster Point. All 40 campsites at Cedar Point have electrical hookups ($17 per night). Fourteen of the 45 sites at Neuse River have electricity. The camping fee at the other two campground is only $5 but you'll have to make do without electricity.

Aliceville Lake

Aliceville Lake is a Corps of Engineers lake in west-central Alabama. It is one of ten in the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway project. The only campground on the lake, Pickensville, has 176 sites with water and electric hookups for $16 to $18 per night. Free project maps can be download from the Corps of Engineers web site. A Pickensville Campground brochure can be downloaded by selecting this link.

RV Tech Tip

by Mark Polk

Water Heater Tip

Whenever you return from a trip you need to drain the water from the water heater tank. This not only will prevent stale and musty water, but it will prevent costly damage that could occur if water were left in it and it froze causing it to expand and split the water heater tank. Removing the plastic plug to drain the water heater tank can be difficult and over time the plug corners will round off. A simple solution is to install a petcock, available at your RV dealer, which will make draining the tank much easier. CAUTION: Never drain the water heater tank when it is hot or under pressure. Wait until the water has cooled and with no water source hooked up to the RV and the 12-volt water pump turned off, open the water faucets and relieve the pressure before draining.

Exploring State Parks

Maryland

Maryland's Department of Natural Resources manages over 45 state parks and forests. Of these, camping is available in 25 parks. Camping fees vary but are generally $25 to $30 per night for a site with electricity. The official state park web site can be a bit difficult to navigate. The best thing to do is select this link for a list of all state parks and forests. Then, locate those with a campground and click on the park's name. This will provide you with detailed information about that park.

Gadgets & Gizmos

Golf Ball Game

This golf ball game has become a popular outdoor activity among campers. It's called many different names: Ladder Golf ^TM, Hillbilly Horseshoes, Redneck Golf, Willy Ball, and others. Visit this web site to learn more about it and for instructions on building your own.

Legends of America

by Kathy Weiser

The Ghosts of Fort Phantom, Texas

Located in Jones County, Texas, Fort Phantom Hill is one of the most pristine historic sites in the Lone Star State. Built in the early 1850s to protect the westward moving pioneers, the historic site not only provides today's visitor with a rich historical view of the past, but is also said to be extremely haunted.

In 1849, the federal government sent Captain Randolph B. Marcy to explore the vast region to the north and west of Austin to establish a route through the area. Long inhabited by the warlike Comanche Indians, the area was known as the Comancheria. The purpose of Marcy's exploration was to establish a safer passage for immigrants headed to the California gold fields. As a result of Marcy's recommendations, a cordon of forts, including Fort Phantom Hill, were established on the new route through the Comancheria.

Acting on orders from General Persifor F. Smith, Lieutenant Colonel John J. Abercrombie arrived at the Clear Fork of the Brazos River with five companies of the Fifth Infantry on November 14, 1851. His first impression was not a good one, as a wet snowstorm blew in killing one teamster, and twenty horses, mules, and oxen that froze to death.

Read the rest of the story at the Legends of America web site.

Bumper Sticker Wisdom

• There is no shortcut to anywhere worth going
• Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently-talented fool
• It's been Monday all week

Camping in City and County Parks

Ohio

In Hamilton County, Ohio, there are three county parks with campgrounds. The Miami Whitewater Forest Campground has 46 sites; Winton Woods Campground has 100 sites; and the Steamboat Bend Campground has 52 sites. All campsites have electrical hookups for about $19 per night.

Wisconsin

Holtwood Park in Oconto, Wisconsin is open May through October and has nearly 150 campsites. Amenities include restrooms, hot showers, laundry facilities, and a dump station. Camping fees range from $18 to $20 per night.

Roundabout Roundup

Americans Living Life Partly on the Road

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — It's the carefree life Alona and Jim Robison always dreamed of. Well, almost. The open road stretching out in front of their motor home. No grass to mow, or utility bills to pay. The sound of surf just outside the door. Then the alarm clock rings at 6:30 a.m., and it's time to get up for another day of work. Read the rest of the article here.

Campgrounds on the Web

Take a look at this web site for a list of more than 4,400 private and public campgrounds across the U.S.

Lawrence RV Wood Trim

Daryl and Cheri Lawrence are full-timers and owners of this small business. They began full-timing in 2003 and would often find themselves assisting other RVers with remodeling projects. They decided to make it official and make a business out of installing various wood products in RVs. Visit their web site to learn more about what they do. You'll also find pictures of the many places they've been to.

Circle of Trust RV Family

The Circle of Trust RV Family is an organization consisting primarily of small businesses that serve the RV community. Visit their web site to learn about more than 60 companies that provide unique products and services for RVers.

The Outdoor Stores

The Outdoor Stores is a Circle of Trust member (see above) that sells hunting, fishing, and camping equipment. The business was started by Ron Sevon because he enjoys camping, fishing, and hunting. And he wanted to provide affordable products for others that share the same interest.

Campground Cooking Ebook

Pat Watson and her husband, Francis, live in Holland, Ohio, and love cooking and entertaining their friends and family.  Pat's new e-book, "Campground Cooking," is a collection of more than 200 fun, easy recipes designed for RV cooking. Pat says all of the recipes can be made using an RV oven, crock-pot, microwave or electric skillet. Select this link to learn more.