Touring America

Glade Top Trail

Glade Top Trail is in southwest Missouri about 55 miles southeast of Springfield. The scenic byway is about 23 miles long and crosses the Mark Twain National Forest. There are no national forest campgrounds directly along the byway; the nearest public campground is about 30 miles away.

Hualapai Mountains Back Country Byway

This BLM Back Country Byway is in western Arizona near Kingman. The 45-mile route is a Type I, II, and III byway with paved, gravel, and four-wheel-drive sections. The byway climbs nearly 5,000 feet above Kingman into the Hualapai Mountains. Camping is available in Hualapai Mountain Park and the BLM's Wild Cow Springs campground.

Mount Evans Scenic Byway

The Mount Evans Scenic Byway climbs more than 7,000 feet in just 28 miles, reaching an altitude of 14,130 feet. It begins in Idaho Springs, Colorado and follows State Highway 103 and 5. As you might imagine, the view from the summit is simply incredible. Camping is available in Echo Lake, a national forest campground.

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.

Rainy Day Activities

It is raining as I write this. Camping in the rain isn't much fun. Setting up and breaking down in the rain is the worst. We all know a little rain must fall, but why does it have to rain on your vacation? Well, since it is generally a fact of life, you might as well be prepared for it.

When I research a potential destination for our own vacation, it is usually based on outdoor activities like kayaking, biking, hiking and scenic beauty, but I always keep my eye out for what we will do on a rainy day.

Keep in mind, it does not always have to be a museum. We even had a campfire in the rain. It was not raining when we started the fire, but eventually even the pine tree branches above us could not shelter us from the rain. The front windows of the motorhome were pointed right at the campfire ring, so we kept the fire going and watched from inside with good music.

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Fun Stops U.S.A.

Elliott Museum

The Elliott Museum in Stuart, Florida, features an extensive collection of antique and vintage cars, a baseball exhibit, Seminole Indian memorabilia, art galleries, and more. Also on display are motorcycles including a 1911 and 1915 Harley Davidson.

House on the Rock

Designed and built by Alex Jordan of Madison, Wisconsin, the House on the Rock is an architectural marvel perched on a 60-foot chimney of rock. The 14-room House, sculpted atop Deer Shelter Rock, is the original structure of what is now an extraordinary complex of rooms, streets, buildings and gardens covering over 200 acres.

Maple View Farm Alpacas

Maple View Farm Alpacas is located on 100 acres in western Vermont, north of Brandon. The farm breeds and sells high quality alpacas. Visitors will learn about these animals and can browse the farm store featuring products made from alpaca fiber.

Casino Camping

by Jane Kenny

Jane Kenny is a full-time RVer with husband Jack. She is the author of two books and is recognized by the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) as an RV Lifestyle Specialist. The excerpt below is from her book, Casino Camping.

Dover Downs Slots

1131 North DuPont Highway

Dover, Delaware 19901

Phone: 302-674-4600 or 800-711-5882

www.doverdowns.com

Description: The 91,000 square-foot casino has 2,500 slots, video poker and daily racing simulcasting. There is a 232-room/suite hotel and conference center and nine restaurants from gourmet meals to snacks. Live harness racing takes place November through April. Casino hours are 8am–2am (Mon–Sat) / 1pm–2am (Sun). Dover International Speedway (NASCAR) is located at Dover Downs.

Directions & Parking: Dover Downs is located in the central part of Delaware within the city limits of Dover on the northbound side of US-13, the major north/south highway in Delaware. Motor home parking is on the gravel or grassy portion of the lot at the casino. Overnight parking is permitted.

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.

Travel Technology Options

One of the questions that comes up most frequently is what type of Internet connectivity should I have for our trip? So, here is a quick review of the basic ways to access the Internet in a mobile connection (not at a fixed land base (i.e. DSL or cable TV Internet)).

• Dial-up - slow, but can access from any telephone line - just plug in and dial. Some carriers provide lots of local dial up numbers (AT&T has over 400!) and most also provide some 800 service for a fee. This is good to have as a back-up service when you can't access anything else. AT&T provides such a service for $5.95 a month plus $0.99 an hour when you need to use it. I'm sure others have similar services.

• Cellular Modem - slow, but using an adaptor kit of some type (called a modem kit) you can access any place you have cell coverage. Unless a particular company has put restrictions on it, you can access the Internet from ANY cell company's service, regardless of who your carrier is. You have a physical connection from your cell phone to your PC.

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RV Dump Stations

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

Discovering Your Public Lands

Black Butte Lake

Black Butte Lake is a Corps of Engineers project in northern California about eight miles west of Orland. The lake is surrounded by beautiful, dark volcanic buttes and is well known for fishing, sailing, water skiing, and camping. Two campgrounds provide a total of 100 sites; camping fees range from $10 to $15 per night.

Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge

Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge preserves nearly 16,000 acres of land in central Delaware. The Refuge contains freshwater pools, swamps, upland forests, and one of the largest unaltered salt marshes in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Huckleberry Campground

Huckleberry Campground is a Bureau of Land Management campground on the Saint Joe River in northern Idaho. It has 33 sites with water and electric hookups for about $15 per night. The river is a trout fishing stream popular with fly fishers. Rafting, canoeing and tubing is popular in summer.

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.

RV Tire Failure 101

When I was young, my friends and I would go tent camping at our favorite spot in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania. It is where I learned the art of fly-fishing for trout, trapping muskrats and hunting whitetail deer. To this day just the thought of those camping trips bring back wonderful childhood memories. Not only are the memories good, the lessons I learned have lasted a lifetime.

My one friend's father would go with us on many of our camping excursions. When he was a young man he spent several years working for a logging company. We would load up in his old 4X4 truck armed with chainsaws, axes, wedges and logging chains and head out in search of fallen trees and logs that would later be used to build our spectacular bonfires. Each and every time we went out to do this he made us inspect the logging chains and cables before we would skid the logs out of the woods behind the truck. He told us to inspect where the hooks attached to the chains and inspect the chains length for the weakest link. I was shocked at the number of times we discovered a link that was cracked or broken. He explained what the results could be if a chain or cable broke under tension.

I have applied the weakest link lesson many times since then. During my time in the Army I was in charge of some very large maintenance operations. We would go on countless recovery missions to upright vehicles that rolled over, or to tow a sixty-ton M1 tank back to the maintenance facility. We would inspect and re-inspect the riggings, looking for the weakest link, before attempting to recover these vehicles. Since retiring from the military my passion has been with RV's and once again I realized the importance of the weakest link lesson.

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Exploring State Parks

Buffalo Bill State Park

Buffalo Bill State Park is in northwest Wyoming about six miles west of Cody via US Hwy 14. There are two developed campgrounds within the park, North Shore Bay and North Fork. A total of 97 campsites are available but none have hookups.

Lake Greenwood State Recreation Area

Built in 1938 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, Lake Greenwood State Recreation Area is a 914-acre park in northern South Carolina. The park's campground has 125 paved sites with water and electric hookups for $16 to $18 per night.

Lake of the Ozarks State Park

This state park lies along the shoreline of one of Missouri's largest lakes. It's about 50 miles southwest of Jefferson City via US 54, MO 42, and MO 134. The campground has over 230 campsites ranging from primitive to sites with electric hookups. Camping fees range from $8 to $14 per night. Rental cabins are also available.

Gadgets & Gizmos

FoldCat

The FoldCat is an inflatable pontoon boat that, according to the manufacturer, can be inflated and assembled by one person in five minutes.

RV EzLevel

The RV EzLevel is a gadget that allows you to easily determine when your RV is level. According to the manufacturer, you simply place the device on the floor of your RV and push the start button. As you start to level your RV, red flashing indicator lights let you know which side is low. When the RV is level, all indicator lights turn green.

Solar Panel Lift

With the Solar Panel Lift from R&B Enterprises, you won't need to climb to your RV's roof to raise the solar panel. Flip a switch within your RV and the electro mechanical motor raises the solar panel to the precise elevation need.

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.

Bass Reeves - Black Hero Marshal

Born to slave parents in 1838 in Paris, Texas, Bass Reeves would become the first black U.S. Deputy Marshal west of the Mississippi River and one of the greatest frontier heroes in our nation's history.

Owned by a man named George Reeves, a farmer and politician, Bass took the surname of his owner, like other slaves of the time. Working alongside his parents, Reeves started out as a water boy until he was old enough to become a field hand.

A tall young man, at 6'2", with good manners and a sense of humor, George Reeves later made him his personal companion and body servant. When the Civil War broke out, Texas sided with the Confederacy and George Reeves went into battle, taking Bass with him.

It was during these years of the Civil War that Bass parted company from his "master," some say because Bass beat up George after a dispute in a card game. Others believe that Bass heard too much about the "freeing of slaves" and simply ran away. In any event, Bass fled to Indian Territory where he took refuge with the Seminole and Creek Indians. While in Indian Territory, Reeves honed his firearm skills, becoming very quick and accurate with a pistol. Though Reeves claimed to be "only fair" with a rifle, he was barred on a regular basis from competitive turkey shoots.

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Camping in City and County Parks

Cherokee Park

Cherokee Park is a 178-acre county park north of Morristown, Tennessee on Cherokee Lake. The campground has 60 sites, electric hookups, a dump station, and hot showers. For more information call (423) 586-5232.

Coleman RV Park

Coleman RV Park is off US Hwy 62 in Brownfield, Texas. Everything in this park is free (including electricity, water, and sewage) for up to four days. No reservations necessary; first-come, first-serve.

RV News

Man Enters Burning RV to Rescue Dog

(SALEM) - Salem Firefighters say a man is lucky after reentering a burning motor home to save a family pet. Crews responded to the 9:22 AM fire Monday at Salem Campground, 3700 Hagers Grove Rd SE that sent the 44-year old man to the hospital. More...

Winnebago Reports Lower Earnings

DES MOINES, Iowa - Recreational vehicle manufacturer Winnebago Industries Inc. reported a third-quarter drop in earnings from a year ago as slow demand for motor homes and a trend toward lower priced units continues to affect the industry. More...

Couple Barely Escapes Burning RV

A Canby couple escaped from their RV moments before it was consumed in flames Sunday at Riverside RV Park. RV Park employee Peter Fooks reported witnessing the RV pulling into the entrance of the park much faster than normal. The 30-foot motor home stopped abruptly, and Fooks reported noticing white smoke coming from the engine compartment. More...

Roundabout Roundup

Latitude/Longitude Coordinate Calculator

A convenient latitude/longitude coordinate calculator was recently added to the RoadNotes web site. You can enter coordinates in the degrees/minutes/seconds format and the calculator will convert the results to degrees/minutes and decimal degrees format.

Free Office Suite Software

If you'd like to try an alternative to the software giant's office suite, take a look at OpenOffice.org. It's compatible with all other major office suites but is free to download, use, and distribute.

Campgrounds in Utah

Visit this web site to search for campgrounds in Utah. Included are private campgrounds, state parks, and federal campgrounds.

YellowheadIT!

This is the official web site of the Trans Canada Yellowhead Highway Association. You can request a free travel guide or download a PDF version. The site has information about attractions along the highway.

Free Guide to the Oregon Coast

A 74-page guide to Highway 101 along the Oregon coast is available from Oregon Coast Visitors Association. The mile-by-mile guide begins at Oregon's northernmost border and reveals the many things to see and do along 400 miles of the scenic coastline.