Touring America

Boston Mountains Scenic Loop in Arkansas

Two very different roads crossing the highest part of the Ozark Mountains combine to make the Boston Mountains Scenic Loop one of the Natural State's most interesting driving tours.

Following a former stagecoach route, U.S. 71 rises and falls, twists and turns through the mountain landscape, allowing travelers to intimately experience the rugged terrain. Along the way are small mountain towns, roadside farms, antique and other shops, and travel courts.

Not far to the west, I-540 defeats the mountains' streams, valleys and ridges with several soaring bridges and a tunnel carrying the speeding traffic of a super-highway.

Both routes offer impressive mountain vistas. I-540's cleared right-of-way is sufficiently broad to give those traveling 70 m.p.h. a good look at the countryside; U.S. 71 offers many locations to pull off the road and commune with the mountains.

Select this link to read more about the Boston Mountains Scenic Loop.

Do RVers Have a Loose Screw?

by Donna Flanders

Can you imagine driving your house down the road at 65 miles per hour? If you drive an RV you do it on a regular basis. Does that mean most RVers have a loose screw? You bet! But I'm talking about real screws that come loose as a result of the day to day operation of an RV. Just driving the RV is enough to make things come loose. But when you add things like rough highways and being buffeted by crosswinds, it is not surprising that things will need tightening now and then.

We have a washer/dryer combination in our RV. When the washer goes into the spin cycle you can feel it. I keep expecting someone to bang on our door and demand to know exactly what is going on in there. So it is not just travel that makes things come loose. Do you slam the door to be sure it is tight? That shakes things up as well.

Select this link to read the rest of the article.

Fun Stops U.S.A.

Wilmington & Western Railroad

The Wilmington & Western Railroad is Delaware's oldest steam tourist railroad. Visitors are treated to a one-hour round-trip ride through the lower Red Clay Valley, past the scenic Brandywine Springs Park and along "rare mileage" to the interchange with the CSX main line. Adult tickets cost $7. Special events including moonlit evening rides and ride-to-dine runs are offered throughout the year.

Casino Camping

by Jane Kenny

Unique Casinos in Colorado

If you are interested in historic preservation, Black Hawk/Central City, Colorado is a fascinating "casino-hopping" destination. The two towns are among the state's oldest settlements. Black Hawk and Central City grew as a result of the gold rush of 1859 and prospered during the latter half of the 19th Century. After the gold ran out, the area turned to coal mining, which provided steady employment through the early part of the 20th Century After that, the area declined for several decades.

In 1990, the old mining towns had a major revival when a successful Colorado ballot initiative allowed limited stakes gambling in the commercial districts of the towns with the proceeds earmarked for historic preservation.

Historic preservation led the way in Black Hawk/Central City when the old buildings were spruced up to make room for 19th Century-style casinos. Gaming began in Black Hawk and Central City in 1991, thus ushering in a new "gold rush" for the historic mining towns. Today there are some two dozen small casinos in renovated old buildings clustered in the charming downtown districts.

Since the downtown casino areas do not have adequate space for large vehicle parking, the municipalities designated an area for RVs in the Miners Mesa Parking Lot. The lot is located at the highest point in Black Hawk with a bird's-eye view of the old mining town below. From the lot you can enjoy a spectacular view of the mountains and even see the Continental Divide. Free overnight parking is permitted for blacktop boondockers, but stays should be limited to 48 hours. Free shuttle buses operate to and from the casinos daily between 8am and 2am. Detailed directions to the Miners Mesa Lot are included in the Colorado section of the book, Casino Camping. It is suggested that RVs go into Black Hawk/Central City during warm weather months.

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.

Half the Year Down

By the time you read this, we will be getting ready to fly home for the holidays. This traveling stuff is exhausting! We need a break, and we really miss our family and friends. Looking at your spouse every day - "24/7", as the kids say - takes its toll on you, no matter how compatible you are!

We can actually say that in 6 months we haven't had a fight (a few tense moments - mostly driving!) and we've been away from each other for less than 8 hours total in all that time! Pretty amazing, huh? We actually work diligently to be extra considerate of each other's moods and feelings - it is part of our "survival on the road" guidelines!

Since we left you last month, we've been mostly on a history quest. The Minutemen in Lexington/Concord, the Pilgrims in Plymouth, the Winter in Valley Forge, Independence in Philadelphia, and The Civil War in Gettysburg. History has really come alive for both of us. Growing up on the West Coast, you don't really understand a lot about what happened here in the East as our country was developing. It's been incredible seeing all these places.

We also had a really fun train trip this month. We didn't want to drive "The Rolling White House" into Washington, DC or New York City. One of our kids was in DC on business and brought his family, so it was a perfect excuse to head down there and get a little "grandchild time". Megan is 7, so she is at a great age to see what our Nation's capital is all about. It was fun seeing things through her eyes - and of course, seeing Mom and Dad.

Select this link to read the rest of this article.

Discovering Your Public Lands

Barren River Lake

Barren River Lake is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project in the rolling hills of south-central Kentucky. The 10,000-acre lake is about 95 miles southwest of Louisville. Brochures and maps are available from the project office located on the north end of the dam along KY 252.

There are four campgrounds on the lake that are managed by the Corps of Engineers. Three offer a wide range of amenities including sites with water and electric hookups, shower houses, playgrounds, swimming areas, and more. Beaver Creek Campground is available for those interested in a more primitive setting. Camping fees range from $14 to $20 per night. The State of Kentucky operates Barren River Lake State Resort Park and has camping as well as a wide range of resort facilities.

RV Tech Tip

by Mark Polk

Electrical adapters are a necessity for RVers. Eventually you will be in a situation where you have to use some type of electrical adapter to make a connection at a campground. It may be an outdated campground or isolated area that only provides 15- or 20-amp electrical service. There are adapters that will go from your RV type plug and size down to household type outlets and adapter that go from household type outlets to campground RV connections. It's nice to have these adapters on hand when you need them, but you must exercise caution when you use them. If your RV is a 30-amp or 50-amp system and you use an adapter to plug the RV into a 15- or 20-amp outlet, this severely limits what you can operate in the RV. The roof air alone will draw up to 15-amps when it initially starts. If you place too much of a demand on electrical adapters or use them for extended periods of time, they can overheat and melt, resulting in damage to the RV power cord or electrical system.

Exploring State Parks

Kansas

The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks manages 24 state parks throughout the Sunflower State. Most offer utility and primitive camping, and access to reservoirs, trails, and wildlife areas. Eight state parks also have primitive and modern rental cabins.

A daily motor vehicle permit is required for all vehicles entering Kansas state parks. The cost varies from $5.50 to $6.50. Camping fees also vary from $7 to about $17 per night. The camping fee is in addition to the vehicle permit. Detailed information about each state park is available at the web site. You can also download a Kansas state park guide that also has information about each state park.

Louisiana

There are nearly 20 state parks in Louisiana managed by the Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism. Campgrounds are located in nearly all of the parks. Some also have lodges and cabins available.

An entrance fee of $2 is charged at all state parks. Camping fees vary from $10 per night for a site without hookups to $12 per night for a site with hookups. Detailed information about each state park is available at the official web site. You can also request a free state-wide parks guide.

Gadgets & Gizmos

Align-Quik Hitching & Backing Guides

This simple gadget allows you to easily align your vehicle and trailer from the driver's seat. Attach one guide next to the hitch ball and one at coupling. Look at guides directly or in the rear-view mirror. When the two guides touch, coupling is directly above hitch ball. Select this link to learn more.

Legends of America

by Kathy Weiser

Dirty Dave Rudabaugh - Feared by Billy the Kid

David (Dave) Rudabaugh was born in Fulton County, Illinois in July, 1854. However his family moved to Eureka, Kansas in 1870. Later he lived in Greenwood County, Kansas before following the cattle trail west into Colorado. Little is known about his life until he joined the "outlaw trail." Nicknamed "Dirty Dave" because he rarely bathed and wore filthy clothes, he came to notoriety in the 1870s as the head of a gang of thieves and rustlers in  Texas. But Rudabaugh didn't limit his thieving to Texas. When he and his gang robbed a Santa Fe Railroad construction camp in Kansas in November, 1877, Wyatt Earp was issued an acting commission as U.S. Deputy to pursue the outlaw out of the state.

Following the Rudabaugh's trail for 400 miles to Fort Griffin, Texas, Wyatt Earp visited the Shanssey's Saloon, asking about Rudabaugh. Owner John Shanssey said that Rudabaugh had been there earlier in the week, but didn't know where he was bound. He directed Wyatt to Doc Holliday who had played cards with Rudabaugh. Doc told Wyatt that he thought that Rudabaugh had back-trailed to Kansas. It was this first meeting between Earp and Holliday that would form their lifetime friendship. Wyatt wired this information to Bat Masterson and the news was instrumental in apprehending Rudabaugh.

Trying to stay one step ahead of Wyatt, Rudabaugh had in fact returned to Kansas, but would rob yet another train before being caught. On January 27, 1878, Rudabaugh, along with five other men, unsuccessfully attempted to hold up a train in Kinsley, Kansas. He and his accomplice Edgar West were caught within days by Sheriff Bat Masterson and his posse, which included John Joshua Webb (J.J.). When Rudabaugh went for his gun, Webb stopped him and forced him to surrender. The other four accomplices were arrested later. Rudabaugh then informed on his cohorts and promised to go "straight." Rudabaugh's accomplices were sent to prison, but Dirty Dave was soon released, drifting to New Mexico and returning to thievery once again.

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

Bumper Sticker Wisdom

• What Happens If You Get Scared Half to Death Twice?
• The number of people staring at you is directly proportional to the stupidity of your actions

Camping in City and County Parks

Wyoming

Larson Park Campground is in Guernsey, Wyoming just south of town at the North Platte River. The city park has campsites with water and electric hookups and a bath house with showers. A golf course is nearby. The camping fee for a site without hookups is $8 and $13 with hookups.

Texas

Kerrville-Schreiner Park in Kerrville, Texas is a 517-acre park on the Guadalupe River five miles southeast of downtown. The park was once a state park but is now operated by the city. There are primitive and developed campsites with hookups.

Rest Areas & Welcome Centers

Rest Areas & Welcome Centers is our latest publication. Available mid-June, this new release is a completely revised and updated edition of our most popular title. With it, you'll easily find rest areas and welcome centers along Interstate highways. It also shows what amenities are available such as restrooms, phones, picnic tables, vending machines, and RV dump stations.

The book also includes discount stores like Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, K-Mart, and Target. You'll also find travel centers like Flying J, Love's, Petro, Pilot, and TA Travel Centers. In this new edition, we've added Cracker Barrel locations. The book also provides contact information for state tourism offices, a list of toll-free numbers for hotels and motels, and an RV dump station locator.

To learn how you can reserve a copy, select this link.

Roundabout Roundup

Your RV Lifestyle

This web site features information and advice for the novice or experienced RVer. You'll find information about how to choose, afford and enjoy your RV lifestyle, with tips on campgrounds, fulltiming, RV buying, Internet access, RV travel, and much more.

RVing in Idaho

At the RV Idaho Online web site you'll find detailed information on more than 650 public and private campgrounds throughout the state. You can also request a free brochure that includes parks, campgrounds, RV dump stations, and more.

RV Cleaning Tips

This web site offers some tips and advice for cleaning your RV.

Campfire Stories

At this web site you'll find many ghost stories and tall tales perfect for sharing around a campfire.