From the Editor

It's hard to believe that September is already here. Where did the summer go? Soon the leaves will be changing colors, days will become cooler, and the Chiefs will begin their march toward the Super Bowl (grin).

Autumn is my favorite season. There's just something about the crisp, cool days here in Kansas. It's not too hot and humid, it's not too cold -- it's just about perfect. But it also means there is just a couple months left for camping and barbecuing before the cold of winter sets in!

I must mention the error I made in last month's newsletter. In the article about CB radios, I listed channel 29 as being frequently used by truckers. What I meant to say was channel 19. Thank you to the many subscribers that brought this to my attention.

This issue of RoadNotes is being delivered a little earlier than usual because of the holiday weekend. Have a safe and fun Labor Day Weekend!

David

Touring America

Billy the Kid Scenic Byway

This scenic byway is in south-central New Mexico about 50 miles west of Roswell. It forms a loop drive beginning and ending in Hondo. The 68-mile route follows US 380, NM 48, and US 70.

Billy the Kid travels through a region of grassy plains and pine forests, and through towns of historic significance. Lincoln's main street is lined with adobe homes and commercial buildings that date back to the late 1800s. It is here that Billy the Kid was tried, convicted, and sentenced to hang. Before the law carried out its sentence, Billy killed the prison guards and escaped from the Lincoln County Courthouse. Sheriff Pat Garrett eventually tracked him to Fort Sumner, where Billy was killed on July 14, 1881. Travelers of the byway can tour the Old Lincoln County Courthouse Museum.

Portions of the scenic byway travel through Lincoln National Forest. Those interested in camping will find several campgrounds within the forest just a few miles off the byway. The Southfork Campground is the largest with 60 sites that can accommodate tent campers and RVs up to 35 feet.

To learn more about this scenic byway, visit the official Billy the Kid Scenic Byway web site.

Casino Camping

Casino-going RVers in the Seattle, WA area will be happy to learn the Swinomish Northern Lights Casino in Anacortes has opened a new RV Park with beautiful water views. The Park, which celebrated its grand opening on July 1st, features 25 full hookup sites with cable TV and Internet connections. Daily rate is from $17. RV guests should check in at the casino gift shop.

The friendly casino has 340 slots, 15 gaming tables, an 11-table poker room, separate keno area, OTB in the summer and bingo every day. Food venues include the pretty Salmon Cafe, open morning to night, and a deli in the bingo hall. Casino hours are 11am to 4am/6am (Fri. & Sat.) New Players Club members will receive a Fun Book containing several valuable food and gaming coupons.

To get to Swinomish Northern Lights Casino, take I-5 to exit 230, then west on Hwy-20 for 8.5 miles. The casino can be seen on the north side of the highway at the Swinomish Channel Bridge.

Currently this is the only casino in the Seattle area with a full-service RV Park, although RV'ers can find sites with $8 electric hookups at Lucky Eagle in Rochester (south of Olympia) and a few sites with $10 electric hookups at Nooksack River Casino (north of Seattle) in Deming.

Fun Stops U.S.A.

The Parks at Chehaw

The Parks at Chehaw in Albany, Georgia is a recreational complex with nature trails, a campground, picnic areas, and a wild animal park. The wild animal park features natural habitat exhibits with native and exotic animals. The park was originally laid out by noted naturalist Jim Fowler of TV's Wild Kingdom.

Lovera's Family Grocery & Meat Market

On West Sixth Street in the tiny town of Kreb's Oklahoma (just outside McAlester) is an Italian grocery store and meat market run by Sam Lovera. Opened for business in 1946, the grocery store still resides in a 1910 sandstone building with red, white, and green awnings.

Their specialties, homemade Italian sausages and cheeses, are made on site. The store's shelves are stocked with a variety of imported pastas, peppers, oils, and sauces. Visit their web site to learn more and perhaps order a gift basket for yourself.

The Seven Caves

This Natural Landmark is near Bainbridge in the scenic Highland Country of south-central Ohio. Three well-marked trails lead to the Seven Caves, each with its own unique formation. The woodlands surrounding the caves are home to more than 250 species of plants and 60 types of trees, many of which are rare or endangered. About 100 species of birds inhabit the area, including the rare Pileated Woodpecker.

Carolina Safari Jeep Tour

Located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the Carolina Safari company offers a 3 1/2 hour history/nature tour aboard customized safari-style jeeps. As part of the tour, you'll be taken through Georgetown County -- known as the most haunted county in the USA! Your tour guide will fill you in on all the legends and folklore of the area.

Discovering Your Public Lands

Shenandoah National Park

Shenandoah National Park lies in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of northern Virginia. The 200,000-acre park features mountainous scenery, more than 500 miles of trails, and the 105-mile Skyline Drive, which winds along the crest of the mountains through the length of the park.

Four campgrounds are available to visitors. Loft Mountain Campground is the largest. It sits atop Big Flat Mountain with outstanding views to the east and west. Two waterfalls and trails into the Big Run Wilderness are nearby. The campground has 219 sites and is open spring through October. The camping fee is $16 per night.

Camaraderie on the Alaskan Highway

Of all the reading and research I did for our trip to Alaska, I don't remember reading about the camaraderie we found on the Alaskan Highway. We had never experienced this before. Let me explain.

Once you get on the Alaskan Highway in Dawson Creek, BC, you become a part of a group that is either going to Alaska, or coming back from Alaska. A large percentage of this group is made up of RVers. As you pull into the campground for the night and get setup, most of us need to get outdoors and walk around.

Small groups begin to form as people gather to exchange experiences and ask questions. We stood around and talked for hours every night. We met people who had done the trip many times and had lots of good information. There were also many like us who were making the trip for the first time and had lots of questions.

A couple of times stand out in my memory. We pulled into a campground in the Yukon. It was a government park with no hookups with perhaps 40 sites very widely spaced. As we walked around at night, we counted a total of 3 campers in the whole park. Since we were parked very far away from any other campers (at least when we went to bed), we did not hesitate to run the generator at 7:00 a.m. for coffee. As we stepped out of the motor home with our coffee, we were surprised to find a tent right next to us. We felt very badly that we had made so much noise so early.

To read the rest of the article, which was submitted by Donna Flanders, visit the RV Vacation Planner web site.

Exploring State Parks

Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation manages more than 100 state forests, parks, and recreation areas throughout the The Bay State. Although it's one of the smallest states in the nation, Massachusetts has one of the largest state park systems.

Those interested in camping will find only 28 areas that have campgrounds. Of these, only 13 have campgrounds suitable for RVers. Camping fees range from $6 per night for a "limited service" campsite to $15 per night for a "coastal" campsite.

Visit their web site for detailed information about each state forest, park, and other state recreation areas.

North Carolina

North Carolina's Division of Parks and Recreation manages more than 30 state parks and recreation areas. Nearly half have campgrounds for tent campers and RVers. Camping fees vary from $9 per night for a primitive site to $20 for a site with water and electric hookups. Hanging Rock and Morrow Mountain State Parks have family cabins available for rent.

You'll find a lot of information about each state park at North Carolina's web site. Park maps are also available that you can download and save to your computer.

Gadgets & Gizmos

Electric Bicycle

Here's a neat way to get around in the campground. It's the Folding Mini E-bike from EV Global Motors Company, founded by Lee Iacocca. The bicycle utilizes 36 volts of battery power and has a range of up to 14 miles on a single charge. It plugs into any 110-volt outlet for charging.

Laminated Checklists

RV Checklist is a web site that sells laminated checklists for travelers and RVers. Their checklists will help you remember such little things as adjusting the heat or air conditioning in your home to big things like packing your medications.

Each checklist is laminated for years of use. They're easy to use and reuse, just check off the items with a wet ink pen and erase the list with a damp cloth. (The wet ink pen and cloth are included with each checklist.)

Street Atlas U.S.A.

Street Atlas U.S.A. is mapping software from DeLorme of Yarmouth, Maine. It's probably the most detailed and powerful trip planning software available. It includes GPS capabilities and over four million points of interest like Wal-Mart stores, gas stations, restaurants, lodging, hospitals and more.

The software is also capable of importing files that contain latitude and longitude information. The folks at Discovery Owners of America have compiled several of these files that show the location of Escapee RV Parks, Coast to Coast Parks, bridges with low clearance, CostCo stores, and much more.

Bumper Sticker Wisdom

• My mind works like lightning, one brilliant flash and it's gone
• Do they ever shut up on your planet?
• Hey idiot - You're driving a car, not a phone booth

Adventures from the Past

Cripple Creek, Colorado

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.

To read the rest of this article, visit the Legends of America web site.

Humorous Quotes

• "Some people drink from the fountain of knowledge, others just gurgle."
• Sign at a repair shop: "We can repair anything. Please knock hard on the door (the bell doesn't work)"
• Sign at a laundromat: "Please remove all your clothing when the light goes out."

Roundabout Roundup

Rest Area Wi-Fi

Iowa's Department of Transportation recently equipped six of the state's rest areas with free high-speed wireless Internet access. Read more here...

Texas has also added free Wi-Fi Internet access at some of its rest areas. Read more here...

Campgrounds in Indiana

The Indiana Campground Owners Association web site lists private campgrounds throughout Indiana. You can view the list by campground name, by city, or by amenities available.

RVing - The Midwest Connection

This is the personal web site of Vince and Ann. They live in southern Missouri and enjoy traveling throughout the midwest in their RV. Their web site has information about things to see and do, photographs of places they've been to, and some "How To" information.

Wisconsin's Rustic Roads

Wisconsin's Department of Transportation describes its Rustic Roads program as a "positive step backward." I like that! These roads are a different kind of scenic byway -- you won't find a lot of tourist attractions or services along these roads. Take a look at the web site for pictures and more information.

Kirk & Pam's Great Adventure

Kirk and Pam are full-timers who frequently workkamp. Their personal web site is a great place to learn about workkamping and earning money while on the road. You'll also learn about them and the places they've been to.