Category: RV Campgrounds
Hey Dad…Can We Go Camping this Weekend?
June 15, 2012 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
There’s something about camping, from tent, tent trailer, and pop-up camper to diesel pusher and luxury fifth wheel trailer that makes it more than the sum of its parts. Hey, Dad, let’s go camping…to Arches National Park, Utah. © Rex Vogel, all rights reserved You’re not just looking for a place to spend the night or weekend or to hide out from the rain—you’re buying into a lifestyle. It’s taking in the fresh air of the great outdoors. The RV lifestyle is about freedom, and it’s a complete 180-degree turn from the hectic pace of everyday life. When you arrive at your campsite it doesn’t matter if the Yankees lost a double header or the Cowboys were defeated in overtime. It’s is a relaxing pleasure to park in a beautiful location and go fishing, take a walk, or simply relax by the camp fire. Camping is a great way to get to know your family better and to meet new friends. Once you get away from all of those distractions at home, you have a great opportunity to really... [Read more...]
Bear Attack Reported at Arizona Campground
June 1, 2012 by Rex Vogel · 2 Comments
An Arizona woman was injured this morning (May 1) when a bear ripped a hole in the tent where she, her husband, and their dog had been sleeping at Ponderosa Campground in Tonto National Forest, just off Highway 260 about 10 miles east of Payson. Grizzly bear attacks tent. (Source: Thomas J/travelooce.com) The attack occurred around 4:30 a.m. After tearing open the tent, the bear reportedly stuck its head in and clawed at the 74-year-old woman, leaving her with bruises and a laceration on her scalp. She was treated at Payson Regional Medical Center for non-life-threatening injuries and released. The woman’s husband and dog were not hurt. A large adult bear had recently been seen hanging around the campsite dumpsters. A wildlife manager with Arizona Game and Fish Department visited Ponderosa Campground yesterday looking for the bear, but it was not found. A culvert-style trap was set. The wildlife manager talked to the campground host about precautions, and all campers were informed... [Read more...]
Get Back to Nature in Custer State Park
May 30, 2012 by Good Sam Team · Leave a Comment
Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota has unimaginable scenery, rustic lodges, cabins, and RV and tent campsites that are open year-round. You’ll find a variety of offerings, including camping cabins, horse camps, primitive campsites, modern campsites and group camping facilities. Camping fees are collected daily and are based on the number of camping units in your party. Each campsite at Custer State Park has a gravel or paved camping pad, a fire grate and picnic table. Electric hookups are available in most campgrounds and all but a few offer flush toilets and showers. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, park staff give evening presentations at several campground amphitheaters. These talks often give campers insight into the park’s history, wildlife and natural surroundings. Custer State Park’s free roaming buffalo have been known to occasionally wander into the campgrounds. These majestic—but wild—animals should be treated with respect and visitors should... [Read more...]
Road trip!
May 24, 2012 by Rex Vogel · 1 Comment
It’s the Memorial Day long weekend—the unofficial start of summer—and for many travel-wise Americans that means one thing: Road trip! Let's Go RVing on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia. © Rex Vogel, all rights reserved The tradition of taking a road trip dates back about 3,000 years. The first road trip likely occurred in ancient Egypt around 1200 B.C., when Ramses II hit the road in his chariot. Similar ventures—using the well-loved automobile—began in Germany in the 1880s. As the car’s popularity grew, so did the practice of taking to roadways for a carefree holiday. The road trip became an easy, breezy travel idea that’s affordable and accessible—and in America today there is no shortage of highways, byways, and back roads. Answering the call of the open road is practically an American rite of passage—and today more and more are taking to the open road in a recreational vehicle. 5 Great All-American Road Trips These 10 distinctive all-American road trips, inclusive... [Read more...]
Living the Dream of RV Park Ownership
May 21, 2012 by Good Sam Team · 1 Comment
The dream of buying and operating an RV park may seem impossible for folks who can’t part with the steady salary of their 9 to 5 job. New Jersey residents Carmine and Lisa Torella found a way to pursue their goal of RV park ownership without having to say goodbye to Carmine’s steady income from his non-RVing career. The couple recently bought Green Valley Beach Family Campground near Newton in Northwest New Jersey and renamed it the Great Divide Campground. The 256-site RV park is close enough to Carmine’s electrical business that he can maintain management responsibilities. The Torellas credit Recreational Business Partners (RBP), Billings, Montana, with finding an RV park close to their residence that they could purchase. “I find these two guys in Montana and they found me a campground I had never heard of and it was 35 miles from my house,” Carmine told Woodall’s Campground Management. “If that doesn’t say a lot about them and their business, I don’t know what does.” Carmine,... [Read more...]
Mom, Where Do RV’s Come From?
May 18, 2012 by Dalin Brinkman · Leave a Comment
RVs come in all shapes and sizes. So it would make sense that they come from a lot of different places, too. That’s only partially true. While RVs are made all over the U.S., one particular county lays claim to being the capital of of RV creation: Elkhart County, Indiana. The “Hollywood” of the RV industry, Elkhart makes between 50-60% of all recreational vehicles in the United States each year. Dutchman, H-L, Jayco, Gulf Stream, Keystone, Royale Coach and Winnebago all have manufacturing facilities here. So it begs the question, what makes this middle of nowhere location the center of the RV world? The answer is that it’s in middle of almost everywhere. Located midway between between Chicago, Detroit and Cleveland, Elkhart is only a small distance from a lot of major markets. As one of the first major manufacturing locations for RVs, it was heavily promoted as “the place” to build RVs. Wilbur Schult, who purchased Sportsman Trailer in 1936 promoted Elkhart to... [Read more...]
Charges Laid in Death of Alberta RVers
April 27, 2012 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
The RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) has charged Travis Vader, 40, with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Lyle and Marie McCann. Lyle and Marie McCann. Photo courtesy Global Vader had been identified for some time by authorities as a suspect in the disappearance, but had yet to be charged. It’s been more than twenty months since Lyle and Marie McCann went missing during a road trip from their home in St. Albert, a northern suburb of Edmonton, Alberta to visit family in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley. The McCanns, both in their 70s, were last seen July 3, 2010 fueling up their motorhome at a gas station in their hometown of St. Albert. Their credit card had not been used since they bought that gas. Their burning RV was found two days later at Minnow Lake campground near Edson, Alberta, about 120 miles west of Edmonton. The registration was pulled out of the motorhome before it was destroyed by fire; the documents showed that the McCanns were the owners. On July... [Read more...]
Rose Valley Ranch, Silver City New Mexico
April 17, 2012 by Guest Blogger · Leave a Comment
You will enjoy the extra large sites and clean, quiet atmosphere in this beautiful RV Park in Silver City, NM.
Consider Vancouver Island!
March 31, 2012 by Melissa A. Trainer · 3 Comments
One of my favorite summer destinations in the Pacific Northwest is Vancouver Island. We first visited this large island about fourteen years ago when our daughter was very little. We were new to the region, and I was spending a fair amount of time doing research and talking to tourism representatives in British Columbia. Back then, everyone told me that Vancouver was great, but many of my contacts gave me a wink and a nod and urged me to visit Vancouver Island, too. They urged me to go in the summer and bring the kids. Those tips were true insider information. I am so glad that I listened! When we first visited Vancouver Island, I picked Parksville as our destination. The guidebooks touted the large safe sandy beaches and a quiet atmosphere…Hmmm. That sounded perfect for a family with a toddler. Initially, we stayed at a fabulous beachfront resort known as Beach Acres. Located right on the water and next door to Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park, this family friendly low... [Read more...]
CiCi … The Mascot at Cross Creek Camping Resort
March 30, 2012 by Guest Blogger · 2 Comments
I started life as a normal raccoon … you know, cute bandit face, pointed nose and a beautiful bushy ringed tail in shades of black, gray and white. My day began at sunset and I was content to eat fruits, nuts, birds’ eggs and crawfish. Ah, as I expanded my territory, I discovered something called a neighborhood and within the ‘hood’ there were lines of cans certain days of the week. Oh the goodies that came out of those cans when they were tipped over. It was something to look forward to. In this neighborhood I made a remarkable discovery … an award-winning campground called Cross Creek Camping Resort, in Delaware, Ohio. It was here that my new life began … gone were the days of fruit, nuts, eggs and fish in the wild. Here to stay were trash bags to tear into and people to entertain with my antics. Everyone was taking notice and I became a mascot! One year, the owner held a contest to give me a real name and I became CiCi. Now I’m really important! I have a real job to do. While... [Read more...]
