Category: State & National Parks
Yosemite N.P. to Big Trees State Park, Calaveras County, California – Part 1
June 25, 2012 by Traveler8343 · 2 Comments
Our home away from home After eight months of towing our trailer across the country and leaving the idea of reservations in God’s hands, we ran out of luck – again. We had decided during the planning stage for this trip that we wanted to be free to stop and stay at whatever place caught our interest and not have to be bound to the calendar; having to be in a certain place at a certain time. What we did, though, was call Reserve America hours or days before our expected arrival time and try to pick-up on any cancellations or open sites that might be available. This procedure had served us well so far, although we did have to patch together several different sites in order to lengthen our stays at the more popular parks, like Bahia Honda in the Florida Keys and the Grand Canyon. This procedure didn’t work this time, though. We lost cell phone service shortly after leaving Las Vegas, Nevada and were incommunicado for over 200 miles of desert along Route 95 to Tonopah, Nevada.... [Read more...]
Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center – 150th anniversary must-see!
June 19, 2012 by Dana Ticknor · 2 Comments
One of the most interesting places that we visited this past winter was actually an unplanned day excursion to a National Park that we weren’t even planning on hitting! Being a bit of Civil War buffs, we knew that while we were heading through Tennessee we would HAVE to visit Shiloh. Shiloh was one of the bloodiest battles of, and is now one of the most well-known battles of, the Civil War; we made a detour and fit in a day at Shiloh while we were heading through TN. Shiloh was a beautiful park, and we were content to tour the grounds, watch the film on the battle, complete the Jr. Ranger program, and peruse the museum, with Shiloh as our only destination for the day. However, while we were at Shiloh, and the kids were getting set up for the Jr. Ranger program, we got to talking with the rangers there and they asked if we were going to make the short jaunt down to visit the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center. We hadn’t been planning on it; we figured that it would be a... [Read more...]
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...]
HOW TO ATTRACT BLACK BEARS (…and get a picture, too.)
June 10, 2012 by Professor95 · Leave a Comment
Even with the population of black bear increasing in Virginia, the possibility of seeing one is still an uncommon and exciting experience. These creatures can range from 90 to 500 pounds in weight and stand as tall as 7 feet when erect. Male black bears are naturally larger than females. Black bears are somewhat nocturnal, or crepuscular (active at dusk and dawn). Seeing one during the daylight hours is less likely as they are naturally afraid of humans and somewhat solitary animals. Black bears in Virginia are mostly vegetarian eating a variety of roots, nuts, seeds, berries, grasses, insects, and fruits. But, when given a chance to eat meats they will not hesitate. On our recent outing to Big Meadows campground in the Shenandoah National Park, the Rangers (now called Park Police) warned us to be careful, as there had been numerous sightings of black bears in the campground. This was exciting news to me – in over twenty years of visiting the park and campground, I had only seen... [Read more...]
WE ARE CHEATERS!
June 7, 2012 by Professor95 · 7 Comments
Yes, I admit it. We are CHEATERS! No, we don’t cheat on our income taxes or in a card game. Like thousands of other RV owners, we cheat on what is perceived as conventional camping. For the past week, we have been camping at Big Meadows off of the Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park. We have a beautiful pull thru site about 100’ long – more than enough space to accommodate our “big rig”. There is only one problem with our site – we have no hook-ups for electricity, water, or sewage. This, of course, translates to using our own on-board resources of water, battery power, and wastewater holding. It is easy to get by with no hook-up for a night or two, but if you have a conventional RV with a refrigerator, water pump, and lights, you will quickly learn that the small battery packs that come with your RV will not sustain your needs. The amount of water you can store and the capacity of your waste holding tanks will determine just how often you flush the... [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...]
Campfire Safety Guidelines
May 29, 2012 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
All it takes is one spark for things to go wrong. Campfire Safety. Never leave a campfire unattended! Forest fires often start from campfires that were not put out completely. A carelessly abandoned campfire or a campfire built without safe clearance can turn a small fire into a dangerous and fast-moving blaze. Be sure to build your campfire in a way that does not endanger anyone or the surrounding forest. Check with local authorities on open-air burning restrictions and follow local burning regulations. Keep current on fire bans in the area. Enjoy a safe campfire by following these campfire safety tips: NEVER build a campfire on a windy day—sparks or embers from the fire could travel quite a distance setting an unintentional fire Watch the wind direction to ensure sparks aren’t approaching any flammable materials Build the campfire where it will not spread; well away from tents, trailers, dry grass, leaves, overhanging tree branches, or any other combustible Build campfires in... [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...]
Top 10 things Campers Should Know about Ticks
May 20, 2012 by Rex Vogel · 3 Comments
There ARE more ticks in more places than ever before. Blacklegged ticks or Deer ticks Tick encounter rates are soaring, and experts are predicting 2012 to be one of the worst years for Lyme disease transmission due to higher than normal deer tick infection rates. Deer ticks also are known as blacklegged ticks in the U.S., sheep ticks in Europe, or Taiga ticks in Asia. Do you know THE BEST ways to keep yourself, your family, and your pets safe? Back in the day, we had ticks. Big, yucky American dog ticks. They usually crawled to the top of your head, you felt a lump, pulled the tick out, flushed them—or found some other form of revenge—and that was that. Usually no one got sick. Ticks were mostly just an annoyance, and that’s what people knew about ticks. American dog ticks are still around but these days, there’s another tick, a tiny blacklegged tick, smaller than a freckle. It’s also known as the deer tick, and it crawls up under clothes, latches on without much fanfare,... [Read more...]
