Category: Traveling Tips
The importance of check lists
December 31, 2012 by Canadianladybug · Leave a Comment
Lists are important for various things in life. You make some when you packed for vacation or for a going to the hospital to have a baby. You make one when grocery shopping or to make sure you don’t forget someone for Christmas. Like it or not, our memory is sometimes forgetful and lists help us keep our sanity sometimes. If you are RVing, you also need lists to make sure you do not forget anything for a trip or ensure you bring back all you need for home. A list is also something we rely on when we are closing down the RV at winter. You see we learned the hard way through the years. Once I forgot to bring underwear for my husband and my first born for a week-end a camping. Yeah! Not fun…. Fortunately it was just for a couple of days, still I have learned to double check every time I packed now – especially with six people in a family and the first thing that goes in are definitively the underwear! We also forgot one important step one wear while closing... [Read more...]
May you all have a Blessed Christmas, no matter where the season finds you…
December 24, 2012 by Dana Ticknor · 8 Comments
This year will be our fourth year celebrating Christmas in an RV; the 3rd in this particular 5er. And we couldn’t be happier about it. While we no longer have the 8′ tree, or the strings of lights outlining the rooftop, or the fancy Christmas dinner with a dozen sides like in the sticks n’ bricks, Christmas still holds the same wonder. Sure, we have had to make some changes in how we celebrate, due to our compact abode, but we are finding that we prefer many of our altered traditions. In the RV, we don’t go all out decorating, mostly because we don’t have room to haul decorations around with us (we still love to look at other RVer’s lights!), but we do have a small tree that the kids decorate, and we trim the slides with garland and small colorful balls. We don’t buy gifts based so much on money and number anymore as we do size, and we now prefer ‘experiences’ over physical stuff. We no longer cook on the same scale as we did in our... [Read more...]
Merry Christmas to All
December 22, 2012 by Rex Vogel · 2 Comments
It’s Christmas weekend, the most wonderful time of the year. Season’s greetings fellow RVers, campers, snowbirds, wanna-bes, birders, photographers, hikers, and everyone who loves the great out-of-doors…and all Woodall’s blog readers! Thank you for reading our camping blogs this past year! Best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy holiday season. May the miracle of this wonderful season fill your heart with peace and happiness and bless your life throughout the year. As we approach Christmas Eve we’re on the Alabama Gulf Coast enjoying balmy Gulf breezes, discovering the beauty and diversity of the area, and indulging the palate in fresh from the Gulf shrimp, oysters, and native fish. For me, the ultimate experience of camping and RVing requires a camera. Without a camera I bring home memories. With a camera, I bring home a series of images of the memories that I can return to over and over and share with readers of my posts. Memories become more complete and... [Read more...]
Last Minute Christmas Shoppers Must-Read!
December 18, 2012 by Cynthia Baum · Leave a Comment
Are you feeling stressed out by the mad holiday rush and last minute Christmas gifts you still need to get? It is usually around this time of year, with less than a week to go before Christmas, that I really start to feel the pressure. I feel it all month long, really, but it’s especially bad in the last home stretch, with less than seven days to go, that I really feel the stress. Really, I should just bite the bullet and go shopping for all of those last minute gifts, but this year money has been especially tight and I have way more last minute gifts to buy than normal. So with that said, my goal now is to do my best with what I have and then pray that everyone gets taken care of, just in the nick of time. Read-on for Practical Tips that will Save You Time and Money! My Goal is to do what I can to finish as early in the week as possible, so that by the weekend, all I have left to do is the wrapping (my favorite part!) Here is my Plan of Attack (that you are welcome to follow... [Read more...]
Tex-Mex New Year’s Eve Food
December 16, 2012 by Vickie Medley · 2 Comments
I know, I know…I’m pushing it. Christmas isn’t even here and I’m going to talk to you about food on New Year’s Eve. We live in Texas and we are loyal to our state with every fiber of our being. That said; let me tell you where some of this loyalty comes from. When someone says, “Let’s go get some Tex-Mex,” I’m out the door. Leading the pack…mouth watering. I can’t get enough of it. I long for it when we visit other states and people look at me like I’m speaking a foreign language when I ask them if they serve Tex-Mex. During New Year’s Eve at parties and homes across Texas you’ll find Texas Caviar, BBQ, desserts, varieties of Tex-Mex dishes and the traditional tamales being served. You don’t necessarily have to live in Texas to get this food but evidently, this is a well-kept secret in other states. So, I’ll just do my part by telling you the virtues of Tex-Mex. Before long you’ll be yelling, “Que pasa, partner” while waving a margarita... [Read more...]
IT WAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (Revised by…… well, ME!)
December 16, 2012 by Professor95 · 2 Comments
It was the night before Christmas, when all thro’ the camper, Not a creature was stirring, nary was there a scamper. The stockings were hung by the campfire with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there; The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of iPads danced in their heads, With Mom in her Snuggie, and I in my Crews, We had just settled down for the Late Night News - When the camper started shaking, I sprang from my chair, I thought that the awning must have caught air. Away to the door I flew like a flash, Slipped on the floor, and scattered the trash. The Scare Light sparkled on new fallen snow, Gave the luster of mid-day to a gas grill below; When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, But a Winnebago Brave, packed full of gear. The engine sputtered as if it were dry, With the miles it had traveled, it was no wonder why. With a little old driver, so lively and quick, I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick. Faster than rising fuel prices,... [Read more...]
Christmas Ideas for the Outdoors Lover in Your Life!
December 16, 2012 by Diane Berry · 2 Comments
As a follow up to my Stocking Stuffers post a few weeks ago, each year I like to write a blog to share some Christmas gift ideas for those in your life who enjoy the outdoors…or maybe for yourself! I like to try to come up with ideas that may not occur to you, to stimulate your imagination and perhaps lead to that one gift that will be enjoyed year round. As with the St. Nick’s ideas, couple of traditional favorites include a new calendar to help plan trips in the New Year and the newest edition of Woodall’s Guide for the same reason. But every year I also like to add a few new ideas that may simply not have occurred to the typical Santa. Here are my ideas for this year: Terry’s New Butter Fleece Jacket…shhhh 1) A new Butter Fleece to wear as a top layer on cooler spring or fall days and under an outer layer during winter. My family cannot get enough of this fleece; we each have several and wear them throughout the year. While many of them are the ¼ zip variety,... [Read more...]
It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!
December 13, 2012 by Cynthia Baum · Leave a Comment
Deck the Wheels with Bells of Holly! Whether you are traveling somewhere in your RV for Christmas or are a full-timer, there are many ways that you can decorate your RV for Christmas: like you would a house just on a smaller scale. While walking through a campground in Southern California over Thanksgiving weekend, I already spotted a few RVs that were decked out with their Christmas décor. These campers wasted no time in getting their Christmas décor out and up in their RVs. To be honest, I thought it a bit early (being Thanksgiving weekend, I suppose that is not sooo early). Then upon second look, I realized just how nice and homey it made the RV look from the outside. You could see the dash board was covered in some kind of lit-up village and there were lights and garland all around. A small Christmas tree was sitting in a pot in the front and the RV just emanated the warmth and cheer that Christmas seems to bring every year. Decking your RV out with Christmas Décor this... [Read more...]
IT’S FINALLY HERE! (The 2013 Good Sam RV Travel Guide & Camp Ground Directory)
December 12, 2012 by Professor95 · Leave a Comment
The brown box dropped on my doorstep was a surprise. I thought, “What in the world is this, I’m not expecting a package?” I cut open the box. Inside was my new copy of the 2013 Good Sam RV Travel Guide and Campground Directory. I have been extremely anxious to see what this new book looked like. You see, it is not just a new publication; it is a brand new product. For years, I have purchased both the Trailer Life Campground Directory and the Woodall’s Campground Directory. While they were similar, they were not identical. I would find that one guide would have listings or information that the other lacked. Of course, I was somewhat partial to the Woodall’s Directory – after all, for the past three years my blogs have been published under the Woodall’s marquee. So, how is it that both the former Trailer Life and Woodall’s directories came to be combined? Well, both Trailer Life and Woodall’s are owned by the same parent company – and have been for many years. ... [Read more...]
Some Days Are Diamond: Florida Man Finds 1.95 ct. Brown Diamond
December 9, 2012 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
The second-largest diamond found so far this year at Crater of Diamonds State Park was certified on the afternoon of November 28. Doug Lay holds his newly found 1.95-carat dark brown diamond. (Credit: Crater of Diamonds State Park) The 1.95-carat dark brown gem is about the size of an English pea, with a round shape and a pitted surface. 40-year-old Doug Lay, a certified nursing assistant from Hernando, Florida, discovered the coffee-colored gem around 1:00 p.m. while wet sifting in the East Drain, a trench along the east side of the park’s 37 ½-acre diamond search area. Lay is no stranger to diamond finds; he has found more than 30 over the past four years, but this is his largest find yet! Lay first learned about Crater of Diamonds State Park from his father, one of the park’s longtime diamond miners. “Dad’s been coming to the Crater of Diamonds off and on for about 17 years. Whenever I’m on vacation, I like coming to Arkansas to spend time with him, and we enjoy searching... [Read more...]
