Recently, Affinity RV from Prescott and Dewey, brought two Class A Winnebagos, a small one and a large one, a new one and a used one, to North Ranch for most of a Saturday.  They do this every year and it is a nice way for us to go through the models and see all the new changes or additions. I drooled!  If the prospect of perusing RVs didn’t bring people out from their homes and the campground, the food did.  As they always do, they fed us hotdogs. 
Neighbors chatted with neighbors, RV details were cussed and discussed and wild adventure stories abounded.  The two pleasant gentleman who brought the RVs answered questions, made sales…or not, and hopefully the trip was worth their time.

Anything can happen as you walk the aisles of Wal-Mart superstores.  I parked my cart in position to go around a poorly positioned bin sticking out at the end of an otherwise empty aisle, to grab something and suddenly everybody in the store was trying to go through where there was room for only one cart.  I quickly hurried over to rectify my error and move the cart.  A woman walked up and said, “You are a bad shopper!”  She was right.  I shouldn’t have parked it where I did but I resented her making a big deal about it.  I had already shopped for an hour and made allowances for people who were blocking the aisle, nearly running over me on corners, or any of a dozen other instances where a smile and a little patience was more in order than a confrontation.  It was really annoying that she took it upon herself to be the “goddess of carts.”  Oh well, I got over it.  No wonder countries fight with each other when we can’t even get through a box store without arching our backs.

It is 110 miles round trip from North Ranch to Prescott (and nearly the same if I drive to Surprise for major supplies.  By the time I drive up that very curlicue road and back, fill with gas, have lunch, and visit several stores with a long list in hand, I return with very little, if any, energy.  On the west side of the Mississippi, there are many double and triple-bottom semi trucks on the Interstates.  When I’m tired, I feel a whole lot like I think a triple-bottom truck must feel.

I hope you all had an exciting Valentine’s Day yesterday.  God Bless until next week. 

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I recently presented my Boondocking 101 seminar at the Seattle RV Show.
One topic that came up a couple of times was staying connected in the boondocks which is something I never thought to include in the seminar. It seems that many of us in the over fifty crowd are interested in the current and emerging communication technologies, but reluctant to take the next step. 

Obviously cell phones are an invaluable asset to an active RVer and carried by all, but as we become more dependent on the internet the question arises on the best way to get online while living the nomadic lifestyle called boondocking. My wife and I recently added email capability to our cell phones for a modest fee, but choose not to include full internet access due to the monthly cost. Currently, prior to departing on an extended boondocking trip, my wife records the locations of all the known public hot spots along our route. McDonalds, libraries, and community colleges are just a few of the places where a free wireless internet signal can be secured. Since we move frequently from one boondocking spot to another, we typically can secure an internet signal every 4 to 7 days allowing us to pay bills, send files, etc. When we are boondocking and need information that we would normally access via the internet, say like the weather prior to exploring a slot canyon, I email my daughter who looks up the information online and sends it to me as an email. However, as our dependency on the internet grows even more, I can foresee the need for ready internet access while boondocking. My thought here is to find a cell phone provider that offers internet service that can be turned on when we are on the road and turned off when we are home. In addition, I think I would like a cell phone that provides a mobile hot spot allowing my wife and I to access the internet via our laptops saving us from squinting at the tiny cell phone screen. When we make the upgrade, I will share the information. All in all, I can’t think of a better time in the history of RVing to be boondocking. Staying in the sticks and staying connected one the best adventures in RVing!

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Where can you find an English style botanical garden, smolt flumes, fish ladders, a spillway, two ship canal locks, and a visitor center to explain it all? At the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks in Seattle, Washington! Known locally as the Ballard Locks, this is the most popular site along the Lake Washington Ship Canal. The locks are constantly busy elevating vessels up and down between Lake Washington (freshwater) and Puget Sound (saltwater)— from 16-foot canoes to 760-foot long cargo ships. The grounds are operated and maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and are free to visit every day from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Upon arrival, your first stop should be the staffed visitor center where you'll find brochures, books, gifts, exhibits, and a short orientation video. Here you’ll learn that the locks’ namesake, Hiram M. Chittenden, was responsible for designing the locks, but it was actually under the direction of Colonel James B. Cavanaugh that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers broke ground on the project in November 1911. The 8-mile-long, 100 feet wide, and 30 feet deep Lake Washington Ship Canal and Locks were finished six years later. Before Chittenden retired due to poor health, he was responsible for some of the most important engineering projects in the country—flood control projects for the Ohio River Basin and the Sacramento River in California, and the bridge and road system in Yellowstone National Park.

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Dave Stockton’s new book on putting is worth every cent of the $27.50 retail price tag. “Unconscious Putting: Dave Stockton’s Guide to Unlocking Your Signature Stroke” packs a ton of useful information in its 101 pages. Stockton, a veteran golf champion and renowned putting instructor, won five major championships, 11 tournament victories on the PGA Tour, and 14 wins on the Champions Tour. The strategies found in Unconscious Putting fixed Rory McIlroy’s troubles in 10 minutes and were integral in his win at last year’s U.S. Open.

In Unconscious Putting, Stockton stresses a new mental approach: One free of mechanical thoughts, alongside physical routines that insure a player stays locked in on their target. “I believe putting is a simple act,” says Stockton. You see the line the ball should take to the hole, lock in on that line, and let the stroke go while that line is fresh in your mind. Unfortunately, many, many players at every level put up a lot of roadblocks for themselves and get in the way of their own good putting.”

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Thank you to all of those that have attended the Boondocking 101 seminar at the Seattle RV Show this week.

To assist you in finding all the information I spoke about in the seminar please click on the following links:

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On our winter stay in Arizona, we took a day trip from Benson to tour Biosphere 2 in the Santa Catalina Mountains at Oracle, north of Tucson. We arrived in time for an 11:00 “Tour Under the Glass,” which describes the narrated walk-through of the glass dome structure covering 3.14 acres. The tour is approximately an hour and a half walking one way; we did not return to any biome. A caution for those who have health or mobility issues: the tour includes steps.

Originally built between 1987 and 1991 as an artificial, materially-closed ecological system designed to study how the earth’s natural systems work, Biosphere 2, named because our planet earth is considered Biosphere 1, was inhabited by eight individuals from September 26, 1991 to September 26, 1993. Although some touted the closed mission as the most exciting scientific project in the United States since our astronauts launched for the moon, critics called the experiment a complete failure.

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Camping is a time for roasted marshmallows, smores and dining on potato chips while the ribs are cooking. Unfortunately, all of these activities will leave you struggling with weight and battling guilt. You may feel like you will just have to give up the snacks completely, but that isn't necessary. Here are some tips to help you enjoy the snacks without the guilt or pounds.

Exercise

If you indulge in smores with the kids, then work off the extra calories by grabbing the flashlight and taking a late-night hike. You will work work off some calories, get yourself nice and tired before bed and you will also get to enjoy the evening wildlife. If you’re on the road and indulge in a cupcake, then take a long walk and stretch your legs at the next rest stop. You can swim a few extra laps at the campground pool when you arrive, take the kids out on paddleboats or go out on the bikes. When you head out to exercise, try to take a buddy with you for safety.

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With Phoenix being the 5^th largest city in the U.S., there are many famous people who have claimed Arizona as their home.  One of my favorites is Author Zane Grey.  At one time you could visit the one-room cabin he built on three acres up on the Mogollon Rim near Payson.  He eventually abandoned it and it deteriorated.  It was later restored and in 1972, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  It was not destined to live as it was totally destroyed by the “Dude” forest fire in 1990.  However, you cannot keep a good man’s cabin down.  In 2003, a replica of the cabin was built lakeside on the Rim Country Museum grounds in Payson.

Strangely enough, he didn’t originally come here to write; he came to fish.  I’m not sure how much fishing he did but he wrote many novels (I read 56 in one account and 90 in another – it was a lot!), at least a third of them taking place in Arizona.  Riders of the Purple Sage, supposedly his most famous novel, was written in 1912.  In 1939, he died after a massive heart attack in California.  He is buried in Lackawaxen, PA.  His life story is a busy one and most interesting.  He was also one of the first authors who self-published (Of course he wasn’t famous yet).

I once stayed with my oldest brother and his wife in Cumberland, Maryland for several weeks.  As an early teenager, there wasn’t a whole lot to do beyond going to the neighborhood pool to swim and flirt with the lifeguard but my sister-in-law’s mother lived just up the street.  She had the most amazing collection of the Old West Adventure Zane Grey books.  They were even more exciting than the cute lifeguard.  Late into the night, I snuggled under the covers using a flashlight to read every detail of those stories.

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The 49th annual Seattle RV Show opens this Thursday, February 9th at the CenturyLink Field Event Center, formerly known as Qwest Field Event Center. The 2012 Seattle RV Show sponsored this year by Washington State Employees Credit Union and produced by your local Puget Sound RV dealers MHRV Show Association is the largest and oldest RV show in the region. This years show is the largest it has been in the past three years and features several new and returning features sure to please RV enthusiasts of all ages.

New this year is the attraction entitled “RV Walk Through - What You Need To Know” a RV technician will walk you through a RV at the show, just like you were taking delivery of your very own. In the walk through you will be shown the operation of the appliance systems, LP gas, electrical systems, fresh water and waste water systems.

Added this year is a staffed information booth to help you get the most out of the show.
Regardless if you need help finding the restroom or the Winnebagos, you’ll find what you need at the information booth. Another new attraction at the show is “Ask the Technician” where you will find a fully equipped RV with the latest accessories and upgrades installed. A seasoned RV service professional from a local RV dealership will be on hand to answer any and all of your questions concerning general RV service, jacks, awnings, antennas and other installed accessories. John Holod’s RV Adventure Theater is returning this year and will feature his all new film “Rocky Mountain RV Adventure: New Mexico to Canadian Rockies”

This years show features twice the seminars as previous years. For a complete listing of seminars and RV Adventure Theater show times click here.


Booth exhibitors range from RV service facilities to full service RV resorts and everything in between, even home improvement products that allow you to spend less time on home maintenance and more time enjoying your RV! For a listing of booth suppliers click here.

Of course, I would be amiss if I failed to mention the hundreds of new RVs of every size and shape. Travel trailers, fifth wheels, folding trailers, truck campers, toy haulers, extended stay units and all classes of Motorhomes; A, B and C. After a hiatus of several years, the iconic Airstream will be returning to this years show. For a listing of participating dealers and to do a product search click here.


Free Parking too! Buy your tickets online and receive a parking pass for either the Safeco Garage or the North Lot of CenturyLink Field. Click here to order your tickets and receive your parking pass.


Most importantly, don’t forget to pick up your complimentary copy of RV Life Magazine in the bright yellow bag as you enter the show. Attend the Seattle RV Show and plan your next RV adventure. I am thinking the Rocky Mountains sound pretty good next summer!

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Even if you didn’t know that Philipsburg, Montana is officially one of “America’s Prettiest Painted Places,” a walk through the historic commercial district illustrates just how much the local businesses take pride in their town. Decorative gables, cornices, and wrought iron balconies combine with vintage streetlights, flags, and hanging flower baskets to provide color and charm. In December, lighted wreaths welcome visitors. The next time you’re driving Montana’s Pintler Scenic Highway, stop in Philipsburg to stretch your legs. A historic walking tour (maps available everywhere in town) covers 50 finely restored buildings in just a few blocks. It’s a great way to learn a lot of history in a short amount of time.

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