bizsmith@yahoo.com

I enjoy carrying a handheld GPS while my dog and I are out on our daily three mile walk. I can transfer the track we take to my mapping software on my laptop. I enjoy seeing the tracks on the map and I can always bring them up again to relive the sights and sounds. The handheld GPS has rescued me more than a few times while tramping through the woods and not sure exactly the best route to get back to the campground.

After a few years of forwarding calls to the cell phones, we will be making the break and go cell only. Why pay the land line for nothing. Have you noticed how much smaller the telephone books are getting?

I agree that the ramshackle places that you would normally pass up might be worth a second look. There is one these in Ville Platte, La. We would never in the world have stopped there if it hadn't been recommended. Lesson learned, don't go by appearances, go by the number of cars in the lot.

I use the Airlift portable air compressor available at Camping World. It is pricey but I have been satisfied with it. It can top off your 120psi tires. It is very fast for car tires but requires a little patience for the bigger tires. I have a portable emergency battery that I carry all the time anyway so I can carry the compressor and battery almost anywhere. It does draw enough power that you would want to run your car if you have a lot and use a little care when operating off coach batteries. I also have a DC power supply so I can use it on120 volts. I would spend the money again.

I am still partial to Delorme Topo software on my laptop for navigation. The POI's on RM might be nice but all that info is available to me on my iPad. I guess I don't need yet another toy.

The Verizon 5 Spot is working for me. It has 4G capability. There are some 4G areas and it is very fast. 4G areas can only increase. I like it also because I can connect both my laptop and iPad at the same time (up to 5 can connect at once). We hedge our bets by having the iPad with ATT. Sometimes it is better than Verizon. One or the other works most places. If a campground has WIFI we use that but sometimes the cell connections are better and faster. Many campground WIFI's are pretty poor and sometimes they are not free or difficult to use. Find a system you like and learn all you can about it. We have become so dependent on Interne, we think we can not live w/o it.

I don't have suggestions, just encouragement. Charles Kuralt said it best. "Interstates are wonderful. You can travel coast to coast and border to border and never see thing."

I have had good experience with Coach Net. They are not a repair service. They do the search for you and provide for tow service, thus they need to gather data about your coach to find the best service. It is not needless information they ask for.

If you have an iPhone or an iPad, check out Allstays Camp and RV ap. It breaks down campgrounds by type (state park, private, Corps of Engr, etc). It looks to be quite extensive and well thought out. And a great feature is that it is interactive so that you can suggest additions or corrections. I am looking forward to using this to aid in planning future trips.

If you have an iPhone or iPad there is an app called Allstays Camp and RV. It is just amazing. It would probably rival Tripmaker RVND for info and the thing about it is that you can provide feedback on all the campgrounds to make it even better.

Good luck! We took three weeks and it was not near enough time.

As you work your way across Canada, if you can, dip down to see the Peace Gardens International Park on the border with North Dakota. Impressive.

Most rest rooms at state parks in Florida are concrete wall construction and designated as storm shelters. This is probably best for severe thunderstorms. During hurricane season, you would likely have enough warning to evacuate to a safe area with your rig.

It doesn't appear that the refer door gaskets are replaceable. Mine are getting brittle. Any suggestions?

I got rid of both my J lounge and sofa. I now have two Ekorness stressless recliners. A little pricey but small, light weight, and super comfortable.

Bodacious in Texas can be good. Admittedly it is a chain but sometimes very good. Since my original post, we visited the one north of Tyler, TX and it was not even close to being as good as 4 years ago. They've lost their touch in operation of the smoke house and not nearly as good on service. There is a place in Rusk, TX that used to be a Bodacious that is very good. Gary Lee's in Brunswick, Ga is also very good. He caters to the working class and gets many worker bee customers for lunch every day.

I would like to have other peoples experiences with portable gas grills. I need a compact one but with enough size to do a good job. A mouse f__t will blow out the burner on the one I have now.

My dream would be to put the coach on a barge in St Paul, MN and float the Mississippi to New Orleans.

Don't miss Shark Valley. There is a 15 mile narrated tram ride through the Everglades that is very nice. You can bicycle the same road if you are so inclined.

There is an even easier way. There is a battery filler that has tubes to every cell. I just insert the tube in the distilled water jug and squeeze the bulb. Each cell has its own check valve and flow stops when full. It was a chore to install but since the battery slide on my coach is almost impossible to operate by myself, it has been worth every penny. Once a month it takes me about one minute to fill all 24 cells.

I would recommend the Natchez Trace Parkway. This is a part of the National Park System and is a 400+ mile stretch where no commercial vehicles are allowed. It is not a divided highway but with no commercial vehicles allowed that is no problem. There are numerous stops at historic sites. It is maintained and patrolled by the National Park Service. The 50 MPH speed limit is rigidly enforced as I saw numerous violators stopped along the way. There are no sign boards and absolutely no trash along the right of way. You have to enjoy scenery and if you are traveling with kids, they will be bored to tears. You could get on at Natchez (there is a great state park there) or get on at many points North ending at Nashville. I love it!

The RVhandsets device has been essentially useless due to the interference mentioned in another post. One handset works marginally but the other is useless. Maybe you would be lucky to get a good one but I would steer clear. Hand signals work.

Lake Louisa state park has at least 4 pull throughs but only one with full hookup (no. 16) and you must have reservations long in advance especially for no. 16. The dump station is very good. The drive to DW is not difficult. Louisa is one of our favorites but it is not for everyone. Some might consider it to be desolate.

If you are on I-35 between Kansas City and Wichita, Homewood RV park is a good stopover. Full hookups, pull thrus, free WIFI. cable, 30- 50-amp for $22. I-35 exit 176. Easy on and off. Stop early, it's small and they fill up. Near Ottawa, KS. Cash or check no credit cards.

We have a Verizon 5 Spot. It seems to be an acceptable device for connecting to the internet. We were recently in Stillwater, OK and encountered 4G for the first time. It was very fast compared to many locations where even 3G is not available. I guess Stillwater probably got 4G before even some of the larger cities because Oklahoma State U is there. We have both Verizon and ATT. It all depends on where you are which is best. I would say that Verizon is best a larger percentage of the time but it has its dead spots too. No U.S. company has or will have true 4G as it was first defined, although they claim to but the Verizon 4G is very good.