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Roadtrekingmike

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  1. Roadtrekingmike
    006 RV Podcast: The Migration of the Snowbirds
    It’s underway – the annual migration of the Snowbirds , with an estimated 2-5 million RVers  heading to the South and Southwest. That’s the featured topic in Episode 006 of...
    Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome


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  2. Roadtrekingmike
    One of the great things about having a Class B RV like our Roadtrek eTrek is that it also can function as a second vehicle.
    I’ve used it to run errands, drive to and from meetings and work-related activities, church and – while Jennifer is shopping – a comfortable place to chill out while in the parking lot of the mall.
    I’ve also used it for what I call mini-vacations, short day trip respites of a few hours to parks, lakeshores and the like. Sometimes, I’ve put the bike rack on, drove to a big metropark near my house, done a long bike ride and then just chilled out for a few hours.
    Traveling around with a refrigerator stocked with cold refreshments, some snacks and food in the pantry, a TV and DVD and , of course, a full bathroom, is sure something we can’t do in the family SUV.
    Best yet, my Roadtrek eTrek gives me better fuel mileage than the SUV does.
    If you’ve been thinking about using your RV as a second vehicle, here are my top seven tips to make it easy.
    1- Be aware of your surroundings. Your RV is not only longer than most other vehicles, it’s taller, too. Look for low hanging limbs, utility wires, signs and the like. Don’t even think about parking garages. Yes, it can go just about anywhere. But it is not a car. I was using an alley that paralleled the main street of a downtown near my home the other day and would have taken out a whole string of overhead wires that were sagging low in the summer heat. Cars easily passed beneath them. My 10-foot high coach would have not been able to Limbo underneath them.
    2- In parking lots, choose the spaces that are at the ends of the lot, with nothing behind them except maybe a curb or six inch parking barrier. I always prefer to back in. Because the rear wheels of my Sprinter chassis are set back from the actual end of the coach I can back in a long way, until the wheels hit the barrier, I only stick out a little longer than the other vehicles next to me.
    3- Watch out for very steep driveways. Most Class Bs have a lot of stuff hanging off the rear. They are also longer. And thus steep driveways pose the risk of bumping or scraping your generator or hot water heater or, in the case of the eTrek, the battery holders.
    4- Be considerate. I seldom park horizontally on city streets. Yes, maybe, in some spots, I really can squeeze between the lines. But for those in front or behind me, it will be very challenging for them to get out. Or me, too, for that matter, should you be hemmed in at both ends. Similarly, don’t run your generator in crowded areas where the noise can really irritate folks.
    5- Watch out for potholes and broken pavement. City streets can be pretty messed up. And those streets can mess up your RV. A car can rattle over them pretty fast. A Class B RV sways and porpoises. Cabinets can pop open (don’t ask Jennifer about the stack of plates I broke on one such urban adventure). Bad roads are particularly bad for RVs when making sharp turns. Always take turns slowly at corners.
    6- Lock you RV. That seems pretty obvious, I know. But thieves know motorhomes are very expensive and thus, chances are they have expensive things inside them, too. Just as you probably have a security system for your family car, get one for your RV. Don’t leave your GPS suction cupped to your windshield. If you’re charging computers, cameras or cell phones inside the RV, hide them so no one can see be peering into a window. Think the inside is invisible because of window tinting? Think again. Put your face up to the glass and put a hand over your eyebrows to block reflection. You’ll learn that you can see pretty good.
    7- Be polite. You are an ambassador for roadtreking…for Class B RVing. The public is very curious about small motorhomes. It’s a very rare day that I am not asked about mine when I am in the city or a big parking lot. We gladly give tours. You don’t have to do that. But don’t be a snob, either. If you don’t want to talk about it, don’t drive it where people will naturally be attracted to it.
    There you go. What would you add to the above list?
  4. Roadtrekingmike
    It’s hard to believe how much a $16 purchase at Walmart can brighten your day. Such it was the other day when we spotted a pile of Crock-Pots on sale.
    It was exactly what we needed. Small, round and just the right size to fit in the sink of our Roadtrek eTrek RV.
    The sink? Exactly. That way, as we travel across the country during the day, the slow cooking crock pot can prepare our evening meals. By the time we reach our destination, a hot, sumptuous dinner is ready. Let’s face it, one of the bothers of traveling in an RV can be meal preparation. After a long day on the road, it’s just too easy to stop for fast food or hit a restaurant. With our new Crock-Pot, we can have a nutritious, home-cooked meal without the hassle.
    We’ve searched far and wide for the round four-quart sized model for months. We even brought home a bunch of other models that we found. None fit that sink.
    We had all but given up the hunt until, walking down an aisle at our local Walmart this past weekend, there it was. Boxes of them. exactly what we were looking for. Exactly what we had given up finding. The four quart size is perfect for two people. We can easily get two meals out of each dinner. One to eat that night, one for the refrigerator or freezer.
    The model we have – for those of you who want one – is officially known as the Crock-Pot SCR4oo-B 4 Quart manual slow cooker. We also found it on Amazon for $15.92 in black. The one we got at WalMart was red. It has a removable stoneware insert for cooking and it also doubles as a serving dish.
    Ah … but what do we eat, other than beef stew?
    That’s the reason for this post … we want your recipes.
    Many of you have been using Crock-Pots for years as you’ve traveled. We’ve read your posts here and on our Facebook Group. So, using comments below, please tell us what you cook in your Crock-Pots and share the recipe.
    Jennifer and I look forward to trying out your suggestions!
  5. Roadtrekingmike
    On June 22, 2013 – at sunset local time from coast to coast, across the U.S., into Canada, as far north as Alaska – 19 different Roadtrek owners took a photo of their Roadtrek.
    Some were parked at campgrounds. Others in their driveway. Some drove to a special setting near their hometowns. I was at a rodeo in Cody, WY with mine.
    The point was to get a photo of our Roadtrek motorhomes at sunset, wherever we were.
    We’re thinking about doing this sort of thing a couple of times a year. Maybe for special occasions like the 4th of July (for Americans).
    What do you think?
    This little slide show shows what came of our first effort.
    Should we do this again? When? Shall we theme the photos?

  6. Roadtrekingmike
    A Dog’s Life
    Rambling Ruka Robinson here, on the road again, with my chauffeur/minion/BFF Laura. I love to travel and have already marked routes all the way to Idaho,Oregon, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and...
    Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome


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  7. Roadtrekingmike
    It’s no secret that many of us RVers are, ah, shall I say, horizontally challenged?” With obesity already at epidemic levels and good, nutritious food hard enough to find, our laid back on-the-go nomadic travels can sure pack on the pounds. Sometimes, it’s time to get reprogrammed, to find a way to jump start a new and healthy living style.
    That’s what Jennifer and I found deep in the rolling hills of south central Tennessee, two hours south of Nashville at a place called the Tennessee Fitness Spa. For a week or as long as you want, you will be totally immersed in a health and fitness regimen than can produce some very dramatic results. You can watch the video to see what just six days did for Jennifer and me.
    http://youtu.be/KmtnC7qFkWs
    There is room for 60 guests in lodges and motel-style rooms n the 100 acre campus, plus two RV parks with full hookups. We chose to stay in the lower campground that is closest to the gym and central complex. We were neighbored by two Class C motorhomes. The RV spots there are right on the bans of the sparkling clear 48 Creek. The upper campground had a couple of Class A rigs and is located in a very quiet spot up a hill and surrounded by greenery.
    The spa provides three meals a day. They are gourmet quality but the total caloric intake they provide is no more than 1,200 calories. You can add another 200 calories or so from the fresh salad bar or from special snacks like hard boiled eggs and sweet potato wedges. The food is low salt, low sugar, all natural, never processed, always fresh and prepared in ways that will amaze you. I was not hungry once, despite my spoofng in the video.
    A fully equipped gymnasium and very large swimming pool is available 24 hours a day and fitness classes run every hour during the daytime hours.
    For the healthier guests, mornings start with a brisk walk. It’s three miles the first day, then it builds until at the end of the week, you cover eight miles. This is up and down hills and it is a challenging aerobic workout. The spa breaks it down into different groups of walkers based on their fitness levels, with the fastest being those of are able to walk a 12 minute miles. The slowest group is for tose who are just starting out.
    They expect that for maximum results, guests participate in two aerobic workous each day, as well as a stretching class, weight workouts and pool session.
    There are multiple water aerobics classes. Jennifer was a guest instructor of the week we were there. Jennifer has taught water aerobics for more than 20 years and says the quality of the water aerobics instruction at the spa is the best she’s ever seen. “Water exercise is great for everybody,” says Jennifer. “You lose the impact of your weight on your knees, hips and joints. Water offers resistance that lets you work out very hard without the stress. It really burns calories and helps in weight loss and body toning.”
    You will see in the video the inches Jennifer lost which she attributes to the healthy food she ate that week and the water aerobic classes than did. “Believe me, water exercise works,” she says. “Besides teaching classes, I was able to participate in classes here like the other students Normally when I teach, I have to do it from the deck. I loved being able to get in the water and workout in the water with my students.”
    The fun thing is getting to know the other participants. You can meet several in the video, including one guy who has been there two months and is down 60 pounds. Many of the guests were repeat visitors. who come year after year.
    Belinda Jones is the spa’s fitness and nutrition director and personally selects the menu. “The difference that most people notice immediately is that they are not hungry,” she says. “Their cravings disappear. That’s because they are eating balanced, healthy food with the right amounts of protein, complex carbohydrates and fats.”
    Health experts tell us that 20% of weight loss comes from exercise. But 80% is from making healthy food choices. Belinda holds a class on how the balanced meals served at the spa can be brought back home, or to the RV.
    The grounds of the spa are stunningly beautiful. An ancient cave called the Natural Bridge is on the grounds. Dean Ware, who holds classes on the history of the area, says the Natural Bridge was the home of notorious outlaw gangs who preyed on travelers of the Natchez Trail, which is not far from the spa. In later years, locals would hold church services there and it’s said that Davy Crockett delivered a speech from a protruding ledge of the bridge called the pulpit rock.
    Ware also teaches a class on the benefits of herbal teas and class participants actually mix up a batch they drink themselves.
    Nancy Shaw, with her late husband, Joe, founded the spa in 1991. “This is a very rejuvenating place,” she said. “It relaxes and refreshes and restores our guests,” she says. “The pace of life in today’s society is very stressful. Eating and exercising right and decompressing here is what brings so many back so often.”
    She said RVers love the fact that they can bring their pets with them as they vist the spa. “We were surprised by how many people travel in RVs,” she said. “So we built the parks for them. They like it because not only can they sleep in their own RV and bring their pets but they save money from the lodging costs our regular guests pay when staying in a room.”
    There are free laundry facilities available.
    Cellular phone service in the area is limited. When I had to make a phone call, I’d walk to the top of one of the nearby hills. But the spa has added high speed satellite Internet wi-fi that is available in the lounges and restaurant area. I picked it up right in the RV and was never out of touch.
    Our week ended much too soon. We could not believe how good we felt as we sat in our Roadtrek. We vowed to bring the healthy eating plan we learned to our everyday life.
    That’s when we encountered the reality of such a choice.
    On the road, it’s very hard to make healthy choices when eating out. A traffic accident and hour long delay on I-65 north of Nashville sent us off the interstate. We pulled off at an exit and decided to eat dinner as the traffic cleared. There was a Mexican restaurant (who could resist the chips and salsa?) a fast food place (there is nothing fresh and healthy about fast food) and a national pizza chain. We figured the pizza place would give us the healthiest choice because we knew it had a salad bar.
    But the salad came in plastic bags. That’s surely not fresh. There was only high fat, high calorie salad dressings. And the pizza we ordered – a thin crust with a pineapple topping – was so salty and sugary that our newly sensitized taste buds immediately noticed it. We both felt yucky and vowed that from now on, we are going to carry our own salad dressings and protein sources and learn to make better choices.
    As to exercise, that, too, is more challenging in an RV. Walking, of course, is always a choice. We can also carry along bicycles. And we can seek our towns with gyms and YMCAs.
    We absolutely loved the Tennessee Fitness Spa. Now, the challenge is to build on what we’ve learned.
    After all, there are a lot of places out there we want to see as we Roadrek around North America. We want to be sure we are fit and healthy enough to take everything in for as long as possible.
  8. Roadtrekingmike
    With the Mercedes Sprinter chassis still driving the big spike in Type B motorhome sales, RV manufacturers are continuing to innovate in design and options as they get ready for the 2013 RV season.
    At the big Florida RV Supershow in Tampa this January, most of the North America big Type B makers were showing off their new models front and center.
    We thought it would be helpful to take a look at the interiors of the leading Type B Sprinters.
    As you’ll see, despite the same space, there are big differences in how the various manufacturers are appointing and laying out their Sprinter models.
    In this video you’ll see Sprinter models from Pleasure-Way, Leisure Travel Vans, Great West Vans, Roadtrek Motorhomes and Airstream,
    Which features did you like? What do you wish your did see? Post under comments below …
    Source
  9. Roadtrekingmike
    It’s Thanksgiving in the U.S., a few weeks after our Canadian friends celebrated their nation’s holiday of the same name.
    A tradition at our family is that as we gather round the Thanksgiving dinner table – and yes, we always do turkey and all the trimmings – each one of us says what we are most thankful for this past year.
    Remember that old Irving Berlin song, “Count Your Blessings?” If we’re breathing and relatively upright – though football and ODing on turkey will probably render many of us horizontal on the sofa after dinner – we all surely have much to be thankful for.
    Besides faith and family, Jennifer and I look back over the past year and think of how many wonderful people we have met in so many wonderful places thanks to Roadtreking. We’ve traveled nearly 35,000 miles since last year at this time, cross crossing North America. Here’s our short list of the Roadtreking blessings we are thankful for this year.
    Yellowstone National Park
    The Badlands
    The Black Hills
    The Emerald Coast
    All our National Parks and National Seashores
    Our many friends at the Family Motorcoach Association – Jerry Yeatts, Pamela Kay, Robbin Gould, Guy Kasselman and all those many readers who have written such kinds words in response to our column in Family Motor Coach Magazine.
    The Roadtreking International Chapter of the FMCA
    The Amateur Radio Chapter of the FMCA
    Our amazing contributing Roadtreking Reporters here on the blog – Campskunk, Laura Robinson, Janet Arnold, Jim Hammill and Lynn and Roger Brucker. What a team! The blog and its readers so blessed that they share their experiences and wisdom and humor.
    The volunteer moderators on the roadtreking.com/forum – Alan MacRae and Robert Ambrose.
    Our friends from our Facebook page and group who have truly become family. I am so blessed by their friendship. We may be scattered across two continents and yet are as close knit as if we were all in the same community…. which, I guess, is exactly what our Roadtreking group has become: A Community. Many of these fun, caring, compassionate, hospitable, sharing and helpful folks we have also met on the road. - Cheryl Gregory, Shari Groendek, Kristi Klomp, Ginny Dugan Evans, Laura Lochsky Robinson, Alice Stern, Stu and Winona Kratz, Tim and Carole Mallon, Deby Dixon, Jim and Carole Diepenbruck, Bill and Karen Brown, Jim and Sharon Angel, Lisa and Bill Gruner, Laura and Ken Postema, Paul Pogorselski, Tom Hopkins, Trudy Meyers, RT Campskunk, Yan Seiner, W. Dan Hulchanski, Sue Baker, Brian Barker, Nancy Tudor Richardson, Dennis Crabtree and… so many others who share so much of their knowledge and humor on Facebook. Our Facebook Page went from about 500 people who “Liked” it a year ago this time to more than 73,000 today! More than 2,000 new people “Like” the page every week! Our Group has more than 1,100. Amazing.
    The men and women of Roadtrek Motorhomes in Kitchener, Ontario Canada who truly think of all of us owners as family and lovingly build the wonderful machines that open up the world to these of us who drive them – Jim Hammill, Howard Stratton, Jeff Stride, Paul Cassidy, Joe and Tami Morales, Karyn Torcoletti, Tess Talty, Chris Deakins, Steve MacDonald, Pamela de Beus, Joe Murray, Andy Weller.
    Chad Neff and his crew at American RV in Grand Rapids, MI, who take such good care of my service needs, as do Eric, Josh and Daryl from Hoekstra Specialty Vehicles in Troy, MI, who do the Sprinter engine maintenance work on our eTrek.
    My son, Jeff Wendland, who handles the digital management of this blog and processes the orders for the Roadtrekingstore. I’d like to say I taught him everything he knows. But he has truly become a genius at all things World Wide Web. One of the greatest joys a dad can have is being able to work with his son.
    And finally, but certainly not least, my wife Jennifer. The fact that we are able to do this together and have traveled 35,000 miles, living for weeks on end in a 23 foot motorhome and not once arguing shows how well we get along. She is the love of my life and makes every mile of Roadtreking a taste of heaven. And I’m not even jealous that she now gets more fan mail than I do. Come to think of it, Tai, our Norwegian Elkhound, also gets more fan mail and I do.

    The trouble with a list like this is it’s impossible to name everyone and everything we are thankful for. It goes without saying that we have inadvertently left some names off the list. For that, I am sorry. It’s probably because as I write this, it is very, very early Thanksgiving morning and we have a turkey to get in the oven. I will probably go back as more names come to me and add them.
    To all of you who we have not met yet but who read our blog and newsletter, please know how grateful we are for your support, encouragement, suggestions and, when needed, constructive criticism. I know I rush too much sometimes, forgetting to spellcheck or proof as carefully as I should. I just get so excited about getting the next post up, I hope you forgive the occasional sloppiness. I will try to do better.
    This growth and the popularity of this blog and the adventures we’ve had traveling North America the past two years has absolutely blown me away. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine this would change our lifestyle in such wonderful ways. This is a labor of love. We’re far from raking in a profit here. But we are having the time of our lives.
    We can’t want to see what the next year has in store.
    Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
    We’ll see you out there …
  10. Roadtrekingmike
    EDITOR’s NOTE: I don’t normally accept guest posts. But I have made an exception for Graham Gibbs. Graham is from Ottawa and the following post is excerpted from a 5,800-word article he sent me. I think you will enjoy it. It is still very long but I think he captures wonderfully the fun of Roadtreking and the joy of packing and planning. I think you will enjoy this!

    By GRAHAM GIBBS
    Special to Roadtreking.com
    I have been inspired to spend time at my keyboard documenting our Roadtrek experiences by FMCA On-the-Road RV Reporter Mike's adventures with his wife Jennifer and their Norwegian Elkhound Tai.

    Like Mike and Jennifer, my wife Jay and I are RV newbies having only undertaken four trips for a total of 80 days on the road during the past two summers (2011 and 2012). While I am not a journalist, like Mike, I am not a stranger to writing. As the Canadian Space Agency's representative to the United States, based in Washington DC, for twenty-two years I wrote more reports than I care to think about! I have also authored a published book and numerous peer reviewed papers. Also, I find writing to be very therapeutic. My guess is that as a retired journalist Mike also cannot shed the writing bug!




    We left Washington DC and returned to Canada (Ottawa) in August 2010 but our RV story started some five years before. We hope that like Mike's experiences, ours may be useful for fellow RVers and Roadtrekers in particular.





    Know What You Want


    In the interests of full disclosure I should point out that we have been tent campers for many years but as we looked towards our retirement we began to realize that the Therm-a-Rest® mattresses would have to be replaced by something much thicker if we wanted pain free sleeping. Also, we figured we had earned the right to be off-the-ground during our retirement years! So, we got serious about our dream to own an RV.


    We thought long and hard about the type of RV we wanted, and might be able to afford. As tenters by nature we wanted the ability to drive on by-ways and in towns, camp just about anywhere, and we did not want to tow a car (or a Harley â€" though I fantasized about having one!). When tent camping we rather sympathized with those folks in their big rigs that as often as not had to park cheek-to-jowl while we were camped in seclusion. For these and other reasons a Type B campervan was our choice.


    Now came the hard part. What did we want in the way of facilities in our campervan? #1 was an inside toilet, as 60+ year olds no need to explain why! Obviously we wanted the usual stuff like fridge, stove, sink etc. We did not want to have to climb over each other in the night, to use the “facilityâ€, so a bed that was oriented long ways was important. Also, we envisaged long trips when we might want to go to the theatre in dressier clothes, so a wardrobe was on our list. We were not that fussy about being able to sleep more than the two of us as long as we could transport two to three more folks e.g. the grandkids who would sleep in tents. At the time we thought a built-in shower would be nice. Interestingly, we are yet to use the shower in our campervan.


    With our priorities more-or-less itemized we began our research. This entailed going to RV shows and wandering around campgrounds. Recall all this was now some six years ago. We were in no hurry to invest in a campervan; we needed to save-up the money anyway, but wanted one by the time I retired. We finally settled on about three models. One day while driving on US Freeway 95 we saw a Roadtrek (one of the models on our short list but until then we had not seen inside one) and followed it into a Rest Area. The owners were more than happy to show us around -- we were hooked. I sent away for the brochure and DVD.


    To my pleasant surprise, as a Canadian, it was then that I found out the Roadtrek was a Canadian conversion.


    We looked at all the models and settled on the 190-Popular.


    Then it was a few years of saving and continuous searching for a secondhand Roadtrek that we could afford and was in good condition.




    As I mentioned earlier we returned to Canada in August 2010 with the view to my retiring early in 2012, by which time I would be 67 years old and it would definitely be time to sleep off-the-ground! We kept looking, as did a local dealer, for the Roadtrek of our dreams.


    On a Wednesday in April 2011 I just happened to Google "Used Roadtrek" and came upon a site I had not used before. And there she was, a 2004 190-Popular owned since new by Margot, an elderly widow. I was on the phone and exchanging emails with Margot’s granddaughter for the rest of the week. On Sunday with great excitement and anticipation Jay and I took the Greyhound bus to Toronto then another bus to Acton west of Toronto en-route to Kitchener. We were pretty sure we would buy the vehicle so there was no need to go in our own car. To cut the story short, we viewed, wiggled underneath and test drove the Roadtrek Sunday afternoon. That evening in the hotel restaurant we celebrated the end of our search and the beginning of our Roadtrek adventures. Monday morning we concluded the sale and licensing then drove the Roadtrek to the service centre that Margot had used, for some instruction on the Roadtrek’s systems. Then as the proud new owners we drove home to Ottawa.


    In the summer of 2011 we took off on our first excursion, a two weeks trip, oblivious to how unfamiliar we were with the Roadtrek's systems! In retrospect we should have undertaken a shorter, local shake-down trip first. Even what have now become simple tasks were difficult the first time out. For example upon arriving at our first campground we decided to put out the awning â€" something we had not done before. Even with the not-so-helpful owner’s manual we struggled (and cursed) to release the awning vertical posts from their stowed position. I should confess that the lack of clarity in the manual might have been compounded because Jay and I were grumpy having driven too far in one day, another lesson.


    Our campsite essentials include:


    A large outdoor matt -At first we thought this might be an optional item but it soon became obvious it was essential. The matt provides a nice clean sitting area by the Roadtrek whether or not we have the awning out.


    Folding camp chairs - We are still using the low level folding chairs we used when tent camping. They let you stick your legs out and provide some exercise getting in and out! But I have my eye on the folding Pico chair, though expensive they appear to be extremely well made. As with all things you get what you pay for and if you are off on a multi-week/month RV tour you should have quality items.





    Screen house/tent - Since Jay is particularly allergic to mosquitoes, no-see-ums and the like, we bought a good quality camping screen house. It has sides that can be rolled down and a ground sheet that can be fitted so it can be used as a tent (for the grandkids). To our surprise we have only used it a couple of times when we were on the shores of the Upper Saint Lawrence River but I am sure when we venture across Canada (and back across the US) for three plus months this summer (2013) it will have plenty of use. The screen house/tent is stored in the rear compartment and its poles in the side compartment.


    Tarp - When we were tent campers we put up a large orange tarp which being orange is bright a cheery. It uses six telescopic poles and a ridge pole across its width at the middle, ten guy ropes (two at right angles at each of the corner poles and one for each of the centre poles) and twenty pegs (I double peg guy ropes). We prefer the tarp (all parts were bought separately and I make my own guy ropes) to the screen house and put it up over the campsite table for any stays of two days or longer.


    Two-person (two kiddies really) inflatable canoe - This is our one quirky item. As an ex Brit Jay likes to take baths so I bought a cheap inflatable canoe that I can fill up with warm water so Jay can have a bath. It hasn't been used yet but is in the back storage compartment just in case!


    Plastic table cloth - Just because you are camping there is no need to rough it. We use a table cloth (with hold-down clips), arrange a centre piece with local rocks and wild flowers and even use serviettes when we eat – very civilized!


    Small collapsible (coffee) table. This sits between our outdoor camping chairs to keep stuff off the ground!


    Propane Stove - Since we do most cooking outside we carry a portable two burner camping stove. So far I have not bothered to connect the stove to the Roadtrek's propane system preferring the flexibility of small propane bottles. They last 2 to 3 days on average which at around $5 each is not too extravagant.


    Tools - One toolbox for all the hand tools you may need. Check out all the Roadtrek's systems and your campsite essentials that you might need to repair/adjust when on the road. Note for example the hot water tank drain plug that needs a socket and extension rod to reach. On our last trip we had something of an emergency when one of the Roadtrek stove burner knobs stuck in the open position. We had to turn off the propane at the main tank and open all doors and windows to avoid a catastrophe. I was able to dismantle the stove to expose the mechanism but lacked a very small socket to undo the stuck knob. Fortunately we found an RV Centre not too far away and they fixed the problem which was caused by a build-up of corrosion. I have added a suitable wrench to my toolbox in case we have a repeat of the problem.


    Bits and Pieces - I use two plastic tool boxes (approx. 20ins x 10ins x 10ins) for campsite bits and pieces. One contains extra propane bottles, spare rope, folding shovel, small axe and other stuff that is not used regularly. The other box contains those items that might be needed at each stop. It is stored where it is easily accessible in the rear stowage compartment. I bring this out and put it at one end of the campsite table. This box contains; large camping/hunting knife, fish filleting knife, clothes line, clothes pegs (in a bag), three propane bottles, candles, old jam jar (used as a candle holder), mini propane lamp and replacement gauze filaments, fire lighters (why bother with kindling!), matches, flashlight handheld (one is also in the Roadtrek) and headlamp, garbage bags, brush (for sweeping the campsite table), two decks of playing cards, barbeque fork and spatula, and a trivet.


    Pegs and Guy Ropes - I have two see-through net bags with a zipper (available at any decent camping store) to store the guy ropes (I make my own which are more robust than the thin twine guy ropes that seem to come with tents etc. these days) and pegs. I have another smaller bag to store four steel pegs (like long nails) and the mallet. The steel pegs are to hold down the awning posts.


    Spare Key - We learned the hard way! Usually we both have camper keys hanging from a lanyard around our necks since for reasons unknown our Roadtrek sometimes self-locks. Having been caught out twice, without our keys, we now have a spare key hidden outside.


    Large Towel and Rubber Gloves - I keep these in the long compartment on the driver’s side and within easy reach. The towel serves mostly as a kneeling mat when emptying, with rubber gloves on, the black and grey tanks.


    Miscellaneous - Miscellaneous for us include; monopole for the camera or binoculars (I have missed too many wildlife shots setting up a tripod), hand pump (for bikes and inflatable toys), Bouls (French lawn game), day pack (I have a LL Bean Classic Continental Rucksack), two hiking poles (one for each of us), and leveling blocks – we sleep so much better if we are not rolling to one side or the other!.


    A Place for Everything and Everything in Its Place


    When we moved from Washington DC to Ottawa we learned from our moving van driver the moving man's mantra "If it don't shake, it don't break." The same of course is true for campervan storage. Jay makes full use of dish drying-up towels, rubberized matting on shelves etc. to ensure our cutlery, dishes, pans, glassware etc. not only do not break but do not produce an annoying rattle when we are underway.


    For our clothes we each have a nylon and see-through net bag with zipper. Both are approximately 6 inches diameter x 24 inches long (670 cu ins/11 litres).


    We find these bags better than canvas or stiffer fabric bags since they easily fit (squish) into the compartments above the rear bed on the left and right sides. Our rule is if you cannot get all your clothes and spare towels in one compartment you have got too much. The exceptions are rain gear, anorak and (optional) dressier jackets that go in the wardrobe (with the wine in a six bottle bag!). We have found that it is best to roll up all clothing for packing. This way you get more in and they don't crease.


    We use the drawer under the passenger seat (by the side door) for shoes. We have found that Crocks are ideal for campsites.


    External storage is Graham's domain. In the long compartment on the driver’s side I store: the poles for the tarp and screen house, water hose, a power extension cord (and electrical socket adapter), collapsible rake (to clean the campsite when necessary), 2 bags of pegs and guy ropes for the tarp, 1 bag with the metal pegs for the awning poles and a mallet, external shower hose and head, towel (to kneel on when draining the tanks) and a pair of gauntlet style rubber gloves, the barbeque vegetable and cooking baskets, and awning winding pole. The built-in power cord lies on top of this lot.


    Everything else under Campsite Essentials fit into the rear compartment, except the folding chairs (which travel on the bed), day pack, and the camera monopole which needs to be handy.


    I found the storage of the awning winding pole and ridge pole in the rear compartment of the Popular-190 to be inconvenient. They kept falling out of their stowage clips and took up space. I now keep the winding pole in the side compartment and I place the ridge pole diagonally across the back and cushioned by the outdoor matt (which stores right across the back).


    Know Your Pace


    Our first trip was two weeks on the Whale Route on the north shore of the upper Saint Lawrence River between Tadoussac and Baie-Comeau. The Whale Route seems to be one of Canada's Best Kept Secrets. During our time there I spotted perhaps only three vehicles with out-of-Province plates. I suppose we should be grateful it is not better known outside Quebec, and so is not over-crowded, but those who have not been are missing a gem.


    We arrived at our first scheduled stop, a KOA campground outside of Quebec City some 200 miles from Ottawa, grumpy!! Lesson # 1: Pace yourselves. In the summer of 2012 we spent 6+ weeks in the Maritime Provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. It was a wonderful trip where we hugged the coasts, avoided main highways but we came to realize how essential it is to know your pace.


    When I had been on camping vacations in the Maritimes with Diving Club buddies some forty-years ago we always booked our campground. So, fearing that campgrounds might be full I booked all the campgrounds for the first four weeks of our trip. While this worked reasonably well we learned four lessons: campgrounds do not seem to fill-up to capacity so the need to book ahead is questionable, booking ahead removes schedule flexibility, it is not always easy to anticipate road conditions and all stops, and campgrounds do not always fit the description the owners have provided. One at the Head of Saint Margaret’s Bay in Nova Scotia was so awful we checked out early and forfeited three days of pre-payment.


    In sum, for our trip across Canada (and back across the US) in the summer of 2013 we will not book campgrounds but call ahead en-route.


    In getting to know your pace certain things need to be taken into account for example do you prefer to stay away from main highways, what speed to you drive, do you stop to visit museums and so forth?


    Jay and I share interests which include geography/scenery of all types but with a penchant for coastal routes (we are ex Brits where the sea is never far away), flora and fauna (more Jay's passion), learning about the culture and history of the region we are visiting, art and music, museums of various types, walks (versus strenuous hikes -- those days seem to be behind us!), salt and fresh water and mountains, shopping in farmers markets and the like.


    Our preferences are to avoid main highways, drive at 50mph/80kmh or slower (which often means pulling over to let vehicles pass), make unscheduled stops (we are touring after all), stop for a picnic lunch.


    On our Maritimes trip we found that for many legs we were averaging about 100 to 120 miles per day i.e. much less than we thought we would cover, and we really did not want to be behind the wheel for more than five hours each day with four being preferable. Though of course there were days which were longer.


    We also found that after 2 to 3 days of one-night stops and driving we were ready for a longer break of two or more nights/days with only local sightseeing.


    Know What is Expected of You


    Two people, no matter how compatible, can expect some tension when living in a Type B RV for an extended period of time. We have gravitated to specific tasks so we are not tripping over each other. For example I do most of the campsite set-up chores (though setting up the tarp or screen house is a two-person job) while Jay converts the interior from our driving mode to camping mode. And, the same when we are de-camping.


    We leave the rear bed made-up all the time we are travelling -- it is just not worth the hassle converting it every day and in any event it is then always available for an afternoon nap! Since we do most things outside we have a cooler, water container, and washing up bucket that travel on the floor and then occupy the campsite table seat when we are parked.


    By having our own known tasks, setting-up and packing-up is pretty efficient. We can usually be settled in within 30 minutes of arriving at a campsite, unless the tarp or screen house is erected then it might take 60 minutes before we can sit down and relax with a cup of tea, if we have arrived early enough, or straight to Happy Hour if later!


    I would also add that giving your travelling companion her or his own time and space when needed is important. We also have found that sharing laptops/iPADs and e-readers does not work so well so we have our own!


    Despite how all this may sound I am a lucky guy since my spouse is also my best friend so surviving in a Type B is not hard.


    Planning Your Trip


    RV touring is perhaps one activity where Plan your work and work your plan does not or should not apply. Jay and I are masters at going to Plan B or C even D, to take advantage of some unexpected special interest such as an off-the-beaten-path gold-mine museum in the middle of Nova Scotia.


    That said you should not set off without at least a notional route, knowledge of potential campgrounds, places of interest, and note when events might be taking place.


    I am still learning but making progress with trip planning. For our trips so far I have prepared a detailed daily itinerary with the route, mileage, and notations for bookings made and places of interest to visit. What I am learning is that the approach for each trip might be different and will depend on the distance to be travelled, number of potential stops and schedule constraints. But, I am leaning towards trip plans that are not quite as detailed or fixed, at least not on a daily basis.


    When we went along the Whale Route on the Upper Saint Lawrence we had in mind that we might take the ferry across the river, from Baie-Comeau at the northern end of our planned route, to the South Shore for our return. However, when we got to the region we realized that the Saguenay Fjord, west of Tadoussac (at the beginning of the Whale Route), would be worth seeing in its entirety. So having spent some 8 days between Tadoussac and Baie-Comeau we re-traced our steps and then spent 3 delightful days touring all the way around the Saguenay Fjord.


    The first four weeks of our Maritimes was all planned and worked well since we knew we wanted to hug the coast of Nova Scotia. But we were not sure how we would feel after our first month away in the Roadtrek so after Cape Breton our plans were open. After a month we were still in no hurry to return home "one of the privileges of retirement life" so we continued around the coast of Nova Scotia and then much of the coast of New Brunswick as we pointed ourselves more-or-less in the direction of home.




    For our North America trip this summer (2013) we decided we would spend some two months crossing Canada (many just wiz across in ten days â€" bad idea) and a month returning across northern US (after a stop to visit our daughter in Portland, Oregon). To be on the safe side we have not booked anything early in the fall that might force us to return before we are ready.


    I am planning this trip in a somewhat less detailed fashion than I have for previous trips. I began with MapQuest since it is a route planning tool I am very familiar with and I am pretty familiar with Canada. I tackled one Province at a time and chose the slightly more northern route (old Trans-Canada) so as to avoid as much as possible the busier southern Trans-Canada highway. The route will take us back-country from Ottawa to North Bay and along the shores of Lake Superior, then to Winnipeg in Manitoba, to Saskatoon in Saskatchewan and on to Edmonton, Alberta. We want to see the famous dinosaur fossil park and museum which is south of Calgary so we will head south from Edmonton then west to Banff and spend time in the Rockies between Banff and Jasper. After some research I found a back-country route from Jasper to British Columbia which will allow us to approach Vancouver from the north. From there we go to Vancouver Island. Then head south to the US.


    Having roughed out the route I checked the websites for all the towns we will travel through to see what would be interesting to visit and what events might be taking place, so we can try to manage our arrival accordingly. I have put these web-links in the plan so I can easily access them when we are on our way. I also checked out all the National and Provincial Parks on our route.


    For this trip we will not make any campground reservations in advance since we do not want to be tied to a schedule or even the route in case we hear about something really interesting that is not too much of a diversion.


    I have typed all this up and now have our cross-Canada itinerary, with Province by Province over view maps, all contained in just 18 pages, plus a one page grand Overview including schedule and cost estimates (see samples below).


    I have subscribed to RV Trip Wizardâ„¢ (
    https://www.rvtripwizard.com/) so my next task will be to overlay our planned route to get the additional information that the App has to offer.

    Once the Canadian portion is done I will work on the return route through the US. All this will be loaded onto my iPAD so as to minimize the paperwork to be carried â€" though we are old enough to like to have paper or laminated maps handy!


    Well that is what we have learned so far. We have much more to learn to derive the full benefit from our Roadtreking but I think we have made a good start.


    Regardless of your personal preferences and interests things that you might consider are:


    Know what you want in an RV. This will be based on where you want to go and want you want to do. It will also be dictated by establishing your priorities for your living space.


    Know your vehicle and its systems. We recommend that you do not learn-on-the road! Read the Manual, operate all the systems in your drive-way, seek advice, and make your first trip a local shake-down trip.


    Establish your Campsite Essentials. That is what you cannot do without to make your adventure pleasurable, and pack 'em!


    Ensure you that there is a place for everything and everything is in its place. You will have more time for fun if you are not forever searching for something or trying to squeeze it in somewhere. Pack the same way every time.


    Know your pace. You and your travelling companion(s) will get grumpy, stressed or tired (or all three) if you try to follow an over crammed schedule, drive too far for comfort, drive faster to make up for lost time, and don't stop to enjoy those special places of interest.


    Share the workload. You and your travelling companion(s) will benefit if the work is shared with each doing what each is most capable of doing, and keep the same work shares so each knows what is expected of him or her.


    Plan your trip. But perhaps do not over-plan!


    Write a Trip Report. Not for everyone perhaps but give it a try you might be surprised at what an enriching experience it is and how it adds to the post-trip pleasure.


    Happy Roadtreking


    Graham


    Source

  11. Roadtrekingmike
    Last night in Iowa, I was complaining abut the gnats.
    Tonight in South Dakota, it’s the Frankenbugs.
    The bugs have only gotten bigger as we’ve moved west
    Honestly, I dont know what they are. Way bigger than a gnat. Some are beetles, or what we used to call June bugs. But there are so many and they are so big that as we drove down I-90 in South Dakota, they hit the windshield with an intensity that sometimes sounded like hail.
    Jennifer said it was a bugout.
    You can see from this photo and the video below what it was like:
    Today was one of those awesome driving days. We took our time, stopping in Des Moines to workout at a health club and then heading on through Iowa, Nebraska and into South Dakota. We dodged storms in the morning but otherwise had near perfect weather, bright blue skies with puffy cotton candy clouds and lush green prairieland.
    At sunset, we were treated to a jaw dropping South Dakota sunset of fiery oranges and reds and pink pastels.


    Then it got dark. And the attack of the Frankenbugs began.
    We pulled off at Mitchell a little before 11 p.m. and washed off the windshield.
    There were several truckers and a guy in a fifth wheel doing the same thing.S
    “Something hatched,” said the trucker next to me. “Ive never see them so intense.”
    Inside the station, the clerk was chuckling “Worse than a snowstorm,” he allowed.
    Exactly. A bugout.
    We’re spending the night in a packed Cabela’s parking lt. There are 14 other RVs here, Class As and Cs and a couple of fifth wheels.
    Inside my eTrek, I’m running the air and we’re snug as…. dare I say?… a bug.
    http://youtu.be/gDzQTjuQKpQ
  12. Roadtrekingmike
    It’s pretty amazing what a few hundred miles can do to the view. That was driven home to us today as we made our way across South Dakota, taking in the vast green prairie and its lush grasslands, the wind-carved canyons, ravines and hoodoos of the Badlands and the rolling thick pine forests of the Black Hills.


    Our Roadtrek heads across South Dakota, en route to FMCA'S Family Reunion and Motorhome Showcase in Gillette, Wyo.I’d send along a video but I’m barely able to get a cell signal from our camping spot in the Custer State Park.
    It was like a movie playing on the other side of the Roadtrek’s windshield as we headed out I-90 from Mitchell, taking the bypass through the Badlands National Park and a great two-lane to Rapid City and then south to Custer.


    Stockade Lake in the Custer State ForestStorms swept across the prairie mid-afternoon and I pulled into a rest area to watch the lightning and rainclouds under the big sky. The drumming rain on the RV roof was so soothing Jennifer and I stretched out on the rear bed and slept for an hour. When we woke, the sun was out again.
    The Custer State Park consistently ranks as one of America’s best state parks and we were impressed by the roomy, secluded spot we got, just a couple hundred yards from Stockade Lake.


    Our campsite at Custer State ParkTomorrow, we’ll do the wildlife loop drive to check out the Bison, Bighorn Sheep, Pronghorn Antelope and Elk that inhabit this vast 71,000-acre park.
    Jennifer is a little miffed at me tonight. We hiked up and down several hills to get to the lake and grabbed armfuls of fallen pine branches for our campfire. When we returned to camp she started browsing through the park brochure, only to find out that the park has lots of ticks and plenty of timber rattlesnakes.
    My traipsing in the thick woods with shorts instead of long pants probably wasn’t one of my brighter ideas. Jennifer had the good sense to put on a pair of jeans.
    But the clean smell of the forest, the sound of the wind rustling through the pines and the bright stars overhead tonight will hopefully make her forget my foolhardy exuberance.
    Unless I start itching from a tick bite.
    About the Author: Mike Wendland is a veteran journalist who travels the country in a Roadtrek Type B motorhome, accompanied by his wife, Jennifer, and their Norweigian elkhound, Tai. Mike is an FMCA member (F426141) and is FMCA's official on-the-road reporter. He enjoys camping (obviously), hiking, biking, fitness, photography, video editing and all things dealing with technology. His "PC MIke" technology segments are distributed weekly to all 215 NBC-TV stations. More from this author. Reach mike at openmike@fmca.com.
  14. Roadtrekingmike
    If you like peace and quiet and lots of elbow room where you camp, you will not want to be on RV Row at the Kentucky Derby.
    But if a non-stop party is what you’re looking for, then the private parking lot right next to Churchill Downs is where you’ll want to be Kentucky Derby week.
    The parking lot is owned by Fred Stair and he rents RV spaces out for the Thursday-Sunday Derby weekend as the Captain’s Derby Parking, even providing water, a dump station and limited electricity. Cost is $650 for the the long weekend for units up to 28-feet long, $750 for bigger RVs with extra charges for slide outs and awnings. Fred parks them tight together, so tight, you may have to walk sideways if you are cutting between units.
    You can see in the accompanying video what it’s like.

    Jennifer and I were on assignment for Verizon Wireless, covering the Derby itself and we kept hearing people talking about free beer and the party going in the parking lot adjacent to Churchill Grounds. When we heard it was called RV Row, we had to check it out.
    We met a guy from Chicago who was celebrating his wife’s 50th anniversary on RV Row. He brought his own coach and rented four trailers. In all, he had 23 guests on RV Row.
    We met the Milwaukee guys who ran the Home Stretch Bar, a fixture on RV Row for more than 40 years. “Our Dad’s started this a generation ago,” said Joel Papp, one of the organizers. They set up a bar and serve up free drinks pretty much all day and all night from in front of their RV, from the Thursday before the Derby right on till when the RVs break camp and head home on Sunday.rvrow2
    We shot a bunch of pictures and did the video and said goodbye. Our Roadtrek was parked across town, 12 miles away, in a very quiet hotel parking lot.
    RV Row was a fun place to visit. I just wouldn’t want to live there.
  15. Roadtrekingmike
    http://youtu.be/tTDWY2plCBs
    It's a long way to Michigan's UP -- 450 miles from my house north of Detroit to Marquette, our destination for the big UP200 dog sled race this weekend. For me, besides the fun of this big event – a qualifier race for Alaska’s famed Idiatrod – it was also a chance to test out the new Roadtrek eTrek in the winter.
    One thing we learned. Plan on extra time at rest stops. Once people see the eTrek, they ask questions. And want a tour. At the Linwood Rest Stop, two brothers, Dave and Jerry Banks, walked all around the eTrek, looking it over. Finally, they knocked on the door and asked for a tour. Jennifer delights in showing it off and was only too happy to oblige.
    As we got back on the road and continued north on I-75, driving conditions began to deteriorate fast. North of Gaylord, a stiff crosswind started buffeting us. But the Mercedes Sprinter-based Roadtrek clung to the road better than my car would have.
    By the time we crossed the Mackinac Bridge, snow fog had set in. The bridge, one of the longest suspension bridges in the world, is over five miles long, separating Michigan's Lower Peninsula from the Upper Peninsula (the UP).
    Road conditions went from bad to worse. It's a good thing the speed limit in the UP is 55. In the winter, especially as lake effect snow blows in off Lake Superior, whiteouts can happen fast.
    There was some pretty dicey weather on state Highway 28 and as we rolled into Marquette about 8:30PM, I was glad to call it quits. We headed straight for the headquarters for the race, at the local Holiday Inn.
    We are not spending the night in the RV. Because it is winterized, there's no on board water. That means no showers. And since we have our travel writer hats on this weekend covering the race, we opted to get a room as we need to look sharp.
    Besides, no campgrounds are open up here this time of year and tonight's windchill is minus 8 degrees Fahrenheit.
    Before heading inside to edit ths piece, we took a stroll through the parking lot.
    Mushers had their sled dogs out for dinner and a little exercise. The dogs are all excited and anxious to pull.
    Mushers have come from all over North America to compete under some pretty grueling wilderness conditions. They’ll go 234 miles from Marquette east to Grand Marais and then back. They are pretty much all on their own out there. A couple years back, a musher and his team were lost after plunging through a partially fronzen lake.
    Ten to 14 inches of lake effect snow is predicted for parts of the course this weekend.
    We’ll use the eTrek to follow the course. It will be a warming house for us and a mobile production van as we shoot and edit our stories.
    For tonight, we parked the Roadtrek behind a snowbank , surrounded by sled dogs and snowmobiles. The race starts tomorrow night.
  16. Roadtrekingmike
    We’ve now officially begun our trip west, a journey that will follow parts of two historic routes: The Lewis and Clark Expedition and the Oregon Trail.
    It’s hard to over emphasize the importance of these two 19th century routes. Lewis and Clark discovered the overland route to the Pacific, thus opening up the nation to east-west travel in the days immediately after the Louisiana Purchase. It was a trip that in its day, was as monumental as the American landing on the moon is to ours.
    The 100,000 Oregon Trail pioneers came four decades or so later in their prairie schooners – so named because their wagons were covered with white canvas that made them resemble a ship at sea. Others took routes that sprang off the Oregon Trail on paths called the California Trail and the Mormon Trail as the headed to the Gold Rush and Sat lake City.

    Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery took a keelboat down the Missouri.
    Retracing those routes in our Roadtrek Etrek RV – the modern equivalent of a covered wagon – is a trip Jennifer and I have wanted to take for years. So from now till early September, we’ll be visiting places where the ruts of those wagons can still be found, seeing the places where history was made and learning about the vastness of our country and the amazing adventures caught up in that great western migration.

    Confluence Point – where the Missouri River (top) flows into the Mississippi in St. Louis.
    It all starts with the wide Missouri. At 2,341 miles, the Missouri River is the longest river in North America. It is impressive to behold. But what you see today is much less than 19th century explorers and pioneers encountered. We have messed it up through channelization and dam building, greatly changing the Missouri River. Today, 67 percent of the Missouri is either channelized for navigation (650) miles or impounded by dams (903 miles). Most of the remaining free-flowing portions of the river are near the headwaters in Montana. Channelization has resulted in the lower river being about 50 percent narrower.
    But like I said, it is still impressive. But realizing that it was bigger and wider and wilder 200 years ago makes you wonder how these early explorers did it.
    Nicknamed the “Big Muddy,” the Missouri River has long been one of North America’s most important travel routes. Every bend in the river is saturated in history. Her waters saw the canoes of many American Indian tribes, fur trappers, explorers and pioneers. The river served as the main route to the northwest for Lewis and Clark and later became the primary pathway for the nation’s western expansion. The Missouri has witnessed the rise and fall of the steamboat era and given birth to countless communities that settled near her banks.
    It has meandered all over the place Some parts of the river have moved as much as two miles from their course during the early part of the 19th century. It has a powerfully strong current that those heading west paddled and poled against. And it was always dangerous because of snags and floating debris and sandbars that stranded many a traveler.
    We started our tour in St. Louis, where the Missouri dumps into the Mississippi at a place called Confluence Point. Standing at the point where the nation’s mightiest two rivers merge, it’s hard not to think of all the dreams, all the hopes and aspirations that welled up in the hearts of those who came this way in the 1800′s. Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery took the Ohio River to the Mississippi, then the Mississippi to the Missouri, beginning their official expedition of the west from this very spot in May of 1804.
    A great book that we are reading as we head west is Robert Ambrose’s Undaunted Courage. It’s the definitive work on the expedition and fascinating reading. I wish we had an audio version so it could play as we are driving. But it was unavailable when we ordered so we sometimes take turns reading aloud from the big paperback to each other.
    A hundred miles west of St. Louis, we did our first overnight at a place called Arrow Rock, MO, a dozen or so miles north of I-70 near the Missouri River. At this quiet, peaceful park, there’s a monument overlooking a spot where, early on, Lewis and Clark faced their first of many dangers – huge floating trees that had toppled into the river when the Missori currents undercut the banks they were growing on and threatened to smash their keelboat to bits.

    Lewis and Clark almost lost the keelboat at a spot near Arrow Rock just three weeks after departing St. Louis.
    The Arrow Rock State Historic Site here has a restored village and great camping. The campground is small, only 47 sites and fills up most weekends. We had no trouble getting in midweek.
    The village of Arrow Rock was the traditional starting point for another historic trail – The Santa Fe Trail. In fact, as we move west, off the interstates and through the plains and into the Rockies, we’ll see several other trails all using parts of these same routes, the California Trial, the Mormon Trail and the Pony Express Trail.

    Missouri Highway 41 follows the Lewis and Clark trail.
    We found Arrow Rock a great place to read, research our route and, thanks to a great Visitor’s Center, immerse ourselves in what life was like when, in the early 1800s, this was the last city on the western frontier.

    The old Huston Inn at Arrow Rock is still open.
    Named because of a tall sandstone bluff on the Missouri that the Osage Indians used to chisel out flint for arrow heads, Arrow Rock once had 1,000 residents. Today, 56 live there. In the summer, there’s a professional theater – the Lyceum – that brings in tourists each day.We watched a production of Agatha Christie’s Witness for the Prosecution and noted, as we returned to camp late that night, that many of our neighbors ha also been at the play.
    And the historic Huston Tavern, established in 1834, is the oldest continually serving restaurant west of the Mississippi. We found excellent, family style food, especially the fried chicken, raspberry glazed ham, mashed potatoes, corn, biscuits and cobbers to die for..

    The Missouri River near Weston, Mo. The wilderness terrain is much the same today as then.
    We liked Arrow Rock so much we set three nights, soaking up the landscape, thinking about what it must have been like for those pioneers so long ago who set off from the very place we were parked beneath s cottonwood tree in our air conditioned Roadtrek.
    Not quite the same, to be sure.

    Made for a movie, this 55-foot replica of the Lewis and Clark keepboat invites exploration by today’s visitors to the Lewis and Clark Discovery Center in Nebraska City.
    We left Arrow Rock and continued west, past Kansas City, following the Missouri to the Weston Bend State Park near the town of Weston, once a thriving river town now – thanks to the river’s shifting banks – more of a trendy little place of antique shops and bed and breakfasts.
    We overnighted at the Weston Bend State Park and watched the sunset at a Missouri River overlook where the Corps of Discovery set shore for some exploring.

    Lewis’s branding iron at the Lewis and Clark Discovery Center in Nebraska City.
    The next day it was north and west to Nebraska City, NE and the Lewis and Clark Discovery Center on the river there. The center itself wasn’t much. Mostly some displays, including a branding iron owned by Lewis and used to emblazon trees along the route.
    The thing that most interested me was a full-sized replica of the 55 foot long keel boat used by the expedition to navigate the Missouri. Originally made for a movie, it sits out front of the center and allows visitors to come abroad. I grabbed one of the oars of the same type and size used by the crew and was amazed by how heavy it was and could only imagine what it would ave been like pulling it hour upon hour against the currents.

    The Missouri River is called Big Muddy” and even today, as seen from Nebraska City, it looks much like it did in Lewis and Clark’s time. Note the snags and driftwood on the opposite bank.
    There’s a shore trail that leads do yet another river overlook that made for a nice photo op. The river is still muddy and the current is obvious. The banks of the Missouri remain littered with snags and driftwood.
    From Nebraska City, we took NE-2 west through rolling cornfields, slowing moving past the Missouri and closer to the Oregon Trail, which we’ll be following over the next several days.
  17. Roadtrekingmike
    One of the challenges of being on the road so much and doing a blog like this is being reliably connected to the Internet in a whole bunch of different places.
    I’ve been a huge fan of the Verizon Mi-Fi card and the network’s strong nationwide footprint of 4G connectivity. It very reliably gives me near broadband speed as I travel. Sending video gobbles up a lot of bandwidth and almost all the videos I do for this blog were sent via the Verizon network.
    But lately, I’ve been going to some really remote locations.

    Last month at Yellowstone National Park, way back in the Lamar Valley boondocks, I saw a couple of wolf researchers from the University of Washington using their Verizon cellphone. The secret, they showed me, was an inexpensive cell phone booster that gave them several bars of connectivity when, without it, they had none.
    So with a trip to Michigan’s remote Upper Peninsula in the works right after my return from out west, I ordered one, too.
    There are lots of different cell signal boosters available but I picked up the same one the wolf researchers were using – the Wilson Sleek 4G, available online starting at around $75. It’s also stocked by many Walmart and Best Buy stores. It comes with a cell phone holder, cigarette plug power connector and a small magnetic antenna to attach to the roof of your vehicle.
    I hooked up mine on my Roadtrek eTrek, attaching the holder to the dash by an adhesive on the back. I attached the magnetic mount above the driver’s side roof and ran its connecting wire in through the side of the door.
    On my first trip to the wilderness at the Porcupine State Wilderness area in the far northern part of the UP, I put it to the test.
    You can see in the accompanying ideo that I had no connection at all. Not even a single bar.
    I was just too far from the nearest cell tower.
    So came the moment of truth. When I put my iPhone in the cradle, which contains the power booster, I now had coverage…. Three bars. Not bad. From zero to three bars.
    I could put the phone in the cradle or put the Mi-Fi card in and make my own hotspot.
    Over the past week, I have now traveled all over the UP and have been in some really desolate country. I have been surprised how many places had very good cell coverage without the booster. Verizon has really expanded its network. In the middle of the Ottawa National Forest, a vast expanse of one million acres, I actually had 4G coverage about 10 miles outside of the village of Watersmeet.
    But in several places just too distant from a tower, when my Mi-Fi or iPhone showed no or marginal coverage, the booster helped every time.
  18. Roadtrekingmike
    RVers love their GPS units. Can you imagine traveling without one?
    But do you know that many of today’s most popular units can be customized to show the special places you are most interested in? Called POIs – short for Points of Interest – there are so many lists of them available now that downloading them to your GPS unit can make travel much more efficient and convenient.

    You need to have a stand alone GPS unit that can connect to your computer to be able to download POIs. Tom Tom, Magellan, Garmin and Rand MacNally all work with external POI files. There may be others. I use the Rand McNally RVND 7720 seven inch unit in my RV. My Roadtrek has a built in unit from Pioneer and it does a great job. But its integrated into my dash entertainment system and I can’t add files to it. The RVND-7720 is aimed strictly at RVers and it comes with guaranteed lifetime updates and the ability to add POI files. I connect it to my computer from time to time and it automatically downloads the latest maps, construction alerts and detours .
    But it also can download files called POIs. Many of you now I am also an NBC-TV technology reporter. I do a weekly segment for all 215 NBC affiliate stations called PC Mike and I recently did one on POIs in which I found several sources for POI files.
    What sort of POI files, you ask? Well, I downloaded a list of every Cracker Barrel restaurant (a great place to overnight, free). We downloaded the locations of all Olive Garden restaurats (Jennifer says the all-you-can-eat soup and salad menu item there is a good and healthy food choice, as long as I eat only one serving. We downloaded a list of health clubs (when we travel my job is to get her to a gym at least four times a week). I have a list of all WalMarts (overnight camping again), unusual highway attractions (I’m a sucker for giant balls of string and places like the Barbed Wire Museum) and a list of 14,357 campgrounds.
    All were free to download and install in my GPS and I can set my unit to alert me when I am approaching one of these POIs or search for them right from the screen.
    There are several places online where you can find POI files.
    We've gotten hooked on the POI Factory, a repository of downloadable GPS files that you can install on many of today's most popular GPS units, like Garmin, Rand Macnally and Tom Tom. Basically, you browse the categories and find Points of Interest you'd like. And then, as you approach them in your travels, you can see them on a map, find and get to them with turn by turn directions.
    Here's another resource -- the POI Plaza. This lists POIs from all over the world. Search by countries. It too works with lots of applications and GPS platforms, listing thousands of places and GPS coordinates. Pick the right format for your device and download it to your computer. Then, just plug your GPS unit into the computer and transfer it over.
    One more. Download POI. If you couldn't find files for your unit on the other sites, try this one. Just choose a country, the brand of GPS you have and download what you want. You're good to go!'
    Here’s my NBC report on POIs:
    http://youtu.be/A9j4sl9Tbvk
    About the Author: Mike Wendland is a veteran journalist who travels the country in a Roadtrek Type B motorhome, accompanied by his wife, Jennifer, and their Norweigian elkhound, Tai. Mike is an FMCA member (F426141) and is FMCA's official on-the-road reporter. He enjoys camping (obviously), hiking, biking, fitness, photography, video editing and all things dealing with technology. His "PC MIke" technology segments are distributed weekly to all 215 NBC-TV stations. More from this author. Reach mike at openmike@fmca.com.
  19. Roadtrekingmike
    One of the most discussed how-to threads on the blog and our Facebook Group has to do with the latches and hinges used on the cabinets on new Roadtrek Sprinter models like the RS Adventurous, the eTrek and the CS Adventurous. The same push button latches are on some of the recent Chevy-based models like the 40th Anniversary Special. They are sold by a Montreal-based speciality hardware import firm called Richelieu.
    The issue is, depending on a lot of load and environmental factors, the latches and the cabinets can get stuck and, too often, as owners try to get them open, they pull too hard the wrong way and break the mechanism.
    Been there done that.
    Several times.

    While I was recently visiting the Roadtrek factory in Kitchener, I ran into my friend and Roadtreking Reporter Campskunk, who also happened to be at the factory that day. We got to talking, the subject of hinges came out and so we marched out to the parking lot and my eTrek to do the above video.
    If you have a different hinge and locking mechanism, the same general principles should apply, though, obviously, what you adjust and where it is may be different than it was on my eTrek.
    But the thing to remember is the locking mechanisms and hinges do need to be adjusted from time to time because of the load you put on the cabinet, humidity and the way the vehicle is parked, such as on an angle.
    Adjusting them is a pretty simple procedure, as you can see, easily done with a small Phillips head screwdriver. The adjust point if on the door to cabinet attachment hinge. The screw you turn is the one closest to the door. You can see the door rise or lower depending on the direction you turn.
    Also, to keep those latches from breaking, don’t just yank or force those stuck cabinets open. As you see in the video, we just did some gentle pushing from the bottom to get one of my stuck cabinets open.
    Hope this little video helps.
  21. Roadtrekingmike
    When blog reader Harry Salt sent me these spectacular photos (see below), I just knew I had to share them.
    They are from the annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, now under way in New Mexico.
    Harry was part of two RV groups that attended – a Class B group and a Roadtrek group.
    “The festival goes thru Oct 13,” writes Salt. “After Oct 7 some of the group went on a ’walkabout’ for about 30 days. Supposed to have been at National Parks and Monuments but now they are improvising. It will end Early November at the 49er Death Valley Encampment.”
    Attendees were from Massachusetts to Alaska and Harry says there were 58 Roadtreks, one Krystal, one Chateau. Eleven were Sprinter brands. He tried to get them all in the photos but would have needed a much wider lens.
    What makes the skies so blue and Salt’s photos so spectacular is why the event is held this time of the year. This is the 42nd time that the Balloon Fiesta has filled Albuquerque’s crystal blue skies. The Balloon Fiesta is still the premier international ballooning event, powered by the perfect October climate and a phenomenon called the “Albuquerque Box,” (a combination of weather patterns and geographic landscape, the box allows balloonists to control and even retrace their adventure).
    It’s held at Balloon Fiesta Park. The 200 acres of grass and booths are filled with balloons and vendors selling everything from traditional New Mexican food to balloon memorabilia. Each year balloon teams from around the world participate in the event and news coverage originates from more than 50 countries. It has become the most photographed event in the world.
    You may have missed the first weekend but this event really goes on every day. The breathtaking mass ascensions featuring waves of hot air balloons will fill Albuquerque’s morning skies this coming weekend, too.
    I gotts do this smoeday. You, too? Thanks Harry, for sending the photos.
  22. Roadtrekingmike
    Thanks to the Internet and email, text messaging and Facebook updates, it’s easy to stay in touch with friends and family while traveling.
    But a very active group of RVers takes such connectivity to a whole new level, out-Interneting even the Internet when it comes to being able to communicate with the world.
    They take their own radio stations with them.
    They are members of the Amateur Radio Chapter of the Family Motorcoach Association and their radio stations are ham radio transceivers that let them communicate with other ham operators from their motorhomes and, during the off season, from their sticks and bricks homes.
    Amateur radio is not the same thing as CB, or Citizen’s Band radio. CB radio is short-range, low-powered communications and mostly used by truckers and highway drivers these days. It’s noisy, undisciplined and often plagued by interference and rude or profane language.
    Amateur radio is just the opposite, a popular hobby and service in which licensed “ham operators” operate communications equipment using a variety of forms, from voice to Morse Code to digital. To become a radio amateur, operators must demonstrate basic knowledge of radio technology and operating principles and pass an examination to get a Federal Communications Commissions (FCC) license to operate on radio frequencies known as the “Amateur Bands.” These bands are radio frequencies reserved by the FCC for use by ham radio operators.
    Ham frequencies can connect amateurs from across the street to across the world.
    Besides just talking and visiting with their on-the-air friends, many radio amateurs donate their time and equipment for public service work during times of emergency or disaster.
    I’ve been a ham operator since 1962 when, as a teenager, I became K8ZRH, my ham radio call. Over the years, I’ve been in and out of the hobby. For a while, I was obsessed with “chasing DX,” or making contact with different ham operators all over the world. I earned certificates for working amateurs in all 50 states, then from over 100 counties.
    I learned and mastered Morse Code, the language of transmitted dots and dashes. I built all sorts of different antennas, bouncing signals of satellites, even the moon.
    I embraced computer technology, joining my ham radio transceiver to my computer and using digital communications.
    I got involved in contesting, or radio sport as its sometimes known. There are ham radio contests almost every weekend in which hams try to make contact with operators under all sorts of conditions, such as using emergency battery or solar power and trying to accumulate as many contacts as possible in a specific period of time.
    The contests are training exercises, really. First and foremost, amateur radio is a service. If normal communications should ever fail, ham radio operators are practiced and ready to donate their time and expertise to keep the nation in touch.
    That’s the great thing about ham radio, there are so many fascinating activities and services you can tap into.
    Lately, it’s that public service aspect that has taken up most of my ham radio time. The first accessory I added to my motorhome when I started my RVing adventures was a ham radio transceiver. I’m part of my local community’s Amateur Radio Public Service Corps, which works with the Department of Homeland Security, to provide emergency communications when needed.
    I’ve taken special classes from meteorologists to be a severe weather spotter, something hams do when bad weather threatens to provide trained observers during weather warnings.
    And I’ve embraced ham “Nets,” short for Networks, or groups of stations that gather on a specific frequency at a set time to exchange communications. That’s how I discovered the FMCA Amateur Radio Chapter.
    The group runs communications Nets Monday, Wednesday and Fridays, gathering at 1 PM Eastern Time from all across the country. A Net Control volunteer coordinates check-ins and directs one station to talk at a time. Conversation typically revolves around the main interests of the members, motorhome travel and amateur radio. It’s like an RV rally on-the-air.
    Members chat about modifications they’ve done to their motorhomes, their radios, antenna systems and, of course, the weather.
    The chapter also has a website at http://fmcaarc.com that pinpoints the mobile or fixed locations of many of its 86 members on a map.
    And just like other FMCA chapters, they attend FMCA rallies and campouts throughout the year.
    Les Wright, is the chapter president, known to his fellow hams by his call sign AA7YC. He and wife, Carole, have been fulltimers since 2002, traveling the country in a 36-foot 2009 Alpine Coach. They are Nevada residents with longtime friends and family in the Reno area and usually spend a few weeks there each year. But with kids and grandkids in New York, North Carolina, Nevada, and California, they are on the road more often than not.
    Les has been a huge evangelist for both motorhoming and amateur radio.
    “The two go together hand in hand,” he said. “We get to stay in touch all the time and stay connected with what people are seeing, where they are going, instead of once or twice a year when we meet at rallies.”
    Les and Carole are both licensed and both participate in the radio contacts throughout the week. Their “radio shack,” as hams call their equipment room, connects through a computer in his motorhome with a transmitter stowed in the storage “basement.” He travels with several antennas, including one that mounts atop a telescoping flagpole attached to the back of the coach.
    “For us, being fulltimers, amateur radio has been a great way to have community wherever we go,” says Carole.
    For Karla and Larry Dayhuff (FMCA #) from Lecanto, FL , meeting the Wrights was infectious. Larry, had been a ham radio operator years before but was inactive. After being exposed to the FMCA Amateur Radio Chapter, he once again plunged into the hobby full tilt, even going so far as to study and pass the stringent exam for the most advanced ham license there is, Amateur Extra Class, N7LWD. Larry is now chapter Vice President.
    Wife Karla studied and obtained the General Class license, K4KLD, which allows her to operate on all ham bands. She’s the chapter Secretary and Membership Chair.
    They travel extensively in a 2006 Monaco Windsor and use amateur radio on the road from their motorhome and their Florida home.
    “We love the community we’ve met through RVing and ham radio,” she says. “We have met so many new friends.”
    Community. That’s a word you hear a lot from ham operators.
    Amateur radio is a very social pastime. While many are attracted by an initial interest in the technology and electronics that make two-way radio communication possible, most amateurs just enjoy “ragchewing,” or casual conversation with friends – friends who may just happen to on the other side of the continent, or world.
    And when you add in RVing and motorhome travel, there’s no shortage of fun things to talk about.
    Till next time, as the ham operators say ...73.
    (73 is the ham radio term for “Best Regards.”)

    FMCA membes Les and Carol Wright at the controls of their ham radio station in their 2009 Alpine Coach motorhome.

    This is my VHF/UHF ham rig mounted in my Roadtrek eTrek.
  23. Roadtrekingmike
    Sometimes, as we Roadtrek across North America in our RV, we run into stories that are so amazing that you don’t know how to categorize them. So it was with us in downtown Kansas City when we toured one of the most fascinating museums we have ever seen.
    It’s a museum devoted to the Steamboat Arabia, which sunk after running into a tree snag in the muddy Missouri River on September 5, 1856 as it was carrying 200 tons of supplies destined for a string of frontier towns to the west.
    But like the fabled King Tut’s Tomb, the recovery of the Arabia and the cargo it was carrying almost defies belief. The Arabia’s wreckage contained the largest single collection of pre-Civil War U.S. artifacts ever discovered – remarkably preserved clothing, tools, guns, dishware, window glass, candles, jewelry, wine and other everyday items that serve as a time capsule of life on the American frontier. There are even bottles of still pleasantry fragrant 19th century perfumes.
    But I don’t know if it’s the amazing items found in the wreckage or the actual discovery and retrieval of those artifacts that is the most interesting.
    Because the Arabia was discovered not at the bottom of the Missouri, where she sank, but 45 feet down in the idle of a Kansas cornfield a half mile from the current banks of the river.
    Over 400 steamboats have sunk in the Missouri over its 2,500 mile course. Most are undiscovered.
    The Arabia was a side-wheel steamer, carrying passengers and cargo on a regular route and schedule. At 171 feet long and capable of carrying 222 tons, she was a medium-sized boat. Her trade route took her well into present-day South Dakota. On September 5th, 1856, six days after departing St. Louis heavily loaded with freight and passengers, the Arabia reached Kansas City, Mo.
    Following a short stopover the side-wheeler was again underway to her intended destinations. A short distance upstream was the town of Parkville, Mo. But the Arabia would never arrive. During the night, the steamer struck a sunken snag, below the surface of the river. Within minutes much of the boat and virtually all 222 tons of precious frontier cargo lay at the bottom of the Missouri River.
    Although the Arabia went down in 15 feet of water, all of its 130 passengers reached shore on the ship’s skiff—the only fatality was a mule tied to the deck. The skeleton of that mule is on display in the museum.
    The river bottom was soft, and the boat and cargo sank quickly into the mud and silt. The boat held merchandise bound for frontier stores, and personal belongings of the passengers. Eventually, all evidence of the Arabia was erased from view. Seasonal flooding covered the site, and in its wake was deposited layer upon layer of rich, black topsoil.
    Bob Hawley is a local amateur treasure hunter who, with sons David and Greg, became obsessed with the story of the Arabia and its mystery cargo. It was rumored to have a huge cargo of Kentucky Bourbon and gold. Hawley knew that the Missouri had a shifting channel and that it had moved considerably east over the years and using a metal detector, weathered maps and old newspaper clippings, he persuaded a Kansas farmer to let them search the field. In 1987, his metal detector pinged off the big boilers of the Arabia and, in four months time, Hawley and the group of family members and several friends, excavated it.
    The mud remarkably preserved the wreck. There was, it turned out, no gold. And the bourbon was never found. Hawley suspects opportunists grabbed it from the decks the day after the Arabia sunk. But what was aboard has fascinated visitors and students of the American west for more than two decades now.
    I met Hawley the day I visited. He still hangs out at the museum. He said there have been many offers to sell the artifacts from private collectors over the years he believes they should be shared with the public.
    Jennifer and I spent half a day at the museum, marveling at the displays. Only about half of what was discovered is shown.
    The museum is still cleaning, cataloging and preserving the rest of the items. Visitors can actually observe the process, as its all done in the open.
    The museum is open seven days a week, Admission is $14.50 for adults and worth every sent. Seniors get a buck discount.
    There’s parking in the area in front of the museum suitable for a Class B RV. Anything bigger will have to park somewhere else in the congested downtown area. The address is 400 Grand Boulevard, Kansas City, MO 64106.
    Here are some photos of the artifacts:
  24. Roadtrekingmike
    Sometimes, as we Roadtrek across North America in our RV, we run into stories that are so amazing that you don’t know how to categorize them. So it was with us in downtown Kansas City when we toured one of the most fascinating museums we have ever seen.
    It’s a museum devoted to the Steamboat Arabia, which sunk after running into a tree snag in the muddy Missouri River on September 5, 1856 as it was carrying 200 tons of supplies destined for a string of frontier towns to the west.
    But like the fabled King Tut’s Tomb, the recovery of the Arabia and the cargo it was carrying almost defies belief. The Arabia’s wreckage contained the largest single collection of pre-Civil War U.S. artifacts ever discovered – remarkably preserved clothing, tools, guns, dishware, window glass, candles, jewelry, wine and other everyday items that serve as a time capsule of life on the American frontier. There are even bottles of still pleasantry fragrant 19th century perfumes.
    But I don’t know if it’s the amazing items found in the wreckage or the actual discovery and retrieval of those artifacts that is the most interesting.
    Because the Arabia was discovered not at the bottom of the Missouri, where she sank, but 45 feet down in the idle of a Kansas cornfield a half mile from the current banks of the river.

    I took this photo from a display at the museum showing the partial excavation.
    More than 400 steamboats have sunk in the Missouri over its 2,500 mile course. Most are undiscovered.
    The Arabia was a side-wheel steamer, carrying passengers and cargo on a regular route and schedule. At 171 feet long and capable of carrying 222 tons, she was a medium-sized boat. Her trade route took her well into present-day South Dakota. On September 5th, 1856, six days after departing St. Louis heavily loaded with freight and passengers, the Arabia reached Kansas City, Mo.

    Another excavation shot from the museum

    The only casualty was a mule. The passengers were all offloaded onto a skiff before the Arabia sunk.
    Following a short stopover the side-wheeler was again underway to her intended destinations. A short distance upstream was the town of Parkville, Mo. But the Arabia would never arrive. During the night, the steamer struck a sunken snag, below the surface of the river. Within minutes much of the boat and virtually all 222 tons of precious frontier cargo lay at the bottom of the Missouri River.
    Although the Arabia went down in 15 feet of water, all of its 130 passengers reached shore on the ship’s skiff—the only fatality was a mule tied to the deck. The skeleton of that mule is on display in the museum.
    The river bottom was soft, and the boat and cargo sank quickly into the mud and silt. The boat held merchandise bound for frontier stores, and personal belongings of the passengers. Eventually, all evidence of the Arabia was erased from view. Seasonal flooding covered the site, and in its wake was deposited layer upon layer of rich, black topsoil.
    Bob Hawley is a local amateur treasure hunter who, with sons David and Greg, became obsessed with the story of the Arabia and its mystery cargo. It was rumored to have a huge cargo of Kentucky Bourbon and gold. Hawley knew that the Missouri had a shifting channel and that it had moved considerably east over the years and using a metal detector, weathered maps and old newspaper clippings, he persuaded a Kansas farmer to let them search the field. In 1987, his metal detector pinged off the big boilers of the Arabia and, in four months time, Hawley and the group of family members and several friends, excavated it.

    Bob Hawley still hangs out at the museum, meeting visitors.
    The mud remarkably preserved the wreck. There was, it turned out, no gold. And the bourbon was never found. Hawley suspects opportunists grabbed it from the decks the day after the Arabia sunk. But what was aboard has fascinated visitors and students of the American west for more than two decades now.
    I met Hawley the day I visited. He still hangs out at the museum. He said there have been many offers to sell the artifacts from private collectors over the years he believes they should be shared with the public.
    Jennifer and I spent half a day at the museum, marveling at the displays. Only about half of what was discovered is shown.
    The museum is still cleaning, cataloging and preserving the rest of the items. Visitors can actually observe the process, as its all done in the open.
    The museum is open seven days a week, Admission is $14.50 for adults and worth every sent. Seniors get a buck discount.
    There’s parking in the area in front of the museum suitable for a Class B RV. Anything bigger will have to park somewhere else in the congested downtown area. The address is 400 Grand Boulevard, Kansas City, MO 64106.
    Here are some photos of the artifacts:

    Dishware from the Arabia was bound for frontier towns.

    Knives that would have been used on the frontier.

    Shoes and boots that never made the waiting frontier towns.
  25. Roadtrekingmike
    Gillette, Wyoming, is a certified American boom town. It’s 30,000 residents have grown by a whopping 48% in the past decade as this western city has become the nation’s self-declared “energy capital of America,” thanks to its vast quantities of coal, oil and coal bed methane gas. But today, it just grew by thousands more as 2,500 motorhomes of all shapes and sizes rolled into the sprawling CAM-PLEX exhibition center just east of town. Add another 5,000-plus people to Gillette.
    Most of those here are in luxury Class A motorhomes, and many of their price tags are in the mid-six figures. My Roadtrek Class B eTrek is wedged between a couple of Class Cs in what is a vast sea of motorhomes parked 6 feet apart and 6 feet front to back in long lines that have instantly transferred the mostly crushed gravel parking lots and fields of the CAM-PLEX into an RV urban center.
    This is the 88th Family Reunion and Motorhome Showcase of the Family Motor Coach Association and it officially starts Wednesday and runs through the weekend. But with so many coming here from across the country, to simply park them all means people had to arrive early. The event features seminars and entertainment and vendor exhibits. I’m teaching two seminars, on Wednesday and Friday.
    I’ll use the time to meet folks, and to check out the latest in motorhome offerings and industry products.
    Events like this aren’t for everyone. They are very crowded. There is no scenery, just the back of your neighbor’s unit and the slideouts of your side neighbors. There are also elements of a political campaign here. The FMCA has lots of officers. I mean lots of them. Signs affixed to some of the coaches urged passersby to vote for their favorite candidate.There are candidates running for national president, treasurer, vice president and even something like first national senior vice president. At least that’s what I think one campaign sign read.
    We started the day in the Black Hills around the Custer State Park, driving a wildlife loop and marveling at the scenery in the morning. We saw deer, antelope and several of the 1,000 or so bison that roam the park. Gillette was an easy 125-mile ride to the west along a two-lane that paralleled I-90 and cut through wide open grassland.


    We arrived at the CAM-PLEX about 4 p.m. and soon met several other Roadtrek owners attending the event. Two were parked in dirt with no hookups over by what appeared to be a horse corral. Several others were scattered through the complex.
    Jennifer and I checked out Gillette, doing laundry and then eating out at a great little Mexican restaurant.
    But the big find today was the Campbell County Recreation Center, the most deluxe and full-featured health and fitness facility we have ever seen. It is a massive, 190,000-square-foot facility with two water slides, a lazy river, three basketball courts, four racquetball courts, an elevated walking track, a kids zone used for baby-sitting, concessions, a weight room, a cardio area, three exercise rooms, two birthday party rooms, two tanning beds, training and locker rooms. In a partnership with the Campbell County School District, there is also an 81,000-square-foot field house with a six-lane, 200-meter track and five indoor tennis courts.
    I guess being the energy capital of America has its perks.
    Jennifer is ecstatic. We’ll spend early morning hours there before things get busy at the FMCA event.
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