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Roadtrekingmike

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  1. Roadtrekingmike
    RVing in Hawaii
    RVing is a huge pastime across the U.S. in 49 of the 50 states. The one exception is perhaps the most beautiful state: Hawaii. There just is not a big RV presence there. One exception is Al Waterson, a popular entertainer, singer and actor who tools around the island of Oahu in a 1995 Roadtrek 190 Versatile Class B [...]
    Roadtreking - A Journalist takes up the RV lifestyle - People and Places Encountered on the Open Road


    <a href="http://Roadtreking.com/rving-in-hawaii/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rving-in-hawaii">Source</a>
  2. Roadtrekingmike
    We’re just back from a 1,100 mile RV trip that took us across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula – in the wintertime.
    We headquartered our trip in Marquette, where we got a chance to take in all the excitement around the annual UP200 dog sled race, one of the nation’s premier such events, a qualifying race for Alaska’s famed Iditarod. I wrote about that the other day.

    We really fell in love with Marquette, a city of about 21,000 in the north central UP, right on the shores of Lake Superior. The town is the home of Northern Michigan University, has a first rate medical center and lots of great restaurants. Marquette also has the most accessible lakefront I’ve sever seen. And all around it are vast stretches of gorgeous wilderness. Everyone in Marquette seemingly loves the winter. They embrace it. Grown men and women wear snow pants and don’t feel the least self conscious. Nor does anyone worry about having hat hair.
    Marquette is an outdoor lover’s paradise.
    And from there, we set off to visit many of the places we reported on last summer. We were really curious about how the summertime beauty would look under a blanket of ice and snow.
    I wanted to see how feasible it was to RV in the wintertime. Turns out, as you can see in the video, it is very feasible. I even ran into another Roadtreking RVer, Gary Hennes, from suburban Minneapolis. He drove up to see the dog sled race in his 2006 Roadtrek RS Adventurous, accompanied by his 14-year-old grandson. Hennes routinely camps in the winter. He says it’s just as much fun as it is during the summertime.
    And we were also very curious to see what it would be like to spend the night in our new Roadtrek eTrek when it was so cold it. We did so, staying at the Tahquamenon Falls State Park, which keeps a handful of camping spots open all year. I’ll share that experience in a a story and video later this week.
  3. Roadtrekingmike
    It took two days and 700 miles – all of it in the face of bitter cold and most of it on snow covered and slippery roads – but we finally made it to Minnesota and saw not a single other RV on the road.
    “They don’t know what they are missing.” I said to Jen as we dodged logging trucks, snowplows and snowmobilers in the Great White North. Truly, now we know how that saying came about. I have never seen so much white. Not the slushy, dirty snow of the city and suburbs but sparkling clean, pure, deep and bright white.
    “Maybe they do,” she responded. “Maybe that’s why we’re the only RV out here.”
    She may have a point.
    Hours after we crossed the Mackinac Bridge linking Michigan’s two peninsulas, it was shut down to traffic. Same with US 2 west of the bridge, which we drove last night as the snow began. Multiple accidents and white-out conditions were the cause.
    Today we left Escanaba and headed northwest, crossing from the Upper Peninsula into Wisconsin and then on to Duluth, MN, where we will report on winter life up here as well as a sled dog marathon. It snowed most of the way. The Roadtrek eTrek on the Mercedes Sprinter chassis handled the roads with ease.
    I missed one great photo. An RV dealership we spotted in the Michigan UP somewhere near Iron Mountain has a sign out front of its lot, a lot in which all the RVs were covered with about a foot of snow. “It’s not to late to become a snowbird,” it read. It was on the wrong side of the highway and there was no quick and easy turnaround to get the picture. But I admit, that snowbird idea sounded pretty good at the time.
    After two days of hard winter driving, the Roadtrek is a mess, covered with snow, ice, salt and road grime. I’d wash it down, but it’s so cold up here none of the car washes are open.
    Like we did the day before, I used Google Glass for a driver’s perspective, and a windshield mounted Go Pro Hero 3+ camera to get the inside the van view.
    Google Glass didn’t do justice, though, to what happened when I stepped off a plowed road into the woods…. only to discover the snow was three feet deep. Suffice it to say, I won’t make that mistake again.
    We got into Duluth an hour before dark. Tomorrow, the preliminaries for the dog sled race will take up our day. On Sunday it starts and we’ll follow the mushers north along the Lake Superior shoreline in our Roadtrek eTrek to see how folks up here cope with winter.

  4. Roadtrekingmike
    I’m not going to lie to you. We didn’t sleep in the Roadtrek eTrek last night.
    We spent the night in a motel in Escanaba, at the far western end of the Lower Peninsula’s northern Lake Michigan shoreline. I suppose if I looked around long enough I would have found a place to camp. But all the state and federal forests where we normally boondock up here in the UP were all but inaccessible because of unplowed roads.
    Somebody told me there was an Indian casino a dozen miles out of town but they were unsure whether they allowed overnight RV camping. So when we saw a nice looking Budget 8 that was dog-friendly and had reasonable rates, hey, we took it.
    But while we were in our room, we kept the eTrek’s diesel-powered Webasto heater running all night, so our food and water inside it wouldn’t freeze. And when I opened it up this morning to re-load the stuff we took into our motel room, it was a very comfortable 60 degrees in the eTrek.
    That’s pretty good, considering the outside temperature dropped to -12F/-24C overnight. But that’s nothing compared to where we’re going, north of Duluth, MN where, Monday morning from about 3 a.m. until noon, I’ll be volunteering as an amateur radio operator providing communications for the Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon. At the crossing I’ll be stationed at near Finland, MN, the predicted temperature at that time will be -26F/-32C. I will be in the eTrek, as will Jennifer and Tai. So this brief motel lollygagging won’t last once the race starts Sunday afternoon in Duluth.

    Our drive to Escanaba was about 428 miles and took more about nine hours. Roads were slick and messy downstate and the air was so cold the washer solvent kept freezing on the windshield. All the extreme cold has made for lots of potholes in Michigan and one of them dislodged a hubcap from my passenger side dualies. It was lost somewhere back along the snow banks that line the interstate.
    But it was a beautiful day with clear blue skies for almost the entire trip. Crossing the Mackinac Bridge offered spectacular views of the frozen Straits of Mackinac where Lake Michigan meets Lake Huron. Just as darkness set in a couple hours later, snow squalls started up. We found a great restaurant, Buck’s Inn, just on the edge of Escanaba and after a nice dinner, we were ready to call it a night.
    It is frightfully cold. Even Tai didn’t want to linger last night when I took him out to make yellow snow. I saw a grove of pine trees and some woods that I thought would be a good spot for his other functions but, no way, he wasn’t having any part of it. Back to the warmth he tugged me on his leash.
    During the drive up, I used Google Glass as a reporting tool to record my point of view and a windshield-mounted Go Pro Hero 3+ to get Jennifer and I inside the Roadtrek. Hope the audio isn’t too bad. I think I can improve that in future reports.
    But it was fun to shoot the video … taking you along as we rushed north into the embrace of the arctic vortex.

    Along U.S. 2 on the northern shoreline of Lake Michigan in the Upper Peninsula

    I lost a hubcap from one of Michigan’s nefarious potholes.
  5. Roadtrekingmike
    Canada is a very popular destination for American RVers.
    And it’s home to several of the world’s best-selling Class B motorhome makers.
    So a lot is us travel there. Canada feels very much at home. It’s people are open and welcoming.
    In the last year, I’ve made over a dozen visits to the Kitchener, Ontario, headquarters of Roadtrek Motorhomes. And while I am very comfortable in Canada, there are some cultural differences.
    I’ve been taking notes. Here are 15 things to know about Canada:
    It’s smaller in population. Canada has only 33 million people. Once you get past the cities, there is a lot of open space.
    They count and measure things differently. Your GPS may tell you Kitchener is 60 miles away, but a roadside sign on the 402 says it’s 100. Huh? They use the metric system. Don’t even try to figure out fuel prices, which they measure in liters.Their money is different. Thankfully, they count it in dollars. But it’s worth more than ours. Twenty bucks U.S. is worth $20.10 Canadian. They have weird names for it, too. Canadians call their $1 a loonie and $2 a toonie.
    They don’t have as many freeway rest areas. Instead, at least in Ontario, they have Onroutes – widespread concentrations of fast-food restaurants, fuel pumps and rest rooms under one roof. Canadians don’t clutter up the landscape with billboards like we do in the U.S. And except in urban areas, there usually are not clusters of gas stations and fast-food places around each freeway exit.
    Yes, they do have Starbucks. And the good news is you won’t have to stand in line to get yours. That’s because, hands down, Canadians prefer Tim Hortons to Starbucks. Timmy’s, they call it. And I have to say ... it IS better that Starbucks.
    In Ontario, the only place you can buy beer is at the Beer Store. Seriously. That’s what they call the government stores that sell beer. Beer isn’t available at convenience stores, supermarkets and gas stations. It varies, I’m told, province by province.
    You know they spell differently, eh? In all candour, it sort of colours their written communications. Centre – center. Check – cheque. Favour - favor.
    They pronounce things differently, too. Not everything. Just a few things. Ask a Canadian to say out and about. Don’t laugh. They think YOU talk even funnier.
    Hockey is not a game in Canada. It is a religion. On their $5 bill is a scene of children playing pond hockey. Saturday night hockey on the radio was a tradition for generations. Now it’s on HDTV. Do not make fun of hockey. Ever. Canadians also like the sport of curling. Do not make fun of this, either. And yes, curling is a sport and it’s much more involved than it appears to most Americans. Trust me on this, do not ridicule Canadian sports. Especially in a bar.
    Canadians are very patriotic. More so than in the U.S. They are generally liked by other countries, terrorists are not trying to destroy it, and violence – except on the hockey rink, is very rare. There’s nowhere near the polarization there is in the U.S.
    Unless they hunt, no one owns a gun in Canada. Canadians like it that way. They think people in the U.S. who are so adamant about owning guns are extreme.
    Canadians have two languages. English and French. In Quebec, of course, almost everyone is bilingual. But even in the other provinces, you will hear a French accent fairly often.
    You will find iPhones there, of course. But many Canadians prefer Blackberries. They’re made in Ontario.
    Canadian restaurants, particularly those in Ontario, are generally more high-tech than many of their U.S. counterparts. The waitstaff have their own tablets and hand-held computers that process your credit cards right at the table. And many credit cards issued by Canadian banks have chips built in which constitute an electronic signature, meaning you don’t have to physically sign the bill.
    In the U.S., we drink soda. In Canada, it’s pop.
    Canadians are healthier than us. Average life expectancy there is 81.2 years. In America, it’s 78.1, and the American life expectancy is dropping while the Canadian is rising. Americans are the most obese country in the world, with approximately 34% of their citizens obese (over 60% are overweight). Canada is the 11th most obese country with about 24% of their people obese and 55% overweight.

    I like Canada, a lot. After so many visits over the past year, I’m starting to feel patriotic about the place, myself. The Canadians I’ve met are typically not full of themselves, as so many Americans are. They seem to be content and very sure of who they are, but without guile. They laugh a lot. Sometimes at us. Especially our politics. And they’re very accepting of people from other places, who look different and talk different.
    Just as long as they don’t make fun of hockey.
    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.
  6. Roadtrekingmike
    Okay. Do not panic. So the groundhog saw his shadow here atop Gobblers Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa. The rodent, if you check the history books, has been right just 39 percent of the time since this little community in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains .
    But that didn’t stop tens of thousands of people from all across the U.S. from traveling here, many in RVs, like us. While the campgrounds are closed, the local Walmart welcomed them. For us in our Roadtrek eTrek Class B, wherever we stopped was home and we used it here all weekend.
    But the night before Groundhog Day, using our media parking pass, we drove it atop Gobbler’s Knob, turned on the heater and caught a few hours of sleep. That is until about 3 AM when the public started making their way here, bussed up from Walmart and other parking areas in town. A band kept playing “Ring of Fire” in front of a huge bonfire as a cold rain turned the entire nob into a muddy mess. No one seemed to mind.
    Jennifer was able to sleep through the noise. Me, sensing there was a party going on, couldn’t resist getting up and venturing out.
    Before you get the wrong idea, this party is pretty tame. There is no alcohol allowed. Folks can’t bring in backpacks or chairs. But this has become such a huge spectacle of an event that it just seems to have a bizarre energy of its own. That’s the only way I can describe a gathering outdoors at 3 AM in the middle of a February rainstorm. Very bizarre. But strangely fun.
    The star, of course, is the groundhog, officially known as “Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators and Weather Prophet Extraordinary,” according to the Inner Circle, the board of directors of the Groundhog Club, the local group that manages all things related to Feb. 2 and the care and handling of the 20-pound groundhog. Bill Cooper, a former president of the club, said Phil is normally good-natured and glad to see his handlers, though he “has bad hair days from time to time.”
    The Inner Circle guys, in their dark coats and top hats, are the town’s ambassadors and walked up and down downtown streets all weekend, greeting the tourists.
    And tourists there were,
    We were surprised how many people came here because it was on their bucket list.
    A young married couple from Fort Myers, Fla., came the farthest of those we met. There was a guy from Atlanta wearing a muskrat coat and a top hat who came because Feb. 2 is his birthday and he always wanted to spend it in the place where Feb. 2 is the most important day of the year. A school teacher from New Jersey left her husband home to watch the Super Bowl. She came with some girlfriends because, like apparently so many, coming here for the events of Groundhog Day was always on her bucket list, too.
    Those events include craft shows, chain saw carving demonstrations and live broadcasts all weekend from the Weather Channel, which endorses the town’s official motto as “the weather capital of the nation.”
    There were hayrides downtown. Hat decorating contests. And at midnight, in front of the community center, a countdown in which people cheered in Groundhog Day at midnight. At 6:30 AM, there was a pre-sunrise fireworks display on Gobbler’s Nob. In the rain.
    Oh, yeah. At the community center in town, there were repeated showings of the Bill Murray movie, Groundhog Day. Indeed, that 1993 movie, more than anything else, went to transform Feb. 2 of each year from a quaint event to a mega happening. Before the movie, maybe 3,000 people came here for the annual prognostication. Since the movie, the number of tourists who come here for the big day swell the normal 6,000 population to as many as 30,000. Because of the rain, the 2014 event drew an estimated 25,000 to the nob.
    I find that very ironic because the movie wasn’t even shot here. It was shot in Illinois, which the producers somehow felt was more photogenic.
    No problem. Punxsutawney loved the movie, even though it was Woodstock, Illinois, that is shown on the screen. Go figure.
    Punxsutawney is a town built around a rodent. Souvenirs like Groundhog day hats, mugs, T-shirts, mittens, trinkets and chain saw carvings seem to be the leading industry. The Chamber of Commerce here says $1 million is pumped into the local economy from Groundhog Day alone.
    The actual prognostication event happens at sunrise every Feb. 2. There’s a little wooden podium built in the shape of a stump on a stage and Phil is brought from his downtown burrow to a box built into the podium. One of the members of the Inner Circle brings him out, “consults” with Phil and determines whether or not he saw his shadow.
    This whole tradition stared around 1860 as a result of a superstition from the German immigrants who settled this area that says if a hibernating animal casts a shadow on Feb. 2, the holiday of Candlemas, winter will last six more weeks.
    Well, this year, Phil saw his shadow. It’s been a long winter. Phil says it’s going to get even longer.
    I think I’ll trudge back to the Roadtrek in the parking lot and make some coffee and breakfast and dry out. Then we’ll head back into town for some more of the festivities.
    Punxsutawney really is a charming place. Locals tell me that people come year around. Phil, when not on the Nob for Groundhog Day, is in a see-through burrow in a downtown square and can be seen anytime. During the summer, RVers come to two nearby commercial parks and several state parks in the area.
    But, as we found during our visit, folks are delighted to see visitors and we were welcome to park our RV anywhere.
  7. Roadtrekingmike
    People wonder why we prefer boondocking over campgrounds. Here’s why: Too many campgrounds are dirty.
    Not all. But way too many.
    In the bathrooms, there are almost always spiders, bugs, things in the toilets and stalls that disgust you, broken windows, mold, rusty pipes, grimy sinks. In Mississippi earlier this year, one of the showers I used this year had a cracked floor. When you stepped on it, blank gunk seeped out around your feet.
    In Missouri, a long broken and unrepaired window had the restroom filled with moths, beetles, flies and mosquitos.
    In Nebraska, a campground where we stayed last summer had clogged toilets. The dump station black water tank was overflowing.
    Then there are the lots. Too often they are worn and trampled dirt that turns to mud every time it rains, with no grass or concrete. In Estes Park, CO, last year, a supposedly top-rated campground put us in a gravel parking lot. Five minutes after we arrived, our coach was covered in dust and we had to shut all the windows. I complained and the owner told me he makes an extra $20K a year putting people on the gravel when his other spots are filled and it’s worth the complaints to get the extra cash. AT least he was honest.
    The utility hookups at many parks need to be checked as way too many deliver erratic power. Water faucets drip. Dog droppings are uncollected and litter the edges of the camping spaces.
    It’s our experience that private campgrounds are generally the worse, though we’ve noticed that budget cutbacks in state and county parks have fewer people doing maintenance and clean up in government-run parks, too.
    So we boondock. While on the way to a destination, a Walmart or Cracker Barrel parking lot is usually preferable to a campground, we have found. Our Roadtrek eTrek has its own shower, its own bathroom and provides its own electricity.
    The campground guide books and apps are not much help. We’ve found campgrounds rated by the guide books at four stars to be pig styes. I have long suspected that the higher the rating, the more the campground spends on advertising. Maybe not. But the discrepancies of what we’ve experienced and what the guidebooks say are too often too far apart.
    Reviews from other campers help.
    But generally, we avoid most campgrounds.

    This Colorado campground puts you in a dusty parking lot.

    Nice shower, huh? The water that came out was rust covered.

    A broken window in a campground restroom in Missouri.
  8. Roadtrekingmike
    Save the Planet – Be a Fulltime RVer
    We were chattering away on the Roadtrek Facebook group about solar, and it got me to thinking – what is my energy consumption and carbon footprint now that I’m fulltiming...
    Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome


    Source
  9. Roadtrekingmike
    Two-and-a-half weeks of the Great Roadtreking Family Vacation of 2013 in two-and-a-half minutes – that’s the just-finished movie version (see below) that highlights the recent Roadtreking caravan that was our family vacation to Colorado this summer.
    We traveled in four vehicles: My Roadtrek eTrek pulling a 21-foot travel trailer, followed by a Roadtrek SS driven by my son and, following us all, my daughter and her family in an SUV.
    We made a great circle tour of Colorado. Here are some of the highlights of our trip out and back: climbing Pikes Peak, visiting Garden of the Gods, Mesa Verde, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, the Colorado National Monument, Glenwood Springs and the Rocky Mountain National Park.
    And don’t forget that nine feet tall Iowa corn!
    Can’t wait for next year!

  10. Roadtrekingmike
    We were deep in the piney woods of Southwest Georgia, a half mile off a red dirt road, parked in a small clearing not far from our deer blind.
    It was the last weekend of Georgia’s months-long deer season and Matthew, who just took up hunting as any good Southern boy does, had invited me down.

    Since we were heading to the big Florida RV SuperShow in Tampa Jan.16-21, the hunting trip made for a perfect stopover. We were seriously boondocking. There was no power or sewer hookups, no cable TV, no “tinominium” campground that surrounded us with huge Type A motorhomes walling us in from the campsites next door.
    Just us. Me and my 10-year-old grandson, Matthew. in out new eTrek, the all-electric and solar powered new Sprinter campervan from Roadtrek Motorhomes. It was my first real test of the lasting power of the eight AGM batteries and the diesel alternator-generator that is supplemented by a 250 watt solar panel on the rooftop.
    We left Michigan three days before, overnighting in a commercial campground. But I was really anxious to see how the new eTrek performed on its own power system.
    Jennifer stayed back at my son’s house. So did Tai, our Norwegian Elkhound, who, we discovered earlier that day, had a tick affix its hungry little self near his ear. Tai wasn’t happy with the extraction process so we let hm stay with Jennifer. We think he met the tick at a rest area in Jellico, TN, where he visited some woods off a little dog walk to do his business.
    So there we were, Mathew and me in the woods, all camoed up and far from civilization. Coyotes howled at night, close by, too. So cool.
    I thought we’d be using the heater at night. Normally, it dips near freezing at night this time of year down here. Instead, thanks to an unseasonal heat wave that had the daytime temperatures near 80, we fired up the air conditioner.
    The mosquitoes were out already. The snakes were out of their dens, too, making us glad we had knee high boots.
    We didn’t even see a deer, but who cares?
    The eTrek was a luxurious deer camp for us. We had TV, DVD and a refrigerator filled with cold drinks. I was able to fill the water tanks, now that the risk of freezing is over. The eTrek has instant hot water and filtered cold. I was amazed how much I appreciated that, especially since the coffee maker I bought back in Michigan for the eTrek didn’t work. The instant hot made instant coffee. Not my favorite brew, but caffeine nevertheless.
    We had two minor glitches. The center faucet in the kitchen only trickles. I suspect there’s a valve somewhere I need to open. And the inductive stovetop doesn’t heat up. It turns on but when I put a pan on it, no heat develops and it soon turns itself off. I’ll ask the Roadtrek people I meet in Tampa if they have any ideas.
    Everything else worked better that I could ask.

    We ran off batteries for well over 30 hours. Lights, TV, the fridge, the AC during the day. Before we knocked the red dirt off our boots and headed home, the inverter showed I still had 12.7 volts of power.
    The eTrek was parked in my son’s driveway before and after the trip to the woods, I kept the battery on. The fridge ran continuously. There was no discernible battery drain. I think the solar charger really keeps those batteries topped off.
    Besides the impressive power system, I liked the ride in this Roadtrek. Although I had no problems with the ’06 RS-Adventurous I owned, this was the first Sprinter I have driven with dual wheels and I think it adds stability, particularly in crosswinds or when buffeted in the slipstream of a passing eighteen-wheeler. Jennifer drove two stints on the way down and said she, too, found it very easy to handle
    In terms of mileage as compared to my ’06 RS, the eTrek understandably fares not so well. The new eTrek is a six cylinder on a 3500 series frame. The ’06 is five cylinders on a 2500 frame.
    In the ’06, I routinely got between 20 and 21 miles per gallon.
    On the eTrek, my average so far is 17.65 mpg.

    There’s some signage promoting the blog on the back of the Roadtrek. I was surprised to have received two emails from folks who saw it on the drive down. One was interested in getting a Sprinter, the other was from a former Roadtrek owner who thought he’d like to get a new one.
    Monday, we head to Florida and Tampa. We’ll be at the Tampa Fairgrounds for several days, site of the RV SuperShow. Then I’ll be looking for a beach before heading back north to the cold…. although… there’s an invasion of giant Burmese python snakes near the Everglades. There are so many of the huge snakes that the state has declared a special python hunting season with a $1,500 prize for whoever gets the most pythons.
    Some estimate that nearly 150,000 pythons are living in the Florida Everglades. Officials say the Burmese pythons are eating wildlife and with no natural predator, the population is overwhelming. The Everglades have become crowded with the snakes and the pythons have started to move into nearby neighborhoods and campgrounds.
    Doesn’t that sound like a great story?
    I need to figure out how to convince Jennifer of that,
    Meanwhile, when I was at the Roadtrek factory a week ago, we had the eTrek up on a hoist and, in answer to several questions from readers, I shot this very sort video showing where those batteries are stored.
    Source
  11. Roadtrekingmike
    Michigan’s Sunrise Side is one of the best-kept secrets in the Great Lakes.
    The state’s west coast Lake Michigan PR machine has done a better job of promoting the beaches and trendy little communities there while the Lake Huron coast along the state’s east coast has stayed purposefully low-keyed.
    And that has been just fine with the locals and the sharp-eyed tourists who love the area. That means there are no traffic jams. Prices for food, lodging and the like are usually more affordable than the tourist-dense Michigan west coast. And for RVers, that means more places to camp with more space, better views and less competition for the best spots.
    But the reason we like the Sunrise Side so much is because of the sunrises.
    Check out the pictures below.
    Some sunrises are an explosion of pastels. Others bright gold and yellow.
    Every one is worth getting up for.
    We’re now over 1,500 miles into our Verizon Wireless Great Lakes Shoreline Tour of the U.S.-side of the Great Lakes. And this leg, called the Sunrise Side, follows us from the start of Lake Huron in Port Huron, MI to the very tip of the Lower Peninsula Mitt in Mackinaw City, MI
    In so doing, we found what just may be the prettiest two coastal roads in the region.
    Granted, there may be shorter roads elsewhere that are more spectacular. But mile for mile, you just can’t beat US-25 from Port Huron to Bay City, and US-23, from Bay City to Mackinaw City. Most people take the I-75 interstate up the middle of the state. But the shoreline roads are much more fun and relaxing.
    Both hug the Huron shoreline and offer numerous pull outs, roadside, county and state parks with lake views, stairs down to the wild shoreline and, often, camping.
    On our trip we stayed in two places, electing to do the drive in three days.
    Our first overnight was at the East Tawas State Park, located on the Tawas Bay Point. The Tawas Point is one of the best bird-watching spots in North America, smack dab on a migratory pathway. People from all over the world come here in late spring to birdwatch.
    Many of the birds had moved on during our visit, though I was able to see a nesting pair of piping plovers, an endangered species. You can see them in the video.
    We also overnighted in Alpena, MI, staying at the privately-owned Campers Cove RV Park located on the Thunder Bay River. The campground offers kayak rentals and shoreline fishing .
    The video shows why we stayed in Alpena, to take advantage of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary off the coast of Alpena, , an underwater preserve because of all the shipwrecks there.
    The three days we allotted for this seemed a bit rushed. If I was doing it over – and I will when we’re not on deadline or heading elsewhere – I ‘d make it at least five days.
    I’d add a stop just north of Port Huron at the Lakeport State Park and another just north of Rogers City at the P.H. Hoeft State Park
    Both are right on Lake Huron.
    And both offer great sunrises.
    If getting up early isn’t for you, we’ll talk about the sunsets when we hit Lakes Superior and Michigan later in the tour.

    Lake Huron sunrise

    Sunrise at Tawas

    The Tawas Point Lighthouse

    The Lake Huron shoreline along M-25
  12. Roadtrekingmike
    The annual Recreation Vehicle Industry Association trade show in Louisville is the big one for the RV industry, providing a sneak peek at what’s new aimed at dealers and industry insiders to help them get ready for the next year. Held at the Massive Kentucky Exposition Center, this year’s 51st edition of the show opens Tuesday. But Jennifer and I got in early for a sneak peek of our own.
    The RVIA expects more than 8,000 attendees this week. Over 300 acres of display space will be filled by 61 manufacturers and 225 suppliers. On Monday, many of the displays were still being readied.
    Naturally, we made our way straight to the Roadtrek area where we found six of Roadtrek’s nine different models all polished up and surrounded by rows of bright red holiday poinsettias.

    Showing off this week in Louisville are the 170 Versatile, the eTrek, the CS Adventurous, the 210 Popular, the 40th Anniversary Special Edition of the 190 Popular and the newest Roadtrek model which goes on sale next year – the TS Adventurous, for Touring Series. We’ll show you more on each of them later this week.
    All the major Type B small motorhomes are also here, as well as the Tupe A and C coaches, travel-trailers and other RVs. We got a look at one of the more anticipated new models – the just released Winnebago Travato (photo above), a 20-foot long Type B motorhome built on the Dodge Ram Promaster chassis. This one has a rear bed that folds tight along the side, leaving room to load bicycles or golf clubs or other storage items through the rear doors onto the back area of the coach.
    Once you reach your destination, you haul the storage items outside and fold down the bed for sleeping.
    There is no sofa area on the Travato and it seems that, while driving, the entire rear section of the motorhome would be pretty useless. Still, it’s interesting to see what the different manufacturers can do with the various chassis.
    We’ll be here all three days of the show. So stay tuned.
  13. Roadtrekingmike
    We love to take our Norwegian Elkhound, Tai, with us when we go Roadtreking.
    Except for one thing.
    His breath.
    It stinks. Literally.
    In the confined space of an RV, dog breath can get pretty disgusting. We’ve tried chicken-flavored dog toothpaste and brushing his teeth. It works a little. But chicken flavored dog breath is almost as bad as regular dog breath.
    So it was with great interest that we just discovered something called Orapup – a dog breath brush.

    It comes with a couple bottles of Lickies, a liquid that you squeeze onto the soft bristles of the brush. Then you take the brush to your pup and, they love it, liking it all off. It has some natural enzyme that gets rid of bad dog breath and is also supposed to help prevent plaque.
    My granddauhters Hua Hua and Rachel were over when we put it to the test.
    Tai loved the stuff.
    After he licked the brush clean, the girls did a doggie breath test. Their verdict: It works.
    Jennifer checked, too. She says life with Tai in the RV will be better after he licks that brush. We’ll be taking it with us on future trips with the dog.
    Rachel, meanwhile, pointed out to me that the company also has a tongue brush meant for humans.
    She suggested I might want to try it to help with my “Grandpa breath.”
    Hmmm.
  14. Roadtrekingmike
    Spontaneous Roadtreking
    We’re the traveling trio- Olga, Laura and Ruka. Olga (stands for Old Ladies Get Aound)  is my comfy-ever-ready-super-cool-traveling machine that makes me feel a little bit like Dr. Who?, because...
    Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome


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  15. Roadtrekingmike
    Sprinter RV lineup joined by new Roadtrek CS Adventurous
    A major reason for the huge spike in Class B motorhome sales over the past year or so is the Mercedes Sprinter, a rugged and flexible van that offers RV makers all sorts of customization opportunities. Roadtrek Motorhomes is about to introduce a new full sized Sprinter model, joining its popular RS Adventurous and the new all-electric, solar powered  eTrek.
    For 2013, there’s a third model – the CS Adventurous… CS for Camping Series.
    And what this new model does is offer up some new optional features that can also be added to the other two Roadtrek Sprinter models, just as some of the eTrek’s options can be mixed and matched on the RS and CS, like the solar panels and heavy duty battery array.
    But the CS has some very innovative new features that immediately make it a standout:
    They include:
    A redesigned galley with greatly expanded storage space A new seven cubic foot refrigerator/freezer, moved to the front, opposite the sliding door with the microwave mounted above Hideaway sink with flip up faucet Heated floors Heated bathroom A flip down wide screen TV located midcoach A heated sofa.rear bed and front captain’s chairs Pull out, sliding rear table for laptops, etc We got a sneak preview of the new CS during a recent tour of the Roadtrek factory in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada  from Howard Stratton, Roadtrek’s Vice President.
    The new Roadtrek CS will be introduced at some of the big RV shows starting with the Florida RV Supershow in Tampa in mid-January. Dealers will be able to take orders on Roadtrek Sprinter models that offer all its optional features by spring.
     
     
     
     
     
    Roadtreking - A Journalist takes up the RV lifestyle - People and Places Encountered on the Open Road


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  16. Roadtrekingmike
    Lavender. Just the word brings olfactory recall, doesn’t it? Such a pleasant smell, such a pleasant flower. While we were RVing in the Pacific Northwest, I saw a notice in a local publication about a lavender farm that invited visitors. Before Mike could say “where are we headed today?”, I had the GPS programmed.
    The Tumalo Lavender Farm is located just outside of Bend, Ore., and is a 10-acre garden filled with the sweet fragrance of 10,000 mature plants, all grown organically, pollinated by some very busy bees. It is a labor of love for Gordon and Judy Knight, who – a decade ago – left professional careers in the travel industry to follow their heart’s desire to be surrounded by beautiful and practical lavender.
    Here’s a video of our tour:

    Gordon, accompanied by Jazzmine, their Golden Retreiver and the official greeter at the farm, took time from his cuttings and planting and gave us a tour of the farm. Before deciding to become Lavender farmers, they spent three years researching, investigating, and reading extensively about lavender. Their quest took them to Lavender farms throughout the Northwest. They became knowledgeable in growing, processing and working with lavender. They found the right varieties that would adapt and survive in the climate of Central Oregon.

    Tumelo Lavender now ships its plants and the many products made from them across the nation through direct order from nurseries and over the Internet through its website. I was amazed at the many ways Lavender can be used. Lavender is not only beautiful and sensory, but a practical choice for a garden.I bought two potted plants to take home.
    Lavender is easy to grow and has a reputation for being notoriously non-palatable to deer. It is also considered a drought-tolerant plant and Gordon assured me it will thrive in our Michigan climate.
    Pleasant scents can put you in a peaceful state of mind. Lavender has been associated with cleanliness since Romans first added it to their bathwater. In fact, the name comes from the Latin lavandus, meaning to wash. Essential oil of lavender is now known to have many application in aromatherapy. Lavender was traditionally inhaled to ease exhaustion, insomnia, irritability, and depression. In ancient times, it was used as a medicine. Gordon told us that a local hospital in Bend buys his plants and uses them to cam surgery patients before they are administered anesthetic.
    Lavender is a favorite for scenting clothing and closets, soaps, and even furniture polish.

    The calming, fresh, unique fragrance of lavender is available in potpourris, buds, oils, handmade soap, lotions, lip balm, and hydro-mists and wreaths.
    While Mike was shooting video, I did some shopping. The smell of lavender will be a welcome addition to our RV. I bought a lot of lavender, for gifts and for our motorhome. We’ve been on the road a long time this season and the lavender will do wonders.
  17. Roadtrekingmike
    Spritzzing up your RV with Lavender
    Lavender. Just the word brings olfactory recall, doesn’t it?  Such a pleasant smell, such a pleasant flower. While we were RVing in the Pacific Northwest, I saw a notice in a local...
    Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome


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  18. Roadtrekingmike
    Dennis George couldn’t believe his eyes.
    It was the morning of Tuesday Jan. 28, and he was staying at a Hampton Inn in Lakeland, FL He looked out his hotel room window and saw an empty parking spot where he had parked the brand new Roadtrek CS Adventurous the night before.
    “I thought maybe the hotel had towed it for some reason,” he said. “So I ran down to the desk and asked them. The clerk said no. Then one of their workers came in and said there was all sorts of broken glass out on the asphalt.”
    The glass was where he had parked.
    His beautiful new motorhome, bought just last October, had been stolen. Thieves had smashed the passenger window, found a spare set of keys he had hidden inside and taken off. Surveillance cameras from the hotel showed the two thieves in action. They smashed the window at 4:56 AM. They drove out at 5:05 AM
    The Dalkeith, Ontario, Canada native was traveling alone, living his retirement dream. He had been enjoying the weather in Florida after a 5,000 mile shakedown trip that took him through the western United States. He was in Lakeland to get some service done on his Roadtrek and took a hotel room because he couldn’t find a nearby RV park.
    He called the police as soon as he discovered the theft. An alert was sent throughout the south to law enforcement agencies. Roadtrek user groups and social media pages posted the picture of George’s CS.
    No one held out much hope. Many thought it would go straight to a chop shop.
    Fortunately, it didn’t. The thieves drove it around about 200 miles and abandoned it in Lakeland. It was recovered Friday, four days after it was stolen. Police never did find the thieves, though the investigation is continuing. The inside was left a mess of black fingerprint powder put down as part of the police investigation.
    “They took everything except my underwear, socks and dress clothes,” said the 67-year-old George, a divorced father of a 40-year-old son and a grandfather of two young girls, 15 and 11. “They cleaned it out. They got my computer, my iPad, my golf shirts, the bicycle on the front, pretty much everything. I read your blog and got the same GPS you recommend and even the same mattress topper you and your wife suggested from Bed, Bath and Beyond. They got that, too.”
    The theft was not the only setback George has had with his new RV.
    In December, at the Grand Canyon, he pulled into a ranger’s station to get an annual pass.
    “It’s a good thing I did because when I put my foot to the brake, it went all the way down to the floor. Thank God I found it out there at the ranger station. I was able to use the parking brake to stop. But if I had gone a couple more miles, there was a six percent downhill grade. No way would I have stopped.”
    George says his right front brake line became unseated from the brake line holder. That allowed the line to contact the exhaust has recirculation (EGR) tube and resulted in a hole in the brake line.
    Roadtrek has issued a recall for the problem, which involves an estimated 61 vehicles built on the Sprinter platform from February 14, 2013 through December 20, 2013.
    “That brake deal turned out to be a mess,”said George. “I had to be towed more than 200 miles to Phoenix to get that fixed at a Mercedes dealer.” Road service has handled the cost.
    George is currently in Sarasota, FL. His CS Adventurous is at a Mercedes dealer there, waiting for the broken passenger window to be replaced. He is using the down time to sort out his insurance claim for the items stolen from his motorhome. Despite the hassles, he is still upbeat about his Roadtrek and his new life on the road.
    He retired last fall, selling two businesses involved in commercial and industrial natural gas service back in Ontario. He plans to travel North America for four and five months at a time. He still has a fruit farm back in Dalkeith, a small town located about halfway between Ottawa and Montreal and he will return there each summer and early fall.
    “I know I’ve had a spell of bad luck,” he concedes. “But I’m just being as patient as I can be. I just want to get back out on the road. I’ve been looking forward to this stage of my life for a long time.”

    Dennis George and his new CS Adventurous – before the theft

    The police didn’t bother to clean up after themselves, either.

    Part of the broken glass caused by thieves who smashed in the passenger window
  19. Roadtrekingmike
    I’m a sucker for hats. Ball caps, cowboy hats, straw hats, watch caps and lately, Stormy Kromer hats.
    We picked up our first Stormy Kromer hats while doing some winter camping last February in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Seemed like every Yooper we saw was wearing one. So Jennifer and I both got one, me a rakish black, Jennifer’s a demure grey with pink trim.

    As we returned from that trip but kept wearing our hats, we met lots of other people who either had one, knew someone who had one or wanted one.
    Lots of people call them an Elmer Fudd hat. Don’t do that.
    This is a Stormy Kromer hat, steeped in UP tradition. Here’s the official story, from the Stormy Kromer website:
    George “Stormy” Kromer was a real guy – a semi-pro baseball player and railroad engineer. Not the kind of guy you’d expect to start a clothing company, in other words, but one who happened to create a cap that became known for long-comfort and the ability to stay snug, even in the fiercest winds.
    This final feature, in fact, is the reason he made his famous headgear in the first place, but we’ll get to that in a bit.
    Mr. Kromer, known as “Stormy” to the folks who knew his temper, was born in 1876 in Kaukauna, Wisconsin. He grew up with baseball and would eventually play on nearly 30 semi-pro teams throughout the Midwest. He might have continued to play that field, too, but he met Ida, and before Ida’s father would allow her hand in marriage, our ballplayer needed to find real work.
    That meant the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad and long, cold trips across the plains. Stormy was an engineer, and to see where he was headed, he had to stick his head out the window – into the wind. Mother Nature stole his cap more than once, and as the story goes, he set out to get her back.
    In 1903, he asked Ida (now his wife and an excellent seamstress) to modify an old baseball cap to help keep it on in windy weather. The all-cloth cap with the soft, canvas visor was a departure from the traditional fedoras of the day, but it was more comfortable and because of its six-panel fit, it stayed put.
    Soon other railroad workers wanted one of Stormy Kromer’s caps for themselves, and when Ida could no longer keep up with demand, they hired a few employees and the business was born.
    A lot of things have changed since those first few caps – new colors, new fabrics, new styles – but we haven’t changed the way we make ‘em. They’re hand-stitched right here in the good old U-S-of-A, and they’re still made to fit better than anything you’ve had next to your noggin. Stormy Kromer caps are true to the original, and that means you get all the comfort and function that made them famous.
    Wear one, and you’ll know what we mean.
    I was going to do a Stormy Kromer story in February, when we got our hats. But I decided to hold off until I could visit the actual factory where they were made, in Ironwood, at the far western end of the UP, right on the Wisconsin border. So when we were there on our annual RV tour of the UP, I made an appointment with Bob Jacquart, the CEO, and arranged for a factory tour.
    Again, from the website:
    In 2001, Bob Jacquart (CEO of Jacquart Fabric Products, in Ironwood, Michigan) got wind that the Kromer Cap Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was about to discontinue production of its legendary Blizzard Cap.
    Bob had a mind to make a call to Milwaukee and see if he couldn’t make those quirky wool caps a part of his sewing factory. A month later, Bob was the proud new owner of the Kromer Blizzard Cap, and Ironwood officially became home to the legend it had always struck a certain sentimental claim to. You see, folks in Ironwood (and the rest of the U.P.) have been wearing Kromer caps for generations, and it seems this has always been their true home, where the North Wind blows cold and the snow falls harder than almost anywhere else.
    When the cap came to Ironwood, Bob made a few subtle changes to the iconic headgear, changing the name from the Kromer Blizzard Cap to the Stormy Kromer Cap, and adding Stormy’s signature and the founding date to the back of every cap.
    Over the next 10 years, Bob invested in Stormy Kromer – particularly through branding and marketing – and today, annual production of the caps is 20 times what it was in 2001.
    Bob and his crew have also expanded the product line significantly – adding outerwear, apparel, and a full women’s line in honor of the debt we all owe Ida for creating this winter masterpiece.Today, Stormy Kromer products are still hand-stitched in the U.S. of A. It might be cheaper to sew things overseas, but it just wouldn’t feel right. That’s why every piece of Stormy Kromer gear is hand-crafted in America from the finest fabrics on earth. That not only makes for a legendary cap or article of clothing, it means the hundreds of hard-working folks we employ in the heartland get to keep working hard. And if that’s the style of authenticity you’re looking for, well, you just found the perfect fit.
    The hats have really become cult items. Hollywood and rock stars wear them. They're showing up in trendy magazines, and a new marketing campaign is about to make them even better known.
    The Stormy Kromer factory in Ironwood welcomes tours. Just stop in next time you are through the area. A wall of photos tells the history and story of this cool hat. You can watch the Yooper ladies in the sewing room assembling the hats. And afterwards, shop a retail area of the factory to get your own.
    And yes, I got a new Stormy Kromer, a light weight summer tan. You can see it at the end of my video.
    Stormy Kromer rocks!
  20. Roadtrekingmike
    So, what’s your worse nightmare about an RV trip? Having a mechanical breakdown in the middle of, say, Montana, at the start of a weekend?
    Trust me, it’s not so bad.
    I can say this because it happened to us last weekend, just as we were leaving Glacier National Park and the Many Glacier area, about as remote a place as you can find, where even the cell phones don’t reach.

    This was the culprit … the sensor (black) at the right of the fuel rail.
    There is one inescapable thing about RV travel. Stuff happens. Things break. No matter how well something is engineered and how well it is maintained. Truth is, that’s part of the adventure.
    And it’s how that breakdown is handled that determines the end of the story. And in our case, it was handled very well. So well, I want to share it with you. Our breakdown led us to some of the most fun we’ve had on this long four month trip we’ve been on. We learned first hand there’s a great network of Sprinter dealers out there who really do go the extra mile to make sure Sprinter owners can put on those miles.
    What broke in our Sprinter-based Roadtrek Etrek was the fuel rail sensor. I’m not a mechanical guy but it has something to do with the way the engine gets fuel. Our unit failed and led to a stalling engine. The engine would start, but as you pressed the accelerator, it would be unresponsive for a couple of seconds and then just die. The check engine light has come on several times during this trip but would usually go off after a short drive. At Glacier, as it kept stalling in the middle of a cold rain on the side of a gravel road, it would start with increasing difficulty and cranking, but then cough and stall. I was about to hike out and get to a place where I had cell phone coverage so I could call for a tow, which would be covered under my Coach-Net road insurance.
    But eventually, I got the engine started by revving it up and keeping my foot on the accelerator as I dropped it into gear.
    There was one hairy moment. Literally hairy. As we started to drive out of Many Glacier, a car in front came to a sudden stop as a black bear dashed across the road. The people in that car naturally stopped and started taking photos as the bear nibbled on some roadside berries. I could not risk a stop so, keeping the engine going with one foot on the brake and one on the accelerator, I swerved around them and kept going. I’m sure they thought I was very rude. Wish I could have explained.
    After a half hour or so of driving at 70 mph on the main highway outside of the park, the engine seemed to be running just fine.
    We made it all 250 miles south and west to Missoula, Montana and Demarois Buick – GMC Truck, an official Mercedes-Benz Sprinter dealer. Travis Cook, the Sprinter Service manager, got us in before the shop closed down for the weekend, put a computer on the engine and verified the fuel rail issue. The soonest the replacement sensor would arrive would be Tuesday.
    So, rather than take the chance of driving on and another breakdown, we opted to stay in Missoula until the part arrived and could be installed. To make it easy for us, Travis supplied us with a loaner – a Mercedes-Benz ML350 SUV, a very nice ride.

    Downtown Missoula music festival

    I could have done some Christmas shopping for Campskunk at the music festival.
    We drove the Roadtrek to a campground about six miles northwest of town, where we kept it parked for the next four days. We used the little SUV loaner to take us sightseeing throughout the area, attending a music concert downtown, checking out a local museum, visiting the Rattlesnake Recreation and Wilderness area and even venturing out into nearby mountain communities for wildlife viewing and hiking.

    Downtown river surfers in Missoula
    Perhaps the most unexpected amusement we found was watching young people surf on the Clark Fork River at a place called Brennan’s Wave, where white water in the in the river in downtown Missoula underneath the Higgins St. Bridge draws wet-suit wearing adventurers. Here, kayakers and surfers alike frequent the natural wave machine, and give spectators a good show.
    We’ll share some of those Missoula-area attractions in separate reports.
    The point of all this is to say what we thought would be disaster turned out to be a blessing in disguise. We fell in love with this part of Montana and, thanks to the network of Sprinter service dealers around the country and our fall-back road towing insurance coverage, it’s all good. We need not worry.
    As we picked up our Roadtrek Tuesday morning, Travis, the service manager, remarked how well built Mercedes is. He told us how the Sprinters used by the Federal Express delivery service routinely get 350,000 miles. “They’d get more but the bodies start to fall apart after all that intense use,” he said.
    Our Sprinter has now racked up 60,000 miles in the almost two years we’ve been driving it. I can honestly say, it has been amazingly reliable and the best vehicle I have ever owned. We’ve taken it coast to coast, up and down the Rocky Mountains, camped in every weather condition imaginable from two feet of snow at 21 below zero in Northern Minnesota to 105 humid degrees in the Deep South, and it has brought is more fun and adventures than we can imagine.
    But there’s even another benefit from our extended stay in Missoula.
    After putting in the new part, they even washed the Roadtrek for me, something Jennifer has been after me to do this entire trip.
    My cost for the repair: Nothing. All covered under the Sprinter-Mercedes five-year, 100,000 mile warranty.
    It really was all good.
  21. Roadtrekingmike
    Stranded in Montana: It’s all good
    So, what’s your worse nightmare about an RV trip?  Having a mechanical breakdown in the middle of, say, Montana, at the start of a weekend? Trust me, it’s not so...
    Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome


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  22. Roadtrekingmike
    Stroller Dogs: RVers love their dogs
    Find a group of RVers and you’ll find dogs.
    And you won’t have to look too hard to find some very pampered pooches.
    Long after many RVers have raised their own families, many are back pushing strollers. This time, instead of their own babies or grandkids, they’re pushing strollers with their new babies – dogs.
    RV shows draw huge crowds. From the inside exhibition space to the outdoor displays, it can get very congested at times and if you are accompanied by a creature with little legs…you need some help.
    Many of the folks I talked to had two dogs. Some three. Several said the main reason they travel in an RV is so they can bring their dogs with them. “Go to an RV show or rally and if there are 100 coaches there, 90 of them have dogs,” said one man I videoed. His wife had a harness around her shoulders and neck that held a dangling dog in a sling like contraption at her waist.
    For their part, the pups sure looked happy. Some had bows on their heads. A miniature poodle wore a Harley Davidson puppy-size T-shirt. Several had fancy collars with lots of doggie bling.
    I started taking stills and video after seeing dozens of stroller-pushing RVers at the Florida RV Supershow in Tampa. The video is above…photos below.
    We RVers sure love our dogs. At the very end of the still photos below is my 70-pound Norwegian Elkhound Tai. We brought him down with us but left him with the grandkids in Georgia while we were visiting the show.
    No way I’m pushing him in a stroller.
    He could pull me. Not a bad idea, come to think of it. He is a sort of sled dog, after all.
    Cats? Didn’t see a one.










    Roadtreking - A Journalist takes up the RV lifestyle - People and Places Encountered on the Open Road


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  23. Roadtrekingmike
    http://youtu.be/5A4VtXUCStA
    The hardest thing about finding a spot to camp in the wintertime in the north is finding an open campground. As we toured Michigan's beautiful snow covered Upper Peninsula in mid-February looking for a place to spend the night, all we found were Wal-Mart and Indian casino parking lots.
    Sorry, but those kind of environments are not our idea of camping. All the regular campgrounds we passed were closed and unplowed. The unplowed part is a big deal. Because on the level ground, snow measured 28 inches.
    So it was with great delight that we discovered that one of Michigan's premiere state parks, the 50,000-acre Tahquamenon Falls State Park between the towns of Paradise and Newberry, was not only open but had a dozen campsites plowed and available. First though, we had to see the falls.
    The Upper Falls, one of the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi, has a drop of nearly 50 feet, more than 200 feet across and a water flow of more than 50,000 gallons per second. It was spectacular in the winter.
    The slower moving part nearest the bank was frozen. But three-quarters seemed oblivious to the cold -- a few degrees above zero the afternoon we visited. The amber color of the water is caused by tannins leached from the Cedar, Spruce and Hemlock in the swamps drained by the river. Mist coats trees and rocks on the shore. The entire scene is breathtakingly beautiful.
    After a dinner at the excellent restaurant and microbrew at the Upper Falls -- also open all winter and doing a brisk business from snowmobilers -- we made our way to the Lower Falls campground, about four miles to the north.
    While we slept that night the temperature outside dropped to minus four. We were amazed at how warm we were in our Roadtrek eTrek, warmed by a Webasto Dual Top diesel heater. We also plugged in a small ceramic heater to keep the floor warm when we made our way out of bed to use the bathroom. Speaking of which, instead of water, you flush the toilet with antifreeze. The water you need, you just take in plastic bottles.
    The next morning, as a gentle snow fell outside, we felt pretty rugged, spending the night in such cold. Then we looked around. There were other campers in the park. Two of them were in tents. You can meet them in the video above. The park was beautiful. The State DNR keeps about a dozen spots open and plowed.
    While water is turned off at the sites, electricity is available. And a couple of clean pit toilets are also available. Winter camping may not be for everyone. But why not try it? I bet you'll be surprised by how great it is.
    source: www.roadtreking.com
  24. Roadtrekingmike
    The one thing that I most dislike about this time of year is holiday shopping.

    Usually, I’ll do anything to avoid a shopping mall. If God intended us to go traipsing through crowded shopping centers he wouldn’t have had Al Gore invent the Internet and online shopping.
    So you can imagine Jennifer’s surprise this afternoon when I actually volunteered to drive her to the mall to look up some Christmas gifts.
    I took my Roadtrek Class B RV motorhome.
    Heh heh heh.
    It’s a diesel, so it needs to be exercised from time to to time. That was my verbalized excuse. But the truth is, I was lonesome for it. And sometimes, I feel pretty silly just sitting out in it in the driveway.
    So off we went. ”Take your time, honey,” I said as Jennifer got out to go shopping. I stayed in the Roadtrek.
    I flipped on the battery and fired up the heater. Snow was spitting outside but I soon was toasty warm inside. I turned on the TV, sprawled out on the rear sofa and watched some football as I again bonded with my RV.
    I was parked in a regular mall spot. Couldn’t have done that in a Class A or Class C motorhome. Made my wife happy. Reconnected me with my RV.
    A win-win for both of us. Now if only my Detroit Lions would win.
    Source
  25. Roadtrekingmike
    Tarry gunk still evident on Gulf beaches
    More than two and a half years after the disastrous Deepwater oil spill by BP, tarry, gunky deposits of what appears to be dried oil are still all too evident on stretches of Northwest Florida gulfshore beaches.
    “This is atrocious,” reports RT Campskunk, a fulltiming RVer in a Roadtrek 190 from St. George Island, Florida. “It’s just a shame. These were the best beaches in the country. I was used to tar on the beaches out in Texas and Louisiana where all the wells are, but this is the first time I have seen it in Florida.”
    Campskunk walked long stretches of the beach around the Dr. Julian G. Bruce St. George Island State Park and found numerous clumps of the stuff. He took lots of photos like this one. That’s a quarter on top of the tarry deposit, to give us an idea of its size.
    You can see lots more of his photos on his Flickr photostream.
    Hurricane Isaac last fall was blamed for fresh oil deposits showing up in Louisiana  But that doesn’t explain the ones Campskunk spotted this week. Some are four inches thick.
    A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of the Interior said in September 2012 that an estimated 1 million gallons of oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill were hiding in the underwater sediment off the coast of Louisiana.
    St. George Island is a 22-mile, thin barrier island in Northwest Florida,  just southeast of Panama City near the Panhandle.
    Roadtreking - A Journalist takes up the RV lifestyle - People and Places Encountered on the Open Road


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