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I'm not a camper, I'm and RVer. I heard this phrase recently while listening to a podcast and it struck a chord with me. The person who said it, (Nick Russell of the Gypsy Journal) was talking about what he does while living full time in his motorhome. According to Nick, RVer's don't sit around the camp fire and sing Cumbaya. RVer's are in their motorhomes or trailers cooking, using the internet, and watching TV. I write this article as I sit in my air conditioned RV, listening to satellite radio, and bogging on the internet. Many years ago, I used to be a camper. I started out as a camper spending my vacations living in a tent, enjoying the outside, sitting by a fire, and cooking outside. I owned several tents over the years. But, I'm not a camper anymore. Maybe its the passage of time. Maybe its all the conveniences. Maybe I just got lazy. But, now I'm an RVer. And I'm not alone. More people are buying RV's (sales of these vehicles are increasing) and doing what I'm doing. So, what distinguished me as an RVer? Here's my list. I don't sleep on the ground under the stars. I sleep in a bed under the AC. I don't cook on an open fire. I cook on a stove or in the microwave. I don't watch the stars. I watch TV. I don't set up camp. I park the RV and plug in. I don't bathe in a river or take a cold bucket show. I wash in my shower. I don't look at the sky for the weather. I check my smartphone. I don't swat flies. I surf the web. I don't sit on a log. I sit on a leather couch or recliner. I still get to see many of the same great natural views and see many beautiful places. I still take hikes, sit by lakes, and enjoy the outside. I just do it with an RV near by. Is this all bad? I don't think so. I've been in both worlds. I liked camping and I like RVing. Its just a different way of doing the same thing. I suppose you could be both. But for me, things changed and now I'm an RVer. How about you? Are you a camper or an RVer? Follow more of my journeys at: http://jdawgjourneys.blogspot.com

Getting mail, paying bills, banking, and getting cash - just some of the tasks of modern life. They're simple enough if you're at home, but if you travel a lot, getting paper mail, paying bills, and getting cash can become an added complexity. But thanks to the Internet and mobile communications, these tasks can be transformed to be less dependent on being at your home location. In this post, I'll share what I've done to turn these tasks into paperless and electronic tasks. Let me first say, that while I have a background working in technology, it took awhile for me to embrace the paperless and electronic / mobile payment technology. It was a big change for this old Dawg. I still liked the security of holding a paper statement and writing a physical check when I wanted. But, over the past 2 years, to make it easier to travel, I slowly migrated to a more paperless and electronic payment process. I did it slowly so I could build my trust, get used to using the tools / services, and establish a workflow process that allowed me to maintain the control and security that I wanted. And now, I much prefer it to what I was doing before. So here's a summary of what I've done. Electronic Statements One of the first things I did was find out what the businesses I use for recurring services like utilities, banking, credit cards, and investments, offered for paperless services. Most offer some form of electronic delivery of statements and bills via email. I signed up for electronic delivery for a select few to see how I liked it. Then I migrated all that I could to electronic delivery. It works great. I get an email or txt message when a bill or statement is ready. Its easy to view the statements or bills on line or from my smartphone. Most vendors store several months of statements so I can go back and review them if I want. This eliminated a lot of paper mail. The only downside it that I had to set up usernames and passwords for each business and had to figure out a way to keep track of and remember them. Electronic Bill Payment Once I went to electronic statements and bills, the next step was setting up electronic payments. My strategy for this was to have my recurring bills, the ones that tend to be the same each month, set up to auto pay on a single credit card. Most businesses offer this as an option and its easy to set up on the businesses web site. This reduces the number of payments I have to physically perform. I just need to pay the credit card bill once per month (which I pay electronically from my bank). The added benefit is that I use a cash back credit card that gives me 1% back on all purchases. Last year, I got back about $250. It sure beats buying stamps and envelopes. You can set up this type of payment process with your bank. If the business can present an ebill to your bank, you can usually send an electronic payment from your bank, but I found the credit card process much easier and it gives me money back. There are a couple businesses that don't take credit card so I set them up with a ACH authorization on a checking account. Mobile Banking and Electronic Payments I maintain bank accounts at two institutions - a local community bank and a nationwide bank. Most of my bill paying (that doesn't go to a credit card) is done from the local bank. Both banks offer mobile and online access to all my accounts. I can check balances and transfer money between accounts all from my smartphone. I have two checking accounts set up for bill paying - one for writing paper checks and debit purchases (for incidentals and food) and one for electronic payments. I wanted to closely manage the funding of the electronic payment account. Each month, when I get emails about bills that are due, I review them, and tally up all the bills, There's only about 3-4 that don't go on a credit card. I electronically transfer just enough money into the electronic payment checking account and then make the payments from that account. Its a once a month process and the account usually only holds money for about a week while payments are being made. I did it this so that in case one of the businesses gets hacked with my bank account info, my account only has a limited amount of funds in it for a brief amount of time. Call me overly paranoid, but this is the only account that I have set up for electronic payments. If I need cash while traveling, I use an ATM or I find a branch office of the nationwide bank where I have an account. I can move money into this account from my smartphone and just walk in and cash a check or use one of their ATM's. Documents There are certain documents that I may need to access while traveling or that I want to maintain a duplicate copy of. Examples of these are things like insurance policies, vehicle titles, vehicle registrations, health care proxy, power of attorney, and copies of credit cards. I also like to keep copies of travel plans and itineraries on line. For paper documents, I use my all-in-one laser printer to scan copies of these documents and upload them to Google Drive. There are several choices for this type of service but I've chosen Google Drive as my electronic file cabinet. If you already have a Google account for Gmail, its easy to set up folders in Drive just like you have on your computer and upload documents to these folders. To keep the info private, make sure you don't set them up as shared. Google offers the first 15GB of storage for free (the equivalent of a typical thumb drive). I have the Google Drive App on my smartphone which keeps everything is sync and lets me access everything from my smartphone. I use Evernote as my electronic tackboard. This is where checklists, to-do lists, shopping lists, idea lists, and reminders go. I also use it for recipes. When I see something that I want to retain (something in print or in a store) it so easy to take a picture of it with my smartphone and upload it to Evernote. I have access to all my notebooks from my desktop, laptop, and smartphone. This is a free service and very handy, once you get in the habit of using it. All this effort has really cut down on my paper mail, the paper I handle, and check writing. I like what I've done and found very good services and capabilities that I can stay with. I can get most of my important mail electronically and pay my bills from anywhere. I think this is key - find out what works for you and then stick with it. For me, going paperless is not about using scanners and equipment to get rid of all the old paper documents. Its about selecting and setting up services and then using these services to get rid of the new paper. Going paperless can make traveling (and your life) so much easier. Follow more of my journeys at: http://jdawgjourneys.blogspot.com/

If you are healthy, living pain free and disease free, you are one lucky person. I just read a statistic that almost 50% of adults in the US have at least one chronic illness and it gets worse for older adults. Over 70% of us over age 50 have at least one chronic illness. A chronic illness is one for which there's usually no cure and requires constant treatment. These illnesses are things like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, pulmonary conditions, diabetes, autoimmune illness, chronic pain, heart disease, depression, etc. The good news is that, due to new treatments and therapies, these illnesses aren't killing us like they used to. The bad news, more of us are getting afflicted with them. Having a chronic illness can put a real dent into a RV travel lifestyle. I know because I have one of these. My chronic illness is ulcerative colitis. I won't go into to the details, but having colitis means I go #2 more often than the average cowboy and sometimes when I don't want to. Having this illness requires me to cope and deal with my symptoms when they're active. It can affect how and when I travel and it places some limits on what I feel I can do. It also means having to be treated which involves taking prescribed drugs and supplements for the rest if my life and having to be monitored a few times a year by my doctors. Based on the statistics I mentioned above, I'm guessing there's a lot of RVer's dealing with one or more of these. And while a chronic illness can have some impacts on your lifestyle, it may not mean that you have to stop everything. It may just mean making changes, putting limits of yourself, adjusting how and when you do things, and adding in new procedures and logistics. So, I thought I'd share some of the things I've changed, things I do, and how its affected my RV travel. How I Travel I find the RV mode of travel can be very accommodating for someone with a chronic illness. There are things we need that an RV supports very well, like having a bathroom, a place to change, room to store supplies, a frig, and a place to rest. My illness can sometimes make it necessary to be near a bathroom. In my RV, there's one right behind my drivers seat. I also think choosing the right RV is important if you have a chronic illness. A small nimble motor home is best for me because I want my bathroom with me at all times. A travel trailer might not be right for a person with chronic pain and back problems. Having a frig to keep medications might be necessary. And some may need reliable constant power for medical devices. When I Travel I need to see my doctors at least 2-3 times per year. This is one reason I keep a permanent residence and do "sometiming" RV travel versus "full timing". I schedule most of my appointments for the late fall (right before I go to FL) and for the early spring. I like to get checked out before I leave on big trips. This leaves winter, summer, and fall for when I do most of my RVing. I also tend to limit trip durations to 2-3 months at the most and not try to do big extended trips. I can see a lot in several 2 month trips. Also, I know when (during the day) that my symptoms tend to be more active and I plan my day and activities accordingly. Maintain Contact With My Doctors I'm very fortunate. I near Boston and have access to some of the best medical care in the world. I have some great doctors who have treated me for several years. Its important for me to maintain contact with them because they know me, they know I travel, and they know my disease. I let them know when I'm traveling and I have access to them via email and phone. This has been very handy when I'm having a problem and need advice. Also, my doctors and I know what's needed when I have flare up and what drugs I need to settle things down. This is such an important thing. I don't want to have to deal with an unknown doctor at an urgent care clinic or emergency room in some city that doesn't know my condition or treatments, unless its an emergency. Know What I Need to Take with Me Some one once asked me if I wear briefs or boxers. My answer used to be briefs. But now my answer is - It Depends. Thats right folks. Its rare, but sometimes this old cowboy might have an "accident". I travel with a supply of Depends and use them if things flare up. I always travel with a good supply of anti diarrhea pills and always have some on me along with some tissue. I also carry a small knapsack with me when I venture out that has a change of clothes, extra underwear, paper towels, baby wipes, and plastic trash bag. I've learned that "ya gotta do what ya gotta do". It took me awhile to get my head around this. But, I decided that I didn't want to worry about what might happen. Instead, I just stay prepared, have what I need handy, venture out, and deal with it when and if it happens. Ensure I Can Get My Prescriptions My doctors can electronically send prescriptions pretty much any where in the country. They can also fax them if needed. My health insurance drug plan supports a nationwide network of pharmacies (CVS). So when I need a refill, I email my doctor and give him/her the pharmacy name and address. I've had my doctors send prescription refills to places like FL and TX and I can pick them up the next day and pay my normal insurance copays just like I do at home. This has worked great for normal oral medications. I don't need to get infusions so I don't know how that would work. Know What I Can Do / Know What I Can't Do / Reduce Stress I don't feel comfortable doing major multi-mile hikes or big bike rides anymore. But I can do short ones. I can do the scenic drives. I can get out and sit by a lake or scenic spot. Long days take their toll on me. I can't do late nights anymore. And I need downtime. I've taken up some new things, like writing and photography. I've hiked lots of big mountains, ridden a bike all over this country, seen most of the big cities, and sunned myself on the best beaches. I don't feel I'm missing out on too much. Now, I know what I can do and don't fret about what I can't do. Eat Properly When traveling, its so easy to go off a diet and start eating fast food or lots of processed foods. Its important for me to stay on a diet with foods that I know I do best with. I've got a frig and kitchen in my RV, so there's no excuse not to each right. I might eat out more when traveling, but I try to eat healthy. I think travel and the RV lifestyle can be pretty good therapy for someone with a chronic illness. I wrote a blog article about it this summer called The RV Lifestyle - A Chronic Disease Therapy. It can give you purpose and be a source of happiness. When you've got a chronic illness, there can be days when there are no wine and roses. But it won't always be that way. Living and traveling with one of these means having to make adjustments, accepting what you can and cannot do, and finding joy in things you can do. Also know, you're not alone. Follow more of my travels at: http://jdawgjourneys.blogspot.com/

Getting an RV ready for a trip. I'm sure everyone has their own routine that they follow to get an RV ready to roll. Some may have a very detailed and documented list and others might just wing it. I'm in between with some repetitive actions that are now built into my memory based on years of practice. But, I'm also an old Boy Scout and the "Be Prepared" motto has stuck with me, so my RV travel prep is broad based. I figured it might to be good to write this down and share it so others might benefit from it. So, here it is. Its in the sequence that I do them. 1. Get the RV Ready to Roll. There's some obvious things we all do to get our rigs ready to roll. We start the frig, charge the batteries, check the tire pressure, check the water level, and check the propane level. But I like to keep my rig ready to roll. So, to make the pre-trip work easier, there are some regular things I do at the end of every trip. When I come back from a trip, I flush the holding tanks on the last day so I can start the next trip with empty tanks. I refuel a few miles before I get home so the rig is full with fuel for the next trip. I wash all the towels, face clothes, and linens. I re-supply any consumable like toilet paper, trash bags, plastic cups, bottled water, and paper towels. I make sure the personal hygiene supplies (tooth paste, soap, mouth wash, dental floss, shampoo) are all sufficient for the next trip. I empty all the trash, sweep and vacuum out the rig, and clean the frig. This end of the trip work makes it so much easier to take off at a moments notice. 2. Buy Food for the First 3-4 Days I usually make a menu plan for the first 3-4 days of a trip and buy that food a day before departure. I usually take some food that's easy to cook and sometimes may actually cook the first couple of dinners and freeze them so all I have to do is heat something up for the first couple of days on the road. 3. Take Copies of all Reservations, Tickets, and the Itinerary I print out copies of any reservations I've made, make sure I've go the tickets to any events, and print a copy of my itinerary. I also put a copy of the itinerary on Google Drive so I can access it from my smart phone. All paper copies get stored in a portfolio folder that I keep in the RV. This portfolio also has copies of my RV insurance declaration page, my vehicle title, and a printed copy of all my IDs and credit cards. 4. Put Travel Notices on the Credit Cards This is so easy to forget, but so important. To avoid having my cards rejected out of state, I put travel notices on all the cards before I leave. It easy to do with a phone call to the credit card company to let them know the dates of your travel and places you stay. 5. Program the GPS I plug in the first couple of destinations into the GPS before I leave. My GPS has an address book to store destinations so its easy to put them in ahead of time and call them up on the day of departure. 6. Charge all the Batteries / Take All the Chargers Its amazing all the electronic gizmo's that we travel with and all the gizmo's have batteries and chargers. I make sure the cell phone, tablet, laptop, and three camera's are all charged up the night before. I have a yellow canvas zipper bag that all the chargers go into. That bag stays in the house when I'm home and it goes in the RV when I travel. 7. Take the Extra Key and the Extra Wallet I always travel with an extra key to the RV and an extra wallet. They're never kept in the RV when its home, but they go in the day before I leave. Loosing your keys or locking them in the rig can make for small disaster. The extra wallet has an extra ID, extra credit card and and extra cash just in case I loose my wallet or if it gets stolen. 8. Pack the Cloths This one of the last things I do and its the quickest. My wife can sometimes can take several days to pack clothes for a trip (mostly deciding what to take). But, I'm a typical guy and I can pack for a lunar expedition or an African safari in 10 minutes. All my clothes fit into 2-3 large eBags. I already keep extra shoes, some shirts, hats, a coat, and a rain coat in the RV so packing for me is easy. 9. Get the House Ready On the morning of departure, I get all the home security stuff (e.g. FakeTV Burglar Deterrent and 7-Day On/Off Plug In Digital Light Timers) set up, lock up any valuables in the safe, cancel the newspaper, and give any last minute instructions to my sons who are watching the house. I also leave a copy my itinerary at home so my sons will know where I'll be and email a copy to my folks. 10. Do the Pre-Take Off Walk Arounds Before I sit in the driver seat and buckle up, here's the list of my final actions. Get out and do a walk around to make sure all storage compartments are closed, all cords are unplugged and put away, the awning is secured, all leveling blocks are stored, the wheel chocks are put away, the step is in, the door is closed tight, and nothings is in front or under the RV. Do a walk around inside the RV to make sure all windows are closed, all vents are closed, appliances like the A/C, water pump, and water heater are off, propane is off, the TV power and antenna booster is off, all cabinets and drawers are closed. Start the RV and check to make sure the frig is running on DC. And lastly, before I take off, I say a prayer and ask for a safe trip. That's my checklist. It looks like a lot, but it's become somethings that's pretty easy to perform and its become a routine. In fact, I do item 10 every time I move the RV. For those looking for more detailed checklists, Good Sam has a page of travel check lists that you can see at this link: Good Sam Travel Check Lists. FMCA also has some motorhome checklists that you can see here: http://www.fmca.com/motorhome/basics/156-motorhome-checklist.html Let me know if you have some check list items that you'd like to share. You can follow more of my journeys at: http://jdawgjourneys.blogspot.com/

Mike, I hope you get their soon and enjoy it. I'm so glad I retired early and get to travel. It was my dream. Thanks for reading. J. Dawg

If you're in New England and want to get south or if you're in the south and want to get to New England, you most likely have to pass somewhere near the New York City area. If you have an RV, it's inevitable that someday you'll have to drive through this area on some journey. Its a congested and confusing area to drive through with a maze of highways that crisscross each other. It can be very stressful and intimidating for someone driving for the first time through this area. Living in New England, I've been driving through this area for a several years now and developed my preferred routes and driving routines. I'm sure everyone has their own thoughts and routes about the New York City (NYC) area and there's no right or wrong answers here. So, in this post I'll share some of what I do when I drive through the NYC area. Drive on the Weekend Traffic is lighter on the weekend but this a relative statement. On the weekdays, traffic can be horrendous with lots of delays. On the weekends, it's just plain heavy with maybe one or two delays, if you're lucky. I always plan to leave on a Saturday so I can get thru the whole NYC and DC areas over a weekend and time my returns for the same time. Drive During Daylight / Drive in the Middle Lane With all the route changes, exits, interchanges, and lane shifts / merges it's so much easier to see where you're going during the day. Also, on these roads there's lots of exits and off ramps with traffic entering and exiting from the right. While I normally drive in the far right hand lane, I find driving in the middle lane thru the NYC area avoids dodging some of the incoming traffic and getting stuck in a exit-only lane. Also, some of the highways around NYC are 4 lanes wide. Crossing lanes with an RV isn't a quick move and these highways are not always easy for making quick lane changes. Don't Rely Totally on the GPS Your GPS will give you the fastest or shortest route based on distance or roads and probably route you onto congested highways like I-95. I turn off my GPS off when I get near NYC. I don't want to listen to Helga (my GPS) telling me to take exits or to go on roads that I don't want to take. Its confusing enough and I don't need to hear Helga jabbering away as I try to stay on my route. Also, have a map handy and study it ahead of time to known which routes you will take. Avoid I-95 I-95 through southern Conn and into NYC is a very very busy road. Back ups at the George Washington Bridge (GWB) can be nightmarish. Also, the lower levels of the GWB has propane restrictions. I avoid I-95 at all costs. My preferred route going south (on a weekend) is I-84 thru CT. I go south of Hartford (to avoid driving thru the city) on the Charter Oak Bridge and then get on I-91 south. At Meridan, I get on I-691 west to get back on I-84. I follow I-84 west to I-684 south to I-287 west (what I call the 8 Lanes of Craziness) over the Tappan Zee Bridge (no toll going west) and then follow I-287 around the city until it intersects with the NJ Turnpike well south of the city. Some folks take the Garden State Parkway south off I-287 but it can get bogged down with all the toll booths and traffic is heavier than I-287. Going north, I'll take the NJ Turnpike north to I-287,then north on I-87 to I-84 east, then cross the Hudson River at Newburgh, NY and follow I-84 east thru CT. This avoids the whole I-287 craziness around the Tappan Zee and the bridge toll. If its a weekday, I'll take I-287 and then go north on the NY Thruway (I-87) north up to I-90 and then follow the Mass Pike (I-90) thru Mass and avoid all of Conn. On a weekday, traffic can be heavy around Danbury, Waterbury, and Hartford and is best avoided. The I-87 to I-90 route is a little longer but its a much easier drive with little to no congestion. Some avoid this whole area (and the tolls) by going I-84 to I-81into PA and down to MD and VA. I've done this route when heading out west or to the the VA or NC area. Its longer this way and at some point you've got to log some miles getting back to I-95 at either either Baltimore, DC, or Richmond. But it does avoid all the craziness and stress around NYC and that's worth something. Avoid the Parkways North of the City The Hutchinson, Saw Mill, and Merritt Parkways north of NYC all have low bridges (to low for RV's). The Taconic State Parkway and the Palisades Parkway don't allow RV's. The Garden State Parkway (GSP) does allow RV's. There might be a couple low bridges on the northern section. I've never had a problem on the GSP with my RV at 11' 3". Be prepared for lots of toll booths on the GSP. The NJ turnpike is fine for RV's and its a good road now that most of the construction is finished. It also has quite a few rest areas with fuel and food. Be Prepared for Tolls You'll hit tolls in Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts. It can run close to $20-$30 in tolls going thru this area or more depending on which bridge you go over. Its so much easier to use an EZ-Pass transponder thru this area. All the states on the eastern seaboard (except FL) accept EZ-Pass. You can get a transponder in your home state or apply in a New England state. Some states charge for them, some don't. Be sure to set it up with enough money. If you go thru the NYC area and then back within three days you could easily run out of money in your EZ-Pass account. I set mine up to maintain a $100 balance so I never run out of money. Avoid Buying Buy Fuel in CT and NY Fuel is almost $.30-$.40 cents higher in theses states due to fuel taxes. I tend to fuel up in MA and then again in NJ and vice versa on the return trip north. Also, be aware in NJ you can't pump your own (state law) but it does have low fuel prices due to a very low fuel tax. Limited Stop Overs Around NYC there's few if any campgrounds or places to boon dock for the night. You sort of have to plan to get thru the area before you stop for the night. On the northern edge, there's places to stay up around Newburgh, NY. On the southern end, there's a state park in Delaware (Lums Pond SP) that's open all year and is just a few miles from the highway. It got nice sites around a large field but only 5 have electricity. I've stayed at Lums Pond a few times en route through the area. That's my wisdom and info on how I drive through the NYC area. I'm always glad when its behind me. If you've got some advice or input on this, please leave me a comment. You can follow more of my journeys at: http://jdawgjourneys.blogspot.com

Assateague Island is a barrier island on Maryland's eastern sea shore. Its one of 10 protected National Seashores. Its got miles and miles of unspoiled beaches. Its also known for its wild feral horses that roam the island. The horses have their origins back to colonial times when colonists released horses for grazing on the island. The 37 mile long island is a large undeveloped barrier island off the Delmarva peninsula. Its protected on the northern end by Assateague State Park. The state park has a large campground (350 sites) and provides beach and bay access. The lower part is protected by the Assateague Island National Seashore and the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. The National Seashore has two camping areas with a total of about 100 sites. If you're into rustic beachside camping and love the ocean, it doesn't get much better than Assateague Island. Assateague Island is about 10 miles south from Ocean City. Along this short distance you experience a dramatic landscape change going from over developed condo / retail land to rural countryside to barren island. On our way there, we stopped at the National Seashore Visitor Center. The Visitor Center is on the mainland before you cross over to the island. It has good information about the island, some exhibits, and a short movie about the wild horses that is worth watching. Assateague Island is undeveloped, which is what makes it so special. There's no stores, no houses, no gas stations, no ATM's. On our first day, we spent a couple of hours exploring the National Seashore. There’s some hiking trails, a picnic area, and a boat launch area on the bay side. The bay side is popular for kayaking. There are two main beaches on the ocean side with large parking areas. The beach is much like the Outer Banks with endless miles of beaches, high dunes, heavy surf, and lots of salt spray. There’s a nice bike path that starts at the Visitor Center, goes over its own bridge, and follows the paved road on the island until it terminus. To drive beyond the paved road onto the beach requires and off road permit and a four wheel drive vehicle. J. Dawg's campsite in the H Loop We stayed at the State Park campground because the facilities are better (hot showers vs cold) than the National Seashore campground and it has a section with electrical hookups. The campground borders the beach and the water is just steps away. It’s a very open camping setting with little to no protection from sun and wind. The campsites and roads are all paved and well spaced. There are bath houses with showers in each camping loop. There's one dump station for the entire campground. Camping at Assateague Island is very popular. The campgrounds recommend reservations during the peak summer and fall months. I had made my original reservations 10 months in advance for a spot in the State Park section that has electrical hookups (H Loop). There’s evidence of the wild horses everywhere (i.e. horse droppings) and they are readily seen. On the Maryland section of the island the herd of wild horses numbers about 100. The horses run wild foraging on grasses, tree bark, and plants. They group themselves into bands consisting of about 5-6 horses. Each band is led by a male stallion who protects his harem of mares and folds. The horses are all over the place – in roads, parking lots, beach, and campgrounds. The horses aren’t tame but they are unafraid of humans and do not appear aggressive. But they will bite and kick. The Park Service manages the size of the herd by vaccinating the mares to limit their ability to reproduce. They do this with dart guns to inject the horses from a distance. The Virginia section has a herd of about 140 horses. This herd runs wild but is owned and managed by a local firefighters group. There’s an annual round up of these horses and a certain number of folds are sold off each year as a fund raiser. On our first day we saw horses in the National Seashore and right in the State Park campground. They were right near the campers grazing, joining in on camp fires, and seemingly begging for a handout. Here are some pictures. During our stay over Columbus Day weekend, it was warm (mid 70's) and partially sunny. We have some beautiful beach weather on our second day. The wind blew constantly at 15-20 mph and surf was heavy. Our loop in the campground was full but elsewhere it was pretty empty. The State Park campground is open until the end of October. A popular activity on Assateague Island Assateague Island is great RV destination. Camping here reminded me of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Cumberland Island in Georgia, and St. Josephs Peninsula in Florida. All barrier islands, remote, and unspoiled. They’re all harsh places beaten by weather. The air is moist with salt spray and it quickly covers everything. The wind blows constantly. The roar of the ocean is ever present. All are beautiful places. Sunset over the bay Sunrise over the ocean Follow more of my journeys at: http://jdawgjourneys.blogspot.com

I really like taking a seaside RV trip during the fall. In most places, there's still summer weather without the summer crowds. This years fall trip took us down the tip of the Delmarva peninsula to the Maryland seashore. From our home, its about 300 miles down the I-95 corridor to Wilmington, DE and then south on Rt 1 for another 100 miles through Delaware to the ocean. We arrived at Rehoboth Beach and then followed Rt 1 along the coast going through Dewey Beach, Bethany Beach, Fenwick Island, and then to Ocean City, MD. Other than Delaware Seashore State Park, its a very developed area. It reminded me a little bit of the northern part of the Outer Banks. Fenwick Island was perhaps the most quaint, but the area south is cluttered with hotels, condo's, eateries, mini golf, and strip malls. Ocean City was a stay over stop for us on our way for a weeks stay at Assateague Island. I had heard a little bit about Ocean City and wanted to experience the 3 miles long world famous beach side boardwalk. Ocean City is a smaller more summery version of Daytona Beach. It has less high rises and a more small beach town feel to it. It sits on a narrow strip of land and from your car driving down Rt 1 you can see both the ocean side and bay side. Parking an RV in Ocean City can be a challenge during the summer months. The southern tip of Ocean City has some narrow streets and tight corners. RV's aren't allowed to park on the streets or in the municipal lots between June 1st and September 15th. But October is no problem. We parked in the Park and Ride lot on the mainland off Rt 50 (about 1.5 miles away from the beach). This is a large free parking lot and it has a shuttle bus that runs very 15 minutes that takes you right to the boardwalk at Ocean City. The bus ride is about 15 minutes. The shuttle costs $3 per person and the ticket is good for the entire day. We spent a couple hours strolling the boardwalk. It's something well worth experiencing. Its a beautiful wide well maintained wooden boardwalk. There's also a paved section that boarders it for bikers and skate boarders. On one side is a wide sandy beach and on the other a continuous string of beach retail shops. It seems like there's a couple of miles is eateries, ice cream stands, tee short shops, tattoo parlors, souvenir shops with some hotels stuck in between. If you're looking for black tee shirts for under $6 or black hoodees for under $9 this is your place. Want some french fries, there's the world famous Thrashers, which there was a long line for . The boardwalk is also lined with benches and people watching is a popular activity. Here's a couple of pictures. Ocean City Boardwalk Ocean City has a few fall activities that are very popular. There's the Delmarva Bike Week, Bluegrass by the Bay music festival, the Endless Summer Crusin' car show, and an Oktoberfest. We got to see the Endless Summer Crusin' car show. There were hundreds of hot rods and antique cars on display in the large parking lot by the beach. Here are some pictures. We stayed at Castaways RV Resort & Campground just 4 miles south of Ocean City on the mainland. Its a very nice upscale RV resort. It sits right on the bay side and has a beach, pool, laundry, fitness center, cafe, cabana bar, store, and free shuttle bus to Ocean City. The sites have plenty of room, are level and well spaced. They're also a bit pricey but have full hookups, cable TV, and free wifi that works. We spent $59 per night for a site just back from the beach with a water view. The premium sites near the water go for $73 per night. RV site at Castaway RV Resort Beachside cabana bar It must be a real busy place in the peak summer months but Ocean City's fall season has still got great weather without all the crowds and there's plenty to see and do. For me, its worth a return visit. Follow more of my journeys at: http://jdawgjourneys.blogspot.com

Tom - Thanks for the feedback. I hope to make it out to Oregon next year. J. Dawg

Yoda, the Jedi Master, once said, "Always pass on what you have learned." I've read a few RV blog articles that attempt to do this. They've got titles such as "Lessons From the Road," "Things I Learned Along the Way," and "RV Travel Tips." Some offer very practical how-to or what-to-do advice. I believe we can all learn something from each other. It is in that spirit that I share some of my learned RVing wisdom But it's not on what to do or how to do it, but instead on what not to do. These are things that help keep me from RVing's "dark side" (e.g., being in a hurry or being afraid). It's J. Dawg channeling my inner Yoda. Don't Plan the Destination, Plan the Journey When it comes to RV travel, rarely do I travel to get to a specific place. Yes, if it's for a weekend getaway, an event, or stay by the lake, my focus is to get to a place. But when I plan a major trip, its to usually to experience a general area or to have a certain experience, not to get to a destination. I learned this years ago when I was climbing mountains. Initially, I was bagging summits, but then I realized that the most enjoyment came from experiencing the hike up to the summit, not standing on the summit. The reward isn't at the destination, its what you experience along the way. When planning an RV trip I always plan loop routes; never to a specific point and never an out and back over the same roads. Don't Try to See It All A few years ago, when I first got into RVing, I read a book written by the ex-governor of Maine (Angus King). Upon leaving the Governors office, King took his family on a 5-1/2 month RV trip across the country. They did a big loop around the perimeter of the country stopping at all the major tourist areas. The book was great and for him and his family it was a trip of a lifetime. They saw a lot, but they missed so much. In starting my RVing journey, I decided to take my time and see the country over several years. No big 5-month trip for me, just lots of smaller journeys. I'm seeing and savoring it in numerous small bites, exploring the nooks and crannies. Staying away from the big cities, taking my time, staying extra days, not trying to see it all, just trying to see what intrigues me. J. Dawg on the Trail Ridge Road the day it opened Avoid the Popular Places During the Peak Season Seems like everyone wants to see the wildlife in Yellowstone in July or drive the Going to the Sun Road in August. Go to a popular National Park in the peak summer months and be prepared for a heavy dose of frustration from full campgrounds, full parking lots and clogged roads. I avoid the peak summer months for RV travel. I prefer to visit the popular spots in the shoulder seasons when the kids are in school and its not peak vacation time. Spring and Fall are my best times for RV travel. Yellowstone in early June can be cold but there's a lot less people. You can drive along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in April instead of having to take the shuttle. Don't Be Afraid to Change Your Plans Some of my best experiences happened when I asked myself - "I wonder what's down this road?" or "Hey, Lets check this out". Just last March, we were stopped overnight in Wilcox AZ (on our way to Tuscon) and saw a tourist map with a road route called the Golden Circle of Cochise. On a whim we decided to follow it. It diverted us for a 160 miles thru some beautiful country that we would have bypassed. The same thing happened when I was in South Dakota two years ago. Instead leaving the Black Hills and driving east on I90 like I planned, I decide to go south and spent a couple extra days driving the back roads thru the Sandhills of Nebraska. It was a worthwhile change of plans. These spur of the moment route changes can provide lots of unexpected pleasure and adventure. J. Dawg on the Golden Circle of Cochise Don't Be In a Hurry This one should be obvious. Sit on a rock and soak up the view for awhile. Stop at the scenic turnouts and get out of the vehicle. Wander down a path. Wait for the light to change for that photo. You don't have to drive 500 miles in a day. Don't be afraid to take a nap for a couple hours in a rest area. Stay an extra day or two. When you're retired, what's the hurry? These are just some of the wisdom's that I've learned while RVing. Its interesting that they are just the opposite of what I practiced when I was working. But as Yoda said - "You must unlearn what you have learned." If you've got some advise, wisdom, or Jedi wisdom you want to share, please leave me a comment because I'd like to hear them. And may The Force be with you! Follow more of my journeys at: http://jdawgjourneys.blogspot.com/

You've probably got thousands of them stored on your computer, just sitting there, filed away. They're your travel photos and the images contain your fun moments, great experiences, and fond memories. They show much of your living history. Your parents probably used to paste them into albums or had slides made and showed them on special occasions. I used to do that up until about 15 years ago when digital photography made things so much easier. And now with technology, there's so much more you can do with your photographs. So, in this post I'll share some of the things I do with my travel photos. 1. Organize Them I organize the photos into file folders set up on my desktop computer at home. When I travel, I offload pictures everyday onto my laptop (and backup the laptop) but then transfer them to my desktop when I get home. I created a file structure that has them organized by year and by trip. Within a trip folder, I have them organized by state or major attraction (e.g. national park name). I also created folders for people, landscapes, objects, and animals. I store copies of my best photos in these folders. I also just started using Photoshop and have begun tagging photos and organizing within the Photoshop Organizer to make it easier to search the photos. 2. Back Them Up I back up my picture folders onto a Seagate Backup Plus Slim 1TB Portable Hard Drive. I have two of these drives and use one for when I travel and one for my desktop at home. I also upload some to Google Drive, which creates another copy. 3. Share Them I use Google Drive for my cloud storage and as the main way for sharing my photos. I'm a Google guy and have accounts for Gmail, Calendar, Youtube, Google+, and Blogger all under Google. For me, it was so much easier just to use the Drive service under my existing Google account. Its free for the first 15GB of storage and then I'll pay $9.99 for 1TB of storage. I have the Google Drive app on my Android smartphone and tablet so I've got access to my photos from anywhere to show people. Its also easy to post a link (J. Dawg Photos) to my photos so I can share them easily by sending the link in an email or posting the link on sites like Facebook, Google+, and Pinterest. I like the quality of how my photos are stored on Drive and prefer using Drive versus uploading them to Facebook. There are other services such as, Flickr, Dropbox and iCloud that do the same thing as Drive. 4. Make Them Better I just started using Photoshop to improve and organize my photos. Its called post processing and its a whole new photography skillset to learn. I use Photoshop Elements, which is intended for amateur photographers and is less expensive than the full Photoshop Creative Cloud version that the pros use. I'm amazed at what you can do with this software. You can edit the photo, change the size, enhance the color, remove unwanted objects, remove shadows, and even whiten a persons teeth. It can't make a bad photo good, but it can make a good or great photo even better. Here's a sample of a picture before and after enhancing with Photoshop. Original photo Enhanced photo The software is pretty sophisticated so I bought this Photoshop Elements 12 book to help me learn how to use all the features. 5. Use Them I use some of my favorite photos as a screen saver slide show on my PC's and tablet. It lets me enjoy them while I'm using these devices. I get prints of some photos to display around my house. I like seeing the photos displayed to remind me of the places I've been. I also sometimes make a slide show of pictures with my video editing software (Power Director) or with Photoshop and can upload these to Youtube. I especially like making a photo album book on each trip I take. I use Snapfish. It lets me upload my pictures, customize the style of the book and paper theme, select the page layouts, and position the photos within the book. I can make a book with up to 150 pages. Snapfish can also make calendars and greeting cards from my photos along with regular photo prints. There are other companies like Shutterfly and Walmart offer similar services. There's a lot you can do with your photos. Follow more of my journeys at: http://jdawgjourneys.blogspot.com/

It might be a bit early, but I'm already thinking about my winter in Florida. One of the reasons I bought my current RV was so I could use it to escape New England winters. I love summers in New England. I love traveling across the country in the spring and fall. But I really look forward to going to Florida for the winter. I don't do winter activities and I'd much rather be sitting on the beach in January or riding my bike instead of the being stuck inside and complaining about the cold. Spending the winter living in an RV is a different type of RV travel. You can drive to a warm place like Florida or Arizona and do a some road tripping for a several weeks. I've done that, driving and exploring various parts of Florida for about a month. But now, I do my RV road tripping in the spring and fall and like to find a nice place to stay put for most of winter. For me, it's the drive-the-rig-south-and-park-it-for-three-months type of RVing. Its a stationary version of RVing and lots of folks do it. Some like to go to the southern Arizona desert in places like Quartzsite and park out in the desert for little or no cost. I've been to Quartzsite and it's not for me. I prefer finding a nice RV park that has amenities, activities, and has an attraction nearby like a beach. After spending the past six years wintering on Florida, my favorite winter roost is the Fort Myers area. Its has a nice tropical climate and its right near the ocean. I found I like the west coast of Florida much more that the Atlantic side. Things seem to be a little less expensive and its more laid back. Spending the winter in an RV park is big change from where I normally live. I reside in a small town in a very rural part of New England. My neighbors are trees, cows, and corn stalks. The only sounds at night are the coyotes yipping. When I go to Florida, its a dramatic change of habitat and pace. While I like rural living, I like being able to make a change for a few months to be closer to people and urban conveniences. It makes me appreciate both types of living. Walking Fort Myers Beach At the RV park, I give up my three acres and spacious country home for a parking spot with a concrete pad. We're packed in pretty close together with neighbors just few feet away. You can't help but meet and interact with people. I'm there for an extended time (not just a short vacation) so it helps if there are activities in the park or things to do nearby. I like the group breakfasts / dinners and sporting activities that they have in the RV park. They're things I don't get to do at home. I also like bicycling, reading, and going to the beach (nice things to be able to do in the winter). Waterfront sites at San Carlos RV Park The big rigs parked for the winter So, what's a typical day like. Here's a sample of things that happen on a typical day. I often wake up smelling bacon wafting into the RV from a neighbor cooking breakfast outside. I say high or stop and chat with 2-3 people on my way to take a shower. People in the RV park are super friendly. I usually see a half dozen more people by noon. These impromptu chats happen often and through out the day in the RV park. I get on the Internet to write, check the news, and keep in touch with my family. I take a nice long walk or bike ride just about every day. I go to an activity if there's one I signed up for or run some errands, if needed. Two to three times a week I ride down to the local fish market and get fresh-off-the-boat seafood. Sometimes we go out for a drive and explore the area. Almost every day is a beach day and I either ride my bike or take the bus to the beach. Its only a mile away. Many restaurants have free live music at happy hours so I may go to one that's near by or just go to the daily happy hour in the RV park. You don't have to drink alcohol or spend a lot of money to enjoy a happy hour. Its a great chance to meet other snowbirds and enjoy some free entertainment. We eat out more when in Florida. Everything is so close - we can walk to many restaurants. Its definitely the easy life. However, after 2-3 months of this easy life, I'm ready to work my way back home where there's more space and more work to do. The cost to stay at an RV park can be all over the place. At the place I stay, its about $3,900 for a three month stay. For that I get water, electric, sewer, a pool, showers, laundry, and free wifi. That averages out to be about $44 per day. I used to pay around $2,900 to rent an ocean side condo for a month so for me the RV park is a good deal. There are cheaper places to stay, but I like being close to the ocean and for that I'm paying a little bit of a premium. Also, many places in southern Florida fill up quickly for the winter season. I made my reservations in May for my winter stay. Most of the state parks in southern Florida are booked solid a year in advance for the winter months. Its best to make reservations well in advance if you're planning for an extended stay during the winter. Northern Florida is different. There's plenty of places with availability but its a lot colder and they can get some nights with freezing temps. The RV park lifestyle is not for everyone. But I like it. I think is fairly economical and its sure beats staying home and looking at the snow and counting the days until it goes away. With my RV, its so easy to make it go away with just a couple days of driving. Follow more of my journeys at: http://jdawgjourneys.blogspot.com/

The Sandhills are really nice. Nice write up.

I'm guilty of some RV adulation here, but I wanted to write an entry about my 2014 Winnebago View motor home. I'm not doing this for any compensation or benefits from anyone. I just want to share my experience. I bought the RV new in January, when I traded up from my Class B Roadtrek. I wanted something a little bigger than a camper van that would be more comfortable for stay put camping, but still had the nimbleness of a small vehicle. And, after 17,000 miles and 140 days of traveling, its met all my expectations. I have the Winnebago View Profile model 24V. Its 25 1/2 ft long and 7 1/2 ft wide and technically a Class C motor home. Its built on the Mercedes Benz Sprinter 3500 chassis which has a a GVWR of 11,030 lbs. Its considered a small motor home. All the specs and features for the Winnebago View are listed on the Winnebago web site and here's a link to the specifications Winnebago View Specs. Below are some the features and aspects that I find appealing or are noteworthy. Driveability It drives like a van not like a bus. I've been able to go everywhere I wanted. I've driven down side streets, parked in small retail store lots, parked on the street, driven thru cities, and gotten into gas stations. It fits width wise in one parking space but because of its length it take up two unless you can over hang on the edge of a lot. Because of what I said above, I don't tow a car and doubt that I ever will. It takes less than 5 minutes to unhook and you're on your way to run errands or go sight seeing. Its a high profile vehicle and is affected by wind. It can get pushed around in cross winds. Also, at 11 ft 3 in in height, I have to keep awareness of low tree limbs and low telephone lines. So, far I've had no problems. Chassis This is my first diesel. It has its own nuances like waiting a couple seconds on a cold start for the glow plugs to heat up and adding DEF (diesel exhaust fluid). Adding DEF every few 100 miles is an added procedure with all new diesels, but its simple and straight forward. Most maintenance and service can only be done at a MB dealer. The diagnostics are unique to MB and the dealers are the only ones with the diagnostic systems to work on them. And, unfortunately, the MB dealers are not a prevalent as Ford of Chevy. The 3.0l V6 turbo diesel engine is surprisingly quiet but has plenty of power. I've gone up 12,000 ft mountain passes without a problem. It has slowed down to around 45 mph on 12% grades. It also has a long maintenance schedule (oil & filter every 15,000 miles). After 17,000 my fuel mileage is averaging right around 16 mpg. On some trips its close to 17 mpg and on windy days it can go down to 14 mpg The cruise control will hold the speed you set even on most downgrades. This is a real handy feature to help minimize braking and downshifting on descents Features All windows have sunshade and light blocking MCD shades. The windows slide open (vs crank) and let in plenty of air. All the lights are LED and there's plenty of them. The One Place monitoring panel accurately shows all tanks levels (propane, water, grey, black) and battery levels The AC unit is ducted in the ceiling and very quiet. It evenly cools the motor home and also functions as a Heat Pump even when the outside temps get down to the high 30's. The holding tanks are huge at 36 gals each and they are heated. I can go 4-5 days or longer before I dump and camp in cool weather without a worry. The frig is a 5.3 cu/ft that can run off DC, AC, and propane. It is a 2 two door with a separate freezer. It can easily hold a weeks worth of food. The 3,600 kw on board generator is autostart (press the button and it starts by itself). It has a fully enclosed bath with a porcelain toilet, sink, and a shower. My model has twin beds that can be made into a king. My unit has one slide with the sofa. When its out the front space becomes a nice living room. Both front seat swivel to face backwards. The 16 ft power awning is huge, very sturdy, and comes with built in LED accent lighting. When its open, I've got a nice large outside living area. I really like my motor home and feel I made the right choice for my needs. It's nice and nimble for road tripping and sight seeing. Its also very comfortable for staying by a lake for a couple weeks or for spending a few months in Florida in the winter. For me, its the perfect second home. Below are some pictures of my unit. You can follow more of my travels at: http://jdawgjourneys.com/

I'm looking forward to hearing more about your travels. You picked a great name for your blog and picked a good title to start. J. Dawg

"Jim, you've got to do something more than just play when you retire. If all you do is play, then your play will become like work and you'll dread it." Those were the words of advice my retired friend, JP gave me when I asked him about his retirement. It was good advice and I often reflect back on it as I undertake my travels. These day's I'm spending a lot of my time in retirement traveling the country in my RV. Being able to travel was my dream for when I retired and it has become one of the main ways of how I spend my time. Some might label it as "playing", but I try to add purpose to my travels, to enhance the overall experience. Doing road trips and just sight seeing across the country can be lots of fun. I've done a few cross country trips just to see the sights. But I found after a few weeks on the road, I would get bored and things would start to blur. After several days of new and different scenery, I would loose track of time and tended to forget where I had been and what I had seen just a few days prior. I decided that I needed to add more purpose to my travel to make it more enjoyable and meaningful. So, in this post, I'll share some of the things I do to add purpose to my RV travels. Share the Experience with Others I've always liked to write and have kept journals about interesting things I did so I'd have a record to reflect back on. I kept them private, but a few years ago I started this blog so I could share my experiences with my family and friends. I became my own traveling reporter. It gave me an activity to do while on the road and a new skill to enhance. I try to become a better writer and story teller with each entry and I try to broaden my audience. I don't do it for money and think of it as a way of giving something back. There's a lot of people writing blogs about their travels and I enjoy reading others experiences and learning about new places. Web sites like Blogger and Word Press make it easy to start a blog. Social media sites like Facebook, Google+, and Pinterest make it easy to share your travel experiences with others. Develop or Enhance a Skill to Use on the Road I took up photography back in the day when 35 ml film was popular and even had my own dark room. Digital photography has made things so much easier and faster. The past couple of years I've focused on becoming a better photographer so I could better record my travels. I've read books about photo composition, techniques, and landscape photography. I travel with three cameras for different type of photography (close ups, telephoto, and video). I've even got into film ending and some post production. Its a fun and challenging skill to learn and its helped add more purpose to what I do while on the road - telling my story thru better photographs. J. Dawg on the Shelter Island Ferry Use Your RV to Travel to an Event I love music and use my RV to attend a few music festivals each year. A lot of music festivals have camping and allow RV's. It's a great way to go experience and immerse yourself in different types of music. I'm also a Nascar fan and take my RV down to Daytona each year. There's Nascar races all over the country and I'm going to try visiting some different tacks. Next year, I'm planning to spend part of the summer in Colorado attending local rodeos. Rodeos are great local entertainment. I have yet to attend an RV rally but I'm sure it will happen one of these years. And then there's football tailgating. If you've got a hobby or a passion, I'm sure there's an event dealing with it somewhere. Traveling to an event is a great way to enhance your hobby and RV experience. J. Dawg at the Daytona 500 Explore History and Culture This past spring, I did a trip through the south and southwest experiencing different cultural areas. I went to the Cajun country in Louisiana, some Spanish areas of Texas and New Mexico, and some Native American areas in the southwest. In addition to seeing the sights, I visited historical sites, ate the local food, danced to the music, and talked with some of the people. It was a great experience. Also, this summer I went out to Kansas and took the back roads shadowing the Santa Fe Trail. It was very educational and inspiring to see the trail and country side that our ancestors traveled. I'm also a Civil War buff and have traveled to many of the battlefields. There's a lot of this that can be done in our country. All you need to do is just pick an area or historical period and go. J. Dawg in Mexico Travel to and Experience a Different Part of the Country When I retired, I started spending part of the winter in Florida. I started out renting condo's but now I stay in my RV for 2-3 months. I love getting out of winter and sitting on the beach in January. It's also fun to become familiar with and "soak up" another area, to meet new people, and see how others live. I want to do more of this in other areas like the southwest and in some of the mountain states. J. Dawg on St. Augustine Beach in January All of what I describe above has helped me add more purpose to my RV travel. Its helped make it much more enjoyable and avoid the pitfall that my friend JP warned me about. And, it may be old news or obvious to some but perhaps it might light a spark in someone else about what they can do to enhance their RV travels. Follow more of my travels at: http://jdawgjourneys.blogspot.com/

Mike, thanks for your comment. You're so right about the added stress factor of dealing with IBD and travel. There's a whole mental aspect of the disease that really affects you. Glad you're enjoying the RV lifestyle. J. Dawg

Sebago Lake State Park is one of Maine's premier state parks. It sits on the north shore of Maine’s largest fresh water lake. Only 30 miles from Portland, Sebago Lake covers over 45 square miles and has over 100 miles of shore line. The state park is also huge. It consists of 1,400 acres on the northern shore of the lake right outside the town of Naples. It has a day use area for picnicking and swimming, a boat ramp, and two camping areas. I’ve been camping at Sebago Lake State Park for 5 years now. In my opinion, it’s the best lakeside camping that I’ve experienced. The park has trails for hiking and mountain biking but the big draw is the lake. The water is clean, clear, wonderful for swimming, boating, or just sitting by the water and enjoying the big views. The state park has two camping sections. Like most state or national parks, the camping is rustic. There’s no camp store for supplies, so you need to bring what you need. Both camping areas are set in flat wooded areas on the lake share. Each has two bath houses with flush toilets and showers. Both have nice long sandy beaches with sandy bottoms clear of rocks and debris. The town of Naples is 5 miles away and has a grocery store and several restaurants. Also, firewood is only sold outside the park, so you need to buy some before you enter the park. Witch Cove Beach The Naples Beach camping section is the smaller of the two areas. The sites at Naples Beach have good spacing, there are no hookups for RV’s, but the beach is wider. The Witch Cove Section is larger, has water and electric hook-ups at about 2/3’s of the sites. The sites are a little closer together and it tends to be noisier. The Naples Beach section tends to attract mostly tenters because of the lack of hookups. The Witch Cove area attracts popups and trailers. Neither area can accommodate big rigs much larger than 30 ft. All sites and roads are gravel. All sites are shaded and are equipped with a fire rings and tables. The campground is very popular for families on a camping vacation and with boaters. Most of the sites can be reserved but there are some non-reserved sites for walk-ups. The sites are in high demand during the peak summer months. Reservations for the upcoming year open up on 9:00 am February 1st each year. To get a site for a week in the summer, you’ve got to get online at 9:00 am because by 10:0am most have been taken. Here are some pictures of my stay. J. Dawg's Campsite at Sebago Lake State Park J. Dawg relaxing by the lake I really like camping at Sebago Lake. Camping in general is a great way to check out of our electrified, internet connected, car based lifestyles and do some living outside. I usually reserve my stay for 10+ days so I can get a good dose of relaxation. I like camping in a wooded setting especially during the late summer when there’s no bugs. Spending a sunny day sitting on the lake shore with a good book and a light warm breeze can’t be beat. Swimming in the lake is so pleasant. It’s warm and inviting. It’s perfect for floating on an inner tube. Kids stay in the water for hours on end. And, it’s much better than trying to swim in Maine’s frigid ocean water. In the morning, I love the smell of someone cooking bacon at their campsite. Wood smoke predominates throughout the campground all day. Cooking and eating outside under a shade tree canopy is a pleasant change of pace. And, ending the day by a crackling fire as the air cools is a great elixir for a good night’s sleep. It’s all these things that make camping at Sebago Lake so great. Follow my travels at http://jdawgjourneys.blogspot.com

Everyday, I try to remind myself how fortunate I am. I'm safe and secure. I'm not in want of food or shelter. I'm mobile and can travel. I have a great supportive family. But, I also struggle living with an incurable disease that at times causes me a certain amount of suffering. Four years ago, I got diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. Its a disease of the large intestine that causes frequent and urgent loose bowel movements, cramping, discomfort, and bloody diarrhea. Its a disease that has no known cause and has no cure. About 2/3 of the people with colitis can manage the symptoms with a life long regiment of drugs. For the other 1/3, things never settle down. I'm in between these two groups - most of the mainstream drugs haven't worked for me. But most of the time my symptoms are moderate and at times, if I'm really strict with my diet, things settle down on their own for a short time. So, by now you may ask - what does this have to do with the RV lifestyle? Well, recently I was at a checkup with one of my doctors (I see four on a regular basis). He asked me what I had been doing for the past six months and I told him about all my travel and places I'd been this year. So far this year, I've traveled over 18,000 miles, been away from home for over 17 weeks, spent the winter in Florida, went to Daytona Speedweek, been out to the Rocky Mountains twice, went to Mexico, and have seen some spectacular country. He marveled at my all travels and was impressed with all that I'd done given my active colitis symptoms. J. Dawg in Mexico in March J. Dawg in Dayton in February I told him that since I'd been diagnosed, I had to give up a lot of what I liked to do and limit some other activities. Things like playing golf, long distance bike riding, hiking, and mountain climbing. But, I told him that RV travel was something I could do because everywhere I go, I've got a bathroom just a few feet behind the driver seat of my RV. He told me he was glad that I found something I could do and enjoy and mitigate the limits that colitis can place on me. With a chronic disease, it's so easy just to stay home where it's easier to deal with symptoms and discomfort. But, having a motor home has allowed me to stay active and get out and go places. Its become my second home. With my colitis, there can be can some days where I need to stay close to a bathroom. But, with my motor home, I've always got one with me. When I'm on the road, if an urge hits me, I just pull over. When camped, there's no late night running to the bathhouse or porta-john. At an event, my rig's usually close by. And, if my symptoms flare up for a few days, I can just take a break from the road and rest for a few days in the motor home. One of the things I've learned from suffering and living with a chronic disease, is that it makes you appreciate more the simple things many take for granted. A good day when you can get out, move and do something familiar. Going someplace and seeing a favorite spot or experiencing something new. Having a day without worry or pain. It also makes you crave for the feeling of normal. Traveling in my motor home helps me attain these simple things. I have several friends in my age range that are still very active, healthy, and vital. But, I know others that have suffered in silence with ailments. Some that are afraid to get out and travel or do something new. And some that think sitting on a bar stool is the best way to cope with a problem. For me, I'm grateful that I found the RV lifestyle. It's been a great therapy for helping me deal with a chronic disease. It's allowed me to get out, stay active, and continue to live my dreams. Follow more of my travels at http://jdawgjourneys.blogspot.com/

Its a beautiful road. I drove it just last month (June). I drove it in a 26 ft motorhome. There's a couple passes to go over (La Veta Pass and Wolf Creek Pass) that have long ascents and descents. Some nice small towns that time has seemed to forgot. Plan on speeds of 45 to 50 mph slowing down to 35-25 in the towns. Its 2 lanes with not much traffic. Its in good condition.

Back in January, I traded my Type B 2012 Roadtrek van for a Type C 2014 Winnebago View. I owned my Roadtrek 190 Simplicity for 2 years and loved it. I’ve now owned the Winnebago View Profile 24V for 7 months and also love it. With seven months of use and over 16,000 miles on the Winnebago, I feel I can give a first hand comparison of the two vehicles. I'm not trying to show how one is better than the other or give a detailed feature comparison since they are different vehicles. I just thought it might be helpful to others to share my experiences with the two products. First, let me say that I have no axe to grind and have no affiliation with or compensation from either of the vendors of these motorhomes. Also, I respect that there are folks who love their Type B and would never think of trading up and there are similar folks who love their Type C. We're all different and have different needs and different uses for our RV's. I'm more of a traveler versus a stay put camper, but I do some stay put camping during the year. I'm also a minimalist camper. I like small, simple, and tend to get by well with the bare essentials. So, it all starts with the reason why I traded up. I began traveling the country with my Roadtrek and logged over 33,000 miles with it. It is a great road trip vehicle and I loved traveling in it. But my reasons for trading were two fold. First, I wanted to be able to live in an RV for two months parked in Florida for the winter. I found that the living space within the Roadtrek did not suit me for that type of living. This was the major drive for trading up. Second, I wanted to stay with a small motorhome, but have just a little more space like a permanent bedroom. So why a Winnebago View? It best fit our requirements. I’ll give the specs below, but I think it’s still small, has the floor plan we liked, built on a very reliable chassis, is fuel efficient, is from a large reliable vendor with a large dealer network, and the model has a demand on the trade in market (lots of people own them). I had also talked to several campers who owned them (either a View and Itasca Navion) and all were very pleased with them. I also follow a few blog writers who have them and all have the same positive comments. So, now the comparison. Size Roadtrek - length 20' 5'', width 7', height 8' 9", GVWR 9,600 lbs, wheelbase 155" Winnebago - length 25' 5", width 7' 6", height 11' 3", GVWR 11,030, wheelbase 170" The Winnebago is a larger vehicle. For me, the most noticeable difference is the height (its a higher profile). You need to be more cognizant of trees and over hangs. The extra 3" on each side is negligible and I don't notice the extra 5 feet in length. It fits in parking space if you back in and can overhang otherwise it takes 2 spaces. So far, I have been able to go everywhere I went with my Roadtrek. Features The living features are very similar between both units. Same type of appliances, heat, hot water A/C, inverter, entertainment, toilet, on board generator, swivel seats, and batteries. The key differences - Winnebago has a 5.3 cu ft frig vs the 3.0 cu ft on my Roadtrek, 2 12V wet cell batteries in the Winnebago vs 2 6V AGM in Roadtrek, Winnebago has tank heaters, hot water heater is AC and propane, all lighting is LED, it has a shower stall, the beds are permanent (no fold out couch), a 16 ft power awning, and a separate range hood that vents outside. For me the biggest differences are the frig - it can hold a lot more food, the permanent beds, and the small slide out give more living space. Cockpit - I liked the onboard computer on the Chevy Roadtrek. The Sprinter has no TPMS, no fuel range estimate, and no MPG calculation. But you can check the oil from the dash display on the Sprinter. You can also use the coach batteries to help start the Sprinter if the chassis battery is weak. The cockpit on my Sprinter came with built in privacy shades on the windshield and door windows. I like these better than curtains. Handling Very similar. They both drive very easy. The extra length of the Winnebago takes a little more looking when making a right hand turn. I found both the Roadtek and Winnebago will get a small push when being passed by a semi. I drove the Winnebago recently in 25-35 mph cross winds. It did want to drift more in the wind and gusts did shove/push it more than the Roadtrek but it was not an unsafe feeling. Capacities Roadtrek - freshwater 36 gal, grey 23 gal, black 10 gal, water heater 6 gal Winnebago freshwater 37 gal, grey 36 gal, black 36 gal, water heater 6 gal For me, I really like having the larger black tank. I had to dump the Roadtrek every 2-3 days. I can go a week on the Winnebago. The dump on the Winnebago is gravity for the black with a pump to push the grey to the dump hose. I didn't mind the macerator on the Roadtrek. It was easy to use. The dump procedure on the Winnebago has a couple more steps. Fuel Usage Roadtrek - my Roadtrek had the 4.8L V8 gas engine. My fuel mileage averaged between 16-18 mpg. Winnebago - the Winnebago had a 3.0L V6 diesel. My fuel mileage is averaging 15-17 mpg. Diesel fuel is currently more costly than gas so, I'm paying more for fuel with the Winnebago. Maintenance Roadtrek - I only had one incident where I needed to go to the dealer and that was to do a propane test. My Roadtrek was super reliable. The Chevy Roadtrek could be also be serviced just about anywhere. I did all my own routine maintenance and the cost of supplies and parts were reasonable. Winnebago - The frig was DOA when we first started it up but that got replaced before we left the lot. Otherwise there's been no problems no far. The maintenance for the Sprinter is not as available as the Chevy. The cost (parts and labor) is also more. An oil change takes 13 qts of oil and a filter you need to get from MB. The diesel needs a regular fuel filter replacement and DEF added every 3,600 miles. Everything from MB is expensive. An extra key for the Sprinter cost almost $200. For the Chevy it cost $50. User Groups Roadtrek - I found little value in the RT International Group. The Yahoo group has 3,200 users and the Roadtreking FB group has almost 2,400 members. Both are very active and responsive to questions. Winnebago - There is a Winnebago Owners Club (WIT Club). There's a small (160 members) FB group and there is a Yahoo group for Views/Navions owners with 6,500 users who are also very active and responsive. There's also the Sprinter Forums group for Sprinter specific issues. Costs Roadtrek - My RT 190 Simplicity had a list price of $84K. I paid $71K Winnebago - My View Profile 24V with just about every available option listed for $122K (the paint job was a $6K option). I paid $52K plus gave them my two year old Roadtrek. So that's the comparison from my perspective. The bottom line - They both are great vehicles. Both are reliable. They drive very similar and can pretty much go the same places. I like having the extra space and for that I'm paying more for fuel and maintenance for the Winnebago. But I made that decision so I would have something to live in while wintering in FL. Follow more of my travels at http://jdawgjourneys.blogspot.com

Thanks for reading and your comments.

I've learned a lot about RV travel from others - people I met on the road and from reading other people's travel blogs. Most of the info is about places to see, places to stay, places to eat, roads to travel. But, I've found little out there about living on the road. I'm sure there are books and blogs about being a full time RVer, but I'm in between. I guess you'd call me a "sometimer." I'm still tethered to a home, a hometown, and local family, but I spend about 4-6 months of the year traveling on the road. Living on the road is different from taking a long vacation. When you take a vacation, its a temporary break from your normal life. Its easy to put things on hold and deal with the bills, mail, appointments, routines, and conveniences when you get home. When you're on an extended road trip, you're away from your home, friends, conveniences, familiar places, and routines for an extended time and its not possible to put everything on hold. Living on the road is not like living at home and its not like taking a long vacation. Over the past three years, I've slowly developed some practices and routines to help me cope and make it easier to be away for an extended time. I thought I'd share them here so that others may benefit from them. Everyone is different and what works for me may not work for others and vice versa. Stay Connected with Family - I communicate almost daily with my family. Technology makes it really easy. Text messages, emails, and Skype calls make it easier to stay in touch with family and friends. It also helps them keep track of me. I also blog about my travels to share with them. This is a priority for me. Go Mobile and Paperless - I've gone paperless on most bills and use electronic banking to pay bills. I can check balances, pay bills, and move money right from my smart phone. There's very little paper mail that I need and can go a few weeks without getting any paper mail. Have a Bank Account from a Big Country Wide Bank - I do most of my banking with a local community bank, but I maintain an account with a big countrywide bank that has branches all over the country. I can move money to this bank and I can get cash all over the country. Have a Full Power of Attorney - I have a Power of Attorney that gives my son (who is back home) full ability to sign my name and act on my behalf. My wife sometimes travels with me so I needed someone else back home who could do this. This has come in real handy when I've been traveling and needed someone to sign a document for me or act on my behalf. Carry Copies of Key Documents - I have a Health Care Proxy that allows my son to make medical decisions for me if I become incapacitated or unable to make decisions. I carry a copy in my RV. I also have photo copy of all credit cards and my ID's. I have two wallets while traveling - one on me and one that stays in the RV in case I loose the one I'm carrying. I split up my credit cards between the two and keep about $200 in the spare wallet. I also keep a photo ID in the spare wallet. I also carry a copy of my RV Title and RV insurance declaration page with me. Have a Doctor that Communicates Electronically - Stuff happens on the road and I let my doctors know when I'm traveling. I can communicate with all my doctors with email and all my medical records are on-line. If somethings happens, its easy to contact them and they can send prescriptions electronically to most pharmacies. Don't Drive Everyday - I plan a route and itinerary for every trip. Then I choose destinations to visit and have found that its best for me to stay 2-4 days at a destination. I can't be going every day. I need downtime. Time to do the things I would do at home like read, play my mandolin, read the news, watch some TV. I also need to get out and move. And need time to soak up the local flavors. I don't like to hurry. To get to a destination, I usually limit it to a two day drive. Build in Extra Days - When I plan a trip, I add in an extra day every couple of weeks with no itinerary. This comes in handy when I want to stay longer, do chores, or go off route. Only Make the Most Important Reservations - I only make advance reservations at places where it may be tough get a spot. Places like popular national or state park during busy periods. For everything else, I take it day by day. I don't want to have to juggle a collection of reservations and have to be someplace at a certain time just because of a reservation. So far this has worked out for me. Limit Driving Miles / Day - Back in the day when I was working and only had a few weeks vacation, I could drive 600 to 800 miles per day. Now, being retired, why hurry? I try to limit my daily driving to a max of 400 miles. My preference is to do around 200 to 250 miles. It gives you time to take breaks, smell the roses, take some pictures, and arrive at a place before sunset. Eat Like You Would at Home - On a vacation it is so easy to go off your diet and eat convenience foods or to eat out more than often. Because of my colitis, I need to stick to a special diet or else the "s--t will hit the fan." Whenever I can, I try to eat the same foods I would eat at home. I shop at local grocery and health food stores whenever I can and cook simple meals. I keep my favorite recipes on Evernote. But I do like to sample local foods at each destination. I just don't over do it. Have an RV You Can Make into a Home - I started out with a Class B van. It was great and I loved it for solo traveling, but for me, it was a tough place for 2 people to live for and extended time (2-3 months). It felt like a van vs a home and I found it was tough to sit parked in it for days when the weather was lousy. I recently traded up for a small Class C with a slide out and I love it. It feels like a home. It has a separate bathroom with a full shower, a separate bedroom that you don't have to make up each day, and a separate living/dining/kitchen area. I think this is key decision question when selecting an RV for extended traveling - can you live in it for an extended time? Take the Road Less Traveled - Interstates are great for getting from place to place, but I like to get off and log some miles on local roads so I can see the country side. That's were the best stuff to see is. I usually plan to do this on each destination drive. That's my list of the stuff so far. Next week, next month, next year they'll be some more stuff I learn. Follow more of my travels at http://jdawgjourneys.blogspot.com

I've read a few articles and blogs about solar installs on RV's and it's always intrigued me. But I had never talked to anyone first hand about their set-up/experience. This past spring I had the chance to do that and it was vary helpful. While in Arizona this past spring, I met a fellow RVer who had a 200 watt solar set up on the roof of his Leisure Travel Unity class B+ (very similar to my Winnebago View). When I asked him about it, he told me he had been able to go 2 weeks on two 12V batteries without having to run his generator or be plugged in. This sounded real appealing. My Winnebago View has two 12V batteries and I can easily go a day or maybe two without having to recharge them. When traveling each day the recharge is not an issue because driving recharges them from the vehicles alternator. But when stay put camping without hookups, I have to run my generator for about 60-90 minutes each day to recharge them. My generator runs on propane and it will go thru about .6 gallons an hour. My 13 gallon propane tank would carry me for about 2 weeks if it was full and I wasn't using anything else. But, its never always full and when parked I use propane for the frig, hot water, sometime heat, and cooking so my 2 weeks is not realistic. Its more like a week. But the biggest drawback is the noise. The generator is noisy and you can't always run it in some places. I get a little self conscious when running it especially when in a pristine nature setting with camping neighbors. Who wants to listen to a noisy generator. So after talking with the guy in Arizona about his setup, I began to feel that a solar set up would be a good thing to add to my RV. However, there are no RV solar installers near where I live. But I'm a pretty handy guy, so I began researching it to see if I could do it myself. The Internet has a ton of info and vendors selling solar setups for RVs. And the prices for the equipment are all over the place. But thank God for YouTube, blogs, discussion groups, and user groups. I got to benefit from a lot of other peoples experiences and could ask them questions. So, here's what I figured out for my rig. The figures I use a ball park estimates, but good enough for me to design a setup. A general rule of thumb is to install 100 watts of solar for every 100 amp hrs of battery capacity. A 12V or 6V battery can delivery around 85-100 amp hrs (some do more, some do less) so for my two 12V batteries, 200 watts of solar should be sufficient. Daily DC usage is key to sizing what you need for batteries and solar. Every one's usage is different. My daily usage for lighting, the water pump, frig panel, alarms, and heater fan is about 50-75 amp hrs per day. This means that I go thru about 25-40% of my battery capacity each day when I'm parked. Add some TV watching, radio listening, phone charging, a compressor frig, and you'll go thru more. A 100 watt solar panel will produce around 5 amps of power per hour in perfect conditions. Plan on 5-6 good hours of sun and you're looking at getting 25-30 amps hrs from a 100 watt panel. Two 100 watt panels will double that to 50-60 amps hrs. You need a charge controller to use with solar panels to safely and effectively charge the batteries. Controllers are sized based on how many amps they can handle. For two 100 watt panels, a 20 amp controller is sufficient. Also, there are two types; MPPT and PWM. MPPT controllers are "smarter" and more effective in larger installs (over 400 watts). They are also more expensive (around $200). PWM controllers are simple and very effective for smaller installs (under 400 watts). They are also less expensive (under $100). You need to know the size of everything and figure out where everything will go before you order anything or start. Where on the roof, how to secure, where to run the cables, where to install the controller? Other things you need to install solar - mounts for putting the solar panel(s) on the roof, a way to attach the panels to the roof (screws or adhesive), caulking to plug and waterproof any holes, cable and connectors to connect the panels to each other and to the controller, cables and connectors to connect the controller to the battery, cable ties and tie bases to secure the cables, and fuse links to put on the cables for safety. A key dilemma that influenced how I planned my install and what I ended up acquiring was how to run the cables from the solar panels down to the charge controller. I have a fiberglass roof on my RV and no entry point that I could use on the roof to run a cable. I really didn't want to drill a hole in the roof. I had read that a properly pointed panel is much more efficient than a flat horizontal panel. My intended use for the solar is when I dry camp at music festivals - which is about 3-4 times per year. I decided to install everything to support two 100 watt panels, but to start out with one free standing panel that I could build a stand for and point it properly. I'd permanently install the charge controller and wire it to the battery and build a pig tail so I could plug a portable panel into it when I wanted to use solar charging. I knew that one panel probably wouldn't fully recharge my batteries, but it might buy me an extra day. Also, I figured this was way of minimizing cost, I could see how it works, and for another $150 I could always add another panel and mount them on the roof at a later time. So, here's what I purchased From Renogy - a 30 amp PWM charge controller with a temp sensor, one 100 watt mono-crystalline panel, 20 ft of 10g wire, and a MC4 connector tool. From Amazon - 25 ft split loom cable housing, cable ties and mounts. From PowerWerx - four Anderson SB50 Powerpole connectors with dust covers, two in line fuses, and a crimper. From Lowes - misc connectors, wire, grommets, Total cost - $344. I installed the charge controller in a storage compartment right near the coach batteries. I ran two 10 gauge wires (about 4 feet) from the storage compartment to the battery bank with an in line fuse on the positive line and connected them with ring terminals. I had to drill a 1/2 in hole in the storage compartment wall to get the wires out and used a rubber grommet to protect the wires. I put a disconnect on these wires so I could easily disconnect from the batteries. The charge controller has a parasitic draw of less than 30 mill. amps and I wanted to avoid this draw when I wasn't using the solar panel. I wrapped these cables with heat resistant split loom and secured the cables with zip ties to an existing cable. I made a short pig tail cable to connect to the solar connectors on the charge controller. I put an in line fuse on this wire and used a Anderson SB50 power pole connector on the end. I used the 20 ft 10 ga cable from Renogy that had MC4 connectors on one end to connect to the solar panels and put another Anderson SB50 Powerpole on the end to connect to the pigtail cable on the controller. Here are some pictures of the install. Charge controller 100 watt solar panel (47 in x 21 in) Home made easel to hold panel And the $64,000 question - how does it work? I first tested the set up on my 12V lawn tractor battery to make sure everything worked (i.e., that it would actually charge the battery and not "fry it"). Everything worked as advertised. I then hooked it up to my RV batteries and it worked perfectly. The charge controller accurately read my battery voltage and the panel was able to putout close to 20V and 5-6 amps in clear sun. It dropped down to 2-3 amps in party cloudy conditions. When the batteries where fully charged, it dropped down to float charging mode putting out .2 amps. The solar panel fits in my rear storage compartment with all the other stuff so it will be easy carry with me when I need it. The easel I made breaks down and that also fits in the storage compartment. I had a chance to test this all out while dry camping at a recent music festival. I had perfect sunny weather for 5 days. My electrical usage was minimal - I only used some lights, radio, the water pump, and the normal alarms/monitors. The panel kept my batteries fully charged during each day. Since it was free standing, I could easily move it around and get full sun on the panel. I only needed to run the generator when I wanted the use the microwave or run the A/C. I am very pleased with my setup. I like the flexibility of having it free standing so I can use it when I want and it's very cost effective. A good reference site is Jack and Danielle Mayer's blog He has a section on RV Electrical/Solar that is very thorough and helpful. AM Solar's web page is also helpful. See more of my posts at: jdawgjourneys.com

Oak Hill is in Green County. From I-88 you'd take Rt 145 south for about 25-30 miles. It is a pretty area. Thanks for reading my blog.