RV Camping

Backpacking / Camping With Kids / Camping and Hiking Equipment / Camping and Hiking Tips / RV Camping / Travel / Winter Camping and Hiking — No Comments
9
Aug 10

An International Menace, Firewood From Home

I used to tell campers to bring firewood from home, but I don’t do that anymore. I used  to say it would be less expensive to bring firewood than to buy it in or near camp, but that advice is no longer common sensible or responsible. You might save a few pennies, but the cost to the environment could be horrendous. On our cross-country drive this summer, stopping at national, provincial, and state camps along the way, we saw signs all over warning campers DO NOT CARRY FIREWOOD FROM ONE AREA TO ANOTHER. In New York State, the signs said, “Love New York,” and told campers to leave fallen wood at home. In Michigan, a brochure was headlined, “You May Be Carrying Unwelcome Cargo.” At a state park in Minnesota we took a picture of a big red sign that read, BURN IT WHERE YOU BUY IT. In North Dakota, Montana, and up in Ontario, too, there were similar signs, to warn campers to burn wood where it was bought or where it was found if it came from home. Last summer, driving through British Columbia, we saw signs with the same message: don’t transport firewood from one area to another.

What is the international menace that all these states and provinces are worried about? Living in the bark of trees, there are a lot of different insects that are serious threats to the forests of these states and province. In British Columbia, we drove by miles and miles of dead pine trees, killed, we were told, by the population explosion of a pine beetle that lays its eggs in the bark of affected trees. In the eastern quarter of the United States, New York and Pennsylvania to North and South Dakota, Illinois and Indiana, it’s the larvae of a little insect, the Emerald Ash Borer, that lays its eggs under the bark of pine and other trees.  In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, a special project, Slow the Spread (STS) is intended to slow the advance of the gypsy moth that lays its eggs on trees. Here in Washington State, where I live, the daily paper just this morning, August 7, had an article warning people to look out for the gypsy moth; it said 22,000 green cardboard traps had been set out in the state. According to this article, the gypsy moth is considered the worst forest pest in the United States, but let’s not argue about whether my pest is worse (or not as bad) as your pest. An infestation of any of these insects could be started by a camper unknowingly transporting infected logs from an infested area to an un-infested area.

You can learn more about these pests at these and other websites: www.stopthebeetle.info or www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/gypsy_moth/index.shtml

But meanwhile, back to your campfire. What can you use if you can’t bring wood from home? First thing you might consider is not having any campfire at all. We rarely build a fire anymore when we camp; our gas stoves cook very efficiently, and we enjoy the night sky and the stars that you can’t always see when a big fire lights up the night. When we do decide to have a fire, on a night for S’mores, for example, we don’t try to build the biggest fire in camp. A small campfire cooks marshmallows just as easily, maybe with kids along even more safely, than a big fire. Then we bring from home scraps of wood left from old woodworking projects, lumber  from planks that were cut wrong, mock-ups for bigger projects, etc. I’m talking about lumber with  no bark on it, not pieces of trees. Sometimes you can find this kind of discarded lumber at a construction site; ask first before you take anything. I have seen some campers using old shipping pallets, broken up into usable pieces; again, ask before you help yourself from the heap outside the store.  If you need the fire for cooking, buy charcoal instead of wood; it heats hotter and more evenly, and the coals last longer. If your fire is just for sociability, buy pressed wood “logs” designed for outdoor use; these products use materials that used to go to waste, burned at the sawmill because there was no market for it. There are lots of ways you can have a fire without endangering the environment. What else can you do besides carrying logs from home? I’d like to know about it.

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26
Jun 10

RV Camping, Without An RV

Tent Campers: Have you ever considered camping in an RV campground, excuse me, RV park?  Many RV parks welcome tent campers. In addition to the sites where you can set up your tent, many RV parks offer weather-proof cabins or yurts where you can lay out your sleeping bags in comfort. Maybe it’s raining and blowing really hard and you’d like to get out of the weather for a while. Or, perhaps you want to stay close to a city, where there are no conventional natural parks nearby and you don’t feel like paying for a motel. Find an RV park! Many of them offer amenities far beyond those of a natural campground, like a swimming pool, laundry, grocery store, and planned activities for the whole family.

When I was writing Camping With Kids (see my page called Goldie’s Camping and Backpacking books), I discovered three great resources for RV camping that are also welcoming to tent campers. One of my favorites is the Jellystone Parks group. They have a Yogi bear theme with friendly bear-characters and great planned activities for kids. A stay at a Jellystone Park is like a stay at a Disney-type resort, but less expensive. For Fourth of July and Labor Day they organize special themed activities, and many of them have additional themed weeks or weekends throughout the summer. There are Jellystone Parks in many states and in Canada, too.

KOA Kampgrounds of America is another association of RV parks. We visited the KOA Kampground outside of Seattle while doing research for Camping With Kids. They had several tent sites in addition to the RV sites, and also a small grocery store, an off-leash area for dogs, a large laundry with washers, driers, and ironing boards, and a spacious womens room with showers and a baby’s bathtub. They also have planned activities for the whole family. No cabins here, but other parks in this group do have small cabins available for rental.

My last resource is  Woodall’s.

Woodalls’ is not a campground itself, but a wonderful source of information about campgrounds all over the country. They publish directories of campgrounds which tell you almost more than you need to know about the campground, anywhere you plan to go. Their web site also has a special listing for tent campers. If you get yourself on their email list, you regularly get lots of good tips for camping. For example, we recently bought a new inflatable mattress for camping, and before we bought it, we found a discussion of various brands of mattresses that was very helpful to us. I’m going to write about an inflatable mattress on my next blog. Wait for it!

Camping With Kids / Camping and Hiking Tips / Family / RV Camping / Seattle / Travel / Urban Hiking / Winter Camping and Hiking — 3 Comments
5
May 10

Urban Camping, in San Francisco, Seattle, and… your town’s name here?

I read recently in the San Francisco Chronicle that a new campground has been opened in San Francisco’s Presidio. Rob Hill Campground, located on 4 acres at the top of the Presidio’s highest hill, is the only campground in the city of San Francisco. Reservations are open to groups and families, and according to the newspaper, the managers hope to create first time experiences in the out-of-doors that will inspire campers to make further exploration beyond the city. Rob Hill has paths that lead to 24 miles of hiking trails, some built to accommodate wheel chairs. Its situation 384 feet above a Pacific beach provides views of ocean and bay, with migrating birds passing overhead. The Presidio of San Francisco has a long history: it was occupied by Ohlone Indians until Spanish explorers in 1776 decided to build their Presidio, their fortified camp, on the site. It was subsequently a military garrison of Mexico and then the United States. Most recently, as the military has turned many of its properties to peaceable uses, the Presidio has been governed by a trust. The newspaper said that reservations for camp sites can be made with the Presidio Trust, 415 561 5444 or at www.presidio.gov.

When I read about this campground in a city, I thought immediately of Seattle’s Camp Long in West Seattle, a 68 acre park that offers visitors an opportunity to enjoy nature, hike in a forest, learn about natural history, and camp overnight in rustic cabins. Camp Long has 10 cabins, each with 6 double bunk beds, to sleep a maximum of 12 persons. Just outside the cabin there is a stone fireplace and a picnic table–what more would you need for a first camping experience? And a bonus for young first-timers: an electric light. Camp Long was a little used corner of the West Seattle Golf Course until 1937 when Seattle Park Board member Archie Phelps, Judge William Long, Ben Evans of the Seattle Park Department, and Clark Schurman, a Scout leader and wilderness camp developer, determined to acquire the land and make it into a place for organized groups to learn camping skills. Dedicated in 1941, Camp Long has continued ever since to bring people close to nature and provide safe and enjoyable outdoor camping and climbing experiences. (The park boasts a man-made climbing opportunity, Schurman Rock, to train climbers, but there are strict rules about its use.) The rental fee for one night in a cabin is $40, and reservations can be made at 206-684-7434 or at camplong@seattle.gov.

Thinking about these urban campgrounds, I began to wonder about other camping opportunities that may be close to home. I went on line to investigate my county. I typed King County, Washington, camping into my browser, and I found the Tolt/MacDonald Park & Campground, just 40 minutes from downtown Seattle. This 574 acre park at the confluence of two rivers, the Tolt and the Snoqualmie, provides tent and RV sites (which the two urban camps do not have), and in addition to the usual forests and hiking trails, there are bicycle paths. There are also six yurts at Tolt, which come furnished with two double futons, a double/single bunk bed, night stand, heat, electricity, deck, picnic table and fire ring. Two yurts have wheelchair accessibility. Each yurt sleeps up to seven people. All the yurts and many of the tent sites are located on the side of the park across the Snoqualmie River, and require walking across the park’s 500-foot suspension bridge. It’s no big deal. I’ve been hiking at this park–crossing the bridge is part of the adventure. Daily fees depend on your campsite, whether you walk in, drive in, hook up or not. The yurts are more expensive. The camp is open all year round, and reservations can be made by calling 206-205-5434. If you want more information, this is where I went: http://www.kingcounty.gov/recreation/parks/rentals/camping.aspx

Now some of you people reading my blog don’t live in San Francisco or Seattle. What about your city? Does it have opportunities for overnight camping? Find out! Google or call your park department and ask! And if your city doesn’t have a campground, what about your county? Do what I did, tell your browser you want county name, state name, camping. You might be surprised at what you find. And let me know. I would love to hear from you that you had found camping opportunities close to home.

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25
Apr 10

Rainy Days in Camp, Plan B, and C, and D…..

My son just made reservations for a three-generational camping trip to our favorite Oregon State Park, Jesse M. Honeyman, this summer. It made me think of another trip to Honeyman, many years ago, when it rained and rained. We didn’t go home. We drove into Florence, Oregon, the nearest town, and to Newport, where there was an aquarium with a whale who has since moved on. I don’t remember exactly what we did, beyond seeing the whale and a movie, but after two days the sun came out and we had five good days in the week to spend on the giant sand dunes that make this park so remarkable. The point I’m trying to make is that rain won’t necessarily spoil a camping trip if you plan ahead for that eventuality. Check out the towns within driving distance of your camp to see what amenities they might offer–a museum, a historic site, a fast food shop with an indoor playground. Tourist towns often have features like an arcade with games, electric carts, and so on. O.K. It’s not exactly a camping-outdoors-with-nature experience, but it is an opportunity for kids to have their parents’ undivided attention, and that’s what many students that I interviewed for Camping with Kids said they liked best about camping.

What if you’re camping at an isolated campground, with no town nearby? Then you have to prepare in advance some indoor–excuse me, in tent or in RV–activities to keep the kids occupied. Pack a new age appropriate board game, but don’t bring it out until you need it. Think back to the word games and alphabet games you played back in the days, and teach them to your kids. Sing together. My two-year-old grandchild loves the teapot song, the itsy bitsy spider, the wheels on the bus–we sang them over and over on our camping trip last summer. Bring out coloring books and crayons. Make up a story–create imaginary characters who have adventures. If your kids are old enough for string games, get a book from the library and practice all together making cat’s cradle and other constructions. Don’t forget to pack the string! What else can you think of? Put on your rain gear–you did pack rain gear for everyone, didn’t you?–go for a walk in the rain. Then come back to camp, drink hot chocolate, and write in your journal about the rain.

All of this assumes that your tent is waterproof and/or you have a good rain fly over it. If your tent leaks, then it’s another story. Check into a motel or go home.

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28
Nov 09

A Good Book For Rv Drivers

When I was in Red Lodge, MT, last August signing books at the Red Lodge Bookstore, I was impressed with the number of RV and MotorHome Books in the store, and the number of those vehicles I saw on the road, to and from Yellowstone National Park. The road we took, by the way, over Beartooth Pass, is a National Scenic By-way that goes from an elevation of 5,000 feet at Red Lodge to more than 10,000 feet at the summit.

One book I found especially impressive, especially after coming over Beartooth Pass. It was called Mountain Directory West—for Truckers, RV and Motorhome Drivers, sub-titled Locations and Descriptions of over 400 Mountain Passes and Steep Grades in Eleven Western States. Driving an RV over steep grades demands attention to the weight of the vehicle, engine power, braking, cooling, air conditioning, etc., and this book covers it all, one pass at a time.

It’s published by R&R Publishing, Inc, Baldwin City, KS, 66006-0941
800 594 5999 or mtndr@earthlink.net
There’s also an edition for Mountain Directory East.

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28
Nov 09

Three Generational Camping Trips!

Grandma and Grandpa, Mom, Dad, and all the kids! There are lots of good reasons for taking the whole family along—the advantage of grandparents’ experience in the outdoors, the extra number of supervisors for kids’ activities, the opportunity for parents to get away and have a day or an afternoon by themselves. Here’s one more benefit that you may not have thought of:

America The Beautiful National Parks And Federal Recreational Lands Senior Pass

This is a lifetime pass for U.S. citizens or permanent residents age 62 or over that costs just $10. The pass provides access to, and use of, federal recreation sites that charge an entrance fee. The pass admits the holder and all the passengers in a non-commercial vehicle at vehicle fee areas. So when your car pulls up at the entrance to a national park and grandma shows her pass, the whole carload gets in free. When you’re at some day use areas that charge a fee, the pass left on the dashboard (or hanging from the rear view mirror in a plastic case) means that you don’t have to pay the daily fee. At some walk-in areas where there are per person fees and children under16 are admitted free, the pass admits the holder plus 3 adults, not to exceed 4 adults.

The Senior Pass can be obtained only in person at a park or ranger station. The pass also provides a 50 percent discount just to the pass holder for some facilities and services such as camping, swimming, boat launch, and specialized interpretive services. The pass is non-transferable and generally does NOT cover or reduce special recreation permit fees or fees charged by concessionaires.

If you have very young looking grandparents, they may be asked to show picture I.D.

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28
Nov 09

The Destination Game

Fuel prices are fluctuating, mostly in an upward direction. Your small children have expressed themselves clearly in opposition to long car rides. That camping trip to a park two states away may seem less and less feasible this year. That doesn’t mean you can’t have a camping vacation; it just means you have to camp closer to home. To help you make your summer plans, I’ve copied one of my HELPING HANDS sections from Camping With Kids. It’s THE DESTINATION GAME!

To determine where you should camp, first figure out how many hours of driving your family will tolerate. Next, enlist your children’s help for this exercise: using the distance key on a map of your state, measure a piece of string that represents the distance you can travel in that amount of time. In other words, if your family can tolerate only one hour of driving, and you drive approximate 50 miles in one hour, cut the string to be 50 miles long, with a tad left over to tie the string to a pencil.

On the same map of your state, pin the other end of the string to your hometown, and draw a circle as many hours away as your family can drive in one day. Your destination is somewhere in that circle. Look for the symbol for overnight camping—it may be a tent or some kind of tree shape. Look for city, county, state and national parks that allow camping, or for private campgrounds. You may be surprised to see how many camping opportunities there are close to your home.

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28
Nov 09

Close To Home

With gasoline prices rising and showing little sign of falling this summer, families are beginning to think of finding summer vacation spots closer to home. For campers, that means finding camping sites only a short drive away.

Many people do not realize that, in addition to the big state and national parks that they know, there are also campgrounds in many Counties. These sites are often smaller and less expensive per night than the more well known parks, but they are usually situated near a lake or stream or an area of historic or natural interest. You will not lack things to do in a county park, but if you’re concerned that your children will be bored, bring along more of the wheeled toys or quiet pursuits that are listed in Camping With Kids.

To find county parks near your home, contact the park department of your own county, and then go to the park departments of the counties that are north, south, east and west of your own. You will be surprised at the camping opportunities that are available.

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28
Nov 09

Do You Really Need A Campfire?

Most campers share a concern for taking care of the outdoors, the parks and forests where we are camped. Most of us already know that burning wood adds to air pollution. Recently I learned that plant pests and diseases have been carried into the woods in firewood that campers are bringing from home. So, do you really need a campfire, and do you need a BIG campfire?

Consider this: a small fire is just as good for roasting wieners or toasting hot dogs as a big fire.

A small fire of charcoal briquettes or a compressed log especially designed for outdoor burning releases less particulate matter into the atmosphere than a wood fire.

Logs purchased in camp are less likely to introduce new pests into camp. The wood you bring from home, from that rotten tree in the yard that fell in last winter’s storm, is more likely to carry new pests to a new area.

If you’re cooking on a stove, you can still sit around dancing flames without building a fire! In a restaurant near my home, the fireplace is filled with many burning candles in glass candleholders. You can collect all the half-consumed candles in your house, stick them into the fire ring at your campsite, and sit around the fire with a clear conscience. Or,

My spies have told me that at REI you can buy a propane campfire by Campchef. I haven’t seen it myself; if you see it, or try it, let me know what you think of it.