2gypsies
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Posts posted by 2gypsies
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All entrance fees and various user fees stay in the national parks, thankfully. 80% goes to the specific park and 20% to any national park that needs extra.
However, that doesn't begin to catch up on backlog of repairs in the parks.
Volunteering in parks helps greatly. Volunteers do what the rangers don't have time to do. It's worthwhile doing for anyone... even families living close to a national park help out. Rocky Mtn. Nat'l Park has over a 1,000 volunteers and many are families because of being so close to Denver and other cities. Some of them work on the Bighorn Brigade.... keeping the Bighorn Sheep safe from motorists.... a fun gig to see the sheep up close!
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6 minutes ago, 2gypsies said:
One way that Zion did it was the requirement to use the shuttle service during peak season. Also, now in many of the parks there are entrance lotteries so hoards of people aren't allowed at one time. It requires more planning for the tourists. It's a difficult situation and the problem isn't new. The national parks are supposed to be for "all people to enjoy". Where do you draw the line? Another issue is that the parks don't receive enough money to do even basic repairs in many cases. The major parks are like small cities and along with it are crowds and crime.
https://www.5280.com/8-ways-to-ease-overcrowding-at-our-national-parks/
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One way that Zion did it was the requirement to use the shuttle service during peak season. Also, now in many of the parks you entrance lotteries so hoards of people aren't allowed at one time. It requires more planning for the tourists. It's a difficult situation and the problem isn't new. The national parks are supposed to be for "all people to enjoy". Where do you draw the line? Another issue is that the parks don't receive enough money to do even basic repairs in many cases. The major parks are like small cities and along with it are crowds and crime.
https://www.5280.com/8-ways-to-ease-overcrowding-at-our-national-parks/
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9 minutes ago, Dutch_12078 said:
What clicks are you referencing? I found no connection between New Braunfels, Texas based Nomad Internet and fulltime RV'er Kyle Hensen's Nomad Insurance agency that uses an Escapees Livingston, TX mail service address.
Agree.....Kyle has been a participating member on this forum for a long time - not just ads.
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We were in British Columbia and I had a gall bladder attack. I was able to quickly see a doctor 2x and received a prescription before moving on. I don't recall the exact amount but it was so very reasonable for all... around $60 or so. The doctor was so very caring - even called to check up on me two weeks later when we were back in the U.S.. This was years ago so the price would surely be higher now.
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4 hours ago, rpsinc said:
Being a Cali resident for now, I can tell you that here in So Cal, LEOs are looking out.........
So.... what are the LEOs doing about it? Pulling them over? Ticketing? Sending them out of state? We spent a lot of time in the desert boondocking areas with groups of RVers and never heard about this. If they're in an accident then yes, the RV weight/equipment could be looked at more thoroughly but just random eyeballing and assuming?
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3 hours ago, Kirk W said:
I could give other examples but the point is that with most of our national parks and monuments, to define what it means to see it well is a very subjective thing. Most of us see what we can based on the time that we have, our physical abilities and even our budgets.
I agree. 'thoroughly' according to abilities and budget and time.
I was replying to Bruce T's comment about some just getting out of the car at Grand Canyon and looking over the edge and then moving on. The person spent a lot of money to visit so why not enjoy even the simple things for a couple days or more or even just overnight? Ranger programs? Visitor Center films? Short walks? A sunrise or sunset? A drive at sunrise or sunset for animal viewing - the best times.
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2 hours ago, bruce t said:
How many folks have driven to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Looked over the edge from one of the car parks and called done?
We explore our national parks thoroughly. We hiked down the Bright Angel Trail and picked up our raft trip through the Canyon for days. Awesome remembrance!
We volunteered at Sleeping Bear Dunes Nat'l Lakeshore and there's a 'Scenic Drive' on the map. I couldn't tell you how often we were asked "Is there anything to see on the drive?"
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6 hours ago, agesilaus said:
I never said that they do need a boat, we have been to Guadeloupe and Great Basin several times and want to visit North Cascades. Great Basin is a great visit with a cave but is way off any beaten path being on the famous NV Hwy 50. Guadeloupe is on the way to Carlsbad but there isn't a lot to do in that park. No scenic drives for example and limited hiking.
We've done five of the listed parks:
We've driven Hwy 50 multiple times and a great place to boondock to visit Great Basin NP is Sacramento Pass BLM about 10 miles west of the park. It's an awesome place to star watch!
Guadalupe National Park has approx. 20 trails of all abilities and lengths. We climbed 'the peak' - signed the log book at the top - 9 mi. round trip and love McKittrick trail - so very pretty. There are various road entrances for scenic drives.
We were offered a volunteer gig at Dry Tortugas but timing didn't work. It would have been a great experience.
North Cascades has many, many trails and nearby campgrounds.
Isle Royale NP - we took the ferry from Copper Harbor... did some beautiful hiking with lots of water views and moose and returned that day via the ferry.
Wrangell NP Alaska - we drove around 50-60 mi to see the Kennecott copper mine.
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Here's an article on South Dakota's voting bill which may affect RVers:
https://dakotafreepress.com/2023/03/24/noem-reduces-freedom-of-rv-voters/
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3 hours ago, bobsallyh said:
Sure don't know anything about the company but there are some on RV lots and RV parks in the Yuma and Foothills, AZ. area. I'd tend to go along with jimnlin. During their heyday, I do believe they were a quality rig.
Yes, Collins was a good one during its time. They were built in Springfield, OR and the original company was picked up by Monaco if I recall correctly.
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2 hours ago, Ray,IN said:
Accompanying this thread is the 16 deadliest lakes in the U.S.A.
We've been on some of those lakes... and survived! 😊 We gave lighthouse tours on South Manitou Island in Lake Michigan and part of our spiel was to tell of all the shipwrecks that happened. It's also a great place to scuba and while we were on top of the lighthouse one day we saw the Coast Guard pull up to an exposed shipwreck. Turns out a woman was scuba diving around the wreck and died.
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I would guess all travel and have the same RV experiences as anyone here. The posts would be under the appropriate headings.
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7 hours ago, Tulecreeper said:
That is a ranger that absolutely needs remedial trailing. As retired LE, there was never a time in 30 years when I did not know whether or not my weapon was loaded.
Exactly..... she was let go.
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Not very appealing but you'd fit in this one. Just do a Google and look at the photos of the RV parks to see if you'd fit.
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I'll also state that "some of your friends" don't have accurate information. There are no issues.
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One year when we volunteered at Rocky Mountain National Park within a few months time there were two suicides and three homicides plus drownings (one tragic one of a 12-year-old boy slipping on a rock and getting caught underneath the water in swift current and lodged at a huge boulder. His father had to watch. We also listened to a lot of BOLO alerts... be on the lookout. Also, a scout group just returned from a hike and a girl left a candy bar and chips in her tent. A bear very shortly came out of the woods to the tent and tore it open from the rear. The girl got out. The bear was killed, unfortunately The ranger thought she had blanks in her gun. That really opened our eyes to the dangers in the national parks.
Here's a better link giving numerous charts:
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9 hours ago, RV Newbies said:
Do you find that this membership is worth the perks? Do you use the RV park discounts and group meet ups? We are a family of 7: 5 kids under 10. We'd like to be as social as we can with the kids.
It sounds like you're on the younger side if you have 5 children under 10. You might want to look into the subgroup of Escapees called Xscapers.
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If one needs long-term nursing home care here are some rates by state. If you don't need serious care as you age it's a lot cheaper and more pleasant to stay in your home and have caregiver agency come in to care for you for a few to 8 hr./day. They can help with bathing, hygiene, cook your meals, do light cleaning, shopping, etc. More and more are choosing this route.
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6 hours ago, GlennWest said:
When we put our DRV on a consignment lot, PPL motorhomes, we kept the insurance we had on it. I had gotten the Teton and my insurance company had no problem with it. Just cancelled after sale
We used PPL, also - great experience. We got a low cost rider for the motorhome while sitting on the lot; not full insurance.
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1 hour ago, Vegas Teacher said:
Is it ever going to stop????? I remember when a gallon of gas was .65 .
I also have pictures of my grandpa's service station and gas was .05 per gallon in Arma Kansas.
Our grandkids are going to look back on today's prices one day and think that they are cheap!
Groceries in the 1960's:
https://www.thepeoplehistory.com/60sfood.html
Here are some gas prices from years ago:
https://www.energy.gov/eere/vehicles/fact-741-august-20-2012-historical-gasoline-prices-1929-2011
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Here's a map of the ferry routes. You'll have to contact Washington State Ferries to get up-to-date prices. A nice, easy one is from Coupeville to Port Townsend. The Escapees park near Port Townsend is a great place to stay. You can easily do day trips to the national park from the SKP park. It's not far at all. Lots of neat things to do from the Port Townsend area in all directions. You can also drive your vehicle down to Bainbridge Island and as a passanger, take the ferry to the Seattle waterfront near the Aquarium, Pike Place Market. Then board the monorail which will whisk you across town to the Space Needle. Then return to beginning... saving the shopping at Pikes Place for last before boarding the ferry again. It's a nice, easy day trip.
https://wsdot.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2021-04/WashingtonStateFerries-RouteMap.pdf
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10 hours ago, JimK said:
The legality may be questionable but there is no risk even traveling domestically by plane. Many of the products contain minimal amounts of THC with the major ingredient being CBD, which is not banned.
Here's a good article: https://www.surterra.com/medical-cannabis/traveling-with-medical-marijuana#:~:text=Can I Fly on Commercial,to bring on a plane.
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I always use 'Unread Content' ... no ads.
National Geographic list of the 10 least visited national parks.
in General RV Information
Posted
Denver is 65 miles from Rocky Mtn Nat'l Park.
Other cities near the park that volunteers commute from: Fort Collins, Greeley, Loveland, Boulder
Where was Salt Lake City mentioned?