trailertraveler

Over almost 50 years of RVing, we have switched Emergency Road Service providers a number of times to take advantage of first year discounts. I think it is well known that the providers actually performing the services onsite are basically the same for all the major plans. The difference is in the call center response and the priority that providers may give to a plan based on things like amount of payment and promptness of payment. We have had good service from Good Sam, Allstate, Coachnet, our insurance companies and GMC when the vehicle was under warranty. If you have to join an organization like FMCA or Escapees to get a discount on the ERS plan look at all the other benefits and discounts that membership provides and decide which will be the most beneficial to you. FMCA was not an option for us until their relatively recent policy change to allow trailer trash to join. We joined FMCA primarily for the Medical Emergency Travel Assistance benefit that comes with membership.

Welcome to the Escapees Forum!!! In the last few years, my success has been better then this, about 30%. There are many factors involved not the least of which is the internet service available to the park and the park infrastructure. High speed connections like fiber optic are not available everywhere. Some park Wifi systems limit the bandwidth available to each user which may prevent smooth streaming especially of HD video. In my experience, apps that let you select lower resolutions like 720dpi or below may work when others may not. How many users there are on a system will also affect the speed and thus the ability to stream. Each time a signal is repeated (including by a wireless booster), the speed will decrease. In parks that have long term sites, there are often Xfinitywifi hotspots that emanate from sites that have high speed internet service. They are generally throttled to 6MBS and require that you are an Xfinity customer. I use a Ubiquiti Nanostation as an external Wifi adapter and booster. It can be connected to either a single computer or a router. I try to connect everything that can to the router by ethernet rather than wireless to avoid the speed decrease that comes with each wireless hop. I don't know if any of the Roku devices have an ethernet port. I have a Vizio TV that has an ethernet connection. It is capable of accessing Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Crackle, Vudu, YouTube, Pluto, Xumo and some other services. I can also connect my computer via HDMI and view anything streamed on the computer on the TV. I also have a cellular data plan. We have stayed in many places where the cellular connection is marginal or will not support streaming. As with Wifi, I always try to limit the number of Wifi hops. I tether the cellular device to the router and connect the computers, TV, etc. to the router by ethernet cable. Sometimes I can stream on the tablet or cell phone but not on any device connect to them by wireless.

There also may not be a lot of space for extra batteries. Lead Acid batteries are heavy. The size of a compartment may not be a good indicator or how much weight it can hold without being damaged. Be sure the planned battery space can handle the weight. You may need to switch to lithium batteries to take full advantage of a robust solar system.

There are also COE campgrounds on the lake. If you go there Lindsborg is an interesting little town with a number of things to see and do.

I think you are mistaken. The source of their data is the USGS. From their own website: The link I provided was to the Protected Area Database (PAD-US 2.0) of the U.S. Geological Survey. The app does have some added features such as linking to Google maps and putting your location on your screen. Their website includes this statement: .

There are a number of Corps of Engineers projects with campgrounds in Kansas. Some of the campgrounds are managed by the Kansas State Parks and even have some full hookup sites. If you are a Wizard of Oz fan, in Liberal there is Dorothy's House. Also the Mid-America Air Museum. Kinsley is Mid-America USA. Ellinwood has the Wolf Hotel and Underground City. In Hutchinson is the Cosmosphere and Salt Mine. In Wamego there is the Oz Museum and the Beecher Bible and Rifle Church. Near Fort Larned is near Larned and Great Bend. Also in the Great Bend area are the Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area and Quivira National Wildlife Refuge.

If my memory is correct, this app is based on the USGS maps/information that our tax $ paid for and can be accessed for free Here. If you zoom in on the area that you are interested in and click on the colored area. It will tell you the name of the area and the agency that controls it.

No such website. I think you are likely referring to Free campsites website which I linked to in post number 2.

I thought you were looking for free camping like on BLM land? State Parks in the East very rarely allow camping outside of designated areas. Other state lands may not be managed by the same agency as the State Parks. Here is the site for PA State Forests. Here is a link to the Kansas State Fishing Lakes. You have to check which ones allow camping. Here is a link to Kansas State Wildlife Management Areas. Again you have to check which ones allow camping. Here is a link to Texas Wildlife Management Areas that allow camping. If you are looking for public campgrounds in addition to boondocking sites, take a look at the Ultimate Public Campgrounds Website. The Corps of Engineers and Tennessee Valley Authority also have campgrounds on many of their properties. Georgia Power operates some campgrounds. Search the regions for the locations.

Many National Forests and National Grasslands allow camping away from developed areas. You have to consult the Travel or Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUM) or contact the individual Forest to find out where you can vehicle camp and how far off the designated roadway you are permitted to park your RV. Some states have state forests where you can camp in other than designated sites. Some states allow camping on wildlife management areas and/or state fishing lakes. You may or may not have to purchase a fishing or hunting license so check the rules carefully. Free campsites is a good place to start.

Folks base their perceptions on their experience. The disparity of opinions expressed on this forum regarding the number of working folks living in RVs has been going on for several years. Here is a post from a thread from 2014: In my experience, many of the same parks that participate in the 50% discount programs also have long term and permanent residents to help keep them in business. A similar disparity in opinions/experience occurs in discussions of the need for reservations.

This is true. However, the demographic of the Escapees' membership changed. It is my understanding that Escapees removed their Tra-Park in Pecos, TX from the list of Rainbow Parks because of complaints about the park which included the predominance of oilfield workers staying there long term. We have stayed at many RV parks/campgrounds that had large numbers of working folks and always felt welcome.

The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania and the waterfalls at Ricketts Glen State Park are worth seeing in my opinion.

If by boondocking, you mean Free, checkout the Free Campsites website.

It is not just Florida and not only produce. A few years ago in central Kansas, we were talking to the owner/chef of a local BBQ/steak restaurant. He told us that it was getting harder and harder to get the best grades and prime cuts even though there seemed to cattle everywhere you looked. If you travel to many of the more remote areas with National Parks, National Forests and BLM lands; in my experience you are not going to find a lot of farmer's markets. In fact you may have to travel considerable distance to find any market at all.

When I worked, I had to pass an annual physical fitness test and my employer had a program to promote physical fitness. That all ended with retirement. On the other hand, I do a lot more hiking. I have gained weight and added a couple of prescription medications, but that may be as much a factor of age as anything else as I retired 15 years ago. Dear Wife has changed her home routine little other than we do go places of interest much more frequently while traveling. I do think we have both benefitted from a reduction in stress after retirement. I suffered from fairly frequent migraines when working. I have not had a migraine in the 15 years since retirement.

In my opinion, what you live in has less to do with improving one's health than other factors such as stress and amount of physical exercise and mental stimulation. While retirement can be stressful to some, it can reduce stress for others. If you will still be working the same amount, just from an RV, then I doubt your health will change much without a concerted effort to do so. If you have allergies or sensitivity to common air pollutants, or altitude; travel to some locations may affect those health issues. If you will be worried about your finances on the road, that stress might adversely affect your heath. Everyone is different. It is hard to predict how each will react to change.

I had a 2" front receiver put on my Chevy 2500. It would accept a wide variety of accessories including bike racks, winch plate, cargo platform and ball mount. Some folks worry about decreasing the air flow to the radiator and trans cooler by putting bikes on the front. I think this is more of a concern if you cover the bikes than if it is just the bike frame and tires. You do need to make sure that anything on the front does not interfere with the headlights just as anything on the rear should not interfere with the visibility of the tail lights.

We have driven this route a number of times although not in the past few years. There are grades up to 9%. One section has 10 switchbacks in 9 miles with 15MPH turns. Going from Vernal to Rock Springs is uphill which in my opinion is less stressful than steep downhill grades. If you do not have one, I suggest you get a copy of the Mountain Directory. Some years the road surface on the route from Vernal to Green River is better. Just depends when the last resurfacing was done. Otherwise, to me they are about the same.

One of the noisiest pets we every camped next to was a Cockatoo. The owner worked. If she was late coming home or went out at night it would make noises that could wake the dead. If you think a barking dog is annoying, you should hear a screeching/screaming parrot.

If it is more than a fancy utility trailer and actually a second RV, I wonder how well this would work if you wanted hookups? Most Campgrounds allow one RV per site. Some do not even have the capacity/ability for multiple electric hookups at a single site. With all the comments/complaints about the rising cost of campsites; I wonder how many would want to have to pay for two sites every night.

While I have no knowledge of that particular KOA, I can tell you that parks dropout and join the KOA system on a regular basis. They are mostly all franchises so are sold like any private business. As we travel the country, we have been to a number of former KOAs. The building style is one give away. Some still have the yellow and black signs. Older directories and sometimes even Google Maps may still list them as a KOA. We also encounter existing parks that have joined the KOA system since our last visit. I don't know if KOA has any policy about how close their franchises can be, but if they do, one dropping out of the system would create an opportunity for another nearby park to join.

Amazing how a question about one particular KOA campground turns into a lets bash KOA fest. The "Keep on Adding" phrase has been around for decades. I think this is a hold over from the pre-internet days. The KOA Directory would list a range of prices for each campground with no real explanation that tent sites with no amenities were the lowest price and each added amenity increased the price for that site and that the price for the site was the price for the site no matter what you chose to use. RVers would pull in thinking that they would get the lowest price for any site they wanted only to find out that there was no electric/water at the tent sites, they would not fit in the tent sites, all the water/electric sites were taken, etc. The catchy slur phrase was born, caught on and has been repeated ever since. This phrase comes up on just about every discussion about KOA. Many RV Parks have sites at various prices based on various combinations of amenities/services. No hookup (tent) sites, water/electric only, full hookup, backin, pull through, etc. All at different prices. Even many Passport America Parks charge more for a 50amp site, cable TV, Wifi, etc., if they have more than one type of site. Very few parks charge for only what you use. The price for the site is the price for the site whether you want or plan to use all of the amenities. If you look at the KOA website, the prices for the various types of sites are clearly shown. They often do have more choices than many RV parks/campgrounds. Now if you just drive in, there is no guarantee that the cheapest type of site will be available, or that your rig will fit in it.

It is not uncommon for the GVWR of a light duty truck + the Max towing rating to exceed the trucks GCWR. If you read the footnotes about max towing rating you will likely find that it is based on a basic vehicle with a 150# driver and less than a full tank of fuel not the GVWR. As I mentioned in a previous post it may also be based on a trailer of a certain frontal area. A driver over 150#, options, cargo and fuel will decrease the available weight before exceeding the GCWR.

The page I linked to says