We- Alice and Jaimie - invite you to participate in our new blog. Our intention is to have lots of good information and interesting tidbits on the RV lifestyle. We'll be happy to answer your questions too.
Both of us have been full-time RVers in the past, though now both travel part-time. Jaimie is an expert at RVing for dollars. She is the author of Support Your RV LIfestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road. Alice has written Taking the Mystery out of Retiring to an RV. Together we have written RV Traveling Tales: Women's Journeys on the Open Road, The Woman's Guide to Solo RVing, and Taking the Mystery out of RV Writing.
We invite you to check out our website RVLifestyleExperts.com for all sorts of informative articles, recommended books and fun things for the full-time RVer. Whether you have already hit the road or are a wannabee, we have something to offer. We look forward to conversing with you on many aspects of the RV lifestyle!
Jaimie and Alice
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Recent Posts
- Rest areas- safe? open? check out Ohio
- Become an RV inspector
- Recipe for Jim's Christmas fudge
- Seniors may lose 1/2 price camping in national forests
- T-day on old Route 66
- Extras your insurance might cover
- Fuel Costs - Our RV Trip to Alaska
- Small is "in" for RVs again
- Cliff dwellings at Walnut Canyon NM
- Another RV-sized coffee brewer
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Rest areas- safe? open? check out Ohio
On some plazas along the Ohio Turnpike, there are RV parking spots that have hookups for $15 for a night. While not the quietest, users report, they are in contrast to rest areas in many states that are unsafe or closed.
Many states are shutting down rest areas for budget reasons. At the Workamper forums, people specifically mentioned the states of Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona and Virginia. I wouldn't doubt there are others. Some rest areas are closed for remodeling, but are there funds to finish the job and reopen them? Probably not. In some cases, Western states have closed rest stops where there are long stretches to travel and no services. That can be a problem if you aren't aware of that ahead of time. You can check at InterestRestAreas.com, which looks fairly up to date.
Ohio is charging for overnight RV parking, but it is great that it is available. Pick up a brochure at a service plaza or check their Web site.
It says:
RV's - Travel Trailers
The following service plazas offer electrical outlets, a wastewater dump station and potable water for a $15.00 fee:
- Wyandot/Blue Heron - MP 76.9
(Between Interchanges 71 and 81) - Middle Ridge/Vermilion Valley - MP 139.5
(Between Interchanges 135 and 140) - Brady's Leap/Portage - MP 197.0
(Between Interchanges 193 and 209)
These facilities are open for occupancy between 4:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. the following day. They may be occupied for one night only and are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Click HERE for a printable brochure and map showing the locations of the RV Lots.
One person noted that the sites are not large. They are for total overall length of around 40 feet, though you could probably squeeze in something a little longer. At some plazas they are back-in sites. Traffic noise is another consideration because they are located near the entrance end and trucks come in using their jake brakes. One poster advised checking the electric boxes first as some are 20 amp, others are 30/50 amp. However, on the plus side, they are safe and do provide an inexpensive alternative to getting off the highway and looking for an RV site.
We have not felt comfortable parking our RV overnight in rest stops for years. Too many crimes have been reported. Neither of us have driven through Ohio for years and, while Ohio's would not be ideal because of the noise, they would be good on a cross country trip where you wanted to make time.
Put this in your list of RV resources. And, if you are counting on using rest areas in other states, check the Interstate Rest Area Guide. When we couldn't find a rest area, George and I pulled over on pullouts or on the shoulder of highways (not interstate highways) and on-ramps for quick breaks many times on our trip to Alaska and on other trips. Pictured is a pullout with marker on Nevada Highway 50.
Jaimie Hall Bruzenak
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T-day on old Route 66
George and I treated ourselves to Thanksgiving dinner on old Route 66 at La Posada Hotel in Winslow, Arizona. La Posada, built in 1929 to house travelers and railroad workers, was a Harvey house and is considered the best of the structures that Mary Colter designed. It is built in a Southwest style and is lovely. Although famous for her magnificent buildings at the Grand Canyon, Colter considered La Posada her masterpiece.
The hotel closed in 1957 and the railroad almost tore it down. Allan Affeldt purchased it from the Santa Fe Railway after that the property was in danger. He visited the hotel in 1994 and decided to help local preservationists save it. Allan and his wife Tina Mion moved in April 1, 1997. Daniel Lutzick became the third partner and General Manager.
On the way to La Posada, we did some shopping in Flagstaff, then visited Walnut Canyon National Monument, then drove east on I-40 past several icons along Route 66, including Meteor Crater, the twin arrows and old trading posts. As part of our treat, we stayed in the Bob Hope room overnight.
When my late husband, Bill, and I participated in the Route 66 caravan sponsored by Hampton Inn's "Save a Landmark" campaign, we met the caravan at La Posada as they were putting up this special sign. The sign still stands. (see left)
Besides La Posada, Winslow is best known for the Eagles song, "Taking it Easy" with the line "Standing on the Corner in Winslow, Arizona." While no one knows for sure which corner they were referring to, someone in the town spearheaded the building of a park to commemorate this space. A bronze statute is there and a couple of stores with Route 66 memorabilia plus a museum. Most of the rest of the old town has died in favor of Wal-Mart and other chain stores a couple of miles along I-40. A number of buildings have closed since we were there in 2008.
We walked up to the famous corner after breakfast, though it was rather windy and cold. Our plan was to eat an early dinner so we'd have plenty of time to digest. The Turquoise Room there has many rave reviews and Thanksgiving dinner was no exception. The menu was a fixed price menu with a number of choices including traditional free-range turkey, ham and prime rib plus lamb, salmon, free-range chicken, a wild game dish and buffalo. Quite a choice!
We did end up cooking a small turkey and sharing it with RV friends on Sunday. I do love turkey leftovers! But it was sure nice to have a lovely meal without any of the preparation time or cleanup on Thanksgiving Day.
If you are traveling along I-40, stop off at La Posada. There is plenty of RV parking. Take old Route 66/Business I-40. Walking through the hotel is a walk through history. Lots of old photos of the area and celebrities who have stayed here- rooms are named after them- are on the walls. There is a display of Tina Mion's paintings and wooden sculptures by local artists including a very interesting wooden sculpture covered with milagros. MIlagro refers to an ancient aspect of Hispanic folk culture: small silver or gold votive offerings in the shape of arms, legs, eyes and other body parts; animals, fruits, vegetables, etc. These milagros are often attached to statues of saints or to the walls of certain New Mexican churches--and now are also found as components in necklaces, earrings and other jewelry. In this sculpture old keys found in the hotel are the charms.
I-40 replaced Route 66. You can actually drive a good bit of old Route 66 in Arizona. Books and maps are available that show you the old alignments. Some is driveable in an RV - like the business loops through towns like Winslow, Flagstaff, Williams, Seligman and Kingman. There is a nice stretch east of Flagstaff you can drive, plus the loop from Seligman to Kingman that passes the Grand Canyon Caverns. However, much of it is better if you park the RV and then take your towed or tow vehicle instead. ]
And, if you get the chance, stop at La Posada to explore and have a meal at the Turquoise Room. The chef is outstanding and we've never had a bad meal. One of our most fun selections (and delicious) was an appetizer- friend squash blossom. Definitely tasty. Then sit out front and see the trains go by. Amtrak comes by twice a day and stops at the adjoining station to pick up and let off passengers. Freight trains come by every few minutes. Sitting out front reminds me of the slower paced days of train travel and the romance of the rail. I like to imagine what it was like, traveling across the country for days and stopping off at one of the Harvey hotels like La Posada for a meal and a night's sleep and perhaps even an excursion to the Hopi mesas before reboarding. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak
Photos by George Bruzenak
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Fuel Costs - Our RV Trip to Alaska
People have asked us “how much did your five-month RV trip to Alaska and back cost?” Since we keep accurate fuel and mileage records a summary of those costs was easy to compile. Here are the results:
Total miles traveled: 14349 miles
Total fuel usage: 1319.5 gallons
Those are the basic numbers. We pull a 33' New Horizon FW with a GMC 3500 Duramax/Allison truck (unfortunately with a new engine installed just prior to the trip … don't ask). The truck and trailer are just under the 22,000 lb max combo in weight.
The lowest towing MPG segment of the trip was from Casper, Wyoming to Billings, Montana in those rolling hills and against a 30 to 40 MPH headwind at 7.2 MPG.
Our total fuel cost was $4096 (US). That includes the cost of 514 (US) gallons purchased in Canada. For our calculations, I used 0.26417 as the conversion factor (liters to US gallons), and a dollar conversion rate of $0.88 US to $1.00 Canadian (current at the time of the trip).
The highest per gallon cost was in Canada, averaging $3.77 per (US) gallon. The most paid per gallon was at Toad River, BC at $4.06 (US). The lowest in Canada was at Lethbridge, AB at $2.49 (US).
The per gallon cost in the US, averaging, was $3.06 (US) with the highest paid per gallon was, no surprise, in Healy, AK at $3.89 (US). The lowest was in New Mexico at $2.15 (US).
The five-month trip began on May 11 and ended on October 8th,
Failures included:
- two of the four aluminum rims on the trailer failed
- one tire holed by a nail (non-reparable)
- one bearing failure on the trailer that also destroyed a tire
- one injector in the Duramax.
Those same friends ask us if we'd do it again. Short answer—in a heartbeat. George Bruzenak
Photos by George & Jaimie Bruzenak
Small is "in" for RVs again
Small is popular again. Oh, some people want the 40-foot RVs, but more manufacturers are coming out with small retro teardrop trailers. Today's RV Daily Report included stories about the Serro Scotty and Heartland Recreational Vehicles LLC, which has entered the teardrop market.
Serro Scotty plans to market their small trailers directly to the consumer. Says the article, "The new factory direct program offers a consumer direct discount, lower
base price and $1 per mile shipping. Once again the black Scotty dog
adorns the front of the camper and the traditional spirit is alive
again." Pictured is their smallest unit, the Serro Scotty Pup.
Heartland Recreational Vehicles LLC is entering the teardrop market with the retro-styled MPG line set to debut at the 47th Annual National RV Trade Show Tuesday in Louisville, Ky. The MPG combines a contemporary look with retro styling, which they hope will appeal to the youthful demographic. It comes in 18-foot and 20-foot lengths and with a dry weight of less than 2700 pounds allowing it to be towed by smaller SUVs.
I also came across an article at the Petaluma360.com site about a man in Petaluma, CA who makes small structures of 120 square feet. They are quite popular as backyard retreats, shops, sheds and artist studios because they are unique. He can make one a bit larger that qualifies as an RV, though moving it is tricky and requires a professional. If your RV retirement has taken you to a lot in an RV park or resort at least part of the time and you want extra space besides your RV, one of these could fill the bill. They are very reasonable, though you can run up the bill with customizing them.
We seem to have the two extremes: RVers who want as large an RV as they can get and those who travel in a small, simple unit. Not as many full-time RVers choose the smaller RVs. Friends have a T@B trailer with no bathroom facilities. That would not do for more than a short trip for me! Another RV friend's sister and husband are traveling full-time in a van with no bathroom. It does limit the places where they can stay, for sure.
You have to admit some of these little guys are cute! It would be fun to travel in a vintage teardrop. The new ones play on that nostalgia. I doubt we'll be doing that soon, though. George is over six feet tall and most of these little ones mean he would have head bruises and scrapes from encounters with the AC or doorways. We'll have to pass. Too bad because secretly he'd love to build one. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak
Related posts
- Bruce Osborn shows how he built his own teardrop
- Jordan full-times in a teardrop- one night his coffee pot froze!
- Alice wrote this article on vintage trailers for RoadTripAmerica.com
Cliff dwellings at Walnut Canyon NM
A few miles east of Flagstaff, off exit 204 on I-40, lies a small national monument that is probably not too visited, but should be. Walnut Canyon National Monument is fairly small, quiet and peaceful. The canyon, though, housed quite a population of people around 1100 A.D.
The people who chose this canyon were the Sinagua. Higher concentrations of Sinaguans moved in after Sunset Crater to the north erupted sometime between 1040 and 1100. Almost everywhere you look in the canyon, you can see cliff dwellings.
We took the hike down to the sky Island where a number of cliff dwellings in various states of decay are located. Across the way, we could see many more. Not too many artifacts have been found; pot hunters in the 1880s pretty much took everything.
The hike down to the sky island goes down 245 steps, the sign said. You'll notice the climb on the way back up - but there are many benches to rest at and interpretive signs to stop and read to catch your breath. The bottom left photo was taken on the sky island, looking back up at the visitor center perched at the rim of the canyon, where the trail started.
The path descends through several climate zones. You travel from the Upper Sonoran desert at the rim to the cooler, moister Pacific Northwestern forests of shade-tolerant shrubs and mixed conifers, including Douglas fir. In other areas of the canyon, you'll find the ponderosa pine/gambol oak forest and pinyon/juniper woodland. At the bottom is a riparian community along the stream.
The National Park Service has preserved other Sinaguan sites in the Verde Valley area that probably get more visitation. This canyon, however, is unique and worth a stop if you are in the Flagstaff area. The parking lot will accommodate RVs. There is a picnic area but no RV campground or other camping. There are RV parks in Flagstaff to the west, an RV park at Meteor Crater to the east, and plenty of boondocking in the nearby Coconino National Forest. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak
Another RV-sized coffee brewer
We found another RV-sized coffee brewer that brews one cup at a time.
George and I had been to New Frontiers, a health food store on Butler in Flagstaff, AZ. Less than a block away, a coffee shop caught our eye. We worked our way back to It's About Coffee for an after-lunch cup. They were selling a "Single Cup Pour Over Brewing System." The system costs under $10 and can be washed in a dishwasher.
These are the directions:
- Bring 14 oz of filtered water to a boil
- Grind 1/4 cup of coffee at a fine ((expresso) setting
- Place coffee grounds into paper filter and place inside gourmet single brew filter holder. Place the filter holder on top of a coffee mug. (Pictured)
- Pour water slowly over gorunds, making sure to saturate completely. Stir as needed.
- Remove filter holder before four minutes to avoid any bitter after-taste
The attendant made my coffee that way. It was quite good. She said the trick is partly in the water. They use reverse osmosis to purify their water and then add selected minerals back in the water to give it a good flavor. They also roast their own beans.
I asked her about freezing coffee beans until you are ready to use them. I have heard people argue both ways. She said freezing retains flavor. Their bags are vented, which helps reduce moisture. "Seven month-old frozen coffee beans taste fresh when immediately frozen in our vented coffee bags. Thaw just before grinding."
So now you have another choice! This coffee brewer is plastic so no glass to worry about. It also takes a small space. If you follow the directions you should be able to make good coffee every time. Like the Aero-Press, you could quickly and easily make a cup of coffee at a rest stop.
No need to give up good coffee to live the RV lifestyle! Jaimie Hall Bruzenak
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