Sunday, August 21
Common questions & answers
Why RVers are not necessarily campers and vice versa
By Chuck Woodbury, editor
I think I am finally able to define the lifestyle called RVing, which some people criticize because it's not really camping. What they do not understand is that RVing and camping are not the same, although sometimes they overlap.
Only one segment of RVers are exclusively "campers" ? those who "camp" for a week or two a year. These people generally camp in the summer, often on family vacations. They typically spend their days sightseeing or hiking and their evenings by the campfire. Their RVs, if they have one, are pretty basic and are often rented.
After Labor Day and before Memorial Day, the RVers you see on the road are more often "travelers" than "campers," using their RVs for both transportation and lodging. Their rigs are larger and better equipped than the vacation campers ? sort of "homes away from home."
Sometimes, however, these well-equipped RVers end up in the same national park or national forest campgrounds as more traditional campers and this is where their lifestyles get misinterpreted.
These avid RVers, in their bigger rigs, are simply living in a portable way. They are essentially living in self-contained, mobile condos rather than in fixed-based houses.
Many of these RVers have simplified their lives. I'm especially referring to the hundreds of thousands of retirees who have sold their homes and moved into a trailer or motorhome. At some point, they had to get rid of a lifetime of possessions. They retained what they considered important ?- fishing rods, a sewing machine, favorite books, a TV, pictures of the kids and grandkids, and nowadays, a computer.
These full-timers and serious part-timers would never be traveling America in the first place if RVs didn't exist. They would not set off in their cars month after month, staying in a different Holiday Inn each night. To do so would be too much trouble and even exhausting. They might fly off to Europe on occasion, but by and large, they would spend their lives at home.
Today, after climbing on Wyoming's Independence Rock for more than an hour and doing battle with a blustery wind, it was a wonderful feeling to return to my comfy porta-house. When I closed the door behind me, I felt truly at home, even though my street address is a thousand miles away.
I understand the concept of the portable house. It's not the same as camping.
Besides editing this website, Chuck Woodbury is the editor and publisher of RVtravel.com.
Why RVers are not necessarily campers and vice versa
By Chuck Woodbury, editor
I think I am finally able to define the lifestyle called RVing, which some people criticize because it's not really camping. What they do not understand is that RVing and camping are not the same, although sometimes they overlap.
Only one segment of RVers are exclusively "campers" ? those who "camp" for a week or two a year. These people generally camp in the summer, often on family vacations. They typically spend their days sightseeing or hiking and their evenings by the campfire. Their RVs, if they have one, are pretty basic and are often rented.
After Labor Day and before Memorial Day, the RVers you see on the road are more often "travelers" than "campers," using their RVs for both transportation and lodging. Their rigs are larger and better equipped than the vacation campers ? sort of "homes away from home."
Sometimes, however, these well-equipped RVers end up in the same national park or national forest campgrounds as more traditional campers and this is where their lifestyles get misinterpreted.
These avid RVers, in their bigger rigs, are simply living in a portable way. They are essentially living in self-contained, mobile condos rather than in fixed-based houses.
Many of these RVers have simplified their lives. I'm especially referring to the hundreds of thousands of retirees who have sold their homes and moved into a trailer or motorhome. At some point, they had to get rid of a lifetime of possessions. They retained what they considered important ?- fishing rods, a sewing machine, favorite books, a TV, pictures of the kids and grandkids, and nowadays, a computer.
These full-timers and serious part-timers would never be traveling America in the first place if RVs didn't exist. They would not set off in their cars month after month, staying in a different Holiday Inn each night. To do so would be too much trouble and even exhausting. They might fly off to Europe on occasion, but by and large, they would spend their lives at home.
Today, after climbing on Wyoming's Independence Rock for more than an hour and doing battle with a blustery wind, it was a wonderful feeling to return to my comfy porta-house. When I closed the door behind me, I felt truly at home, even though my street address is a thousand miles away.
I understand the concept of the portable house. It's not the same as camping.
Besides editing this website, Chuck Woodbury is the editor and publisher of RVtravel.com
Thursday, August 18
Wednesday, August 17
Monday, August 15
Saturday, August 13
Butch and I made a day of it and drove to Crater Lake. These falls were one of our last stops for the day. Tokatee Falls. Impressions of Oregon- The most beautiful state I have seen. The tastiest fruits, vegetables and seafood ever. The sizes of fruits and vegetables are impressive. Texas claims to grow things larger but I think Oregon has them beat by a mile. The best tasting sweet corn even in comparison with Iowa!
Thursday, August 11
Webshots Oregon 2
Yesterday Joyce, Butch and I went to the Oregon Coast from Florence to Newport. A most beautiful piece of the USA. We ate at Mo's in Newport enjoying the tastiest clam chowder I have ever eaten. You could see the kitchen when you walked in and they had at least 10 large pots of clam chowder on the ready. Butch liked it too.
It was the first time I had seen the Pacific and we had a perfect day for it.
You can see more pictures on the Webshots site.
It was the first time I had seen the Pacific and we had a perfect day for it.
You can see more pictures on the Webshots site.
Tuesday, August 9
Monday, August 8
Webshots Community - barbie1943's Photo Home Page
More Oregon pictures are at this site.
Webshots Community - barbie1943's Photo Home Page
Webshots Community - barbie1943's Photo Home Page
Friday, August 5
Some have asked how we do our mail and we use Escapee mail service and since they explain it very well I thought I would share this article with you.
Escapees Mail Service – A Virtual Tour
The Escapees Mail Service is actually three separate operations: the operators who answer your calls and process your mail-forwarding instructions; the package desk where packages are received, catalogued, and forwarded; and the mailroom where incoming mail is sorted and filed, then later pulled and packed to be forwarded based on members’ instructions.
There are four mail service operators on duty from 8am-5pm, Central Time. They answer calls from mail service member-subscribers. They record your forwarding instructions, make updates to your mail service profile, or re-direct your call to someone else at National if you require additional help or information.
The package desk is staffed by Pat Emmons and Sandra Snook . They’ve received and forwarded many unusual items, including bus tires, refrigerators, and satellite dishes. Is it okay to receive items like this through the mail service? Yes! The key to a happy ending for your packages is speedy retrieval! When you’ve ordered something unusual or large or fragile that might require special handling, please call in for prompt forwarding. This busy package desk processes an average of 22,000 packages a year.
The highlight of the mailroom tour is Howie! Howie is a state-of-the art mail sorting machine that makes the work of the human sorters and filers much easier. (The machine is named Howie because, when we bought it, we wondered, “How are we going to pay for this?”) Every morning a huge semi-truck full of mail pulls into the parking lot and unloads over 2,500 tubs and trays of mail. Howie sorts this load into PMB and mail box numbers. The filing staff hand-files the sorted mail into the appropriate “boxes” in the main section of the mailroom. Filing begins early in the day and continues until noon. As mail-forwarding requests come in from members, the filed mail is pulled and prepared for forwarding. While many aspects of the mail service operation are computerized, there is a very human touch to the entire process.
The Escapees Mail Service is the largest, and we think the best, of its kind in the US. We have 10,650 member subscribers. In 2004, the Escapees Mail Service handled 7,471,456 pieces of mail! Yes, that’s more than seven MILLION pieces of mail. Something to be proud of!
The Escapees Mail Service number is 1-800-231-9896.
Escapees Mail Service – A Virtual Tour
The Escapees Mail Service is actually three separate operations: the operators who answer your calls and process your mail-forwarding instructions; the package desk where packages are received, catalogued, and forwarded; and the mailroom where incoming mail is sorted and filed, then later pulled and packed to be forwarded based on members’ instructions.
There are four mail service operators on duty from 8am-5pm, Central Time. They answer calls from mail service member-subscribers. They record your forwarding instructions, make updates to your mail service profile, or re-direct your call to someone else at National if you require additional help or information.
The package desk is staffed by Pat Emmons and Sandra Snook . They’ve received and forwarded many unusual items, including bus tires, refrigerators, and satellite dishes. Is it okay to receive items like this through the mail service? Yes! The key to a happy ending for your packages is speedy retrieval! When you’ve ordered something unusual or large or fragile that might require special handling, please call in for prompt forwarding. This busy package desk processes an average of 22,000 packages a year.
The highlight of the mailroom tour is Howie! Howie is a state-of-the art mail sorting machine that makes the work of the human sorters and filers much easier. (The machine is named Howie because, when we bought it, we wondered, “How are we going to pay for this?”) Every morning a huge semi-truck full of mail pulls into the parking lot and unloads over 2,500 tubs and trays of mail. Howie sorts this load into PMB and mail box numbers. The filing staff hand-files the sorted mail into the appropriate “boxes” in the main section of the mailroom. Filing begins early in the day and continues until noon. As mail-forwarding requests come in from members, the filed mail is pulled and prepared for forwarding. While many aspects of the mail service operation are computerized, there is a very human touch to the entire process.
The Escapees Mail Service is the largest, and we think the best, of its kind in the US. We have 10,650 member subscribers. In 2004, the Escapees Mail Service handled 7,471,456 pieces of mail! Yes, that’s more than seven MILLION pieces of mail. Something to be proud of!
The Escapees Mail Service number is 1-800-231-9896.
Thursday, August 4
Yesterday Joyce gave us a tour of the area(Eugene/Springfield OR) so we could more easily find our way around although I must say the GPS has been a big help in that endeavor. We stopped and picked blueberries. I have never been overly fond of blueberries but then I had never eaten them directly from the bushes on which they grew either. There is a tremendous difference. In this picture Butch and Joyce are waiting for me to return so we can start picking. Butch ate 3 of them...I was sooo proud of him!!
Last night we went to Roaring Rapids Pizza Place with our Oregon family. We ate pizza, visited and enjoyed a beautiful view of the Willamette River.
Last night we went to Roaring Rapids Pizza Place with our Oregon family. We ate pizza, visited and enjoyed a beautiful view of the Willamette River.
Tuesday, August 2
We have been on the road for several days...hmmm...let's see we left Marlene and Bernard's in northern Iowa Wednesday morning and it seems like a long time ago. It is easy to get confused when we are on the move. But now we are in the Eugene Kamping World RV Park and paid for a week. I have WiFi and that tickles me pink.
We have been to the grocery store and took Corkey's advice...she told me every time you have the opportunity to sign up for a discount card from a store to do so. So we signed up for an Albertson's card and saved $4.00+. We keep the cards in the car as Corkey also advised and then they are handy when you need them and when you travel as much as we have you can get quite a stack of cards!
Angel is adjusting nicely to being a traveling cat. She rides underneath my seat and sleeps most of the time. She comes out every time we stop, to see where we are then scoots back under the seat when we take off again.
The ride through the mountains was a breeze compared to the other times we have been in the mountains or on twisty curvy roads. Our new MoHo handled extremely well according to Butch. The aforementioned Corkey and Allen told us they get 10.5 MPG by driving 55 with their Mountain Aire so Butch decided to try it with fuel prices such as they are and we ARE getting 10 MPG too!
I have started a new Swedish Weaving project with sage monk's cloth,Red Heart Lt. raspberry and medium sage yarn. I love those colors together.
I had Internet most of the time with Verizon but rarely with WiFi without paying...and I won't pay! The Wifi is so much better and faster but so far the Verizon has been the one I can count on.
We have been to the grocery store and took Corkey's advice...she told me every time you have the opportunity to sign up for a discount card from a store to do so. So we signed up for an Albertson's card and saved $4.00+. We keep the cards in the car as Corkey also advised and then they are handy when you need them and when you travel as much as we have you can get quite a stack of cards!
Angel is adjusting nicely to being a traveling cat. She rides underneath my seat and sleeps most of the time. She comes out every time we stop, to see where we are then scoots back under the seat when we take off again.
The ride through the mountains was a breeze compared to the other times we have been in the mountains or on twisty curvy roads. Our new MoHo handled extremely well according to Butch. The aforementioned Corkey and Allen told us they get 10.5 MPG by driving 55 with their Mountain Aire so Butch decided to try it with fuel prices such as they are and we ARE getting 10 MPG too!
I have started a new Swedish Weaving project with sage monk's cloth,Red Heart Lt. raspberry and medium sage yarn. I love those colors together.
I had Internet most of the time with Verizon but rarely with WiFi without paying...and I won't pay! The Wifi is so much better and faster but so far the Verizon has been the one I can count on.
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