RV Camping - Watch Out For The Fine Print!

We try and keep up with the goings on of the USDA Forest Service and other public lands administrators as their decisions can have a huge impact on our camping locations and availability. Today we learned about some "guidance" provided by the USDA Forest Service about game retrieval and dispersed camping.

Here is where the "fine print" comes into play. We learned about this document from a camping forum post. The original forum post pointed out two issues...one had to do with ATV's, the other delt with dispersed camping (boondocking). All respondents to this point agreed that ATV's should be restricted, and that was it. Nothing mentioned at all about how camping 50 feet from a road would be lousy with dust, noise, and potential safety issues for children and pets.

So please, read the "fine print" too when you read about public lands doctrine. There is often more than meets the eye that may effect your future camping plans, and if you don't agree with what is happening, let somebody know. Write the forest service, your congressman, or your other elected representatives. They are our public servants, they should be working for us.

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RV Alternative Fuels - How Dangerous?

70 years ago today, a vehicle using an alternative fuel crashed taking the lives of 36 people. At the time, it's cutting edge technology included metal framing and fabric cover. It covered thousands of miles safely before it exploded into flames and crashed at Lakehurst, NJ.

The airship Hindenburg crash should remind us about the dangers of making changes, and the need for careful forward thinking. While Hydrogen in the Hindenburg was used as a lifting source rather than a fuel source, the results are obvious. A few years ago, MTBE was a required fuel additive to help reduce engine emissions, then it was found to be a very dangerous chemical additive easily invading ground water, and outlawed nationwide.

The Hindenburg crashed in part because the US had an embargo against less explosive Helium, so the highly explosive Hydrogen was used instead. The problem is that even though the use of Hydrogen as an alternative fuel source sounds great, there are potential problems to overcome. The same is true for Ethanol that is being touted as a great fuel source, but we just read the other day that extremely hazardous chemicals are byproducts that may cause serious environmental issues.

The US seems to take a "knee jerk" approach to energy and political issues trying for the quick fix. Unfortunately, without careful forward thinking, we end up with MTBE type problems or worse. With the cost of fuels skyrocketing, it's easy to view any reduction in our dependence on foreign fuels as positive.

RV alternative fuels are just around the corner. We hope the decision makers keep past disastrous lessons in mind as they make energy policy decisions that may effect our RV camping experiences in a negative way.

RV Camping - Central City Colorado

On May 6, 1859, a fellow named John Gregory discovered gold in what soon would be called the "Richest Square Mile on Earth". This find occurred near the site of current day Central City and Blackhawk Colorado which are located west of Denver about 40 miles.

This area is rich in mining history, with mine shafts, mills, and assorted mining equipment scattered around the mountains surrounding town. Central City was considered for Colorado's capitol, and the town has endured a boom and bust economic history from mining, to current day gambling.

There is free camping available in the area, but the Columbine Campground (with location maps) is a popular public forest service facility with vault toilets, picnic tables, water, and trash. This campground has a host, reservations are accepted, and most campsites have large Pine trees for shade throughout the day. Our 36' motor home with toad fits into most of the back-in spaces. There are no pull through sites. $12 per night. Maximum length 55'.

Located at around 9200 feet, this campground offers cool summer camping close to some of Colorado's extensive mining history. The towns of Central City and Blackhawk offer casino gambling, and streams and trails are abundant. Mountain biking, and 4x4 exploring via 1800's mining roads are popular activities.

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Free RV Camping - North Dakota

Let us introduce you to North Dakota's boating access sites on the Missouri River System. Almost all sites have a boat ramp, courtesy dock, and restrooms. Low water may make boat access unavailable.

Game and Fish Department's web site lists 57 access areas, many allow primitive camping. These developed areas are funded in part by sportsman license purchase, but you can enjoy many of them for free unless you want to engage in activities that require a license.

Here are just the first two listings...

1. Sundheim Park - 2 miles west of Cartwright on ND Highway 200, west side of Yellowstone River and on he south side of ND Highway 200. (No courtesy docks, paved access road, primitive camping, security lights, picnic shelter - McKenzie County Park Board).
2. Confluence Area - 1 1/2 miles souh of Buford on ND Highway 1804. (Paved access road, primitive camping, security lights, picnic shelter, trash receptacles - Williams County WRD)

Not everyone will enjoy these boat launch areas as an RV camping location, but travelers may think these are perfect overnight locations off the beaten path. There are more free camping ideas available at North Dakota Camping Resources. Links to Wildlife Management Areas, federal and state parks, grasslands and more.

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RV Camping Information - How Current?

We spend a lot of time every week fixing links from our RV camping website to various official information web sites. The Internet is in a constant state of change, and we are keeping up with the information changes as quickly as we can to make searching for campground information a no surprise experience.

Today was Nebraska and North Dakota's turn to slow down our expansion of the camping resource pages. Nebraska made a major change to it's tourism site that we link to for city and county campground information throughout the state. North Dakota made changes to how they present their WMA's (Wildlife Management Areas) and boat launch areas and campgrounds that required link corrections to our web site.

Finding camping locations is tough enough without hitting bad information links. We feel that the only way to provide the most current information is to provide links to many official public web sites that provide the most current camping status and information available. If that means that we have to deal with changing some links on our web pages, we'll gladly do it. You see, we really built www.rv-camping.org as our own personal research tool. We hope it works for you too!

Camping Season and Checklists

Well, It's the first of May, and camping season is upon us. I know this because I've seen video of people camping in the Colorado mountains just this weekend. Camping in the Colorado high country this early in the year is "iffy" at best. We've been camping in a full blizzard on the 4th of July in past years in Colorado's mountains, so you have to be prepared.

Being prepared is different for everyone. Even if you never leave a hard surfaced road with your RV, you need to have certain things with you to make your trip enjoyable. Personal items such as spare light bulbs, groceries, paper towels, eating utensils etc. can help make your RV camping experience trouble free.

RV Camping offers a wide range of item checklists that you should customize for your own use. From tools, glue, and bailing wire, to salt, pepper, and sugar, you will find things that you will want to have along in your RV. Forgetting something important like cooking utensils can make for an "interesting" weekend.

Use your checklists. Write down what you use up and replace it. You'll be rewarded with trouble free camping trips.

Camping and Dogs

An article in the local paper today reported the results of a survey about dogs on public lands. The public lands were open space areas where dogs were allowed to run off leash, and people were asked if they were bothered by the fact dogs were allowed off leash. 83% responded that dogs off leash is no problem in the area.

The thing is, most people love dogs. Dogs love to run and play and explore and visit other people. Unfortunately, about 1 person in 10 is afraid of dogs, and I don't appreciate strange dogs exploring my campsite either.

One reason we boondock is so we don't feel the need to have our dog on a leash all the time, and not have to worry about other dogs off leash. My dog loves people, but not everybody has been receptive to his 80 pound advances. (really, my dog is the friendliest Golden Retriever ever!)

What's my point? Just to try and remember about 1 out of 10 people you see are afraid your dog, no matter if your dog is the friendliest dog ever.