Published July, 2000
Wake-up! Begin the article with a bang! Celebrate the Fourth vicariously at http://fireworks99.8m.com/!
Now that your heart is pumping again, are you comfortable? Is your computer plugged in? Are you connected? It's again time to do some armchair RVing to look at someone's favorite websites on the Internet. Maybe something will perk your interest enough to get you out of that easy chair and into your rig. Then you can hit the road, smell the breeze, and feel the ground somewhere new. After all, isn't that what the RV is for?
What is your excuse this time for not being on the road? You say your rig is stuck on its pad. The fluzbucket on the old 1967 Yardvark trailer is broken and you have to fix it but you can't find the part. Not to worry. Take a look at http://rv.net/obsolete/ for addresses, phone numbers, and sometimes links to places that deal in obsolete parts, especially for the old Yardvarks.
It's the middle of summer, and where have most RVers gone to? Many have driven north, some as far as Alaska and Canada. Many more are scattered along the northern tier of states of the good old USA trying to keep cool.
If you are just now planning your trip, or if you are parked somewhere in the boondocks wondering what to do, take a look at National Scenic Byways Organization website for some great suggestions. It is found at http://www.byways.org/pages/index.html. This website identifies fifty-three roads and highways that have been designated as All American Roads or National Scenic Byways, describing what you will see along each drive. It also identifies many of the state scenic byways. There may be more of those highways near where you live than you ever realized.
For those RVers in the Pacific Northwest there are many events and businesses to visit. Online Highways is a great resource website that gives detailed information regarding the state of Oregon at http://www.ohwy.com/or/homepage.htm. The site contains links to webpages for towns and regions of the state that in turn have links to events and businesses in their vicinity. What is great about the website is that on the front page are links to similar resource websites for the states of Idaho, Montana, and Washington as well as British Columbia, Canada.
What about touring in Canada? As for the Pennys, we are on our way to Escapees FunDays 2000 (website http://www.escapees.com/website/fundays/) from July 23 to 27 in Kamloops, British Columbia. We are leaving early so we can attend the Calgary Stampede on the way. Check out the Stampede's great website at http://www.calgary-stampede.com/. This is a ten-day celebration with great entertainment and the world-reknowned Alberta province rodeo from July 7 to 16. You can find a listing of many other events and activities across Canada at http://gocanada.about.com/travel/gocanada/.
Are you started yet? NO? Maybe you need help understanding just what a fluzbucket is. Maybe you should talk with some old fogies about what it looks like, when to do it, and where to find it. You might get the answer to your questions from the RV Bulletin Board at http://rvnetlinx.com/wwwboard/w3index.htm where different people get together to pose their questions and display their answers. Remember, any advice is free, so don't complain about the quality of what you hear or read.
On a more serious matter, there are more and more RVers on the road who have some physical disadvantage in their life but are still making it down the road in fine style. The Handicapped Travel Club organized a number of years ago to provide information, support, and a common voice for those who are concerned about disabilities. Their website is the http://sohoconnection.com/htc/. The club offers membership to anyone who is RVing and is concerned about the issues of the disabled, whether they are personally disabled or not. Take a look if you want to know about a very active group.
For additional information on getting along, read Mike Pflug's article "Customizing RVs For The Physically Challenged" at http://www.woodalls.com/outactiv/enjoy/customiz.html. He offers a large number of references.
So, you still haven't moved! You're still sitting around the house in your easy chair, hoping someone will feed you some more vicarious RVing. Okay, this next website allows you to enjoy nature at its finest. It is called See More Wildlife at http://www.seemorewildlife.com/. They install remotely controlled video cameras in the wilds and then let you watch what happens as it happens. You may have to download the Windows Media Player to see the live video shots of wildlife around the world, but it is worth the wait. Of course, do not become too excited watching three hundred elephant seals sleeping on the beach.
Finally, for those of you who are going to actually get out on the road, plan ahead. Check if you will run into construction on your trip at http://www.randmcnally.com/plan/road_construction.ehtml from Rand McNally. It may not cover everything, but it could also save you hours of time waiting on the road for the pilot car to return.
That's all I have for this issue. I have to go practice speaking Canadian, Heh! Maybe we will see you out on the road. Drive safely.