RV Patrol

When we are way up in the mountains, in high altitude and thin air, our GPS decides to set itself on Sherpa Mode. It carefully maps a route that is Longest, Obscure, and Steep Terrain - L.O.S.T.

Such as the day we travelled from Asheville, NC to Renfro Valley, KY. When we left camp in NC, a simple turn to the right would have led to the highway in a couple of easy miles, but instead the GPS sent us to the left. So we traversed the Appalachian Mountains on the back roads for two hours: though hill and holler, over dale and dell, around switchbacks and hairpin turns. All in the motorhome.

Just east of Badlands National Park, take some time to visit Prairie Homestead. You’ll see an actual Sodbuster house and farm from the turn of the century, and wonder how these folks ever made a go of it!

One of our great national treasures, Yellowstone National Park is wild and untamed place. And, as the Park Rangers are fond of telling tourists, this is also a place fraught with peril and danger. Wildlife in Yellowstone can be unpredictable, especially when spooked or provoked, and this element of risk adds an extra zing to your camping experience.

We set up camp at Jackson Hole Campground on the Moose-Wilson Road and celebrated with some frosty local beer purchased at the check-in office.

Isn’t it funny how somebody’s peculiar hobby can introduce you to a whole new world? Such was the case when I attended a blacksmithing convention in Troy, Ohio with family members.

For a brief and beautiful time, around the turn of the last century, utopian societies were in full swing. The shining jewel of these enterprises is Shaker Village in Pleasant Hill, Kentucky.

Nestled in the woods of southern Indiana, Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial and Lincoln State Park are a surprising combination of great camping with a fascinating history lesson. These parks commemorate the area where Abraham Lincoln grew from boy to manhood, and where he earned his moniker as a Frontier Statesman.

The Badlands is leftover volcanic terrain, strange and beautiful, but most inhospitable. There’s hardly a living thing out here except rattlesnakes and prairie dogs. But it’s a wonderful place to tour and camp on your way to South Dakota’s Black Hills.

Like pocketknives? Love a good bargain? Then Sevierville, TN is the place for you!

Sevierville hosts a bevy of factory outlets, has several campgrounds, and is a good starting point for touring Pigeon Forge, Dollywood, and Gatlinburg.

We had a wonderful camping experience at Campfire Lodgings, just north of downtown Asheville, NC. This privately owned campground is located at the top of Goldview Knob, and is worth the steep climb to get there. The owners have thoughtfully provided encouraging signs along the way to keep you moving, like “Just a little further” and “Ya made it!” But do take the time to unhook your towed vehicle before you ascend their gravel road.