RV Patrol

At least once a year our destination is a landmark National Park. Since we live in the middle of the US, this usually means traveling a long distance to get to “A Park That’s a Place”. And that results in looking for a Place to Park for overnight stops.

Searching for the Heart of Dixie? Look to Alabama for some Southern surprises.

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.

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.

We return to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls time and again because the area has so much to offer. It’s all the stuff we like to do – outdoor, natural splendor, and touristy. We revisited several favorites and added some new experiences, too. The weather was perfection, and it’s a gorgeous ride cruising Niagara Parkway. The drive is dotted with islands of flowers and fountains, and the profusion of colors is simply wondrous. Walking paths alongside disappear invitingly into lush woods, and the air is clean and crisp.

There are many reasons to visit Canton, Ohio, including the Pro Football Hall of Fame and nearby Amish country. Canton also boasts several first-class hospitals, which was the reason for our recent unscheduled stay.

The beautiful thing about traveling in an RV is that you’re always at home. Sleeping in your own comfy bed, a pantry full of favorite foods, clothes hanging neatly in a closet instead of crammed into a suitcase. And when you move from place to place, you never have to unpack.

Should you find yourself in the Black Hills vicinity, gallop into Deadwood for some great western-style fun. This town is famous for its Gold Rush days, circa 1875, and for where Wild Bill Hickok was killed. The HBO series, Deadwood, has rekindled interest in this lively little town.

Why would you want to see a big rock?

Because Devils Tower is more than just a geological oddity.

There’s something deep and profound here that led Native Americans

to hold this as a Sacred Place.

Ever wonder where the locals go? Try this little gem in central Kentucky!

Dog Creek Campground is located on the east end of a sprawling valley flooded to create Nolin Lake. There are many campgrounds on Nolin Lake, but lovely little Dog Creek is just the right size to suit us. There are only about 50 electric campsites, each generous in size, with plenty of green space between and thoughtfully angled so you're not wedged against the neighbor’s clothesline of wet bathing suits

Don’t you love finding a new favorite spot to camp? Or maybe it’s a place that everyone seems to know about and you’re just discovering it for the first time. Our recent trip to Spring Mill State Park in Mitchell, Indiana proved to be just that.

There’s plenty of reasons we love RV’ing, and the list got a little longer in the weeks following Hurricane Sandy. Many RVers offered their rigs as temporary shelter to embattled East Coast residents. Power, heat, refrigerator, and sleeping quarters all in a rolling relief package. Bravo to the kind souls who lent out their campers to those in need!

Sometimes first impressions are misleading. Such was the case with our visit to First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach. This is a huge campground with direct beach access, and lots of amenities to please everyone. However, the check-in process was so confounding that we nearly gave up.

We’ve come to realize that bigger is not always better. Sometimes it’s the little places that offer the most charming experience. Greenbrier State Forest is one such gem, hidden deep in the West Virginia mountains. This is old-school camping at its finest. Small and slightly primitive, the campground offers only sixteen electric sites, tucked into lush and shady groves.

I came to Florida looking for sun and surf, and by happy accident found the most beautiful beach in the Panhandle – Gulf Islands. This is a National Park, unspoiled and pristine, with snow-white sand and emerald green waters. A lovely park to drive through and great place to camp.

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.

Its Memorial Day weekend and we’ve traveled a couple of notches south to vacation near Mammoth Cave National Park in Cave City, KY. The national park offers only primitive campsites (which means no electric service) so we are staying a few miles down the road at an RV resort. In this part of the country, the term “RV Resort” is loosely applied and commonly means a giant family playground with lots of places to plug in a trailer. 

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.

If you want a great Florida get-away for you and your dog at a reasonable price, check out the Low-Key Hideaway at Cedar Key, Florida. Cedar Key is an island off the west coast of the Florida peninsula on the Gulf of Mexico. Cedar Key is 57 miles southwest of Gainesville and 143 miles north of Clearwater and Tampa.

Blend the pearly sands of Florida with a dash of Atlantic City and a pinch of Gatlinburg and you’ve got the delights of Myrtle Beach.

On the advice of well-traveled friends, we headed the motorhome to New Harmony, Indiana last fall. This special town is located in the south-western tip of Indiana along the Illinois border, and is well worth the trip.

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! 

Temperatures are below freezing, which means it’s the perfect time to visit the Progressive RV & Boat Show and dream of summer.

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.