Girl Camper

On this week’s show our guest is Mark Polk from RV Education 101. Mark discusses the proper use of the your tow vehicle; vehicle maintenance tips and monitoring your gauges while towing. Mark is the founder of RV Education 101 and has written many articles and produced numerous DVD’s on RV and vehicle maintenance. We also talk about ebooks and the Acadia National Park Adventure Guide. We also have a give away from RV Eduacation 101; Mark’s DVD series on renovating vintage campers. To enter the contest, sign up for the Girl Camper blog alerts.

 

Holdyou Foundation

Acadia National Park Adventure Guide

Mark has also graciously made us a Tow Vehicle Tips PDF with an outline of information we  discuss in the show.

In this weeks episode we talk about Girl Camper destinations and one of those is the annual Country Living Fairs produced by Stella Shows for Country Living Magazine. Jeanne  Stella is our guest today and she tells us why this is not your usual “fair” and why people travel for nearly 40 states to attend them in Nashville, Tn; Rhinebeck, NY; Columbus, Ohio; and Atlanta, Georgia. In our campfire chat I share what I have learned so far about camping passes and Thousand Trails and why you might want to consider this cost effective way to camp more!

Country Living Fairs

Thousand Trails

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I this weeks episode we are talking about the pros and cons of new and vintage travel trailers. Some Girl Campers wouldn’t have anything but vintage and others would only do new. My travel buddy Carol and I discuss our own experiences with vintage trailer ownership and why we would both consider jumping ship. There is also some encouragement in our Camp Fire chat along with the announcement of our latest trip, Paint Like a Girl. Artist Mary Gregory is opening her Texas ranch to Girl Campers and wannabes for an art workshop called, Paint Like a Girl. November 4-6, 2016 will be the dates for this all inclusive, true Texas experience. Details are on the Meet Up site on the Camp Like a Girl group page. You must join the Camp Like a Girl Meet Up group to attend.

Mary Gregory;s Studio

 

On this weeks episode I had the pleasure of interviewing Laurrie Pottiger and Hope Midock from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy office in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia on all things AT. How the trail is maintained and who does all that work along with the AT lingo. What’s a SOBO and a NOBO and what is trail magic? This 2100 mile National Scenic Trail is a national treasure and if you are anywhere on the Eastern seaboard, part of it is right in your backyard. I also chatted about the difference between “ST”,  Special Trailer tires, and “LT”,  Light Truck, tires and the debate about whether “ST” tires are absolutely necessary on your travel trailer. In the Girl Camper News Roundup there is news about my GoRVing blog. It’s a year round thing now!! You will get to read the profiles of all the women who are Girl Campers year round. Whether you’re a martini and tutus Girl Camper or a boondocking, hiking, catch your own supper, Girl Camper you will enjoy reading about how these ladies made it happen.

RV Tires by Mark Polk

Janine’s Go RVing blog

Appalachian Trail Conservancy

On this week’s episode Walter Cannon from RV Safety and Education Foundation discusses the formula for determining your tow vehicle’s maximum towing capacity and your trailer’s true weight. He will also tell us how to determine the tongue weight of your rig. The tongue weight is the downward force that the tongue of the trailer exerts on the hitch attached to your tow vehicle. To tow safely and control sway one should have a tongue weight of 9 – 15% of the trailer’s total weight. Listen to Walter as he explains the true weight of your vehicle and rig. Insurers estimate 70% of the trailers being towed do not fit industry standards. Does yours? In our Girl Camper News Roundup we have a new trip – The Great American Road Trip through the north western hills of South Carolina. The Girl Campers will be leaving from Gaffney, South Carolina and taking the historic Rt 11 trip through the foothills to the Georgia border. Waterfalls, roadside stands, B & B’s, Table Rock and lots of other tourist attractions await the traveler on this trip. Also on this episode is a segment on safe caravanning. When a group of people are all going to the same place, is it best to stay together or leave some room on the highway?  Outside Our Bubble has some great advice and a Dash Cam “don’t ” to view.

On this weeks episode Mike Harlan of Haydocy Airstream will talk about the partnership between GMC, AAA, Kampgrounds of America and a group of RV manufacturers aimed at making it possible for anyone to take that all American vacation; The Road Trip. Mike discusses the details of the partnerships and all the benefits to participants from the comprehensive support from AAA to the safety and security of the KOA network. In addition Mike discusses the Apple software that comes with the rental allowing travelers to access their chosen motor homes operating manual as well as chart their trip through AAA. Airstreams, Vintage Cruiser by Gulfstream and the Tab trailers from The Little Guy Company are among the trailers would be road trippers can choose from. The Road Adventure website will go live on January 15th just in time to make your summer travel plans.

In our Girl Camper News Round Up I talk about out latest “Camp Like a Girl” event taking place in Davis, West Virginia from May 12-15, 2015. “Camp Like a Girl” events are designed for anyone who wants to experience a weekend of Girl Camping. If you have been watching all the fun on social media and want to join in, here is your big chance. Find the details for this trip which is open to Girl Campers from all groups as well as newbies and wannabes, at  http://www.meetup.com/Camp-Like-A-Girl/ .

www.haydocyairstream.com

www.koa.com

www.gmc.com

www.aaa.com

www.gulfstreamrvtrailers.com

www.golittleguy.com

 

I am wrapping up the coverage on my big trip to the Arizona desert to camp in January. It was on my "to do" list for so long and I enjoyed every minute of it. Unlike some bucket list items, this dispersed camping is not a "one and done" thing. I know I will make it part of my winter for a long time to come.

Craggy Wash BLM spot near Lake Havasu, Arizona

I had the opportunity while I was there to meet Frank and Sandy Schrader who were all set up for a winter of free camping in exchange for about 30 hours of work per week. I met Frank on my second day there when he pulled up in his truck to say hello and give me my two week tag to be placed on my dashboard. It is Franks job to welcome people, lay out a few ground rules and make sure no one overstays their welcome. Camp hosts do not handle things like unruly campers. They are there strictly to alert local authorities to any trouble that may require the law to become involved. Frank was happy to report that it is indeed a rare occasion for him to have to contact authorities.

I wondered what would make Frank and Sandy want to spend the whole winter in one place when in reality, they could camp for free all over the place with no responsibilities at all. So many people talk about camp hosting and workkaming that I thought their story was intriguing. You can hear it from both the husband and wife's perspective on today's podcast!

Frank and Sandy loving the simple life!

Also, Congratulations are in order for the winner of our R Pod Charity Raffle trailer. We chose the winning ticket on Valentine's Day and the lucky winner was Michelle Wyland of Pennsylvania. Michelle was at work when she checked her phone to see if the winner had been chosen. When she saw her name she let out a scream that made her co workers fear she had been hurt!! She will be picking it up in March at Setzer's World of Camping in Huntington, West Virginia. They were gracious enough to detail it and are going to do a thorough walk through with her when she attends Camper College there on March 21, 2020. Camper College is open to all and starts at 10 AM. There's no charge...just come and we'll fit you in.

Nancy's craft and sewing tent on their Camp Host site. She uses this as her little she shed over the winter.