RV Navigator

Ride em cowboy was our mantra this month as we made our way North to attend the Calgary Stampede. This is a traditional rodeo with major side shows to visitor entertained. We attended with the help of Fantasy RV tours who made all of the arrangements. They did a superior job of organizing our activities. Although you probably could have made all of the arrangements ourselves, we chose to participate in the Fantasy tour Rally. They provided good tickets of all of the major events and gave us advice on other interesting activities surrounding the Stampede. We did several bus tours to see the sights of Calgary and used the metro to visit the stampede itself. Camping, such as it was, was in the parking lot of a sport stadium. We were a bit skeptical at first, but this proved to be an ideal central location for our visit. A metro stop was within easy walking distance and they provided metro tickets in our Rally package. The parking lot had temporary water and electric for the RV and nice bath rooms for us. They even provided waste water pump-out mid Rally.

Traveling the 1500 miles home was took us a full week as we meandered our way home. We made stops at Blue-Ox (free full hookup camping) and again at HWH (leveling jacks) for some repairs. We also had a chance to once again stay in a COE campground along the Mississippi. These campground are very nice with ample space for large rigs. Most of the developed sites have 50 amp, a cement pad and senior citizen rates of less than $10. We'll be back to visit the many water oriented COE campgrounds again.

This episode also features our take on the new iPhone 3Gs. This device is turning into a full fledged computer with the many aps that are available. It does email, web browsing, GPS, compass, calendar, contacts, phone, out of the box. For just a few extra dollars you can add many other functions that are customized to your needs. I used the Auto info ap to keep track of fuel usage, repairs, oil changes and the like - for both vehicles. So it is one device that replaces several paper notebooks and other electronic devices. Sweet!

We also purchased a Windows Netbook this month. This is a very small Windows portable computer. 10" screen, 3 pounds, 6 hr battery and full connectivity for internet use. Aong with the iPhones, we are expecting it to get a major workout on our next trip.

There is industry news this month and it is not all bad. So take a listen to this months episode (42) and let us know what you think. Ideas and suggestions are always appreciated via email or our listener comment line, 815/230-0772.

After a long drive from our home in the burbs of Chicago, we spent a week in Flagstaff catching up with a town which hosted us for some university classes in 1978. That was the last time we were in this area, so we were anxious to retrace some of our earlier adventures. At that time we were in our green camper van (see our 35 years of camping) and did the national parks on the weekends during the summer session.

With the arrival of our friend, Hartmut, from Munich on the last day of May, we headed to the Grand Canyon South Rim. The RV trailer park there is the perfect place to see this spectacular scenic attraction. From there we headed to west Grand Canyon, a fairly new scenic attraction featuring the Grand Canyon.

A brief stop in Vegas added to our trip North as we headed to Zion and Bryce for a couple of days each. Hartmut found Bryce to be his favorite National Park, but he found them all to be unique.

A long drive to Yellowstone and the Tetons ended our national park adventure. We dropped him off in Salt Lake, were we spent a week doing the sights in a city that we'd only passed through earlier.

The end of the month brings us to Calgary for the Stamped which is held over the July 4th weekend.

This episode features an interview and our usual collection of stories and adventure from the road. Send comments, suggestions and ideas to [email protected] or use the comment hot line 815/230-0772.

After only 6 weeks at home the travel bug hit us again so we cranked up the motorhome to head to Arizona and points North. That's the grand plan, but leaving on May 15th with those many days and miles of road between us and Arizona, left us rather road weary. Arriving in Flagstaff, AZ some 1500 miles from home, we took some time for sight seeing and relaxing in the Arizona sun. That just didn't work out as the weather was not even up to Illinois Memorial Day standards. We tried many free campgrounds on this trip west. This has become a standard operating procedure for us both as a money saving opportunity. We include a list of free camping resources.

We do of course keep you up to day with the latest in the RVing world. I am always looking for the latest and greatest RVing toys and have some to share this month. Also covered in this episode is water purification and some questions about campground rules. Join us for 35 minutes of RVing banter.

Send comments, suggestions and ideas to [email protected] or use the comment hot line 815/230-0772.

After several long flights, the RV Navigator arrived home from 83 days in New Zealand & Australia in early April. This month we are glad to share a new RV song and an interesting interview with another Australian RVing couple, Andrew and Catherine. This interview was conducted in our hotel room on one of the final days in Sydney. They we kind enough to drive several hours to spend some time with us. The efforts of our listeners to spend some time with us is truly gratifying and we appreciate the efforts.

As usual we also have been doing some upgrades to our RVing experiences at home in preparation for our upcoming trip to some of our biggest national parks later in May. We upgraded our cell phone data service with a new data card, purchased new folding bikes, and bought new batteries for the motorhome. These and several other new topics are the focus of our discussion in this episode.

So what about daisywheeling - our guests purchased their motorhome (a class C by US standards) because they did NOT want to do daisywheel camping. We on the other hand nearly always to daisywheel camping. Where do you stand? Take a listen for more details.

If you tried to download last months episode (March, 2009) and found 20 minutes of silence about a minute into the show, please download it again. This mistake was online for about 12 hrs. Sorry for the mistake, I have no explanation for this gap - but that's technology.

As for this month, we have taken a different approach to seeing Australia. After 35 days in New Zealand driving on narrow roads on the wrong side of the road, we are letting some one else do the driving. We joined the Sun Princess in Sydney for a 28 day cruise around Australia. Looking at an Australia map and knowing the capabilities of our traveling in an RV, we decided that it would be impossible to really see Australia in a few weeks in an RV. A comparible 35 days spent RVing Australia would only get us to the East coast of this vast land. The cruise ship however seemed like a logical alternative. It visits the most important ports on the many coastal areas of Australia from Sydney around to Perth and Tasmania. Driving would have been taxing involving thousands of miles and many days of driving just to get to the major cities. So now that this trip is about done, we are happy with the experience and feel that we have truly tasted the best of Australia. Yes, we could spend much more time in many of the ports, but we now have a much better feel for the soul of the country and it people. The ships passengers were 80 percent Australian, so we were able to meet and talk with many "locals" for every corner of the country. This has been a real pleasure and learning experience.

In this podcast we feature and interview with Al and Sue, loyal RV Navigator Podcast listeners from Australia. Listening to them will give all of our listeners a chance to hear about Aussie Caravanning first hand. We enjoy meeting listeners and are sure that you will enjoy this interview.

Also, we have our usual features with news from the world of RVing back home, a bit of R'n'R (ranting and raving) by Ken, some new technology to keep you eye on and emails from listeners.

Send comments, suggestions and ideas to [email protected] or use the comment hot line 815/230-0772.

Have you thought of an RV vacation in New Zealand? Hundreds of RVers are traveling to New Zealand to see the sights and enjoy the wilderness. We don't know how many are Americans, but there are "camper-vans" on every road at every major tourist attraction. Renting an RV is a very popular way to see the country, so we decided to give it a try. Over all our experiences were very positive. Although it may seem daunting to plan an itinerary for a trip in such a distant location, it really is as easy as traveling at home. The campgrounds (Holiday Parks) are good, the roads are well marked and easy to navigate and the attractions world class. Of course there are differences, but that the fun of travel outside the US. Yes, we were driving on the left, yes there are more roundabouts than anyone would believe, yes there are many one lane bridges, yes the mountain roads are narrow, but the experience makes learning these difference worthwhile. Your 4 (for this trip) RV Navigators have driven 3231 miles in their rental RVs to bring you real story. We could have done an RV Caravan where someone else does the planning, but we wanted a more customized and longer trip so we did it all ourselves. It was a smart decision and we had a great time. No tickets, accidents or mishaps marred our trip. Even the white knuckle driving was worth the scenic beauty that was at the end of the road.

We chose January-February for the best weather and we were reward with some spectacular blue sky days. Although the weather is never perfect for long, on the days we needed clear skies the weather cooperated. The temperatures were mostly warm but we did need a heater on some nights even in the mid summer.

The south island of New Zealand, has the mountains and water that combines to make for scenic beauty. The North island is more developed and has thermal features and beaches. Because it is in the North, it is warmer and more suited to beach vacations. Although we didn't do much swimming, the seascapes should put it on anyone must see list.

This episode is rather long but we have lots to share and we hope that you'll want to travel to New Zealand after hearing it. It has been an experience getting this podcast ready for uploading, so we hope that you enjoy it. As always we appreciate your listening.

Send comments, suggestions and ideas to [email protected].

This winter we decided to head really far south, crossing the equator, dateline, hemisheres abd multiple time zones, to find a real summer experience. We landed in Auckland NZ for a month of travel via rental RV. In our case we are renting a 21ft Jayco class C, with a left hand drive diesel and manual transmission. The biggest problem with this set up is that the copilot is always getting in on the drivers side. Artie our Garmin GPS has been updated with NZ maps so is doing his usual great job of getting us around in unfamiliar territory. He has not learn how to shout "STAY LEFT" but the co-pilot is handling this job with ease. Over all we have enjoyed some great natural sites and good roads as we travel around the country. More details next month- there are alot interesting RVing details that we'll share later.

We thought that many of our listeners might be planning a trip overseas - now that the dollar has finally start to increase in value, travel is more affordable. Traveling outside the US has its quirks, so you need to know a few facts and tips before venturing abroad. We share our packing, money, jet-lag stratgies with out listeners.

Internet abroad is getting better but we want you to be aware of some issues in the internet landscape with effect you both at home and abroad. We share an article from "Geeks on Tour" and give our perspective on this important topic.

It has been an experience getting this podcast ready for uploading so we hope that you enjoy it. As always we appreciate your listening.

Send comments, suggestions and ideas to [email protected] or use the comment hot line 815/230-0772.

The end of our 3 season of doing the podcast and it has been rewarding. We now have over 1600 downloads per month plus we hear from many listeners. It is time to say thanks for listening. Year end bring lots of interesting topics for this month episode. After unsuccessfully searching for RV themed carols for last months episode, listener Don from Texas suggested "Livin' in a Mobile Home" by "Riders in the Sky" as a theme song with no holiday significance. An a joy it was to listen too after spending quite alot of effort to obtain the out of print CD from 1990. Then it is on to Homer Simpson and his trails with buying the "Ultra Land Behemoth" ultimate motorhome, from Bob's RV. We spend some time talking about new products introduced at the national RV show in Louisville in early December. Besides the interesting new RV configuration including a slide within a slide, there was a fuel cell electric generator. These and many more topics are on our agenda for this podcast so give it a listen and keep in touch via the listener comment line, 815/230-0772.

A warm holiday greeting from your RV Navigators is the first order of business. We have heard from so many listeners about their RVing hopes and dreams this past year. It has been very rewarding for us. We are homebodies for the holidays. Since retiring we don't travel over the holidays, so we spend the time getting caught up on projects and seeing friends. Out of this busy schedule (oh, ya, very busy :-) we take time out to make the monthly podcast. Our thoughts are about the holidays, so we are doing our annual RVers gift guide in addition to a few other topics.

How about a 32 foot diesel class A motor home that gets nearly 15 miles per gal? Damon has introduced the Avanti which is just that.

We offer some great gift ideas - and we look to you for more. So send us your greatest hits for RVers list.

One of our projects has been the creation of a photo book of our New England Fall Colors trip. There are many choices, but we have settled on Blurb as our printer. For a few dollars they will print a high quality photobook which has been custom designed by you. These can also be view on their website. Do a search on "Peeparazzi" on the Blurb.com website to see our work.

With the cold weather taking hold, RVers are faced with keeping their RV warm and toasty. As we all know even the warm climes frequented by Snowbirds can still get cold. Should you use electric or propane heat? How to keep your expensive RV batteries in good share are both topics covered in this podcast.

Time to be merry, our gift list includes some big, some small, some funny, and some serious gift suggestions. We even end with a Christmas carol, so take a listen to this months RV navigator and send us email or a comment on the listener comment line, 815/230-0772.

It has been quite a month on the road for us. With falling prices of diesel, we feel more like hitting the road and that is exactly what we did. We left you on the coast of Maine eating Lobster. We headed inland to take in the fall colors of New England. After a rainy and cold beginning, the weather turned perfect for leaf peeping and we got to working taking what turned out to be 24 gigs of digital photos. The crystal blue skys combined with the rich color of the foliage really made our photos pop. The website contains a link to some of the best examples. We also spent 5 days at a digital photo workshop sponsored by Elder Hostel. We took several field trips - some in the early morning - to get the perfect shots.

On the RVing side, although gas prices are down, sales of RV are not up, Why? We have an explanation. We also stayed a a couple of interesting campgrounds which will be interest to many listeners. Our trip to Speedco for an oil change proved enlightening and we share some of our digital photo experiences.

All in all a good month in the RV and we are anxious to share it with you.