http://www.rvag.org/blog/ RVing and Guides: Information we want but can't always easily find on the web en Copyright 2007 Wed, 18 Apr 2007 18:09:01 -0800 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Earthday Network Earth Day US Gov (an oxymoron with current administration) Earth Day Wikipedia Earth Day International

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]]> http://www.rvag.org/blog/2007/04/earth_day_2007.html http://www.rvag.org/blog/2007/04/earth_day_2007.html News Wed, 18 Apr 2007 18:09:01 -0800 Precious metals keeps driving up cost of batteries and other metal-based objects. We purchased a couple Trojan AGM batteries in January. Upon deciding to purchase two more, the price was $30 higher a few weeks ago. That is a substantial price increase. The price of a 10 foot long battery cable to run to the new bank was much higher as well. The cable was as much or more than many batteries cost nowadays. Speculation says that it's because of the civil war in Iraq. That has caused a skyrocketing increase in the cost of ammunition and related metals. Some things to keep in mind if you planning a purchase. The sooner the better. http://www.rvag.org/blog/2007/04/precious_metals_driving_up_cos.html http://www.rvag.org/blog/2007/04/precious_metals_driving_up_cos.html Boondocking Technical Mon, 16 Apr 2007 12:07:09 -0800 CCrane LED light bulbs. For the RV, we have purchased LED lights from many sources around the world. Most are adequate for accent lighting or lights that you occasionally use. Most are either not bright enough or are too focused to be of regular daily use. Then we found a new one called the Sensibulb from Sailor Solutions. Although pricey at $39.95 a bulb, it is amazing. The second version of this light just came out a few weeks ago. The light is warm and easily replaces both incandescent and halogen light bulbs. Various adapters allow it to fit different lights and a dimmer switch is also available. It runs on 0.16 amps, less than 1 watt. So replacing your most commonly used lights will save you a ton of power. Perfect for boondocking or solar power. They were designed with the boating market in mind and unveiled at the 2007 Miami Boat Show but they are also perfect for the RV market as well.]]> http://www.rvag.org/blog/2007/04/impressive_new_led_lights.html http://www.rvag.org/blog/2007/04/impressive_new_led_lights.html Boondocking Lighting Sat, 14 Apr 2007 12:28:09 -0800 Mariners Resort at Eagle Lake. This is just north of Susanville, California. I arrived off the weary road within a minute of their office closing time. To the staff credit, I didn't even notice this at first. They went about business in a friendly manner, with a staff trainee, of checking me into a premium space. I received this at the lower rate since no one else was at the park. And with the Good Sam discount, it was $30.15 for a space with all hookups. Even cable. The weather was warm and wonderful so it was quite nice to have it all to myself on this Thursday night. The store closed and the restaurant wasn't open since it was off season. So excluding some amenities, it was a nice quiet night. The park was clean and the restrooms were spotless. There is construction of new spaces and hookups in progress but I never noticed it during my night time stay. I would guess it would be noisy during daytime work hours. Across the road, there is access and a boat ramp to Eagle Lake itself. There are forest campgrounds nearby, one within a mile and all around Eagle Lake. I probably would have picked one of those at a fraction of this price, if they were open. Even though the weather was perfect, it was unusually warm and the campgrounds were still closed for another month.]]> http://www.rvag.org/blog/2007/04/mariners_resort_at_eagle_lake.html http://www.rvag.org/blog/2007/04/mariners_resort_at_eagle_lake.html Park Reviews Travel Logs Fri, 06 Apr 2007 10:54:31 -0800 After at stop in the local cemetery, I went over to one of a couple local RV Parks. This one is the Goldfield RV Park on Fourth St. You can stop as you enter and pick up an envelope to pay for your spot. They have the nice option to either dry camp for $8 or get a full hookup for $15. If only all RV Parks gave this option, we wouldn't have to complain about paying $40 at a KOA for just a nights sleep. Or we wouldn't have to seek out stores like Wal-mart to park. It was going to be chilly at around 40 degrees F overnight but we have a propane furnace and solar power so no electricity was needed. We opted for the dry camp option and went around back to pick a space. No one else was there so we had our pick. I picked the space first and then walked up front to pay. They also had a great free CD about all the Nevada towns on 95, the Silver Trail. It was entertaining as well as informative and would eventually provide several hours of listening. You could say the park is on a corner of Goldfield, up on a hill so you can overlook the whole town. From there, I opted to walk a few minutes to highway 95 that serves as both the artery and the main downtown street. Other than a couple of nice size hills, it's an easy walk to meander across the whole town. Past the county buildings, the haunted Goldfield Hotel and other various little shops. The Goldfield RV Park was nothing fancy, but it was quiet with dark starry skies at night. (Keep an eye on that hotel at night.) If your day is coming to a close, we'd recommend it as a place to stop. You are at least a couple hours from any other town, like Tonopah at a higher and cooler elevation. You can also camp out in the wild on BLM land which is all over this high desert area. There is one store, one gas station, one cafe, one motel, and a couple saloons. For some great pizza, stop by the Mozart Club right on a corner street on Highway 95. At this time, they were only open from 2-8pm Wednesday to Sunday. And they were only serving pizza in addition to the bar. On previous visits, they were open all day and served great breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Goldfield is a town with a lot of history, along with some major ups and down. Places open and close on a regular basis so it's always worth a stop to see what is happening in Goldfield Nevada today. ]]> http://www.rvag.org/blog/2007/04/goldfield_rv_park_in_goldfield.html http://www.rvag.org/blog/2007/04/goldfield_rv_park_in_goldfield.html Park Reviews Travel Logs Thu, 05 Apr 2007 09:26:01 -0800 Now there is the Annual Pass with a new price tag of $80. The new Annual Pass covers Entrance Fees or Standard Amenity Fees at sites managed by USDA FS, NPS, USFWS, BLM and Reclamation. So they did add some perks for the $30 increase but overall, I'm not sure it's a good deal for the average person like it was before. If you are a serious camper or Rv'er, it probably still makes sense. I think they would be better to have more options at a lower price tag however. Most newcomers to the idea of passes will balk at $80. If you are 62 or older or receive disability benefits, you may be eligible for the Senior or Access pass.]]> http://www.rvag.org/blog/2007/04/national_park_pass_replaced_wi.html http://www.rvag.org/blog/2007/04/national_park_pass_replaced_wi.html News Tue, 03 Apr 2007 12:35:06 -0800 The new Government Recreation Website has finally launched at Recreation.gov It seems like a forward step to finding lots of information in one place. My early complaints: When you find a location on the map, you click on it for more information, and then go "back", it takes you to another place and you have to search again to find where you were. Also, even when searching by date, the calendar function brings up campgrounds that aren't open for the season yet. So it's hard to find exactly what is available right now in the spring. And keep in mind that they don't list private parks so it doesn't provide all the options in an area.]]> http://www.rvag.org/blog/2007/04/new_government_recreation_webs.html http://www.rvag.org/blog/2007/04/new_government_recreation_webs.html News Mon, 02 Apr 2007 11:59:27 -0800 You can always find this information here. As always, ask the manager on duty if it's okay to park and stay the night. This information is subject to change at any time or with changes in local conditions.]]> http://www.rvag.org/blog/2007/03/walmart_store_listings_updated.html http://www.rvag.org/blog/2007/03/walmart_store_listings_updated.html Boondocking Sat, 31 Mar 2007 10:21:38 -0800