Table of contents for 010 Apr/May 2023 in RV TODAY

In 2021, we had two small kids, my husband was unhappy at his job, and we loved our home that we had built, but wanted something more. We just had so much stuff, and none of it was actually making us happy. Russell’s job required him to travel overseas for months at a time, and when he was home, he mostly sat behind a desk, which didn’t suit him at all. What we really wanted was more time together, so we decided Russell would quit his job and we would buy a camper and do some traveling with our kids. The housing market was great, so we sold our house and moved into a small rental that we owned next door. After a ton of RV shopping, I found a…

Attractions Campgrounds Information Harvest Hosts Harvest Hosts locations and reviews generously provided by the team at Harvest Hosts. Visit harvesthosts.com for a 15% off discount. COST $ Up to $30 / night $$ $31-$60 / night $$$ $61+ / night Have a place to see and/or stay? Visit rvtoday.com/work-with-us and click the Campground or Attractions form to share your favorite road trip spots! FAST FACTS Full Hookups Big Rig Friendly Kid-friendly Pet-friendly Pool Wi-Fi Pacific SCREAMIN’ EAGLE CAMPGROUND 17 Second Ave., Ocean City, WA 98569 Screamin’ Eagle Campground was pristine! It’s a three-minute walk from the huge beach at Ocean Shores, and it’s close to many amenities. The owners were nice and helpful, and the campground was really well-maintained. We stayed in mid-May, and it was not too crowded. We even ended up extending…

My wife, Toxey, and I traveled as often as we could after we met in 1964. We married in 1966, and I was wounded in Vietnam in 1968 with severe leg injuries. After having three children, we started camping every chance we had, starting with tents, then tent trailers, until Toxey passed in 2020. Our first major cross-country trip was in our new Volkswagen bug pulling a tent trailer, with two kids in diapers. We gradually transitioned from tents to campervans, then to our first new class C motorhome in 1995. Before we bought the motorhome, we had a van built by Sportsmobile in Indiana, on their 24-foot 3500 campervan platform, which was their largest. It had everything, including a Braun tri-fold lift, a multi-lift on floor base, and even…

Every year, RV manufacturers organize and host events for RVers across the country. You can check RV manufacturer websites or find Facebook groups to see the latest updates regarding their event schedule and locations. You’ll notice many of these events are held at the Elkhart County Fairgrounds. Elkhart, Indiana is known as the RV Capital of the World because many manufacturers are based in the area, and the fairgrounds are located in Goshen, a short drive from the city of Elkhart. The Montana Owners Club (MOC) hosts several events in different regions throughout the year to provide owners the opportunity to visit with other Montana owners without having to drive very far. This year, the main annual rally will be held September 8–15 at the Elkhart County Fairgrounds. Grand Design…

When we first started camping 26 years ago, we rarely met other Asian Americans on our camping trips. We love to share our passion for the outdoors with others—especially those with a similar upbringing and culture that tends to shy away from this activity. While falling in love with camping and RVing, we also created a Facebook group for Asian American RV adventurers in order to foster a sense of community and connection. “We share our love of food, pets, gadgets, and Mother Nature, as well as traditions and culture from our motherland, plus other shared interests.” We post our trips for inspiration and provide advice, tips, and campground reviews, in addition to hosting campouts and rallies. We offer a safe, informative, and fun platform for Asian American RVers. During…

If hearing the words “Tennessee whiskey” only gets you humming the country song or imagining the black and white label of a Jack Daniel’s bottle, you’re probably not alone, but you are definitely missing out! For more than 200 years, Tennessee has been a leader in the production of distilled spirits. Early American settlers heading west found pure water sources, great weather, and quality soil for growing grains—all critical ingredients for high-quality whiskey. Prohibition laws were enacted in the state in 1909, more than a decade before the Volstead Act ended the production and consumption of alcohol for pleasure in the United States in 1920. Prohibition ended in 1933, but Tennessee remained dry until 1939, when laws were enacted to allow the distillation of drinkable spirits in three counties—Lincoln, Moore,…

MAY West Coast Kencraft Trailers and Friends Casa de Fruta, Spring Fling May 4–7 Hollister, CA Rainbow RV Las Vegas Rally May 19–21 Las Vegas, NV Colorado Hi Loners on Wheels May 21–26 Longmont, CO JUNE West Coast Kencraft and Friends Summer Fun on the Delta June 8–11 Rio Vista, CA Wind River Rally June 22–25 Hudson, WY RVing Women SoCAL journers Chapter June 22–25 Oceano, CA JULY 2023 People’s Tiny House Festival July 8–9 Loveland, CO Winnebago Grand National Rally 2023 July 16–20 Forest City, IA 2023 New York Grand Design Rally July 27–30 Alexandria Bay, NY AUGUST Airstream Club’s 2023 End of Summer Rally August 18–21 Mineral, WA Vanlife Eats August 25–27 Basingstoke, Hampshire, England Colorado Hi Loners on Wheels August 20–25 Aurora, CO SEPTEMBER Airstream Club’s The…

This vintage rig may look like a bus, but it’s an RV made by a school bus company. Lacey, Dustin, and Althea Reichwald fell in love with the 1984 Blue Bird Wanderlodge named Mother Ship, and it’s easy to see why. Retro features including the round headlights, paint job, and overall boxy shape make this vehicle stand out, and there’s even more to love inside. Quirky elements like the built-in countertop blender and musical horn also make this RV unique. “Picture an ice cream truck music maker, but as loud as a fire truck siren,” the family said. “The musical horn plays more than 30 songs, from ‘America The Beautiful’ to ‘Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah.’ Our favorite? ‘On The Road Again.’” During the 2.5 years the family traveled full time, they really learned…

Most RVs are designed to be used in campgrounds with some combination of electrical, water, and sewer hookups. But what happens if you want to take your RV someplace with no hookups at all? Maybe your destination doesn’t have great campgrounds nearby, or the campground you’re visiting doesn’t offer hookups. Or maybe you want to get away from it all and park in a beautiful area where you can’t see your neighbors! There are many terms for camping without hookups: wild camping, dry camping, dispersed camping, free camping, boondocking, and even just overnight parking. They all have slightly different meanings, but boondocking is the most commonly used term with RVers. It derives from “being out in the boondocks,” but it applies to any situation where you have no hookups. Electricity…

Founded in 2019, the RV Women’s Alliance is an organization with a mission to elevate, educate, and promote women in the RV industry, making the industry a place where women thrive. One of their newest signature programs is a series of female-only RV technician classes offered in conjunction with the RV Technical Institute. The program was piloted in August 2022 and resulted in 24 women successfully completing the training and testing to become RVTI Certified Level 1 RV Technicians. The response to the class was so great, the Alliance is expanding the program nationwide. This year, the Alliance is hosting five all-female technician classes across the United States—in Texas, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Indiana. The purpose of these classes is to get more women into the RV technician field and…

The beauty of Florida beaches contrasts with vast marshlands and massive canopies of live oak trees at Fort Clinch State Park. The 1,400-acre park, located just south of Florida’s border with Georgia on Amelia Island, provides a diverse backdrop for nature explorers and history buffs alike. ABOUT AMELIA ISLAND Named one of the top ten islands in the United States by Conde Nast Traveler, with a rich history dating back over 400 years, Amelia Island has served under eight flags since it was founded. If you’re a history buff, be sure to visit the Amelia Island Museum of History. Outside of exploring the beauty of the state park, my favorite part of the area was the Fernandina Beach Main Street district, a historic downtown area with locally-run shops and restaurants.…

Located on the remote west coast of Vancouver Island, Tofino is a small coastal town lauded as the surf capital of Canada—and the only place in the country where you can surf year-round. There are plenty of articles out there that will highlight all the best activities and restaurants in Tofino, but I want to share our experience as a full-time RV family. For us, Tofino wasn’t just a vacation destination—along with my husband, two kids, and two dogs, I called Tofino home for six months during the winter season. When we moved into our RV full time, one of the first decisions we had to make was where to go for the winter. We’d been living in Ontario, and after some research, I knew I wanted to spend the…