They have to be Dog Friendly

When traveling with two big dogs, our priority for RV parks is that they offer good areas to walk and exercise the dogs. Some of the better "dog friendly" parks we recommend include:

Green River, UT - Shady Acres RV Park. We chose this park primarily because their ad in Woodall's stated they have a New Dog Park. That caught our eye immediately, and we headed right in. The owners are "dog people," and have a Golden Retriever themselves. The dog area is excellent: large and completely fenced into two separate areas, a large one for big dogs, and a smaller area for little dogs. They even provide some agility equipment and jumps for the dogs! The RV facilities were great, too, the park is clean, and has a strong WiFi signal.

Gypsum, CO - River Dance Resort. For the dogs (and us), the big plus is it's right on the Eagle River! Both dogs swam for sticks until Dawn was tired of throwing them--what's fascinating is that our German Shepherd "Boomer" is a better swimmer and a better retriever than our Golden Retriever "Pardner." Seriously. Boomer was raised by our previous Golden, "Buddy" and we are convinced he thinks of himself as a Golden (perhaps of the "European variety...")

Greeley, CO - the Greeley RV Park. The park itself is old, but the facilities were clean and everything worked. It features a large fenced dog area, 200 feet x 50 feet, with green grass! The dogs loved it, and we could throw the ball for them until they were sufficiently tired (which, unfortunately, lasts only a few hours...)

Salt Lake City, UT - KOA - this beautiful, exceptionally-well-maintained, and centrally-located RV park also offers one of the best dog walk areas we've found. As you leave the back of the park they even provide poop bags. There's a long dirt path along a creek, several large grassy areas for the dogs to romp, and huge fenced area where the dogs can be off-leash.

Things that make it better

A few comments about things we've bought that make RVing even better:

Oxygenics Shower Head -- this thing is amazing! Here's what they say about it on their website: "Oxygenics is the world's first self-pressurizing shower...the patented fluidic technology generates a full-power spray...it adapts to low and variable water pressure, producing sensational showers at any water pressure, even as low as 20 psi...Oxygenics uses up to 70% less water which results in valuable water and energy savings, while offering an invigorating showering experience...it increases the water's oxygen content up to 10X, purifying your water and revitalizes skin by rejuvenating skin cells. The showerhead includes a wand, 59 inch hose, a holder, and Teflon tape. The BodySpa Skincare showerhead resists corrosion, scale buildup, and has a lifetime guarantee to never clog or fail."

We bought ours at Camping World for around $30; they're also available from Amazon. You'll wonder how you ever got along without one...

Verizon MiFi Card -- While most RV parks offer (usually free) WiFi, the same can't be said of dry-camping and dog shows... In those situations, Dawn and I have been using a Verizon USB card for WiFi, but that necessitates swapping it back and forth between our computers. Someone told me about the MiFi 2200 "Intelligent Mobile Hotspot" from Verizon, which can serve up to five devices at one time. It's about the same "footprint" as a deck of playing cards, and about 1/3 as tall. It has a rechargeable battery so it can be used with or without a power source. I phoned Verizon and the helpful service clerk worked a great deal for me, including FREE overnight shipping! It's perfect for our needs.

Water Regulator -- often the water pressure at many of the better parks can be higher than our rubber hose & plastic water system can safely handle (I once had a hose blow off the fitting under pressure--believe me, it takes only once...). I found a great source for all sorts of regulators and filters: The RV Water Filter Store http://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com

I bought their Watts brass 263A Regulator, adjustable from 10-65 PSI, with a 2" diameter 0-160 gauge, and 4-4.5 gpm flow. Not expensive and great piece of mind.

Water Filter -- important for removing any debris and harmful gunk, and for improving the taste (and health) of your water. I bought their single canister system with brass hose fittings and a wrench. They offer a large selection of filter systems, and if you can't figure out which is best for you, there's a link at the top of the website where you can "Ask Rick."

Beautiful Roads & Perfect Weather

Thursday the 23rd we got a reasonably early start out of Ely, driving East on Highway 50. We had hoped to visit the Great Basin National Park Visitors' Center, but at the turn-off realized it would take too much time to make it worthwhile. So, we continued on into Utah. Once we crossed the state line, the road became rougher, although still lonely, and scenic. We picked up I-70 at Salina, UT and appreciated the higher speed limits...plus, it's a "green dot" (scenic) road on the map. Our destination was Green River, UT where we chose the Shady Acres RV park primarily because their ad in Woodall's featured a "New Dog Park" (that's important when traveling with two big dogs...).

The next morning we crossed into Colorado, my old "stompin' grounds..." It felt good to be back, the first time in many, many years. Glenwood Canyon is still one of the most beautiful drives, and I-70 is a delightful highway. [From what I hear, we were fortunate in that there wasn't an extreme amount of traffic...apparently there can be grid-lock in the tunnels on weekends.]

We stopped for the night at the River Dance Resort near Gypsum. The park is clean and pretty. The 71-acre parcel that the park sits on has been in the owner's family since 1882 (the site map includes a fascinating history of the family). The only downside is that it's a bit noisy because of the proximity of I-70 (of course, part of the noise was celebration, as the RV Park's owners had just gotten married...!)

The next morning we continued East on I-70. At Georgetown we turned North on US 40 to Granby, and then picked up US 34 into Rocky Mountain National Park, towards Estes Park. Called the Trail Ridge Road, it's the highest continuous motorway in the United States, with more than eight miles lying above 11,000'. It crosses the Continental Divide at Milner Pass (elev. 10,758 ft) and reaches a maximum elevation of 12,183 ft. [The name "Trail Ridge Road" derives from its proximity to historic pathways used by Colorado Indians to cross the Rocky Mountains.]

Even though it was a Saturday, there wasn't a lot of traffic heading East, so we made good time. Our 3/4-ton truck had no problem hauling our rig over the passes. As we neared to top there were some dramatic drop-offs on either side of the "ridge road" and NO railings. The weather was perfect and the views were spectacular! We didn't see any other RVs...

Once past Estes Park, US 34 was easy driving all the way in to Greeley, CO. We stayed at the Greeley RV Park, which, while old, had full facilities, was clean, and had a GREAT dog area. Sunday morning the 26th we checked in to the dog show at the Island Grove Regional Park. Yes, we were in a parking lot, but they had 30 & 50 amp service and good water. By afternoon, most of our "Sunshine Retrievers" friends had arrived, and "party time" began...

The Loneliest Road in America

Wednesday, September 22. We left Silver Springs, NV this morning and headed East on U.S. Highway 50, called the Loneliest Road in America--an appropriate name since it crosses large desolate areas with few signs of civilization. There are several desert valleys separated by numerous mountain ranges towering over the valley floors, including the Great Basin. The road is excellent, good pavement and very little traffic. No pollution either--the air is dry and clean.

US 50 follows roughly the path of the Pony Express riders. Those brave young men carried mail between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California, with stops in places such as Ely, Eureka, Austin, Fallon, Silver Springs, and on to Sacramento. The requirement to become a rider was: "young, skinny, wiry fellows not over eighteen. Must be expert rider willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred." It took 10 days for a letter to travel the entire 1,800 miles of the Pony Express route.

Fallon, called the "Oasis of Nevada," is a booming town, and has farming, cattle, and commerce. Just south of town is the Naval Air Station, which includes the Naval Fighter Weapons School (“Top Gun”). The base offers a 32-space RV park with full hookups.

We stopped for lunch and gasoline in Austin, NV, about half-way across the state, located on the western slopes of the Toiyabe Range at an elevation of 6,605 feet. Austin is considered a "living ghost town," a well-preserved example of an early Nevada mining town. It was founded in 1862 as part of a silver rush reputedly triggered by a Pony Express horse who kicked over a rock. By 1863 Austin and the surrounding Reese River Mining District had a population of over 10,000 (currently the population is approx. 425). There are several high quality turquoise mines in the area, plus a number of shops that manufacture jewelry from the turquoise, which has made Austin a sort of Turquoise mecca. A number of restaurants, intriguing saloons, motels, B&Bs, and other stores make it a worth-while stop.

Finally arrived in Ely as it was getting dark. Stayed at the KOA.

On the road again

Tuesday, September 21st. We're on the road again, heading for Greeley, Colorado to attend the Golden Retriever Nationals. Had to make a few repairs to the rig before leaving: straightened the main rafter for the awning (which got bent while we were in Glacier National Park), and installed a stronger metal bar for the spare tire holder (the old one bent in half! Probably from the tire bouncing against it.).

Over Pachecho Pass -- always one of my favorite views. Good four-lane road, perfect weather. Picked up I-5 near Santa Nella and drove north. The hills to our west are golden-colored this time of year, and with the afternoon shadows it's beautiful. Crossed over to Hwy 99 and then turned off a side road to pick up Hwy 88 through the mountains. So many of the little towns up there are enticing and "begging" for a visit, but that'll have to wait until another trip. By the time we reached the ski area of Kirkwood, the sun was setting and we were treated to a magnificent sunset!

It was dark (but not late) when we arrived at our first stop: the Silver City RV Resort in Minden, NV. By the time we got the rig set up, the dogs walked (always a priority!) and fed, we both were starving...fortunately, Dawn had pre-made a delicious meatloaf before we left home, so dinner was fairly easy. We plan to get an early start tomorrow.

Sliding Fifth Wheel Hitch

Several people have asked what kind of fifth wheel hitch we use. In my opinion, the ONLY hitch I would ever recommend is the Pullrite SuperGlide. Our truck is a GMC Sierra 3/4-ton with a King Cab (for the dogs) -- consequently the truck bed is short. The distance from the rear axle to the cab is just three feet; our Cougar fifth wheel is 8 feet wide, half that being 48 inches, which obviously wouldn't fit into a 36-inch space in the event of a 90-degree turn.

According to Pullrite.com, "SuperGlide is the only true solution for safe fifth wheel towing with short bed trucks. SuperGlide automatically moves the trailer away from the cab while making turns - allowing up to 90° turning without stopping, slowing down or even thinking about the space between the truck & trailer - and then automatically returns the hitch and trailer to the safe towing position over the truck axle when the turn is completed."

Well, it works! Exceptionally well. Yes, it was expensive, but definitely worth the cost. Initially I had considered one of the manually-operated sliding hitches, primarily because of the lower price. On-line research, however, soon convinced me that the "automatic" feature of the SuperGlide, and the peace of mind, was clearly worth the money

One posting on an RV forum from an experienced, "almost" full-timer gave a perfect illustration... He wrote that he had been using a manual sliding hitch for YEARS without problem. It was routine, he wrote, to pull into a campground, get out, pull the pin on the hitch, get back in, make a short, sharp acceleration to move the hitch back, and then continue... The problem arose on a trip with the grandchildren: he was driving in to a gas station when someone came from the other direction and abruptly parked at the pump he was heading for. More than a little annoyed, the RVer quickly backed up, turning almost 90 degrees, and suddenly there was a horrible grinding, crashing noise, and breaking glass!!! The trailer had smashed into the back of the cab, crushing it and showering his grandchildren with shards of glass (fortunately, neither was hurt, although everyone was badly shaken...).

That incident alone, especially from an experienced RVer, convinced me that "automatic" is the ONLY way to go. So, I went to Camping World and bought the SuperGlide and had them install it. Now, we have no worries about damaging the truck or our trailer when making turns, even sharp ones. As the RVer said, "it takes only one time..."

Ain't teknologee great...???

Music is important. I love it -- all kinds: jazz, classical, blues, country, ballads, gospel, and more. We have three Sirius/XM radio subscriptions, one for each vehicle. Plus, I listen to it streaming on my MacBook Pro laptop. We've been XM subscribers for many years. I listen to both classical and jazz, along with other programming, including CNN in Spanish (I need the practice...)

Recently, however, I was a bit perturbed by Sirius/XM. I downloaded the "app" to play their music on my Droid phone, but then was informed that I must pay an additional three dollars a month for a "premium" subscription...(so much for "loyalty" to long-standing customers). That got me to exploring other options, and boy, did I find some winners!

One is jazzradio.com -- they have some of the BEST jazz selections available, streaming right through my computer: cool jazz, piano jazz, Latin jazz, hard bop, blues, Sinatra style, etc. You name it, they have it. Superb programming. Music to fit whatever mood you might have.

Another highly-recommended source is PANDORA.com It's like having an all-genre, personal choice radio station that "intuits" your preferences in music and adapts to your likes. It's FREE, although I chose to buy an annual subscription, because I get unlimited access, plus the sound quality is superb.

And, with my new "Audioengine AW1" wireless sender/receiver, I can play music wirelessly from my MacBook Pro to either my Bose portable SoundDock in the RV, or at home directly to my excellent Sony DA90ESG stereo system, with Jamo 7.6 speakers, in the living room. The sound quality is amazing, especially since it's transmitted via such small wireless devices. Makes life so much more enjoyable...

Plus, I also discovered that through iTunes that I have access to not only the 600-plus CDs I've copied into iTunes (and on my iPod), but also a plethora (real word...) of radio stations from across the country. Again, one of my favorites is jazz radio KCSM (I'm a supporter) out of San Francisco. And it's not just jazz -- through iTunes radio you can listen to almost any kind of music, sports, comedy, and international. Again, with the fantastic "Audioengine" wireless device, it puts that music anywhere in the RV or the house. I love it!

Who would have thought that a "geezer" like me would get so enthused about modern technology... My next research project and purchase is going to be a WiFi signal amplifier system for use in the RV....