RV'ing Discussions - Tripatini2024-03-28T16:34:20Zhttps://frugalnomads.ning.com/group/rving/forum?feed=yes&xn_auth=noPlanning a US RV trip in 2021tag:frugalnomads.ning.com,2021-09-03:3169359:Topic:7880702021-09-03T04:58:48.840ZDavid Paul Appellhttps://frugalnomads.ning.com/profile/DavidPaulAppell
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<p><br/><br/>A helpful video on how to tackle an RV road trip in the USA - very much worth a watch if this mode of travel interests you!<br/><br/></p>
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<p><br/><br/>A helpful video on how to tackle an RV road trip in the USA - very much worth a watch if this mode of travel interests you!<br/><br/></p>
<p></p> 4 reasons you should take a road trip this summertag:frugalnomads.ning.com,2017-07-02:3169359:Topic:6574692017-07-02T11:03:25.629ZTripatinihttps://frugalnomads.ning.com/profile/Admin
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<p dir="ltr">Summer is just around the proverbial corner, once again. Winter has faded away and with the warmer weather everyone is poking their heads out after a long hibernation. We all know that this means lighter clothing, patios, friendships that were neglected during the cold months, and of course a summer adventure. It's time for a vacation, to take advantage of the sun, and to make some memories. There are always the traditional destinations overseas…</p>
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<p dir="ltr">Summer is just around the proverbial corner, once again. Winter has faded away and with the warmer weather everyone is poking their heads out after a long hibernation. We all know that this means lighter clothing, patios, friendships that were neglected during the cold months, and of course a summer adventure. It's time for a vacation, to take advantage of the sun, and to make some memories. There are always the traditional destinations overseas but if you find yourself on a bit of a budget but still wanting to travel and have some fun, a road trip might be the way to go this summer!<br/><br/><a href="http://www.tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/4-reasons-you-should-take-a-road-trip-this-summer" target="_blank">read post</a></p> history road trips in the USAtag:frugalnomads.ning.com,2013-06-12:3169359:Topic:5070252013-06-12T12:28:09.002ZTripatinihttps://frugalnomads.ning.com/profile/Admin
<p><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/02/Washington_National_Cathedral_Twilight.jpg/800px-Washington_National_Cathedral_Twilight.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/02/Washington_National_Cathedral_Twilight.jpg/800px-Washington_National_Cathedral_Twilight.jpg"></img></a> <br></br><span>This summer, Americans don't need to seek something exotic and adventurous abroad. </span><a href="http://blog.preservationnation.org/2013/05/22/summer-travel-part-1-see-history-come-alive-across-the-country/#.Ua9WQtI-ZDN" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The U.S. has plenty of adventures close at…</a></p>
<p><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/02/Washington_National_Cathedral_Twilight.jpg/800px-Washington_National_Cathedral_Twilight.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/02/Washington_National_Cathedral_Twilight.jpg/800px-Washington_National_Cathedral_Twilight.jpg" class="align-center"/></a><br/><span>This summer, Americans don't need to seek something exotic and adventurous abroad. </span><a rel="nofollow" href="http://blog.preservationnation.org/2013/05/22/summer-travel-part-1-see-history-come-alive-across-the-country/#.Ua9WQtI-ZDN" target="_blank">The U.S. has plenty of adventures close at hand</a><span>, from the storied Boston Harbor to a historic village in Ohio to the bridges of Yosemite Valley.</span></p>
<p>Just as with <a rel="nofollow" title="Five One-of-a Kind Historic Places to Visit This Spring Break" href="http://blog.preservationnation.org/2013/03/15/five-one-of-a-kind-historic-places-to-visit-this-spring-break/" target="_blank">the places we recommended for spring break travel</a>, the sites we’ve selected for your summer travel pleasure tell a unique story about our American history. Unfortunately, these places are also threatened by neglect, insufficient funds, inappropriate development or insensitive public policy, but your enthusiasm about discovering them can inspire more people to visit and preserve them as well...</p>
<p><br/><a href="http://www.tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/summer-travel-part-1-see-history-come-alive-across-the-country" target="_blank">read complete post</a></p>
<p></p> Need Rving info for an articletag:frugalnomads.ning.com,2011-06-13:3169359:Topic:2263272011-06-13T02:23:54.043ZSusan Decoteau-Ferrierhttps://frugalnomads.ning.com/profile/SusanDecoteauFerrier
<div class="discussion"><div class="description"><p>Hi! I am working on an article about RVing but I am not an RVer. So, I could use some help.</p>
<p>I am looking for people willing to share information about RV vacations and / or choosing the RV lifestyle. This is for a publication geared toward Baby Boomers so respondents in that demograph are preferred. I'd like to hear funny anecdotes about your RVing adventure.</p>
<p>What appeals to you about the RV roadtrip?</p>
<p>How long have you…</p>
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<div class="discussion"><div class="description"><p>Hi! I am working on an article about RVing but I am not an RVer. So, I could use some help.</p>
<p>I am looking for people willing to share information about RV vacations and / or choosing the RV lifestyle. This is for a publication geared toward Baby Boomers so respondents in that demograph are preferred. I'd like to hear funny anecdotes about your RVing adventure.</p>
<p>What appeals to you about the RV roadtrip?</p>
<p>How long have you been traveling this way?</p>
<p>Who usually accompanies you on these trips?</p>
<p>Where have you traveled and how long do your trips typically last?</p>
<p>Since you started RVing, do you take any non-RV vacations, such as cruises, resorts or<br/>all-inclusive?</p>
<p>If you are living the RV-lifestyle (sold the homestead and living in an RV) what motivated you to jump in?</p>
<p>What are some of the pros and cons of such a lifestyle?</p>
<p>Do you tow a car (or rent one) for local jaunts when you are in a particular location?</p>
<p>How do you expect the current gas prices to affect your travel plans?</p>
<p>Anyone with RVing statistics such as how many Americans RV, what is their average age, how many are doing it full-time, do RVers travel more than non-RVers or any other similar information, that you would like to share would be helpful.</p>
<p>If you are responding as an RVing professional, please provide a short bio with your credentials.</p>
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<p>NOTE: Please do not respond with a promo for your book (this has happened). I do not have time to read it and make my deadline. I just need your candor. If you have written a book and would like to include that information as part of your credentials, that's fine. Thank you.</p>
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</div> 10 Worst Roads In UStag:frugalnomads.ning.com,2011-04-19:3169359:Topic:1670162011-04-19T20:19:40.075ZHome Is Where We Parkhttps://frugalnomads.ning.com/profile/HomeIsWhereWePark
<div class="tickerpage"><p> Every year when the snow melts, states, cities and towns make plans to remedy the havoc snowplows and chained tires wreak on their roads. As cash-strapped states weigh where their road-repair budgets should go, we decided to take a look at who had the worst roads in the country.</p>
<p>To do this, we analyzed four metrics, ranked each state on each indicator and pooled the results to generate a cumulative ranking for all 50 states. We left out Washington, D.C., and…</p>
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<div class="tickerpage"><p> Every year when the snow melts, states, cities and towns make plans to remedy the havoc snowplows and chained tires wreak on their roads. As cash-strapped states weigh where their road-repair budgets should go, we decided to take a look at who had the worst roads in the country.</p>
<p>To do this, we analyzed four metrics, ranked each state on each indicator and pooled the results to generate a cumulative ranking for all 50 states. We left out Washington, D.C., and avoided bringing money into the equation at all, since expenses on road maintenance tell us nothing more than how much money was spent on road repairs. After all, states that spent the most on their roads could be assumed to have the worst (the more repairs are needed, the more money will be spent), but also the best (more money spent on roads means, well, better roads).</p>
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<tr><td style="padding-bottom: 10px;" align="left"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2">Cash-strapped states are weighing where their road-repair budgets should go after a rough winter, although Hawaii -- in a tie for eighth place this year despite having the smallest road system in the country -- must place blame elsewhere.</font></td>
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<p>The factors we looked at include:</p>
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<li><strong>Poor-condition mileage.</strong>To compare the percentage of each state's roads deemed to be in "poor condition" we looked at 2008 numbers put together in a comprehensive report by the <a href="http://reason.org/">Reason Foundation</a>. We combined the rankings for rural interstates, urban interstates and other rural and urban roads to get a unified ranking for road condition.</li>
<li><strong>Deficient or obsolete bridges.</strong>Because bridges and overpasses make up an important part of roads everywhere, we looked at 2009 bridge condition data from the <a href="http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics/2009/">Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration</a>.</li>
<li><strong>Fatalities.</strong>To get an idea of road safety, we looked at the number of road fatalities per state in 2009 -- measured per 100 million vehicle miles traveled to account for the different lengths of road in each state -- from the <a href="http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics/2009/fi30.cfm">Federal Highway Administration</a>.</li>
<li><strong>Congestion.</strong>We again used the Reason Foundation's calculations to determine peak-hour volume-to-capacity ratios on each state's roads.</li>
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<p>And now the rankings:</p>
<p><strong>Tenth-worst roads: Alabama</strong> <br/><strong>Poor-condition mileage rank (1=worst):</strong>29 out of 50 <br/><strong>Deficient bridges rank (1=worst):</strong>25 out of 50 <br/><strong>Fatalities rank (1=most):</strong>9 out of 50 <br/><strong>Congestion rank (1= worst):</strong>12 out of 50 <br/>Alabama kicks off our list with the worst rankings for fatalities and congestion. That partially explains why the state got less money than most, per capita, from the <a href="http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics/2009/fa4d.cfm">Federal Highway Fund in 2009</a> ($18.50 per resident, or 32 out of 50 states), as the state's roads and bridges are in decent shape, comparatively -- Alabama placed in the better half of both of those rankings.</p>
<p><strong>Ninth-worst roads: Kentucky</strong> <br/><strong>Poor-condition mileage rank (1=worst):</strong>44 out of 50 <br/><strong>Deficient bridges rank (1= worst):</strong>14 out of 50 <br/><strong>Fatalities rank (1=most):</strong>7 out of 50 <br/><strong>Congestion rank (1= worst):</strong>8 out of 50 <br/>Kentucky is somewhat similar to Alabama in its combined scores: Bridges aside, the state's roads are in good condition, but its levels of traffic and road fatalities in 2009 -- both within the 10 worst in the nation -- give it the ninth-worst roads in the country.</p>
<p>The state is taking the problem seriously: The Kentucky Department of Transportation's <a href="http://transportation.ky.gov/">impressive website</a> puts the focus on safety with videos from the federal Department of Transportation's "Faces of Distracted Driving" awareness project.</p>
<p><strong>Eighth-worst roads (tie): Pennsylvania</strong> <br/><strong>Poor-condition mileage rank (1=worst):</strong>21 out of 50 <br/><strong>Deficient bridges rank (1= worst):</strong>2 out of 50 <br/><strong>Fatalities rank (1=most):</strong>21 out of 50 <br/><strong>Congestion rank (1= worst):</strong>27 out of 50 <br/>Leading off a three-way tie for eighth place is Pennsylvania, a state that really needs to do something about its bridges.</p>
<p>At least the state recognizes the problem: The vast majority of Pennsylvania Department of Transportation <a href="ftp://ftp.dot.state.pa.us/public/pdf/construction/statewide.pdf">projects</a> involve bridge repairs of some kind. With middle-of-the-road rankings in our other three metrics, the right <a target="_blank" href="http://business-news.thestreet.com/the-news-herald/story/the-10-worst-roads-in-the-us/11087115#" style="font-weight: normal ! important; font-size: 100% ! important; text-decoration: underline ! important; border-bottom: 0.075em solid darkgreen ! important; padding-bottom: 1px ! important; color: darkgreen ! important; background-color: transparent ! important; background-image: none; padding-top: 0pt; padding-right: 0pt; padding-left: 0pt;" class="iAs">improvements</a> should do wonders for next year's rankings.</p>
<p><strong>Eighth-worst roads (tie): New Jersey</strong> <br/><strong>Poor-condition mileage rank (1=worst):</strong>2 out of 50 <br/><strong>Deficient bridges rank (1= worst):</strong>16 out of 50 <br/><strong>Fatalities rank (1=most):</strong>47 out of 50 <br/><strong>Congestion rank (1= worst):</strong>6 out of 50 <br/>Despite the tolls New Jersey collects on its stretch of Interstate 95, also known as the New Jersey Turnpike, the state is fighting a losing battle to maintain its heavily traveled arteries.</p>
<p>Its interstates take a beating all year from huge volumes of traffic, with the only upside being a low level of road fatalities that may be explained in part by lower speeds to which drivers are limited.</p>
<p><strong>Eighth-worst roads (tie): Hawaii</strong> <br/><strong>Poor-condition mileage rank (1=worst):</strong>13 out of 50 <br/><strong>Deficient bridges rank (1= worst):</strong>3 out of 50 <br/><strong>Fatalities rank (1=most):</strong>39 out of 50 <br/><strong>Congestion rank (1= worst):</strong>16 out of 50 <br/>Blame it on the corrosive sea air or volcanic activity, but Hawaii's roads -- and <a href="http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/nbi/fccount09.cfm#a">certainly its bridges</a> -- leave much to be desired. The state has the <a href="http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics/2009/hm20.cfm">smallest road system in the country</a> , with a mere 4,371 rural and urban roads under state control. In 2009, Hawaii unveiled a <a href="http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/nbi/fccount09.cfm#a">"Comprehensive Six-Year Highways Modernization Plan"</a> allocating $90 million to rehabilitating the state's bridges, an increase of 48% from the previous bridge program budget.</p>
<p><strong>Fifth-worst roads: Arkansas</strong> <br/><strong>Poor-condition mileage rank (1=worst):</strong>10 out of 50 <br/><strong>Deficient bridges rank (1= worst):</strong>32 out of 50 <br/><strong>Fatalities rank (1=most):</strong>5 out of 50 <br/><strong>Congestion rank (1= worst):</strong>22 out of 50 <br/>At No. 5 is Arkansas, whose 10th-highest percentage of roads in poor condition probably has something to do with its fifth-highest level of road fatalities in 2009. Thankfully the state is able to throw some money at the problem; its funds allocated per capita ranked <a href="http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics/2009/fa4d.cfm">11th in the nation in 2009</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Fourth-worst roads: West Virginia</strong> <br/><strong>Poor-condition mileage rank (1=worst):</strong>12 out of 50 <br/><strong>Deficient bridges rank (1= worst):</strong>6 out of 50 <br/><strong>Fatalities rank (1=most):</strong>4 out of 50 <br/><strong>Congestion rank (1= worst):</strong>43 out of 50 <br/>West Virginia, despite being able to boast very low levels of traffic congestion, ranks disturbingly high for fatalities and for the poor condition of its roads and bridges. The state's Department of Transportation website makes little mention of these problems, but a multimedia section on it includes an instructional video on how to properly navigate a roundabout. Perhaps authorities think lack of knowledge by West Virginia drivers will help <a target="_blank" href="http://business-news.thestreet.com/the-news-herald/story/the-10-worst-roads-in-the-us/11087115#" style="font-weight: normal ! important; font-size: 100% ! important; text-decoration: underline ! important; border-bottom: 0.075em solid darkgreen ! important; padding-bottom: 1px ! important; color: darkgreen ! important; background-color: transparent ! important; background-image: none; padding-top: 0pt; padding-right: 0pt; padding-left: 0pt;" class="iAs">improve</a> <a href="http://www.transportation.wv.gov/communications/videos/Pages/default.aspx">road safety in the state</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Third-worst roads: Oklahoma</strong> <br/><strong>Poor-condition mileage rank (1=worst):</strong>3 out of 50 <br/><strong>Deficient bridges rank (1= worst):</strong>13 out of 50 <br/><strong>Fatalities rank (1=most):</strong>11 out of 50 <br/><strong>Congestion rank (1= worst):</strong>34 out of 50 <br/>More than 400 miles of iconic <a href="http://www.oklahomaroute66.com/theroad.html">Route 66 is within its borders</a>, but Oklahoma has not benefited from the road's historic status to attract more money to its road system. It logs the third-highest amount of poor-condition mileage in the U.S., while its bridges rank 13th. Fatalities are also a problem in the Sooner State, but the authorities are at least <a href="http://www.okladot.state.ok.us/newsmedia/pdfs/highway-update-090122.pdf">addressing the problem directly</a>, with a 2009 report on road safety that includes pictures of the worst stretches of its roads.</p>
<p><strong>Second-worst roads: North Carolina</strong> <br/><strong>Poor-condition mileage rank (1=worst):</strong>16 out of 50 <br/><strong>Deficient bridges rank (1= worst):</strong>10 out of 50 <br/><strong>Fatalities rank (1=most):</strong>18 out of 50 <br/><strong>Congestion rank (1= worst):</strong>9 out of 50 <br/>The runner-up in the ranking goes to North Carolina, with no standout numbers beyond the picture they paint as a whole: The state places in the worst 20 for all of the indicators, with numbers for deficient bridges and congestion placing in the 10 worst. It might be hard for the state to address its problems too, as it ranks 44 out of 50 states for per capita fund allocation from the <a href="http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics/2009/fa4d.cfm">Federal Highway Fund</a> .</p>
<p>On the plus side, a new program from the <a href="http://www.ncdot.org/">North Carolina Department of Transportation</a> to install solar panels to power its airport should free up some cash for much-needed road repairs.</p>
<p><strong>Worst roads: Louisiana</strong> <br/><strong>Poor-condition mileage rank (1=worst):</strong>8 out of 50 <br/><strong>Deficient bridges rank (1= worst):</strong>12 out of 50 <br/><strong>Fatalities rank (1=most):</strong>2 out of 50 <br/><strong>Congestion rank (1= worst):</strong>23 out of 50 <br/>Nobody can doubt Louisiana has had <a href="http://www.mainstreet.com/slideshow/moneyinvesting/insurance/most-expensive-weather-disasters-america">a rough decade</a>. Hurricanes were part of the problem. The material damage and complications of evacuation and reconstruction put additional stress on the road system.</p>
<p>But the state ranked No. 2 in fatalities in 2009 (after Montana), combining with high marks for poor-condition roads and bridges to give it the dubious honor of having the worst roads in the nation.</p>
<p>One ray of sunlight is that the feds have responded with extra cash: Louisiana ranks eighth out of 50 states for money allocated to it by the <a href="http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics/2009/fa4d.cfm">Federal Highway Fund</a>($54.31 per capita), so there should be continued progress on rehabilitation of those roads.</p>
</div> What are your favorite campgrounds?tag:frugalnomads.ning.com,2011-03-30:3169359:Topic:1581452011-03-30T13:16:02.125ZHome Is Where We Parkhttps://frugalnomads.ning.com/profile/HomeIsWhereWePark
<p>We’ve stayed at a lot of campgrounds in our travels, some really nice places, and some not so nice. There are campgrounds that we return to as often as possible, and others where one stop was more than enough.</p>
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<p>Some of our favorite campgrounds include</p>
<ul>
<li>Usery Mountain - AZ</li>
<li>Buffalo Bills Ranch - NE</li>
<li>Snow Canyon State Park - UT</li>
<li>Lake Elk City - OK</li>
<li>Saratoga Lake Campground - WY</li>
</ul>
<p>What are your favorite campgrounds?</p>
<p>We’ve stayed at a lot of campgrounds in our travels, some really nice places, and some not so nice. There are campgrounds that we return to as often as possible, and others where one stop was more than enough.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Some of our favorite campgrounds include</p>
<ul>
<li>Usery Mountain - AZ</li>
<li>Buffalo Bills Ranch - NE</li>
<li>Snow Canyon State Park - UT</li>
<li>Lake Elk City - OK</li>
<li>Saratoga Lake Campground - WY</li>
</ul>
<p>What are your favorite campgrounds?</p> Where Did You Spend This Winter?tag:frugalnomads.ning.com,2011-03-13:3169359:Topic:1482102011-03-13T04:05:04.129ZHome Is Where We Parkhttps://frugalnomads.ning.com/profile/HomeIsWhereWePark
<p>Spring is almost here. Yeah!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Where did you spend this winter?</p>
<p>Likes / Dislikes?</p>
<p>Plan on returning next winter?</p>
<p>Full timer / Part timer / Winter RVer?</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Spring is almost here. Yeah!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Where did you spend this winter?</p>
<p>Likes / Dislikes?</p>
<p>Plan on returning next winter?</p>
<p>Full timer / Part timer / Winter RVer?</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>