An Inspiring Lake for the RV Lifestyle

If you haven’t been to Crater Lake  National Park in Oregon, you simply must go. Its among one of the most beautiful places America has to offer. No place else on earth combines a deep, pure lake, so blue in color; sheer surrounding cliffs, almost two thousand feet and a violent volcanic past. This place truly is inspiring. It is a place of immeasurable beauty, and an outstanding outdoor laboratory and classroom, a place any parent would love to bring their children and feel privileged to do so. In the winter the snow starts to accumulate in October and doesn’t melt until around June. But when that snow does melt away you’ll want to be there to spend lots of sunny days pic-nicing and just breathing in mother nature. 

Crater Lake also has a web cam! How much fun is that? That way if you’re thinking about going you can always check to see how much snow is there (if any) they also have a current conditions page that can help you plan your trip! 

Close by is Mazama Campground open from June-September. It has has approximately 200 forested sites. Running water, flush toilets, bear lockers, picnic tables, and fire rings are provided. Collection of dead and downed wood is allowed for campfires with the fire rings. A range of site sizes are available; tent to RV lengths. Sites can accommodate up to 8 people and 2 vehicles. Reservations can be made calling 1-888-774-2728 or on-line. Around busy, holiday and vacation weekends reservations are recommended. 

With all the recent RV shows in Oregon, we even found a day to explore the Crater Lake area ourselves! We're always asking you for pictures, so this time we're sharing some of our own!

The Rogue River had dozens of trails to explore!

Everywhere you looked the foliage was brilliantly green and river was amazing.

Found a map to a place called "Rabbit Ears" 30 minutes outside of Crater Lake. It was an easy hike with a great view!

Check out these trees! They were covered in moss that looked like hair!

The Crater Lake Lodge had good food and views.

Breathtaking view of Crater Lake from the Lodge's patio.

Look close, can you see the lodge? Several trails wound upwards to offer new views of the lake, but record snowfall only allowed hikers to go halfway.

View of the lake when entering from the North Junction

Mount Thielsen, Oregon

It seems you could pull over almost anywhere and find a sign mapping out new trails to explore!

Mill Creek Falls, Oregon

Now on the bridge seen above, overlooking Mill Creek Falls

We sure hope you’re able to travel to this beautiful location and don’t forget your camera! Now it's your turn to share pictures of your RV adventures! Click here to share your story with us!

Happy RV’ing!

Reuben Sandwiches Made Easy!

Here’s another easy recipe borrowed from the RV Centennial Cookbook. You can even sign up for weekly recipe's from the Rv Centennial Cookbook. (Just click here) This recipe was submitted by Jan Powell of Bolivar, Mo. She and her family have been full-time RVers since October 2009 and own a HitchHiker fifth wheel pulled by a one-ton dually truck. Its a Reuben sandwich, but this one is quick and easy!

Ingredients:

• Rye bread
• Sauerkraut
• Sliced Swiss cheese
• Canned corned beef
• Thousand Island dressing
• Margarine

Instructions:
Make a sandwich with a slice of Swiss cheese on the rye bread; place a slice or two of corned beef on the cheese, and layer with sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing.

Butter the outsides of the bread and cook in electric skillet or on stovetop like you would a toasted cheese sandwich. Eat hot. We also use cast iron pie holders over a campfire to heat the sandwiches.

When you try this tasty treat be sure to let us know how it is or better yet, stop by RV Country and say hello in person, we love to visit with all our friends!

Here's a camping deal worth Falling for!

Excited about fall? So are more than two dozen campgrounds and RV parks in California! They are so excited in fact, that they are offering a two-night, $50 weekend promo the first weekend of October. Executive Director of the California Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds, Debbie Sipe explained that they are doing this to help attract campers who have not camped in the fall before, and to help promote camp-california.com. You can find a list of participating sites by going to the camp-california website, then to the mail page where you will find a section titled ‘$50 Camping Weekend’.  So, for only $50.00 here is what you can expect from the participating parks:

• A tent or RV site for 4 people with full hookups (or if not available, at least water and electricity) for Friday & Saturday, September 30 - October 1, 2011. Park may extend this offer to other types of accommodations such as cabins, teepees, etc.
• Possible additions: Local Transient Occupancy Tax, fees for extra cars, more than 4 people, etc.
• Reservations are required. Offer honored pending space availability. May not be used with another special offer or discount.

The first official day of fall is September 23rd, so be sure to take advantage of the beautiful fall weather before it disappears.  And as always, be sure to drop us a line or two, and send us a picture so we can share in your RV adventures! It's fast and easy to post them to our Facebook wall for all to see.


Happy Camping!

RV Country Routine Maintenance

If you’re new to owning an RV, you’ve probably got a lot of questions. Going through your owners manual can seem overwhelming, and when you bought your unit, you were probably overwhelmed with excitement and received more information than you remember. That's another reason why we thought  going over some commonly asked questions with our service manager Hank Dudley was such a great idea... kind of like a review to refresh the minds of new and old RV owners of things they may have forgotten. 

One question we’re asked by new RV owners is: How often should I bring in my motor home for routine maintenance? When we asked Hank this question, he explained that “All the new units will come with a warranty packet and it will let you know when it's time to bring the unit in for an oil change for the engine, transmission and the generator. It will also let you know what the tire pressure should be kept at. The roof will need to be inspected at least every six months. The appliances will need to be serviced yearly, and the wheel bearings will also need to be inspected yearly. Tires should be replaced every four to five years going by the manufacturer date.” Hank stressed that the biggest item to remember is to check your batteries. “They need to be checked every month when in use, and be sure to keep them charged and clean.”

If you’re still feeling  overwhelmed, or if you have misplaced your warranty packet, that's okay! All the service advisers keep routine maintenance books right by their side. All you have to do is give them a call and they will be happy to let you know when you need to come in and see them. You can also schedule your service appointment right on-line if you’d like.

Remember, if you have any service questions, be sure to give our friendly service staff a call!


Happy RV’ing!

Women Rvers Rock!

Authors Jaimie Hall and Alice Zyetz are true geniuses... They’ve written an ebook, titled ‘The Woman's Guide to Solo RVing’.  It's available now for download at the RV bookstore. Once purchased, the ebook is delivered to your email address. You can print it out, or save it for later. You can also download your ebook to an electronic device such as a Kindle, iPad, or Nook (and it even comes with instructions on how to do this). 

This ebook will provide all the answers to questions asked by the solo RV women that are currently traveling alone or plan to in the future.  Questions like:  "How do I drive alone?" and "What do I need to know about maintaining complicated RV systems?" Ten women are quoted in their own words, giving real-life advice on a range of topics critical to solo women travelers. Living the RV lifestyle can be overwhelming and exciting all at the same time. You’re starting an adventure and meeting new people at every stop you make.  Sometimes you may have technical difficulties, and you may be unsure if there are special set up and take down requirements you need to be aware of. 

With this ebook by your side, you can feel confident and secure that the situation you're encountering is probably addressed by the authors, and they will help you learn how to handle it. It even covers how to deal with loneliness. Jamie and Alice also wrote the popular book "RV Traveling Tales: Women's Journeys on the Open Road". These two women certainly know how to help out their fellow gal pals in this RV lifestyle, and we're confident that you'll agree these books are a must for the lady traveler. 

Remember, when you’re on your next RV adventure, please share your story with us! We love to keep in touch with our RV Country friends!

A recipe sure to be loved by RV Country friends

Here’s a recipe that's sure to stimulate your taste buds! Its called ‘Three Berry Pudding Cake’ Submitted by Tina Praesel to the RV Centennial Cookbook by Evada Cooper. This cookbook is a collection of recipes from fellow RVers. This edition was published in April of 2011. According to the website GoodReads , Evada Cooper invited fellow RVers to send in their easy-to-assemble recipes for The RV Centennial Cookbook. The Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) is officially endorsing the book as one of its centennial promotions. The book contains 100 recipes, historical RV information, RV maintenance tips and instructions on playing nostalgic games such as "Kick the Can" and "Hide and Seek."
 

Produced by Texas State Technical College Publishing, the company has hopes hopes that RVers will submit more recipes to be included in a new edition expected to be published in 2012.  And now without further hesitation we present to you, the delicious, mouth-watering, recipe!

Ingredients:
Sugar-free angel food cake (or get it already baked from the store)
1 large box of sugar-free vanilla pudding
1 small container of sugar-free nondairy whip topping
1 bag of three types of frozen berries

Instructions:
First thaw the whip topping in fridge overnight. Next, mix pudding according to box. You can save out ¼ cup of whip topping for decoration on top. Fold the whip topping into pudding. Now tear up the cake and put half into the container of choice (I put it into a glass bowl so you can see the nice mix). You now will layer it using cake, berries, and pudding mix, ending with pudding mix.

Mmmm, now doesn’t that sound divine! If you happen to make any extra, our sales office is open 7 days a week!

Sales: Monday through Saturday 8:00 to 6:00 and Sunday 10:00 to 5:00. 

Parts: Monday through Friday 8:00 to 5:00, Saturday 9:00 to 5:00 and closed on Sunday. 

Service: Monday through Friday 8:00 to 5:00 and closed Saturday and Sunday.   

 *These hours are for our Fresno store, for our other store hours, please visit our website. 

 Enjoy your yummy dessert and happy RVing!

A Disney Campground for the RV Lifestyle

When you wish upon a star, your RV will bring you to Disney, no matter how far....
Did you know that Disney World in Florida has a campground where you can stay in your RV and still get the entire Disney experience? It's true! Disney’s Fort Wilderness is a great way for the young and the young at heart alike to enjoy all that this magical destination has to offer. 

Disney World is every child's dream and now it can be your comfortable and affordable reality.  Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort offers 4 different types of campsites, including new Premium Campsites, and they can accommodate everything from tents to 45-foot and longer vehicles, with a maximum of 10 guests per site. They also welcome your pets! After all, they’re part of the family too. Campsite guests with pet privileges may take their dogs to play in the off-leash Waggin' Trails Dog Park or walk the many on-leash trails. So that guests with pets can enjoy ample time at the Walt Disney World theme parks and destinations, day and overnight kennel care is available at Best Friends Pet Care.  

Since most of your time is spent at the parks, having your own home away from home is a great alternative to spending extra money on an elaborate hotel room that you may hardly even spend time in. And should you decide to take a break from the Disney parks and stay at the campground for a day, there’s plenty to do there too. Fort Wilderness offers a variety of on-site activities!  You can can ride bikes, go horse back riding, play tennis, enjoy a pool with water slides appropriate for all ages, join in the campfire sing-along with Chip and Dale, and The Hoop-De-Doo Musical Review - an old-fashioned dinner show that includes foot-stompin' music, nostalgic comedy and an all-you-care-to-eat dinner at Pioneer Hall. Taking a break from the park and spending time at the camp ground gives you the opportunity to meet fellow RV'ers and enjoy all the great company of the other campers that are there too.

Rates start at $46 per night, and campers can save on park admission by purchasing a "Magic Your Way" vacation package that includes a stay at Fort Wilderness. If you head down to Disney’s Fort Wilderness, we sure hope you’ll send us a photo or share your adventure with us.  We just love to hear about our RV Country friends adventures!

Happy Rving!

Do I need an inverter to enjoy the RV Lifestyle?

We’re back with another question from an RV Country friend, and another answer from our Service Manager, Hank.

Today's question is:“Do fifth-wheel travel trailers have inverters? If they do not, then I need one with a generator, right?”

Hank tells us that “most fifth-wheel trailers do not have inverters, and only special order trailers come with a generator. However, most can have a generator or inverter installed, but you will not need an inverter if you have a generator.

An inverter takes the place of a generator if you are dry camping (parking anywhere without or with limited amenities) and want to watch TV or make coffee without starting the generator because of noise or fumes. The inverter will take the 12 volt from your battery and convert it to 120 volts.” Remember, if you are going to use a generator, you must also be sure and have a working carbon-monoxide detector installed.

f you are still unsure about using a generator or inverter, you can give our service department a call at (800-959-6485) and speak to any of our friendly service advisors, they’re there to assist! Or you can make an appointment to come in to RV Country and see us. We always love visiting with friends and we'd be happy to help!

Our service department in Fresno is open Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and closed Saturday and Sunday.

Your Personal RV Expert for the RV Lifestyle

Have you ever wished you had your own personal RV expert on hand to answer all your questions? Well, now you do! Introducing Hank Dudley! Hank is our service manager and he’s been with RV Country for 10 years!

We’ve had several questions from all of you RV enthusiasts submitted through our social media sites as well as our website, so we thought we would take this great opportunity to sit down with Hank and get some answers. We have chosen to break up the questions into separate articles. By the end of the series, we’re confident that you’re going to know Hank pretty well, and you'll feel comfortable knowing that when you need to bring in your RV for service, it's in the very best of hands. 

 The first questions we’re going to address is: 
“What psi should my tires be at?” 

Hank explains that “all trailers should be five pounds under the recommended pressure on the tire. This allows the hot air to expand and not blow out the tire. For coaches - it goes by the size and weight of the coach. Be sure to remember that all RV’s need to be loaded with your belongings for camping BEFORE checking the air pressure in your tires. Also, most new coaches a will come with a tire pressure label inside the coach or trailer.”

If you are still unsure, you can give our service department a call (800-959-6485) and speak to any of our friendly service advisors. They’re always happy to help or you can make an appointment to come on in to RV Country and see us. We always love visiting with friends! Our service department in Fresno is open Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and closed Saturday and Sunday.