I absolutely LOVE RVing! There is nothing I would rather do than hitchup my trailer and head on down the road to the next adventure whether it be sailing a 4 masted schooner off the coast of Maine, playing in the Florida Keys, swapping lies ummm tales around the campfire in the Arizona desert, or whale . . . → Read More: Why I Love RVing
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Time to head back to civilization as in full utilities, regular stores, and Redbox. We headed down to Sullivan’s Mobile Home and RV Park in Pocatello. It’s an old park with old mobile homes and trailers but they take Passport America and the location is good. The staff greeted us at the entrance to help us . . . → Read More: Pocatello, ID The temperatures in Idaho were so much cooler that we decided to extend our trip up north and go to Yellowstone National Park. While there are tons of basic campsites in and around the park, our need for electricity and reasonable weekly cost dictated where we could stay again. We found a wonderful state park at Henry’s Lake in Island Park, ID within 15 miles of the West Yellowstone gate. Henry’s Lake State Park has a gorgeous lakeside setting with water/electrical or just electrical sites, great showers, good Wifi available for an extra fee, dump station, boat launch, and a very nice staff. It is also well off the road and very quiet though it tends to get tent killing, trailer shaking, boat sinking winds in the evening. We were able to book a spot online with ease. Keep in mind it is well out in the country far away from Walmart and inexpensive grocery stores so stock up before you go. The wifi was $10 a week or you may want to consider the Idaho state park yearly wifi pass for $29/year if you plan to spend a lot of time in Idaho and their state parks. We enjoyed the state park and Yellowstone so much that we extended for another week. Thank goodness they have non-reservable walkin sites available. Over the mountain pass on SR20 and just 15 miles away is the tourist town of West Yellowstone, MT. While on the way there going east, watch for a large turnout with restrooms, picnic area, and lots of people filling jugs with water from a clear fresh stream/fountain at Howard Springs. I don’t know what the big deal is with the water but there are always lots of people there filling up on it. I stopped there to score a geocache up in the picnic area.
West Yellowstone is your typical tourist trap. There are lots and lots of interesting little stores full of Tshirts and Yellowstone knick knacks as well as art galleries, playhouses, restaurants, etc. There are campgrounds all over there if you don’t mind a tight squeeze and/or high cost. 2 small grocery stores supply both locals and tourists but at significant prices. Even the McDonald’s and KFC there cost twice as much as elsewhere! Forget finding the dollar menu. Bring lots of cash or be prepared to pay for ATM fees. Many places don’t take plastic. There is a very good Yellowstone museum there and Imax. We enjoyed the museum very much and had some fun taking pictures. I can’t imagine touring the park in the good old days by stagecoach as they show or young girls leaving home to work the summer there in the shops and dining halls while boarding there with no car. Many seemed to enjoy it though. The stagecoaches were replaced by yellow touring cars which are still used for tours.
While camping at Lava Hot Springs was out of the question for us due to the very high daily cost and the fact we have to stay places at least a week at a time due to my work schedule, it wasn’t too far from the campground in Downey, ID for a day trip. We chose . . . → Read More: Lava Hot Springs, ID Summer has finally hit and things were getting a bit hot down in Utah so we decided to head north a bit for cooler temps and some summer fun. I have never had the chance to explore southern Idaho nor have I ever been in a hot spring so what better place to go than Downata Hot Springs in Downey, ID. Of course, being a Passport America park certainly made the decision easy. Downata is a family waterpark and campground which hosts numerous family reunions every weekend in the summer. During the week the campground is a ghost town but the pool is always busy though not too busy. On the weekends, the campground is nearly full with families, laughter, splashing, campfires, good food, tents galore, and more. The staff is cool and calm and takes it all well. I like the way the tent sites wrap around the the play area which makes it easy to watch the kids at play and they do love to play in the large field of sandy dirt like a giant sandbox. There are several pavilions available for the gatherings.
The campground RV spaces are tight so be prepared to love thy neighbor. It has 30/50 electric and water. There are no sewer connections and no dump. There is a nice dump nearby at the fairgrounds for $3. The campground restroom is not the greatest but it is clean. There is only one shower for each sex and they are pay showers – 50 cents for 6 minutes. I don’t mind paying but the least amount of time I can take a shower in is 8 minutes. Darn. The pool has free open showers (not private) for use after swimming so take your shampoo and soap with you there. While my Verizon aircard worked fine, we mostly used the fantastic and fast free wifi they provide. Rarely do I see wifi that good at a campground. These guys did it right! Also available are cabins, yurts, teepees (no kidding), and a large wall tent.
After all the “hard work” we did at the Samboree, I felt a little respite was in order so we were off to a nearby members only park in Mount Pleasant, UT. My brother headed off to Salt Lake City in his car on business while I hitched up and drove the trailer over to the . . . → Read More: Mt. Pleasant, UT I’m finally in the right place at the right time to catch a Good Sam Club State Samboree so we packed up and headed off to Nephi, UT. I had never been to one so I was a bit excited. Any Good Sam Club member can attend any state Samboree even if you don’t belong to a local chapter. They call us “Members At Large” (hopefully that is not a crack about our weight!). Chapters from other states also visit when they can. This one had chapters from New Hampshire, California, Colorado, Nevada, and Canada in attendance. Now going in, I knew not to expect anything near as large the annual rally. However, with around 200 rigs and 400 freewheeling souls, it was pretty good size. The theme this year was Wagons West.
Most Samborees do provide space to camp at the fairground or other venue as part of the fee but they do not provide utilities or reliable Wifi at your rig. Some electrical hookups may be available for those with medical needs though it will likely be 20 amp. Most attendees camped at the Juab County Fairgrounds for this. Some electric for those in need and showers were available. We chose to stay at the High Country RV Park nearby instead due to having an old dang cat on board that requires air conditioning and our need for good electric and wifi. The RV spaces are very narrow and use side-by-side hookups but they are fairly level pull-throughs and they have an inexpensive laundry room and excellent bathrooms. The owners/managers are hard to get hold of. The wifi was truly excellent though and free. Excellent prices too. It seemed like lots of Good Samers had come in early and were staying at High Country RV Park. I met a few before the Samboree opened and they moved over there. Joann and Bill were camped next to us and were lots of fun. I was glad to meet them before the Samboree.
I have been getting a lot of questions recently about discount camping and clubs, particularly for full-timers. Now that I have a few years on the road as a full-timer under my belt , perhaps it is time to go over my experiences with them. If one is going to be a full-time RVer, discounts are essential. As campground prices to rent a piece of dirt continue to rise and in some places cost more than a motel room, it is getting harder and harder to live on the road. Since my RV is my home, my view of campground fees and what is affordable is quite different from the weekender. A weekender sees them as an entertainment or discretionary expense. I view those fees the same as rent on an apartment or a home mortgage. Just as with rent or a mortgage, they must be reasonable and not constantly take too much of my income. The first saving tip I can offer is to stay longer and always ask if there is a weekly or monthly rate. There usually is in private parks. The monthly rates can be very good. Another great tip is camp in the best places out-of-season. For instance, I was able to spend a week in the Florida Keys in November one year at a cost I could afford and the weather was gorgeous the whole time. I could not possibly afford to pay double what I paid had I gone in December which begins the Winter RV snowbird season. Sure you don’t want to roast in southern climates in the Summer or freeze in northern climates in the Winter but take advantage of Spring and Fall. You may also find fewer crowds at those times. The cost of state parks has risen quite a lot to the point where they charge as much for partial or no hookups as you may pay for full hookups in a private park. They also do not have discounts (some do honor senior and handicapped discount passes for state residents only). Compared to a private park with a discount or a weekly/monthly rate, state parks are no longer a deal. I rarely stay at them anymore. That is not to say you should never check them out. The cost to camp in some areas such as the Florida Keys is so ridiculously high that the state parks are the better deal there in-season though they are so full that you have to reserve a site a year in advance to get in. I have used them anytime in Massachusetts too. |
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