Archive for January, 2006

>Planning for retirement, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Mary Olson didn’t know which state she wanted to live in, so she made a choice that allowed her to enjoy them all: she bought a recreational vehicle.

Olson had never driven a large vehicle or even gone camping in her life.

“I said to the salesman, ‘Maybe before I give the down payment I should go out on the road.’” She took the wheel of a 36-foot motor home (RV enthusiasts call them “rigs”) and navigated a misty, windy day on Interstate Highway 10 in Texas.

“I made left turns, I made right turns, got back and parked it between the yellow lines in the parking lot, and said, ‘Oh, I think I can do this,’” Olson said.

It was 1999, and the single former nurse had just joined the ranks of the approximately 1 million people in the U.S. who live in their RVs full-time, according to Rachel Parsons of the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association in Reston, Va.Overall, Olson is pleased with her life and has no plans to buy a conventional home.

Speaking from San Antonio, Texas, she said, “You can get up in the morning and be at the beach or the mountains or the desert, and if you don’t like your neighbors you can move. Though I can stay in parks, I’m also self-contained, so I can be in the middle of nowhere.” Full Story…

>Are you an RVer looking for a great adventure this summer? Thinking of coming to Alaska and the Kenai Penisula? Need an experienced Alaskan to book the best salmon or halibut fishing charters, float trips, or fly-in bear viewing for your summer adventure in Alaska? You can find it all at Kasilof RV Park.

Kasilof (Alaska) RV Park is centrally located 15 miles south of Soldotna, Alaska, just 60 miles north of Homer, Alaska in the small, quiet, community of Kasilof, Alaska. The park-like setting is complemented by very modern and clean facilities. You won’t just be staying in one of those the parking lot style Alaska RV parks you’ll be staying at a peaceful retreat, away from the combat fishing campgrounds, but still accessible to all Alaska has to offer. Full Story…

>RVers Ben and Ina Sims have taken extensive trips in their motor home before, but none impacted them quite like their last.

The Salem, Oregon couple ventured to Mississippi for 6 1/2 weeks and volunteered for a faith-based relief agency that continues to provide aid to victims of Hurricane Katrina.

“We could have put X number of dollars in, but who would we have given it to?” Ben Sims said. “We thought the best thing we could do was to go ourselves, then we’d know exactly where our funds were spent.”

Ben managed a supply warehouse for the United Methodist Committee on Relief in the community of Wiggins.

Ina sorted new and used clothing that came into the warehouse, which also distributed bottled water, food and cleaning supplies.

The Sims, who are both in their 70s, also volunteered in the town of Lakeshore, which is about a mile from the gulf. They parked their motor home on the property where a Baptist church once stood before the hurricane struck.

“It was heartwrenching,” Ben said. “There was much more devastation than we had imagined.” Full Story…