Chaplain U Graduates 31 Students

October 16, 2010

by Robert N. Ruesch
an RVchurchesUSA Ambassador

October 2010 Christian Resort Ministries international (CRM) graduated 31 students recently who are now endorsed and qualified for service in RV Parks in the United States.  “We were honored to bring into focus excellent teaching and training for our chaplain candidate class,” stated Dennis Maloney, CRM’s General Director.

CRM’s charter course – held on the campus of College of the Ozarks in Branson, MO – focused on many topics including support raising, Pastoral care, counseling, RV resort living, cyber-technical challenges, use of spiritual gifts/ministry to other faiths, to name a few.  Each day was opened with a devotional time offered by Dr. Dan Griffin who teaches seminary extension courses in the Missouri area.

Other facility members were Dr. Dan Brezavar, Sr., Pastor of Church of the Harvest in Branson and Dennis Maloney, MBA.

“The classes were on target and presented with first-rate material. My wife and I would not have missed it! The training was just what we needed to complete our requirements to volunteer as Chaplains in an RV park,” stated one pastor and his wife who came from Virginia to addend the one-week course.

Christian Resort Ministries requires chaplains to meet specific standards to qualify for service in the RV resort ministry.  Lay chaplains (without formal Bible school education) who apply to become endorsed by CRM are required to complete 30 hours of training within 18 months prior to be assigned. Their aggressive training course work includes The Life of Christ, Old Testament Survey, New Testament Survey, Missions, The Ministry of the Holy Spirit, Pastoral Care, The Book of Acts, three other book studies as electives and their choice of either Anthropology or Bible Archeology.

Training can be in a classroom, by correspondence or at an extension facility.  “New chaplains receive 40 Hours of Hands on Chaplaincy developed by the Baptist General Convention of Texas with an additional 12 hours of division specific chaplaincy training taught by our division managers at Chaplain University.  There is a 6 hour continuing education piece required annually.  In addition, chaplains are trained in NOVA disaster response, ASIST Suicide Intervention training and CISM first responder intervention,” says Maloney.

“We are aware of the need of excellence when working with other businesses, and thus we strive to bring qualified excellence to the table as we offer a Chaplain Program to campground resorts across America.  In today’s litigated world, you need to have a professional posture and presence in the volunteers we offer for service. We especially are honored to work with RVchurchesUSA*, as they enroll member resorts, campgrounds and parks. Along with their Ambassador Club members, we can offer the opportunity to bring a non-denominational Chaplain into that park. Working with multiple mission ministry-minded organizations is a vital key to each other’s success. (*Christian Resort Ministries and RVchurchesUSA have been ministry partners for over 3 years.)

“We want our chaplains to be equipped to be the finest they can be and equipped to bring the word of the saving grace of Jesus Christ to those who don’t know and who do  know Him.  Lets face it, time is short, eternity is forever. If we are not doing the labor of the Lord now, when do we do this work?,” Maloney asks. “Jesus clearly states in Acts 1:8 that we need to be His witness to the ends of the earth.  Resort ministry in RV parks, campgrounds and resorts spans all the requirements in the Acts passage.”

CRM’s Chaplain University offers a three-phase teaching process over 3 years and is presented in the Branson, MO area each year in September.  Further information on CRM international and Chaplain University can be obtained by visiting www.crmintl.org.

Robert Ruesch is the Sr. Chaplain and Field Service Director of CRM international and taught the technical classes at the university.

Don’t Let The Bed Bugs Bite!

October 11, 2010

by Professor95
for Woodall’s Family Camping Blog October 7, 2010

“Sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite.”

I remember my mother telling me that when I was a child as she tucked me into bed.  I would just laugh ‘cause I thought it was funny.   I passed the goodnight phrase  on down to my children.

I did not know what a bed bug was or if they really existed until earlier this year.

I was watching the evening news on TV,  they had a special on bed bugs being on the rise and how they were being found in even four and five star hotel rooms in New York and other locations.

I thought, “WOW, I guess they are real.  Boy, am I glad I don’t frequent hotel rooms anymore.”  When Nancy and I travel, we take our camper with our bed – not one someone else has slept in.

After watching the TV News Special,  I put any thoughts of bed bugs  in our environment totally out of my mind.

Then this summer we learned quite by accident that some good friends of ours had discovered bed bugs in their bed!  I was surprised– these were some of the cleanest, neatest people on the face of this earth.  Honest!  If you walked in their house you could wipe it down with a white glove and not find a speck of dust.

So, how could these parasites invade John and Marge ‘s (not their real names) home?

We can’t be sure, but John believes it may have happened when he drove to  his sister’s house in another state after his Mom fell and broke her hip (His Mom was staying with his sister).  He had taken his favorite feather pillow with him as he always does.  On the way there and back he spent the night in hotels.  He suspects one of the hotels had bed bugs, and they hitched a ride in his pillow.

At first John thought the small red spots that appeared on his legs and arms were mosquito or chigger bites that he had acquired on their recent camping trip.  But, as it turned out, those itchy little red spots were bites from bed-bugs.

John and Marge have a camper and guess what John always takes with him?  You got it – his favorite feather pillow!  Both their home and their camper were infested before they even knew what had happened.

Bedbugs were once believed to have been eliminated by pesticides like DDT back in the early days.  But with the current laws against DDT and similar pesticides bed bugs have made a strong comeback.  Only this time they are resistant to most all of our commonly used pesticides and thriving in what we might consider a toxic environment.

So, how did John and Marge determine for sure they had bed bugs?

They placed some strips of sticky duct tape at the head of their bed with the sticky side up and turned out the lights. A few hours later they found bed bugs trapped on the tape.  They then tried the same procedure on their furniture and in the camper. The furniture came out OK, but the camper bed did not.

How do you get rid of these pesky critters?

John and Marge had planned on getting a new set of bedding for the house anyway.  So they took the old mattress and box springs out and hauled them to the dump.

They bought one of those steam cleaning machines you often see advertised on TV infomercials at a local home store.   After completely vacuuming their bedroom – even behind and inside the picture frames and electrical outlet cover plates – they went back over everything that moisture would not harm with a hot steam vapor blast.  Heat kills bed bugs.   Marge washed all the sheets, blankets, and curtains in hot water.  She sent the quilt out to a dry cleaner and had a commercial carpet cleaner come in and steam clean all the carpets.  Just for good measure, she ironed everything after washing and drying.

John’s favorite feather pillow was also washed in hot water and then tossed in the hot dryer.  Amazingly, it was not ruined.

The mattress in the camper was almost new,  so John steamed all the seams and folds where bugs or eggs could hide, then put it into a homemade plastic bag fashioned from a roll of  black  plastic sealed with duct tape to make it air tight.   He tossed in some moth crystals for good measure and placed it in the hot sun for about a week.  When he took it out of the bag it had a moth crystal odor, but another day in the sun and a bottle of Fabreze©  made it smell like new.

The inside of the camper received the same careful vacuuming and steam cleaning.  Then they shut the door and windows and let it bake in the hot summer sun for a week.  Inside the temperature rose to 140 degrees – plenty hot to kill bed bugs.

They think they are rid of the creatures but  realize that any eggs left behind can hatch at a later date.   Just to be sure they will know if any bugs come back, they keep a strip of tape – sticky side up – near the bed in both the camper and house and check it daily for signs of bed bugs.

John is no longer allowed to take his favorite feather pillow with him when he travels overnight away from home.

You guys sleep tight tonight, and don’t let the bed bugs bite!

originally printed at Woodall’s Family Camping Blog

Urban Campers Call Wal-Mart ‘Home’

September 17, 2010

as appeared in Woodall’s Campground Management

It’s perhaps the forgotten sector of Prince Edward Island’s summer tourism industry.

In Summerside, as is the case across Canada and the U.S., owners of recreational vehicles can often be found bunking down for a night or two in the parking lot of Wal-Mart, the Summerside Journal Pioneer reported.

The Wal-Mart camping experience isn’t for those who prefer roughing it in the wilderness.

Still, it’s not uncommon to see several RVs parked at any given time in the lot of the large international box store.

“I’ve done it several times, not on a regular basis,” said Shirley Aldrich while sitting on the front steps of her rig.

“When you’re on the road it’s a neat place to pull in and stop for the night. You can always get your groceries and everything you need at Wal-Mart. It’s one-stop shopping.”

Aldrich and her travelling companions are from Nashville, Tenn., and are visitng the island during a seven-week trip.

Although they weren’t overnighting at Wal-Mart during this visit, Aldrich has enjoyed the experience and its particular charms several times in the past – RV trips of four, even nine months in a row may push some owners into getting creative with their cost-cutting.

Which brings us to the most obvious attraction of spending the night out on the asphalt:

“The price,” says Aldrich.

Yes, Wal-Mart RVing is free of charge.

As some of the other campers explain, that’s been a contentious issue at other Wal-Marts they’ve encountered in North America.

“We’ve run into a couple stores, and it wasn’t the store’s decision, it was a local community decision,” said Bert Moore of Edmonton, vacationing at Summerside’s Wal-Mart with his wife, Lil.

“The store staff said it’s usually because people may be campground owners.”

Aldrich, meanwhile, said stores in Florida stopped the practice simply due to space restrictions – the stores were so busy that Rvs were cutting down on parking spaces.

But if campground owners on the island have concerns with free RVing, it hasn’t been a significant issue in Summerside.

Moore even thinks Wal-Mart parking lots are more clean and safe than some RV parks.

“We find the campgrounds are well-used and not as clean as this is,” he said. “On rainy days, the campgrounds are just a quagmire. We’ve run into a few of them on this trip that we just wished we’d never pulled into.”

As for the economics, many of the campers at Wal-Mart seem to be serving the local economy well. The Moores found a dumping station and fuel at the nearby Esso and breakfast across the parking lot at Maid Marian’s, while also seeking out local coin-operated laundries.

Even better, both Aldrich and Moore said they’ve travelled across most of the island seeing the sights — and spending money.

“We meet a lot of new people in the parking lot,” said Moore. “We all exchange bits of information about where we’ve been and good things to see.”

So the parking lots may not be as serviceable as regular campgounds, Aldrich is willing to sacrifice some awkward moments for the benefits Wal-Mart offers.

“One morning I got up and used the outside shower with my bathing suit on and washed my hair,” she said. “(Wal-Mart) doesn’t have too many amenities — there’s no water, no electricity and no sewer. But you don’t need those things every day.”

Not Just For Seniors

August 4, 2010

by Hoby
As appeared on Woodall’s camping Blog

I wanted to share what I consider an excellent precaution that everyone should take when traveling or camping in their RV and have a medical condition or take medications.  While this project is designed for Seniors, it would be beneficial for any family member.  When traveling, anything can happen, so you should take precautions and be prepared.

This project was brought to my attention by the Safety Committee in Retama Village (an adult living community for RVers down in the Rio Grande Valley) after one of the residents experienced medical issues that required calling 911.  The Committee recommended it as a standard for all residents and their RVs.

The specific item I’m referring to is called the Vial of Life Project (sponsored by Senior Safety.com).  The goal of the project is to ensure all Seniors have the Vial of Life kits in their homes.  It also makes sense, though, to have them in your RV (for some of us the RV and home are the same) and even your car.

The way the system works is that you receive a kit, which contains 2 stickers and a medical information form for each person.  The form contains basic medical information that covers everything from hearing and vision to medical conditions and medications to doctor and insurance information.

Once you receive the kit, you fill out the form for each person, and you put the completed form into a zip-lock bag.  You place one sticker on the bag and then tape it to your refrigerator door (remember not to cover it with all those magnets or artwork from the kids).

You then place the other sticker at eye level at your front door.  This notifies any rescue workers that might enter your RV that there is medical information available on the refrigerator.  For the car, you might put one sticker on the windshield and the other on the glove compartment with the medical information.
This is a simple effort that may seem like a waste of time.  And, nobody wants an ugly zip-lock bag with a red sticker on their refrigerator.  However, in an emergency situation, ensuring that the responders have as much information as possible can help save your life.  A secondary benefit is that this information can help reduce unnecessary medical tests at the hospital (which could be expensive, delay your treatment, and is stressful on the body).

Please contact the Vial of Life Project if you are interested in taking advantage of this easy way to be prepared for an emergency.

Emergency Escape Window Recalls

July 26, 2010

by Jaimie Hall Bruzenak
as appeared on RV Home Yet? July 21  , 2010

Fleetwood and Coachmen have recalled select 2010 and 2011 model units because of problems in the emergency egress (escape0 windows in the bedroom. In the case of Fleetwood, they forgot to put them in. The windows in the Coachmen units may stick, trapping you in.

Though you will receive a notice, if you have a Fleetwood Encounter or Storm or a Coachmen Catalina travel trailer, check with the dealer to see if your unit is affected. You should get this recall fixed immediately. See this release for more information.

Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

Please add your comment below or email Jamie at calamityjaimie@gmail.com

reprinted with permission

Army Corps Waives Fees For Military

July 26, 2010

by Greg Gerber – RV D@ily Report July 22, 2010

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced today it will continue to waive day use and camping fees for active service military personnel and DoD civilians who are on mid- or post-deployment leave from duty involving deployments in support of overseas contingency operations.

The Corps began waiving recreation fees for active service personnel on temporary leave from duty in Iraq in 2003. In August 2008, the Corps expanded the waiver to cover DoD civilians and active service military personnel on mid or post leave from deployments.

“Our intent is to recognize the selfless service of these men and women to our nation and the world,” said Steve Stockton, the Corps director of civil works. “The more than 2,200 Corps-operated recreation sites nationwide provide excellent opportunities to find renewal, solace, and to reconnect with families and friends.”

Active service military personnel and DoD civilians on leave will be required to show identification and leave orders/forms upon arrival to the recreation sites to obtain the waiver. The waiver will also apply to all immediate family members accompanying them on their visit. The waiver will be applied to day use and camping fees.

Fees will be waived on a walk-up and space available basis, as well as for reservations made through the National Recreation Reservation Service call center at 1-877-444-6777. However, fees will not be waived for on-line reservations made through Recreation.gov.

In addition, state, local and other managing entities of recreation areas located on Corps lands are encouraged, but not required, to comply with this waiver of fees in the areas they manage.

The Corps is the nation’s largest federal provider of outdoor recreation, managing more than 400 lake and river projects in 43 states and hosting more than 350 million visitors per year. The Corps estimates that nearly 89 percent of its recreation projects are within 50 miles of metropolitan areas and provide a diverse range of outdoor activities to people of all ages.

For more information, visit www.CorpsLakes.us

SOURCE: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers press release

20 Die in Arkansas Campground Flood

June 14, 2010

June 12, 2010 by RV Business

Rescue crews took to kayaks, horseback and ATVs in Arkansas at daybreak Saturday to resume the desperate search for about two dozen campers still missing after flash floods swept through a popular campground, killing at least 20 people, according to the Associated Press.

The pre-dawn Friday surge along the Caddo and Little Missouri rivers caught sleeping campers in and around the Albert Pike Recreation Area by surprise, leaving them little time to try to scramble in the darkness to higher ground and safety. The last person found alive was rescued late Friday morning.

Arkansas State Police Capt. Mike Fletcher said there were about two dozen people still unaccounted for as of Saturday morning — a number far lower than some had feared. By one estimate, there were some 300 people in and around the campground when the floods swept through, and a call center fielded inquiries about 73 people who hadn’t been accounted for as of Friday night.

Fletcher said authorities had identified 16 of the 17 bodies found, but that they wouldn’t be identified publicly until their families had been notified. There were children among the dead.

The search was expected to take several more days, or even weeks, and anguished family members of the missing who gathered at a church in nearby Lodi on Saturday could only wait helplessly for word of loved ones. Some cried and embraced one another, and some held their head in their hands.

Graig Cowart, the pastor of the Pilgrim Rest Landmark Missionary Baptist Church, said there were 24 people still unaccounted for Saturday morning, and that their families were worried sick.

“They’re just devastated. The time for shock has probably gone and now it’s just anxiety building. They’re beginning to fear the worst,” Cowart said.

Cell phone service and visibility from the air in the heavily wooded area are very poor, hampering search efforts. Portable cell towers were dispatched to the area in the hope that stranded survivors would be able to call for help.

Crews on horseback and ATV returned to the craggy Ouachita mountains to look for possible survivors, as searchers in kayaks and canoes explored the tangled brush along the river banks for bodies.

Debris hung from tree branches 25 feet above the bend in the Little Missouri River that the camping area straddles, and rock climbers searched the valley’s steep and craggy terrain. It would be difficult for someone to signal for help because of the rugged and remote nature of the area being searched, some 75 miles west of Little Rock.

Floodwaters rose as swiftly as 8 feet per hour, pouring through the remote valley with such force that it peeled asphalt from roads and bark off trees. Cabins dotting the river banks were severely damaged. Mobile homes and recretion vehicles lay on their sides. Some described the quick rise of the water as a tsunami in a valley.

Tabitha Clarke, a National Weather Service hydrologist in Little Rock, said Saturday that the wall of water that swept through the campground could have been higher than the 23.4 feet reported Friday because the valley in that area is so narrow. The nearest river gauge, some 4.5 miles downstream, showed a 20 1/2-foot rise in a four-hour period early Friday.

“It would have been even worse where they were,” Clarke said.

Authorities prepared for a long search effort and said bodies may have been washed away. The last body found Friday night — the 16th confirmed dead — was found some 8 miles downstream from the campground.

“This is not a one- or two-day thing,” said Gary Fox, a retired emergency medical technician who was helping identify the dead and compile lists of those who were unaccounted for. “This is going to be a week or two- or three-week recovery.”

The rolling floodwaters would have sucked debris — including bodies — under the surface of the Little Missouri River and could have pinned people beneath rocks and trees that line the banks of the normally docile stream, Clarke said.

Brigette Williams, spokeswoman for the American Red Cross in Little Rock, estimated that up to 300 people were in the area when the floods swept through.

Forecasters had warned of the approaching danger in the area during the night, but campers could easily have missed those advisories because the area is isolated.

Denise Gaines said she was startled awake in her riverfront cabin by a noise that sounded like fluttering wings. She saw water rushing under the cabin door.

“I thought it must have been an angel that woke me up,” she said. She woke up the six others in her cabin and started packing her things.

Gaines, who lives in Baton Rouge, La., had been through violent weather before with Hurricane Gustav.

“We could feel the cabin shaking,” said her fiance, Adam Fontenot.

After the cabin filled with chest-deep water, the group clung to a tree and each other outside for more than an hour. Then the water dropped quickly, several feet in just a few minutes.

RVing in Hurricane Zones

June 9, 2010

By Judy Jackson, Edmonton Journal June 3, 2010

June 1st is the beginning of the six-month hurricane season. Predictions are that 2010 may be a very active season due to a waning El Nino and warmer waters in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

If your RVing plans include travel to anywhere in the U.S. southeast, Atlantic coastal states and provinces, or Gulf of Mexico states, you need to know a little bit about hurricanes.

First, hurricanes are big, really really big. The average hurricane is 200-400 miles across. Big ones will be 550-plus miles.

Second, they don’t occur suddenly, like in the movies. It takes days and weeks for hurricanes to build from tropical depression, to tropical storm, and finally to hurricane. There is plenty of warning before a hurricane hits.

Third, hurricanes don’t travel very fast. They average 10-20 miles an hour, though on rare occasions they can move along as fast as 70 mph or creep along at two or three.

Fourth, hurricanes don’t travel in straight lines. They take curving paths, often looping and backtracking and zig-zagging.

Fifth, hurricanes can have tremendous amounts of rain or very little.

Sixth, hurricanes have an eye, the centre of the storm. The eye can be from five to 120 miles across with most being 20-40. In the eye it can be eerily calm with clear skies, fooling people into thinking the storm is over, causing them to come outside to see the damage. However, once the eye passes over, there is the other half of the storm still left to endure, with sudden ferocious winds coming from the opposite direction.

Seventh, the worst winds tend to be in the northeast quadrant of the storm.

Eight, the sustained winds of a hurricane (74 to over 190 mph) are bad and cause a lot of damage. However, hurricanes tend to spawn many tornadoes which cause much of the damage.

Ninth, flying debris can be a bigger hazard than the wind itself.

Tenth, hurricanes are tropical but are not restricted to tropical areas, the coast, or the summer. Some of the worst and most damaging hurricanes have hit in the Carolinas and northward in September. August and September are the months with the most hurricanes.

What should you do if a hurricane is headed your way? Don’t risk it. Evacuate -and do so early. Because hurricanes are so large and their path of travel is so variable, it will take time, maybe days, to drive your way out of danger.

If you wait too long before evacuating it’s likely you will get caught in a major traffic snarl along with all the other late evacuees, and you may not reach safety before the rain and winds of the hurricane or its outer bands reach you.

You may run out of fuel. There will likely be fuel shortages (because everybody is buying and stockpiling fuel) and you may not be able to buy fuel to complete your evacuation. If you must stay put, get prepared.

- Get as much water as you can -fill bottles, tubs, tanks, buckets, anything you can find with water.

- Have plenty of nonperishable food and food that doesn’t have to be cooked, heated, prepared or refrigerated.

- Have a good supply of drinks and juices.

© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal

Coast to Coast-Winnebego Promotion

June 2, 2010

by RVBusiness.com June 1, 2010

Coast to Coast Resorts, the industry leader in bringing RV enthusiasts access to some of the finest “members-only” outdoor resorts in the country, and Winnebago Industries Inc. today (June 1) announced the “3 for Free” promotion for new Winnebago Industries motorhome owners and Winnebago-Itasca Travelers (WIT) Club members.

The promotion entitles new owners and WIT Club members to a free three-day, two-night stay at one of more than 50 of the top Coast to Coast outdoor resorts across the U.S. and Canada, according to a news release.

The offer is available to anyone who purchases a new Winnebago Industries motorhome on or after Jan. 1, 2010, as well as new and existing WIT Club members. To be eligible, participants must attend a 90-minute presentation/tour on Coast to Coast membership at the campground.

In addition to the free three-day, two-night stay, participants qualify for exclusive credits and discounts. Guests who join Coast to Coast will receive a $500 discount on their membership, while those who decline membership will be offered a $500 camping credit at the resort where they stayed.

Participants in the promotion will experience the type of luxurious facilities offered by Coast to Coast’s resorts at locations that stretch from the wilderness of Washington’s Cascade Mountains to the Orlando, Fla. area. The resorts contain a range of high-quality amenities for vacationers of all ages, such as swimming pools, clubhouses, boating and countless fun planned activities for adults and children alike.

“Coast to Coast has a long history of providing excellent value on outstanding resorts across the country,” said Bruce Hoster, president of Coast to Coast Resorts. “By partnering with Winnebago Industries, we’re able to show the benefits of Coast to Coast membership to a whole new world of new and existing motor home owners. We look forward to welcoming Winnebago Industries motor home owners and WIT Club members at our resorts and anticipate that many of them will choose to become members of Coast to Coast following their stays.”

“Winnebago Industries offers a wide variety of motor home products with high quality expectations and the finest in luxury comfort available to RV owners,” said Chad Reece, director of marketing for Winnebago Industries Inc. “Therefore, it’s natural that we are partnering with Coast to Coast, whose resorts offer an equally high level of amenities and activities. We are sure that the combination of a Winnebago Industries motor home and a five-star outdoor resort will provide the perfect vacation getaway.”

A Coast to Coast membership makes it easy to travel safely and comfortably throughout North America, with hundreds of affiliated RV resorts in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Member benefits include a subscription to Coast to Coast Magazine and a number of travel services, with additional advantages that include cabin and condo rentals, trip routing and dining and leisure discounts. Coast to Coast offers RV Tripsetter, an online and phone reservation system, which provides a simple way to reserve a space.

Coast to Coast was established in 1972 and is owned by and affiliated with Affinity Group Inc. (AGI), the nation’s largest provider of outdoor clubs, services, media and events that service the safety, security, comfort and convenience needs of the North American recreation vehicle and outdoor enthusiast market. AGI is the parent company of RVBUSINESS.com.

Existing members of Coast to Coast are ineligible to participate in the “3 for Free” promotion. Other restrictions may apply. To participate, visit www.experiencectc.com/3forfree.

Speed Cameras – Thumbs Up or Down?

May 30, 2010

by Jaimie Hall Bruzenak
as appeared on RV Home Yet? May 8, 2010

My first experience with a speed camera was actually in New Zealand while RVing with my granddaughter. Out in the middle of nowhere a sign warned that we were approaching one. Later in our trip, we read in the newspaper that a man was contesting his ticket – he had to speed to get around someone. I doubt he beat the ticket with that excuse.

Arizona has had them set up on highways, more than any other state. In January, on our way to Quartzsite in our RV, and then back to Phoenix, we passed several on each trip. That is now changing. In an article at Yahoo News, Arizona is ending its program to use speed cameras along Phoenix-area highways and in vans deployed across the state. While governor, Janet Napolitano instituted the program, anticipating that it would bring in $90 million in revenues in the first year, it failed to meet its goal. In fact, many people ignore the tickets with apparently no consequences.

Governor Jan Brewer is ending the program when the contract is up on July 16. The program had received many complaints and has been the target of an initiative measure proposed for the November ballot. Local cities can still use speed cameras though not for both speeding and running red lights. (Now that makes no sense to me.)

Supporters say they slow down speeders and reduce accidents. Detractors see them as opening the door for wider “Big Brother” surveillance and are more about making money than safety. Personally, seeing how fast many Arizona drivers go, I’m in favor of them. You don’t get a ticket unless you are going at least 11 miles over the speed limit. Isn’t that enough leeway?

So, what do you think? Thumbs up for getting rid of them? Or thumbs down for caving? Or is it thumbs down for another reason?

Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

Please add your comment below or email Jamie at calamityjaimie@gmail.com

reprinted with permission

Flying J To Charge For Dumping

May 23, 2010

by Jaimie Hall Bruzenak
as appeared on RV Home Yet? May 6, 2010

Beginning May 13, 2010 Flying J will charge $10 to use their RV dump stations according to the Escapees E-news from the Escapees RV Club. Due to rising costs and misuse of the dump stations, they are instituting the charge.

For those with Frequent Fueler cards and RV Real Value cards, a $5 discount coupon can be added to their card, based on fuel purchases. That could help. Some dump stations will have a place to “pay at the dump,” while at others, you’ll need to go inside to pay.

RVers hate to see this. Many dump stations in rest areas along highways have already been closed- probably for the same reason. It makes it harder to find a dump unless you stay in a campground. Those who stay at Camp Wal-Mart will have to bite the bullet or see if they can find another source.

In our case, we don’t go to Flying J’s that often anyway. Usually they are so crowded it is about impossible to get to a diesel pump without waiting in line for a long time- if you can even maneuver in towing a 5th wheel or trailer.

Nick Russell has a book of free public dump stations. While some are Flying J’s will be eliminated from his list, it’s still a good deal and can help you save money. See his Web site.

Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

Please add your comment below or email Jamie at calamityjaimie@gmail.com

reprinted with permission

Interesting RV Poll Results

May 19, 2010

by Mark Polk
Mark is a regular contributing author

Several months ago I put an article together showing the results of our weekly e-newsletter RV polls. I find it interesting to review these poll results occasionally, and think many other RVers find the poll results of a targeted RV audience interesting too.

Of course the outcome of any poll depends on several factors like what type of poll it is, how the questions are presented, who is asking the questions and of course who does and does not participate in the poll.

Our weekly RV poll is not a scientific poll, a political poll or a marketing poll. It is basically used to give me some idea of what our newsletter readers are interested in, how they use their RVs and just for the fun of it.

So, here is a look back at some past polls and how the participants responded.

• 30% of the participants have experienced problems with rodent control in their RV’s and 70% have not.
• 48% have spent a night in a Wal-Mart parking lot and 52% have not. Of those, 58% asked permission to stay in the Wal-Mart parking lot and 42% did not.
• 68% connect to the internet every day when traveling by RV and 32% do not. 82% experience trouble getting an internet connection on the road and 16% do not. 58% of the respondents depend on free Wi-Fi to connect, 27% used a wireless card to connect and 15% relied on other methods like paid Wi-Fi, cell phones and satellite service.
• When asked who drove the most 92% responded male, 5% female, 1% female traveling alone and 2% male traveling alone.
• 74% said their RV came with a spare tire and 26 % did not get a spare when they purchased their RV.
• 84% make campground reservations in advance and 16% do not.
• 9% of respondents see closing state parks as a way to decrease state budgets and 91% do not.
• 55% are currently financing their RV and 45% are not. 51% of those financed think they owe more than the RV is worth and 49% do not think they owe more than the RV is worth.
• 85% of participants have an Emergency Roadside Service (ERS) plan and 15% do not.
• 18% travel 200 miles or less per day during RV trips, 47% average 300 miles per day, 26% average 400 miles per day and 9% travel 500 or more miles per day.
• 54% own motorized RV’s and 46% own towable RV’s.
• 94% use rest stops along the way when traveling by RV and 6% do not.
• At one time or another 35% of respondents have had a damaged RV holding tank waste valve and 65% never have. Of those with damaged waste valves 58% repaired it themselves and 42% did not attempt repairs.
• 36% use some type of digital line monitor to monitor campground electricity and 65% do not. 40% always test the campground wiring prior to plugging the RV in and 60% do not.
• 82% check the tire pressure before each trip and 18% don’t.
• 58% use checklists to perform maintenance and routine tasks on their RV and 42% do not.
• 12% of the respondents have work camped before and 88% have not.
• 90% said they use environmentally friendly holding tank chemicals and 10% don’t.
• 63% use their RV in the winter and 37% don’t.
• 70% have stayed in a friends or relatives driveway before and 30% have not.
• 19% frequently stay at state or federal campgrounds, 34% stay at private campgrounds, 5% stay at public campgrounds and 42% stay at a combination of all three.
• 67% use a pre-departure checklist when they RV and 33% don’t.
• 98% have one or more slide outs on their RV and 2% don’t have any slide outs.

Well that brings us up to date on the poll results. When we gather more results I will keep you posted.

Happy Camping,
Mark

Mark Polk is founder of RV Education 101 and RV University

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