Tag Archives: Pennsylvania

RV & Camping News

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News from around the campfire.

– California: Photoelectric symbiosis is coming to California. A private investor group, Shorebreak Energy Developers, is approaching RV parks, campgrounds and mobile home parks in the state offering to equip their properties with solar panels at no cost, and then sell the park the electricity produced by the panels, saving them 35 to 75 percent on power costs. The group has set aside $50 million for the plan.

–  Online Happenings: Internet giant Facebook has made for plenty of changes for RVers, but in this case maybe not for the good. The company is building a giant data center on farmland near Altoona, Iowa — directly in front of Griffs Valley View RV Park. Owner Ted Griffieon shrugs and says, “Progress is progress,” but will RVers who used to see open meadows and a pond be thrilled to see a modern building out front?

– Borrego Springs, CA: Students on a high school-sponsored camping field trip at Borrego Springs, Cal., had a rude surprise when flammable vapors met up with a campfire with explosive results. Two students and a teacher were injured when, as a fire official told ABC News, “Something caused it to flash. The report is there was some propane or some alcohol nearby. And when I say alcohol, I don’t mean the drinking kind, but fuel of some type.”

– Alaska: For the paltry sum of $279,000, you can own a piece of political history. Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin has put her Lexa Class A motor home on the market — looking to downsize to a Class C rig that’s easier to maneuver.

–BILLINGS, Mont.:  A total of 107 KOA campground owners have already “taken the leap” and adopted one of Kampgrounds of America’s three new brand positions.
The three brand positions include:

  • KOA Journey — KOA Journey campgrounds are conveniently located near the highways and byways of North America and are waiting for campers after a long day on the road. KOA Journeys offer long pull-through sites that help make setup fast and easy, have well-lit after-hour check-in service, and offer a robust line of RV supplies. They are great places to unwind and relax before the next leg of their journey.
  • KOA Holiday — Whether campers are looking for a base camp for exploring the area or a fun place to stay with lots of activities, they are sure to love KOA Holiday campgrounds. There’s plenty to do at these KOAs, with amenities and services to make any stay memorable, whether it’s overnight or for a longer stay. Each KOA Holiday features full service RV sites and KOA Deluxe Cabins with bathrooms. Campers can take a hike, see the local attractions or still enjoy a campfire.
  • KOA Resort — KOA Resort campgrounds offer a carefree vacation in the great outdoors with plenty of patio RV sites and Deluxe Cabins with linen service. KOA Resorts also have an abundance of activities led by dedicated recreation staff, on-site food service, group meeting space, and much more. KOA Resorts are all a camper could want in a vacation destination – all in one place.

~ News From The Weird ~

– National Public Radio’s automotive experts, Ray and Tom Magliozzi (a.k.a. “Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers”) were recently asked about towing a travel trailer while using the cruise control. In typical snappy fashion, the return advice included this classic line: “Just make sure you follow all the other towing recommendations the manufacturer makes, which probably include turning the overdrive off when towing, and strapping on two pairs of Depends before you head out with 6,500 pounds kissing your rear bumper.”

Special thanks to CampingPA.com for supplying these great tidbits of RVing news…

Safe Travels and Happy RVing!

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RV & Camper News

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News from around the  RVing and camping lifestyle.

– Coal Township, PA :  Coal Township is asking for the public’s opinion on a proposed new ordinance, which could add a five-percent admissions tax to recreation parks such as the Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area, Newsitem reports.  At its meeting Thursday night, the township’s board of commissioners voted 3-1 to advertise the ordinance, which has yet to be drawn up, for the admissions tax. Newsitem explains, the tax would apply on all activities allowable under the Commonwealth’s Local Tax Enabling Act “which would include, but is not limited to, campgrounds and outdoor recreation parks.”

– Gettysburg, PA :Gettysburg Bike Week celebrates 13 years of riding through historic Pennsylvania this year with rides, entertainment, vendors and more July 10 through 13 at Granite Hill Campground Resort.

– Washington DC : The 16-day federal government shutdown last October frustrated and angered RVers when federal lands became inaccessible. Now a study estimates that the shutdown of National Parks cost nearby communities $414 million in visitor spending.

– Arizona : Hibernation season for Arizona bears has evidently ended early, with reports of two bear sightings. In mid-February campers spotted a black bear near Peppersauce Campground outside of Tucson. In January a hunter reported seeing a sow and cub at Fort Huachuca.

– Richland County, Mont.: health officials say they’ve had enough. According to the officials, “85 to 95 percent of RV parks” in the county are out of compliance with health laws so the county is dragging them into court to get them to clean up their acts. One hot-button issue: gray water. “Gray water out of your sink actually carries more pathogens than out of your toilet,” claims Terry Murphy, local compliance officer. There are 18 licensed RV and mobile home parks in the county.

– Mission, TX :Police in Mission, Texas, may have broken up a ring of thieves who specialized in stealing Ford F-250 pickups and selling them in Mexico. Police staked out Mission Bell RV Resort in February, where pickups had been previously stolen, and netted four adults and a juvenile who were charged in connection with at least one truck theft.

~ News From The Weird ~

– PUNTA GORDA, Fla. : Police arrested a Punta Gorda couple prowling an RV park Friday night while their children wandered through some nearby woods, Fox 4 reported.
Michael Scott Butcher and his wife, Sarah, were found by security guards at Water’s Edge RV Resort claiming to be looking for lost truck keys. When they wouldn’t leave, the couple was arrested for loitering or prowling, as well as possession of drugs.

Safe Travels and Happy RVing!

Severe Weather Hurting RV Industry

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Thor Industries Inc. (THO) issued a preliminary sales target for the fiscal second quarter that missed Wall Street’s projections, as the recreational-vehicle maker said poor winter weather hurt sales and production.  The severe weather conditions in many parts of the U.S. ahead of the holiday season and in early 2014 have led many consumer-focused companies to issue disappointing outlooks. Auto sales in January were also broadly affected by the weather, with a number of companies saying traffic was hurt as freezing temperatures and snowstorms dissuaded consumers from shopping.

Thor, which manufacturers brands including Four Winds and Dutchman, expects preliminary consolidated sales from continuing operations of $636.3 million. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters projected total sales of $718 million for the quarter ended Jan. 31.  Thor expects sales of the larger towable RV business to drop 9.3%, partly offset by a nearly 44% jump in sales for the smaller motorized RV business.  Chief Executive and President Bob Martin said severe winter weather that plagued the Midwest hurt sales. Mr. Martin said the company’s Indiana operations also lost several days of production due to severe cold and heavy snow.  Ultimately, Mr. Martin said those factors will push back deliveries and sales from the second quarter to later in the fiscal year.  “The RV markets remain strong as reflected by the higher traffic and increased sales activity we’ve seen in the early retail shows,” Mr. Martin said.

So let’s hope for warmer weather sooner than later.

Safe travels and happy RVing!

(article source: The Wall Street Journal)

RV News and Tidbits

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News from around the RVing Lifestyle

– Pennsylvania RV Court Ruling: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court denied Dingman Township’s request for appeal regarding a provision in the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance after losing to Lake Adventure in a lower Court ruling in 2013.  The provision in question amended the definition of a recreation vehicle to one “that does not require a special highway moving permit when transported” and “a vehicular unit, mounted on wheels, of such size or weight as not to require special highway moving permits when drawn by motorized vehicles.  This is another great win for campgrounds and the RV industry,” Robert Adams, owner of Gettysburg Campground and PRVCA’s Campground Director. “This decision helps ensure that park models and destination camping remain a growing segment of the industry.”

– RV News: The Good Sam RV Travel Guide and Campground Directory has announced 2014’s top rated RV parks. Digital Journal explains, awarded with perfect 10/10/10 ratings, these 101 RV parks and campgrounds feature the most desired amenities, cleanest facilities and most attractive properties and locations. Long considered the Gold Standard by RVers, the ratings given to these top rated RV parks and campgrounds put them on every RVers’ list of places to visit in 2014. For a complete list, click here.

– ROANOKE, Va.: A recreational vehicle caught fire in the parking lot of the Roanoke Civic Center as families were heading inside to see the Kazim Temple Shrine Circus, according to Roanoke Times. The fire damaged three RVs in the parking lot full of other trucks and circus equipment, but only one RV had severe damage. Two adults and two children were displaced from the fire, Roanoke Times reports.  The cause of the was ruled as electrical, Roanoke Times explains.

– Richmond, Ind.: based Tom Raper RVs announced the launch of campersweather.com, a new website especially for campers and outdoor enthusiasts featuring weather forecasts, current conditions and weather alerts. According to a press release, the website, Facebook page, Twitter and a soon to be released mobile app are all free and include live weather radar, up-to-the-minute weather maps and weather related news.

– RV News: Stats on wholesale shipments of rigs seem to indicate it. U.S. wholesale annual shipments jumped 12.4 percent in December compared to the year before — about double 2009. On a monthly basis, December shipments were up 14.3 percent over 2013, the biggest December in six years, says the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association.

– Economy: Midwest propane prices continue to shoot upward. At one point last week, spot prices reached almost $5 per gallon, but dropped to $4.50. At the Kansas hub, prices reached $4.95, the highest since 1989.

– RV News: A fire in an electrical box at the Como, N.C., Camp PD Hunt Club got out of control and smoke was seen for miles. Local firefighters called in assistance, but in the end, 17 RVs parked at the club were wiped out.

~ News from the Weird ~

– RVs burn gas, but cows manufacture it, and in one case this week it caused a problem. Methane gas from 90 gassy cows exploded in a German farm shed, injuring one of the animals. High levels of flatulence had built up when a static electric charge caused the gas to explode with flashes of flames. One cow was treated for burns (hopefully, “rare” and not “well done”).

– This that make you go hmm? An RVer in Severance, Colo., who couldn’t get his motor home started tried using starter fluid. With somewhat predictable results, the rig caught fire and was totally destroyed. The twist? The rig was inside a local car wash when the fire broke out. No damage estimate on the car wash building.

Special thanks to CampingPA.com for supplying these great tidbits of RVing news…

Safe Travels and Happy RVing!

Pennsylvania Adventure RV Expo February 27-March 2 @Altoona,Pennsylvania

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Join Lerch RV and SAVE $$$ at the Pennsylvania Adventure RV Expo. February 27 – March 2 at the Blair County Convention Center, Altoona PA. Join us for a weekend of special savings and camping fun. It is time to think about the upcoming camping season.

Family Vacation…Did I really just see that?

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Just came across this awesome article and wanted to share it with our readers.  This is really, really cool.  Would love to see this going down the road.

national lampoons vacation motorhomeKeith Boreani started out about 11 years ago, renovating an old school bus.
As reported by the Fort Wayne (Ind.) Journal Gazette, raising the $5,000 to buy the bus was the easy part. Finding partners to help him do the job was a challenge. Nobody could quite grasp the vision that Boreani had for the old hulk. Boreani figured he could rent it out as a party bus, but the plan didn’t pan out.
You can’t keep a guy with crazy automotive ideas down, though, and Boreani, who’s in pharmaceutical sales, has a vision for a whole new fleet of vehicles that will never make a lot of money but will turn plenty of heads.  The first vehicle in the fleet has recently been completed. Boreani bought a 1971 Winnebago, with a big W on the side and 75,000 miles on it.  “It wasn’t the worst, but it wasn’t pretty,” he said.  But he had an idea to make it really outrageous. Working with an Angola airbrusher, Harry Martin of Hairydidit, he converted the old motor home into a combination of Clark Griswold’s hideous green station wagon and Eddie’s hideous motor home from the “National Lampoon’s Vacation” movies.  The green station wagon is painted on the side, complete with a dead grandma wrapped in a tarp and strapped to the roof. There are plenty of Walley World characters and tons of painted rust on the side, front and rear.

So if you see this unique motor home going down the road, be sure to wave hello to Sparky!

Safe Travels and Happy RVing!

Visit the Adirondacks!

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Welcome to the largest park in the lower 48.

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The peaceful view from a camping spot along scenic Indian Lake

The forever wild, the six million acre Adirondack Park of Northern New York. Experience the thrill of first discovery in the Adirondack Region of Northern New York (also known as the ADKs). A six-million-acre civilized wilderness, dotted with quaint towns and charming lakeside villages, the Adirondack Region is open year-round for adventure. Explore nature parks, tour historic sites and play at our many family friendly attractions. Named for the mountains within the park, the Adirondacks are part of the Northern Deciduous Forest, the largest temperate forest in the world. Larger than Vermont or Massachusetts; larger even than Yellowstone, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Great Smokies and Yosemite national parks combined, the Adirondacks are a haven for outdoor recreation. Conveniently, this natural wonder is located within a day’s drive for 60 million people.

canoeing-fishing-indian-lake-adirondack-mountains-new-york

Do not forget the canoe!

Scenic byways in and out of the region offer a drive through nature’s best.  Regardless of time of year, travel in and out of this region is beautiful.  Offering all kinds of outdoor recreational pleasures, skiing, hiking, camping, rafting, floating, walking, biking, relaxing, and those secluded scenic spots, those places where you can hear nothing but silence.  Only the sound of nature around you.

Why not take your next camping trip to the ADK’s and experience the true beauty of the forever wild.

Safe Travels and Happy RVing!

Have you been to the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania?

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The Pennsylvania Grand Canyon in its Autumn beauty.

The PA Grand Canyon Often referred to as the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania and the Pine Creek Gorge, the PA Canyon area stretches for over 45 miles with depths of nearly 1500 feet. It’s dynamic topography creates many scenic wonders, including steep canyon walls and waterfalls. The PA Grand Canyon is part of the Tioga State Forest, beginning just south of Ansonia, PA, near Wellsboro in Tiago County.

With numerous developed trails the Grand Canyon of PA is a hikers paradise.  Year round activities include floating, boating, fishing, hiking, and biking are all part of the area’s available outdoor recreational opportunities.  The Pennsylvania Grand Canyon State Park areas display spectacular views.  Colton Point on the west rim and Leonard Harrison on the east rim of the canyon are the “must see” vistas to visit.  Camping and picnic areas are also available here as well.

One of the most popular areas to visit in the canyon is the Pine Creek Rail Trail, a converted railroad bed that travels along Pine Creek at the floor of the canyon. USA Today cites the Pine Creek Rail Trail as one of the ‘Top 10 Great Places to take bike tour’ in the world.  Due to the gentle grade, the trail offers easy peddling, hence it can be experienced with minimal physical impact and basic biking gear and experience.  Why not add this bike trail to your biking ‘bucket list’?

Come experience the Pennsylvania Wilds, and enjoy the beauty of route 6 which traversed the top half of the state.  You will not be disappointed in the Autumn beauty of this particular region of Pennsylvania.

Safe Travels and Happy Rving!

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Apple Crisp the right way!

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This is the perfect time of year to take advantage of some of nature’s produce that is not as plentiful during the rest of the year. Among other things, this is apple season!

Here at your central Pennsylvania RV dealership, we are always looking for new recipes to help you enjoy the seasons. It is in that spirit we have found this terrific Autumn recipe to share with our followers, a Campfire Apple Crisp recipe. It is perfect over a campfire but you can make it in a regular oven as well. It is very similar to grilling “potato packs” over an open fire, but with apples instead of potatoes.

Apple Crisp the Camp Fire Way

  • You will need four apples, of your choice, chopped up
  • 1/3 cups of uncooked oatmeal
  • 3/4 cups of brown sugar,
  • ½ cup of flour
  • 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup of butter
  • 3 tablespoons of white sugar
  • Foil

Directions: In a bowl, mix the dry ingredients with the butter until the butter is dispersed in the mixture. Then add the apples. Mix well. Then take three pieces of foil and add the ingredients to make three “pouches” that you will seal to go over the campfire. . squeeze the ends to make a boat shape. Put the apples in the center of the foil and fold the foil over to make sure you have nice, sealed foil packages.

Put a grate over the campfire and cook the package for 15 to 20 minutes. If you have no access to a grate, put the foil pack directly into the campfire a bit farther away from the heat and rotate it every 5 minutes. Check to make sure the apples are cooking evenly about half way through.

You can also use this recipe in your RV if the weather is not conducive to a fire by putting the ingredients in a casserole dish and putting it in the oven for about one hour at 350 degrees.

This is a great tasting, great smelling desert dish that is perfect for the season. If you are looking for an easy recipe to take advantage of the abundance of apples this fall, this can be it.

There are still some great fall RV weekends ahead. Safe travels and Happy RVing!

Unique ways to S’more

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Nothing says camping like roasting marshmallows over a campfire to create the perfect s’more. A traditional s’more recipe calls for sandwiching a roasted marshmallow between graham crackers with a couple of pieces of chocolate. But there is no “right way” to make a s’more. In fact, there are endless combinations and creative ingredients that can be used to create unique and fun treats. So the next time you’re camping in your RV, check out these recipes for a fresh spin on an old classic.

The S’more Dip

Ingredients
– Chocolate cream cheese

– Marshmallow cream

– Chocolate chips

– Miniature marshmallows

– Aluminum foil

– Parchment paper

Directions: Tear off a large square aluminum foil. Add a square of parchment inside the aluminum foil. Place scoops of chocolate cream cheese and a dollop of marshmallow creme in center on top of parchment paper. Wrap up and place on campfire for 15-20 minutes, until melted. Use tongs to remove packet from heat. Sprinkle miniature marshmallows and chocolate chips on top. Serve with graham crackers of course!

The S’more Cone

Ingredients

– Waffle ice cream cone

– Chocolate chips

– Miniature marshmallows

– Chopped fruit (bananas, strawberries, etc)

– Aluminum foil

Directions: Mix miniature marshmallows, chocolate chips and chopped fruit in a cone. Wrap cone in foil. Lay wrapped cones over your campfire for 5-7 minutes; rotating occasionally. Use tongs to remove cone from heat. When the foil is cool enough to hold, unwrap cone and enjoy.

The S’more Burrito

Ingredients

– Chocolate chips

– Miniature marshmallows

– Peanut butter (optional)

– Flour tortillas

– Aluminum foil

Directions: Spoon two tablespoons of chocolate chips or pieces, a dozen miniature marshmallows and peanut butter (optional) into the center of a flour tortilla. Roll up the tortilla, wrap it in foil, and set it on campfire coals for about 4 minutes, flipping it halfway through. Use tongs to remove the burrito from heat. When the foil is cool enough to hold, fold it down on one end and eat this sweet burrito treat.

S’more Golden Graham Treats

Ingredients

-1/4 cup butter
-1 (10 oz) bag regular marshmallows
-1 box of Golden Graham cereal
-1-2 cups Chocolate chips

Directions: Combine marshmallow and butter in a large microwave safe bowl. Microwave for approximately 1 minute. Stir mixture together until combined, microwaving in 30 second intervals until completely melted. Add Golden Grahams to bowl and stir until they are all well coated. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour mixture into a greased 9×13 pan and press evenly. Let cool at least 15 minutes before cutting into squares and going to town!

The Banana S’more

Ingredients

– Bananas
– Chocolate chips
– Miniature marshmallows
– Graham crackers

– Aluminum foil

Directions: Slice banana lengthwise and slightly open. Place on a square of aluminum foil. Insert marshmallows and chocolate chips into the sliced banana. Wrap each banana up in foil and cook on the grill for 5 to 10 minutes. Use tongs to remove the banana from heat. When the foil is cool enough to hold, unwrap the bananas and top with a few tablespoons of crushed graham crackers. After the banana s’more has slightly cooled grab a spoon and dig in.

Any ways to eat s’mores that we missed? Let us know in the comments. We’re always looking for new, delicious ways to get our favorite camping dessert!
Safe Travels and Happy RVing!

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