Issue 101 Campground

Camping on the Gulf launched the daily website video campaign after losing half of its summer business due to inaccurate media reports about the extent to which BP’s oil spill has affected Gulf Coast beaches DESTIN, Fla., June 28, 2010 – For weeks, Pam

Hillman heard incessant news reports about BP’s oil spill and how it was devastating beaches along the Gulf Coast.

But when she arrived at Camping on the Gulf in Destin, Fla. for her family’s annual vacation last week, there was no oil to be found.

“The news in Alabama keeps saying the beaches are all covered and I come down here and I don’t see any of it,” Hillman said, adding, “It’s just beautiful here. There is no oil in sight.”

That’s a message Camping on the Gulf and Continued Page 2

Continued from Page 1 other beachfront campgrounds, RV parks and resorts would like people across the country to hear. “The media talks about the beaches as if everything is covered with oil and that’s not the case,” said Camping on the Gulf General Manager Pat O’Neill, whose park is half empty due to consistently inaccurate reporting about extent to which the oil spill is affecting Gulf Coast beaches.

In fact, since the oil spill began there has only been one day when tar balls showed up on the beach in front of Camping on the Gulf, and those were immediately picked up by county crews, O’Neill said.

In an effort to counter misleading media reports, Camping on the Gulf posts daily video clips on its website at

www.CampGulf.com, which include detailed footage of the beaches, the surf as well as interviews with RV resort guests who provide their own commentary regarding the cleanliness of the beaches, while encouraging people to come down and enjoy the Gulf Coast.

O’Neill said he had no choice but to post the daily videos because inaccurate and sensational media reports are prompting people to cancel their reservations.

“Normally, we’re booked solid all summer long and have to turn people away.

But right now, we’re sitting at 50 percent occupancy,” O’Neill said, adding that misleading news reports involving the effects of the oil spill are costing Camping on the Gulf more than $3,000 a day in lost reservations.

“I feel bad for all the companies that have lost business as a result of the oil spill,” Hillman said, adding that her family has come to Camping on the Gulf every summer for the past 11 years.

Fortunately, O’Neill said, there are plenty of Camping on the Gulf guests who are willing to share their experiences about camping on beaches that, so far at least, have not been negatively affected by the spill.

“The beach is wonderful,” said Kent Calfee, a Camping on the Gulf vacationer from Tennessee during a video interview last

Thursday, adding, “Everybody needs to come on down because it’s a great time on the beach.”

“The water color here is excellent,” said Daniel Reyes, a Houston, Texas area resident who was interviewed on video by Camping on the Gulf on Friday. “We’ve been here a little over a week and everything has been absolutely wonderful.”

Camping on the Gulf has 201 RV sites and 19 park model cabins and cottages, which are available for rent. For more information about the park, visit its website at www.CampGulf.com.

Reported in the Andalusia Star News: While the Gulf Coast tourism market is feeling the financial crunch of the oil spill, local campgrounds are beginning to see some of those tourists set up camp in Covington County.

As always, three of the campgrounds in Covington County – Frank Jackson State Park in Opp, Florala State Park and Sweet Home Alabama Campground – are booked or nearly booked for the upcoming holiday weekend.

And two of the three said campers are utilizing their facilities and forgoing oily beaches impacted by the Gulf oil spill.

“I know there was one family who cancelled their Destin plans and came here,” Thom Watson of the Sweet Home Alabama Campground said. “I’ve had six or eight calls in the past two weeks (regarding the facilities in light of the oil spill).”

Watson said he anticipates that number will rise as the both the summer travel and the number of impacted areas continues to increase.

At Florala State Park, Lola Becker said she’s seen some campers choose to stay in Florala rather than the beach.

“There are some that have been here because of the oil spill,” she said. “We’re having a lot of people. We

don’t now if it’s because of the oil spill; we do have a lot of our regulars.”

Becker said the campground is booked for the July 4 weekend and the weekend after it.

While Opp’s Frank Jackson State Park officials haven’t specifically seen any campers using their facilities because of the oil spill, they are reporting a good number of campers.

Park worker Chris Jones said he the park is booked for the holidays.

“We’re usually booked for the weekend,” he said. “The best way to do it here is to make a reservation.”

The July 4 holiday weekend is usually one of the biggest beach weekends of the year, and Gulf Coast hotels, condos and other property rentals are offering discounts and other promotions to try and make up for the profits that have been lost.

In fact, one of the largest vacation rental companies in the Destin, Fla.-area is offering discounts to those who will stay five nights or longer through the July 4 holiday.

The company is even offering a 100 percent refund if the county closes a beach for safety reasons.

Article: www.andalusiastarnews.com

Fire and public safety officials warn that even approved fireworks carry some risk of injury. As the July Fourth and Pioneer Day holidays approach, they advise people not to ruin a good time with injuries or fires from misuse.

The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission has estimated that the injury toll nationwide each year is in the thousands, with about 7,000 in 2008.

Here are some hints from the Utah Department of Public Safety: * Buy fireworks in Utah from licensed dealers. * Read and follow directions. * Never experiment with fireworks. * Do not try to reignite "duds." They can still explode. * Keep a safe distance away. * Never give fireworks to small children.

fireworks before tossing them in the garbage. They may still have smoldering hot spots than can reignite.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Land Management reminds people that it is illegal and dangerous to discharge fireworks on all public lands inside developed recreation sites. That means campgrounds.

For all public lands, it is illegal to use any type of explosive, motorized or mechanical, including some fireworks, homemade pipe bombs, and sobe bombs.

Bear in mind that, although many consider sparklers a "safe" firework for young children, sparklers burn at extremely high temperatures and can easily ignite clothing or hair.

* Light only one at a time. * Keep a fire bucket or garden hose handy.

It is also a good idea to wet down exploded

The burning metal dust on sparklers can exceed 1,800 degrees F., which means they stay hot for a long time after they stop glowing.

SANTA FE, N.M. – The New Mexico State Parks Division is requesting proposals by July 30, 2010 from qualified organizations or individuals to establish, operate and maintain a fullservice marina facility at Conchas Lake State Park.

The facility should be ready to operate as a full service, independent concession facility by March 5, 2011.

“A good marina is essential to Conchas Lake State Park and we want the next concessioner to improve visitor services,” said State Parks Director Dave Simon.

Organizations must have the ability and experience to establish, operate and maintain a facility with any or all of the following: a total of 50 or more boat slips and mooring lines; gas service, boat rentals and repairs; boat storage; store with boating and camping accessories; a restaurant and lounge; and a trailer park. Standard leases shall not exceed one year and would be available on a first-come, first-served basis. A portion of boat slips and mooring lines must be available to the general public for rent.

Two-cycle motors are prohibited on all rental equipment. The concessionaire will be solely responsible for maintaining the facility through the term of the

contract according to all applicable laws, rules and regulations and must obtain all necessary state and federal permits prior to construction or modifications.

Applicants should be able to demonstrate and maintain a financial position that supports the development and operation of the marina and pay fees to the State Parks Division according to the concession contract.

The facility should operate as a green marina – one that is environmentally friendly. Conchas Lake State Park currently has a marina, but its contract with New Mexico State Parks will expire on March 5, 2011.

Conchas Lake State Park is a state-operated facility offering camping, boating, and other recreation activities in northeastern New Mexico. It is the tenth most visited state park and one of the most popular fishing lakes in New Mexico. Park visitation has averaged 154,000 visitors per year for the last two years.

Copies of the request for proposal (RFP) may be obtained from Charles Ulm, business enterprise coordinator, at New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department/State Parks Division, P.O. Box

1147, Santa Fe, NM 87504 or call 505-476-3393.

Applicants may also download copies of the RFP from the State Parks Division website at www.nmparks.com.

Applicants must provide one original and five copies of their proposal at the office listed above by 5:00 p.m. MDT on July 30, 2010. For information about Conchas Lake State Park, call Park Superintendent Dan Rand at 575-868-2270.

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Richmond, Va. -Pleasant smells wafted from the little kitchen inside Brett and April Denson's Open Range recreation vehicle parked in the Cozy Acres Campground in Powhatan County.

Brett, a boilermaker by trade, had come in for the evening from his job on a crew building a storage tank for a Virginia client of Fisher Tank Co., his Lexington, S.C.-based employer.

April was preparing dinner while he relaxed and played with their dogs.

They had been in Virginia for 2½ months, and his job was nearly done.

A couple of days later, having received his next job assignment from the foreman at Fisher Tank, the Densons battened down their belongings, dismantled the satellite dish, hitched the RV to their truck and headed off to Lawrence, Kan. Brett Denson, 43, has been traveling around the country building storage tanks since he was 19, part of the time alone, other times with his wife, also 43, and their three children.

Their children are now adults -- and living in the family home in Kentucky -so the Densons travel fulltime together.

"I guess it's because it pays good," explained Brett Denson about his career, while noting that using the RV beats staying at motels.

"I don't know how to do anything else. I took spells where I wanted to get a job at home, but I got over it."

While some people use their RVs to chase work while seeing America, others simply live in their RVs and commute to their regular job.

Some travel from place to place trading their work for a free campsite. But how many there are is anyone's guess.

Anywhere from 25,000 to 250,000 working Americans travel around in RVs, motoring from state to state and job to job to earn a paycheck, according to Arkansas-based Workamper News, a website that caters to RV migrants.

"We definitely know that work camping is alive, well and growing in numbers," Workamper News owner Steve Anderson said. "I know that because our subscriber base continues to grow."

The biggest national RV trade organization, the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association in Reston, does not keep statistics on RV owners who travel from job to job. Spokesman Kevin Broom estimated that 400,000-800,000 people live full time on the road in an RV. "Many are also working," he said.

Jean Daniels, who owns Cozy Acres with her

husband, Larry, said RV workers are frequent residents there.

"They stay here until the job is completed and then they move on to the next job," she said. "We had somebody building a Jos. A Bank Clothier store and one of the guys here is doing something with that American Family Fitness facility. . . . When they built [state] Route 288, a lot of the foremen on that job stayed here.

"There's always people working in the area," she said. "They don't want to stay in a hotel. They have figured out that they can buy an RV and have the comfort of their own place, fix their meals and watch TV." Sonny Allen, manager of Americamps KOA Richmond, which is near Ashland, said about 30 percent of the campground's tenants are workers traveling from job to job. They have included a computer analyst who sets up computer systems for companies, a nurse working under contract to a local hospital and an employee of a tobacco company transferred here from another state.

"The people we have in here right now -- some of them are pavers," Allen said. "They go around to different places and do paving projects" such as

fast-food or grocery-store parking lots.

Erik Bjorklund, a 54-yearold carpenter, lives in a 26foot Airstream RV at Americamps. He said he is kept busy by a small clientele of doctors, lawyers and other professionals. One job performed in 1993 for a urologist led to all the work he can handle.

"I've never had to look for work, and I've never been out of work," he said. "I hardly have a day off."

Bjorklund decided to live in, and work from, his RV after divorcing from his wife, who got their house in Richmond. "I've been here since October," he said.

Brad Herzog of California has researched and written three books based on his RV travels.

For two months every summer, Herzog travels with his wife and sons, ages 8 and 9. He blogs and researches books.

"Fifteen years ago, we didn't have a cell phone, no e-mail, no wireless Internet," he said. "Now, when you hit the road, you can be as connected as you want to be. I think that's why more and more people have found that it's pretty easy to work from the road from an RV." Full Article: www2.timesdispatch.com

Best Parks in America, Inc. has announced the release of its new national print directory featuring 63 highly rated RV parks and campgrounds affiliated with Best Parks in America. The directory, entitled RVing & Camping at the Best Parks in America, features 21 page of park photos, descriptions, longitude and latitude and complete contact information for each park. The 63 parks are found in 23 states and Quebec Canada.

RVers and campers locate the best places to camp in America," Gorin said.

The directory is available in each park and will be distributed at major RV rallies and camping shows throughout the US. The directory complements www.BestParksinAmerica.c om, the online Internet directory for Best Parks affiliates. The complimentary directory can also be ordered on line at www.bestparks.com.

Founded in 2004 by David Gorin, a nationally known consultant, writer, speaker and park operator, the brand has experienced rapid growth in 2009 and 2010.

"We're grateful to the initial group of advertisers who have helped bring this new directory to the camping and RVing public," he said.

Best Parks in America is a collection of highly rated RV parks and campgrounds offering RVers and campers unique destinations that exceed expectations.

David Gorin "We're delighted with this first venture into a real national directory for Best Parks," said BPA president David Gorin. "The publication of the directory marks another milestone in the development of this brand and is sure to help

Parks with a 9 total Woodall rating, a 26.5 Trailer Life rating or a Guest Reviews A rating are welcome to affiliate

with Best Parks. Affiliate information can be found at www.bestparks.net and RVers and campers can view all the parks at www.BestParksinAmerica.c om where they can see numerous photos of the parks, get directions to the park of their choice, and contact the parks directly through live links to each parks' website.

As the owners of a 32-foot Winnebago Vectra RV, Ron and Margie Johnson seldom lack for space when they travel — unless, that is, they’re traveling with their grown children, their children’s spouses and a passel of grandchildren.

Last summer, the threegeneration, 11-member group came up with a clever solution to the space problem during a trip to California’s gold country.

Setting up camp at the Marble Quarry RV Park, in Columbia they reserved an RV site and one of the campground’s “park model”

cabins, a cedar-sided unit with a kitchen, bathroom and large deck.

“It worked out great,” says Johnson. “We stayed in the motorhome; they stayed in the cabin, and no one had to stumble out of a tent to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.”

Not your father’s camping cabin.

If you haven’t stayed in a campground in a while, you may have missed the hottest trend in the business. Now offered by approximately one-third of the nation’s 8,000 public campgrounds, so-called

park models are making the outdoors more accessible to people who don’t own an RV, prefer not to sleep on the ground and wouldn’t mind a little comfort along the way.

The units are perhaps more accurately called park trailers, although the industry tends to frown on the “T-word.” Maxing out at 400 square feet, they’re built on chassis by RV companies and can be rolled into place. Once on site, they’re hooked up with electricity and real plumbing, which means no messy holding tanks, and outfitted with decks and wheel-hiding trim.

Mike Atkinson, KOA

The result is still technically an RV, but one that’s designed to remain stationary. And while some do, indeed, look like shrunken double wides, others take their design cues from log cabins, Cape Codders and other regionspecific motifs. Either way, they’re a large step up from traditional campground cabins, which have historically offered the lodging equivalent of a tent with walls.

Depending on the season, location and amenities, park models typically rent for $75–$150 per night.

“It’s the fastest-growing part of our business,” says Mike Atkinson, director of lodging at Kampgrounds of America (KOA) Inc., which offers park models at 249 of its 475 campgrounds. “We now have 1,370 in the system, six or seven hundred of which have been installed in the last three years.”

Full Article: www.msnbc.msn.com

Livingston, TX (June 29, 2010) – The RV Cooking Show recently auditioned for Oprah Winfrey. The new Oprah Winfrey Network, set to debut in January 2011, is searching for quality programming and has invited video submissions for consideration via Oprah’s “Your OWN Show” competition.

The three-minute RV Cooking Show audition showcases the “wonderful, wandering world of RVing” with the goal of promoting this special mode of travel to a national (and possibly worldwide) audience.

“What an opportunity for the RV Cooking Show, the RV/camping industry, and travelers everywhere. The RV Cooking Show on OWN has the ability to bring significant recognition to this terrific life/vacation style. After several years of producing the RV Cooking Show and gaining a substantial, loyal following I believe it’s time to expand our viewership,” remarked RV Cooking Show host and producer Evanne

Schmarder. “Who doesn’t love to travel and love to eat?

As RVing celebrates its centennial there’s never been a better time to support the goals of the RV Cooking Show – a network TV show,” she added.

Schmarder asks that you visit her Oprah page at http://myown.oprah.com/au dition/index.html?request=vi deo_details&response_id=1 9876&promo_id=1 and vote for her submission.

Voting is open until July 3rd and you may visit and vote for the show an unlimited number of times.

Additionally, help build a groundswell for the RV Cooking Show by posting this on your website, Facebook page, Twitter, blog…any avenue that you believe will gain attention.

Learn more about and watch past episodes of the RV Cooking Show at www.RVCookingShow.com You may contact Schmarder at Evanne@RVCookingShow.com.

June 28, 2010 – Pittsford, NY – For a second year, campers and geocaching enthusiasts are invited to go geocaching with Campground Owners of New York (CONY) an association of privately owned campgrounds and RV parks in New York State. Additional details about CONY’s geocaching program and how to get started can be found at www.gogeocachingny.com.

According to Groundspeak, Inc., on its website at geocaching.com,

“Geocaching is a hightech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers…and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups.” The website notes there are over 1 million active geocaches hidden around the world, as well as 3-4 million enthusiasts.

You don’t need to be an

seek’,” according to Rosemary Curtis of Hickory Hill Family Camping Resort in Bath, New York. “We’ve actually hidden caches in our park for several years before CONY’s program, and our campers have a lot of fun with our geocaching games.” experienced geocacher to get started at CONY campgrounds and RV parks. Participating locations are listed at www.gogeocachingny.com.

Once arrived at a park, pick up a CONY geo-caching “Passport to Fun,” and search for your first cache.

The passports have stamp pages for each park. As you find the hidden caches, you’ll have your passport stamped. Get at least five stamps, and submit your passport to CONY for a prize. Some parks will have GPS units for purchase or for rent, or bring your own.

“Geocaching is the perfect RV hobby, and a great way for the kids to play a hightech version of ‘hide-and-

“CONY is in its second year of providing geocaching as an outdoor activity at our parks,” says Donald G. Bennett, Jr., President and CEO of Campground Owners of New York. “By combining popular hi-tech electronics with the great outdoors, we’re encouraging people to step away from the couch and get active by further enhancing the camping experience for our guests.”

CONY has caches hidden all across New York State; by using the CONY Geocaching “Passport to Fun,” people may plan even more interesting road trips by traveling from park to park.

Jelly Belly RV pulled into Candy Hill campground in Northern Viginia recently.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Florida Park Service was recently honored by ReserveAmerica in the 2010 Outdoor Awards: America’s Top Campgrounds.

ReserveAmerica, one of the largest providers of campground reservation services, honored Florida State Parks in 17 categories for outdoor recreation, including 15 parks named to the Top 100 Family Campgrounds.

Florida’s state parks were also honored in multiple

other categories including canoeing, biking and hiking.

“The Florida Park Service is honored to be recognized in a total of 17 categories on America’s Top 100 Campgrounds list,” said Florida Park Service Director Mike Bullock. “Providing clean, affordable and enjoyable places for Florida residents and visitors to recreate while continuing to restore our natural and cultural resources is our mission.”

MYRTLE BEACH - Salute from the Shore™ has partnered with various organizations and governments throughout South Carolina’s coast, including the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, to create a special opportunity for visitors to South Carolina beaches to demonstrate support for our armed forces as we celebrate our Independence Day. At approximately 2:00 PM, a C-17 from Charleston Air Force Base will fly less than 1,000 feet from the coast- providing beachgoers with an exciting reminder of the Armed Forces who continue to preserve and protect our Freedom. The

flyover will begin near along the coast in or near the City of Myrtle Beach and proceed southward, flying along the entire South Carolina coast.

Ocean Lakes Campground is planning a private celebration special for its guests to participate. The Town of Pawleys Island will incorporate the flyover into its annual July Fourth Golf Cart Parade.

Salute from the Shore is encouraging patriotic citizens to wear Red, White and Blue to all South Carolina beaches from Myrtle Beach to Hilton Head and join us as we “Salute” our Armed Forces from the Shore.

Salute from the Shore participants are encouraged to video or photo the event and email your footage, pics and comments to video@salutefromtheshore. org so we can post them for our troops abroad to see. Our mission is to demonstrate our support and appreciation for their sacrifice in their ongoing mission to protect our right to celebrate our freedom.

The 2010 Salute from the Shore will feature a C-17 whose flight path will begin in Myrtle Beach at approximately 1:30 PM, and will fly at low altitude along the entire South Carolina coast, unifying the State of South Carolina and connecting participants with those who serve our country.

You never know what will happen at an auction.

Abbotsford residents Pam and Neil Day found that out May 19 when they, almost unintentionally, bought Wells Gray Golf Resort and RV Park for $950,000 at a Ritchie Brothers Auction.

“We didn’t go to the auction to buy this,” said Pam Day. “Believe it or not, it just happened.”

Pam, a realtor, and Neil, owner of a couple of snow removal businesses in the Lower Mainland, had been checking out a Ritchie

Brothers flyer that Neil received because he often buys heavy equipment.

They noticed the information about the golf course but decided it would be too expensive. Instead, they got interested in some property for sale near Pender Harbor.

“The golf course came up before the Pender Harbor property and I said to Neil to give it one bid,” said Pam. The next thing they knew they owned a golf course.

Since then they’ve been busy filling in paperwork

Barrie & Liz Clarke hand the keys to Pam & Neil Day and learning the ropes from former owners Liz and Barrie Clarke.

“We love this place and we love them,” said Pam. “I told Liz that I now have an older sister.”

“We’ve never met more down-to-Earth, real people

than the Clarkes,” said Neil.

Neither of the new owners had been to Wells Gray Park before, much less visited the golf course and RV resort.

Article and photo: www.bclocalnews.com

GARDEN GROVE Ca. Great Wolf Resorts announced Monday that they will operate a $300 million, six-acre water park resort in the city that's a stones throw away from Disneyland.

Great Wolf Lodge in Garden Grove's International WEST resort area will be a fullservice, family destination resort with 600 suites, 30,000 square feet of meeting space, 100,000 square feet indoor water park and additional indoor entertainment areas and amenities, officials said.

The addition of the Wisconsin-based park operator – which touts itself as "North America's largest family of indoor water park resorts" – pushes the water park resort closer to becoming a reality, despite a lawsuit from residents at an RV park. The RV Park will have to be eliminated to make room for the new resort.

Great Wolf owns and operates 12 indoor water park resorts throughout the country. The planned Garden

Grove facility near the intersection of Harbor and Garden Grove boulevards would become the company's largest operation, said Steve Shattuck, director of communications for Great Wolf.

"We found that a lot of our resorts are successful because they are built in existing tourist destinations," Shattuck said, citing other resorts in Williamsburg, Va. and Sandusky, Ohio, which are both near large theme parks.

"People like to have those other opportunities that exist in tourist destinations," he said.

The development was met with opposition after City Council members unanimously voted in favor of the park in May 2009, setting the project in motion.

The city will have to vacate the Travel County RV Park.

Residents there sued the city in August for fair relocation.

Full Article: www.ocregister.com

CLYDE TOWNSHIP, Mich.

— The National Weather Service has confirmed that a tornado hit an eastern Michigan campground, leaving in its wake one person dead, four injured and massive damage.

Meteorologist Steve Freitag of the weather service's White Lake Township office says the tornado struck shortly after 7 p.m. Sunday at the Fort Trodd Family Campground in St. Clair County's Clyde Township.

The relatively weak tornado contained estimated wind gusts of 95 mph.

Authorities say seventyfive-year-old James Anderson of Mount Clemens was killed but declined to release details.

Four people were taken to area hospitals with non-lifethreatening injuries.

The storm knocked over trailers and scattered furniture, bikes and debris throughout the private campground about 65 miles north of Detroit.

Kathy Hess, owner of Fort Trodd Family Campground Resort, said insurance adjusters are expected to be on the grounds today.

Workers are trimming trees and working on electrical and plumbing issues on the 100 acres RV park.

A tow truck was also brought in to pull out a camper that was in the middle of the park’s pond.

Camper Trailer being pulled out of the pond.

RESTON, Va. -- Total wholesale shipments to retailers in May were reported at 24,400 units in May, 2010, the RV Industry Association announced today. This was slightly less than the previous month but nearly double the total from this same month last year.

Overall, towable RVs continue to provide the greatest volume increase while motorhome totals reflect the greatest percentage gains. On a seasonally adjusted basis, this month’s total shipments presented an annual rate of more than

262,500 units, an increase of 6 percent over last month.

Year to date, total RV shipments have now reached 108,900 units through May this year, up 91.1 percent compared to this same period last year.

All vehicle types have enjoyed growth in shipments this year with Type A motorhomes continuing to experience the greatest percentage increase while conventional travel trailers have experienced the greatest unit increase, said Bill Baker, RVIA senior director of communications.

By Larry

Wouldn’t it be handy to have sanitation close to the pool? On the bicycle trail about ten miles out? Near the boat ramps and places where people put in their canoes? In the camping grounds, picnic areas, beach areas and fishing areas?

For the most part the single biggest drawback is that septic fields in such locations are not feasible and portable toilets are practical only to a certain point. The reality is that the closer one gets to outdoor activities the further one gets from sanitation facilities.

Enter the Eloo: an evaporative waterless sanitation system that does not put anything into the ground, does not use chemicals and does not need pumping.

Eloos are based on evaporation, using sun and wind as fuel sources. They do not use water or chemicals. They separate solids from liquids, drying and shrinking the solids

and evaporating the liquids. They do not require pumping, are light enough to be carried into remote areas inaccessible to trucks, sturdy enough to withstand storms and floods. Some would say they are handy as heck!

And they do not smell!

While relatively new to the United States, they are not new to the world.

50,000 eloos are in use around the world, the cutting edge of a whole new approach to sanitation. They are both user friendly and environmentally friendly.

Imagine the reaction of your campsite customers if they could wake up to such a convenience within a few yards of their site! Imagine how your hikers, bikers and runners would react if they were informed that an eloo were available every so many miles. You can read about Eloos in detail at www.eloo.ws .

New Berlin, PA – The first Virtual Outdoor Hospitality Expo, which will take place on the Internet this November, shares some of the available statistics about trade shows held in the virtual world The statistics sources are Unisfair and On24, two virtual events providers which have hosted virtual shows for dozens of industries, and the FactPoint Group, a research company.

They are derived from an overall view of hundreds of trade shows and conventions produced around the world.

“There are some surprises in the stats”, says CoProducer of the Expo, Deanne Bower, “some that are unexpected. For instance, the average event attendee registration is 3,102 but only 52% of the registrants actually show up.

Perhaps that’s because they don’t have to make the travel commitment that is necessary for a live show.”

Still, should 1,500 people attend the Expo it would instantly become the largest attended show EVER in the outdoor hospitality industry.

Only consumer RV shows draw more attendees in a related field.

The average live duration of a virtual event is 1½ days according to the stats, but

the Expo will run 18 hours over 3 days, from 12 Noon to 6 PM EST on November 1-3. The show will be archived for an additional 90 days in an “on-demand status”, meaning that attendees may re-enter the Expo to obtain additional information about exhibitors or even watch the webinars which will have been recorded and made available in the Expo’s Library. The 90 archive days are average according to the stats.

Perhaps most important to exhibitors are the figures on Attendees according to the survey. The average attendee stays at a webbased event for 2 hours, 31 minutes and the average leads generated by each sponsor or exhibitor is an astounding 348.

Since booths cost only $600 and that is the ONLY cost to exhibit, the average cost per lead is a mere $1.72 if the statistics hold true. Needless to say, by eliminating costs of travel, hotels, shipping of goods, drayage, pipe and drape, draped tables, booth signs, food, car rental, and all the other costs associated with live shows, exhibitors at a virtual convention, such as the Expo, are getting a real bargain.

“There is another benefit to attendees, which is somewhat hidden in the cost factor”, says Art Lieberman, the Expo’s Producer. “It is generally costly to obtain the services of keynote speakers or seminar presenters at live shows since they too must travel and stay in a hotel to address attendees. No such expenses are necessary in a virtual show such as ours, so the cost of obtaining top level speakers does not have to be included in the overall cost, passed on to either exhibitors or attendees.

This is another reason attendees won’t be charged anything for the Expo.”

Save Money”, http://www.usatoday.com/t ech/products/services/201 0-01-04-virtual-tradeshows_N.htm, writer Roger Yu denotes “There are pros to virtual shows.

They’re cheaper and easier to plan. Speeches and seminars can be archived. International participants can “attend” with little or no expense.

Speakers and moderators don’t have to linger all day. And participants’ interests and activities can be monitored.”

Unisfair’s recent survey of 100 marketing professionals also indicates that nearly half will increase their use of virtual events in 2010 for lead generation, customer retention and to cut overall marketing costs.

But there are cons.

Networking opportunities are limited. There are no face-to-face meetings or serendipitous run-ins with customers. Participants can’t touch products.

“A lot of people in trade shows are kind of scared,” says Joerg Rathenberg of Unisfair.

“They aren’t going away.

But (virtual shows) are a perfect complement. Not better or worse, but different.”

“There are, to be fair, pros and cons to virtual shows”, says Lieberman.

In an article in USA Today entitled, “Companies turn to Virtual Trade Shows to

Lieberman states that you will still see him at several of the state and regional shows, as well as ARVC InSites, in the coming season.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Travel by automobile continues to be dominant mode of transportation as AAA expects more emergency roadside assistance calls than any other summer holiday.

AAA this week projected the number of Americans traveling this Fourth of July holiday weekend will

increase 17.1 percent from 2009, with approximately 34.9 million travelers taking a trip at least 50 miles away from home.

Last year, 29.8 million Americans traveled during the same period. The 2010 Fourth of July holiday travel period is defined as Thursday, July 1 to Monday, July 5.

“While financial markets continue to have volatility related to the European debt crisis, the landscape of the U.S. economy is in a much different place than it was one year ago,” said Glen MacDonell, director, AAA Travel

Services. “It is encouraging to see such growth this summer as Americans take to the road to visit family, friends and great vacation destinations.”

LA SELVA BEACH CA -For a group of 15 families with young children camping at the KOA on San Andreas Road, one might expect a lot of loud talking or yelling around the campfire.

This group, however, waved their hands and smiled to communicate with each other while enjoying the traditions of a summer camp-out -smores, tug of war, water balloon fights, a scavenger hunt and other games.

Family and Children's Services, a 60-year-old nonprofit based in San Jose, organized the camping trip for the deaf and hard of hearing children they serve in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, most of whom come from lowincome families.

Family and Children's Services offers a variety of affordable counseling, education and prevention programs.

For many of the children, the Saturday overnight trip to the campground near La Selva Beach was their first chance to sleep in a tent or cabin.

"This is the first time for us.

We have no experience camping," said Annie Chou, whose son Alvin, 7,

was born unable to hear.

"He loves it. He says to me, Can we stay one more day?' " Evette Ybarra, the nonprofit's program director, is hard of hearing. She says there were few activities and outings for her and her deaf peers while growing up in Santa Clara County.

She fondly recalls camping in Santa Cruz County as a kid and wanted to share the experience with the children she works with every day.

"This is all-inclusive for the families," Ybarra said Sunday. "I wanted them to have something fun to do that's not at home."

The children also played bingo and competed with one another in a pie-eating contest.

On Sunday morning, they gathered in a circle as Ibarra explained the rules of the scavenger hunt using American Sign Language.

Competition was pretty tough as the families were vying to win gift certificates to restaurants such as the Cheesecake Factory.

"It's just something to give families a taste of what's out there," program assistant Marlene Tamayo said. "The camping trip is a way to empower the families."

Article: www.santacruzsentinel.com