TrailBlazer Magazine - September/October 2019

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 ■ $2.00 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 ■ $2.00

DISCOVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST Portland Shop ‘til You Drop!vs. Seattle Portland vs. Seattle Shop ‘til You Drop!

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER

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R FRIENDS U O Y E T I V IN

YOU receive a $50 Visa® Virtual Reward when your friend purchases a Thousand Trails Camping Pass!

Your referral also enters YOU into our 2019 drawing for a chance to win these great prizes:

GRAND PRIZE

SECOND PRIZE THIRD PRIZE

7-Night Cruise or Trip to Hawaii

4 Nights in Las Vegas, San Francisco or Orlando ($2,000 value)

($4,000 value)

Free Dues for 2020 10 Winners Selected (Up to $585 value)

Contact Us Today!

(888) 808-8925 or visit ThousandTrails.com

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*Details and qualifications for participation in this promotion may apply and are set forth on page 61 of this magazine.

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER

WHAT’S INSIDE

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 VOL. 50 ■ ISSUE 6

22 PORTLAND VS. SEATTLE

fpo.

regulars lifestyle

34

Pics From The Parks 7

Member Deals 56

Crossword Puzzle 60

Sudoku Puzzle 61

Preferred RV Dealer List 62

Shop ‘til You Drop!

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 ■ $2.00 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 ■ $2.00

DISCOVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST Portland Shop ‘til You Drop!vs. Seattle Portland vs. Seattle Shop ‘til You Drop!

5 Message from Marguerite 10 #100DaysofCamping 12 Five Ideas for Fall Fun in the

Pacific Northwest 14 I Knew I Was a TrailBlazer

– with Jimmy and Cindy

tips & topics

32 Find A Great Community to

Compliment your Lifestyle

A Rouge River Road Trip 48

42 Campfire Apple Crisp Recipe

RV Bill 52

Tech Topics 54

4 Paws on the Road 55

44 On the Road with Rough and Tumble

calendars 16 On Site Events 18 Local Events

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER

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On the Cover

64 Club Calendar

Ruby Beach in Olympic National Park.(WA) SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER

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ENTER TO WIN at Lazydays.com/TrailFuel

LAZYDAYS RV TECH SUPPORT HOTLINE 866.317.4012

Our RV Experts are standing by to help!

GET YOUR TRADE VALUE AT Get More for Your Trade

Lazydays.com/VALUETRADE

NATION’S TOP SELECTION OF RV BRANDS

4 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER VISIT LAZYDAYS.COM/TRAILBLAZER

CALL 866.531.6818

Kenisee Lake, (OH)

MESSAGE FROM MARGUERITE This month we celebrate all things autumn.

For many, it’s a favorite time of year, offering cooler temperatures, picturesque color changes throughout the country, bountiful fall harvests, cozy evening campfires, and new food and beverage options for all to enjoy. Rather than viewing fall as the end of summer, I prefer to focus on celebrating the new season for all it has to offer!

The Pacific Northwest is at the top of the list when it comes to fall. This issue highlights the best time to see the changing colors, some tips for the best locations to view nature’s very own kaleidoscope, along with listings of various events and activities scheduled throughout the Pacific Northwest. The region is also known for its apples and fall harvests, which should never be passed up. With multiple Thousand Trails campgrounds in this region, I am confident that many of you have already planned your fall stays.

Each region of the country provides an abundance of fall fun and so many Thousand Trails campgrounds are in perfect locations to take it all in this season. So, whether you’re snapping pictures of that beautiful fall scene in Oregon, Washington, Pennsylvania, Ohio, or Virginia, I know a stay with us will satisfy any autumn adventure. Pair that colorful backdrop with a perfectly flavored pumpkin or apple taste treat, and you can’t go wrong.

The fall season also signals getting back to a routine or perhaps celebrating the start of a new routine. Whether you are sending someone off to college for the first time, are now considered an empty nester, or introducing a little one to school for the first time, new stages in life bring new adventures. Seasons change and although kids (and adults) may prefer summer vacation, they also look forward to fall happenings. Halloween festivals, carving pumpkins, candy corn, and apple orchards always result in fun memories.

Plus, a weekend camping trip is a great way to recharge before walking back into school on a Monday morning.

Plan that trip to your favorite apple orchard or pumpkin patch before the season is over.

Schedule time to take a step back and appreciate the changing leaves, fall flavors, and football games. We all know how fast summer went, so let’s not miss out on a few more camping vacations. A new season simply means there’s more fun to be had and more memories to be made. A good way to make that happen is to get out and camp.

Marguerite Nader President & CEO

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www.trailblazermagazine.net CREATIVE DIRECTOR Mark Slattery GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kenzie Greene MISSION STATEMENT TrailBlazer provides exclusive news and information for the members and guests of Thousand Trails Family of campgrounds and resorts.

Each issue enhances the recreational lifestyle of its readers through a lively mix of camping and travel features, campground profiles and product features.

TRAILBLAZER (ISSN 0747-2293) is published by MHCTT Memberships, LP, c/o MHC Property Management L.P., Two North Riverside Plaza, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60606. An annual subscription is $20. Periodicals postage paid at Chicago, IL and additional offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to TRAILBLAZER, 2325 Highway 90, Gautier, MS 39553. Canada Post Publication Mail Agreement 41461526.

TRAILBLAZER MAGAZINE Two North Riverside Plaza, Suite 800 Chicago, IL 60606 tbeditor@equitylifestyle.com TrailBlazermagazine.net NEW SUBSCRIPTIONS Visit www.trailblazermagazine.net and click on the ‘Subscribe’ tab to easily subscribe online today!

Win $50

EACH Issue!

Share your adventures in 3 easy steps!

1. Capture a photo of your trip at one of our parks.

2. Share with us at TrailBlazer_photos@equitylifestyle.com.

3. Check out next month to see if you’re a winner.

Winners will receive a $50 American Express® Prepaid Gift Card.

Each issue we will select ONE ”winning“ photo from the submissions received (all submissions must be received by midnight on the last day of the month). The winning photo will be posted on the TrailBlazer website as well as in the magazine.

Photo submissions should include a brief description, including location of your photo, your name, city and state and sent to:

TrailBlazer_photos@equitylifestyle.com or mail to:

TrailBlazer Magazine Attn: TrailBlazer Editor Two North Riverside Plaza, Suite 800 Chicago, IL 60606

Emailed photos should be high resolution. Photos are not returnable and become the property of TrailBlazer Magazine and may be used for publication on company websites and promotional purposes.

One winner will be selected EACH month from submissions received.

The winner will be announced in a future TrailBlazer issue and online at trailblazermagazine.net.

PRINTED IN THE USA

THOUSAND TRAILS RESERVATIONS Call: (800) 288-7245

Canada: (228) 497-3594 Mon - Fri 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. CST

ThousandTrails.com ENCORE RESERVATIONS (877) 570-2267

RVontheGo.com Remember! Thousand Trails members get preferred rates at Encore RV resorts.

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▲ Crescent Bar (WA): A beautiful, hot summer day ended in a double rainbow. What a welcome to this gorgeous campground.

– Mary Leigh Robertson

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER

WINN

ER!

▲ La Conner, (WA): Enjoying a site at La Conner Thousand Trails.

– Erin Chapman-Smith

▲ Gettysburg Farm (PA): Sunrise by the barn.

– Dawn Townsley

▲ La Conner, (WA): Sunset at La Conner.

– Stephanie Peterson

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER

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LUCKY WINNER?

WANT TO BE A

Russell and Patricia Pogers at Three Flag RV Campgrounds (FL)

Lucky winners, Russell and Patricia Pogers were camping at Three Flags RV Campground (FL) when they were presented with a $1,000 gift card!

Thousand Trails is offering members the opportunity to win a

$1,000 American Express® Prepaid Gift Card To earn entries into our monthly drawing, simply pay your 2019 dues on time and camp at your favorite Thousand Trails Campground.

When you pay your annual dues for 2019 in full, you will be entered into our monthly drawing for a $1,000 American Express® Prepaid Gift Card. There will be one drawing/one winner each month from January through December 2019. In addition, once you pay your dues in full, each time you camp at a Thousand Trails campground in 2019, you will receive an additional entry into the drawing. The drawings are limited to persons who are of legal age. The drawings will be held at our corporate office on the 10th day after the end of each month. Winners will be notified by mail, phone or in person if camping at a Thousand Trails campground. The odds of winning will depend on the number of entries, but are not expected to exceed 1:100,000. Winners are responsible for federal and state taxes on the award. You may also enter the drawings by printing your name, address, day and evening phone numbers, and email address on a 3” x 5” piece of paper and mailing it to the Sponsor in addressed, stamped envelope. You are limited to one mail-in entry which must be postmarked by December 15, 2019. This promotion is sponsored by MHC Thousand Trails Limited Partnership, Two North Riverside Plaza, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60606.

8 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER

Coming soon to Sunshine Key RV Resort & Marina in the Florida Keys!

Your fall plans may be tiny‌ but they will be mighty.

Tuxbury Tiny House Village s South Hampton, NH

Rancho Oso s Santa Barbra, CA

From tiny houses to cabins and yurts to covered wagons - with Petite Retreats, your vacation will leave a big impression.

Visit petiteretreats.com to plan your fall getaway, today!

Circle M t Lancaster, PA

Arrowhead t Wisconsin Dells, WI

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER

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1

Get Out and Camp!

2

Take pictures on your camping trip.

your photos on 3 Share Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram using

#100DaysofCamping.

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Repeat steps 1-3 every time you camp this summer!

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 20192019 TRAILBLAZER SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER TRAILBLAZER

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Five Ideas for Fall Fun in the Pacific Northwest

By Joan Rykal

Beautiful fall colors, bountiful harvests, and scenic drives and hikes are all queued up and waiting for you if you plan to head to the Pacific Northwest this fall. Here are a few fun ideas to make the best of an autumn adventure in the PNW.

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Do a Fall Color Tour: The foliage in the Pacific Northwest hits peak color change from mid-September to mid-October and there are several ways to see this beautiful display. Both Washington and Oregon have wonderful arboretums where you can stroll along and enjoy the fall foliage. Oregon’s Hoyt Arboretum in Portland is about two miles outside of Portland and resides in Washington Park, an urban park that is also home to the zoo and a delightful Japanese Garden that also puts on a color show come fall. Washington’s arboretum sits on 230 acres along the shores of Lake Washington. The Washington Park Arboretum has seven different gardens and a variety of ways to view them, from walking paths to guided tram rides.

Aside from the arboretums, there are plenty of other ways to explore the colors of the Pacific Northwest in autumn. The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, also known as the Columbia River Highway, stretches over 80 miles of Oregon forest awash with color. On the Washington side, the colors of the Gorge can be experienced via a drive along Highway 14.

If you’d rather hike than drive, consider these popular trails: Oregon: The Deschutes River Trail (6.9 miles) Washington: Mount Washington/ Snoqualmie Pass (8.5 miles)

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SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER

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Stomp Some Grapes: Attend the 36th Annual Grapestomping Festival at St. Josef’s Winery in Canby, Oregon. As ”crush” season begins, the proprietors of the winery have a little fun and choose a lucky group of participants to stomp the grapes in a 1200-gallon oak barrel. If you aren’t chosen, there’s still lots of fun to be had. The event, scheduled for September 21 and 22, includes live music and homemade sauerkraut and sausage. Visit st.josefswinery.com for more information.

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Attend the Hops Festival: The Hood River Hops Festival, scheduled for September 21, is an annual celebration of freshly harvested hops.

This is a family-friendly event featuring more than 50 breweries, food vendors, and live music.

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Visit the Cranberry Museum: October is harvest time for cranberries and visitors to the Pacific Coast Cranberry Museum during October can see the cranberry crop being harvested. Selfguided walking tours of the cranberry bogs are also available until dusk. And, on October 12-13, the museum will celebrate the harvest with cranberry delicacies and musical entertainment. For information, visit cranberrymuseum.com.

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Experience a Cider Festival: In Washington, the 6th Annual Cider Swig in Gig Harbor will be held Saturday, September 28. The event includes dozens of regional ciders available for sipping, live music and the Battle of the Pie contest. There will also be apple launching and an Apple Carnivale with performers, arts and crafts, carnival games and more. For more information, visit nwcider.com. Oregon hosts the Newport Cider Festival on Friday, October 4 and Saturday, October 5. The event includes Pacific Northwest ciders, live music, Oregon craft brews, wine and food trucks.

Plan your Pacific Northwest autumn adventure today at ThousandTrails.com SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER

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I KNEW I WAS A

TRAILBLAZER JIMMY & CINDY

TB: How long have you been camping and RVing? Who introduced you to it? Tell us how it all began.

J&C: Cindi camped as a child (a lot!) with her family and has great memories. I was a Boy Scout but that was pretty much the extent of my camping until I had kids.

TB: How did you first hear about Thousand Trails?

J&C: We joined Thousand Trails in 1989 to start tent camping with family. We answered an ad to get a free weekend of cabin camping in Morgan Hill, CA, and we were required to listen to a presentation.

It worked out well. We only had tents until about 1996 when we got a used pop-up Coleman tent trailer. We used that for many years, but we didn’t have room in San Jose to store it, so we kept it at my daughter’s house in Stockton, CA. I said that she could use it while we kept it there. She and her family took it over and used it until its useful life was exceeded, and she asked if we minded if they used it as a trade-in for a new pop-up. They got this HUGE popup with 2 king beds and we got to use it once with them.

Years passed and they upgraded to a 5th wheel and we were invited along many times. As the years passed, we gave more thought to getting a small motor home for just the 2 of us to use as we moved out of San Jose up to the Sacramento foothills area. This was the early 2000s.

TrailBlazer would like to introduce you to Jimmy and Cindy Kidd, California natives who are camping veterans. From driving over 1,000 miles in one day, to checking out Thousand Trails campgrounds across the country, the Kidds have experienced everything you can imagine. Their Thousand Trails journey began in 1989, and to this day they instill the same adventurous mindset to their 10 grandkids.

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SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER

TB: What is one of your fondest camping memories? How about one of your fondest TT memories?

J&C: We have 10 grandkids and they are in California, Texas, and Maryland.

There are some great memories of summer hay rides at Morgan Hill and the giant pool that they have there. The grandkids make friends in about 30 seconds and they love the camping that we provide for them.

They loved, Yosemite Lakes, it was a big hit too. Lake Minden with them is always fun, they love the lake and they would drop off to sleep at night and not want to get up the next morning, which works great for us.

WE KNEW WE WERE TRAILBLAZERS WHEN At times, we have answered a family member’s call for help and most of the time we were able to find a Thousand Trails nearby. There was one time when we had to stay at a campground for 2 months while my mom was in recovery after a stroke. It was not a TT park and it showed. The cost was significant and bothersome, but we were only sleeping there so it met our needs.

“I REALIZED THAT I WAS DRIVING OUR HOME AND I DIDN’T KNOW WHERE WE WERE STOPPING FOR THE NIGHT AND I WASN’T WORRIED ABOUT IT AT ALL.”

TB: Any funny camping or RVing stories?

J&C: Funny? A heart thumping event at Thousand Trails Snowflower was when sitting in the RV and having a squirrel drop a 10-inch-long pine cone from a very tall tree onto our slide. BOOM! It sounded like something much larger had crashed into the top of the RV. TB: What type of camper are you/ what equipment do you use? What do you prefer and why?

J&C: We bought our motor home in 2010. It’s 40-foot Tiffin Phaeton. We usually travel no more than 500 miles a day, but not too many years ago, we had to traverse from California to North Carolina as fast as possible.

On the third day, I drove over 1,100 miles. I would have stopped sooner, but it was late at night and all the truck stops and rest stops were full.

Finally, we found a place inside of NC just past the mountains. The next morning was only 180 miles to complete the trip.

When we hover around California, we love our time at Ponderosa RV. The staff is great and very accommodating. Most of the time, they recognize us and bring out our paperwork at the gate and say welcome back. We always enjoy bringing the little ones here to play in the river and they love the pool, as well. We never want to leave.

TB: Where have you gone that you wouldn’t have otherwise, if it hadn’t been for your Thousand Trails membership?

J&C: There are many places that we have yet to go to that we want to see, but now that we aren’t on call for family elders, this is going to be

more of ”our time.“ Our youngest grandkid is starting Kindergarten this year so things will change.

Yellowstone is on the bucket list.

TB: What is your favorite part about the outdoor lifestyle?

J&C: We tend to chase 70 degrees, so we love the pleasant night and beautiful sunrises and sunsets that different places offer. You wouldn’t know it by looking at it on a map, but we get beautiful sunsets at Lake Minden in Nicolaus, CA, in section D, which is on the east side of the lake.

You get fantastic calm water pictures at sunset.

Our yearly route starts December 25th as we take about 10-14 days to get to Florida via Texas and Georgia for family and friends. We stay in Florida until spring, April or May. We then head to Maryland to stay with a daughter and family and park on her lawn to kill some grass for about a month. During that time, we try to get up to Massachusetts/ Rhode Island/Long Island to visit family and friends. We still need to check out the TT campsites up in that area. Then we used to take Interstate 80 back to California. Now we are avoiding the late winter road conditions and use alternate routes on I-70 or I-40, which allows us

another visit with our granddaughter in TX. We stay in CA for a few months then we head to Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia, Canada. We’ve met another couple that have become lifelong friends while in Washington. Sadly, they’re Canadians and are not retired yet so we only see them once a year. Our trips always go by too fast. After several weeks of visiting family and friends we head back to California in time for Halloween. Then we wait for Christmas day to start all over again.

TB: Can you finish this sentence? I knew I was a TrailBlazer when…

J&C: We bought the RV and were heading to South Dakota by way of Maryland to register the RV, establish domicile, and register to vote. We had no timeline. But the moment for me was about 200 miles north of Tampa, Florida, and I realized that I was driving our home and I didn’t know where we were stopping for the night and I wasn’t worried about it at all.

TB: Feel free to share any other camping/RVing stories here.

J&C: We fly by the seat of our pants and love it!¾

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER

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Activities and Events – On Site

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER ON SITE EVENTS Let’s Eat (A lot!)

Come camp AND EAT with us. There’s a whole menu of cook-offs, tastings and more in September and October. Wilderness Lakes (CA) hosts its Annual Chili Cook-Off September 14 as does Green Mountain (NC) during their Wild West Weekend. Kenisee Lake (OH) wants you to bring your best soup and chili recipes to enter the contests held September 20-22.

Bay Landing (TX) brings the heat the weekend of September 27-29 with their Chili Cook-Off and Indian Lakes (IN) will host a Chili Cook-Off Weekend October 4-6 with prizes, so bring your favorite ingredients and cook up your best batch. Lake Minden (CA) celebrates the great pumpkin and great chili while hosting their Chili Potluck Social during the weekend of October 18-20. Snowflower (CA) is serving up blackberry pies the weekend of September 1-2, and Natchez Trace (TN) hosts Foodie Weekend with a Bake-Off competition that same weekend. If you love wine, coffee or chocolate come to St. Clair (MI) the weekend of September 6-8 for their Wine, Coffee and Chocolate Lover’s Weekend. Learn to pair wines with foods, sample different coffee flavors and make chocolate treats. September 21 is gonna be oh, so sweet at Lake Whitney (TX) as they host Cupcake Wars. Join in the fun and enter your delicious cupcakes into the competition that will have prizes for “Best Decorations,” “Best Taste,” and “Overall Favorite.”

Horseshoe Lakes (IN) hosts Fish Fry Weekend September 27-29, bring the summer season to a close and enjoy some toasty bonfires to welcome fall. Enjoy a good old-fashioned Pig Roast at Pine Country (IL) during the weekend of October 4-6 as they host their Third Annual Pig Roast. Verde Valley (AZ) is flavoring everything with pumpkin spice from coffees to cakes to breads during the weekend of October 5-6. After all, it is Pumpkin Spice Season!

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SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER

Scary Weekends We sure know how to have a spook-tacular good time when it comes to Halloween fun. Here is a quick roundup of all the Halloween Happenings. For all the Halloween events, check out the Theme Weekend Directory. Horseshoe Lakes (IN) hosts Spooks and Ghouls Weekend October 11-13 with pumpkin carving, costume contests, and trick-or treat fun. St. Clair (MI) does their version of spooky the same weekend with a haunted house, hayrides, dances and pumpkin carving, and Wilmington (OH) hosts their Halloween Spooktacular with a haunted trail and trick-or-treating through the campground the same weekend. Gateway to Cape Cod (MA) kicks off October with Halloween Weekend, October 4-7 with trick-or-treating, costume contests with prizes, haunted wagon rides and spooky entertainment planned. Lake Gaston (NC) has Goblins Galore the weekend of October 18-20, plus a haunted hayride, pumpkin carving contests and decorating contests of all kinds. Chesapeake Bay (VA) hosts two Halloween weekends – Halloween I is set for October 18-20 with a Scary Golf Cart Parade and a Monster Mash Dance and Halloween II is a repeat of the fun the following weekend, October 25-27. The weekend of October 25-27 has Halloween fun on the agenda at Lake Minden (CA) with a Potluck Social and a site decorating contest; Lake of the Springs (CA) with both pumpkin carving and site decorating contests; Orlando (FL) hosts a Haunted Forest and Wilderness Lakes (CA) has a Haunted House, Haunted Train Ride as well as pumpkin decorating and costume contest. Lake Texoma (TX) has a Trick-or-Treater’s Walk with prizes, as well a carnival and decorating contests on October 26.

Activities and Events – On Site

Honoring Grandma and Grandpa Sunday, September 8 is Grandparent’s Day and several of our locations have chosen to recognize G&G with special events. Lake Minden (CA) will host an old-fashioned Potluck Social, an Ice Cream Social and Brown Bag Bingo during the weekend while Forest Lake (NC) will have special crafts you can create for them throughout the weekend. Lake Whitney (TX) asks that kids dress up like Grandma and Grandpa to see who most resembles them, and Moody Beach (ME) will have a gift-making activity on Saturday and then a special pancake breakfast on Sunday where grandparents can eat for free. Grandy Creek (WA) has reserved a whole weekend to honor our grandparents, setting aside October 4-6 as Grandparent’s Weekend celebrating with some good old tunes from the 50s and 60s and also a gift-making project for them.

International Fun Indian Lakes (IN) will do their best French Quarter imitation when they host Mardi Gras Weekend August 30-September 2 featuring Mardi Gras-themed crafts and a Mardi Gras Golf Cart Parade. Say Ciao! to other campers during PA Dutch’s (PA) Italian Weekend, October 4-6, where bocce ball and a spaghetti dinner bring an Italian flare to the weekend’s events. Celebrate the Day of the Dead at San Benito (CA) on October 26 and enjoy a bonfire and a screening of the movie “Coco” at the Lodge. Of course, the fall season brings Oktoberfests by the score so please know that you are Wilkommen at all the fun planned around the campgrounds this autumn. Rondout Valley (NY) kicks off the season over the Labor Day Weekend (August 30-September 2) with their first annual Oktoberfest that will feature German food and drinks and a Lederhosen and Dirndl competition for “Best Dressed”, plus polka dancing. Yosemite Lakes (CA) hosts their Oktoberfest September 20-23 while Pio Pico (CA), Gettysburg Farm (PA), Chesapeake Bay (VA) and Harbor View (VA) do it up German-style the weekend of October 11-13.

Just For Fun Colorado River (TX) takes the fun outside with their Outdoor Games event on September 14. Join them for pickleball, basketball, mini golf and horseshoes. Don’t forget to wear your team colors! Find out how much fun a clambake can be at Kenisee Lake (OH) the weekend of September 13-15 when they host Clambake & Tailgate Weekend with flag football games, tailgate snacks and their annual clambake. Green Mountain (NC) hosts the Mr. Green Mountain Beauty Pageant October 4-6 where the guys get gussied up and parade around. There are all kind of pageant-related activities this weekend. Don’t miss Seaside’s (WA) pickleball tournament. Pickleball by the Seaside #8 will be held September 11-14. All skill levels welcome at this annual event that has become tradition at Seaside!

A BBQ and karaoke round out the fun.

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER

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Activities and Events – Local

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER PIO PICO (CA) October 5

Pacific Beachfest Free family event featuring music, 5K run, a Fish Taco Contest, Kids Action Alley, beer garden and volleyball tournament. Festival runs 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. pacificbeachfest.org SOLEDAD CANYON (CA) October 13 Rose Bowl Flea Market

Over 2,500 vendors selling just about anything you can imagine come together at the world famous Rose Bowl Flea Market.

There are antiques and vintage items and modern wares as well.

Held at the famous Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena. rosebowlstadium.com October 19-20

Eat LA Halloween Fest A Halloween-themed food fest with live music, fun for the whole family and over 100 food vendors. eventbrite.com/e/eat-lahalloween-fest

LOCAL CALENDAR OF EVENTS September 28

Punkinfiddle Family Festival, A National Estuaries Day Celebration

SEASIDE (OR) September 13-15

Cannon Beach Cottage Tours

The 17th annual festival features old-fashioned games, food, music, farm animals, sheepdog demonstrations and traditional crafts. Held at the Wells Reserve in Laudholm, the event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. wellsreserve.org.

Annual event takes visitors through tours of the beautiful homes and cottages of the area, as well as offers live music, historical and gardening lectures and an English Tea. There is also music and wine and tea tastings. cbhistory.org

SEA PINES (NJ) September 14

GETTYSBURG FARM (PA) September 7-8

September 28

World War II Weekend

Gettysburg Wine Held on the grounds of the Physick & Music Festival Sample and purchase wine from 27 Estate in Cape May, this event features craft brews and all things Pennsylvania vendors, plus food and craft vendors, as well as regional local to South Jersey, including music acts. Event runs from 11 a.m. food vendors, local artisans, and to 6 p.m. local music. Admission to the destinationgettysburg.com grounds is free. Events runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. capemaymac.org September 21 Harvest Brew Fest

Cape May Oktoberfest

Held at the Eisenhower National Everything you would expect at an Historic Site in Gettysburg, this is a MOODY BEACH (ME) living history event with re-creations Oktoberfest including oompah September 14 bands, food, music, beer tents and of Allied and German encampments 11th Annual Family Jamboree Oktoberfest beverages! Event runs and programs on WWII medical services, weapons and equipment A day of family fun at Harbor Park from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will be and communications. A “USO style” in Wells featuring free games and held at Jackson Street and dance will be held Saturday evening. crafts. Plus, vendors and food.

Carpenter Lane in Cape May. destinationgettysburg.com Free parking and admission. Event capemaycountychamber.com runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. mainetourism.com 18

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER

Activities and Events – Local

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER

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Activities and Events – Local

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER

TIMOTHY LAKE NORTH AND SOUTH (PA) October 12-13

Quiet Valley’s 45th Annual Harvest Festival This festival, held at the Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm, features folk entertainment, hand-made country food, children’s activities, pumpkin decorating, pony rides and more fall fun. You can learn about heritage crafts and traditional skills such as weaving, broom making, scrapple making and apple butter making. Event runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Admission is $10/adult and $5/ child, ages 3-12. poconomountains.com October 19-20

Pocono Food Truck & Art Festival Featuring more than 25 food trucks with delicious offerings for all, the event also features the annual Art on the Mountain Art Show and Sale highlighting some of the region’s best painters, crafters, sculptors and more.

Event runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. poconomountains.com 20

BAY LANDING (TX) September 27-October 20 Texas State Fair

Carnival rides, food, livestock, live entertainment and more for 24 whole days! Thrifty Thursdays is good for food lovers when fair fare is specially priced. Music and entertainment of all kinds each day including jazz, folk and bluegrass music as well as comedy shows. bigtex.com October 26-27

Dallas Festival of the Arts 2019 Two-day outdoor art festival held in Kidd Springs Park, one of Dallas’ oldest parks. Exhibitors include both fine arts and local artisans. There is also live music and food and beverage concessions. Admission is free and the event is pet friendly! dallasfestivalofthearts.net

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER

Activities and Events – Local

2019 MEDINA LAKE (TX) October 4-6 Oktoberfest – Fredericksburg Voted one of the best Oktoberfests in Texas by tripsavvy.com, this fall festival features authentic German food and music, a yodeling contest and a dominoes tournament. visitfredericksburg.com CHESAPEAKE BAY (VA) October 19-20 Stockley Gardens Fall Arts Festival

Set in Norfolk’s historic Ghent neighborhood, this two-day arts festival features jewelry, pottery, paintings and other works by more than 130 artists. Live entertainment and kids’ events are also part of the fun. Dog friendly too! Admission is free. hope-house.org/events/fallstockley-gardens LEAVENWORTH (WA) September 27-29

Washington State Autumn Leaf Festival This festival celebrates the changing colors of fall and is Leavenworth’s original festival, dating back to 1964. There is a rose ceremony, a parade, and plenty of time to enjoy this charming Bavarian-style village in all the autumn splendor.

Memphiszoo.org

October 4-5, 11-12, 18-19

Leavenworth Oktoberfest German food, German music, and of course, German beer are just a few of the highlights at this annual event.

There are also kids’ events and the traditional Keg Tapping Ceremony each Saturday at 1 p.m. leavenworthoktoberfest.com LONG BEACH (WA) October 12-13

Cranberrian Fair Celebrating the local cranberry harvest, come enjoy food, crafters, local artists as well as homemade items and baked goods. Held at the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum in Ilwaco. columbiapacificheritagemuseum.org

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Seattle vs.

Portland The Best of The Pacific Northwest

By Lynn & Cele Seldon The Pacific Northwest has much to offer in terms of stunning geography, outdoor activities, cool temperatures and a robust wine culture. But the cities of Seattle and Portland could be the crowning jewels. Only 175 miles apart, they certainly have a lot in common. They also have many things that give each their own unique vibe and flavor.

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CITY TOURS CITY TOURS

There’s no better way to get introduced to a place and its people than through a city tour.

Seattle

Seattle Free Walking Tours seattlefreewalkingtours.org Modeling itself after the free tours of Europe, Seattle Free Walking Tours’ flagship “Seattle 101” tour gives a unique look into the Emerald City, with stops and history for many of Seattle’s most popular downtown attractions.

From Pioneer Square to the waterfront, and all the key landmarks in between, participants become experts and then ‘pay what they feel’ for the tour. For a look into Seattle’s dark side, check out Bill Speidel’s Underground Tour or Beneath the Streets.

Portland

Portland Walking Tours portlandwalkingtours.com Offering all kinds of ways to explore Portland, Portland Walking Tours has something for everyone, from the award-winning “Best of Portland” that explores Portland’s history, parks, bridges, artwork, fountains and more, to the behind-the-scenes “Who is Portland”tour that meets the makers and artisans of the city. They also offer underground, bizarre, food, and beverage tours. For a two-wheeler option, check out Pedal Bike Tours.

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FOOD TRUCKS / CARTS Food trucks, carts and pods have become a fixture on the Pacific Northwest dining scene morning, noon and night.

Seattle

seattlefoodtruck.com Seattle has a robust food truck scene all over town. The best way to explore the options is to check out SeattleFoodTruck.com, where you can search by neighborhood, date, cuisine or food truck name. Two of the more popular trucks are the New Orleans soul food truck, Where Ya At Matt, and the Texas-style BBQ, Matt’s BBQ. Other options include Hawaiian poke bowls, overstuffed sandwiches, Korean bowls, burgers, Indian specialties, Mexican tacos and more.

Portland

Portland Mercado portlandmercado.org Part market, part food truck pod, Portland Mercado is all about the diverse flavors of Latin America, with nine food carts and six indoor businesses. Whether it’s Puerto Rican mofongo at El Coquí, Oaxacan mole plates and tacos at Tierra del Sol, ropa vieja at Que Bola?, Cuban cuisine or Venezuelan arepas at La Arepa, Latin America flavors are on the menu. Honorable mentions go to the dozens of other food cart pods found throughout the city, which can be found at foodcartsportland.com.

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Portland Mercado, (OR) courtesy of Seldon Ink

Chihuly Garden and Glass courtesy of Seldon Ink

MUSEUMS

Art Museum in Portland, (OR) courtesy of Seldon Ink

Museums have a way of allowing visitors to explore whatever floats their boat. And they are a great way to get out of the rain.

Seattle

Portland

Part museum, part garden, Chihuly Garden and Glass is a magical look at the unique perspective of world-renowned local glass artist extraordinaire, Dale Chihuly. Featuring colorful and intricate sculptures in a dramatic indoor setting, glass-enclosed atrium and a whimsical glass garden in the shadow of Seattle’s Space Needle, there are hosted tours, an audio tour, a cafÊ and a colorful bookstore.

Other museum options include: Museum of History & Industry; Museum of Pop Culture; and the Seattle Art Museum.

The oldest museum on the west coast and the seventh oldest in the United States, the Portland Art Museum houses more than 42,000 objects displayed across 112,000 square feet of galleries and is internationally recognized for its permanent collection of Native American art, English silver and graphic arts. Other unique options include the Oregon Historical Society, the Oregon Maritime Museum, the Oregon Jewish Museum and the Portland Chinatown Museum.

Chihuly Garden and Glass chihulygardenandglass.com

Portland Art Museum portlandartmuseum.org

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Portland Japanese Garden courtesy of Seldon Ink

GREEN SPACE / GARDENS It’s easy to get outside with stunning green spaces, gardens and parks in both cities.

Seattle

Portland

Part of the Seattle Art Museum, Olympic Sculpture Park combines the best of green spaces and an art museum.

Featuring a nine-acre terraced park on Seattle’s downtown waterfront, the award-winning park features permanent and visiting monumental artworks and sculpture and is one of the best outdoor museums in the country. Another unique option are the active locks, salmon ladder and botanical gardens at Ballard Locks.

Regarded as one of the most authentic Japanese gardens outside of Japan, the Portland Japanese Garden is a crown jewel of Portland. Located in Washington Park, visitors can wander through the five original gardens and explore the new Cultural Crossing Expansion which added LEEDcertified buildings and seven new garden spaces. Visitors also shouldn’t miss the nearby International Rose Test Garden. Other options include 70 miles of trails in the 5,200-acre Forest Park and Lan Su Chinese Garden.

Olympic Sculpture Park seattleartmuseum.org

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Portland Japanese Garden japanesegarden.org

DOUGHNUTS Who can resist a warm, ooey gooey doughnut? What began as simply glazed circular rings of fried dough have morphed into a cornucopia of shapes and flavors.

Seattle

Top Pot toppotdoughnuts.com Serving 40 straightforward flavors since 2002, Top Pot prides themselves on hand-forged doughnuts made the old-fashioned way at 18 locations. Rumor has it that their doughnuts recipe is used to make the doughnuts at more than 7,000 Starbuck locations. Honorable mentions go to Mighty-O Donuts and General Porpoise. For a sampling, don’t miss the Doughnut Tour (which has been around for years in Portland as well).

Portland

Voodoo Doughnuts voodoodoughnut.com

Voodoo Doughnuts sign courtesy of Seldon Ink

Known by legions of Doughnut lovers as the Mecca, Voodoo Doughnuts offers raised yeast, cake and specialty Doughnuts with unique toppings like bacon, Fruit Loops and Captain Crunch, crushed candy bars, Oreos and even red chili peppers. Those making the Voodoo pilgrimage should be prepared to stand shoulder-toshoulder with locals and tourists alike.

If you can’t wait, head over to inventive offerings at Blue Star Donuts, like Blueberry Bourbon Basil and Mexican Hot Chocolate or the bite-sized donut sliders at Pip’s Original Doughnuts.

For a little bit of all, check out the city’s aforementioned Underground Doughnuts Tour.

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CRAFT BEER The craft beer culture in the Pacific Northwest is another phenomenon.

Or, more accurately, a religion.

Seattle

Reuben’s Brews reubensbrews.com Considered one of the best brewers in the region, Reuben’s Brews offers up a huge selection of not commonly found concoctions (like their Consaca Belgian Blonde with Colombian coffee) on their 24 taps in the taproom. For the freshest beer, they feature 12 taps at their production brewery, The Brewtap at Reuben’s Brews. Other places and brews where beer lovers can’t go wrong include the IPAs at Cloudburst Brewing, the porters and sours at Stoup Brewing and the cycling culture and beer garden at Peddler Brewing Company.

Portland

Breakside Brewery breakside.com Combining innovative brews and creative foods, Breakside Brewery has the perfect balance. Featuring infused and unique sours, pale ales, lagers and more on 12 taps at their Dekum location and 16 taps at their Slabtown location, both also offer a full menu of starters, salads, sandwiches and entrees at their full-service restaurants. Other great craft beer scenes can be found at Hair of the Dog, Gigantic Brewing Company and Bridgeport Brewing.

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COFFEE CULTURE Whether drinking, roasting, buying, or brewing, coffee is a ritual from morning until night.

Seattle

Starbucks Reserve Roastery & Tasting Room starbucksreserve.com Seattle’s caffeine culture kicked into high gear when Starbucks opened their doors here in 1971. Today, with literally thousands of small-batch roasters and coffee shops all over town, Starbucks Reserve Roastery steals the show with its coffee library of the rarest single origin beans on earth in an über-hip cathedral.

For more local flavor, one can’t go wrong with Lighthouse Roasters, Slate Coffee Roasters and Anchorhead Coffee. For fans of the tea leaf, visitors will want to check out Steepologie.

Portland Coffee demonstration courtesy of Seldon Ink

Coava Coffee Public Brew Bar & Roastery coavacoffee.com What began in a garage in North Portland in 2008 is now home to four locations throughout town, where they roast and serve single origin coffee beans from a half-dozen Central and South American countries. Visitors can watch all the roasting action in the 13,000 square foot warehouse as they sip a handcrafted pour over, cold brew or nitro at the Public Brew Bar. They also feature complimentary public coffee cuppings daily. Other places to get a great cup o’ joe include Deadstock Coffee, Sterling Coffee Roasters and Nossa Familia.

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BOOKSTORES Bookstores speaks to the heart and soul of a community and nowhere is that more apparent than in Seattle and Portland.

Seattle

Elliott Bay Book Company elliottbaybook.com Around for more than four decades, Elliott Bay features more than 150,000 titles organized on stunning cedar shelves, a café and a robust schedule of author readings, signings and events throughout the year.

Other great options include Ada’s Technical Books (don’t let the name fool you – they have all kinds of books), Peter Miller Architecture and Design books (go simply to see the stunning design and décor) and Secret Garden Bookshop.

Portland

Powell’s City of Books powells.com The motherlode of independent bookstores, Powell’s carries more than one million new and used books on three floors in a 68,000 square foot city block building – and is worth a visit even if reading isn’t your thing.

Featuring a lively café and more than 500 author events per year, Powell’s has become one of Portland’s most popular tourist attractions. For something a bit more whimsical for the kids (and kids at heart), check out Green Bean Books.

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EVENTS / FOOD FESTIVALS Be sure to check the calendar of events whenever you travel. There is always a ton going on.

Seattle

Taste Washington tastewashington.org Taste Washington rolls out the red carpet for foodies and oenophiles, bringing together more than 300 wineries, 70 restaurants and top chefs from around the nation to sip and savor at one of the largest single-region wine and food events in the country to create a great way to take a bite out of Washington. Other events throughout the year include the Seattle International Beerfest, Bumbershoot and Seattle Museum Month.

Portland

Portland Rose Festival rosefestival.org For three weeks every May and June, Portland has celebrated its diverse culture and heritage for more than 100 years at the Portland Rose Festival. There are dozens of events, including parades (the Grand Floral Parade is the second largest all-floral parade in the United States after the Tournament of Roses Parade), fairs, races, entertainment, food and more. Other events that showcase the area include the Portland Craft Beer Festival, the Portland Book Festival and the city’s food and drink festival, Feast.¾

Ferris Wheel at night during Portland Rose Festival, (OR)

FYI: To savor Seattle, head to visitseattle.org.

To whet the Portland palate, visittravelportland.com SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER

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Find a great Community to

Compliment Your Lifestyle!

RV and Manufactured Home communities have a lot in common, so it’s easier than you think to have the best of both worlds.

We know how much you love your RV and all of the adventure it brings, so why give it up? If you’re thinking about purchasing a manufactured home and leaving the RV behind, you don’t have to choose, and here’s why!

Monte Vista, (AZ)

ViewPoint, RV & Golf Resort, (AZ)

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Crystal Lake, (FL)

Your manufactured home can serve as your home base. Many of our communities offer convenient RV storage, so you can relax, have fun, and enjoy tons of great amenities at home when you want, while still having easy access to all the road travel and exploration you crave.

Colony Cove, (FL)

Date Palm Country Club, (CA)

The Reserve at Lake Conroe, (TX)

Bogue Pines, (NC)

1. At many of our manufactured home communities, you’ll find RV Club members who share your interests and passion for road travel.

2. The community-rich lifestyle provided by our manufactured home communities is very similar to the sense of community you find in your favorite RV parks.

3. Most manufactured home communities are located in great retirement destinations across the country – giving you easy access to many of the same awesome entertainment and adventure opportunities you look for when you set out in your RV.

Learn more at

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Shop ‘til you

Drop!

Checking Out Some of America’s Major Shopping Venues

By Joan Rykal

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F

or as long as man has existed, there has been a need to add to their collection of things. Some things were gathered for necessity (food, water, basic clothing, and medicines) and others were luxury items, such as perfumes and colognes, jewelry, extra shoes, extra purses, extra anything that wasn’t needed to sustain daily existence and basic social conformity. Before man became civilized, both necessary items, as well as luxury items (perhaps an extra rock or pile of sticks) were traded or bartered with most likely the nearest other human who had something they might need or want. The oldest marketplace dates back to 15th century Turkey.

Fast forward to more civilized times, and the general store became the place to go for your shopping needs. The general store stocked things such as eggs, milk and sugar, while dry goods stores typically carried fabric, sewing notions, boots and shoes and millinery items.

As more cities and towns popped up in America, traveling salesmen and street peddlers became other options where consumers could purchase items they needed or wanted. Street peddlers usually set up a stall on a popular pedestrian thoroughfare and sold their goods.

Traveling salesmen usually traveled from city to city with a sample case, taking orders for such items as personal care and household cleaning products. Do you remember the Fuller Brush Man? The advent of the Industrial Age brought about mass production of many things and department stores began to make their presence in the retail world. Macy’s, Marshall Field’s and New York’s first department store, Marble Dry-Goods Palace, were some of the first. Taking retail innovation a step further, both Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Montgomery Ward created the option to shop via catalogue.

Typically, larger cities had shopping avenues or several city blocks in close proximity where all the shopping needs could be met.

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As cars became the mode of transportation and people moved from the city to the suburbs, the shopping mall became a popular shopping destination. The first shopping mall was Highland Park Shopping Village, opened just outside Dallas, Texas in the 1930s. The first indoor shopping center opened in Edina, Minnesota in 1956.

In 1992, the Mall of America opened in Minnesota and changed the face of shopping malls. In addition to retail stores and restaurants, the mall was home to a theme park, an aquarium and a movie theater. It was an immediate tourist attraction for the state and to this day, welcomes more than 42 million visitors annually. Soon after, more mega-malls opened, making them more the norm than the unique. And then the retail world took a turn as online shopping and the evergrowing presence of Amazon, which first began online commerce in 1995, enabled shoppers to browse and buy whatever they needed without leaving the house!

Storefront in Beverly Hills, (CA)

Today, despite the convenience of online purchasing, people still venture out to the malls, department stores and outlet centers to shop. According to bizain.com, 56% of today’s consumers still head to the store mainly because consumers like to touch and feel the products they are purchasing.

Of course, shopping is still a hobby for some as well as a form of socializing.

There’s also the “feel good” response you get from shopping. We’ve all heard of “retail therapy”, right? And, there is proven scientific evidence that shopping gives you pleasure. Levels of dopamine increase when you buy something new, creating a feeling of excitement. According to an article from elle.com, a good sale provides an even bigger rush.

Ready, set, and let’s go shopping at some of the major shopping meccas in the US – from magnificent miles of shops to mega-malls and outlet malls where the deals you snag may find you happier despite your wallet being a bit lighter.

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Michigan Ave, Chicago, (IL)

Markets, Malls and

Miles of Shops Beverly Hills, California

Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, (CA)

The two-mile stretch got it’s start when the high-end Giorgio Beverly Hills opened in 1967. Gucci came next in 1968, quickly followed by luxury jeweler, Van Cleef and Arpels in 1969. The area began to take its true shape as a shopping mecca and tourist attraction in the early 1970s as high-end retailers such as Brook Brothers, Chanel and Burberry opened. Rodeo Drive, which by the way is pronounced Ro-DAY-oh, is now home to more than 100 stores. Whether you buy or not, it’s a great place for window-shopping as well as star-spotting. Every Father’s Day, a vintage car show, the Concours on Rodeo, is hosted here and features over 75 classic and vintage automobiles.

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is home to both the real Magnificent Mile as well as State Street, which was the city’s original shopping area, dating back to the 1900s. The Magnificent Mile, also known as Michigan Avenue, stretches 13 blocks and is home to 460 retail stores, 295 restaurants, hotels and a variety of other entertainment establishments.

It is a mix of both high-end fashion and the more affordable department stores.

Whether you’re shopping or browsing, strolling the Mag Mile is a must-do in Chicago.

State Street is home to Macy’s (which is actually housed in the original Marshall Field flagship store, built in 1902) as well as Target, Old Navy, Urban Outfitters and many other shops. Macy’s should be on your shopping stop as it contains several architectural landmarks that should not be missed. Visitors should note the more than 100-year-old, seven-ton clocks on the corner of both Washington and State and Randolph and State. Inside the store, the 5th floor Tiffany ceiling remains the largest piece of unbroken Tiffany glass in the world.

The holiday season brings the world-famous holiday window displays, a holiday tradition for generations of shoppers.

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Beacon Hill, Boston, (MA)

Boston, (MA)

Boston, Massachusetts Historic Faneuil Hall in Boston has been a marketplace since 1743. Originally, fishermen, butchers and produce vendors hawked their wares outside of the hall. Today, and after a major renovation in 1975, it is home to all kinds of vendors as well as a few major retailers such as Ann Taylor and Urban Outfitters. The marketplace inside the hall has pushcarts selling Boston-related trinkets, unique jewelry and gadgets and games.

Outdoors, the mall has several more brickand-mortar shops, but the real treat here is the street performers. On any given day, you can see jugglers, acrobats, theatrical performances and more.

Seattle, (WA)

Seattle, Washington Although Pike Place Market is mainly known for its farmer’s market which has been selling fresh fruit, vegetables, fish and meats since 1907, there are also many specialty shops to explore here that sell everything from antiques and vintage clothing to toys and games. There are several apparel and accessories shops, cutlery and kitchen goods (Sur La Table, being one) and jewelry and gift shops. In addition to shopping, you can also find several cooking and craft making classes here and even improv comedy shows and other live entertainment.

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Pike Place Market, Seattle, (WA) courtesy of Seldon Ink

Houston, (TX)

Houston, Texas Opened in 1970, the design of the Houston Galleria was inspired by Italy’s oldest, active shopping mall, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, in Milan. It was originally 600,000 square feet of retail space and was unique in the fact that it housed an ice-skating rink, the first ever built inside a mall. Several expansions throughout the years has brought the square footage total to over 1 million. The Galleria has more than 300 retail shops and maintains one of its original anchors, Neiman-Marcus, which is also the retailer’s flagship store. Stores include Apple®, Brighton, Brooks Brothers, Coach, The Disney® Store, The Gap and J. Crew. There are more than 25 eateries within the mall with cuisine ranging from Tex-Mex to Korean in case you get hungry doing all that shopping!

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McLean, Virginia Tysons Corner Center has many firsts. Built in 1968, it was the first fully enclosed, climatecontrolled shopping mall in the Washington, DC metro area. It is also home to the first Apple Store® and first Spanx store in the world.

Both L.L. Bean and Nordstrom chose to make this mall the location of their first store outside their home bases, Maine and the West Coast, respectively. Home to more than 300 shopping, dining and entertainment venues, shopping options include American Girl®, Macy’s, The Disney Store® and Bloomingdale’s. Food court and full-service dining options are available and include California Pizza Kitchen, T.G.I. Fridays, Shake Shack and Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The King of Prussia Mall, which opened in 1963, does actually hold the distinction of being the largest mall in America despite the astounding statistics associated Minnesota’s Mall of America. The differentiation being the size of “gross leasable area.” Originally designed as two separate buildings, a 2016 renovation combined the two buildings into one massive mall. There are more than 400 shops and eateries within the 2.6 million square feet of retail space. Major department stores include Macy’s, Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s and restaurants range from the popular burger place, Shake Shack to the high-end steakhouse, Morton’s.

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Philadelphia, (PA)

Outlet Malls Outlet malls are the modern-day version of the factory outlet stores, which were typically attached to factories or warehouses. The new spot to find a good deal, outlet malls of today are usually open air or enclosed malls that are home to multiple retailers versus just one retailer or manufacturer selling discounted merchandise. The difference between retail malls and outlet malls is that many times the products made by the same manufacturer differ between the outlet and retail store. Styles and quality differ from outlet to retail.

Often, outlet malls carry excess inventory or slightly damaged goods.

But there are still good deals to be found and good quality merchandise as well. The key to wise outlet shopping is knowing what the cost of a product might be at your regular department store.

Two major outlet mall names are Tanger Outlet Malls and Premium Outlet Malls. Locations for both can be found across the country and many times they will carry similar brands names from location to location.

Premium Outlet stores can be found in locations that include Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Cincinnati, Ohio, San Diego, California and Grapevine, Texas. For a listing of all locations, visitsimon.com. Tanger Outlet Malls are located in many states, including Arizona, New York, Pennsylvania and the Carolinas. Visit tangeroutlet.com for all store locations.

As Harry Selfridge, the retail magnate said of shopping “Excite the mind and the hand will reach for the pocket.”

Indeed, these major malls and miles and miles of stores and boutiques will do just that. And, whether you like it or not, you will find your hand indeed reaching for the pocket time after time. Isn’t that exciting!¾ SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER

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who is in the kitchen with TRAILBLAZER?

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Campfire Apple Crisp Ingredients

Instructions

3-4

Apples (chopped)

1. In a bowl add oats, brown sugar,

1/3

Cup of oats

3 1/2 1

Cups brown sugar Cup of whole wheat flour Teaspoon cinnamon

1/3

Cup butter

2-3

Tablespoons white sugar

Aluminum foil

Recipe Source: bsinthekitchen.com

whole wheat flour and butter, mixing with a fork until pieces of butter are evenly dispersed throughout the mixture.

2. Add in chopped apples, cinnamon,

and white sugar, mixing together.

3. Take three long pieces of aluminum

foil (about a foot and a half), fold each side up and pinch the ends together forming a boat-like shape.

4. Place the ingredients in the center

of the aluminum foil, folding the sides over and pinching to seal the package.

5. Place on a grate over the fire pit,

cooking for about 15-20 minutes.

6. If your fire doesn’t have a grate,

Check out more fun fall recipes at trailblazermagazine.net

place the package in the fire pit, on the edge furthest from the flames, rotating once after 10 minutes of cooking.

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Mallory Graham grew up in a tiny steel town in western Pennsylvania. Scott Tyler grew up in a small farm town in central California. Both were budding musicians who originally met at a music school in Martha’s Vineyard in 2007.

The friends followed a path to Black Mountain, North Carolina, where they joined an ill-fated artist colony, and then on to Nashville. Both maintained odd jobs here and there, giving them flexibility to pursue their music careers – Mallory in a rock and roll band and Scott as a singer songwriter. And then both grew discontented with their professional lives, as well as their personal lives, and decided to become a band, The Rough & Tumble – and later, a couple.

ON THE ROAD WITH THE ROUGH & TUMBLE

By Cele & Lynn Seldon Whether you spend life on the road for pleasure or work, it’s nice to have the comforts of home as you travel the highways and byways. TRAILBLAZER checks in with folks who spend a fair amount of time on the road to see just what makes their home away from home. This month, we chatted with Americana folk duo, The Rough & Tumble.

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Self-described as storytellers, Mallory and Scott are in the business of collecting stories.

They use both their song writing skills (they perform mostly original songs but also perform standard folk tunes), melodious voices, varied instruments and personalized arrangements to tell those stories. According to them, they like to create a sonic environment that narrates a story. They call their style Folk Americana. Although, they sometimes call themselves dumpster Folk and thrift store Americana because they use so many different instruments they’ve scrounged up, including an acoustic guitar, accordion, banjulele (a cross between a banjo and a ukulele), shakers made out of wine bottles, bells, chimes, nose flute, melodica and a toy piano. They even

use a suitcase as a kick drum and a mailbox as a snare drum as the backbone of their instrumentation.

Performing in living rooms, bars, theaters and festivals across the country since 2011, the dynamic duo has also released five EPs and two albums along the way, with a new studio album, Howling Back at the Wounded Dog, due to be released September 2019. Their creativity comes out in other ways as well.

The stories of their life on the road are captured by cartoonist Steve Carter’s illustrations in a weekly cartoon called Ruffles & Tum Tums, which can be found on their website and through social media using the hashtags #camperlife, #folklife and #touringisforthedogs. They also have a weekly livecast, a monthly blog, a food blog and a Cook & Color book.

Now living on the road full-time with their two 100-pound dogs in a 16’ camper, they generally go from gig to gig across the country, with a little sightseeing

in between. They typically spend a few days in one place to book shows and promote their upcoming events, then spend a couple of days playing shows.

Afterward, they’ll do some exploring, relaxing or visiting friends and then the cycle starts all over again, letting the shows be their navigational tool.

Although they typically follow the geese by trying to be south in the winter and north in the summer, we caught up with Mallory and Scott last winter when they were roughing it in Michigan and Canada.

You are living full time in your camper. Tell us how and when that came about.

Our brains were splitting from working all these jobs, asking for time off to go out on gigs.

It was hard on us to work, work, work, take time to go on tour, and then come back and work enough to make money to pay rent. When our landlord left us without heat in the middle of an ice storm in 2015, it was the final

straw and we decided we were sick of it. We didn’t really have a plan and no money to speak of. But we had good credit history. So, we got a loan for a 2015 16’ Coleman Camper. We went down to Camping World and we said, “This is what our loan will give us,” and they said here’s the perfect camper for you. The only advice we got ahead of time was that we would want a bed that we wouldn’t have to make up every night. So, that was our only stipulation. We then took our two cars to CarMax, they took them behind a curtain, squished them together and made a Nissan Titan to pull the camper.

Then we hit the road.

Does your camper have a name?

We occasionally will call it Dave because our producer that has done our last couple of records is named Dave Coleman.

Sometimes, whenever it’s misbehaving, we’ll call it Campy, because it’s kind of hokey.

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How many shows do you perform a year? How many miles would you guess you travel in your camper a year?

We perform 120-150 shows per year and we put on just under 50,000 miles per year.

Do you have all of your instruments with you?

All but an electric guitar and one accordion, which are living elsewhere. We have about 20 instruments with us. Everything is either in the cab here with us, or in the truck bed, or under our bed in the camper. We had to downsize our living situation.

Which just means we’re spending more time gathering experiences, rather than stuff.

What’s your favorite thing about staying in your camper versus a hotel room?

The familiarity. Knowing that it’s ours. That we can be anywhere and it’s home. We don’t feel like we belong anywhere once we’re outside of the camper.

Do you listen to music on the road?

What kinds of things do you cook?

We listen to podcasts more.

From comedy to more newsoriented stuff. It helps to keep us awake when we’re driving.

We tend to save our music listening to when we sit down to dinner or when we’re spending more time in the camper.

We do a lot of curries. We do a lot of tacos. Taco night is our favorite night. In the summer, we go to farmers markets and buy fresh and local ingredients.

We gave ourselves a challenge last summer where we said we could only buy from farmers markets whatever was available.

That was an incredibly fun challenge because we’re traveling too. So, what’s fresh and local is going to change depending on what state we’re in. We got to try a lot of things like fiddleheads in Maine. Fresh ramps. We try to stick with what is local but also sticking with our diet. Which has been a wonderful exercise.

What are some of your favorite things onboard?

Do you cook in the camper?

The two dogs. We have a stainless-steel French press.

We have some really cool artwork and mementos that we picked up along the way that we hang on the walls to make it feel like home. We painted it white on the inside when we first got it so it would feel bigger than it was with yellow stripes. So, it looks kind of retro.

We rarely plug into electricity, so battery operated things are really useful.

We sure do. Kind of nonstop.

We have a monthly food blog that we do called The Rumbling Tummy. It comes out the first Wednesday every month. We’re vegan and gluten-free so it’s kind of difficult sometimes for us to eat on the road. So, cooking in the camper is just something that we do. Plus, we love to cook. We also made a cooking and coloring book. We’ve kind of found a way to incorporate all the things that we love into what we are doing right now.

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Any favorite places you like to eat out on the road?

We have a couple of favorite places across the country. In

Toronto, we have this place called Bloomers we always go to. When we’re in Savannah, there is the Fox & Fig. There is a place in Detroit that we always go to called Seva.

Favorite places you’ve been?

tend to get where we are going and then unpack from there.

We enjoy ourselves outside of the truck more than inside the truck.

Do you ever stop to do any sightseeing?

South Dakota. We just love South Dakota. Especially Western South Dakota. But don’t tell the Eastern folks that we said that. Rapid City, Hill City, the reservoir there is so pretty. We park there anytime we’re in South Dakota. It’s taken our heart for sure.

Absolutely. We are suckers for roadside stands and attractions, for the big signs, big statues and things that are meant to get you trapped. We just really get into that.

Highways or scenic routes?

We have a record coming out in September. It’s a full album called “Howling Back at the Wounded Dog.” It has a couple of songs we wrote in Vermont, a couple we wrote in South Dakota. It isn’t necessarily about those places, but it has a feel of those places we’ve been.

We want to do the Alaska Highway. We recently just went to Louisiana for the first time. We took the bridge over Lake Pontchartrain. That was something we had always wanted to do. We drove the Pacific Coast Highway. We

What’s next for The Rough & Tumble?

How much longer do you plan to travel full time?

We have no idea. We know that we want to get to Alaska in June 2020. That’s kind of the marker in our minds where we can start talking about getting off the road. Because it’s been such a dream of mine [Mallory] to get there, especially since we got the camper. This next year, we’re finally doing it.

Where do you think you will land?

We keep asking ourselves that again and again and we just don’t know. That is what the Alaska marker is for. It’s to be able to reopen that conversation. Sometimes when we talk about where we’re going to live, it kind of takes us out of where we are right now. So, ask us in June of 2020 and we’ll tell you where the conversation is going.¾

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A ROGUE SOUTHERN OREGON

ROAD TRIP

CRATER LAKE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN

BY LYNN & CELE SELDON River Boat, courtesy of Seldon Ink Southern Oregon’s Crater Lake and Rogue River regions lend themselves perfectly to a “rogue” road trip.

From the famed lake to the Pacific Ocean, there’s much to see and do along the way.

4.54 miles apart at its narrowest.

Designated as a national park back in 1902, Crater Lake National Park is Oregon’s only national park.

Quite simply, Crater Lake and Crater Lake National Park are unlike anywhere else in the world. The lake was formed almost 8,000 year ago when 12,000-foot Mount Mazama experienced a massive volcanic eruption to create a huge caldera that eventually filled with rain and melted snow to form today’s crystal-blue lake.

Though it averages almost 45 feet of snow annually (from early-fall to latespring and beyond), 183,000-acre Crater Lake National Park is open year-round, 24/7. Only the south and west entrances are plowed to the rim during the national park’s long and pretty winter season, with facilities and offerings availability depending on weather and park visitation (the road is typically open to the rim in winter about 80% of the long winter season).

At almost 2,000 feet deep (1,943 feet, to be exact), Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States and the second deepest in all of North America (second only to Great Slave Lake in northwest Canada). It’s 6.02 miles across at its widest and

Highlights of a visit to the park (from the Annie Spring Entrance Station, which is open year-round) can include: Mazama Village (Annie Creek Restaurant and Gift Shop, camping and a camp store and gift shop); Steel Visitor Center (park info, books,

Crater Lake National Park

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gifts and a great film); the 33-mile Rim Drive; Rim Village Visitor Center (including the Rim Café & Gift Shop); historic Crater Lake Lodge (built in 1915 a thousand feet above the lake’s surface and open seasonally); and seasonal boat tours out of difficultto-reach Cleetwood Cove on the north side of the lake (where there’s also the seasonal North Entrance Station). The park is important to the cultural traditions of local American Indian tribes, whose ancestors likely witnessed the formation of the lake.

Open seasonally and typically only completely open from lateJune or early-July to mid-October (again, depending on snow and plowing), the dramatic Rim Drive is perhaps the highlight of any visit.

Depending on what’s open to vehicles, pullouts, viewpoints and hiking (or snowshoeing) trails include Discovery Point, Wizard Island, aforementioned

Cleetwood Cove, Phantom Ship Overlook and a side-trip down Pinnacles Road to wheelchair-accessible Plaikni Falls Trail and the Pinnacles, which are dramatic volcanic ash spires, Vidae Falls and lots of other varied stops, hiking and activities.

There are more than a dozen different hikes in the park, with lots of lengths and difficulty ratings (park rangers can provide recommendations). Biking on the Rim Drive is also highly recommended, though elevation changes can be dramatic.

There are many ranger-led offerings on the schedule as well. The winter wonderland season brings unique picture possibilities, cross-country skiing, sledding, snowshoeing, snowmobiling and more.

Rainbow over the mountains, courtesy of Seldon Ink

Along the Rogue River & Beyond Though it’s difficult to leave Crater Lake National Park, the Rogue River and Rogue River Valley and beyond await with further adventures on this “Rogue Road Trip.” Route 62 leads west away from the Annie Spring Entrance Station, down through vast forests for many miles before reaching the must-stop Rogue River Gorge Viewpoint, which is just north of the small town of Union Creek. Set back in the woods, visitors hear the crystalclear rushing river before they reach the dramatic overlook.

Ironically, most of the melted snow from Crater Lake National Park eventually feeds the Rogue River (as well as the Umpqua and Klamath rivers). The Upper Rogue is known for stunning views, paddling and steelhead fishing, while the Lower Rogue features world-class whitewater rafting (by permit only and typically pursued with outfitters), as well as more steelhead (and salmon) fishing. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2018, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 protects important rivers across the country, including southern Oregon’s Rogue, the North Umpqua and the Illinois rivers.

River Rafting courtesy of Seldon Ink

Signposted as the Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway and Crater Lake Highway, Route 62 then heads past Beckie’s Café (serving up home-style food and celebrated scratchmade pies since 1926) and Cones & Company (ice cream and more) through tiny summer camp-like Union Creek, which is about five miles north of the right-hand turn-off to Natural Bridge Recreation Site.

An easy drive leads back to a 250-foot lava tube that forms a natural bridge over the rushing Rogue River.

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The small town of Prospect is next, about seven miles south of the Natural Bridge turnoff. Possible stops here include Mountainview Pizza, Prospect Café and Trophy Room and Prospect State Scenic Viewpoint overlooking the Rogue. Route 62 then continues downhill through Cascade Gorge (look for popular Gorge Lounge and Restaurant), over the northern portion of sprawling dam-controlled Lost Creek Lake and through lakefront Joseph Stewart State Recreation Area. At the base of the lake, there’s McGregor Visitor Center, which includes a pileated woodpecker tree, salmon fingerling viewing, a fishing platform, a blue heron rookery, a beaver den, hiking and more.

Route 62 then passes through Casey State Park and into bustling Shady Grove (the first true city since Crater Lake and about 10 miles from the McGregor Visitor Center). Several Shady Grove operators offer extensive Rogue River adventures here, including popular raft trips and rentals.

Phil’s Frosty is an area landmark, while Mac’s Diner is a great place for breakfast or lunch.

Next comes the cute town of Eagle Point, about 15 minutes from Shady Grove. Eagle Point Historical Museum is a great little museum about the area and is near the historic 1872 Butte Creek Mill (under renovation), as well as popular Eagle Point Golf Club.

Medford, Jacksonville, & Ashland Most visitors exploring the Rogue River Valley divert away from the river along Route 99 for a quick side trip to the southern Oregon towns of Medford, Jacksonville and Ashland.

Just north of Medford proper (and on the way south or heading back north to the drive), the town of Central Point features three tasty stops in one, thanks to Rogue Creamery (home of famed blue cheese and more, including tasty grilled cheese sandwiches and soups), Ledger David Winery (one of dozens of great wineries in the area’s Rogue Valley and Applegate Valley American Viticultural Areas) and Lillie Belle Farms Homemade Chocolates.

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Crater Lake, courtesy of Seldon Ink

Medford is home to famed Harry & David and their Harry & David’s Country Village (with some great foodstuffs bargains), as well as the interesting Southern Oregon Historical Museum and Centennial Golf Club.

To the west, quaint Jacksonville – a former gold rush town – features Victorian architecture, casual dining (like Mustard Seed Café), the renowned annual Britt Music & Arts Festival and many wineries, including world class wines and fare with a view at picturesque Dancin Vineyards.

Southern Oregon’s wine scene is gaining national attention, with lots of options around Jacksonville Hills and beyond (Wine Hopper Tours is a great way to go…and not drink and drive).

Ashland to the east is also a popular tourist destination, thanks to a bustling downtown of shopping and dining (Larks is a locals’ favorite), the Schneider Museum of Art, the annual world-renown Oregon Shakespeare Festival and many more wineries, including the chateau-like Belle Fiore Estate & Winery. It’s an easy drive back to the Rogue River and a continuation of this rogue road trip.

Along the Rogue The drive along Route 99 and the Rogue River continues through Gold Hill (history lovers will love the Gold Hill Historical Society’s museum), with

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a stop at another winery, pretty Del Rio Vineyard Estate – ideally situated near the river two miles west of town.

The tasting room and gift shop is situated in the historic Rock Point Hotel and makes for a tasty stop, including picnicking out back.

Just five miles west of Del Rio, there’s Valley of the Rogue State Park (the river bisects the park, as does the Rogue River Greenway Trail) and then the river-focused town of Rogue River another five miles further along Route 99. Next comes busy Grants Pass, where there’s riverfront dining at Taprock Northwest Grill, Climate City Brewing Company, Grants Pass Golf Club and many opportunities for Rogue River adventures from tubing and rafting, to jet boating with companies like Hellgate Jetboat Excursions and others offered out of Grants Pass, Rogue River, Merlin and other towns along the river’s path.

Route 99 leads out of Grants Pass, but staying on the Rogue River as it makes its way to the Pacific Ocean requires taking Merlin Road toward Merlin, self-described as the “Gateway to the Rogue River.” Like Rogue River and other towns along the Rogue, Merlin (just 10 miles from Grants Pass) is another great place for pursuing Rogue River adventures with well-respected companies

Rouge Creamery, courtesy of Seldon Ink

like Morrisons Rogue Wilderness Adventures and Orange Torpedo Trips (including a fun pub), which are both right on the main drag through town.

The road along the Rogue continues out of Merlin and soon offers breathtaking views of the river, including a pull off just past Hellgate Canyon (for great picture possibilities).

Further along (about 10 miles from Merlin on Galice Road), another Morrisons outpost (Morrisons Rogue River Lodge) offers varied river trips, dining and riverfront overnights.

Though sometimes closed by snow from fall to spring and featuring severe switchbacks and a lack of guardrails, the road does continue all the way to Gold Beach and the Pacific Ocean (about 80 long and winding miles and at least three hours from Morrisons Rogue River Lodge). Vehicles must be 18 feet in length or less (so a tow vehicle might be a possibility for adventurers), but many locals call the road “INDIA” (“I’ll Never Do It Again”) for good reason.

For those who’d rather hike switchbacks than drive them, the Rogue River National Recreation Trail runs 40 miles between Grave Creek to Big Bend, offering varied scenic out-and-back hikes. The eastern trailhead is at Grave Creek, about 30 miles northwest of Grants Pass,

Rouge River, courtesy of Seldon Ink

while the western trailhead is at Big Bend, near Foster Bar, which is about 35 miles upriver from Gold Beach on the Pacific. The Marial Trailhead and Rogue River Ranch provide access near the trail’s midpoint as well.

To get to the mouth of the Rogue in Gold Beach, it’s actually generally better to take Route 199 from Grants Pass south into California and then over to the Pacific, before heading back into Oregon along the Pacific Coast Highway (Route 101) and up to Gold Beach and the mouth of the Rogue River. Kirby and its Guild Gallery & Arts Center, Cave Junction and Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve, known as the marble halls of Oregon, are all great stops along the way.

Known as the Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor, the 28-mile drive on US 101 from Brookings to Gold Beach can be a fittingly scenic end to the drive from Crater Lake to the Pacific. Stunning views and pull offs await alert drivers. For those who make it all the way to the Pacific by either route, Gold Beach features more jet boat tours on the Rogue (look for Jerry’s Rogue Jets), another great golfing opportunity at Cedar Bend Golf Course and catching or eating fresh salmon at Barnacle Bistro or Chowder House.¾

F.Y. I CHECK OUT OUR OREGON LOCATIONS AT THOUSANDTRAILS.COM!

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER

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Tips and Topics

ASK RVBILL YOUR TECH QUESTIONS ANSWERED!

I have been in the RV industry since I graduated high school in 1972. I retired in 2010, sold my RV business and hit the road full time. I am a part-time consultant and tech writer for the RV industry.

In this issue we are going to focus on air conditioning. After the strain of the hot months let’s focus on how to keep your air conditioning in good shape for future use.

Air conditioning is without a doubt the number one concern when camping in the heat especially when the mercury gets up above 100°.

Most manufacturers do not set forth guidelines for complete servicing, as time slips away lack of maintenance can cause failure when you need it the most.

1

Servicing the return air filter (see owners manual), this filter prevents dust, grime and other particles from reaching the evaporator that 52

resides just up above the return air filter. Remove the filter and a wash it in warm soapy water, be sure it’s dry before re installation.

With the return air filter removed using a bright flashlight, look up inside the cavity and you will see the evaporator. Be sure that the evaporator is not clogged more than 10%-15%. A dirty evaporator will diminish the efficiency of the air conditioner, especially with higher ambient temperatures.

2

Remove the shroud from the upper unit exposing the fan, condenser, compressor and other components. Using compressed air, blow all the leaves and debris out of every nook and cranny. Last but not least, blow compressed air through the condenser from the inside out. You will be surprised how much dirt gets into the condenser again reducing the efficiency of the air conditioner.

Be sure that you don’t use too much air pressure, no more than 100 PSI as it can damage the aluminum condenser.

3

Before re-installing the shroud, visually check all electrical connections and wiring for possible deterioration or bad connections. Check the fan and compressors mounting points to make sure that the rubber pieces have not deteriorated.

Some air conditioners use a type of foil tape to cover seams, if the foil is loose or falling off be sure

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER

to replace it, foil tape is available at most building supply outlets.

4

Be sure that you use the proper size electrical cords especially when using an extension cord, air conditioners draw a lot of amperage, use a minimum of a 10 gauge three wire extension cord. An undersized extension cord will cause the compressor to overheat thus shortening the life of the compressor. I always recommend that you have a voltmeter installed into one of your outlets so that you can track the voltage while running air conditioners and other appliances. Never run the air conditioner below 105 Volts.

5

Before leaving on your next camping trip be sure to test your awnings, awnings can be a fantastic source of shade. Another trick would be cut in reflective aluminum bubble insulation for windows, especially large picture windows and windows it may be exposed to the full sun during your camping trip. For motorhomes, use a large piece of aluminum bubble insulation in the windshield to reduce inside temperatures by several degrees. Install bubble insulation in all windows when storing an RV in hot climates to prevent heat intrusion and save window shades from damage.

Tips and Topics

6

Refrigerators can be problematic in hot weather, as ambient temperatures rise, gas electric refrigerators become less efficient. It’s not uncommon for the refrigerator compartment to becomes so warm that it’s impossible to keep food for any period of time.

Most modern refrigerators come with some type of a cooling fan in the rear of the refrigerator incorporated into the cooling unit. These fans can and will stop functioning causing a problem with cooling efficiency during hot weather. If you’ve had trouble with the refrigerator in the past camping in hot weather, I would recommend having at least two exhaust fans installed in the back of your refrigerator compartment on the access door.

ARPrv website (arprv.com) is a really good source for refrigerator questions, fans, and safety devices for any type of gas electric refrigerator.

7

Ice can be a valuable commodity when camping in the hot weather. There are many after market portable ice makers that can make a camping trip so much more convenient, especially with kids as they really enjoy ice and iced drinks. Running to the store constantly to buy ice is not very practical and sometimes next to impossible. Do not forget plenty of bottled water.

8

Water misters are readily available and can be installed on your awning or even in the trees above your sitting area. It is amazing what a little moisture in the air does to bring down temperatures. Be sure that you buy a water “Y” with shut off valves so you have a way to get a water hose to the misters. If you do not have an extra hose be sure to bring a hose as well. One thing to keep in mind, some water can contain a lot of calcium and may leave deposits on the side of your RV. Be sure to remove any type of deposits or residue when you return from your trip.

9

Do not forget the air conditioning in your motorhome or your vehicle that you use for towing your trailer. They need to be serviced from time to time, consult your owners manual for any type of maintenance to be performed. Driving several hours through hot weather to reach your destination without air conditioning would not be very pleasant.

10

High ambient temperatures will cause road temperatures to skyrocket, tires, brakes and wheel bearings do not like excess heat, especially tires that are past their expiration date of approximately 7 to 8 years. As tires age excess heat caused by hot pavement may separate the

tread causing damage to your RV as well as the inconvenience of changing a bad tire on the side of the road. Check your tires by reading the DOT (Department of Transportation) code that will be on the side wall of all tires, note, sometimes they are on the inside of the tire. The last number is the year the tire was manufactured, for instance if the last number is 2 the tire would most likely have been manufactured in 2012 in which case the tire would be at least seven years old. Be sure that the wheel bearings are serviced with a high temperature disc brake bearing grease. This will prevent any type of wheel bearing overheating problem especially when the brakes are used heavily during freeway traffic issues.

Wheel bearings and the brakes should be inspected and serviced annually to mitigate failure.

I hope these guidelines help make your RV trip enjoyable and trouble free.

GOT A QUESTION FOR BILL? SEND AN EMAIL TO AskRVBill@equitylifestyle.com

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Tips and Topics

TECH TOPICS

RVing is a great adventure and there’s always something new to learn!

By Paul and Kerri Elders This month, we’ll take a look at some simple, common sense emergency driving tips and give you an interesting old-school method for estimating your water tank levels as you fill. Ready? Let’s go!

This month, we’ll take a look at some helpful driving tips for making the most of your RV adventure and explore the reasons GFCI electrical receptacles have “test” buttons.

Ready? Let’s get going!

Shock-Proof Circuitry: Designed to prevent deadly electrical shocks, GFCI outlets are frequently used in today’s RV’s. GFCI stands for “Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter,” a special type of circuit breaker that’s built right into an electrical receptacle. GFCI’s are those “funny looking” electrical outlets with small TEST and RESET buttons on the face of the outlet. If a short occurs, the GFCI immediately and automatically shuts down the circuit, preventing you from receiving a serious electrical shock.

GFCI’s are mandated for external electrical receptacles and some internal electrical receptacles, especially in bathrooms and around kitchen sinks. To assure you always have the proper protection, it’s important to frequently test your GFCI. It’s easy! Just push the TEST button on the receptacle; if it’s operating properly, you’ll usually hear a “click” as the GFCI trips its circuit, killing the power to the outlet. After the GFCI trips its circuit, simply press the RESET button to reactivate the outlet. If you have to replace a GFCI receptacle ALWAYS replace it with another GFCI. NEVER replace a GFCI receptacle with any other type of outlet.

If you find your GFCI is tripping every time you travel or if it fails to reset when you test it, it’s a good idea to visit your local RV Repair Center and let them investigate the source of the problem. It could be a defective receptacle, but it might be an indicator of a wiring problem. Better safe than sorry; check it out ASAP.

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Attention Road Warriors: While driving an RV to any destination is a pleasure, there’s no doubt that long hours behind the wheel during long trips can lead to fatigue and distractibility. And that’s a BAD combination. When you’re tired, your mind slows down and so does your reaction time. The average driver makes over 200 decisions per mile, and when you’re tired, your Decide-OMeter slows down. And that can lead to trouble down the road.

When you sit for more than two hours in one position (as you do when you drive), blood can begin to pool in your legs, so it’s essential that you remember to take a little physical time-out. Stop at a Rest Area, Truck Stop, or gas station and stretch, move, and walk around for a few minutes every couple of hours. As we’ve mentioned repeatedly in our columns, it’s an excellent idea to get out and do a periodic walk-around inspection of your RV, checking tire health, headlights, taillights, trailer hookups, etc. Drink a cool glass of water, get your mind off the road, and get your blood circulating again. Your body needs a little exercise; exercise improves your alertness, boosts your circulation, relieves stress, reduces fatigue, and makes your trip safer and more enjoyable.

Don’t Be Guilty of DWD (Driving When Drowsy): Everybody knows that you never think well when you’re sleepy. Your mind lags, you can’t think clearly, and your reaction time slows to a crawl. It’s not a good time to get behind the wheel, especially not behind the wheel of a massive RV. Occasionally, fatigue is so subtly disguised we don’t even recognize it ourselves until it’s well advanced and moving into the danger zone.

Here’s a quick “Top Ten” list we’ve put together to help you see the progression of driver fatigue.

Hopefully, you’ll recognize the signs and symptoms in yourself soon enough to pull off the road and get some sleep in your cozy, comfy RV

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bed. When you wake up, you’ll be up for the challenge, energized by your clearer mind and enlivened with a fresher attitude.

Here’s a rundown of the Top Ten Signs It’s Time to Take a Break for Safety’s Sake: 1.

Feeling restless, impatient, or irritable. Remember, RVing’s supposed to be FUN.

2. Tailgating.

3. Turning the radio up louder and louder or opening a window (your body’s subconscious effort to wake itself up).

4. Yawning.

5. Wandering or disconnected thoughts (daydreaming).

6. Zoning out. Difficulty remembering the most recent minutes of your drive.

7. Missing traffic signs or exits.

8. Trouble maintaining a constant speed. Test yourself by turning off the cruise control periodically while keeping an eye on the speedometer. See if you’re having difficulty naturally maintaining your speed. If so, it’s definitely time to stop driving.

9. Drifting across lanes or onto the shoulder.

10. Difficulty keeping eyes open, focusing, or keeping your head up.

Your driving ability, alertness, and reaction time can also be affected by a heavy meal, medications, “long haul” trips, undiagnosed sleep apnea, or simply by driving at night when you’d usually be asleep. Work at knowing your own limits and hone your ability to recognize and admit when you’re just too tired to get behind the wheel.

You owe it to yourself, your family, and everyone sharing the roadway with you. Happy trails!

Check out more tips & tricks on trailblazermagazine.net

by Jenn Swope Traveling and Camping with Companion Animals

Thank you for writing in and sharing your dilemma with a senior dog. I commend you for making the most of your situation and caring for Candy as well as you do. The portable dog ramps are excellent to eliminate the need to step up and down and are surprisingly affordable and easy to use! I regularly point people to Amazon or Chewy.com for a wide variety of ramp options available. As far as a device/harness to support the hind end and of the dog; I recommend the Solvit Carelift that retails for around $20 and can be worn throughout the day.

Jenn, I have an older golden retriever named “Candy” who is starting to struggle getting up and down the stairs to our motorhome.

The full-time lifestyle is all that we know and while I would very much like to live in a house, it is just not in the cards so we are making do with the amazing Thousand Trails system and are grateful. We have installed a lightweight, portable ramp that is used for the dog to go up and down the RV and in and out of the car with much more confidence. I think it would help if we had some type of a harness to help support the hips and back legs as her push/strength just isn’t what it used to be. The frequency in between bathroom breaks is increasing and it would be nice to have some type of harness that supported her (AND saved my aging back) that she could wear all the time or at least during daylight hours. Is there anything like this on the market that you know of? Thank you for caring enough to share and support us on this new challenge.

Sincerely, Ramona and Erick D. Full Time RVer’s

See chewy.com this month for natural joint support that would benefit your senior pet!

We are beginning to look for suggestions to a natural joint pain support or supplement. Ideally an option that both my dog and cat can use that is not veterinary prescribed so I can get it when I need it and avoid big pharma in any way I can. I travel 8 months out of the year and could stock up here and there if I knew what worked. Both dog and cat are picky eaters and grain free – just to compound my issues.

Thank you for your help in the matter.

The Purcell Family Hello, Purcell Family. The effort to support joint health is an important endeavor at all life stages. Certainly, as our pets age, and just like us, we look to avoid medication if possible and go organic when available. I have a dog named, Ginger, who is turning nine years old this August has a chronic sore shoulder from an injury in her younger years; she is also very finicky with her food and both of the products I’m recommending she happily eats and have shown to

reduce her discomfort. Look at to the frozen section at a Primal Pet foods authorized distributor for the latest Edible Elixir called Omega Mussel Mélange and add a dollop or two on top of your dog and cats food. Great for additional moisture and supporting joint care with green mussels and organic mushrooms, this palatable elixir keeps in the refrigerator. Loaded with bone broth to seal and heal the gut with natural glucosamine, cooked mussel meat and organic antiinflammatory supplements, it’s a daily must have in helping your pets thrive.

Ginger also gobbles up one Edibites Soft Chew Supplement from PetReleaf petreleaf.com every morning, on demand! She loves the Peanut Butter and Carob Swirl flavor (yes, it’s grain free!). Organic, full spectrum hemp extract with naturally occurring CBD oil is mixed with organic ingredients and delivers a guaranteed 2 mg of active CBD with every bite!! These Edibites are soft to break and are “Big Pharma” free; just one of the incredible benefits from CBD oil is that it contains zero contraindications so in case your pet is on a prescribed medication, adding a CBD supplement will not interfere whatsoever. I can tell you with confidence that I have seen extremely positive results in adding both of these supplements to Ginger’s daily diet.

Both products are made in the USA and highly respected. Thanks for trusting me to help advise you!

Email Jenn your questions and share your pics to JennSwope@gmail.com

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Tips and Topics

4 PAWS ON THE ROAD

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**Subject to availability. Reservations required. Rates based on standard site unless otherwise specified. Stays 30 days or less are subject to $4 per day resort fee.

Electric not included for stays of 30 days or longer. Rates do not include taxes. Amenities vary by resort. Cannot be combined with any other offer or promotions.

Rates exclusively for members of Thousand Trails, NACO, Mid-Atlantic, Leisure Time and Outdoor World. Offer not valid on holidays and special events; certain restrictions may apply. Offers not valid at Grey’s Point Camp or Bethpage Camp-Resort

56

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER

Arizona South Texas

$100 OFF 3+ Month Stay

Valid at Alamo Palms, Country Sunshine, Fun-N-Sun, Paradise Park, Southern Comfort, Tropic Winds, Victoria Palms

Call To Book Valid on standard RV sites Valid until 4/30/20. Book by 12/31/19 Min stay 90 nights, max stay 180 nights

Promo Code : TT100

$125 OFF 3+ Month Stay

Valid at Lakewood, Paradise South and Sunshine RV

Call To Book Valid on standard RV sites Valid until 4/30/20. Book by 12/31/19 Min stay 90 nights, max stay 180 nights.

Promo Code : TT125

10% OFF Nightly Stays Valid at Victoria Palms

Call To Book (855) 207-7342 Valid on standard RV sites Valid 9/1/19 - 10/31/19. Book By 10/15/19.

Min stay 2 nights, max stay 6 nights

Promo Code : TTVP10

*Restrictions/exclusions apply and are listed at bottom of this page.

RVontheGo.com

Member Deals Member Deals

Thousand Trails Members Always Save On RV Sites & Rentals at RVontheGo.com

Call! Click! Camp!

1 (888)-443-7301 Florida

$100 Off 3+ month Stay

Valid at all Florida RV Resorts

Call To Book Valid on all RV sites Valid until 4/30/20 Book by 12/31/19 Min stay 90 nights, max stay 180 nights

Promo Code : TT100FL *Restrictions/exclusions apply and are listed at bottom of this page.

California

$100 Off 3 Month Stay

Valid at Palm Springs Oasis

Call To Book Valid on all RV sites Valid until 4/30/20. Book by 12/31/19 Min stay 90 nights, max stay 180 nights

Promo Code : TT100

**Subject to availability. Reservations required. Rates based on standard site unless otherwise specified. Stays 30 days or less are subject to $4 per day resort fee.

Electric not included for stays of 30 days or longer. Rates do not include taxes. Amenities vary by resort. Cannot be combined with any other offer or promotions.

Rates exclusively for members of Thousand Trails, NACO, Mid-Atlantic, Leisure Time and Outdoor World. Offer not valid on holidays and special events; certain restrictions may apply. Offers not valid at Grey’s Point Camp or Bethpage Camp-Resort

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER

57

MAXIMIZE

YOUR OPPORTUNITIES More Freedom to Explore!

Enjoying the benefits of your Thousand Trails Camping Pass? Then you’ll love what our premium upgrade options have to offer. Get nationwide access to our premier campsites and resorts, keep the fun going with longer maximum stays, plan further ahead with extended booking windows, and much more!

Call today (888) 842-8617 or visit thousandtrails.com/member-upgrade For more information, see a membership specialist on your next visit!

58

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER TRAILBLAZER

Get More Locations Plan Further Ahead Explore New Accommodations Travel Club See if a Membership Upgrade is Right for You! Which Camping Pass Upgrade is right for you?

Camping Pass

Elite Basic

Elite Connections

Booking Window

60 Days

120 Days

180 Days

Maximum Stay

14 Days

21 Days

21 Days

Thousand Trails

Access to Campgrounds in your zone(s)

Park to Park Family Access Reciprocal Network Getaway Cabins Travel Club

This advertising is being used for the purpose of soliciting sales of resort campground memberships. This document has been filed with the Department of Licensing, State of Washington, as required by Washington law. Value, quality, or conditions stated, and performance on promises are the responsibility of the operator, not the Department. The filing does not mean that the Department has approved the merits or qualifications of any registration, advertising, or any gift, prize or item of value as part of any promotional plan.

SEPTEMBER SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER / OCTOBER 2019 2019 TRAILBLAZER TRAILBLAZER

59 59

C RO S SWO R D

ACROSS 1 Automatic data processing (abbr.)

4 Preserve 8 Per. mystic 12 Monkey 13 Adjective forming (suf.)

14 Adept 15 Television channel 16 Athos 18 Love (Lat.) 20 For (Sp.) 21 Urban Office holder 23 Peacock blue 25 Water (Sp) 26 Forbidden 27 Wilt 30 Son of, in Hebrew names 31 Book (Lat.) 32 Ruminant 32 Tennessee Valley Authority (abbr.)

33 Cyprinoid Fish 34 Tough 60

35 36 37 38 40 41 44 47 48 49 50 51 52

Group Fr. author Speck Arabic (abbr.)

Well (Fr.) Husky (2 words) Chatter Hill formed by glacier Indian nursemaid Jap. fish Tyrol Balto - Slav Hoodwinked

DOWN 1 Army service number (Abbr.)

2 Flat Fish 3 Inconsiderable 4 Renaissance garment 5 Rom. pin 6 Anatomical duct 7 BPOE member 8 Archfiend 9 Above (Ger.)

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER

10 11 17 19 21 22 23 24 26 27 28 29 31 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 45 46

Intersect Noun - Forming Husband (Fr.) Extinct bird Nakedwood tree Old Priest (Sp.) Sleeping Batrachian Might With (Fr.) Simpleton City on Tokyo Bay Suggestion Commander at Ticanderoga Affray Russ. inland sea Royal Canadian Mounted Neckline shape N.Z woody vine Wolframite Stain Amer. Automobile Assn. (abbr.)

Invite

S U D O KU

Terms and Conditions for 2019 Referral Promotion from page 2.

Answers can be found on page 65.

Find The Evergreen Tree An evergreen tree is hidden somewhere in this issue.

Send us a postcard telling us where you found it, and if your card is drawn you’ll win a $25 American Express® Prepaid Gift Card.

Joan B. Hully of Barefoot Bay, FL found the tree on Page 29 of the August Issue.

Did you find the tree in this issue?

Send your entry (postcards only) to: TrailBlazer Evergreen Tree Two North Riverside Plaza Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60606.

Postmark deadline is October 5, 2019 and remember – the tree could be a different color and size.

For each Eligible Referral (as defined) through December 31, 2019, you will receive a $50 Virtual Visa® Reward Card. In addition, for each Eligible Referral through December 31, 2019, you will receive one entry in a drawing for the following prizes: (i) Grand Prize is either a trip to Hawaii or a 7 night Caribbean Cruise, valued at $4,000, that includes round trip coach airfare for two adults from the continental United States to either Hawaii or Florida, and one hotel/cruise room for 7 nights; (ii) Second Prize is a trip to either Las Vegas, San Francisco or Orlando, valued at $2,000, that includes round trip coach airfare for two adults from the continental United States to either Las Vegas, San Francisco or Orlando and one hotel room for 4 nights and (iii) ten (10) Third Prizes waiving payment of the winners’ annual dues for 2020, not to exceed $585 each.

The trips do not include taxes, meals, beverages, transfers, gratuities, activities and other personal expenses. Prizes cannot be exchanged for cash.

The drawing will be held at our corporate offices on or about January 7, 2020. The winners will be notified by telephone. The odds of winning a prize depend on the number of entries and are not expected to exceed 1:10,000. For this promotion, an Eligible Referral is a person who (i) purchases a new Zone Camping Pass from us between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2019 and (ii) lists you as the referring member. This offer is only for members in good standing of Thousand Trails and its affiliates.

Due to legal restrictions, (a) residents of AZ, FL, NV, and PA are not eligible to participate in the drawing and you will not receive an entry in the drawing for purchases made by residents of AZ, FL, NV, or PA, and (b) residents of AZ and PA are not eligible to receive a $50 Virtual Visa® Reward Card and you will not receive a $50 Virtual Visa® Reward Card for purchases made by residents of AZ or PA. We reserve the right to extend, modify, suspend, or terminate this promotion at any time for any reason; however, any rewards earned prior to the suspension or termination of this promotion will be honored.

Employees of MHC Property Management, L.P. and its affiliates are not eligible to participate in this promotion. All local, state and federal income taxes are the responsibility of the recipient. Accordingly, we recommend that all participants consult a tax advisor about reporting rewards for tax purposes.

We will issue the required 1099 to each participant and to the IRS when the total value of awards you are eligible to receive equal or exceed $600 for one year. This advertising is being used for the purpose of soliciting sales of resort campground memberships.

This document has been filed with the Department of Licensing, State of Washington, as required by Washington law. Value, quality, or conditions stated and performance on promises are the responsibility of the operator, not the Department. This filing does not mean that the Department has approved the merits or qualifications of any registration, advertising, or any gift, prize, or item of value as part of any promotional plan. This promotion is sponsored

by MHC Thousand Trails Limited Partnership, Two North Riverside Plaza, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60606.

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER

61

PREFERRED RV DEALERS Check out member specials on parts, service, and sales by visiting our preferred RV Dealer partners listed here.

A Great Outdoor RV Center TX - Canton • agorv.com Affinity RV AZ - Dewey, Prescott, Prescott Valley affinityrv.com Al’s Trailer Sales OR - Salem • alstrailers.com All Valley RV Center CA - Acton • allvalleyrvcenter.com Alpin Haus NY - Amsterdam, Port Jervis, Saratoga alpinhaus.com American Family RV VA - Chesapeake, VA - Salem americanfamilyrv.com Appleton Camping Center WI - Appleton • appletoncamping.com B&B RV CA - Anderson • bbrv.me Bama RV AL - Dothan • bamarv.com Baydo’s RV of Chehalis WA - Chehalis • baydosrvs.com

Braun’s Fun Time Campers IN - Indianapolis • funtimecampers.com Browns RV SC - McBee • brownsrvsuperstore.com Burlington RV Superstore WI - Sturtevant • burlingtonrv.com Camperland Trailer Sales TX - Conroe • camperland.net Campers Inn CT - Union FL - Leesburg, Jacksonville, Ocala IN - Clarksville SC - Myrtle Beach NC - Kings Mountain, Mocksville, Raleigh NH - Kingston, Merrimack PA - Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, MA - Raynham VA - Fredericksburg GA - Macon, Atlanta • campersinn.com Canopy Country RV Center WA - Ellensburg, Union Gap canopycountry.com Charlie Obaugh RV VA - Staunton • charlieobaughrv.com Chesaco RV MD - Joppa, Frederick, Gambrills PA - Shoemakersville • chesacorv.com

Big Country RV OR - Bend, Redmond • bigcrv.com

Clear Creek RV WA - Silverdale, Puyallup clearcreekrvcenter.com

Blade Chevrolet RV WA - Mt. Vernon • bladerv.com

Cleveland RV GA - Cleveland • clevelandrvsales.com

Blue Dog RV CA - Redding ID - Coeur D’Alene ID - Post Falls NV - Las Vegas OR - Bend OR - Gresham OR - Medford OR - Redmond WA - Fife WA - Kennewick WA - Pasco WA - Spokane Valley • bluedogrv.com

Coastal RV VA - Carrolton • coastalrv.com

Boat-N-RV NY - West Coxsackie SC - Ridgeland PA - Hamburg • boatnrv.com

Crossroads Trailers NJ - Newfield • crossroadstrailers.com

62

Economy RVs MD - Mechanicsville • economyrvs.com Ellis Travel Trailers GA - Statesboro • ellistraveltrailers.com ET Quality RV CA - Two locations in Yuba City etqualityrv.com

USA A&L RV Sales TN - Christiana, Johnson City, Sevierville alrvsales.com

Dunap Family RV TN - Knoxville, Chatanooga, Nashville KY - Bowling Green• dunlapfamilyrv.com

Colerain Family RV IN - Indianapolis OH - Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus colerainrv.com Conejo Wholesale Auto and RV CA - Thousand Oaks conejowholesaleauto.com Country Camping Corner NC - Kings Mountain • countrycamping.com

Cunningham Campers, Inc. IN - Jeffersonville • cunninghamcampers.com

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER

FIFE RV Center WA - Fife • fifervcenter.com Floyd’s RV OK - Norman • floydsrvs.com Freedom RV WA - Liberty Lake • freedomrvusa.com Funtime RV OR - Tualatin • funtimervinc.com Gerzeny’s RV World FL - Nokomis• gerzenysrvworld.com Gibs RV Superstore OR - Coos Bay • gibsrvsuperstore.com Gloucester RV Sales & Service VA - Hayes • gloucesterrv.net Grand View Trailers Sales VA - Bedford • grandviewtrailersales.com Halterman’s RV WA - Arlington, Burlington• haltermansrv.com Hayden’s RVs VA - Richmond • haydensrvs.net Haylett RV MI - Coldwater • haylettautoandrv.com HItch RV DE - Milford NJ - Berlin• hitchrv.com Indian Valley Camper Center PA - Souderton • ivccrv.com Jeff’s Couch’s RV Nation OH - Hamilton • couchsrvnation.com Johnson RV OR - Sandy WA - Fife • johnsonrv.com Keystone RV Center PA - Greencastle • keystonervcenter.com La Mesa RV AZ - W. Phoenix CA - Sacramento, San Diego FL - Ft. Myers, Orlando, Port St. Lucie, • lamesarv.com Lakeside RV Sales SC - Anderson • lakesidervsales.com Lazydays RV AZ - Tucson CO - Denver CO - Loveland FL - Tampa FL - Ocala MN - Minneapolis

TN - Knoxville lazydays.com Marjon RV CA - Moreno Valley • marjonrvs.com McKay’s RV & Marine Center ME - Holden • mckaysrv.com Media Camping PA - Media • mediacamping.com Mike Thompson RV Superstores CA - Cathedral City, Colton, Fountain Valley, Santa Fe Springs mikethompson.com Northside Family RV KY- Lexington • northsidervs.com Opelika RV Center AL - Opelika • opelikarv.com Open Road RV Center WA - Arlington, Monroe openroadrvcenter.com Out of Doors Mart NC - Colfax • outofdoorsmart.com Patterson RV TX - Wichita Falls • pattersonrv.com Phillips RV Center MI - Mount Morris • phillipsrv.com PPL Motorhomes TX - Cleburne, Houston, New Braunfels pplmotorhomes.com Princess Craft RV TX - Round Rock • princesscraft.com Recreation Plantation RV Sales IL - Lynwood recreationplantationrvsales.com Roadhouse Camper & RV PA - Lake Ariel (Scranton) roadhousecamper.com Roy Robinson RV WA - Marysville • royrobinsonrv.com Russ Dean Family RV WA - Pasco • russdeanrv.com RV City AZ - Huachuca City • rvcity.net RV Country AZ - Bullhead City, Flagstaff, Mesa, Showlow CA - Fresno NV - Laughlin OR - Coburg WA - Buckley, Fife, Mt. Vernon rvcountry.com RV General Store OK - Newcastle • rvgeneralstore.com RV’s For Less TN - Knoxville • rvsforless.net RV Source TX - Bryan • rvsource.com RVs Northwest WA - Spokane • rvsnorthwest.com

RV Value Mart PA - Lititz, Manheim, Willow rvvaluemart.com

CANADA

Safford RV VA - Thornburg • saffordrv.com

Action VR QC - Saint-Nicolas • actionvr.ca

Sahara RV NV - Las Vegas • sahararv.com San Angelo RV TX - San Angelo • sanangelorvs.com

Camp Out RV ON - Stratford • campoutrv.com

Seguin RV TX - Seguin • seguinrv.com

Canadream AB - Calgary BC - Vancouver ON - Toronto NS - Halifax QC - Montreal YT - Whitehorse • canadream.com

Simi RV & Off Road CA - Simi Valley • simi-rv.com

GO VR QC - Ange-Gardien • go-vr.com

Sky River RV CA - Buellton, Paso Robles, Pismo Beach skyriverrv.com

Horizon Lussier QC - Maryville • horizonlussier.com

Scott Motor Coach RV Center NJ - Lakewood • scottmotorcoach.com

Snyder’s RV VA - Virginia Beach • snydersrv.com Strickland Marine & RV SC - Seneca • stricklandmarineandrv.com Stoltzfus RV’s & Marine PA - West Chester • stoltzfus-rec.com Sunbelt RV Center TX - Belton • sunbeltrv.com Sundown RV Center CA - Atwater • sundownrv.com Super Deals RV Inc. GA - Temple • superdealsrv.com TAC RV NC - Moyock • tactrailerandrv.com The RV Factory Luxe Fifth Wheel IN - Elkhart • luxefifthwheel.com The Trail Center SC - North Charleston • trailcenter.com Tonie’s RV VA - Salem • toniesrv.com

JCS Entreposage QC - Trois Rivières • entreposagejcs.com Kustom Koach RV Centre BC - Aldergrove • kustomkoachrv.com Lardner’s Trailer Sales SK - Saskatoon • lardners.com Le Centre du Vr Victoriaville QC - Saint-Albert • vrvictoriaville.com Leisure Days RV ON - Aylmer, Kingston, Pembroke, Smiths Falls, Sudbury QC - Buckingham, Gatineau, Sherbrooke NB - Salisbury NS - Truro • leisuredays.ca Leisure Trailer Sales ON - Tecumseh • leisuretrailers.com O’Connor RV BC - Chilliwack • oconnorrv.com Ottawa Camping Trailers ON - Ottawa • ottawacamping.ca Roulottes AS Levesque QC - Châteauguay, Saguenay, Sainte-Hélène, Trois-Rivières roulotte.ca

Toscano RV CA - Los Banos • toscanorv.com TravelTime RV TX - Sulphur Springs • traveltimerv.com Vancouver RV & Park Model Center WA - Vancouver • vancouverrv.com Vogt RV TX - Two locations in Ft. Worth • vogtrv.com Waterdog RV OR - Dayton • waterdogrv.com Welcome Back RV Outlet TX - Athens • welcomebackrv.com Wilder RV WA - Port Angeles • wilderrvs.com

Roulottes Remillard QC - Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu roulottesremillard.com Véhicules Récréatifs JD QC - Sherbrooke • vrjdrv.ca VR Depot QC - Vaudreuil-Dorion • vrdepot.ca VR Emond Plus QC - Sainte-Nicolas • vremondplus.com VR Prestige QC - Terrebonne • vrprestige.com VR Souliere QC - Lanoraie, Lavaltrie vrsouliere.com

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER

63

y l l a It’s R ! e m i T CLUB CALENDAR 2019 Bounders United (BUTTN)

BUTTN’s are members who own or have owned a Bounder motorhome and belong to Bounders United & Thousand Trails. Please make your own reservations at the RV Resort.

Member # 1 (800) 388-7788; Non-Member # 1 (877) 570-2267.

(No-Host Outing) If you are interested in attending please contact: Yvonne Codde at (209) 207-8184.

TT SINGLES Northwest

Rallies are member-generated.

Main contact: Daphne Bailey, Daphnebailey07@comcast.net.

Sept 27-29 ...................... Seaside, OR

64

RVers seeking RVers? Rally clubs

from coast to coast love to meet at our destinations. Join in on the fun!

Lewis and Clark TTN

Mike May: President Lewis and Clark TTN chapter of FMCA. Contact person, Mike May (360) 581-5512 or mmay914@comcast.net.

Sept 9-13......................... Seaside, OR Oct 7-11................. Whaler’s Rest, OR

TT of Texas/FMCA

Sept 6-8 ......................... Lake Conroe Nov 8-10.........................Medina Lake New members must be a member of TTN and FMCA. All motorhomes, trailer owners, and 5th-wheels are welcome. Contact Connie Farrar at (817) 454-4612 or email to ttnfmcachapter@gmail.com.

Website: ttnoftexasfmca.com. Blog: ttfmcaralliesandmore.blogspot.com.

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER

TTN Central CA

Come join us! We are weekday campers and we like LOTS, Ponderosa, & Snowflower, but are open to other locations.

Please check out our Facebook page: RV/CampersofCentralCA(TTN).

Email us at ccttnsingles@gmail.com.

TT Travelers Southern California

We usually meet on the first Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of each month. In the morning we have coffee, snacks, socialize and play games. In the evening we have more fun with a potluck and card games. We are looking for more new members.

Come visit us. For information, contact Cecil Schoolcraft, Wagonmaster, (619) 997-9787, or email him at cecilanddonna@aol.com.

Answers – Crossword puzzle can be found on page 60.

Branching Out...

Seeking a Safer Tomorrow

If you’ve got a great story about camping at Thousand Trails, send it to us!

Help the Manatees, Adopt One Today!

Send stories and pictures to tbeditor@equitylifestyle.com or connect with us on social media.

To send us a letter, mail to: TrailBlazer Magazine Attn: TrailBlazer Editor Two North Riverside Plaza, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60606

savethemanatee.org Photo © Wayne Hartley

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER

65

TV That Travels With You

DISH Outdoors In 3 Easy Steps Call 1-877-894-6220

USE CODE “TRAILS19” FOR $50 OFF A SATELLITE ANTENNA BUNDLE*

Visit DISHForMyRV.com/Trails or call 1-877-894-6220 *With the purchase of a DISH Solo HD receiver and DISH-compatible antenna. Offer limit one per customer. Must mention coupon code at time of order.

Not valid on previous purchases. Minimum programming requirement may apply.

View packages for complete details. For Pay-As-You-Go service, all charges, including monthly programming, pay-per-view and equipment upgrades, / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER must be66paidSEPTEMBER in advance; failure to pay by due date will lead to service disconnection within 24 hours. All prices, packages, programming, features, functionality and offers subject to change without notice. State reimbursement charges may apply. Additional restrictions apply.

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER

67

Wherever your travels take you enjoy lifes’ delights with passion and

LIVE

All without worry, because if something happens and you need medical evacuation home then

LAUGH & Use your SkyMed membership card to pay the bill and

LOVE IT. ®

18 SERVICES 68

|

1-800-679-2020

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 TRAILBLAZER

|

WWW.SKYMED.COM

|

LOVE USA