A lot of people use iPhone apps to heavily edit photos (applying various filters and effects), but most pics on this page are straight off the camera. There’s something to be said for these relatively untouched (or at least lightly retouched) photos. When Mother Nature serves up a steaming platter of jaw-dropping beauty for dinner, who am I to dump on a pile of salt & pepper? The sunflower photo in particular is a favorite of mine – it’s exactly as captured by the sensor.

Next stop: iPhoneography!

A common question to ask is “What camera do you use?”

These photos are evidence that it often doesn’t matter. We’re all toting around powerful cameras (and camcorders) in our pockets.

Want to know the BEST camera? The one you have with you.

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Today, December 29, I turned 39 years old. As is my wont, I feel compelled to discuss the ramifications: political, social, and global economic.

Well, not really. But seeing as this is a blog, I would be remiss to let this landmark day in my life pass without at least a simple post.

This time of year always conjures up a myriad of introspective emotions. On top of the holidays and the dawn of a new year, I’ve got that nagging annual reminder that I’ve traveled another year further down the path.

Another year of my life has passed that I shall never be able to recover or relive. We can’t take a mulligan on a year. We just have to deal with our hand the way we chose to play it.

I’m 39. Taking a cursory look at the current life expectancy in the United States, I’m at just about the halfway point. The average life expectancy is at about 78 years. So IF I AM LUCKY (and if my math is correct) I’ve got about 39 more years to go. Here’s a shot of my ugly mug, taken through the gorgeously wide 10mm glass that was my marquee birthday present.

Sean, Age 39 (December 29, 2008)

Looking in the rear view mirror, I feel pretty good about my time so far on the planet. But I’m also challenged — and humbled, if not downright intimidated — by the future. A little piece of the future arrives every day. What’s next?

Yes, there is a Long Long Honeymoon angle at play here. It’s precisely these sorts of introspective moments that fuel our desire to travel and experience what the world has to offer. It’s an appreciation of just how limited our time is on this planet that drives us to see more of it with the ones we love. That, my friends, is at least one compelling reason why we RV. Whenever I experience self-doubt regarding The Long, Long Honeymoon or what the heck we’re doing jaunting around the country with a silver bullet in tow, I remind myself that life is a one way trip.

Mark Twain famously observed that in the future, we’ll likely regret the things we didn’t do more than the things we actually did. With this caveat in mind, we charge forward.

Hopefully this time next year — when I turn 40 (!) — we’ll be able to look back on the preceding year with few regrets, and more fond memories.

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There’s no shortage of places to camp in the good ole USA. Somewhere in between the National Parks and the Wal Mart parking lots are privately owned campgrounds. Before we owned a campground guide, we would just randomly choose campgrounds depending on where we felt like stopping for the night. The results ranged from great to … not so great. Private campgrounds are kind of like hotels; you have your four-star resorts, and you have your roach-infested hostels.

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One day while browsing a Camping World store (I believe it was in Seattle), Kristy picked up a copy of the Trailer Life Directory. At first I was a little hesitant to shell out $25 for any book not written by Faulkner or Hemingway. But I relented, and I’m really glad we did. In fact, after traveling with the Trailer Life Directory, I daresay we would never go on any RV road trip without it. Of all of our RV purchases, this one probably had the biggest “bang for the buck” impact on our travel.

The Directory is a massive tome that looks not dissimilar to a phone book. It’s jam-packed with two essential categories of information: campgrounds and reviews. LOTS of campgrounds and LOTS of reviews.

The Trailer Life Directory includes thousands of campgrounds, but it also spotlights Good Sam Parks. We really like camping at Good Sam Parks. As Good Sam Club members, we save 10% on the nightly camping fees at Good Sam Parks. But it’s not just a money thing. These are privately owned and operated campgrounds that have received the Good Sam Club seal of approval.

Why do we like these places more than other campgrounds? With Good Sam Parks, you usually get a good variety of amenities (hookups, wifi, etc.). These parks are also well maintained and clean. They also are more likely to feel like parks than corporate campgrounds.

On the first cross-country leg of the Long, Long Honeymoon we traveled about 15,000 miles. For the latter half of that number, we had the Trailer Life Directory on board. I noticed an immediate impact on the quality of our travel. Not only were we staying in generally better campgrounds, we were also removing the frequent “drama” of not knowing where to stay.

It’s just a cinch to open the Directory, find a well reviewed campground in the community of your choosing, and then call to book a same-day reservation. For the way we tend to travel (making many last minute decisions as we meander from point A to point B) the Directory is brilliantly useful.

This is one of those purchases that’s sort of a “no brainer” if you plan to do any serious road tripping with your RV.

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On the other hand, I’ve read stories in which bad things happen to good people in Wal-Mart parking lots. The first time we camped at a Wal-Mart, I was a little nervous. But my concerns were soothed by the presence of several other RVs and big rig trucks alongside us. One suspects the principle of “safety in numbers” applies here. Quite simply, most places are safe most of the time — especially if potential criminals know they are being watched.

Q: Is camping at Wal-Mart any fun?
A: Surprisingly, yes — Wal-Mart camping can be fun. I enjoy the “boondocking” (dry camping) aspect of the experience. You are responsible for providing your own water and electricity, so there’s an element of self-reliance.

Q: You save a lot of money camping at Wal-Mart, right?
A; Yes and no. Of course, there’s no question that you save the campsite fee (typically ranging from $15 to $45) you’d be paying if you stayed at a campground. However, if you want to use electricity for an appliance (TV, air-conditioner, or water heater), you will need to run your generator. So, with the price of fuel on the rise, the economics of Wal-Mart camping are affected. Sure, you may save a $30 campground fee. But if you burn $20 in generator fuel, was it worth it? Really, your savings depends on your generator usage.

Q: What are the downsides to Wal-Mart camping?
A: Obviously, the ambiance isn’t exactly Glacier National Park. You’re sitting in a remote corner of an asphalt parking lot. You will usually have the curtains drawn shut. You simply don’t care about taking in the view. In fact, you want to obfuscate it.

Since there are no hookups, you can’t empty your water tanks. And protocol demands that you don’t extend your awning, lower your stabilizer jacks, or unhitch your RV. It really is more like “overnight parking” than camping.

There are no amenities such as a swimming pool.

You usually walk into Wal-Mart and spend the money you “saved.”

And let’s face it, you’re not sitting in the Wal-Mart parking lot to meet people. Whereas RV campgrounds are friendly places, parking lots are not.

Q: What are the upsides to Wal-Mart camping?
A: It’s free!

Q: So are you for or against Wal-Mart camping?
A: Yes.

Moderation in all things, including moderation — and Wal-Mart camping.

I see nothing wrong with the occasional night at Wal-Mart, especially when you are just passing through a town. There are times when I enjoy making a spur-of-the-moment decision, pulling off the highway, and getting some quality sleep at Wally World. But there is a cost attached to “free.” You sacrifice some pleasant, memorable camping experiences in the process.

So we won’t make it our primary choice of campsite. I’d rather support independent RV parks, not to mention state and national campgrounds. And when you factor in the cost of generator fuel, the savings aren’t that great any more.

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Of course, the secret is simple. If you want to beat these skyrocketing gas prices, you simply need to…

…camp close to home!

Of course, this is only one way to beat high gas prices. I’m sure there are others. But for me, camping close to home highlights much of what’s wonderful about owning an RV.

It’s counterintuitive, to be sure. When we buy our RVs, we think about hauling them all around the continent. We imagine traveling from Florida to Alaska and all points in between. But one of the most extraordinary aspects of RV ownership is the sense of adventure it brings to ordinary locations.

Camping, you see, is camping. Sure, it’s nice to camp alongside the rim of the Grand Canyon. But once the sun goes down and the campfire lights up, you find yourself focused on the fundamentals. The simple basics of the experience are what make it so enjoyable.

The first time I went camping, I was young – probably around seven or eight years old. I slept in a Boy Scouts sleeping bag. I awoke amidst chilly early morning air to the sound of chirping birds, and the sight of glistening dew. I had enjoyed a fantastic childhood camping memory, and it all transpired in my family’s backyard, in the shadow of our house.

Shortly after Kristy and I bought our Airstream, we tried camping in a Wal-Mart parking lot. Even in this most unromantic of locations, we discovered that RV camping was still surprisingly fun. There’s tremendous value in simply stepping outside your normal everyday comfort zone. There’s upside in trying something different, even if it’s something you’ve been ignoring for years.

As newcomers to the RV lifestyle, we also took our newly purchased travel trailer to a nearby state park. This particular park is one of the most spacious and beautiful in our state’s system. It is located about 10 miles from our home, and offers rustic camping amidst a recently upgraded campground. But we had ignored it for years. It took buying an RV to get us out of our house and into that forest.

Quite frankly, those who insist “there’s nothing to do here” are usually busy doing nothing. Most people ignore the opportunities that exist in their hometown.

Wherever you live, there’s plenty to do. The question is whether you appreciate and value it enough to get out and do it. Which brings me to today’s point about RVs, camping, and beating high gas prices.

You may think that you need to haul your RV 1000 miles away to have a good time. You’d be mistaken. Good times are had in the company of good friends and family. You can be lonely and miserable in Paris, London, New York, and Tokyo. You can be happy and satisfied in Mayberry.

Quite simply, if you’re concerned about how gas prices affect your RV travels, perhaps you need to look close to home. Some of the best experiences of your life await, and they may be found right in your own backyard.
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The only RVs for which towing is neither necessary or possible are the small van-type (think Volkswagen Westfalia) and the smaller motor homes that are often built on a truck chassis. The upside of these self-propelled options is their very mobility. You can park ‘em in just about any parking lot, and you can fuel ‘em up in normal consumer gas stations. The downside of these RV options, obviously, is living space. While they make super choices for vacationing and tailgating, you may not want to live full-time in one. And there’s also a measure of immobility: in that once you set up your campsite, you are literally tethered to the place. You may not want to unhook all of your cables and hoses just to run to the local store for a gallon of milk.

What about the massive “mac daddy” motor homes, you ask? Sure, in theory you can travel in these behemoths without towing anything. But have you ever tried to take a Prevost bus through a Starbucks drive-thru? The odds are that you’re going to want a smaller, maneuverable vehicle in which to jaunt around town. Which leads you back to towing, and the reason you see all those large motor homes hauling small hatchbacks along the highway. Once I realized this fact of RV life, the thought of buying a pickup truck and towing a travel trailer or fifth wheel seemed more palatable to me.

Since my experience is towing an Airstream travel trailer with a diesel pickup truck, we’ll now narrow our conversation to this option. Airstreams, so they say, are towing champions. Their shape is relatively aerodynamic (as opposed to many RVs, which are shaped like Medieval clay bricks). Furthermore, Airstreams, as the name implies, are constructed of sleek aircraft aluminum. (While I’m not sure if the aircraft aluminum has major towing benefits, it sure looks cool!) One final upside to all travel trailers is that in the smaller lengths (ours is medium-sized at 25-feet) they are quite maneuverable. So we start out with several towing advantages.

For our truck, we chose a Ford F250 (DIESEL) three-quarter ton (in other words, HEAVY) pickup truck. Why did we choose diesel? Was it because we relish paying five dollars a gallon for fuel? Was it because we enjoy listening to engine noise that sounds suspiciously like a 1960s school bus? No, my friends, we chose diesel because the engine delivers gobs of butt-kicking torque. We’ve hauled our RV across the Rocky Mountains without this truck breaking a sweat. It’s rated to tow 20,000 pounds, and our loaded Airstream only weighs about 8000 pounds. So we’ve got power to spare. And the diesel also gets a decent mileage return (roughly 12 miles per gallon), at least when compared to a gasoline engine. Our truck is an extended cab, which means it’s got a small backseat. An even better towing option would be a “crew cab” truck because not only would it have a full size back seat, but it would have a longer wheelbase. The longer wheelbase would produce even greater towing stability.

I’m by no means claiming that our choices are “the best.” It would be more accurate to say they were “the best for us.” After over a year of towing our rig, I have no major complaints — other than the skyrocketing cost of diesel fuel. I love being able to toss supplies in the bed of the pickup truck. It’s also a cinch to unhitch and use the tow vehicle as our ride around town. In fact, owning a pickup truck has been an eye opener. It’s safe to say that once you’ve owned one, you wonder how you ever lived without one.

But what about BACKING UP that monster rig into a campsite? Backing up anything on a hitch is counterintuitive. The first few times you do this job, you’ll probably suffer pangs of tooth-gnashing stress and worry. The best advice is to GO SLOW, and work out some sort of COMMUNICATION STRATEGY with your spouse or partner in RV-ing.

Here’s where Kristy and I make use of that fancy Bluetooth cellphone technology. We call each other, and I place her voice on Bluetooth speaker phone so it emanates from our truck’s stereo speakers. While I’m backing up our Airstream, Kristy is monitoring the progress outside. We have a hands-free conversation which consists of my wife saying things like “go more towards me” or “now go more towards the woods” or (my personal favorite) “that’s it, you’re doing great, straight back…perfect!” The communication not only makes this job go easier, it also makes it go SAFER. Anytime you’re backing up an 8000-pound trailer, you want to make CERTAIN no one is behind you.

Sadly, we’ve heard a few tragic stories about people being killed in accidents while doing this task. If you are the person standing outside the trailer, NEVER – and I repeat, NEVER — stand between the trailer and any hard object like a truck, tree, or building. Mistakes happen; sometimes drivers accidentally shift into reverse, or depress the gas pedal at the wrong moment. You simply must stay in a safe position at all times. Damaged RVs can be repaired; damaged people often cannot.

Now that I’ve frightened you with these warnings, you can relax. Backing up an RV has actually become a fun task for me. Once you develop a little expertise, it becomes a satisfying mental challenge. There’s nothing like getting it perfect on the first try.

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What’s amazing is not that the kids begged for a return to the Land of Mickey. Rather, it’s that upon arrival, they begged NOT to leave the campground! Their parents happily agreed, enjoying a family vacation at Disney World without once entering the theme parks.

Fort Wilderness is one of the best managed campgrounds you’ll ever visit. It’s spotless, boasting asphalt clean enough for fine dining. There’s also a surprising amount of privacy here. Credit must go to the original designers who laid out the campsites with great foresight, and then followed through with lush landscaping. In fact, I daresay the campground design is superior to what we saw inside some of our national parks. Fort Wilderness makes Yellowstone’s Fishing Bridge seem like a Wal-Mart parking lot.

And yet, from any campsite, a myriad of activities are a short bike ride away. There are any number of things to do at Fort Wilderness that extend beyond the scope of today’s video. You can rent boats, kayaks, play tennis, parasail, horseshoes, shuffleboard, fish, or take a carriage ride.

There are a couple of restaurants on the property, at least one of which includes a large stuffed grizzly bear. There’s also the option of after dinner entertainment with Mickey’s seal of approval (the so-called Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue).

A few years ago, if you’d asked me to name the best ride at Walt Disney World, I probably would’ve chosen amongst several favorites. While you can make a strong case for an old school ride like Pirates of the Caribbean, one of the newcomers like the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster probably would’ve been my choice.

But after our recent stay at Fort Wilderness, I have to side with my friend’s children. The best ride at Disney World is people powered … and it has two wheels.

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Airstreams have reportedly been serving duty as chic guest houses in upscale places as ritzy as the Hamptons. There’s something timeless about the design, especially with regard to the vintage ones. Park an Airstream in a posh neighborhood, and you just MIGHT get away with it.

If my wife and I ever build our long discussed “dream house,” I will lobby hard for an Airstream parking pad by the pool. The trailer will make an ideal cabana. We’ll either use our “honeymoon suite” or we’ll locate a vintage unit for the job.

When parking your RV at a friend’s house, there are a couple of considerations. The city water hookup is of course standard. If heat or air-conditioning are desired, you’ll want to plug in to your host’s electrical power (or else run your generator all night and risk alienating the entire neighborhood).

We’ve had a few problems when powering our RV with home electricity. If using a power-sucking appliance like an air-conditioning unit, it’s not that unusual to overload a breaker in the house. Conversely, if you connect using long extension cords, your RV may not get enough power, which will trip a breaker inside your camper. Just don’t be surprised if, on your first guest house camping experience, you encounter a few power issues.

This happened to us on one frigid January evening. With temperatures outside dipping into the 30s, Kristy and I slept overnight in our camper WITHOUT HEAT. When we awoke the next morning, we could see our own breath in the Airstream. Temperatures inside the camper were probably in the 50s. Believe it or not, we loved it! Not only did we enjoy a great night of sleep, we chalked up another memorable RV experience. Here’s to extra thick goosedown comforters.

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But the Bell’s head chef was crafty. He was always unveiling a tempting new, yet vastly more expensive, dish. This concoction would boast an exciting name, like the legendary Grande Double Decker Gordita Cheesarito Crunch Supreme. It would be advertised everywhere throughout the restaurant, often on huge posters featuring talking chihuahuas. Its price might even approach the three-dollar stratophere.

Sometimes curiosity would get the best of me. I would splurge and try one of these relatively costly meals. Invariably my reaction was the same — because all of these entrees were composed of the EXACT SAME INGREDIENTS! The SAME lettuce, beans, cheese, and “meat” (again, I use the term loosely) were packed into the SAME taco shells. In the end, I felt like a sucker for getting the expensive meal, which was little more than a shameless repackaging of obligatory cheap taco ingredients — but had to begrudgingly respect the inventiveness of Taco Bell’s marketing wizards.

There’s an analogy here with RVs. All RVs toss together the same basic ingredients. You get a bed, a bathroom, a couch, and a kitchen wrapped together in the shell of your choice. But these core ingredients get cooked up in an amazing variety of ways.

And here’s where my Mexican analogy falls apart like a soggy flour tortilla. Because when it comes to RVs, there are substantive differences between ingredients. While Taco Bell may shovel the same government-issue cheese into every menu item, there’s no denying the difference between formica and granite, or between plastic and stainless steel. There are some real differences that are worth extra cash; the question is whether they are worth it to you.

It wasn’t so long ago that Kristy and I were wading through the confusing menu of RV choices, debating which to purchase. For us, our Airstream was a Burrito Supreme — a solid, classic choice that was guaranteed to satisfy. But that doesn’t mean we weren’t tempted by the newfangled chalupas on the other side.

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Some of the finest wines I’ve ever tasted were served at fancy corporate dinners, the kind of over-the-top restaurant meals in which the handmade chocolate souffle cost more than my initial apartment furniture budget. In my heyday, I drank several bottles of wine that were older (and arguably more complex) than Jessica Simpson.

But alas! There’s a problem with most of those rarified upper crust wines. Their branding strategy caters to wine snobs. They all boast elegant family names and tasteful labels that are, ultimately, forgettable. Especially after you’ve downed a couple of bottles. You wake up the next morning, shave your tongue, and mutter, “That was a fantastic wine last night. Wish I could remember what it was called…”

Therein lies the rub: although I’ve drank many fine wines costing more than a full tank of diesel, I have absolutely no recollection of the best of the bunch. Those brands are but fuzzy, pleasant memories that rapidly faded in my mental rearview mirror.

Then there are the party wines — the daily drinkers, if you like. Because these cost around $10 a bottle (give or take a few dollars), they are found in every store. And their branding strategy is designed to impress a mass market consumer such as myself. This often means screaming florescent yellow labels with names like “UNGA BUNGA – the Tribal Shiraz!” The more memorable the brand, the more likely a sober mass market consumer will pick it up for the next party.

Enter Happy Camper — the first wine brand I’ve seen that caters to the RV/camping market. The name is brilliant, instantly memorable. The label is its equal, boasting an Airstream-like travel trailer, an aluminum-skinned towable nested somewhere amongst the California redwood trees. On the bottle neck sleeve are camping scenes of (hopefully sober) people canoeing, bicycling, and even piloting a motorboat. How can an RV enthusiast not remember a brand like Happy Camper?

Then there’s the wine. As I state in the video review, Happy Camper is a good wine. I daresay that if it were served in your glass at a fancy steak and lobster dinner (the kind with those exquisitely delicate chocolate souffles) you wouldn’t skip a beat. Happy Camper may draw you in with the label, but what’s inside the bottle will keep you coming back.

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