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RE: East coast travel
This coming spring/ summer we are on our way from Phoenix to Maine via Florida. My main concern is from Washington D.C. area to Manie.probably Bangor or Bar harbor area. Then Niagara Falls and Soutn bend , IN before returning to the northwest.
Out of D.C , should I just stay on I-95 all the way to Bangor with short side trips to the Foxwoods casinos in CT.
Are toll fee's going to be unreasonable?? Moho & dinghy............
I don't mind off freeway travel, but do want somewhat of a direct route.
thnaks for any info or suggestions for sights.
jmac
If you want to make any stops and see anything between Florida and Maine; consider taking US 17 up the coast. It is good road and will take you through Brunswick, GA; Savanah, GA; Charleston, SC; Wilmington, NC; and Virginia Beach, VA where you can hookup with US 13 and continue North across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel as described in one of the other posts. Do a search, there are recent topics on what to see and do and where to stay in all the cities I've mentioned.
Hope you have a great trip.
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trailertraveler
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11/29/09 03:49pm |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Flint HIlls, KS...anyone?
About halfway along the drive there USED to be a little rustic campground called Mill Creek campground but it's been years since I've camped there. If I remember correctly it was suitablel for any sized tent and smaller RVs. If I can find any further information about it I'll post it or maybe someone else remembers it and has more recent information.
There are also some nice COE campgrounds in the area at Lake Milford (Rolling HIlls Campground) and Milford State Park. Also camping at the more southern end at Lark Melvern and several nice COE parks on Council Grove Lake.
Good luck / skip
We just stayed at Mill Creek Campground in Paxico in October. They have plenty of sites that will accommodate larger rigs. Kanapolis Lake is a little farther from I-70 than Millford or Council Grove but as a couple of campgrounds, one on the lake and one on the river below the dam. Wilson and Tuttle Creek also have campgrounds. Here is a link to COE info for the area.
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trailertraveler
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11/27/09 07:42am |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
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RE: Brunswick, GA
Has anyone ever camped at Golden Isles RV Park in Brunswick Ga. If so what was your experience and what is there to do around there, any good restaurants? Thanks for your help
Saint Mary's is a nice little town just over the Florida line. There is a historic district, a National Park Visitor Center and museum and a Submarine Museum that are interesting. It is also the departure point for the Ferry to Cumberland Island National Sea Shore. The Emerald Princess casino is a nice cruise even if you do not gamble. The fare includes a meal on the way out and a snack on the way back. Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is not that far and is worth a visit. You can take a group motor boat tour, rent a motor boat or canoe, or use your own boat to tour the water ways of the refuge. There are also hiking trails. Brunswick has a historic district with shops and restaurants. The smaller towns of Kingston, Folkston, and Woodbine also have historic districts but many of the shops are vacant due to the economy. Woodbine has a crawfish festival in late April which was fun.
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trailertraveler
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11/25/09 03:42pm |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
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RE: Problems Volunteering for NPS
Kirk,
I did not say and do not believe I have ever said that the value of an RV site provided to a camp host was taxable. If you bothered to read page 7 of IRS pub 525 you would see that it says:
"You do not include in your income the value of meals and lodging provided to you and your family by your employer at no charge if the following conditions are met. The lodging is: a. Furnished on the business premises of your employer, b. Furnished for the convenience of your employer, and c. A condition of your employment. (You must accept it in order to be able to properly perform your duties.)"
Camp host positions clearly meet these conditions and therefore the value of the site is not taxable.
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trailertraveler
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11/23/09 05:36pm |
Workamping Forum
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RE: Problems Volunteering for NPS
Roland,
I looked through my posts on this thread and I can not find where I used the term "Barter" in any of them. The policies I quoted and likely similar ones in agencies other than USFWS are the guidance to managers as to how and why the required hours of service are established. Are you saying that as a Camp Host in YNP you are not required to be in the campground at specified times of the day or week? Are specific duties and the frequency that they must be performed described in your volunteer agreement?
Campground Hosts do not have a “barter” relationship with the Government. If they did the value of their site would be considered income and subject to income tax.
This is not true because campground host positions meet the criteria for excluding employer provided lodging from income. Look at page 7 of IRS pub 525
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trailertraveler
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11/23/09 01:56pm |
Workamping Forum
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RE: Problems Volunteering for NPS
trailertraveler,
If that is true, ......
Link "3.8 Can the Service rent housing for volunteers? We may rent housing at a reasonable cost and provide it to volunteers. Rented housing is appropriate in special cases, such as for Student Conservation Association (SCA) participants, student interns, or for nonlocal volunteers with special skills that are not locally available. Providing access to utility connections is also an acceptable form of providing housing for volunteers."
Link
"5.2 Rental Rates and Payment.
A. The station manager may set a rent anywhere from $0 up to market value for volunteers. The rent should be no less than the market rent of the quarters less the market value of the services provided by the volunteer. The CPI-adjusted base rental rate of the quarters may be used as an indication of the local market rent."
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trailertraveler
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11/23/09 08:16am |
Workamping Forum
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RE: Volunteering for a full timer
Kirk & DianneOK,
Thank you for setting me straight about the information on the website. It does not indicate that it is for current vacancies. Many listings give no indication of the time frame they are recruiting for at all.
Again,
Thanks for your insight into the inaccuracy of this information.
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trailertraveler
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11/23/09 06:42am |
Workamping Forum
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RE: Problems Volunteering for NPS
This is from the USFWS Manual "Providing access to utility connections is also an acceptable form of providing housing for volunteers." "The station manager may set a rent anywhere from $0 up to market value for volunteers. The rent should be no less than the market rent of the quarters less the market value of the services provided by the volunteer."
Not sure the above applies to Campground Hosts. A Campground Host occupying a campground site is for the “convenience of the government”. On the days we are on duty the shift begins at 0800 and ends at 2200 hours. In actual practice, Hosts are on duty 24/7 when they are in the campground. If an emergency arises (day or night, on or off duty) we answer the knock at the door and are expected to take the appropriate response and summon the necessary resources. This is why our sites are marked with a sign and we are issued and carry NPS radios. I do know certain parties staying in RV sites located in “Government Housing” areas at YNP are charged for the sites. I have not heard of a Campground Host (NFS or NPS) being charged.
Roland,
The policy I quoted or a similar ones for NPS/NFS is why Campground hosts and resident volunteers are required to perform X number of hours of service a week/month etc. It provides guiidance to managers how to calculate the minimum hours of service required in order for a volunteer to receive a reduction in rent or free housing/RV site.
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trailertraveler
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11/22/09 02:02pm |
Workamping Forum
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RE: Problems Volunteering for NPS
In regards to Cape Hatteras NS, the amount charged to employees for RV sites and Group Housing was FAR lower than local market conditions, in the ballpark of a quarter (RV site) to a half (group home) of real world local market rates.
Sasha,
At the risk of highjacking this thread, the quarters rental rates may or may not be re-evaluated every year. One also needs to be careful and consider that in areas of high seasonal and vacation use there is a huge difference between daily, monthly and long term rental rates. At least in the USFWS, employee rentals were based on long term (annual) rates which may be a fraction of the vacation/seasonal rates. There is also consideration of the facilities actually provided. An RV pad with utilities at a Park or refuge may actually be more comparable to a site at a mobile home park with no pool, restroom, shower or other amenities than a site at an RV resort. This can be an extremely difficult evaluation to achieve in seasonal resort areas where comparable annual rentals are rare or virtually nonexistant. In the case of a dormatory or group home, there may be no comparable facilities with single rooms and a communal bathroom, kitchen, TV room, etc..
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trailertraveler
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11/21/09 06:14pm |
Workamping Forum
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RE: Volunteering for a full timer
I really like the idea of care-a-vanners. The builds are 2 weeks and you move on and can plan moves to accommodate the builds. But that will have to wait until spring as all of the winter builds on my path are full to capacity with volunteers.
Dyana
Dyana,
We have done Care-a-vanner builds in Florida in the winter. Just about everyday that we have worked, there have been folks from the local community that show up to work. The Care-a-vanner sites may be full, but I seriously doubt that the local affiliate will turn down your offer of help. Contact them directly. Here is a link to affiliates that may be able to accomodate you at times other than scheduled builds Link. Here is a link you can use to find and contact the local affiliate anywhere in the country to see if they have a project going on when you will be there.
Another thought I had after my last post was that Boy Scouts seeking the Eagle Scout level often organize community volunteer projects to help fullfill the requirements to achieve that level. Other than the local paper, I am not sure of the best way to find out about these opportunities.
Good luck with your search!
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trailertraveler
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11/21/09 02:12pm |
Workamping Forum
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RE: Problems Volunteering for NPS
But the NPS is more demanding than most agencies as all that I have seen advertised recently asked for 32 hours per week, each for a couple.
Most other agencies have lower time requirements and in our view, some other advantages.
The number of hours required in return for an RV site and utilities is not solely at the discretion of the field station or agency. It is to some extent dictated by law and policy. Providing utilities and an RV pad to volunteers is considered providing government housing. This is from the USFWS Manual "Providing access to utility connections is also an acceptable form of providing housing for volunteers." "The station manager may set a rent anywhere from $0 up to market value for volunteers. The rent should be no less than the market rent of the quarters less the market value of the services provided by the volunteer." Just as the rent paid by employees living in government quarters is based on the local housing market, the rent (ie number of volunteer hours required for a free site) is supposed to be based on the market value of an RV site in the local area. Since the cost of a full hookup site in or near a National Park, especially a popular one, is likely more than in the often very rural locations of NWRs applying the policy stated above means that a volunteer in a National Park would likely be required to work more hours than a volunteer at a refuge.
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trailertraveler
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11/21/09 12:53pm |
Workamping Forum
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RE: Volunteering for a full timer
Actually, according to the regional volunteer coordinator that I just spoke with, there are about 300 to 330 of the refuges that now have RV sites with the number growing every year.
The Service and a lot of refuges must want to keep their resident volunteer programs a secret as the USFWS Volunteer Website last updated on July 17, 2009 lists 178 field stations with resident volunteer programs some of which are at Fish Hatcheries.
The USFWS has a very strong sense of value in the services of volunteers.
I agree.
The OP's question seemed (at least to me) to be about volunteering without strict and lengthy time commitments. Because the USFWS values volunteer service most refuges will do everything they can to accommodate volunteer requests even if for only a day or two.
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trailertraveler
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11/21/09 10:34am |
Workamping Forum
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RE: Colter Bay, WY
There are no "off season" rates at Colter Bay RV Park. Bill D
Their Website seems to disagree. It lists a 2010 rate of $55 for peak season and $42 for late season. When we were in Grand Teton in 2008 and 2009 "late season" rates started the last week that they were open which was around September 15.
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trailertraveler
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11/20/09 09:36am |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
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RE: January travel - NH to Grand Canyon
Going as far south as I10 is quite a bit of mileage. I'm from WV, temporarily working in Phoenix. We've driven I-40 several times now. I would go south until you can pick up I64 then head west to St. Louis. Take I-44 down to Oklahoma City then hit I-40W. This route doesn't have the higher elevation of the eastern parts of I40 that you find in TN, NC. You might see a bit of snow, wind, or rain in the midwest. I40 continues to have "rough" sections. Road crews are currently out replacing sections of road near Oklahoma City. You will have some one-lane driving to do through OK.
Now...once you hit NM...you can expect snow. It is high desert and yes, they have snow. We drove through a full-on blizzard 4 weeks ago that resulted in 6-12inches of snow. As the poster above noted...you will see snow in Flagstaff/Grand Canyon area. Bring chains for your tires.
You can be certain you will drive through snow no matter which route you choose. Drive during the day, dress warm, fill your propane tanks, and enjoy the wintery sights along the way.
Safe travels
We have used the I-64, I-44 and I-40 route a number of times. If you want/need to avoid bad weather, I would pickup US 60 at Amarillo. You can take US-60 to I-25 (Socorro NM), I-25 South to NM 26 (Hatch NM) to I-10 (Las Cruces NM)and I-10 to Tucson. Another alternative would be US-60 to US 54 (Vaughn NM) to US 70 (Alamogorda NM) to I-10 (Las Cruces NM). This will keep you a little further South and at lower elevations than I-40. Night time temps will likely go below freezing, but daytime temps should provide decent road conditions without too long of a storm delay.
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trailertraveler
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11/20/09 06:24am |
Roads and Routes
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RE: From Florida, Yellowstone or Yosemite?
There has been a lot of great sdvise given already. We've visited Yellowstone and then travelled South into Utah the past two years. On the way South from Yellowstne we have visited Grand Teton NP, Flaming Gorge NRA, Dinosaur NM, Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Dead Horse Point SP, Goblin Valley SP, Capitol Reef NP, Escalante-Grand Staircase NM, Kodachrome Basin SP, Dixie NF, Fish Lake NF, Bryce Canyon NP, Cedar Breaks NM, Zion NP, Vermillion Cliffs NM and Glen Canyon NRA. There never seems to be enough time to see everything.
Before you leave, make sure you check the Yellowstone NP website for the annual road construction schedule. Last fall the road from Madison Junction to Norris Junction was closed making the West side of the park a long drive from areas in the North and around the Lake. There was also major construction between Yellowstone and Grand Teton which is difficult to by pass but needed to be figured in when calculating travel time. Both were major projects and may or may not be complete early in the 2010 construction season.
You will have a great trip no matter what you decide!
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trailertraveler
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11/19/09 06:09pm |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
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RE: Volunteering for a full timer
I'm coming up on 2 years being a full timer. I'm loving the lifestyle - the people, the places, the learning curve :-). I'm starting to feel like I want to contribute again and am having a bit of trouble trying to figure out how to volunteer. I don't plant at all, moving every 1 or 2 weeks. When I search the web, I come up with workamper stuff, cleaning trails in state and national parks, and snow bird opportunities. I did discover care-a-vanners through habitat for humanity and plan to sign up for a build, but they apparently meet volunteer capacity very quickly.
I'm not sure I'm not just going to have to get very creative about this, but wanted to see what others have done or if anyone sees an unfulfilled need that fits the lifestyle.
TIA for your help
Glad to be part of the forum.
Most State and Federal Parks, National Wildlife Refuges and state wildlife agencies have far more volunteers from the local community than they do RVing/workamping Volunteers. Last time I checked, less than half of the 550+ National Wildlife Refuges had RV sites for volunteers, but almost all have a Volunteer Program. If there is a facility you are interested in, contact them when you know when you will be in their area or first get into town and ask what volunteer projects they have going on that you could help with. Projects are most likely to be on weekends or after school/work since that is when most folks in the local community are available. Larger facilities almost always have things they need help with and can often accommodate volunteers on a one time or longer basis. By planning ahead a little, you can find out when bird banding or surveys may be taking place, when trail construction or maintenance will occur, etc.
There are also opportunities to volunteer for local Habitat for Humanity affiliates just like the local residents do. Many only build a limited number of houses a year so being in the right place at the right time is often the issue. Try stopping at their retail stores to find out what is going on or contact them by email before you arrive in the area.
Charitable organizations like meals on wheels, soup kitchens, church missions, Goodwill and the Salvation Army may also have opportunities for short term volunteers. Check the "Community News/Bulletin Board" sections of the local newspaper when you pull into town.
Living/travelling in an RV is not an impediment to volunteering. If you need/want a free RV site at every location, you will likely be limited to the types of opportunities that require a specific number of hours and term of service.
Hope this helps!
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trailertraveler
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11/19/09 10:34am |
Workamping Forum
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RE: Kodachrome Basin State Park, Utah
Kodachrome Basin State Park has some incredible scenery. You can get more information about park facilitities here. We did not stay in the park, but I believe that there are no hookups but there is a dump station and water is available. In March, I think you will have to watch the weather carefully in the higher elevations in the area. The average high for Bryce Canyon is 42 and the average low is 18 for March.
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trailertraveler
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11/17/09 04:05pm |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
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RE: FL Travelling West to GCNP & YNP
As has already been mentioned, just getting to and from the East Coast to either destination can involve a considerable amount of your available time. Some questions I think you need to consider to help in your decision are: How many travel days it will reasonably take? How many miles do you expect to drive in a day? Will one person do all the driving or will it be shared? How many hours can the family stand to spend on the road each day? Will you stop at campgrounds along the way or drive as far as you can; stop at Walmart, Flying J, etc. and push on after a few hours rest? Will this be a once in a lifetime trip or is going on another trip in a year or two a possability?
There are so many places to see and things to do, in my opinion, there will never be too much time. A week is about the minimum for Yellowstone as it takes a long day just to drive the roads without even stopping. Cody, the Chief Joseph and Beartooth Scenic Byways are worth seeing as is Grand Teton National Park.
Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion, Capital Reef, Arches and Canyonlands National Parks can take several weeks to do anything other than a drive through. Add in Escalante National Monument, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Kodachrome Basin, Goblin Valley, and Glenn Canyon and your talking about a month or more.
If you choose Yellowstone/Grand Teton and have some time to spare, taking US 191 South will take you past or close enough to stop at one or more of Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, Dinosaur NM, Hovenweep NM, Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, or Mesa Verde NP and give you a taste of Utah and the Canyonlands area.
No matter what you decide, I'm sure it will be a great experience!!
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trailertraveler
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11/16/09 06:15am |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Utah: US-50 or US-89/UT-28 between I-70 and I-15
We've travelled sections of US 6, US 50, US 89 and UT 28 in this area over the past three years and also do not recall any great difference in truck traffic among them. That said; defensive driving is, in my opinion, a good practice on any two lane or interstate. In our experience, many of the RV parks in this area away from the interstates are pretty bare bones. It is also a dry climate so vegetation is hard to come by anywhere. That said there are often not many choices if you want hookups and they are often considerable distances apart. We stopped at the National 9 Motel and Mountain View Campground on US 6 in Wellington, UT in Sept. 2009. We had a full hookup site plenty long enough for our 53' combination to stay hooked up for $18.53. The indoor swimming pool, bathroom and showers were close by and well maintained. There is also a Walmart on US 6 in Price.
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trailertraveler
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11/15/09 08:19am |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Coast to coast pulling a 20-25 foot trailered
A couple of posters mentioned making sure your tow vehicle and trailer are in good condition before you leave. This is very good advice. For such a long trip; I would pay special attention to the trailer tire age and condition, inspect and repack the trailer wheel bearings, and change the oil in the tow vehicle and do all routine maintenance before starting out. Since you will be putting on a lot of miles, develop a regular schedule for checking tires, tire pressure, hitch components, fluid levels, etc. and stick to it. A walk around inspection before each days start and at every rest stop is a good way to avoid problems on the road. If you do not have one, you may want to at least consider an emergency road service plan that will cover both the tow vehicle and the trailer. You will also likely have to do at least one scheduled maintenance while on the road. This may require some planning when the time comes as many campgrounds do not allow oil changes, etc.
If the trailer hasn't been used much lately or even if it has, do routine maintenance on all the appliances before you leave to make sure burners, etc. are clean and working properly. If you have them, pack the owners/service manuals for the appliances to take along or download and store them on a computer you will take on the trip. This can save a lot of aggrevation when on the road.
We could likely get into a very lengthy discussion about how many and which tools to take along. I will recommend taking at least a roll of Duct Tape, a tube of Goop, and a tube of Dicor roof sealant.
Hope you have a Great Trip!!!
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trailertraveler
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11/15/09 06:56am |
Roads and Routes
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