About the Blog: We started RVing in 2019, but did not decide to start blogging about our experiences until 2021. So, we have some catching up to do. We’ll sprinkle in some new present-day stories as they happen. But if you have time, start at the beginning. You’ll learn (and hopefully laugh) a lot.

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Lana Knedlik 10/15/22 Lana Knedlik 10/15/22

Columbus Hot Air Balloon Regatta - Columbus Kansas

Columbus, Kansas (population ~3000) is located in the corner of southeast Kansas, just a few miles from the Missouri and Oklahoma borders. Since 1969, the town has celebrated their fall festival with Columbus Days, which is on the weekend prior to -- you guessed it – Columbus Day! The weekend is filled with all sorts of activities: an art and craft fair, kite flying, quilt show, bean feed, pancake feed, farm heritage show, car/motorcycle show, basketball tourney, pickleball tourney, all sorts of kids activities, and other entertainment.

The highlight of the festival is the Columbus Hot Air Balloon Regatta. The event has been going strong since 1989 and currently features several hot air balloons with a balloon glow on Friday evening at dark. Balloon lauches are also held on Saturday and Sunday mornings (sunrise) and Saturday, assuming that the weather cooperates. Parking for the event is just $5, and the parking pass is good for ALL of the balloon events.

According to the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, most of the pilots except two have been with Columbus Hot Air Balloon Regatta for 20-25 years. The pilots enjoy coming to the area because the get a personal touch. The pilots stay with host families in the community, and they stay with the same family from the time they started. Some pilots have even come back for weddings and graduations in the area. It’s a wonderful small-town event!

The Columbus Hot Air Balloon Regatta won’t ever compete with the Albuquerque International Balloon Festival in terms of overall numbers of balloons or pilots. Yet, when it comes to charm and hospitality, the community around Columbus cannot be beat.

Check out the video to see some of these amazing balloons in action!

Lana Knedlik 10/7/22 Lana Knedlik 10/7/22

St. Cloud Campground & RV Park - An Honest Review

We decided to book our stay in central Minnesota about a month before our arrival date. Unfortunately, there were not a lot of RV parks in the area that could accomodate our big rig for five weeks on relatively short notice. Many of the RV parks are seasonal too. What did we think of St. Cloud RV Campground & Park?

Where: St. Cloud Campground & RV Park
When: August 1 to September 6, 2022 (~ five weeks)
Cost: $851.5 for full hook-ups (site 27; back-in)

Camp Store and Office at St. Cloud Campground & RV Park

The RV park located in a country setting on plenty of acreage about five minutes from town with easy access to Highway 10. Some of the adjacent properties are farmland and grassland, but the RV park has some nice pine and shade trees around much of its perimeter and throughout the park itself. Some overhanging trees at our site kept us nice and cool, but also prevented us from putting our awning out during rainstorms so we got used to muddy dog feet during our stay there. Aside from a little tree trimming needed at our site, the RV is probably one of the most well-maintained and amenity-centric RV parks we’ve ever stayed at.

Recreation Area at the St. Cloud RV Campground & RV Park

The owners of the park maintain a sticks-and-bricks residence on RV park property, and there were 3-4 workcamper couples taking care of the property during our time there. Mowing occurred every Tuesday like clockwork (although the property is so big that some mowing/trimming often bled into Wednesday). St. Cloud RV park is tastefully decorated with lots of hanging flower baskets, flower pots, and other outdoor décor (bird feeders, a windmill, etc) – some from the owners and others from the seasonal residents at the park. The park has one of the homiest feels we’ve encountered.

At St. Cloud RV Park, there’s a 6-ft deep heated swimming pool that is promptly covered evering evening or in case of inclement weather. One play area contains a volleyball net, playground equipment, horseshoe pits, ladder toss stands, and a GAGA ball octagonal pit. Another area contains a covered pavilion near a basketball court (there are two hoops) painted with pickleball lines with a movable pickleball net. The south side of the RV park is mowed in the shape of a baseball field and contains a baseball backstop and home plate. We never saw anyone playing ball there, but it was a good grassy area close to our site where we could walk the dogs on rainy/muddy days. An official dog walking area is located on an elevated section in the northwest part of the park. The park does not provide poop bags, but we rarely saw any dog droppings on the ground. Again, the park is very well maintained thanks to the workcampers.

Our site at the St. Cloud Campground & RV Park

St. Cloud RV Park contains around 100 sites, including 45 pull-throughs and 80 full hook-up sites. There are at least two propane tanks located at the campground serviced by Dooley’s Petroleum. Many of the sites have an in-ground firepit and a picnic table. The sites are mostly gravel (with some granite mixed in given that St. Cloud is known as “Granite City”). Many of the sites have concrete pads next to the RV parking area as well.

The park boasts a centrally located shower-house and laundry facilities. The tile and paint in the shower-house is a little dated, but it was functional and cleaned regularly. Laundry was cheap at $1.50/load (for both the washer and dryer).

At the main office, residents can check out some well-used various sports equipment, video games, and board games. We used their pickle ball equipment one time, and then decided to purchase our own. I then proceeded to win EVERY game I played against Kasie! Hear me? EVERY GAME! Oh yeah, baby!

The office also contains a book/magazine exchange area, some DVDs and VHS tapes for use and board games. The office contains a designated mail receipt shelf that was usually stacked with lots of Amazon boxes. A cooler houses a few cold non-alcoholic drinks near a pool table and Super Chexx table hockey game.

Rally Center at the St. Cloud Campground & RV Park

St. Cloud RV Park also is home to a large 2800 square-foot “Rally Center” for meet-ups and other gatherings, although we did not observe any rallies using the building during our stay at St. Cloud RV Park. Two shower stalls / bathrooms located in the Rally Center are open, even when the rest of the gathering space is closed.

Sandhill Cranes at the St. Cloud Campground & RV Park

Bird-watching is a popular activity in the area. During our stay, one of the residents would place some loose corn on a stump located about 20 yards from his site. A pair of red-headed sandhill cranes would stop at the stump for breakfast and then stay a while. That was a treat! There’s also an abundance of bushy-tailed squirrels and chipmunks at the campground.

One area where the St. Cloud RV Park could improve is the internet. The website says there is “ Free In Your Rig Wireless Internet.” We assumed that meant some sort of wifi access at each site. Instead, that meant that each rig needs to provide its own internet access. The wireless internet at the RV park is non-existent.

Power lines at the St. Cloud Campground & RV Park

Another thing that bothered me (at least at first) about the park was this large electrical grid tower located in the RV park. Having said that, after a couple of days, I barely noticed it.

St. Cloud RV Park did prorate our five-week stay using their monthly rate. The RV park is on the pricey side (even with the $730/month rate) compared to what we are accustomed to, but is competitive to other RV park prices we found in the area.

The bottom line is that we would stay here again.

Lana Knedlik 10/1/22 Lana Knedlik 10/1/22

Visiting Central Minnesota

We spent around five weeks in Central Minnesota near St. Cloud in the summer of 2022. Here some tips on what do do when in the area area:

Where: St. Cloud Campground & RV Park
When: August 1 to September 6, 2022 (~ five weeks)
Cost: $851.5 for full hook-ups (site 27; back-in)
Bucket List: Munsinger Gardens

We spent around five weeks in Central Minnesota near St. Cloud in the summer of 2022. Here some tips on what to do when in the area:

Buy Bug Spray

Minnesota is known as the Land of 10,000 Lakes. It’s also home to a 10,000,0000,000,000 mosquitos, gnats, and other pesky bugs. Like a gazillion of them – ALL of them wherever WE happened to be. Our solution? When we ventured outdoors, we found that DEET-free Kids Off worked reasonably well. We used it because we figured it would be dog-licking-friendly as well. The product is made with Rosemary Oil, Citronella Oil, Geranium Oil, Cedarwood Oil, Peppermint Oil, Lemongrass Oil, and Soybean Oil so we smelled nice too.

Stroll Through Munsinger & Clemens Gardens

If there was ever a doubt that I am becoming my mother, that doubt was erased after visiting Munsinger-Clemens Gardens. I spent multiple hours there on multiple days, admiring the gardens. The best part: these gardens are open to the public and are ABSOLUTELY free.

Munsinger Gardens lies directly along the Mississippi River bank. The land was formerly a sawmill, but then St. Cloud acquired the land around 1915. When Joseph Munsinger (1876-1946) became the Superintendent of Parks for the City of St. Cloud in 1930, he had the idea of creating the garden as part of a WPA project. The city named the park after him in 1938. Today, the winding flower-filled paths meander through hovering pine and other trees. There’s even a “timekeeper’s cabin,” wishing well, and some resident peacocks!

A city street aptly named Riverside Drive separates Munsinger Gardens (14 acres) from Clemens Gardens (7 acres), which is accessible with a short climb. This garden is named in honor of Bill and Virginia Clemens, who lived just across the street. The couple donated the land to the city and then funded the construction of a rose garden there in 1990. Although Ms. Clemens suffered from multiple sclerosis, she was able to visit the gardens and could see it from her window. Today, there is a beautiful memorial statue of the couple. While Munsinger Gardens is considered an “informal” garden, Clemens Gardens includes six formal gardens – a rose garden, rest area garden, formal garden, white garden, perennial garden, and treillage garden. All of the gardens but the white garden contain a fountain.

Munsinger-Clemens gardens is a true central Minnesota treasure!

Explore Quarry Park

Located in Waite Park (on the western edge of St. Cloud), Quarry Park is a 684-acre nature preserve that was once home to over a dozen granite quarries. A $5/vehicle permit is required to enter the park. We opted for the $25/year annual pass, which is free for veterans.

Quarry Park Map located in Stearnes County, Minnesota

The labyrinth of trails within the park is quite extensive. Luckily, online and paper maps are available at the park. In addition, there are several maps on signs located throughout the park. There’s both a summer map and a winter map so make sure you get the correct one!

A historical section (#18 on the map), featuring several old quarry tools, is located near the western edge of the parking lot. Here, we learned that granite is heavy – like REALLY heavy. Granite weighs about 180 lbs/cubic foot (about the size of a small microwave oven) – so the equipment to move the granite around is massive. The equipment on display includes:

A quarry derrick
The 85-foot tall derrick can lift up to 20,000 pounds of payload! The derrick is fastened to a concrete slab poured in 1946, and the the timbers were made of single-piece 100-year-old Douglas Fir harvested from the Oregon coastal range. The trees were then planed into 15-inch square beams 85-feet long. The derrick could rotate 360° if it were set up for that range of motion. The round wheel at the bottom of the mast is called the “bull wheel” and allowed the derrick operator to turn the mast and boom arm. The mast has a steel pin on the top which is in the middle of a circular “spider,” which is a lubricated spindle that pivots within the halo ring while held erect by the seven steel cables called “guy lines.” The base of the mast has another pin which is lubricated within a socket to allow the mast to rotate freely when the bull wheel is engaged and pivoting. The guy lines are anchored into 1.8 billion year-old bedrock by staples. These steel u-shaped pins are drilled into the bedrock at an angle so that when there is a load on the boom arm the cable loop slides down the shank and pinches against the bedrock The derrick on display is called the Liberty Derrick, which was used by the Liberty Granite Company. The company founded in 1924 and closed sometime in the 1950s. The Stearnes County Park puts the old derrick to use twice a year in a public celebration.
A saw blade
The saw blade measures 11.5 feet in diameter with 144 teeth from a processing plant that cut granite. Each tooth has a silver-soldered segment made with synthetic diamonds embedded in them. These diamonds are harder than granite and could slowly cut the granite blocks into slabs.

Signs explain how the Quarry Derrick Works at Quarry Park

Saw Blade at Quarry Park in Stearnes County, Minnesota

There’s also a few derrick anchors, a metal skip that the rocks were dumped into (the skips were converted from old boilers), and a tip cart that took the rock up to the grout pile. A derrick house (more of a wooden shack) housed the drum hoists and brakes that control the derrick’s mast, boom arm and hook. An operator would sit in the shack controlling the derrick based on signals provided by a second operator standing outside.

Historical Section at Quarry Park in Stearnes County, MN

In this section of the park, we learned about the LARGE grout piles scattered throughout the park. The stones on these grout piles were deemed flawed by the quarry company. Granite might be discarded because of irregular colors, varying crystal sizes, or tiny fractures within the rock. The stone products made from granite at this site were for dimensional stones so that if there were any blemishes, the rock was discarded. For example, if an architect ordering that type of granite said that no crystal size should be larger than a dime and the stone did not meet that specification, the stone was discarded onto the grout pile. As much as 80% of the stone quarried went into these grout piles! Some of them are 40-60 feet high.

After the quarries closed in the 1950s, the park was a well-known but unregulated party spot called Hundred Acres Quarry. In 1992, Stearns County purchased this site from Cold Spring Granite Company, and the park opened in 1998. The park is the largest in the Stearns County Parks system.

The quarries themselves are worth exploring. For example, Quarry 13 features interesting basalt dikes that interact with St. Cloud Red Granite .

In addition to learning about the granite quarrying process, the park contains opportunities for a number of outdoor activities.

Hiking. We came primarily to hike, and there are many walking trails to chose from. There are some interesting features on some of the trails as well. For example, to get to Quarry 2 from the parking lot, we walked across a creaking and floating boardwalk. A prairie section contains both native and non-native species of grasses and wildflowers including asters and coneflowers. The prairie undergoes a planned burning every 2-4 years. Near Quarry 8 (“Treboske”), stairs to an overlook provides great views of the surrounding grassland and wetland areas.
Swimming. The most popular activity in Quarry Park by far, swimming is permitted in quarries 2 (“Melrose Deep 7”) and 11. Dozens of kids (and some adults) dive from the cliff-like rock piles into the large swimming holes. Many people are just on the water in tubes and other floatation devices. There’s also a small beach, picnic shelter, and restrooms located near the swimming areas. There are no lifeguards present so visitors must swim at their own risk.
Fishing. Fishing (mostly trout) is permitted at quarries 1 (“Red 6”), 4 (“Oberg”), 7 (“Thielman”), 9 , 13, 14, and 18. We only saw a few fishers during our visits to the park though. A Minnesota fishing license is required to fish at the park.
Biking. While biking is allowed on most trails in the park, we only saw a couple of bikers. Most of the trails are dotted with teenagers in swimming clothes who aren’t paying much attention so bikers beware! There are three designated mountain biking trails that include riding on sloped, rugged, and rocky terrain.
Rock Climbing. Rock climbing is available near the Liberty Derrick and Quarry 20. A special permit is required.
Scuba Diving. Scuba diving is allowed in quarries 1, 13, and 18 (“Benzi 14”). Diving is only allowed by certified divers, and a special permit is also required.

Quarry Park is a favorite of the locals, and it is easy to see why. It’s a unique area that will appeal to both the history buffs and adventure seekers.

Bike the Lake Wobegon Trail

When deciding where we wanted to stay in central Minnesota for a month, we were on the look-out for long bike trails. The Lake Wobegon Trail is a 62-mile paved trail with trailheads at Waite Park, St. Joseph, Avon, Albany, Freeport, Melrose, Sauk Centre, West Union, and Osakis. At Albany, there’s a spur that leads to the longest covered bridge in Minnesota in Holdingford, and the trail continues to the county line, where it connects to the Soo Line Trail just before Bowlus. The Lake Wobegon Trail was formerly a rail line operated by the Burlington Northern Railroad Company, and is now largely maintained by Stearns County, where 57 miles of the trail resides.

When we got ready to actually ride the trail, I went looking for Lake Wobegon as a “destination” for our trip. I found lots of lakes on Google Maps – Lake Anna, Middle Spunk Lake, Englemeier Lake, Melrose Lake, McCormick Lake…to name a few…but no Lake Wobegon. Another Google search quickly told me that there I’m probably the only person in their 50s who didn’t know that Lake Wobegon is a fictional lake located in central Minnesota created by long-time author-singer-humorist-radio talent Garrison Keillor. This made-up lake is famous…like really famous.

Lake Wobegon is the subject of multiple books by Keillor and Minnesota Public Radio’s A Prairie Home Companion (“APHC”). Keillor would begin nearly every episode of APHC with, "Well, it's been a quiet week in Lake Wobegon, Minnesota, my hometown, out there on the edge of the prairie."

Because I was born and raised in a small town in Kansas about the size of many of the towns on the Lake Wobegon Trail, I decided to read a Lake Wobegon Days, the first of Keillor’s books published in 1985. His commentary on small-town Midwestern life hits home on many levels. Keillor writes that Lake Wobegon is known as the place where “where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average." He calls Lake Wobegon "the little town that time forgot and the decades cannot improve." His nostalgic church-going characters reminded me of folks I knew growing up. Perhaps my favorite line from that book is about how a young boy’s desire for air conditioning was received by his family: “You get A/C and the next day Mom leaves the house in a skin tight dress, holding a cigarette and a glass of gin, walking an ocelot on a leash.”

I can see why many people like his musings.

Turns out, aside from Lake Wobegon, Keillor makes reference to a number of actual real-life towns and other non-fictional landmarks in central Minnesota. The folks of central Minnesota decided to pay homage to Lake Wobegon in naming the trail, and in the fall of 1998, Keillor participated in its grand opening celebration.

Keillor’s image has struggled in recent years, and he was fired by Minnesota Public Radio in 2017. Regardless of whether the allegations of inappropriate conduct are true, my opinion is that Lake Wobegon and all that it represents shouldn’t necessarily be discounted because of that.

We rode the St. Joseph to Albany section and the Albany to Holdingford section on two different days. The trail is a well-maintained paved trail and VERY easy, relatively flat ride. We even saw a couple of roller-bladders on the trail. The route takes us through mostly farmland, but trees and shrubs line the edges of most of the trail. By St. Joseph, there are 10 numbered signs with simple instructions like “Be Honest” and “Be a Good Sport.” I imagined Keillor’s fictional characters espousing such wisdom during my ride. Other than those signs and perhaps the covered bridge near Holdingford, there wasn’t anything specific to write home about. Perhaps a that is part of the Lake Wobegon Trail’s charm though. I couldn’t help but just feel connected to the trail, the simplicity of it, and what it represents.

“Be Honest” Sign on the Lake Wobegon Trail

Covered Bridge ont he Lake Wobegon Trail at Holdingford

Grab a Beer at a Local Brewery

Biking, bucket lists, and beer.

Beer selections at Back Shed Brewing in Waite Park, MN

Back Shed Brewing was my second favorite brewery in the area. Food trucks, big patio, live music, fun events (e.g., bean bag tourneys, painting parties), and great beer. There’s a good selection of stouts, IPAs, blondes, sours, and even some seltzers so it’s a great spot for big groups with varied tastes. We ventured there on a couple of occasions, including the brewery’s one-year anniversary celebration. Located in Waite Park just west of St. Cloud, this young brewery is doing it right. The owners literally started brewing in their back shed, but they have come a long way.

Bad Habit Brewing is located in St. Joseph, Minnesota, which is less than 20 minutes west of St. Cloud. The Lake Wobegon trailhead is not too far from the brewery, which explains why we went there twice. The brewery has some of the most colorful can art and beer names around (e.g., Born & Razz'd, Bros Gotta Hug, Lookie-Loo). The prices are not listed on the beer board so we were a little shocked to find out our four-beer flight was $14. The high prices didn’t stop the place from being popular though. On the weekends, the place was so packed and we felt lucky to find a table to share with some locals outside.

Beaver Island Brewing is located just a few blocks from the Beaver Island Trail. I opted for the Sweet Miss Chocolate Oatmeal Milk Stout and purchased several six packs of that beer while we stayed in the area. The taps were housed on an old repurposed Graco Lubrication mechanics garage from the 1940s. The brewery hosts a $10 biking, brats, and beer event each Thursday.

St. Cloud is home to the first Granite City Food and Brewery, which opened in June 1999. The company now has 30 restaurants in 13 states, mostly in the Midwest. We were familiar with the brewery because there are locations in the Kansas City and St. Louis areas. They have a staple of good house beers, but the place doesn’t seem to experiment with weird concoctions like the little breweries. Nonetheless, the food is outstanding and we wanted to visit the place because it was doing craft beer way before the craze hit.

One of many informational photos on display at the Pantown Brewery in St. Cloud, Minnesota

Flight at Pantown Brewing in St. Cloud MN

Pantown Brewing was probably my favorite in the area: great beer, good food trucks, a nice space, and an interesting history. The brewery is named after the Pan Motor Company and the company town now located in St. Cloud that included 58 homes, a fire department, and a hotel. The company, which produced about 750 cars between 1917 and 1923, was the brainchild of showman Samuel Pandolfo. To prove their road-worthiness, three Pan Cars were driven up to Pikes Peak in Colorado. The cars had modern innovations like a gas gauge, built-in clock, built-in ice box, electric starter (no more hand cranks!), a retractable canvas roof, and front and back seats that each folded down into a bed. However, in 1919, a Chicago federal grand jury indicted Sam on seven counts of mail fraud and one count of attempted mail fraud. Interestingly, the judge in the case was Kenesaw Mountain Landis, who was the 1920 baseball commissioner during the Black Sox baseball scandal. Pandolfo was convicted and served three years in Leavenworth Prison. During our time in St. Cloud, three original Pan cars were on display at the local fairgrounds. The brewery is decorated with historical photos and information about the Pan Motor Company, and I spent quite a bit of time staring at the wall while Kasie talked to the locals. As for the beer, I loved the flagship 1917 American IPA, while Kasie kept going back to the Pollinator wheat beer. ODB's Meat-N-Greet, a BBQ food truck owned and operated by a former pro wrestler, was camped out there on one occasion. We knew the food was good because she was also staying at the St. Cloud RV Park and we could smell her cookin’!

Third Street Brewhouse in Cold Spring, MN

We traveled to Third Street Brewhouse in Cold Spring, Minnesota on one cloudy Saturday afternoon. This brewery is the craft beer division of Cold Spring Brewing Company, which started in 1874 near the cold spring from which it and the surrounding town gets its name. That’s not a typo – the brewery is nearly 150 years old! The long-time family owners tried to take the brewery public in the 1990s, but failed. They had an image problem, among other things “We were an old brewery known to make kind of crappy beer,” Doug DeGeest, vice president and general manager of Cold Spring Brewing Company recalled in 2013. After a buy-out by Carolina Beverage Group, the company shifted its focus to contract manufacturing for non-alcoholic beverages including soft drinks, teas, sparkling waters and energy drinks. The company also makes beers for other manufacturers, as well as a few craft beers released under their own Third Street brand. The taproom only had about a half-dozen beers on tap, with the Minnesota Gold lager as the flagship beer line, but the Hoplift IPA was decent, and there was live music playing.

Kayak the Mississippi River

Kayaking the Mississippi River near Clearwater, Minnesota

The Mississippi River flows through central Minnesota so one of my “bucket list” items was to explore the river — both by hiking and boating. Well sorta. Instead of a river boat cruise, we opted to rent a tandem kayak at CW Outfitting located in Clearwater, MN (about 20 minutes from St. Cloud). We could choose from a 5-mile, 8-mile, and 13-mile trip. We opted for the shorter route and booked it online the day before at a cost of about $78 with taxes and fees. Adventure, here we come!

I was a little nervous when we arrived and learned that the trip would be self-guided. I had only kayaked a couple of times before, so the idea of floating down this massive river without assistance was unexpected. “It’s a beginner’s level trip,” Kasie assured me. I was skeptical.

After a very nice woman working at CW Outfitting explained the route and we watched short 2-minute safety video (That was it? Just two minutes?), I asked her if she had any advice for the trip. “Maybe wear some sunscreen,” was all she said.

After lathering ourselves in 50 spf, we hopped in a van with a skinny college kid in flip-flops and an affinity for 90s rock radio stations. We drove about five miles upstream on some dirt roads near corn fields to begin our adventure. Kasie had packed snacks (“survival nuts”) in a dry bag, and had her phone with her just in case something went wrong.

Our river ride was completely…uneventful. The river was remarkably calm during our outing; this part of the Mississippi was nothing like the float trips we had taken on some rivers back in Missouri. At times, I felt like we were floating on a lake, the reflections in the water were so clear. During several parts of the trip, we could see the colorful rocky bottom of the river. We paddled every now and then, but also just let the water take us. We saw geese, a turtle, one eagle, and a few blue herons during our journey. Better yet, we saw no other people on the river. There were no rapids, fallen trees, or leaks in the kayak. Just a nice peaceful couple of hours.

Our time with CW Outfitting wasn’t exactly what I expected…but in a good way.

I didn’t get sunburned either.

Where to Stay: St. Cloud Campground & RV Park

We decided to book our stay in central Minnesota about a month before our arrival date. Unfortunately, there were not a lot of RV parks in the area that could accomodate our big rig for five weeks on relatively short notice. Many of the RV parks are seasonal too. We felt lucky to find St. Cloud RV Campground & Park.

Play area at the St. Cloud Campground & RV Park

Site 27 at the St. Cloud Campround & RV Park

Another thing that bothered me (at least at first) about the park was this large electrical grid tower located in the RV park. Having said that, after a couple of days, I barely noticed it.

Aerial View of St. Cloud Campground & RV Park - notice the Electrical Tower

The bottom line is that we would stay here again.

Lana Knedlik 9/24/22 Lana Knedlik 9/24/22

Two Days in Fargo-Moorhead

“This is a true story. The events depicted in this blog took place in Fargo and Moorhead in 2022. At the request of the survivors, the names have been changed. Out of respect for the dead, the rest has been told exactly as it occurred.” ~ Class C Broads

When: Saturday, July 30 to Monday, August 1, 2022 (three nights)
Where: Buffalo River State Park (Glydon, MN)
Cost: $34/night + $7 registration fee ($190 total with taxes and fees; electric only)
Beer: Junkyard Brewing
Bucket List: Wood Chipper from the Fargo movie

“This is a true story. The events depicted in this blog and video took place in Fargo and Moorhead in 2022. At the request of the survivors, the names have been changed. Out of respect for the dead, the rest has been told exactly as it occurred.”
~ Class C Broads

Fargo is actually Fargo-Moorhead

Many people (ahem…me) picture Fargo as some remote snow-covered town thanks to the 1996 Fargo movie. It turns out that the real area is a thriving metropolis which includes both (1) Fargo, North Dakota and (2) Moorhead, Minnesota, the two of which are delineated the Red River. We were there in mid-summer for a few days and the weather was mid-70s and quite pleasant.

Admittedly, it’s hard to get a feel for a place in just a couple of days, but we found Fargo-Moorhead to be a friendly and quirky city with lots to do.

#1: Get a Photo with a Wood Chipper a The Fargo-Moorhead Visitor Center

Fargo is a dark comedy filled with funny accents and quirky characters about a kidnapping plot gone awry. Directed by the Coen brothers, the movie features Frances McDormand as pregnant cop Marge Gunderson and William H. Macy as used car salesman Jerry Lundegaard. It’s one of my favorite movies of the 1990s. Yet, despite the wonderful acting and storyline, the star of the show is still a yellow wood chipper. Who can forget Marge as she discovers Steve Buscem as he pounds a white sock-covered foot into the chipping machine with piece of firewood? “Action…and scene.”

Woodchipper replica from the *Fargo* movie at the Fargo-Moorhead Visitors Center

The wood chipper scene was shot at Square Lake, MN. After filming wrapped up, one of the camera dolly grips, Milo Durben, purchased the wood chipper to use it on his farm. He later got the Coen brothers to sign a section of the wood chipper. Then in 2011, the Farg-Moorhead Convention and Visitors Bureau asked Milo if they could display the wood chipper at the Visitors Center. The wood chipper was an instant hit and is now on permanent display.

Because we only had two days to spend in the Fargo-Moorhead area, our first visit was to the Fargo-Moorhead Visitors Center to see the infamous wood chipper. There’s a replica outside of the Visitors Center, but the real deal is inside. Yes, the city has embraced the movie so much that there are two wood chippers! The original even has its own Facebook page!

The main lobby of the Visitors Center is largely a tribute to the movie. The original screen play is on exhibition, as well as other props and a recipe for the blood from the movie. If you are curious, the magic ingredient is apparently “butcher shop leftovers.”

#2: Get Some Stamp on a Fargo-Moorhead Craft and Drafts Pass

While we were at the Visitors Center, we picked up a Craft and Drafts pass. The breweries on the pass were:
Drekker Brewing
DCR Brewing
Fargo Brewing
Ice Wind Brewing
Junkyard Brewing
Pixeled Brewing
Swing Barrel Brewing

All that we had to do was collect stamps for each of seven breweries in the area to receive a t-shirt or hat. We didn’t think we would actually be able to visit that many breweries in just two days though. So sad. It’s worth noting that Fargo Brewing has an IPA called the Wood Chipper!

#3: Check an Art Walking Tour!

Fargo is home to a pretty amazing public art scene. The city also has two google maps Fargo Walking Tours showing where art can be found. There’s a north art tour (~1 mile loop) and a south art tour (~2 mile loop), and a great way to explore the city by foot. Roberts Alley contains a lot of murals, but the Fargo Art Alley was my favorite because it invites people to just paint the wall and therefore is always changing. We even saw a guy with spray paint honing his craft on the wall!

#4: Try to Corral some Artsy Bison with Your Camera

At the Visitors Center, we also picked up a Herd About the Prairie map showing the location of various painted buffalo statues in the area. We figured a buffalo hunt would be a great way to get us to explore parts of the metro area. We love public art projects like this so THANK YOU, Fargo-Moorhead, for the bison art!

Note: The map needs updating as one of the businesses with a buffalo was closed and a few of the buffalo were in buildings that were not open on the weekend.

#5: Get Some Fresh Grub at the Red River Market

On Saturdays, the city uses several city blocks for the Red River Market — which features all sorts of local fresh produce, baked goods (we got some amazing beer cheese bread and focaccia from the Breadsmith), flowers, coffee, breweries, live music, trinket sellers, and other vendors. The Broadway Square contains a small performance stage for musical and cultural performances, along with some eating tables and kid’s play equipment. For a farmers’ market, the place gets a late start. The booths are open from 10 am to 2 pm, but the place is hopping!

#6: See the World’s Largest Dilly Bar

World’s Largest Dilly Bar at the Dairy Queen in Moorhead, Minnesota

Hot eats. Cool treats. And the World’s Largest Dilly Bar. All of these are found at the Moorhead Dairy Queen, which as been around since 1949. It’s a wonderful family-owned business with a lot of history to it, but the huge Dilly Bar wasn’t installed until 2017.

So what IS with the big Dilly Bar? According to the restaurant’s website:

[In 1955,] two young brothers from Stillwater, MN who were sons of a Minneapolis ice cream distributor came to the Moorhead Dairy Queen. They had been toying with a soft serve product they wanted to make. Bob Litherland watched as the brothers blobbed Dairy Queen soft serve on a wax paper and put a medical tongue depressor stick into the soft serve. After freezing the treat and coating it in chocolate, one brother held the creation up and said, “Now, isn’t that a dilly!”

Yes, the Dilly Bar was invented at the Moorhead Dairy Queen!

Not surprisingly, the ice cream place is not open during the winter. Fun fact: March 1st, 2014 was the coldest opening day in the history of the Moorhead Dairy Queen. The high temperature of the day was -11. Brrrr…..

#7: Walk (or Bike) along Viking Ship Park

Hopperstad Stave Church in Viking Park in Moorehead MN

There are walking/biking trails on each side of the Red River. On the Moorehead side, we strolled along Viking Ship Park, enticed by the name. However, ship actually resides inside the Hjemkomst Center located in the park. There’s a $10/person admission to the center so we skipped that. But we did learn that the name is pronounced YEM-komst and is the Norwegian word for "Homecoming".

The park also boasts the Hopperstad Stave Church, an authentic replica of a church from Norway. Guided tours are available at the Hjemkomst Center as well. There are some other landmarks in the park, like the Bergquist Cabin, which is the oldest house in Moorhead and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

#8: Stay at Buffalo River State Park

Buffalo River State Park near Glydon, MN

If you are traveling to the Fargo-Moorhead area via RV, consider staying at the Buffalo River State Park. The park is about a 20-25 minute drive along Highway 10 to the downtown area. Although the sites are electric-only, there are several big-rig friendly spots, and the shower-houses and campground are very well maintained. The campground contains several nature trails (mostly mowed grass) that cross the Buffalo River at times. The best part is that there is a swimming hole (although it was closed for the season when we were there).

#9: Enjoy the Fargo Walk of Fame

Back in 1989, a local printer named Mike Stevens had this idea to get famous musicians, athletes, movie stars, religious leaders, and other celebrities to sign their name and place their hand in concrete outside his shop. The walk of fame moved to the Fargo-Moorhead Visitors Center in 2000. It’s fun to spot names – ranging from Jimmy Walker, Alan Jackson, Roy Clark, and more!

While you are back at the Visitors Center, be sure and pick up your prize like we did for visiting all seven breweries. The hat is amazing!!

Conway Twitty at the Walk of Fame near the Fargo-Moorhead Visitors Center

Lana Knedlik 9/17/22 Lana Knedlik 9/17/22

South Dakota Domicile Song (and Official Music Video)

After deciding to live full-time in our RV, we could pick anywhere that we wanted to domicile. In other words, where did we want to establish our “home base”?

It didn’t take long for us to know based on our past travels. We fell in love with South Dakota — the beauty, the people, and so much more.

This song is a tribute to our new home. Even though we are on the road most of the time, we are always excited to come back to this beautiful state.

I”m not a professional singer or musician. Be kind.

Lyrics to South Dakota Domicile Song

VERSE ONE
Here’s a song I wrote
About South Dakota
Home of the Lakota
And me

We’re mobile
We drive lots of miles
But we domicile
In SD

We’re two chicks
With no sticks and bricks
We get our kicks
On the road

But we need a place
A wide open space
To embrace
And call our home

CHORUS (V1)
South Dakota
Is the place where I want to be
To make our home base
Escape the rat race
And travel this great country

VERSE 2
Now Sioux Falls
Has Canaries baseball
And quite an
Art walk scene

I’ve raised my chalice
To the Corn Palace
And ate chislik
At Remedy

I watched the water flow
Down the Mighty MO
Just like
Lewis and Clark

And farther west
I took a Wall Drug rest
Near the Badlands
National Park

VERSE 3
This ditty is really
About Rapid City
It sure is pretty
We think

Oh I still get chills
When I see those the Black Hills
Which look quite
Green to me.

And nothing inspires
Like those Cathedral Spires
And a bike along
The Mickelson Trail

So let’s retire
To a life of campfires
Deep breaths
And exhales

VERSE 4

We’ve got no nexus
To Florida or Texas
We are Midwest
Classy Broads

Nomads who roam
In our motorhome
Writing silly songs
And travelouges

Then Custer State Park
Won my heart
With the bison
And mountain goats

So I planted a flag
Got a license and tags
And made South Dakota
where I vote.

VERSE 5
Indian Folklore,
Rushmore, Dinasours
The fun never
Ends

So why not pitch
A tent
Or pay some rent
To the City of presidents

And if I told ya
It’s "pop," not "soda"
In South Dakota
How does that sound?

I say we go to a joint
Like Dakota Point,
Or Lost Cabin
For the first round.

CHORUS (V2)
South Dakota
Is the place where I want to be
Great Places and Great Faces
This is my American
Journey

Music Credits:

(1) The music ("You Can Do More") was recorded by Lemon Music Studio (Vitaliy Levkin) and is available at pixabay.com. https://pixabay.com/music/upbeat-you-can-do-more-108602/

(2) The lyrics/vocals/video/remix were created by Lana Knedlik. The lyrics/vocals/remix are what constitutes the "official music video" (not the underlying song).

#southdakota #southdakotasong #southdakotadomicile #visitsouthdakota

Lana Knedlik 9/10/22 Lana Knedlik 9/10/22

Full-Time RV: Choosing a Domicile

When Kasie and I decided to sell our home in Missouri and live in our RV full-time, one of the first things we had to decide is what state would be our new domicile. Most people chose either South Dakota, Texas, or Florida. But why? And what should we do?

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE. WE ARE SIMPLY SHARING SOME OF OUR EXPERIENCES IN SELECTING OUR NEW DOMICILE. DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH AND CONSULT WITH TAX AND LEGAL PROFESSIONALS.

In the video above, I try to explain our thought process. Again, this is what WE decided to do. YOU might have different circumstances, needs, or or considerations such that what WE did may not work for you. Again, please consult with a tax or legal professional as needed!

What is the Difference between Residency and Domicile?

“Residency” and “Domicile” are terms that are often used interchangeably by RVers but the meaning of each term is indeed very different.

Residence is just about a physical location. A person’s residence is the place where a person actually lives. A person can have numerous residences (e.g., houses in different states). Intent does not matter. For example, if a person goes to college in Missouri, but intends to return to Kansas after graduation, then the person may reside in Missouri, but the person’s domicile is still Kansas.

The statutes and court cases in each state may describe the concept of domicile a little differently, but the basic idea is the same. “A domicile is that place where a person has his true, fixed and permanent home and principal establishment to which, whenever [the person] is absent, [the person] has the intention of returning. See, e.g., Paulson v. Missouri, 91 S.W.2d 63, 66 (Mo.App. W.D. 1998) (emphasis added). In general, there are two elements to domicile: location and intent! A person can have only ONE domicile.

Why Does Domicile Matter?

A person’s domicile is important in determining where someone can vote, where to get a driver’s license, where taxes are paid, how health insurance is calculated (and what options there are), where a vehicle can be registered, how assets are distributed upon death, where someone can be sued, and many other things.

Many full-time RVers want a state with no income tax as their domicile. As of 2022, nine states do have any state income tax: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. Other things many RVers consider are (1) sales tax rates (if purchasing a new RV), (2) annual vehicle registration fees, if any, (3) annual vehicle inspection requirements, if any, (4) vehicle insurance rates, (5) health insurance options, and (6) driver’s licensing requirements for larger rigs. For example, Texas requires a special Class B license for RVs weighing over 26,000 pounds and annual inspections (at least until 2025), while South Dakota and Florida do not. We investigated some of those issues when choosing our domicile, but those were not the deciding factors with respect to the place we wanted to call home. The most important thing to us was finding a place that we actually wanted to live.

How to Determine Domicile

The government looks at various factors to determine a person’s domicile. For example, the factors may include:

The person’s physical address;
Where the person gets mail;
Where the person has a driver’s license;
Where the person pays state income tax;
Where the person votes;
The location of the person’s property;
Length of residence;
What the person’s estate planning documents say; and
Location of the person’s doctor, dentist, accountant, financial planner, lawyer, or other professionals.

Of some note, many states have a continuing domicile presumption. That is, a person continues to be domiciled in a state until that person establishes a domicile in another state. One case that RVers should be aware of is Sanchez v. Comm’r of Revenue, 770 N.W.2d 523, 527 (Minn. 2009). In that case, a couple who was planning to RV full-time had a contract pending on their Minnesota home, and the sale was set to close in June 2004. In May 2004, they traveled to South Dakota for about 10 days and tried to establish a domicile there. According to the court:

Using their South Dakota address, the Sanchezes applied for and received South Dakota drivers' licenses, opened a checking account, obtained credit cards, registered their vehicles, and registered to vote. They also notified their insurance providers of their new address. The Sanchezes did not rent or purchase property in South Dakota, as they planned to travel and wanted to avoid the expenses and obligations of home ownership. Their affidavit states that they intended to return to South Dakota to rent or buy a home.

The couple returned to Minnesota and closed on the home. “For the remainder of 2004, the Sanchezes traveled in their motor home to 13 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada, and did not return to either Minnesota or South Dakota.” Yet, the tax commissioner found that there was no evidence that their visits to South Dakota during 2004 were anything more than brief, temporary stays for the purpose of establishing a mailing address. On appeal, the Minnesota Supreme Court agreed, noting that all of the actions taken by the couple that allegedly demonstrated their intent to domicile in South Dakota took place before they had extinguished their domicile in Minnesota In essence, the couple failed to couple their physical presence in South Dakota with their intent to make South Dakota their new home. Accordingly, the court found that the couple continued to be domiciled in Minnesota, even though the couple never went back there. The couple was on the hook for Minnesota taxes (plus penalties) for the entirety of 2004.

Okay. One more time….It is advisable to consult with tax professionals and/or attorneys on some of these complex issues.

Why Did We Choose South Dakota?

When we decided to live full-time in our RV, we sold our home in Missouri and did not intend to live there again after we were done traveling. We had to figure out where to call home.

We looked at many of the states that we had visited over the past few years. Vacation destinations like Florida and Arizona are nice in the winter, but they just didn’t feel right to us. We are both Midwesterners and that is what feels most like home to us so we narrowed our list to the states in the middle of the country. While Lana has family in Kansas and Kasie has family in Oklahoma, neither of us could see ourselves actually living in either of those states when we were done RVing. Been there, done that…so to speak. Colorado is way too expensive. Texas seems to have an big attitude (too big, if you get my drift). I liked Iowa and it was in the running. However, in the end, we were really drawn to the beauty of South Dakota, its Midwest culture, central location, and proximity to family. We fell in love with South Dakota (especially the western part) when we had visited it, and could really see ourselves coming back to the area time and time again. We also liked the size of the Rapid City area and looked at the price of homes, trying to gauge what they might be in 2-5 years when we think we might be done full-time RVing.

Here’s a little song I wrote about South Dakota and why we ended up choosing this beautiful state as our home base!

Getting Mail as a Full-Time RVer

We also thought about the practicalities getting mail. Most mail forwarding companies use South Dakota, Florida, or Texas as their address. These companies include:

Americas Mailbox in Box Elder South Dakota

Escapees
Good Sam
St. Brendan's Isle
Traveling Mailbox
Dakota Post
MyRVMail.com
Americas Mailbox
After choosing South Dakota and comparing mail services, we opted to use Americas Mailbox so that our physical address would be located just outside of Rapid City. That part of the state with the Black Hills and Mickelson Trail is our favorite part. It just seemed like all of the stars were aligning with that part of South Dakota.

Banking as a Full-Time RVer

The Patriot Act requires banks to get an address for its customers. The regulations state that this “address” must be:
"(i) For an individual, a residential or business street address;
(ii) For an individual who does not have a residential or business street address, an Army Post Office (APO) or Fleet Post Office (FPO) box number, or the residential or business street address of next of kin or of another contact individual...."

See https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/31/1020.220 (31 CFR § 1020.220 - Customer identification program requirements for banks). Importantly, a PMB won’t work.

For us, the regulations have not been an issue as a practical matter. We've just used the address of a family member for the required address. We do all of our banking online too. To the extent that we would need something mailed, our banks also ask for a separate "mailing address," and the PMB is acceptable for that.

South Dakota Driver’s License

Commercial or Non-Commercial Driver’s License in South Dakota?

Our RV -- a 2022 Entegra Accolade XL -- weighs about 31,000 lbs. We call her BIG LADY. As noted above, many states require their residents to obtain a special driver’s license for vehicles weighing over 26,000 pounds. For example, an RVer domiciled in Texas with a big rig would likely have to obtain a non-CDL Class B license to drive a rig like ours.

One of the first things that we investigated was whether South Dakota required a special license. Fortunately, a vehicle driven for “personal use” or “recreational use” and “not operated for private business use” does not require a special license. SDCL 32-9-3(10)/(11).

Obtaining Our South Dakota Drivers’ License

After arriving in South Dakota, one of the first things we did was get our drivers’ licenses at the Pennington County DMV. Here’s the process we used:

Made an on-line appointment at the Pennington County Driver Exam Station (booking online likely saved us about 30-40 minutes)
Surrendered previous Missouri driver’s license
Took and passed a vision screening test
Provided proof of lawful status. This can be a certified U.S. birth certificate (state certified only), a valid, non-expired U.S. Passport/Passport Card, a Certificate of Citizenship/Naturalization, a Permanent Resident Card, an Employment Authorization Card, or a Foreign Passport with a U.S. Visa/I-94.
Provided a second type of ID. This can be a REAL-ID compliant drivers license (with the gold star in the upper corner), Social Security Card (showing the full social security number), a W-2 (showing your full social security number), a 1099 (showing the full social security number), or a pay stub (showing the full social security number).
Completed a Residency Affidavit that was provided to us by the DMV.
Provided two documents (not more than one year old) proving our full names and residential/physical address at America’s Mailbox. We used (1) a receipt from America’s Mailbox showing that we had stayed in South Dakota for at least one night and (2) a document from America’s Mailbox showing our PMB number.

We filled out everything while we were at the DMV. The entire process took less than 20 minutes and cost about $30.

South Dakota License Plates

Obtaining our license plates at the Pennington County Treasurer’s Office took a little longer and was A LOT more expensive. We had to title two vehicles: (1) our 2019 Jeep Cherokee, which had been registered in Missouri and (2) our 2022 Entegra Accolade XL, which we had just purchased in Tennessee a few weeks ago.

What is the Vehicle Sales Tax in South Dakota?

How much is the South Dakota Vehicle Sales Tax?

South Dakota imposes a 4% “excise tax” on the purchase price of new vehicles. SDCL 32-5B-1. Pennington County doesn’t impose an additional sales or excise tax on top of that. That overall 4% tax rate was welcome news to us — given that we had been accustomed to 8+% back in Missouri!

How Does a Trade-In Affect the South Dakota Vehicle Sales Tax?

When calculating the excise tax on a new vehicle purchase, the purchase price does not include a credit or trade-in value made by a licensed motor vehicle dealer. SDCL 32-5B-4. In contrast, the purchase price definition does not include a deduction for private party sales. So what does that mean? As an example, if someone purchasing a new RV traded their old RV to the dealer for $70,000, they would save would save $2800 when paying the excise tax. That person would need to sell to a private party for at least $72,800 to beat the dealership price. Some states, like Missouri, allow a credit for both dealership trade-ins and private party sales so South Dakota is not as favorable as some states on this issue.

How Do Previously Paid Sales Taxes Affect the South Dakota Vehicle Sales Tax?

With respect to the 4% excise tax, SDCL 32-5B-11 also gives a credit for taxes paid to other states. Thus, because we had already paid a sales tax in Missouri on our Jeep Cherokee, the registration fees in South Dakota were relatively inexpensive for that vehicle.

After selecting South Dakota as our domicile, we did some back-of-the napkin calculations. We estimated that our fees would be around $8000, with the bulk of that attributable to the purchase of the new RV.

Warning: South Dakota will credit to sales taxes paid in another state on a vehicle purchase only if there if full reciprocity. According to the Pennington County webiste, full feciprocity does not apply to those coming from Al, AK, CO, OR, SC, NH, NC, OK, NM or MT. What does that mean? Some friends of ours wanted to move from South Carolina (sales tax on vehicles capped at $500) to South Dakota. In such a case, South Dakota was going to charge them nearly $8000 in sales tax (the difference between 4% and $500) to have their RV registered in South Dakota.

How to Pay the Vehicle Excise Tax in South Dakota

The Treasurer’s Office imposes a hefty surcharge on payments made by credit card or debit card so we were planning to pay by check. However, the website says: “No out-of-state checks or counter checks accepted. Send cashier's check or money order for vehicles.” We verified with America’s mailbox that the Pennington County would not take an out-of-state check, and they advised us to go get a money order. Because the maximum amount for each money order is $1000, America’s Mailbox also suggested that we purchase multiple money orders.

I’ve never gotten a money order before. We went to the local Walmart, only to find out that they had a $3000/day limit. Moreover, the person working there said we would only get $3000 combined since we were together. To get around this, we went to another Walmart, where one of us purchased another $4000 in money orders. Apparently, the store policies on money orders vary by who is working. All of that took some time and patience.

Treasurer’s Office in Rapid City. We did NOT need to fill out any of these forms. Instead, the clerk took the information verbally.

After getting our money orders, we arrived at the Treasurer’s Office around 9:15 am, and there was already quite a line. We knew that would be the case because there’s a live feed here. As we were standing in line, we filled out the paperwork for our (1) title and registration and (2) personalized plates. DON’T BOTHER DOING THIS BEFOREHAND. The clerk took all of our information verbally and entered it into the computer system and did not even look at our paperwork. The clerk then printed out all of the necessary forms and had us execute those.

As we were paying, the clerk had to check with another person on how to handle money orders. That prompted us to ask whether the County would take and out-of-state check. The clerk replied that that policy only applies to applications received by mail. If someone shows up in person, an out-of-state check is acceptable. Apparently, out-of-state check are just not accepted by mail or phone (I’m not sure how one would pay by check on the phone). Bottom line: we did not need the money orders and could have paid in-person by check.

All in all, the title and registration process went smoothly. We were done by 10:45 am so we completed the whole process of getting our driver’s licenses and tags in a single morning. And, I learned how to get a money order :).

South Dakota Registation Fees for our Super C Entegra Accolade

Here’s a breakdown of what it cost to register our 2022 Entegra Accolade when it wa new in 2022 and then renew the registration in 2023. The cost excludes any vehicle excise taxes.

	2022	2023
Highway Patrol Fee:	$ 1.00	$ 1.00
Non-commercial Motor Vehicle Fee:	$ 624.00	$ 468.00
Personalized Plates:	$ 33.33	$ 25.00
Solid Waste Fee:	$ 1.00	$ 1.00
State License Plate:	$ 5.00	$ 7.50
Wheel Tax:	$ 16.00	$ 30.00
Total	$ 680.33	$ 532.50

Voting in South Dakota

I think the biggest drawback to the whole domicile issue and living full-time in our RV is going to be voting. Absentee ballots are available 46 days prior to an election. SDCL 12-19.1.2. Because we will be on the road for many elections taking place in South Dakota, we will have to request an absentee ballot by mail (not by email or fax), have the ballot sent to our address near Rapid City, pay to have American’s Mailbox mail the ballot to us, and then mail the ballot back to Pennington County before Election Day. I’m one of those people who vote in every little election so that is quite a cumbersome and expensive process.

2023 Update on Voting in South Dakota

In 2023, South Dakota amended the voter registration rquirements (SB 139). Among other things, Section 12-1-4 now states:

“For the purposes of this title, the term, residence, means the place in which a person is domiciled as shown by an actual fixed permanent dwelling, establishment, or any other abode to which the person returns after a period of absence. A person who leaves the residence and goes into another county of this state or another state or territory for a temporary purpose has not changed residence. A person is considered to have gained residence in any county or municipality of this state in which the person actually lives, if the person has no present intention of leaving. A person retains residence in this state until another residence has been gained. If a person moves from this state to another state or territory with the intention of making it the person's permanent home, the person loses residence in this state.”

Further, the statute was amended to add a new Section 12-4-1, which states that as part of the voter registration form, an applicant must attest that he/she “has maintained residence in South Dakota for at least thirty days prior to submitting the registration form.”

We are awaiting further guidance in terms of how this will affect our ability to vote in our home state.

Here are some articles discussing the issue:

2024 Update on Voting in South Dakota

The 2024 legislative session is seeing further attempts to restrict voting by RVers. SB 17 as introduced requires a person to maintain a residence “for at least thirty days in the three hundred and sixty-five days immediately prior” to submitting the registration form. This proposed law will also be retroactive to any person who registers to vote on or after July 1, 2023. The bill was then amended in the Senate to remove the 365-day and 30-day requirement and to liberalize the residency definition:

12-1-4. For the purposes of this title, the term, residence, means the place in which a person is domiciled as shown by an actual fixed permanent dwelling, establishment, or any other abode has fixed the person's habitation and to which the person returns after a period of absence.

The House tabled this version of the bill so there is still a 30-day residency requirement.

Legal Challenges to the New South Dakota Voting Laws

Challenges to the South Dakota Voting Law

For the June 2024 primary election, Jessica Pollema filed challenges two precincts in Minnehaha County (Sioux Falls): (1) precinct 5-16, which has a polling place at the downtown Sioux Falls public library, and (2) precinct 4-16, which uses Word of Life Pentecostal Church as its polling place. Pollema, an “election integrity” activist, challenged the votes of hundreds of registered voters in those precincts with addresses associated with mail forwarding companies like Dakota Post and Your Best Address. Although the challenge was rejected by Precinct Board 5-16, Precinct Board 4-16 upheld it — which ment that 132 ballots were not counted. The ACLU and the League of Women Voters sent this letter to the South Dakota Secretary of State and the local Recount Board, indicating that such actions were unconstitutional. Ultimately, the Recount Board decided to count all of the challenged ballots

Facial Challenges to the South Dakota Voting Law

So far, no one has come forward to challenge the current South Dakota voting requirement law. However, challenges are currently being made to similar durational residency requirements in other states. See Washington State Alliance for Retired Americans v. Hobbs, Case No. 3:23-cv-06014, U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington; North Carolina State Alliance for Retired Americans v. Hirsh, Case No. 1:23-cv-837, U.S. District Court, Middle District of North Carolina. The complaints in these cases state:

1. The Voting Rights Act (“VRA”) prohibits states from preventing otherwise eligible voters from voting for president and vice president based on how long they have resided in the state before election day. And the United States Constitution prohibits such requirements in all elections.

2. Section 202 of the VRA is explicit: “No citizen of the United States who is otherwise qualified to vote in any election for President and Vice President shall be denied the right to vote . . . in such election because of the failure of such citizen to comply with any durational residency requirement of such State or political subdivision.” 52 U.S.C. § 10502(c) (emphasis added).

3. Likewise—regarding all elections—the United States Supreme Court has held that “[d]urational residence requirements” that “completely bar from voting all residents not meeting the fixed durational standards” deprive voters of the fundamental right to vote and “impinge[] on the exercise of a second fundamental personal right, the right to travel.” Dunn v. Blumstein, 405 U.S. 330, 336, 338 (1972).

4. To be sure, both the VRA and the U.S. Constitution allow states to impose short, pre-election registration requirements, and to limit registration and voting to bona fide residents. Specifically, the VRA authorizes registration deadlines up to 30 days before a presidential election, 52 U.S.C. § 10502(d), and the U.S. Constitution allows pre-election registration deadlines where “necessary to permit preparation of accurate voter lists,” Marston v. Lewis, 410 U.S. 679, 680–81 (1973).

5. But a registration requirement is different from a pre-election durational residency requirement, which the VRA absolutely prohibits in presidential elections, 52 U.S.C. § 10502(c), and which impinges on fundamental rights to vote and travel, with no adequate justification, in all elections, Dunn, 405 U.S. at 343–60. Both the VRA and the U.S. Constitution protect voters from being denied the fundamental right to vote simply because they moved to a new address shortly before election day, if they otherwise comply with the state’s registration deadlines and other requirements.

(emphasis in original). Similar arguments could be made in South Dakota. We are keeping tabs on these cases as well.

Lana Knedlik 8/27/22 Lana Knedlik 8/27/22

Visiting Theodore Roosevelt National Park

After deciding to live full-time in our RV, our third major stop was Theodore Roosevelt National Park. It’s the only national park named after a single person.

When: Friday, July 22 to Wednesday, July 27, 2022 (five nights)
Where: The Crossings Campground (Belfield, North Dakota)
Cost: ~$180 total (with taxes and fees) (different rates for weekdays and weekends)
Beer: Phat Fish Brewing (Dickinson, North Dakota)
Bucket List: Theodore Roosevelt National Park

After deciding to live full-time in our RV, our third major stop was Theodore Roosevelt National Park. It’s the only national park named after a single person.

We loved it! We spent close to three days exploring the park. Here’s what we learned, and some things you may want to know.

About Teddy Roosevelt National Park

Before he became America’s 26th President, Theodore (“Teddy”) Roosevelt came to the North Dakota badlands in 1883. Born in in New York City to wealthy parents, Roosevelt struggled as a child with ill health such that he soon became an advocate of the strenuous life. While hunting bison in the Dakota Territory in 1883, Roosevelt fell in love with the badlands area near the Little Missouri River for its harsh beauty and rugged lifestyle. He built the Maltese Cross Ranch (now at the South Unit Visitor Center) a few miles south of Medora, North Dakota, but returned to New York to pursue his political career. When his wife gave birth to a daughter on February 12, 1884, all was going well for Roosevelt. But the just two days later, the unthinkable happened: both his wife and mother died on the same day. His mother succumbed to typhoid fever while Roosevelt’s wife died of an undiagnosed case of kidney failure.

Roosevelt sought solace once again in the badlands of North Dakota. That summer, he started building another ranch named Elkhorn about 35 miles north of Medora. He also wrote extensively about his adventures, publishing three books on his life in the West: Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail, Hunting Trips of a Ranchman and The Wilderness Hunter. After a severe winter in 1886-87 caused most of his cattle to starve, he returned to the east to pursue politics. His pursuit of conservation policies as the 26th President of the United States was influenced by his time in North Dakota. "I never would have been President if it had not been for my experiences in North Dakota,” he wrote.

While president from 1901-09, Roosevelt established the United States Forrest Service and helped create five new national parks: (1) Crater Lake, Oregon; (2) Wind Cave, South Dakota; (3) Sullys Hill, North Dakota (later re-designated a game preserve); (4) Mesa Verde, Colorado; and (5) Platt, Oklahoma (now part of Chickasaw National Recreation Area). The 1906 Antiquities Act also granted the president the authority to create national monuments on federal lands to protect significant natural, cultural, or scientific features. Under this new legislation, Roosevelt created eighteen new national monuments.

President Truman created Theodore Roosevelt National Memorial Park in 1947-48. In 1978, the area was given national park status and the name was changed to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Today, the national park includes three main areas. The South Unit is situated about 70 miles from the North Unit, and the Elkhorn Ranch lies between them. The three units are accessible from different routes so it is very difficult to see them all in one day.

The South Unit

Painted Canyon Visitor Center

Painted Canyon at Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Because we were driving from the east from nearby Belfield, North Dakota, our first stop was the Painted Canyon Visitor Center (Exit 32) just off Interstate 94. A sidewalk provides excellent views of the badlands, and a 1-mile nature trail provides visitors with a good feel for what to expect with the rest of the park. This was my FAVORITE SCENIC HIKE during our visit to Theodore Roosevelt National Park so if you have the time, make this a part of your itinerary.

Of note: This area is COMPLETELY FREE. However, there is not access to the South Unit's Scenic Drive, which begins 7 miles west in Medora and requires payment of the entry fee or a national parks pass.

South Unit Visitor Center

With an entrance situated right near a quaint (but touristy) part of Medora, the South Unit is were most folks will start their visit to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. A 36-mile scenic drive accessible from this entrance forms the core of the South Unit. There are several pull-outs along the route, and opportunities for hikes. Our stops included:

Wind Canyon Trail at Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Skyline Vista. A 0.2 mile-round trip on a paved path lead to gorgeous views of the Little Missouri River.
Peaceful Valley Ranch. We hiked about 0.3 miles to dip our feet in the Little Missouri River.
Wind Canyon Trail. A 0.4-mile loop next to a cliff edge provides more great views of the Little Missouri River. We saw a herd of bison crossing the river.
Buck Hill. A short 0.2-mile hike up the hill takes you to the highest accessible place in the park.
Coal Vein Nature Trail. This 0.8-mile loop highlights the coal veins that burned for years in the area. The National Park Service has a booklet that explains some of the numbered stops along the trail, and this was one of the most interesting/informative stops that we made.
Old East Entrance. This out-and-back 0.8-mile hike took us to the park’s original entrance and right through a large prairie dog town.

We were able to complete all of this in about 6-7 hours.

The Petrified Forest

Petrified Forest at Theodore Roosevelt National Park

The South Unit is also home to the third largest collection of petrified trees in the United States. On our second day visiting the national park, we drove about 10 miles from the Medora along Forest Service Roads 730 and 730-2 through private land to a small parking lot for a trailhead. From that parking lot, there are two petrified tree stump areas – each about 1.5 miles away. We randomly decided to head south at the fork to complete our 3-mile round trip journey. There’s an extended 10.5-mile loop as well, but we were not that ambitious.

Our trek took us through some pristine grasslands, a few hills, and finally to a distinctive area where the glistening tree stumps were readily apparent. These artifacts were formed when a forest was buried by a flood or volcanic ash, but there is not enough oxygen around for the tree to decompose. Groundwater moving through the silica-rich volcanic ash slowly replaced the organic compounds inside the trunks with quartz. Because the upper branches of the trees were not submerged and had sufficient oxygen for normal decay, only the stumps of the trees become petrified.

Our journey and exploration of the Petrified Forest lasted about 1/2 of a day.

The North Unit

The North Unit was about an hour drive from our campground and is not really near any towns, and perhaps its remoteness is why I liked it a little more than the South Unit. A 28 mile out-and-back scenic drive (14 miles each way) forms the core of the North Unit. Our stops included:

Cannonball Concretions. These perfect spheres of rock were my favorite geological features of the park. Visitors can climb the areas around the rocks. Unfortunately, many of the cannonballs have been defaced with grafitti.
Little Missouri Nature Trail. A paved 0.7-mile loop leads to the Little Missouri River. That loop can be extended for another 0.7-miles on an unpaved section. However, the Little Missouri Nature Trail also intersects the Buckhorn trail, which provides a shortcut to an overlook of the river that probably adds on only 0.3 miles. From that vantage, we watched a large herd of bison congregate a few hundred yards from the river. The National Park Service provided a booklet on the trail that explains some of the numbered stops along the trail.
Prairie Dog Town. A two-mile out-and-back trail (via the Caprock Coulee Trailhead to the Buckhorn trail; about one mile each way) trail takes you to a very busy prairie dog town. These dogs are perhaps the most docile I’ve ever encountered. We could get within just a few feet of them before they would dart into the ground. And, there were several mounds built directly on the trail itself!
Riverbend Overlook. A very short trail leads to a shelter built by the Civilian Conservation Corp in the 1930s. It’s a great stop to have lunch and take in the view.
Oxbow Overlook. The end of the scenic drive is an expansive vista accessible by short paved trail.

Our journey and exploration of the North Unit took about 6-7 hours.

Where To Stay By Theodore Roosevelt National Park

In our opinion, there are not a lot of good RV options in the area. especially for big rigs. Not surprisingly, neither the Juniper or Cottonwood campgrounds in the national park itself were big enough for our Entegra Accolade. In addition, neither of the national park campgrounds had any utility hook-ups.

The Crossings RV Campground in Belfield, North Dakota

We opted to stay at The Crossings RV Campground located in nearby Belfield, North Dakota. The location is great. Located near the intersection of I-94 and Highway 85, the Crossings is less than 25 minutes from the Medora South Unit entrance and is less than an hour to the North Unit entrance. Although there are full hook-ups, the campground is pretty bare-bones. There’s no shower house or bathroom facilities. There isn’t even a camp-host. During our stay, there were only a handful of other campers there, and we thoroughly enjoyed not having neighbors next to our site. For that reason and the location, we would definitely stay there again.

Other Nearby Activities

Medora is a total tourist town, which did not appeal to us. Instead, we opted to check out nearby Dickinson, North Dakota. Dickinson is about 20-25 minues from The Crossings Campground. We wanted to give a shout-out to two things in Dickinson.

Badlands Big Sticks

Teddy Roosevelt in the Mascot for the Badlands Big Sticsk

On our first night in the area, we took in a Badlands Big Sticks baseball game. We were suckered into a Teddy Roosevelt bobblehead give-away and purchased $13/person tickets right behind home plate on the day of the game. The team is part of the Independent League, a summer collegiate baseball league. Other teams include the Canyon County Spuds (Caldwell, ID), Casper Horseheads (Casper, WY), Fremont Moo (Fremont, NE), Hastings Sodbusters (Hastings, NE), Spearfish Sasquatch (Spearfish, SD), Western Nebraska Pioneers (Gering, NE), North Platte Plainsmen (North Platte, NE), Gem City Bison (Laramie, WY), and Nebraska Prospects (Omaha, NE) .

We didn’t know what to expect, but thoroughly enjoyed our time at the ballpark. We got to high-five a Teddy Roosevelt mascot roaming the stands, checked out the merch store, and gorged ourselves on reasonably priced ballpark food. And, we got our first taste of the Pronghorn Peach Wheat craft beer from Phat Fish Brewing for just $6 (which was just $4 during a ½-hour “happy hour” from 5:45 to 6:15 pm at the ballpark) . Yet, the best part was seeing all of the kids interact with the players. Little boys and girls joined the team for warm-up throws and even escorted the starting line-up onto the field. The team seemed so dedicated to its community and provided a wonderful experience for us as fans.

Phat Fish Brewing

Phat Fish Brewing in Dickinson is the only brewery for miles around. We did fall in love with the Pronghorn Peach Wheat during the game, so much so that we made another trip to Dickinson to visit the brewery. In addition to a great craft beer selection, the place has a full menu too. We enjoyed a never-ending pile of nachos that was so BIG we had to take home our entire pepperoni pizza. The brewery is also Harvest Hosts venue with plenty of room for big rigs. Don’t like craft beer? Well, Phat Fish is one of the only craft breweries we’ve visited that also serves domestic beers like Bud Light and Coors Light. In fact, a lot of the brewery’s signage (like the Harvest Host sign and table top menus) had Budweiser logos on them. Now, that’s an interesting partnership.

Phat Fish Brewing in Dickinson, North Dakota

Lana Knedlik 6/28/22 Lana Knedlik 6/28/22

Regular C RV vs. Super C RV - Why Did We Upgrade?

For about three years, we traveled the country for vacations and extended stays in our 2019 Jayco Greyhawk 31F, a “regular” Class C RV, which we purchased brand new in 2019 for around $85K (MSRP was ~142K at the time). We called her “Birdie,” and absolutely loved her. Yet, as soon as we made the crazy (but well-researched) decision to live in our RV on a full-time basis, one of the first things we did was get a new RV.

For about three years, we traveled the country for vacations and extended stays in our 2019 Jayco Greyhawk 31F, a “regular” Class C RV. We purchased that RV brand new in 2019 for around $85K (MSRP was ~$142K at the time). We called her “Birdie,” and absolutely loved her. Yet, as soon as we made the crazy (but well-researched) decision to live in our RV on a full-time basis, we knew we needed to get a new RV.

Hold on. This was 2022, and that meant that we couldn’t just walk into an RV dealership, test-drive one, and buy the RV that we wanted. Instead, we had to order the RV – sight unseen – from an RV dealership that we had never dealt with before. Yep, we didn’t have the luxury of walking through the RV we thought we wanted. We were going to be dropping some serious bank on this RV too – like $250K-ish – so this also seemed a little crazy.

We researched EVERYTHING we could about types of RVs, and tried to make sure we weren’t making a mistake.

What are the Classes of RVs?

There are various types of RVs: Class A, Class B, and Class C are all motorhomes, i.e., they come on a chassis with a motor. Fifth wheels, travel trailers, toy-haulers, pop-up campers, and truck campers don’t have a motor so we would have needed a big truck to tow them with. We knew we wanted a motorhome so that we could continue to tow our Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk behind us. Based on our prior research (see our 2019 blog “We Married Up to a Class C Motorhome”), we felt comfortable sticking with a Class C motorhome.

What is a Super C RV vs a “Regular” Class C RV?

Class C RVs are built on chassis similar to a pickup truck or a box truck. The engine is always in the front and they have a signature cab-over design that provides storage or sleeping space above the driver/passenger area.

“Super” Cs are simply just bigger and more bad-ass than a regular C. People argue about what makes something a “Super C.” One commonality is that that a Super C RV runs on diesel instead of gasoline. Usually, they are built on a Freightliner or International chassis. Some of the major Super Cs manufacturers on the market are:

Thor (Inception and Pasedena)
Nexus (Triumph SC, Wraith, Ghost, Rebel 4x4)
Dynamax (Europa, Force, DX3, Dynaquest XL)
Jayco (Seneca and Seneca Prestige)
Entegra (Accolade and Accolade XL)
Renegade (Verona, Verona LE, Valencia, Ikon, Explorer, Classic)
Newmar (Supreme Aire, Superstar)
Showhauler
1492 Coachworks

Some of these manufacturers also build what some call “mini” or “baby” Super Cs – which are usually on a diesel-driven Ford or Ram chassis have a smaller footprint (e.g., Thor Omni, Thor Magnitude, Dynamax Istata 5, Renegade Veracruz). Others Class C RVs are built on a diesel-powered Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis (e.g., Dynamax Istata 3, Renegade Vienna, Jayco Melbourne and Melborne Prestige, Entegra Qwest) with an even smaller footprint. Most people do not consider these to be “Super C” RVs because of the size though.

For us, it was “Go Big” AND “Go Home". We ended up purchasing a 2022 Entegra Accolade XL 37L. The bunkhouse floor plan we like is very similar to the Greyhawk 31F except the Accolade is just A LOT more “super.”

2019 Jayco Greyhawk 31F bunkhouse floorplan

2022 Entegra Accolade XL 37L bunkhouse floorplan

Comparing a Regular C to a Super C RV

To give you an idea about the differences between regular C and a Super C RV, here’s a comparison of the specifications for our Jayco Greyhawk vs. the Entegra Accolade XL 37L Super C we purchased:

	Jayco Greyhawk 37L (2019) “Regular” C RV	Entegra Accolade XL 37L (2022) Super C
ENGINE
Chassis	Ford E450	Freightliner S2RV
Engine	Triton® 6.8L EFI V-10	Cummins® ISB 6.7L
Horsepower	305 hp @ 4,250 RPM	360 hp @ 2,600 RPM
Torque	420 ft-lbs @ 3,250 RPM	800 ft-lb @ 1,800 RPM
Fuel Tank	55-gal gasoline	100-gal diesel
DIMENSIONS
Length	32.5 ft	39.33 ft.
Height	11.67 ft	13.33 ft
Wheel Base	18.58 ft	23.25 ft
TOWING
Towing Capacity	7,500 lbs	12,000 lbs
GVWR	14,500 lbs	31,000 lbs
OCCC*	1488 lbs	5133 lbs
HOLDING TANKS
Freshwater Tank	47 gal	72.0 gal
Gray Tank	41 gal	81.0 gal (2 tanks – 50 and 31 gal)
Black Tank	32 gal	50.0 gal
POWER
Electric	30 amp	50 amp
Generator	Onan 4000	Onan 8000 W with auto-gen start
Heating Source	13.2 gal propane	40,000 btu/hr Aqua-Hot 250D
Inverter	1000 W	2000 W
Air Conditioners	Two 15,000 btu	Two 15,000 btu with heat pumps
Solar	Solar-ready	Yes – 190W panel
MISCELLANEOUS
Slides	1	3
Paint	Stickers	Full-body paint
Awning	18 ft	19' 8" (Girard “armless”)
Washer/Dryer	No	Yes - Whirlpool
Refrigerator	Norcold Absorption (12 cubic feet)	Whirlpool Residential (21 cubic feet) with ice maker
Cooking	Propane Stove	Induction cooktop (electric)
Floors	Vinyl	Ceramic – Heated floors
Fireplace	No	Yes – 5000 Btu
Bed	Queen	King
Power cord reel	No	Yes
Outdoor TV	No	Yes
*OCCC= Occupant and Cargo Carrying Capacity (yellow sticker on door)

Entegra Accolade XL 37L — At NIRVC in LaVergne, Tennessee

Check out that horsepower, torque, and OCCC! That is what really makes the RV a Super C!

Jayco Seneca vs. Entegra Accolade

Jayco Senecas and Entegra Accolade are basically the EXACT same RVs – just a different brand. In fact, both brands say “Jayco” as the manufacturer on the title. For a given model, the MSRP is the same. The floor plans are the same. Entegra has been owned by Jayco since 2008. In 2016, Thor Industries acquired Jayco, and that sale included the Entegra coach lines. I’ve been a member of both of the owner groups on Facebook for at least a year, and from what I can tell, the build quality is quite similar for both brands.

The main differences between Senecas and the Accolades are the exterior paint schemes and the interior designs. The only reason that we picked and Accolade over the Seneca is that we liked the color schemes of the Accolade marginally better.

Jayco Seneca Prestige and the Entegra Accolade XL Upgrades

Both Jayco and Entegra allow buyers to purchase an upgraded model. Jayco calls their upgraded model the Seneca Prestige, while Entegra has named their model the Accolade XL. The MSRP for our upgraded rig was around $366K (May 2022 purchase) , but we were able to find two dealerships that offered OVER 30% off of MSRP.

At the time of this blog, the major differences between the base model and the upgraded model for the 37L bunkhouse design were the following:

Jayco Seneca Entegra Accolade	Jayco Seneca Prestige Entegra Accolade XL
Regular steering wheel	Tilt and telescoping steering wheel
Overhead storage above sofa	Overhead storage above sofa and dinette
Standard awning	Girard “armless” awning
Glue-down vinyl flooring	Porcelain tile flooring
Propane heat source	Aquahot tankless water heater
No heated floors	Heated floors (including the basement storage area) because of the Aquahot system
Combo washer-dryer	Separate washer and dryer

Another important difference between the base model and the upgrade model is the factory lines where the units are made. Both are made at the Jayco manufacturing plant in Middlebury, Indiana. The upgraded Prestige/XL models are manufactured in the same building as the expensive Entegra Class A diesel pushers— reportedly because they all contain tile flooring. In contrast, the base models are made in the same building with other Jayco motorized units, including the Jayco Greyhawk. Put another way, the Prestige/XL models made on the same line as $500K-$800K RVs where as the base model Accolades/Senecas are likely the most expensive rigs in their plant.

(2023 Update/Addendum: After writing this blog, we took a tour of both manufacturing facilities. My personal opinion is that the quality control is better on the Prestige/XL line compared to the base model line.)

The upgrades increase the MSRP about $30K. Although pricey, we are VERY happy with these upgrades.

Because we are both vertically challenged, the ability to move the steering wheel is not just nice, but also makes us feel safer.
I love that our overhead storage in the living area DOUBLES!
While I was a little worried about how porcelain title flooring might hold up in and RV – basically a moving box jiggling down the road – so far, so good. (Our rig came with extra tile.)
Because we will inevitably encounter some colder weather, we are very much looking forward to the heated floors. We didn’t even have heated floors in our sticks-and-bricks house so I think this will feel like true luxury. There is annual maintenance that must be performed on the Aquahot system, but it seems fairly straightforward.
I actually look forward do doing laundry now. The washer and dryer units are small, but that just means we end up doing a load about every other day. We did sacrifice some closet space for the separate units, but we’ve found other places to store our clothes.

For now, we think that the extra money is worth it. We’ve had our new RV for about 2 months so only time will tell.

2024 Update: Here’s a list of issues we had with BIG LADY during our first two years of ownership:
(1) Aquahot - 3-way valve broke (mobile tech fixed)
(2) Aquahot - Reservoir cracked (mobile tech fixed)
(3) Aquahot - Replaced thermocouple (mobile tech fixed)
(4) Aquahot heat won't run off batteries. We have to turn on the generator for it to fire when boondocking (somehow, the issue seemed to resolve itself)
(5) Two cracked tiles (barely noticeable)
(6) Overspray paint issues & some touch-ups on paint job (came like that from factory)
(7) Paint on caulk fell off (especially around outdoor TV)
(8) In-floor heat stopped working (we repaired ourselves; faulty thermocouple located in tile accessed through fireplace)
(9) Fresh water tank sagged. Jayco tried to “fix” it, but not to our satisfaction
(10) Dinette window once leaked at bottom during a heavy storm (only one time)
(11) Entry door flaps while driving (we fixed ourselves)
(12) Bedroom (Schwintek) slide tracks are off by about 1/4” (minor adjustment)
(13) Dryer outlet stopped working (fixed at Jayco factory)
(14) Bedroom slide topper screws sheared (we removed slide topper; slide topper was reinstalled at Jayco factory)
(15) Passenger side camera stopped working (“fixed: at Jayco factory, although it periodically stops working and we have to check the connection)
(16) Freightliner valve stem recall (fixed by Freightliner)
(17) DEF header failure (fixed by Freightliner)
(18) Motor on our large slide went out (we replace ourselves)

We have a warranty repair appointment with our dealer scheduled for September 2024. We tried to schedule with Jayco/Entegra, but the appointments must be scheduled 6 months in advance and fill up within minutes. (We sent our email at 12:00 am PST on 4/1, but did not make the cut we failed to account for the fact that Middlebury Indiana is EST). We may just end up living with some of the cosmetic issues like the paint and tile.

DISCLAIMER: WE ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH JAYCO OR ENTEGRA. PLEASE DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH ON AN RV THAT WORKS FOR YOU.

Lana Knedlik 6/27/22 Lana Knedlik 6/27/22

How We Monitor the Temperature in our RV to Protect Our Dogs from Excessive Heat

In June 2022, we were staying at the Roadrunner RV park in Oklahoma City. While we were brewery-hopping one VERY HOT afternoon, we got the call that we hoped would never happen: the power went out at the RV park, and our dogs were in danger because of excessive heat.

Our dogs - Percy, Earl, Sophie, Billie, and Earlene

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT TECHNICAL ADVICE. WE ARE SIMPLY SHARING SOME OF OUR EXPERIENCES ABOUT THE PET MONITORING DEVICES WE HAVE OWNED. DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH AND CONSULT WITH PROFESSIONALS.

Our Story

In June 2022, we were staying at the Roadrunner RV park in Oklahoma City. While we were brewery-hopping one VERY HOT afternoon, we got the call that we hoped would never happen: the power went out at the RV park, and our dogs were in danger because of excessive heat. We rushed back to the campground, which was — luckily — only about 20 minutes away. We discovered that in less than an hour, the temperature in the RV had risen about 10 degrees (up to ~86°F). The dogs the dogs were okay though. The power wasn’t restored until over three hours later so it could have been much worse. We had a WiFi-based temperature monitoring system (more on that below) so we never got an alert. Naturally, that experience made us take another look at the temperature monitoring devices to make sure that we were keeping our dogs safe.

OG&E has a handy power outage map. We could readily see that the RV park was the only thing affected. The power finally came back on close to 9 pm.

Here's what we found:

There are two main types of RV pet temperature monitors: those operating on WiFi (which we owned) and those using a cellular network (which we ended up buying).

WiFi Pet Temperature Monitors

Our Govee read 86 degrees when we got back to the RV.

Govee WiFi Thermometer Hygrometer H5051, Bluetooth Indoor Temperature Humidity Monitor with App Notification Alert, Smart Humidity Sensor for Greenhouse Wine Cellar, 2 Years Free Data Storage Export Buy on Amazon

A WiFi pet temperature monitor connects to the internet via WiFi to send alerts and relay information. In 2020, when we first started RVing (mostly for vacations), we purchased the Govee WiFi Thermometer Hygrometer H5051. It’s a great device. If the temperature or humidity exceeds a preset limit, then we get a notification to our phone. We can also check the current temperature and humidity on the device’s display (which we mounted to the wall near the thermostat) or using the Govee Mobile app. The device is quite handy for getting real time data back at the RV when we are out and about and want to make sure the dogs are okay.

The Govee – like all WiFi-based devices -- needs a reliable internet connection to work. The device could use either (1) the RV park’s WiFi, (2) a standalone internet router, or (3) a mobile hot spot. Each of those internet sources has its own drawbacks.

*RV Park WiFi.

While the RV park’s internet is likely free, the connection is also probably spotty and inconsistent. Moreover, if an RV park’s power goes out, then the RV park’s WiFi will likely be out as well. Lastly, it is a little cumbersome to have to reprogram the temperature monitor at each campground to use the park’s WiFi.

*Standalone Internet Router.

Even if the RV owner has a standalone internet router, those devices are expensive — costing hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. Moreover, the router itself needs to be powered somehow. Thus, an electrical issue that results in a loss of power to the router will corresponding clause a loss of function to the Govee.

*Mobile Hot Spot.

A battery-powered mobile hotspot/jetpack is probably the best way to provide a WiFi pet temperature monitor with a consistent internet signal. That is an added montly expense (especially if for someone who uses their RV only a few weeks out of the year), and the cost of mobile hotspot plans varies widely.

When we bought the Govee in 2020, we configured it so that it would obtain internet from our standalone internet router, a Pepwave MAX Transit PrimeCare Router. For the Pepwave to function, it needs to be powered by either a 12V power source or a 110V outlet using the Pepwave’s A/C adaptor. When we connected the Pepwave to our 12V system, we found that it quickly drained our chassis battery via the cigarette lighter port — probably because it is constantly collecting data. Thus, we opted to connect the Pepwave to a 110V outlet since we were primarily using it when we were at a campground that had inadquate WiFi. We were also in the habit of keeping our inverter off unless we were boondocking (and then only turning the inverter when we really needed it). Thus, when the power went out at the RV park, the Pepwave lost power as well. The GoVee no longer had its WiFi source and we did not get a notification that something was wrong. When the campground notified us of its power outage, we could see that the Govee had last obtained temperature/humidity data about an hour before.

Had the Pepwave been directly connected to a 12V power source OR had our inverter been on, the internet likely would have kept functioning for awhile and the Govee would have ultimately sent us an alert. Of course, if there was a major issue with the RV’s electrical system (like the inverter stopped working), then we still would have had a problem.

Lesson learned.

Screen shot of the Govee moble app. The red arrows show that the data last updated at 5:11 pm. The green arrow shows that the WiFi signal was lost.

Cellular Pet Temperature Monitors

MarCELL PRO Cellular Monitoring System (Verizon) Buy on Amazon

A cellular pet temperature monitor comes with its own cellular data subcription plan. Although these are generally more reliable than a WiFi connection, these types of monitors are typically more expensive to maintain because they come with subscription fees to maintain the mobile cellular service.

After our scare in Oklahoma City, we purchased the MarCELL PRO Cellular Monitoring System, which works on either AT&T or Verizon. Our data plan is $14.95 per month (Verizon), and that is cheaper than any mobile hotspot plan that we could get for the GoVee. The device sends us an altert if there’s a power outage or our predetermined temperature or humidity levels are exceeded. We can choose to get an alert via text message, phone call and/or, email. The MarCELL checks the conditions very close to real-time as well.

The MarCELL app contains an abundance of data too. Historical data is uploaded to the cloud every 8 hours so we can view it online. We get a few free “instant updates” each month, but after those are used, we have to pay a little extra. And I literally mean just “little” extra — each update averages about 25 cents.

The MarCELL is powered by an AC current, but will function when the power is out for up to 48 hours because of a rechargeable back-up battery.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

Our dogs are the most important thing we have in our RV. The Govee is a good option to monitor the temperature of the RV, especially for part-timers who don’t want to pay a monthly fee. For full-timers like us, we think that the more expensive cellular systems are worth it.

Because we already owned the GoVee and it costs nothing to operate it, we still use it in addition to the MarCELL. We did some further research on our particular RV and its inverter, and now feel comfortable just keeping the inverter on all of the time so the Govee should function as long as the inverter is working — even if the power goes out. Nonetheless, we like the redundancy of having both a WiFi pet monitoring system and a cellular based system.

Keep in mind that neither system works if our phones are not able to get an alert. We often like exploring remote areas where cell service or WiFi is non-existent, including parts of many national parks. In such a case, we make it a habit to check the GoVee as soon as we get to a part of the park where we can utilize the mobile app. In some cases, we can double check that data by using one of the “instant updates” from the MarCELL.

There are several devices similar to the Govee and the MarCELL on the market. We aren’t techy experts on the latest and greatest so be sure and check out what is on the market when you get ready to protect your pets. Moreover, it’s important to understand how each device works, how it is powered, and how that fits with your RV habits and lifestyle. Hopefully you will have learned from some of our mistakes.

PS: What About Other Doggie Devices?

There are a few other “doggie devices” that we use regularly in the RV.

*Security Cameras

We decided to use the Reolink security cameras that we previously used in our sticks-and-bricks in the RV. Much like the Govee, we can watch and even talk to the dogs using the Reolink mobile app — as long as there is a good WiFi signal at the RV. One of our dogs will sometimes exhibit really bad separation anxiety, and it is nice to be able to check on him to see if he is panting, pacing, or stressed.

*White Noise Machine

We also have a white noise machine to help block the campground noises and reduce the amout of barking.

*Ultrasonic Sound Generator

We occasionally use an ultrasonic device to help the dogs stop barking when we are away from the RV. Dogs tend to get used to the sound and then stop responding to it. Thus, we’ve learned that it is best to use the ultrasonic device every now and then and not every time we leave the RV.

Indoor Security Camera, Reolink 5MP Super HD Plug-in WiFi Camera with Pan Tilt Zoom/ Motion Alerts, Ideal for Baby Monitor/ Pet Camera/Home Security, Dual Band WiFi, Multiple Storage Options, E1 Zoom Buy on Amazon

White Noise Generator, Rain Sound Machine for Sleeping, Baby Soother - Portable White Noise Machine for Office Privacy & Noise Canceling, Sound Machine Battery Operated or Plug-in Nature Noise Maker Buy on Amazon

Teptec Dog Barking Control Devices with Dual Ultrasonic Speakers, Stronger Rechargeable Anti-Bark Device for Outdoor Waterproof and Indoor, Dog Barking Deterrent Safe for Human & Dogs Buy on Amazon

Safe travels to you and your four-legged friends!

DISCLAIMERS: PLEASE DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH. WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR RIG! We are NOT affiliated with any of these manufacturers and just want to share our experiences about the products and project in this blog. We do get a very small commission at no cost to you if you use one of the Amazon Links (a/k/a beer money).

Lana Knedlik 6/20/22 Lana Knedlik 6/20/22

Top Things to Do in Oklahoma City

After selling our home in Columbia Missouri to live full-time in our RV, our first stop was OKLAHOMA CITY! I realize that most people don’t think of this fly-over state and red-dirt town as much of a destination. However, Oklahoma City has been on our bucket list for a long time. So…what is there to do in Oklahoma City? WE STAYED THERE A MONTH TO FIND OUT!

When: May 26 to June 26, 2022
Where: Roadrunner RV Park, Oklahoma City (they don’t have a website)
Cost: $660/month
Biking: West River Trail and Lake Overholser Trail
Bucket Lists: Women’s College World Series

#1: Visit one of the FREE Public Gardens

Oklahoma City offers residents and visitors some AMAZING public outdoor spaces. Here’s our top three picks:

Scissortail Park

Scissortail Park is a massive outdoor 36-acre public space located just by the Oklahoma City Thunder arena in downtown Oklahoma City. Another adjacent 34 acres is currently under construction, and the two spaces will be linked by the SkyDance Pedestrian Bridge. That iconic bridge, which spans Interstate-40, was inspired by Oklahoma’s state bird, the scissor-tailed flycatcher. According to the website, the Park project budget was $132 million.

Skydance Pedestrian Bridge connecting Scissortail Park in Oklahoma City

The city opened the park in 2019, and WOW—this park was designed so that there is something for everyone! The space is filled with native trees, flowering perennials and walking trails. The grounds include a very large children’s play area, splash park, and an Event Pavilion where we saw everything from roller skaters and Zumba lessons. Hungry? Check out the lakeside café located at the Scissortail Boathouse known as The Perch for some decent grub (sandwiches, wraps, salads, hot dogs, pretzels, and other snacks). On weekends, The Spark near the amphitheater also serves burgers, fries, and ice cream.

We visited Scissortail Park on close to a dozen occasions – for early morning walks, for the Saturday Farmers Market, and for the annual gay pride celebration in June. It truly is a park where there is something for everyone to enjoy!

For more on Scissortail Park, check out an exerpt from our video.

Myriad Botanical Gardens

Myriad Botanical Gardens is a 15-acre free public garden located in the heart of downtown Oklahoma City. The garden contains numerous flowering perennials, small dog park, a children’s play area (with climbing structures and a carousel), several sculptures, and an outdoor amphitheater – all that surround a sunken lake that a few ducks, geese, and fish call home. During our visit in June 2022, the indoor Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory was closed for a $10M renovation, but the walking paths throughout the outdoor space kept us busy exploring for a couple of hours. In fact, the gardens were so beautiful that went back to Myriad repeatedly. While the outdoor space is free to visit, the indoor conservatory does charge a fee and is expected to reopen in the fall of 2022.

Take a video tour of Myriad Gardens.

Will Rogers Gardens

Will Rogers Gardens is a 30-acre free public garden that dates back to the 1930s. During our visit on a very windy day in May 2022, the iris garden was already done for the season, but many of the daylilies were still in bloom. Interestingly, there were also numerous cacti and other succulents near the entrance – plants that I usually associate with drier and more southern climates. Walking paths took us by a couple of lakes, over bridges, several outdoor sculptures, and through manicured gardens. Perhaps my favorite part of greenspace were the fairy and birdhouses tucked in all of the trees.

The Ed Lycan Conservatory, which contained mostly succulents, was named after the first employee for the Oklahoma City Parks Department. We saw several local volunteers tending to the plants throughout the grounds, and it was obvious that these historic gardens are loved by many Oklahoma Citians.

Check out this video excerpt for more on Will Rogers Gardens.

Birdhouses and Fairy Houses in Will Rogers Gardens

#2: Remember at the Oklahoma City National Memorial

Memorial Day at the Oklahoma City National Memorial in Oklahoma City

It seems odd to call the Oklahoma City National Memorial a “bucket list” experience, but it was for me. For many folks of my generation, the April 19, 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was what the Kennedy assassination was to our parents: an act of violence that exposed some systemic failures in our country, but also an event that brought the country together in unprecedented ways. I was a law student at the University of Kansas at the time, and the fact that this happened in a midwestern city struck very close to home.

Prior to visiting the Oklahoma City National Memorial, we watched the 2017 PBS documentary Oklahoma City so that we could refresh our memories on some of the finer details of what happened and so that we could get more out of our visit. That film chronicles how the events of an over-zealous government at Ruby Ridge and Waco ultimately lead Timothy McVeigh to park that Ryder truck at the Murrah building and commit the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in America’s history. Although the documentary does not lose sight of the people who died the bombing, the first responders, and the aftermath, much of the documentary is devoted to McVeigh and his old army buddies - Terry Nichols, who helped build the bomb, and Michael Fortier, who was aware of the bomb plot. The film won was nominated for an Emmy and won a Peabody so is worth your time prior to visiting if you have the time.

During our month-long stay in Oklahoma City, we visited the Memorial three times. The first was over Memorial Day weekend, and the crowds were so thick that we decided to just visit the outdoor area and visit the indoor museum on another day.

I was immediately overwhelmed with emotion as I encountered the chain link Memorial Fence covered in stuffed animals, pictures, notes, trinket, flowers, and other items that have been left by visitors over the years. We climbed a few stairs to the Memorial grounds, which includes two massive monuments – one marked 9:01 and the other 9:03 – that flank a large shallow reflecting pool. These “Gates of Time” frame the moment of destruction – 9:02 – when the world forever changed.

The Fence at the Oklahoma City National Memorial

Oklahoma City National Memorial - 9:01 am marks the time before everything changed.

The Field of Chairs is equally moving; those 168 empty chairs that represent those who were lost in the bombing, including 19 smaller chairs representing the children killed. Arranged in nine rows like the nine floors of the building, each person’s each person's chair is on the row (or the floor) on which the person worked or was located when the bomb detonated. The western edge of includes five chairs representing the five persons who died but were not in the Murrah Building at the time of the blast: two in the Water Resources Board building, one in the Athenian Building, one outside near the building, and one first responder. American flags were posted at each chair in honor of Memorial Day.

Near the “9:01” monument is the Survivors’ Wall. Granite panels salvaged from the Murrah Building are inscribed with more than 600 survivor names from blast. They include people from the nearby First United Methodist Church, St. Joseph’s Old Cathedral, AAA Loans, YMCA Building, Journal Record Building, Oklahoma Water Resources Board Meeting, a local law firm, and others. It is important to show that the blast affected so many that call themselves survivors.

We climbed a grassy terrace to then see the Survivor Tree – a large elm tree that survived bombing. Seeds from the tree are harvested each year and distributed on the anniversary of the bombing so there are thousands of the tree’s descendants now in existence.

We visited the outdoor memorial a few weeks later on a weekday evening. That visit was a more moving experience than our first time. We were able to experience the Memorial without the crowds, and also see the Field of Chairs lit at night with the cross from St. Joseph’s Old Cathedral watching over. The Gates of Time are illuminated as well. By that time, we had also already visited the indoor museum and could put the outdoor space into better context.

PRO TIP: VISIT THE OKLAHOMA CITY NATIONAL MEMORIAL AT DUSK.

Old St. Joseph’s Cathedral Overlooks the Field of Chairs at the Oklahoma City National Memorial

The indoor museum costs $15/person and was worth it. While the documentary Oklahoma City focuses largely on McVeigh and the bombing itself, the museum’s focus takes a much deeper dive into the building’s namesake, the victims, the first responders, and the recovery efforts, including that immediately after the bombing, the building of the memorial, and the city’s decades-long resurgence. The museum is one of the best I’ve ever visited.

Here’s a video exerpt about our time at the Oklahoma City National Memoral and museum.

#3: See Some Color on the Plaza Walls

Did you know that USA Today ranks Oklahoma City #1 in the nation for street art? A big part of that ranking is probably the Plaza Walls, a curated, rotating mural project in the Plaza District of Oklahoma City managed and produced by The Oklahoma Mural Syndicate. Dozens of vibrant murals line the ally-ways and building walls of this funky little part of Oklahoma City. The murals are constantly changing too – so the area is worth revisiting every now and then to see what new art is in store! We actually saw one of the murals being re-painted!

The murals are 100% funded by non-profits and volunteers (no city, state or federal funding). A huge THANK YOU to the artists and sponsors who make public art a priority. We truly appreciate you!

Check out this video excerpt about the Plaza Walls!

#4: Bike To and/or Around Lake Overholser

Oklahoma City is home to a growing recreational trail system. During our month-long stay, we rode our electric bikes about a half-dozen times to explore the city. Our favorite ride included the following route:

Ferris Wheel and “OKC” Sign in the Wheeler District of Oklahoma City

Start at the Ferris Wheel and the iconic OKC sign in the Wheeler District
Take the Oklahoma River Trail westward (about 5 miles)
Merge into the West River Trail and head west, passing Crystal Lake
Continue on the West River Trail as it goes northward along the North Canadian River
Connect up with the Overholser Trail and continue north
Stop at the Overholser Dam for a photo op or water break (it’s HOT in OKC, and we always needed water!)
Bike over the Old Route 66 Bridge (west) on what is now Overholser Drive
Continue biking around Overholser Lake and stop at the Route 66 Park near NW 23rd Street for another rest or water break
Take the County Line Road to south to 10th Street
·Complete the loop around Overholser Lake by taking 10th Street east to connect up with the trail (this is a busy street, but is only a mile or so)
Take the West River Trail and Oklahoma River Trail back the starting point.

In terms of planning a route, we found this map to be quite helpful.

Our advice is to avoid the Grand Boulevard and the Will Rogers Trails, which together bisect the city in a north-south direction. Those urban trails are well-maintained, but numerous intersections created a lot of stop-and-starts, and the folks in vehicles did not seem cognizant of bikers. We also though that the loop around Lake Hefner was largely a bust; mostly that was because there we ate a bunch of bugs biking on the western side of the lake.

#5: Stroll Along the Bricktown Canal

Oklahoma Land Run Monument in Oklahoma City

Bricktown is a 50-block entertainment district in the heart of downtown Oklahoma City where restaurants, bars, shops, and other businesses centered around the Bricktown canal. From Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill to the Coyote Ugly Saloon to the Bricktown 16 Movie Theatre, the area screams “tourist!.” Despite this, walking along the canal is worth doing if you have the time. There’s a put-put course and Ferris wheel on one corner for the kids. Other things worth doing in the Bricktown district include:

· Catching an Oklahoma City Dodgers game at the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, home of the AAA Dodgers affiliate.

· Sampling a flight of beers at Bricktown Brewery.

· Seeing the Oklahoma Land Run Monument near the south end that helps you visualize what “Boomer Sooner” is all about.

#6: Grab a Drink at an OKC Brewery!

Oklahoma City has an amazing craft beer scene! During our time there, we stopped by over 20 breweries in the area. Many of the breweries are listed in Beer Hop OKC and we picked up one of the guides at our first brewery stop (Broke Brewing). The guide is great, because it provides information like whether the brewery serves food, allows dogs, and the kid policy. There are also handy maps in the guide as well. The Oklahoma Brewers Association has a Oklahoma Craft Beer Trail mobile app where you can check in to the venues as well (we kept forgetting to use the app though).

While it’s hard to pick out our favorite breweries, the following deserve a special shout-out:

Crossed Timbers Brewing in Oklahoma City — Two Pickle Beers!

Crossed Timbers Brewing was serving up TWO pickle beers. The Bob Dillin is a sessionable Dill Pickle Gose packed full of real dill pickle flavor, and his cranky sibling, Angry Bob Dillin', keeps the beer music humming a little louder with jalapeno and serrano peppers! (Check out more
Oklahoma City pickle beers).
The décor in Vanessa House Beer Co a mixture of 80s toys and super-heroes. I loved sipping on our flight, including my my Broken Tile hazy IPA, while looking at E.T. and a ninja turtle. Yet, the “Slush Fund” smooth sours were the true heroes of this brewery. We sampled the Lucky Punch Slush Fund (pink guava, mango, and vanilla smoothie sour) and walked away with a can of the Bananna Sunrise Slush Fund (banana, orange, pineapple, and a touch of pomegranate smoothie sour), courtesy of our favorite beertender in the area.
Our second favorite beertender called Coop Ale Works home. She knew all of the locals in the taproom, and made us feel at home. Since 2009, COOP has created a core lineup of seven year-round beers, four seasonal beers, and various limited and barrel-aged releases. We had tried their F5 IPA in cans before, and the stuff on tap was even better. We marveled at the plans for the new brewery that will be built in the historic 23rd Street Armory block, along with a hotel, event center and restaurant. The taproom paid homage to some classic beers in its can collections so it was fun to look at what people used to drink before the craft beer craze.

Flight at Vanessa House in Oklahoma City

Coop Ale Works pays homage to classic beers

#7: Support Local Artists at Factory Obscura’s Mixed Tape

OKC is home to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art and the Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, we think that Factory Obscura's Mixed Tape is the best bet for art lovers. After entering the 6000 ft2 collaborative art space through an ear, visitors are invited to experience several interactive art installations, each with a different music and mood. For example, there’s a love tunnel with spirals of valentines on the wall with a range of teenage emotions that lead to a teen girl’s bedroom that reminds me of my angst and obsession for the latest music. Another large room reminds me of an “Under the Sea” prom theme.

A ”Somebody’s Watching You” sign leads to a live feed of other people in an art space. We originally thought there was another room at Mixed Tape that was the source of the feed, but later figured out that the video was from the Meow Wolf’s Santa Fe location, which we had visited about six months ago. We loved that artists from different metro areas communicate and collaborate in real time!

Mixed Tape ($20/person) is substantially smaller than Meow Wolf ($42/person) but the overall vibe is similar. We like supporting the local art community and hope that it can grow.

Mixed Tape provides each visitor with a pair of refractive glasses, and the certainly add to the experience. We geeked out and experienced each rooms with and without the glasses.

For more on Factory Obsura’s Mixed Tape, check out an exerpt from our video.

#8: Attend the Women’s College World Series (or an OU Softball Game)!

BUCKET LIST ALERT! To many like me, Oklahoma City is the home of softball. Since 1990, thousands of athletes and fans flock to Oklahoma in early June for the annual Women’s College World Series (“WCWS”). Today, the series is comprised of eight teams that make it from a field of 64 NCAA-selected tournament teams. The series format involves two four-team double-elimination brackets. The winners of each bracket then compete in a best-two-of-three series to crown the champion.

We bought our tickets eight months in advance, hoping that our beloved Mizzou Tigers would make the final eight teams. The Tigers came up short, but we were still SUPER EXCITED to see the teams that made it: Arizona, Florida, Northwestern, Oregon State, UCLA, Texas, Oklahoma State, and Oklahoma.

While Arizona (1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2006, 2007 championships) and UCLA (1982, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2010, 2019 championships) have both been powerhouses in the past, today the clear dominant team is the University of Oklahoma Sooners (2000, 2013, 2016, 2017, and 2021 championships). Talk about bats! The team’s #9 hitter bats over .400! Those girls put the BOOM into BOOMER SOONER!

Jocelyn Alo on the Scoreboard at the Women’s College World Series

The player that I most wanted to watch was OU designated hitter Jocelyn Alo, This year, she smashed the NCAA all-time home run record with 122, leads the NCCA in slugging percentage (1.212), and batted a whopping .512 this year. She is just one of those elite athletes where the stats don’t lie. I was excited to watch her make history at the Women’s College World Series, and Alo did not disappoint. During the WCWS, Alo batted .667 (12 for 18) with five home runs, 12 runs scored, and 13 RBIs.

Not surprisingly, Oklahoma won the WCWS in 2022, and Alo was named the MVP for the series. While OU lost one game to UCLA, that game was probably the best game of the series. OU ultimately defeated Big 12 rival (soon to be SEC rival) Texas in the championship series. Given that OU’s home is just twenty minutes away in nearby Norman, Oklahoma, the stadium was packed with red from fans. It was hard…really hard…not to become an OU softball fan over the course of the series given the excellent play and the fan enthusiasm. BOOMER SOONER!

If you cannot make (or afford) tickets to the WCWS, the next best thing is to take a drive to Norman Oklahoma to see the Sooners in one of their regular season games. While you are there, be sure and check out the University' of Oklahoma’s campus and some of its amazing architecture!

We document all of that and more in our video.

Lana Knedlik 6/17/22 Lana Knedlik 6/17/22

Norman Oklahoma

When visiting a new city, we love to check out the local universities. Because I had become a bandwagon OU fan during the Women’s College World Series, we naturally had to make a pilgrimage to nearby Norman, Oklahoma, where the University of Oklahoma resides. Norman was about a 20-minute drive from the Roadrunner RV park, where we were staying in Oklahoma City.

The University of Oklahoma

Much like Oklahoma City itself, the University of Oklahoma in Norman is a sprawling campus! Yet, the campus pays homage to its history in ways we haven’t readily noticed at other institutions. Specifically, most of the buildings have an information plaque, including some interesting tidbits on the building’s namesake (usually a past president of the institution) and its historical significance. We learned about numerous campus fires, naming controversies (like Edwin Debarr’s involvement in the KKK), and the evolution of what subjects were taught in the building. The façade on many of the red brick buildings contain intricate carvings that relate to the history as well. Evans Hall, which is home to both the President’s Office and Office of the Provost, contains some really creepy looking past presidents in the exterior. Can you spot them in this photo?

Great Reading Room in the Bizzell Library at the Universtiy of Oklahoma. George McLaurin was not allowed to use this room.

The Bizzell Memorial Library was by far my favorite building. Frank Lloyd White called the exterior “Cherokee Gothic” when he visited. The Great Reading Room inside the library would make Harry Potter’s Hogwarts envious with its ornate woodwork and vaulted ceilings. The building was designated as the National Historic Landmark in 2001 in commemoration of McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents (1950), an important precedential case that ultimately lead up to the U.S. Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education (1954). When the University of Oklahoma denied George McLaurin admission to its graduate program in education, the university cited Oklahoma’s segregation statute, which made it a misdemeanor to operate a school in which both blacks and whites were taught. McLaurin filed suit in federal court in Oklahoma City, and the lower court struck down that law. The Oklahoma legislature then amended the segregation statute so that to provide admission for blacks but only if they were segregated from whites. Upon admission, the University of Oklahoma required Mr. McLaurin to sit by himself in a separate section of the classroom, sit at a separate desk in the library, and sit at a different table (and sometimes eat at different times) from the rest of the students in the cafeteria. In a unanimous decision, Chief Justice Fred Vinson, writing for the Court, struck down the segregation statute and stated that Mr. McLaurin “having been admitted to a state-supported graduate school, must receive the same treatment at the hands of the state as students of other races.” In essence, in McLauren, the Supreme Court struck down the Oklahoma statute that mandated segregation in public institutions of higher education. That would help pave the way for the broader decision in Brown, which found that segregation was unconsitutional in ALL public schools.

Red Phone Booth at the University of Oklahoma

If you visit the campus, you may notice several red phone booths. We learned that these installed by President David Boren, who spent time in Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. The booths were intended to beautify the campus and provide safety for the students as well. We tried using one and it didn’t work.

Norman’s Craf Beer Scene

Several breweries call Norman Oklahoma home. Both 405 Brewing and Black Mesa Brewing are located just minutes from each other just off Flood Avenue north of town so if you are brewery hopping, it’s good to visit those together. Our favorite of those two breweries was 405 Brewing. Founded in 2013, 405 Brewery was Norman’s first production brewery. They utilize fresh fruit and local ingredients as often as possible, and we loved hearing about how the brewers were cutting up watermelons by hand for one of their batches! They aren’t afraid to experiment either, and Kasie fell in love with the BroMosa -- a mimosa-inspired pastry tart with mandarin oranges and marshmallow.

On different days, we visited the breweries located near downtown Norman: Beer is Good Brewing Company, Crossed Cannons Brewery, and Equity Brewing. We also picked some of the Lazy Circles Brewing at the Norman Farm Market.

Of these, Beer is Good Brewing Company gets the most colorful beer award. Check out the Smurf Berry, a Berliner style wheat beer infused with blue raspberry in the photo.

Equity Brewing also deserves a nod for being a mother-daughter owned and operated craft brewery and one of the only women-owned breweries in the state. We spoke with Suzette Grillot, a current professor and former dean of the College of International Studies at OU, about how the women started giving away beers before formally launching in 2020. The brewery’s mission to promote positive social change, within craft beer and beyond through various partnerships with non-profits in the area. This brewery is truly a labor of love to Ms. Grillot and here employees – who were methodically place labels on some cans one-by-one. The brewery was also in the process of expanding to the adjacent space, where a pastry and coffee business would work in collaboration with the brewery.

Equity Brewing in Norman, Oklahoma - Lifiting You Up One Beer at a Time!

Norman Farm Market

Norman’s Farm Market, which sprouted in the spring 1980, is Oklahoma’s oldest farmers market. Their Saturday market is the best one we found in the OKC area. It’s located at The Well near downtown. There’s about 20 vendors inside, and probably double that number otents outside. As noted above, some of the local breweries sometimes set up at the market so cheers to that!

Concluding Thoughts

Despite being minutes from Oklahoma City, Norman does have a great college town vibe. I liked it better than I thought I would. The next time we are in the area, I would like to spend a few days exploring more of the city, especially the downtown area. I’d also like to see a college softball game at the stadium. Since Kasie’s parents still live in Oklahoma, we will certainly be in the area again.

Lana Knedlik 6/2/22 Lana Knedlik 6/2/22

Columbia Missouri Song (& Official Music Video)

I called Columbia Missouri home from 2013 to 2022… it’s hard not to fall in love with Columbia’s vibrant community — from its higher education institutions to the craft beer scene to the bike trail system, parks, and nearby rivers.

I called Columbia Missouri home from 2013 to 2022. As a graduate of the University of Kansas, I was taught to hate the University of Missouri for most of my life. As such, deciding to live in Columbia (and learning to cheer for Mizzou) didn’t come easy. Yet, it’s hard not to fall in love with Columbia’s vibrant community — from its higher education institutions to the craft beer scene to the bike trail system, parks, and nearby rivers.

Notes on the Columbia Missouri Song:

I wrote and recorded this song around 2017, but some of the photos are more recent than that. Since I wrote the song, Harold's Donuts closed, and Citizen Jane is no longer doing its annual festival. However, I still think that folks can get a good feel for all that Columbia Missouri has to offer. I will miss this little college town. #MIZ.

PS: I’m not a professional singer. Be kind.

Lyrics to the Columbia Missouri Song

Verse One
Here’s a little ditty
About a mid-MO city
East of KC
And west of St. Lou

It’s a college town
Where the kids abound
Singing MIZ! And
ZOU!

It’s tigers, and columns
Brad Pitt, Sheryl Crow
Jon Hamm, Michael Sam
They call it CoMo

It’s a little Blue Note
In a big red song
From Grindstone to Vawter
And back to Nifong

Chorus
Columbia (Hey, Ho; Let’s Go)
We’ve got some fun for ya. (Hey, Ho; Co-Mo)

Verse Two
Art in the Park
Rose Music Hall
True False, Rag Tag
A Zombie Pub Crawl

There’s Citizen Jane
And Roots and Blues
The Show Me games
And Lots of Craft Brews

I love Flat Branch Green Chili
And Strawberry too
Log Boat Shiphead,
Snapper, and Mamoot

Boone County Brown
Big Tree IPA
Eleven Point or Honey Wheat
From the Broadway.

Chorus
Columbia (Hey, Ho; Let’s Go)
We’ve got some fun for ya. (Hey, Ho; Co-Mo)

Verse Three
Here’s a little tune
About a town in Boone
West of St. Lou
And east of KC

Around Diana’s Bend
Near Perche Creek
By Rock Bridge
Off of Old 63.

Take Walts to McBaine
Along the M.K.T.
See the Big Burr Oak
At the Peddler’s Jamboree

Cosmo, Twin Lakes
The Francis Quad
Katy Trail, Big Muddy
Let’s get Our Nature On.

Chorus
Columbia (Hey, Ho; Let’s Go)
We’ve got some fun for ya. (Hey, Ho; Co-Mo)

Verse Four
Billiard’s, Murrays
Harpos, Sub Shop
1839 Tap House
The Deuce, and Trops

CJ’s wings
Burgers from Booches
Fretboard coffee
Pad Tai at Coopers

Ozark Mountain Biscuit.
Just Jeff’s, Addison’s
Harold’s Donuts
I love them with bacon.

Coffee from Lakota
Cookies from Hot Box
While I read the Tribune
Missourian, and Vox

Chorus
Columbia (Hey, Ho; Let’s Go)
We’ve got some fun for ya. (Hey, Ho; Co-Mo)

Looking for more info on Things to Do in Columbia Missouri? Check out our blog.

#CoMO #ColumbiaMissouri #Mizzou

Lana Knedlik 5/31/22 Lana Knedlik 5/31/22

Columbia Missouri - We’ve Got Some Fun For Ya!

I love Columbia, Missouri. That’s saying a lot because I grew up in Kansas, and there is purportedly a “Border War” still in effect. I ultimately came to love Columbia so much that back in 2017, I even wrote a song about Columbia. Yet, after eight years here, we’ve decided to hit the road full-time in our RV. Before leaving, we wanted to share our thoughts on the city for those traveling to mid-Missouri.

About Columbia:

With three institutions of higher education (the University of Missouri, Columbia College, and Stephens College), Columbia, Missouri is a true college town. Located about half-way between Kansas City and St. Louis, the city cheers for both the Chiefs and the Cardinals. Of course, the University of Missouri Tigers reign supreme to most folks in the area. Many people call it Mizzou, and if someone says “MIZ,” then you better respond “ZOU!” Likewise, get used to the locals refering to the city as “CoMo.”

Columbia is a blue town in a red state – about thirty minutes from the state capital, Jefferson City (the locals call is “Jeff”). The population hovers around 130,000 residents, but the students add 40,000+ each year. In addition to higher education, the city is often marketed as a “medical destination” because of the numerous heath care options.

Our Pick of Things to Do in Columbia:

#1: Visit Shelter Gardens

Columbia, Missouri is home to the Shelter Insurance Company. While I’m sure their rates and coverage are competitive, the best part about the company is the FREE five-acre public garden that sits just by the company. We visited the garden several times each month, and were always excited to see the what was in bloom. The plantings are all labeled so it’s a great place for experienced gardeners to get ideas. The gardens include a replica one-room school house, small pond filled with fish, and several photo-worthy spots. During the summer, Shelter Gardens hosts free concerts for the community, and the company recently started a winter light display.

Entrance to Shelter Gardens in Columbia, Missouri

Lily pads at Shelter Gardens in Columbia, Missouri

Spring Flowers at Shelter Gardens in Columbia, Missouri

Purple Tulip in a Sea of Red Tulips at Shelter Gardens in Columbia, Missouri

#2: Walk the Francis Quad and See the Columns

After a fire destroyed the University of Missouri’s Academic callin the 1890s, only six Ionic-style columns on Francis Quadrangle remained. They have since become THE symbol of Columbia. Just a few blocks north are four compliementary doric-style columns near the town’s governmental buildings. Together, these form the “Avenue of the Columns.” If you really want to impress your friends on Instagram, be sure and check out BOTH sets of columns.

Mizzou Columns — University of MIssouri Columns

The University of Missouri has one of the most beautiful campuses I’ve ever visited. That is part thanks to former Chancellor Barbara Uehling’s early 1980s vision to unify and beautify the campus. The Francis Quadrangle (where the columns are located) is a gardener’s delight, but the entire campus is equally beautiful in my opinion.

#3: Stroll around The District

Columbia boasts a vibrant downtown, with a mixture of one-of-a-kind retail shops, music venues, restaurants, bars, breweries, coffee shops, and even some used bookstores. Yes, bookstores still exist! Known as “The District,” downtown is one of my favorite parts of the city. The three universities are just blocks away from downtown so parking can be challenging at times.

#4: Cool Down at Trop’s or Sparky’s

If you are visiting Columbia in the summer, make a stop at Trop's or Sparky's. Tropical Liqueurs serves up all sorts of alcoholic concoctions in slushies served in Styrofoam cups. I’m a fan of the Tiger Paw (peach schnapps, bacardi 151 rum, pineapple juice, & orange juice), but there’s an assortment of alcohol and mixers combinations to choose from.

Likewise, Sparky’s gets a big thumbs up when it comes to homemade ice cream! Named after the owner’s dog, Sparky’s has become a local favorite since. And talk about flavors! We are partial to the Oatmeal Crème pie, but we’ll scream for any ice cream!

#5: Bike the MKT or One of Its Spurs

A mature multi-use trail system connects much of the city to the downtown area. The MKT is a 10-foot wide trail build on the old MKT (Missouri-Kansas-Texas) railroad. The trail starts in downtown Flat Branch Park and goes about 9 miles southwest to connect up to the 200+-mile Katy Trail at the Hindman Junction near a small town called McBaine. There are several spurs off the MKT. A popular destination is the Twin Lakes Recreation Area. But my favorite is probably the University of Recreation Trail – where riders travel to experimental plots of soybeans and other plants cultivated at the University – right smack-dab in the middle of town.

#6: Sample Some Craft Beer at one of the Local Breweries

Columbia boats four craft breweries. You won’t go wrong with visiting any of them.

Strawberry Beer at Flat Branch Pub and Brewery in Columbia, Missouri

Flat Branch Pub and Brewing is the oldest of the breweries (since 1994) and has the best patio around. The Green Chili beer is fun to try, but I recommend just a sample, rather than a pint. Our favorites are their occasional summer beers – the thick strawberry or blueberry lagers. There’s a full menu too so check out the pretzels (pro tip: order two cheeses) and the siracha wings.

Broadway Brewery opened around 2008 and also has a full food menu. Nearly all of the food is locally sourced, and our favorites are the morel dishes they serve in the springtime. In recent years, the brewery has gotten better at experimenting with different beers, but our favorites remain the 11-Point IPA and the Honey Wheat.

Yes, that is the Princess riding a shark for Logboat Brewery’s Lei-A.

Patrick Swayzon from Logboat Brewing in Columbia, Missouri

We first went to Logboat Brewing when it was celebrating its one-year anniversary in 2013. The interior space is on the small side, but there is plenty of space outside to enjoy a few beers, listen to live music, and play a yard game. Be sure and check out the amazing can art – most of which is created by Mike Wolf. The beer names are just as good too. Who doesn’t want to try the Patrick Swayzon saison or the the Lei-a-Berliner? (Ans: probably George Lucus.) I love the Snapper IPA, but at 7.2% ABV, I can usually have just one!

Cooper’s Landing from Bur Oak Beer in Columbia, Missouri

Bur Oak Beer is located about 10 minutes from downtown, but it is worth the drive. It’s my favorite brewery in the area so we’ve spent a lot of time there. The indoor space is huge so it is a good place to go on a rainy day. A black cat name Clyde has his run of the place, as well as a creme ale named in his honor. A case of beer will run you just $26 – which is a bargain when it comes to craft beer. Check out the Cooper’s Landing IPA.

Tip: Stay at Cottonwoods RV Park

To test the waters when we bought our first RV, we stayed at Cottonwoods RV Park, and you can read all about our stay in our blog titled Our Second First Camping Trip. A such it seemed fitting to end our time in Columbia Missouri at a stay there as well. Check out our video for more details.

Lana Knedlik 5/3/22 Lana Knedlik 5/3/22

Our Favorite Things to Do in Tucson Arizona

In early 2022, we spent over two months in Tucson, Arizona. Yes, we were officially SNOWBIRDS escaping from the harsh Missouri winters for the first time. While we did a lot of the touristy things, our extended stay gave us the ability to experience the city in quite a bit of detail.

Here’s the top things we would recommend if you have a few days in the area:

First, undeerstand that this list is not exhaustive. There’s A LOT to do in the Tuscon area, especially if you have the time. However, here’s the top things we would recommend if you have just a few days in the area.

#1: Visit the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

Check any Tucson “top things” list, and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum will be at or near the top. It is currently ranked #1 on Tripadvisor, and there is a good reason for that. We planned on spending a morning there, but there was enough to do that it was close to 5.5 hours.

Should you go? The answer is YES! YES! YES!

I was amazed at the diversity of the plant and animal life in the Sonoran Desert, and I think you will be too!

Check out our video on the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum to get a feel for the cool stuff you might see during a visit.

#2: Take the Scenic Drive Up Mount Lemmon

Mount Lemmon, just northeast of Tucson, is the highest point in the Santa Catalina Mountains. One of the Sky Islands in Coronado National Forest, the mountain is a favorite of hikers, bikers, skiers, and folks who just like a scenic drive.

The Catalina Highway a/k/a Sky Island Scenic Byway took us from desert to pine forests in stretch of only 25 miles! The University of Arizona produced a MUST-LISTEN Mount Lemmon Science Tour mobile app that we enjoyed along the way. We learned about how the Sonoran Desert, rock formations, life zones, water, the forest, and fire are all connected.

The drive begins in the Sonoran Desert where the towering thorny plants known as the Saguaro cactus are abundant. These are nothing like the cartoonish images I had envisioned. As we went higher (about 3500 feet), they thin out because they cannot survive the temperature.

The landscape gradually turns to rock. Plate tectonics formed the “basin and range” formations, which the mobile app explains just as good as any high school geology teacher. Remember learning about sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks? This drive makes all of that science come alive!

The drive features four distinct life zones created by the elevation changes: desert, grassland, woodland, and forest. As a result of the water and temperature changes, there is more biodiversity in this region that anywhere else in the United States! It is like driving from Mexico to Canada in just 25 miles. The mobile app showcases some of the University of Arizona ecologists, geologists, and other scientists and their discoveries.

Windy Point Vista is a MUST-STOP on the drive. There’s a decent parking lot, as well as restroom facilities. We walked along the rock wall, but also ventured out on the hoodoos and other rock formations for about a half-hour. Aside from the amazing views, we enjoyed watching several rock climbers.

On the drive up Mount Lemmon in Tucson Arizona

Gradually, we started seeing pine trees mixed into the scenery. And then ultimately snow as we drove towards the “town” of Summerhaven. The road to the very top of Mount Lemmon was still closed for the winter during our drive (rookie mistake: the road opened the next day so be sure and check closures before doing the drive). Still, we could envision thriving ski and tourist area near this part of the mountain.

On the way down the mountain, we learned about the importance of fire in replenishing the forest, and the study of tree rings to learn about the life cycle of the forest and its climate changes.

Throughout the drive, we had to watch out for cyclists. While we are avid bikers, Mount Lemmon would be way too hard for us and is better left to pro cycling teams and ambitious local riders who know the route. Remember to share the road.

#3: Bike Around Tucson

Although we did not bike up to Mount Lemmon, we did bike and walk various parts of the The Loop. The Loop is a 131-mile system of muti-use paved trails around the city. We rode a good chunk of it during our stay. We stayed at Tra-Tel RV Park, which was right next to The Loop on the west side of town. For more info on Tra-Tel, check out our blog on Tra-Tel.

The Loop is next to the Santa Cruz River, Rillito River, and Pantano Wash. However, during our stay, the river beds were all dry except for a small section not too far from Christopher Columbus park. Moreover, many of the river beds, especially those near our RV park, were littered with trash – everything from mattresses to shopping carts.

Near the Oro Valley spur to the Catalina Mountains

My favorite ride was a spur just off The Loop. After heading north from the Tra-Tel RV Park, we caught the Canada de Oro River Park spur that leads northeast to the entrance of Catalina State Park and scenic views of the Santa Catalina mountains. That route took us by a couple of golf courses as well. Our ride was about 32-miles total and a good work-out.

Our ride south from Tra-Tel RV park was less appealing. Toward downtown, there is a substantial homeless encampment along the trail. After a bike accident trying to avoid a homeless person on a ride in Colorado, I’m try to avoid those areas if possible. The Loop does have great views of Sentinel Peak (the “A” mountain) just south of downtown though.

The Loop is also popular with walkers. About a mile or so north of the Tra-Tel RV park is Sweetwater Wetlands area. We were exploring it one day on the dirt trail and saw birds, turtles, and even a bobcat!

#4: Walk the University of Arizona Campus (and #4A: Catch a Game)

Gentle Ben’s Brewing Co near the University of Arizona in Tucson

Tucson is a huge city, but the University of Arizona still makes this feel like a small college town…in a good way. We spent some time just strolling around the beautiful campus, learning the meaning of Bear Down, and hitting a couple of the breweries within walking distance of the campus: Address Brewing (order the pizza and garlic knots) and Gentle Ben's Brewing (enjoy the patio). While we were exploring the Krutch Arboretum on the University’s main thoroughfare, the University’s fight song came started playing. We didn’t know the words, but hummed along anyway.

For the record (that’s fancy lawyer talk), I used to despise the University of Arizona. In 1996-97, the University of Kansas, my alma mater, had what I think is the starting-five best basketball team in its history: (1) Jerod Haase (guard), (2) Raef LaFrentz (forward/center), (3) Paul Pierce (forward), (4) Scot Pollard (center), (5) Jacque Vaughn (guard). KU was ranked #1 in the nation most of the season, but lost to the University of Arizona in the Sweet 16. The Wildcats went on to win the NCAA tournament, but I was devasted. And. I. Hated. Arizona.

Fast forward about 25 years, and I’ve finally let my grudge go. That is in part because my favorite sport nowadays is no longer men’s college basketball, but is instead women’s college softball. Like southern and coastal teams who enjoy year-round warm weather, the University of Arizona is a perennial softball powerhouse. So, why not spend a gorgeous Saturday evening watching the Arizona Wildcats host the #16-ranked Kentucky Wildcats. Who did I cheer for? The Wildcats! If you are wondering, the Wildcats won. 😊

If you’ve never been to a college softball game between some of the elite schools (the SEC, along with the Arizona, California, Oklahoma, and Florida teams dominate most rankings), make a point to do so. They are better than most MLB games – cheaper seats, faster pace, and outstanding play. The pitchers often pitch multiple games on weekend tournaments – so their arms are in top shape. Many games feature long bombs, bunts, steals, and the occasional “slapper.” At most stadiums, there’s reasonably priced food and beer as well.

University of Arizona Softball - National Player of the Year — At Hillenbrand Stadium

University of Arizona Softball - Hillenbrand Stadium entrace area

#5: Drive or Hike to Sentinel Peak (the “A” Hill) for the Views

Sentinel Peak is often referred to as the “A” hill or mountain because of the 160-foot basalt rock “A” on the mountain’s east side near the summit. Inspired by the University of Arizona’s 1915 football victory over Pomona State, a civil engineering student decided to create the “A.” After raising the necessary funds to purchase the mortar and whitewash, around 75-100 students worked on the project, and it was official dedicated on March 4, 2016. The “A” was maintained by the University’s Sophos and Spurs Honorary Society, but today the City’s Parks & Rec department oversees it.

The “A” Mountain in Tucson Arizona a/k/a Sentinal Peak

The “A” has traditionally been painted white, but it has also been black (to protest the Iraq war ), red/white/blue (to honor the troops), green (to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day), and blue (to honor covid-19 healthcare workers)

Sentinel Peak has significance beyond the University though. When the Spaniards arrived in the 17th century, the Hohokam had vanished and settlements of Piman people dotted the valley. The name "Tucson" is likely derived from the Piman “styuk-son” meaning a dark or brown spring or the Papago word “styuk” for black “and “son” for foot or base of a hill. The hill was a lookout for these early Indian and Spanish settlers who lived in fear of hostile raiders.

Sentinel Peak has two parking lots: one near the base of the mountain and another near the summit. A 1.7-mile paved road basically connects the two parking lots and then circles the mountain in a loop. I’ve read online that the parking lots get pretty full, but we never had a problem parking. On Mondays, the road is closed to vehicular traffic so that is the best day to go for a hike. The path provides spectacular views of downtown and up-close views of the “A.”

On the east side of Sentinel Peak, a small network of unpaved trails leads visitors directly to the “A” itself and to the true peak summit. We encountered lots of glass shards in that area so be sure and wear good shoes if you want to get off the paved road and climb a little higher.

A short trail westward leads to a covered pavilion where with views of the beautiful Tucson Mountains and the Santa Rita Mountains. Many people like to visit Sentinel Peak during the dawn and dusk hours to catch the sun rising and falling over the mountain ranges.

We saw hikers, bikers, and dog walkers taking the road to Sentinel Peak. It’s a decent work-out, but I would rate it as “easy” because of the paved road and the mild inclines. And, of course, many people just drive to Sentinel Peak rather than hike it.

On our way down Sentinel Peak, we could see some other hikers on a paved in the distance. That turned out to be Tumamoc Hill. For folks looking for a work-out, look no further than Tumamoc Hill.

#6: See a Saguaro Cactus (or 1000s of them) at Saguaro National Park

As a mid-westerner, I didn’t really ever think that the desert landscape could be pretty. I changed my mind once I visited Saguaro National Park. The park is named after the saguaro (pronounced suh·waa·row) -- the nation’s largest cactus and one of the slowest growing plants. The first arm usually doesn’t start growing until the cactus is 50-70 years old!

Parts of the park have been federally protected since the 1930s, but the national park was not established until 1994. Today, Saguaro National Park is split into the western Tucson Mountain district and the easter Rincon district such that the park flanks Tucson on each side.

Each side of the park features a short drivable loop that visitors can traverse in just a couple of ours. The unpaved 6-mile Scenic Bajada Loop Drive (which includes Hohokam Road and Golden Gate Road) is on the west side while paved 8-mile Cactus Forest Scenic Loop Drive is on the east side. There are numerous hiking trails that can be accessed from these loops. There are also numerous trails outside of the national park, like the Bowen House Trail, where the saguaros are just as plentiful.

Bowen Stone House — just outside of Saguaro National Park near Tucson, Arizona

#7: Get a Work-Out on Tumamoc Hill

Tumamoc Hill is the ultimate urban hiking trail. We hiked it about a half dozen times during our two-month stay in Tucson, Arizona. That is saying something because when we visit new cities, it’s rare that we do things multiple times.

If you are in the Tuscon area and want a workout, we highly recommend Tumamoc Hill.

BUT before you go, here’s what you need to know.

#7a: Tumamoc Hill an INTENSE Work-Out.

Located just across from St. Mary’s Hospital on the west side of Tucson, Tumamoc Hill is a 700+ foot climb on a paved trail includes grades up to 18%. The trail is about 1.6 miles up (about 3.2 miles total), and we huffed and puffed and huffed our way to the top.

We hiked Tumamoc Hill several times during our stay in Tucson, Arizona

The first few switch-backs were easier than the rest. The grade got higher the higher we went. The number of hikers thinned out a little with the climb as well.

Our first time out, the hike took us about 1.5 hours (both up and down), mostly because we were taking photos along the way. Our fastest time was a little under an hour.

People with all sorts of fitness levels and ages on the trail. We only saw a couple of folks trying to run up Tumamoc Hill though. Based on my Google search, a triathlete from Colorado named Ben Hoffman completed the hike to the top in just 10 minutes and 49 seconds!
Pro tip: Going down is easier than going up :-).

#7b: Tumamoc Hill Has Amazing Views.

A bench provides views of Sentinal Peak from Tumamoc Hill

View of downtown Tucson from Tumamoc Hill

Just a few hundred yards into the hike, we started having amazing views of the city and surrounding mountains. Of course, the best views are at the summit. We could see the Santa Ritas to the south, Rincons to the east, and the Santa Catalinas to the northeast, and the Torolitas to the north. Next to Tumamoc Hill is Sentinel Peak, more popularly known as the “A” Mountain, and we could see hikers doing that climb as well.

The up-close views of Tumamoc Hill are spectacular as well. Along the path, we encountered clusters of Saguaro cactus, barrel and prickly pear cactus, palo verde trees, creosote bushes, ocotillo, and other colorful vegetation growing near jagged lava boulders. We also spotted mule deer, lizards, and road runners on a few of our hikes.

#7c: You will learn something at Tumamoc Hill.

The University of Arizona operates its Desert Laboratory from Tumamoc Hill

Tumamoc Hill is owned by the University of Arizona, and the road provides access to the University’s Desert Laboratory. Research as been going on there for over a century. In addition, Steward Observatory maintains a small telescope near the summit. None of those buildings are open to the public though.

About a dozen placards in both English and Spanish describe some of the animals that call the trail home – Sonoran bumblebees, phainopepla, coyotes, javalinas, black-tailed rattlesnakes, canyon wrens, and regal horned lizards. The latter is the hill’s namesake as one sign explains:

“Before there was a Tucson someone looked out over this landscape and saw the mesa on which you now walk. It was flattened against the earth like a giant horned lizard. And so our hill was named Tumamoc – regal horned lizard in the language of the Tohono O’odam.”

For those (like me) who want to take a deeper dive about Tumamoc Hill, the University has a very informative historical timeline and audio tour on its website. The tour is also available for download to your phone.

On one weekend, a steward was at Tumamoc Hill to answer questions

Even better, on one Saturday hike, we met up with a Tumamoc Hill steward who was able to answer lots of question about Tumamoc Hill. I think if I lived in the area, that would be a great volunteer activity to do.

Of note, the University is planning to make create Tumamoc Gardens near the base of the hill. The design is supposed to be a “resilience” garden that will include hands-on participation in how to live in the desert in a hotter and drier future. The next time we are back in the Tuscon area, I definitely want to see what progress has been made on the new garden.

#7d: Tumamoc Hill is Busy.

Open from 4 am to 10 pm, the trail was well-utilized during our visits. We hiked Tumamoc Hill at various times – early morning, late afternoon, cloudy day, weekdays, and weekends. While there were certainly busier times, we encountered a lot of people each time. The trail is long enough that there is usually pretty good separation between hikers, even on the busier weekends. We never felt like there were too many people on the trail.

The hike is a favorite of the locals and tourists. On the weekends, we saw volunteers gathering signatures for local ballot initiatives, vendors selling walking sticks and water, and tents featuring local artists.

#7e: What to Bring and What NOT to Bring to Tumamoc Hill.

Tumamoc Hill is designated for walkers (and the occasional runners), although authorized vehicles affiliated with the University of Arizona may use the road. We saw only two vehicles on the road during our hikes.

Dogs, skateboards, and bikes are not permitted.

We encountered a few brave hikers with strollers too. Pushing a stroller up the hill is an achievement itself, but I think that holding on to a stroller going DOWN is more technically challenging.

I recommend that bringing:

Comfortable shoes with good treads. There are some downhill parts where I was thankful for good shoe treads to stop some of my momentum. Some folks zig-zag the steep parts on the way down slow down their momentum.
Water bottle. There’s a water refilling station at the mid-point of the hike.
Camera. While most people use just their phones, we brought our camcorder one day so that we could zoom in on our RV park and other Tucson landmarks. Drones are not permitted unless approved by the University of Arizona in accordance with its policies.

#7f: Parking is a Challenge at Tumamoc Hill.

Parking is sometimes challenging because Tumamoc Hill is so popular. There is a parking lot just east of the trail entrance, but it is hard to find a spot there. Most people just park along Anklam Road, and visitors may need to hike several blocks before getting to the base of Tumamoc Hill. Hikers should NOT park in the parking lots of Saint Mary's Hospital or the medical offices along Anklam Road because those are for hospital employees and hospital visitors.

Parking may be a pain, but at least for us, the whole point of Tumamoc Hill was great exercise with amazing views. Just think of the walk to and from the car as the warm-up and cool-down.

We FINALLY Think We Know How to Pronounce “Tumamoc.”

Ta-MOM-ock. Too-MAM-ick. Tuma-Mock. Tuh-mah-OC. Hmmmm.

We vote for Too-Ma-MOCK. What do you think?

#8: Visit the Ignite Sign Art Museum

Ignite Sign Art Museum in Tucson Arizona

Although Ignite Sign Art Museum just opened a few years ago, this was one of our favorite stops in Tucson. Neon signs were once ubiquitous in Tucson, but many have seen better days. The museum’s sign will transport you back in time, especially if you are a local and remember some of the now defunct business associated with the signs. The background stories on some of the signs (and how they were rescued) are a true delight. For example, he museum had to wait on some nesting pigeons before one art deco sign could be rescued.

While main attraction are the neon signs, the museum contains a vast array of general advertising signs as well, including beer. So yep, we liked that part of the museum as well.

Lastly, during our visit, we were lucky to spend about 20 minutes watching a neon sign maker bend a tube of glass for a sign, and explain how the neon signs actually work. That was my favorite part of the tour, and well worth the $12/person admission.

#9: Cheers at One of Tucson’s Craft Breweries.

While in Tucson, we visited FIFTEEN craft breweries. You won’t go wrong at any of them. Kasie’s favorite was Crooked Tooth and my favorite was Pueblo Vida Brewing.

#10: Spend a LITTLE time at the Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures

Army Man Project at the Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures in Tucson Arizona

Room Box at the Mini-Time Machine Museum of Miniatures in Tucson, Arizona

Despite the museum’s moniker, the diversity of the collection in the Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures is quite LARGE. The permanent collections range from doll houses made hundreds of years ago to lifelike “room boxes” to a wall of “pocket dragons” to a creepy Kewpie doll collections. During our visit, we marveled at the little green men of the Army Man project, the Adams Family house, carvings on the tips of lead pencils, and even a scene in the middle of an egg. There was also a scavenger hunt to find tiny fairies located in some of the exhibits.

The museum is one of those places that someone can visit on multiple occasions. There were some exhibits that were so detailed that we could have spent a half our or so just looking at a single exhibit.

Plan to spend a couple of hours in the museum, at least. We made the mistake of visiting on a morning that a busload of kids were visiting from a local school. You might want to call ahead and see if any group kid tours are scheduled because that detracted from our experience.

All of our Videos on Tucson Arizona:

Lana Knedlik 5/1/22 Lana Knedlik 5/1/22

Biosphere 2 Near Tucson Arizona? Skip it?

Biosphere 2 is located in Oracle, Arizona – just outside of Tucson. Although currently owned and operated by the University of Arizona, the complex and its creators have quite the backstory. We were excited to get to visit it in person!

What: Biosphere 2 (University of Arizona)
When: February 23, 2022
Cost: $25/person

The History of Biosphere 2

In the 1960s, John Allen was the leader of an idealistic and eccentric performance group located in San Francisco called the Theatre of All Possibilities. His group then founded the Synergia Ranch collective in the New Mexico desert, where they constructed an environmentalist-centric community that included a Buckmisterfuller geodesic dome. In the 1970s, they built the Heraclitus, a ship that they used to travel the world to explore its art, science, ecology.

The Tour at Biosphere 2 is driven almost exclusively by a the University of Arizona’s Mobile App.

Those adventures lead Allen and his team to envision a way to settle other planets. Keep in mind that this was right around the time that movies like “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “Silent Running” were out. But before colonizing other planets, they needed to figure out how create a closed system on earth that would support human life. Given that earth itself was “Biosphere 1,” their project would be named “Biosphere 2.”

How did Allen and his followers pay for all of this? Most of the money came from Ed Bass, an oil billionaire from Texas who ultimately became chairmen of the Space Biosphere Ventures.

For a location, John Allen eventually found some acreage in Oracle. The Biosphere 2 property was first homesteaded in the 1920s by a dentist who ran a cattle farm and hunting lodge. In the 1950s, Lady Margaret of Suffolk built a large adobe home and servant quarters. The Motorola Corporation acquired the property and built a hotel, restaurant, and auditorium, and the facility was used as an executive training center. The University of Arizona obtained the property in the 1970s, but sold it to Space Biosphere Ventures in 1984, who built Biosphere 2.

Biosphere 2 - Lungs (Oracle, AZ — just outside of Tucson, Arizona)

Biosphere 2 broke ground in 1987, and construction was complete in just four years. That included construction of: (1) a test module, (2) greenhouses where plants and animals were quarantined prior to placing them in Biosphere 2, (3) analytical lab, and (4) mission control. To me, the “lungs” were perhaps Biosphere’s 2 most interesting engineering feat. As the air in Biosphere 2 heated, the pressure created by the expanding gas had to go somewhere or it would literally explode. The solution was to create the “lungs” ---40,000 pounds of flexible rubber attached to an aluminum steel disc that would move with the pressure.

The biosphere itself included a tropical rainforest, ocean with a tropical coral reef, savannah, mangrove marsh, arid coastal fog desert, agricultural area, and living quarters. Ten two-story apartments were designed for each resident, featuring a downstairs living area and upstairs bedroom that could be decorated to each person’s taste. A library sat atop a long spiral staircase at the top of the biosphere that provided 360-degree views of surroundings.

For Biosphere 2’s first mission, a crew of eight “Biospherians” stayed in the system from 1991 to 1993. Another mission with seven Biospherians in 1994 lasted about six months. Media coverage was intense, and the launch of the first mission made the nightly news and many of the morning talk shows.

Each Biospherian took turns preparing meals, which were low calorie and high nutrient. Sweet potatoes, beets, and legumes were popular. Goats, chickens, and pigs also lived in Biosphere 2. Coffee was a luxury as the beans were difficult to grow and roast. For alcohol, they tried to make banana wine. One of the Biospherians was a doctor, and his job was to focus on that diet affected them. If you are wondering, the crew had a 22-25% body fat loss during the mission.

During both missions, low amounts of food an oxygen plagued the participants. The air typically contains 21% oxygen, but because of all of the photosynthesis occurring the closed dome, the oxygen levels dropped to a dangerous 14%, and oxygen had to be pumped into the system. The project was later criticized for not disclosing this in a timely manner, especially given the media attention.

Food was scarce because, among other things, the hummingbird and honeybee pollinators died. Meanwhile worms and mites ate the crops and cockroaches flourished.

Biosphere 2’s Ocean. At the time of our visit, there were no coral reefs.

The mission was subject to criticism for other reasons as well. When a Biospherian cut her finger on a threshing machine, the mission’s doctor ultimately decided she needed to go to a hospital for surgery. Upon her return to to the “closed” system, she also brought a duffel bag filled with computer parts and color film. Biosphere 2 employees also reportedly supplied the Biospherian employees with seeds, vitamins, mouse traps and other supplies twice a month. None of this was disclosed to reporters, and the project lost credibility after the press found out.

During the second mission, the owners decided to transition the project from being a to human habitation experiment to an environmental experiment. Interestingly, Steve Bannon (yes, THAT right-wing, Breitbart-founding Steve Bannon) became CEO for a couple of years. Academics were brought in, and in 1996, Columbia University took over the project. They changed it from a closed system to a “flow-through” system, and operated research projects there for seven years. One project showed how increasing carbon dioxide levels in the ocean would adversely affect the coral reefs.

After several years of inactivity (which resulted in the coral reefs completely dying), the University of Arizona took over management in 2007 and then acquired ownership in 2011 from Mr. Bass, along with along with $20 million to support its research. Today, the University operates the Landscape Evolution Observatory (LEO) out of the facility. Scientists are trying to understand how water changes as it goes from rain and encounters various environments. An energy center includes chillers, boilers, generators that run on both natural gas and diesel to keep Biosphere at proper temperatures. An agrivoltaics project illustrates how both the solar energy and resulting heat from solar panels can be harvested to produce a system that is around 80% efficient.

In addition to conducting active research, the University also maintains a Conference Center with 28 casitas and nearly 100 rooms on the property.

Visiting Biosphere 2

To visit Biosphere 2, we booked one of the time slots online for $25/person fee through Biosphere website and downloaded the self-guided tour on a mobile app created by the University of Arizona. The mobile app is a series of videos that visitors are supposed to play at designated spots along the Biosphere 2 property. We downloaded the mobile app head of time.

If you are planning a trip to Biosphere 2, my advice is to watch all of the videos prior to visiting. We had a hard time hearing our own video when several other people were playing the same thing in the background.

While somewhat informative, the University’s mobile app video tour is lacking in many ways. Instead, our advice is to watch the Spaceship Earth documentary, preferably before your visit. Unlike the documentary, the mobile app focuses largely on the facility itself and not on the people who created Biosphere 2 and the controversy surrounding that. Maybe that is because the University is trying to promote its on ongoing research. Or, maybe that is because the Biosphere 2 missions were controversial in nature. However, I think that most people who visit Biosphere 2 will be disappointed that there is not more information on the Biospherians themselves. Admittedly, that is largely why I wanted to visit.

The tour includes a hallway with photos from the original mission. And, near the kitchen at Stop 106, the Biospherians are shown at work in a two-minute looped video. There’s a few notebooks on display as well. But beyond that, most visitors will really have to use their imagination to understand what life was like inside Biosphere 2 during the mission. During our visit, we were unable to venture inside the living quarters or up to the library for the 360-degree views.

A single tiny TV (a throw-back to the 90s) showing a two-minute video on our tour of Biosphere 2

As for the two-minute video, I note that the video was looped on on very small ~32” TV screen. Was the University nostalgic for 1990s-screen sizes? Or was this just another way that the University wanted to deemphasize history? By the way, the video is the same as the one in the University’s mobile app (Stop 105 - Upper Human Habitat & Kitchen).

At one point not too long ago, University’s tour included human tour guides and docents, but then did away with them in 2020. Bringing them back would likely make any visit much better. As an alternative, the University could have the 19 videos in the mobile app play on appropriately-sized TVs located at each of the tour stops. I’m just sayin’…

Another possible improvement to the visiting experience would be to have screenings of the Spaceship Earth documentary (or excerpts thereof) in one of the Conference Center rooms as part of the tour – maybe even for an extra fee that could be shared with the producers of the documentary.

Biosphere 2 is an incredibilty compelling story. With just a few improvements, the University of Arizona can make the experience for visitors just as compelling. The mobile app is good try, but it is less than satisfying.

Lana Knedlik 4/30/22 Lana Knedlik 4/30/22

Tumamoc Hill - Our Best Hike in Tuscon, Arizona

Here’s what you need to know.

Tumamoc Hill is the ultimate urban hiking trail. We hiked it about a half dozen times during our two-month stay in Tucson, Arizona. That is saying something because when we visit new cities, it’s rare that we do things multiple times.

Here’s what you need to know.

It’s a Great Work-Out.

The first few switch-backs were easier than the rest. The grade got higher the higher we went. The number of hikers thinned out a little with the climb as well.

Our first time out, the hike took us about 1.5 hours (both up and down), mostly because we were taking photos along the way. Our fastest time was a little under an hour.

View of downtown Tucscon from Tumamoc Hill. And, we were not even at the summit yet!

It’s Got Amazing Views.

Desert Laboratory - Tumamoc Hill in Tuscon Arizona

We learned something.

“Before there was a Tucson someone looked out over this landscape and saw the mesa on which you now walk. It was flattened against the earth like a giant horned lizard. And so our hill was named Tumamoc – regal horned lizard in the language of the Tohono O’odam.”

Even better, on one Saturday hike, we met up with a Tumamoc Hill steward who was able to answer lots of question about Tumamoc Hill.

The University is planning to make create Tumamoc Gardens near the base of the hill. The design is supposed to be a “resilience” garden that will include hands-on participation in how to live in the desert in a hotter and drier future.

It's Busy.

What to Bring and What NOT to Bring.

Dogs, skateboards, and bikes are not permitted.

We encountered a few brave hikers with strollers too. Pushing a stroller up the hill is an achievement itself, but I think that holding on to a stroller going DOWN is more technically challenging.

I recommend that bringing:

Comfortable shoes with good treads. There are some downhill parts where I was thankful for good shoe treads to stop some of my momentum. Some folks zig-zag the steep parts on the way down slow down their momentum.
Water bottle. There’s a water refilling station at the mid-point of the hike.
Camera. While most people use just their phones, we brought our camcorder one day so that we could zoom in on our RV park and other Tucson landmarks. Drones are not permitted unless approved by the University of Arizona in accordance with its policies.

A bench on Tumamoc Hill provides a view of the back side of Sentinal Peak (the “A” Mountain) in Tuscon Arizona.

Parking is a Challenge.

Parking may be a pain, but at least for us, the whole point of Tumamoc Hill was great exercise with amazing views. Just think of the walk to and from the car as the warm-up and cool-down.

We FINALLY Think We Know How to Pronounce “Tumamoc.”

Ta-MOM-ock. Too-MAM-ick. Tuma-Mock. Tuh-mah-OC. Hmmmm.

We vote for Too-Ma-MOCK. What do you think?

Lana Knedlik 4/30/22 Lana Knedlik 4/30/22

Tra-Tel RV Park in Tucson, Arizona

In early 2022, we lived at the Tra-Tel RV park in Tucson, Arizona for a little over two months….We learned a few things.

Where: Tra-Tel RV Park (Tucson Arizona)

When: January 1 to March 8, 2022

Cost: $490 + electric (monthly) and $217 with electric included (weekly)

1456 Miles to Missouri from Tra-Tel RV Park in Tucson Arizona

In early 2022, we lived at the Tra-Tel RV park in Tucson, Arizona for a little over two months. Yes, for the first time, we were SNOWBIRDS escaping the harsh Missouri winters, and we were 1456 miles away from our Missouri home. Until our stay at Tra-Tel, our experience staying long-term anywhere was quite limited…usually a week maximum. With Tra-Tel, we wanted to get a feel for what it would really be like if we ever decided to live in our RV on a full-time basis.

We learned a few things.

Tra-Tel RV Park Overview

Tra-Tel is a basic RV park with about 60 sites, and we were able to live comfortably at the park. Most sites are gravel, a handful have patios (for $25/month extra), and all sites are level. There’s a good mixture of back-in and pull-through sites as well, and most sites are delineated by large rocks.

As for amenities, Tra-Tel boasts a 7-foot deep swimming pool, a community room with a few books and games, and a private shower-house with updated tile and fixtures. My favorite amenity was the laundry room because both the washers and dryers took debit cards ($1.75/wash and $1.75/dry). No more scrounging for quarters!

Tra-Tel RV Park - Laundry — The Laundry Room at Tra-Tel RV Park in Tucson took debit cards!

One of the nice things about Tra-Tel are the RV hook-ups. The park owners have installed a light at each pedestal so that if travelers arrive after dark, they won’t have to mess with flashlights to get their site set up. There were also two water spigots at our site – one for the city water and another that can be used for the black tank flush or just another external water source.

Tra-Tel does not have a formal pet area so pet owners are largely left just walk their dogs around the park itself or on The Loop (more on that below). One resident named Art has been deputized by Tra-Tel’s management to be part of the poop police. We rarely saw anyone’s dog poop in the RV park!

Tra-Tel’s Location is a Mixed Bag

Tra-Tel’s location as some pluses and minuses. On the negative side, the RV Park is located right off I-10 so the traffic is audible. Most RV air conditioner units are louder than the traffic noise so my opinion is that the noise issue is all about perspective.

Our rig was parked facing west such that the front faced the Tucson Mountains. Immediately westward is a large commercially-zoned vacant dirt lot and The Loop multiuse path (more on that below). During the last week of our stay, bulldozers started working on the vacant lot. We learned that the owners of the vacant lot were trying to sell it, and therefore wanted to move a little dirt around for the prospective buyer. There hasn’t been any construction on the site in the two years since the natural landscape was removed. If construction ever does move forward, that may cause additional noise for RV residents and could also obstruct the mountain views.

Biking and Walking The Loop Near Tra-Tel RV Park

The main reason why we selected Tra-Tel for our two-month stay in Tucson was because it is right next to The Loop. Literally, “right next to.” We were excited to hop on our electric bikes and get on the 131-mile system of muti-use paved trails around the city. We rode a good chunk of it during our stay.

The Tra-Tel RV Park Lease

Tra-Tel RV Park - Site 26 - In Tucson, Arizona — Site 26 at Tra-Tel RV Park in Tucson, Arizona

Upon arriving at the RV Park, we were given a lease by the Tra-Tel management. Most people would call the lease “boilerplate.” As a lawyer, I actually read the lease!

The lease called stated that we could only have “two small” pets unless we got permission. Rather than bring up yet another issue, we waited to see if there were any other families in the RV park that exceed the 2-pet limit. After seeing someone with three dogs (all much larger than ours), Kasie went to talk to management, and she took Sophie along. After all, who could say “no” to Sophie?

Kasie: We have a confession. We were not completely honest with you when we checked in.

Sara: What? Let me guess…

Kasie: (stuttering). Well…

Sara: Hmmmm…You have kids?

Kasie: No, we have four dogs.

The bottom line is that the RV park was totally cool with our four dogs. Kids may be another matter. But who knows….

FYI, Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (the Federal Fair Housing Act) prohibits discrimination in housing, including RV parks, based on many things, including “familial status.” That means thatn an RV cannot discrimnate based on the presence of children under the age of 18 in the household. RV parks are exempt from that if, among other things, at least 80 percent of the occupied units must be occupied by at least one person 55 years of age or older. These FAQs provide a lot more information on exemption.

From what I could find, Tra-Tel is not advertised as 55+ RV park. Yet, over the course of our stay here, we saw only 1 child, and we think the child was visiting her grandparents. Thus, RVers with children may want to check with the management about their policies.

Getting Mail at Tra-Tel RV Park

Being away from home for so long causes many logistical challenges, including getting mail. We take part in the United States Postal Service Informed Delivery service. Once enrolled, the USPS scans the front of the letter-sized mailpieces that are processed through USPS' automated equipment, and sends those images to our email. If there was something that we thought needed attention, we would just contact the sender directly to see what the communication was about.

In addition, we were able to received mail directly at the Tra-Tel RV park. Kasie especially loved having all of her Amazon packages delivered there. Because we were in a large metro area, some packages even arrived on the day they were ordered!

The Wildlife near Tra-Tel RV Park

We had a real wildlife encounter with javelinas at the Tra-Tel RV Park. A family of three javelinas (including one baby) live in the area, and they decided to forage at one of our neighbor’s campsite one morning. About a dozen RVers gathered around to watch the excitement. A few days later, we spotted them scurrying by our campsite, and our dogs wet crazy barking!

Javelinas at Tra-Tel RV park in Tucson — Javelinas at Tra-Tel RV Park in Tucson, Arizona

A javelina! We had been looking for wild javelinas since our visit to The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. The javelinas at the museum were fat and lazy. Those at our campground were a lot skinner and mobile.

The Community at Tra-Tel

Tra-Tel RV Park in Tucson Arizona - Sunset — Sunset at Tra-Tel RV Park in Tucson, Arizona

Two months was enough time to actually develop friendships with some of the Tra-Tel residents. And, we really got to see just how special the RV community can be. As an example, we often chatted with a woman named Bev and her dog Dayce while out on walks with our four-legged kids. When we told her that our dog Brodie was feeling ill, she dropped off essential oils that she thought might help him. Later, when we learned that Bev’s husband had to go to the hospital, several people in the RV park could be spotted walking Dayce. Seeing the RV park residents rally in someone’s time of need lifted our spirits greatly.

Our experience staying at Tra-Tel RV park as our first long-term stay was a great choice. If we are ever in the Tucson area again, we would not hesitate to stay there again.

Lana Knedlik 4/8/22 Lana Knedlik 4/8/22

WE ARE SELLING OUR HOME!

Hey there, Broad Squad! We are interrupting our regular RV and travel blogs because…WE ARE SELLING OUR HOME AND GOING TO LIVE IN OUR RV FULL-TIME!

Hey there, Broad Squad! We are interrupting our regular RV and travel blog because…wait for it…WE ARE SELLING OUR HOME AND GOING TO LIVE IN OUR RV FULL-TIME!

We are SUPER EXCITED and will fill you in on all of the details later. In the meantime, if you know anyone looking for their true dream home in mid-Missouri, send them our way!

Here's the listing information:

403 Russell Boulevard
Columbia Missouri 65203
403.Russell.Blvd@gmail.com
913-488-1333
FSBO-Broker, Lana Knedlik
MLS #406153

About our home:

Basic Specifications:
- 0.99 acres; partially wooded lot
- ~3950 ft^2 finished, ~1180 ft^2 unfinished
- 5 bedroom (one non-conforming), 3.5 bath, 3-car oversized extra-deep garage
- New in 2018, Hansman Custom Home
- All stone/stucco exterior (no siding), composite roof with metal roof accents
- Irrigated fenced yard, rock landscaping
Great room: floor-to-ceiling gas fireplace with built in shelves; four-panel folding accordion “window wall” that opens to a ~500 ft^2 composite deck
Kitchen: Large quartz island with storage; walk-in pantry with bonus mini-fringe/freezer; stainless steel appliances
Master Wing: gas fireplace; 10’ ceilings; deck access; zero-entry shower; 11’x11’ walk-in-closet adjacent to master bath and laundry room
Office/Bedroom Wing: two bedrooms with large walk-in closets; Jack and Jill bathroom configuration with jetted tub; 9’ ceilings, deck access
Partially Finished Basement: Wet bar with pneumatic window that creates an interior/exterior bar serving area; fourth bedroom; gym (fifth non-conforming bedroom)
“Unfinished” basement: HUGE “wood-shop” area with John-Deere doors; concrete “safe” storm cellar room
Outdoor Living Spaces: (1) ~500 ft^2 partially covered composite deck with cable railing and (2) ~800 ft^2 stamped concrete patio flanked by stone columns and partially covered with “dry-below” under-decking

Listing Information:
Looking for a CENTRAL LOCATION and NEWER BUILD? Nestled on 0.99 acres in the heart of central Columbia, this one-of-a-kind home was built in 2018. The home features mid-century inspired flat roof lines, abundant transom and casement windows, and metal roof accents. The great room boasts 15’ ceilings, a floor-to-ceiling gas fireplace with built-in floating shelves and an accordion folding-glass “window-wall” that opens to a huge composite covered deck with cable railings. The open-concept dining nook and kitchen come with stainless appliances and a large walk-in pantry that boasts both a mini-fridge and freezer. The master bedroom wing includes another gas-burning fireplace, deck access, 10’ ceilings, and closet the size of most bedrooms. The master bath has dual vanities and a large walk-in zero-entry shower with two showerheads. The laundry room located on the master wing conveniently leads to the fenced-in backyard. A jetted tub/shower flanked by another two bedrooms with extra-large walk-in closets in a Jack-and-Jill layout complete the first floor. The oversized three-car garage means there's plenty of room for a mower, bikes, toys, and most vehicles.

Is the party in the back? Or down under? The lower interior living space includes a wet bar with an Australian-imported pneumatic window that opens to the covered "dry-below" outdoor patio with massive stone columns. Another bedroom, full bathroom, gym (fifth non-conforming bedroom), and concrete safe-room are located on the lower level, along with a huge wood shop / storage room. The sellers are downsizing significantly so most furniture and appliances are negotiable.

What we love about the home:

LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION! The home is just a short distance to Shelter Gardens, the Columbia Farmers Market, ARC (Activity & Recreation Center), Gerbes supermarket, Russell Elementary School, and Kiwanis Park. By car, you are just minutes from the universities/colleges, downtown, and the mall. Bikers are just blocks from the County House multi-use trail or one of the city’s bike boulevards that connect with the MKT and other trail systems. We love living in Central Columbia and all that it has to offer! Oh, did we mention there are no HOA fees....

About Us:

With the help of John Hansman (Hansman Custom Homes) and several others, we built our “dream home” in 2018. About a year later though, we discovered RVing. For the past few years, we’ve been traveling the country as much as we could. Like many folks, we re-evaluated our lives in light of covid-19. So, after practicing law for 25+ years, I retired as a patent/transactional attorney for the University of Missouri System last year. Kasie continues to work part-time as a software engineer. Long story short, after making a few test run adventures in the RV< we have decided to sell our home so that we can live in our RV full-time and travel even more. We even started this blog and a YouTube channel about our RV travels.

For me, Russell will always be my dream home. It will be hard to say good-bye. But change is good, and we are looking forward to our new home on the road.

403 Russell and Night - Front View - Use.jpg

Master Closet GoPro - Full View - Use.jpg

Russell Basement Living - Door - Use.jpg

Lana Knedlik 3/17/22 Lana Knedlik 3/17/22

Springtime In Missouri Song (& Official Music Video)

Last week, we endured about 3 inches of snow here in Columbia, Missouri. This week, most days reached the upper 70s. That’s a pretty typical springtime for Missouri. Regardless of the weather though, there’s something about this time of year that just lifts my spirits. It’s about renewal and new life, and the feeling that something beautiful is just around the corner. I wrote and recorded this song over a decade ago. It couldn’t be more true today.

I wrote and recorded this song over a decade ago. It couldn’t be more true today.

PS: I’m not a professional singer or musician. Be kind.

Lyrics to Springtime in Missouri

VERSE I

It's a Sunday morning in March
The sky is gray
The wet snow. My weighted soul.
They melt away.

The silent spring, she's near.
She springs all over me.
She plants her foot and seeds the sweet
Possibilities.

Mother nature, she comes.
She comes to me.
She rains and she sleets.
For the world to see.

I raise my glass
Knowing that this will pass.
I feel not afraid
For the seasons of change.

VERSE II
It's a Sunday afternoon in March
The sun is bright.
The red bird flutters. His tiny wings.
The beats of time.

The hours of spring, they're near.
They spring all over me.
Minutes of where hope and love, they spring
For an eternity.

Father Time, he arrives.
He arrives on time.
He clocks my future unfolding.
From my waiting line.

I raise my glass
For the winter has passed.
I feel not afraid
For the seasons of change.

VERSE III
It's a Sunday night in March
The moon is full.
I poke my my hand into the ground.
I push and pull.

The gardens of spring, they're here.
They spring all over me. Buds burst.
Branches break.
Like new Beginnings.

Sister Spring, she toils.
She toils for me.
She is the rich soil.
For what I want to be.

I raise my glass
For the spring at last.
I think I was made
For the seasons of change.

More Information on Missouri

Looking for more info on Things to Do in mid-Missouri? Check out our blog.

Lana Knedlik 1/10/22 Lana Knedlik 1/10/22

Truth or Consequences!

Each new year is all about resolutions, and envisioning the choices that we want to make over the next year to improve our lives. So, the idea of spending New Year’s Eve in Truth or Consequences seemed like an appropriate place to kick off 2022.

Where: Elephant Butte Lake State Park (near Truth or Consquences, NM)
When: Thursday, December 30, 2021 to Saturday, January 1, 2022 (two nights).
Cost: $28 + $8 Transaction Fee for two nights (water and electric only)
Bucket List: Riverbend Hot Springs
Beer: Truth or Consequences Brewing

Each new year is all about resolutions, and envisioning the choices that we want to make over the next year to improve our lives. So, the idea of spending New Year’s Eve in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico seemed like an appropriate place to kick off 2022.

How did Truth or Consequences get its name?

If you are like me, you are probably thinking to yourself: “What kind of name is Truth or Consequences?”

The town’s original name was “Hot Springs” because of, duh…all of the hot springs in the area. Then, in 1950, the NBC game show “Truth or Consequences promised to broadcast from the first town that changed its name to the name of the show, and TorC was the lucky winner. The show’s host, Ralph Edwards, then visited town on the first weekend in may for the next 50 years in an annual event known as the Fiesta that is still celebrated today.

What is TorC?

Because “Truth or Consequences” is sort of a mouthful, “T or C” or “TorC” is an acronym or shorthand for Truth or Consequences.

The TorC Brewery

Of course, the first thing that we wanted to do in TorC was to check out the local brewery and get some food. Surprisingly, all of the restaurants we could find in the downtown area near the brewery weren’t open on a Thursday afternoon. So, after settling for some Del Taco on the north side of town, we headed to Truth or Consequences Brewing.

The brewery had about 12 beers and a couple of ciders on tap. We tried the Pineapple Habanero Sour, Strawberry Wheat, Buckhorn IPA, and Nut Brown Ale. The brewery is not pretentious at all and feels more like your local bar where blue collar folks like to come after their shift. The beers what you would expect – they got the job done. The staff was getting ready for a big New Year’s Eve celebration, and we stopped by for a second time for happy hour on that holiday.

Riverbend Hot Springs

Given its first moniker, TorC has an abundance of hot springs. Turns out, my grandfather came to TorC for treatments for a good chunk of his life. I figured a hot springs soak would probably do us some good as well. I’m not sure going to a hot springs qualifies as a true “bucket list” item, but because we had never been to one before, I’m going to call it one.

If we were going to share water with some complete strangers, then we wanted it to be sanitary and safe. Riverbend Hot Springs looked like the most promising. We booked online just a couple of days before our arrival date — and felt lucky to snag a spot during the busy holiday season. We reserved a one-hour Property Pass for the “common pools” for $35/two people on New Year’s Eve. “Private Soaks” were available for $50, but because we weren’t planning on getting naked, we figured being with the common folks in the common pools was good enough for us. The private pools also have a strictly enforced “whisper policy” while the common pools do not.

We had our choice of about 7-8 different pools to chose from with varying temperatures and different amounts of shade/sunlight. Most of the pools overlook the Rio Grand River. We encountered about a dozen other “commoners” (including the band that would be playing at TorC Brewing later that night), and everyone was respectful of each other’s space. Guests are only supposed to stay in the pools for about 15 minutes at a time, and then stay out for 5 minutes. However, with high temperatures of around 50 °F and 10-15 mph winds, it was too cold to venture out of the pools for too long. Brrr.

RVers are also welcome at Riverbend Hot Springs. At the time of our visit, the cost was $65 for full hook-ups, and that included access to common pools. The spaces looked a little tight (15-20′ wide x 50′ long in size), but that may be a good option for some who want to soak and are just passing through town.

Elephant Butte Lake State Park

Our campsite at Elephant Butte State Park near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico

Rather than stay in TorC, we chose Elephant Butte Lake State Park for the bargain price of $28 for two nights (water electric only). We camped at the Lions Beach area (site 84) such that we basically overlooked the lake. The weather was on the chilly side, but we were able to enjoy the beautiful sunrises and take the Jeep down to the lake with the dogs. The sites each come with their own covered patio area, and are very flat with easy access. We also saw numerous RV parks and stored watercraft in the area such that the community seems to revolve around the lake during the non-winter seasons. Even during our winter visit, a majority of the RV sites at the lake were occupied. Of course, only got to experience a small part of the lake on our visit. The lake is HUGE — over 40 miles long with over 200 miles of shoreline!

Concluding Thoughts on Truth or Consequences, NM

From what we could tell, we felt like we hit the highlights in TorC: a hot springs, the brewery, and the state park. If you have recommendations on other things to do in the area, we would love to hear them as I suspect we will be traveling through New Mexico again in the future.