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| TCM STARS: Winter 2010 Part 2 |
| Angela White | Thursday, 14 January, 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Catch up with TCM Stars John Bull, Sally Stomberg, Ron and Michelle Humphress, Gary Veeder, Chuck Johnson, Greg Gaskill, Ken and Kris Cardwell, and many, many more.  Today, twenty-four more TCM Stars are strutting onto our red carpet. Catch up with John Bull, Roy Hafeli, Ron and Michelle Humphress, Randy and LaWana Smith, Marcus Lucas, Mike Barrow, Andy and Guinness Spedden, Gary Veeder, Phil Patterson, Chuck Johnson, Greg Gaskill, Aaron Walton, Ralph Goff, Joei Carlton, Ken and Kris Cardwell, Gary Love, Jerry and Reta Caldwell, Sally Stomberg, and Rik Palieri. Thank you to our TCM Stars for sending in their pictures and reports. You guys rock! John Bull Article: John Bull: From Emergency to Adventure
We decided to take a trip to the South Dakota farm in August. Our first night we boondocked at my sister's place in Nebraska. Our next stop was the Sergeant Floyd Memorial in Sioux City, Iowa. He was the only person to die on the Lewis and Clark Expedition. He is buried here overlooking the Missouri River. We then visited Le Mars, Iowa, home of Blue Bunny Ice Cream and took a tour. The town has a great little campground. Next stop was Pipestone National Monument in southwest Minnesota. This is sacred Indian land and only they can dig the soft stone out of the ground. Peace pipes and many other items are carved out of the Pipestone. We enjoyed a free night in the Casino RV parking area in Flandreau, South Dakota. If you want power, it costs ten dollars. We spent a couple days at the farm and then headed to Sioux Falls. We visited the Falls and found it very scenic and surrounded by a park. We next headed to Boone, Iowa to ride their scenic train. On the way, we noticed these windmills and I decided to mount one on the camper to replace my generator. It seems to keep my group thirty-one battery well charged. After Boone, we headed home. Roy Hafeli Article: Roy Hafeli: Mud Row to the Air Show
Another air show season has come and gone and more miles were put on Double D traveling to these great events. This year we traveled back to Wild Rose country and northern British Columbia with shows in Peace River, Fort St John, Airdrie, Bassano, and Lethbridge. Five shows in eight days! The camper was a great refuge and quiet place to hide. Truly a home away from home. And no mud roads this year! Fly Safe. Ron and Michelle Humphress Article #1: Assateague Island Dreaming Article #2: TCM Stars: Catching Up Part 2 Mid-Atlantic Rally Coordinator
The end of the summer we spent with trips to the beach, a Jimmy Buffet themed weekend at Tall Pines, and a trip to Rock Hall, Maryland for their pirate weekend. Along our way to Pirate weekend we had a mishap with a broken wheel but luckily a good friend and fellow truck camper, Cotton Collins, lived nearby and helped us on our way by bringing his extra set of wheels and tires. Ronnie and him put them on with the light of the moon and a spotlight. We traveled to Outer Banks, North Carolina with the Engles and the Dalbys for Labor Day weekend. No big fish to tell about, but had good times with friends. October brought us driving in the mountains to West Virginia for the OERV Lance Campout and then back to Tall Pines for Halloween. One last family trip to the beach in November to catch some fish and some great pictures of the truck camper by the ocean. As you see having Macey has not stopped us from camping, just have had more challenges for our trips. This year Jarrett even wanted to have his birthday in the camper, so that’s what we did. Right now, we’re getting ready for Christmas and having Jarrett show Macey how everything is done. Already looking forward to the kick off of our 2010 camping season in March with the chili cook off at Tall Pines and then the Fifth Mid-Atlantic Truck Camper Rally will be right around the corner. Hope to see everyone there. Randy and LaWana Smith Article: Randy and LaWana Smith: Northstar on a Roll
We spent the summer traveling to New York and then through some western states. We took an emergency run to Arizona, camping in West Delores, Colorado and locally at the Cottonwoods near Navajo State Dam here in New Mexico. We then traveled to Flowermound, Texas to visit our son, his wife, and our first grandbaby during Thanksgiving. Fortunately for us, the weather was great both going and coming. We did our last trip December fourth through sixth at the Cottonwoods to try our Northstar and our modifications in winter weather. We didn't keep track of the coldest night time temperatures as we preferred to sleep, but the thermometer did read fifteen degrees. The moving of the water pipes away from the outside walls, the two six volt batteries, the insulation of the floor, the addition of a double-layered heavy curtain around the vinyl walls, the carpeting under the mattress as well as its thickness, the plugging of holes, and the use of down quilts all helped keep us cozy and warm. The systems in the camper all functioned very well. We easily maintained seventy-five degrees. No matter the weather, truck camping is the greatest! Kris and Ken Cardwell Article: Kris and Ken Cardwell: mOOners in Mexico
Hello truck campers! We have returned to our winter home base in Roca Azul near Jocotepec, Jalisco, Mexico. Since the end of October we've been enjoying the sunshine and warmth while renewing friendships with our RV park amigos and locals from "Joco" and nearby Guadalajara. Living fulltime in our Bigfoot makes transitioning from one climate to another quite easy and comfortable. As much as we enjoy our time here walking, hiking, swimming, and playing tennis, and taking day trips, we are awaiting the arrival of Paula and Jerry Gale. We will hit the road with them to new places and more adventures. We have the perfect rigs for Mexican travel and healthy appetites for living life to the fullest while we can. ¡Viva Mexico! Read about our trip south and where we currently are camping: http://mooners.squarespace.com Marcus Lucas Article: Marcus Lucas: Lights, Camper, Action!
Since July I traveled another twenty-three states to shoot my documentary film StateDinners. Esmeralda, my truck camper, is the best in the world. I love her. I can't ever sell her, want my kids to have her, and their kids and than Henry Ford Museum. Oops sorry, I was lost in thoughts. So anyways what happened in that time? Well in Florida Esmy got a new fuel pump and winter tires. A great mechanic supported us with cutting down the bill and I was allowed to use his lift to work on my truck camper. I mean as you know I can not just anybody have them touch her. From there on we drove north and had a great time. We found free parking for three weeks in New York City through the webpage primospot.com. Now in the snow she is still working great for me. I have not always water because it freezes, but I work things out. Oh, in Pennsylvania we slid in a tree with the right upper side of the camper. We were just going slow on a driveway, but still I have to say I was scared that she got hurt. The Lance Camper just had a small dent, lucky me. In Detroit we have been at the Ford museum and we visited the place where Esmy was born. Visit my webpage for more images. Mike Barrow Article: TWINS' WEEK PART 2: Two Crazy About Foxes
It was a busy few months with our truck camper. I drove from Sequim, Washington to San Jose, California to visit with my friend, Mike, who flew to the mainland from Kauai, Hawaii to visit with his parents in San Jose. I camped in their driveway and Mike and I had a great time visiting with friends. Later, I drove to Glen Ellen, California to visit with a high school friend, Vicki, that I had not seen in over twenty years. The photo above is of my truck camper parked in front of their cabin. I managed to back up into that Oak tree. I broke a plumbing vent and roof vent cover. Just two of the three items that broke on this trip. All repair issues aside, I had a great time reconnecting with friends! Before this trip we camped at Kalaloch State Park in western Washington. It was our first time Razor Clamming and we all limited out. It was great fun, in spite of the rain. We put up a big blue tarp at our camp site and still enjoyed a camp fire and smores for the kids. Andy and Guinness Spedden Article: Andy & Guinness Spedden: Adventures in New England 2010 Calendar Winner
After our trip to the northeast this summer we took the scenic route to Florida to see my grandchildren for Christmas. Going down the coast by way of Kitty Hawk we saw the first flight museum and then went to Charleston Harbor to tour the Yorktown. There, our tour was given by a old sailor who had been on the sister ship to the Yorktown. To hear the stories from someone who was there was great. I surprised my grandchildren on Christmas morning dressed as Santa with my own reindeer. I took the kids to see Mickey and stayed at Ft Wilderness campground, which is very nice. We went to downtown Disney and got Guinness a hat. I also went shopping with the kids. We went to Magic Kingdom and Epcot where my granddaughter's school chorus, which she is a part of, performed for the Christmas show at the American pavilion. Now that the kids are back in school and it is cold here in St Augustine I am leaving for Key West for the rest of the month. Gary Veeder Article: Gary Veeder: From Key West to the Yukon 2008 Calendar Winner
We were feeling the effects of the economy and decided that it had been fifteen years since we went along the New England Coast of Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. The total miles were less than most trips, but the views and historical value is as good as most in the USA. We saw a coastline in Rhode Island that I had never seen before and it looked a lot like Oregon. We continued to Provincetown and it was substantially the same as our last visit fifteen years ago and still not our favorite place to visit. We stayed in our camper during the Dutchess County Fair, which is a yearly tradition, in fact it is the fifty-third straight county fair that we have attended. This year my daughter and granddaughter showed sheep and the oldest granddaughter, who is eight years old, played in the fiddle contest. The camper makes everything work as the days are very busy. It is now snowing in New York and we are really looking forward to leaving for Key West, in our camper, in three weeks. Maybe sooner. Phil Patterson Article: Phil Patterson: Man On a Mission
Looking through my camera card I did find some pictures taken in Half Moon Bay, California this past November during Indian Summer. These pictures were taken shortly after the October 16-17 annual pumpkin festival. We also traveled south of San Francisco, about one and a half hours from our home. We go there often since it is close. We save on fuel, it’s easy to get to, and it’s on the ocean with a very eclictic downtown shopping and esoteric eateries!! Plus, it’s a quick get-away! Chuck Johnson Article #1: Chuck Johnson: Truck Camping the Alaskan Wilderness Article #2: TCM Stars: Catching Up Part 2
We had a great summer up here with a lot of good weather. The highlight of our summer was a Fourth of July trip to Cordova, Alaska. Cordova is a fishing village on the Gulf of Alaska that can only be reached by air or sea. We drove from our home in Fairbanks to Valdez and then took an Alaska Marine Highway Ferry to Cordova. We spent a week there visiting the town, driving up the Copper River to the Childs Glacier, watching huge chunks of the glacier calve into the river, going sightseeing, and hiking. We then took the ferry to Whittier and drove through the railroad tunnel to the Seward Highway and on to Seward. After a couple of days in Seward we hiked up the Exit Glacier to the Harding Icefield. From there we headed home via the Seward Highway, Anchorage, Wasilla, the Glen Highway, and the Richardson Highway. We camped up the Steese Highway and four-wheeled in the White Mountains National Recreation Area. We drove the Denali Highway twice, once on a four-wheeling trip and once to see the fall colors. We hiked and four-wheeled in the Alaska Range along the Richardson Highway. We might drive to Idaho where I grew up in May to my fifty-fifth high school reunion. Greg Gaskill Article: Greg Gaskill: Travel Lite with Llamas
We only got to make one trip in the latter half of the year. My son got married in August, which kept us busy until that event took place. It turned out very nicely. We did get to make a truck camping trip in September. We went to Virginia Tech, my alma mater, to take in a football game and all the related festivities. Virginia Tech is located in Blacksburg, Virginia, down in the southwestern part of the state. What was neat about this trip is I was able to bring my son and his wife to the game, and camping, with us. He had never been to the campus. He's only heard me talk about it for most of his life. What is also neat about going to Virginia Tech is this campground we've found. It's on the New River, only about fifteen minutes from the campus. The scenery is pretty awesome. My son and his wife spent the night in the tent behind our camper. Now, one small drawback with this wonderful campground is the fact that there's also a nearby, very close, railroad track. My son said he about jumped out of his sleeping bag when one of the trains came by in the middle of the night. He thought it was coming after him. But you can't beat the scenery. And we all had a great time. Aaron Walton Article #1: Aaron Walton: Publisher of Wander the West Article #2: TCM Stars: Catching Up Part 1 2010 Calendar Winner
I only took two trips the second half of 2009, but still managed to rack up almost thirty nights in the camper. The first was a four day excursion into Oregon's outback to visit the somewhat-famous Steens Mountain and then the lesser known Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge. These are both great spots pretty far off the beaten path. My second trip was the big one, over three weeks traveling to and exploring Colorado. The first couple weeks were to photograph mining towns and the last week was to meet a group of Wanderthewest.com members in the San Juans for another rally. As usual everyone was great and we had another fantastic rally and continued the tradition of pushing our truck campers to the limits. Steens and Hart Mountains, Colorado (part 1 & part 2) Ralph Goff Article #1: Ramblin' Ralph's RV Roamings Article #2: Catching Up With Ramblin' Ralph, Ed Krech, and Wally Herrala Article #3: Catching Up with Ramblin' Ralph Article #4: Catching Up: Gary Love, Ramblin' Ralph, and Chris Todd Article #5: TCM Stars: Catching Up Part 2
I had another great, trouble free six months of living and traveling in my truck camper this year. It was my fourth doing about 9300 miles. I've now spent around 360 nights camping at campgrounds or dispersed camping spots; excluding street or driveway camping. My route on my annual Montana trip this year was through California, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Idaho, Nevada, and then California. I got within a mile or so of Canada. I visited four new National Parks; Mt. Rainier, Olympic, North Cascades and Great Basin. I'm now up to around fourteen. I attended two bluegrass music festivals; Darrington, Washington and Plymouth, California. The hottest temperature was close to one-hundred and the lowest was twenty-five at night at 7500 feet in the California Sierras in mid-September. Interesting things that happened this year: (1) While wade fishing in the Flathead River bordering Glacier National Park, I heard a splash upstream. A young buck deer was swimming the river to the Park side. (2) Taking the ferry, with my truck camper, from Port Townsend, Washington to Whidbey Island. (3) Saw an RVing Scottish couple in Oregon that I saw two months previously in California. I'll be on the road again (like Willie) in May 2010. TC on. Joei Carlton Article #1: Author, Speaker Joei Carlton Article #2: Catching Up: Rik Palieri & Joei Carlton Article #3: TCM Stars: Catching Up Part 2
There is only one thing better than RV travel and that is RV travel on someone else’s money and that's the kind of summer it was. I left Surrey, British Columbia for an RV Lifestyle Conference at Okanagan College in Kelowna, British Columbia where I am one of the instructors. I booksigned my way north to Prince George, before heading west to the coast where I was hosted by British Columbia Ferries to Port Hardy on Vancouver Island. I stopped in Hope for a photo op of the chainsaw carvings before heading to Boston Bar to visit a house made of Embalming Fluid Bottles. I worked my way to the coast stopping in Smithers and found my summer Shangri La at the Glacier View Campground. The trip down to Port Hardy was wonderful and my week at the West Bay Marina and RV park was the crowning glory of the entire trip. To stay tuned with my adventures, check out my blog at www.joeicarlton.com. Gary Love Article #1: Gary Love's On a Roll Article #2: Catching Up With Gary Love, Todd Salat, and Marshall Madruga Article #3: Catching Up: Gary Love, Ramblin' Ralph, and Chris Todd Article #4: AM Solar Brings Power to the Loves Article #5: TCM Stars: Catching Up Part 2 2008 Calendar Winner and 2009 Calendar Winner TCM Ambassador
We've traveled through more than thirty-five states this year as far as the Pacific Ocean on the Washington Peninsula to the Atlantic coast of Georgia. This year we've seen more than any other year to date with our camper. We also spent the fall in the New England states taking as many backroads as possible. Our camper on the truck is 12' 10" tall so we had to be careful of height restrictions, but there no real problems if you pay attention. Because of our full time travels we have seen and done more in a year than some do in a lifetime: concerts in the windy city, self-guided tours through the wild swamps of Georgia, many museums, exclusive tours of movie sets, the pinball hall of fame, ride-alongs in police helicopters, and backpacking for a week in the Grand Canyon. I could go on and on; and while our truck camper may not have been with us for every adventure, it made it possible for us to be where the adventures were. All in all an incredible year with so many great memories! Check out my website at www.garylove.net. Jerry and Reta Caldwell Article #1: Jerry and Reta Caldwell: Leaving the Class A Behind Article #2: TCM Stars: Catching Up Part 1 2008 Calendar Winner and 2009 Calendar Winner TCM Ambassador
We started the camping year of 2009 by going to the Mid Atlantic Truck Camper Rally in Sanford, Virginia with side trips to Assateague and Cape Hatteras National Seashores. Our main trip of the year was a trip to eastern Utah and Colorado. We visited Arches and Canyonlands National Parks and then south to the Four Corners area. In Colorado we visited places like Great Sand Dunes National Park, Leadville, Creede and many of the other beautiful places in beautiful Colorado. Our mileage for the trip was 4,908, our average miles per gallon was 13.75. We were out for thirty-five nights and our total costs per day for fuel and staying overnight averaged $40.97 for the trip. Truck camping rocks! Sally Stomberg Article #1: Ladies' Week Part 3: Sally Stomberg's Pastime Passion Article #2: TCM Stars: Catching Up Part 1
For most of the summer months, our camper stays at our place in Eastern Washington where is serves as the home base during house construction. We were able to get out camping in it though. In late July, we attended Strutzfest in Darrington, Washington. Strutzfest is a three-day benefit music festival with mostly classic rock music. It was dry camping for the weekend and our group had a blast. I saw so many truck campers that weekend. We are already planning on going next year. October meant the annual NATCOA Fall Colors Caravan. The foliage wasn't as bright as in past years, but the weather was still great for crossing the North Cascade Highway. We stayed over in Eastern Washington the following week and were treated to beautiful colors on the return trip home. We also camped over the Thanksgiving weekend in LaConner, Washington. Yes, it rained, but somehow it managed to stop each evening for a couple of hours to allow us to enjoy a campfire. For Christmas, it was a whirlwind tour across the United States from our home in Washington state to South Carolina. We racked up 6,621 miles and twenty-one states in sixteen days. Our dogs traveled with us and somehow we managed to avoid most of the bad weather. We got to spend several days visiting with Karl's parents as well as see some beautiful parts of the country. I really appreciate the wide open expanses of space in the western states. Traveling is definitely in my blood! I hope 2010 provides us the opportunity to get out and travel and camp some more but on less hectic pace than this last trip. Rik Palieri Article #1: Rik & Apache Make Music Article #2: Catching Up: Rik Palieri & Joei Carlton Article #3: Rik Palieri: Journey of Doubt, Determination, and Friendship Article #4: TCM Stars: Catching Up Part 1
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