Easy lunch items for hiking that kids can help cook

We’re always looking for foods that the kids can help make, are easy to carry on a hike or to take to the beach in a small cooler, and that use up leftovers. If they happen to be relatively healthy, too, well, bonus!

These veggie wraps fit the bill. We’ve filled them with everything from stir-fry leftovers to grilled vegetables to the toppings from homemade pizza, and it’s hard to go wrong. Most young ‘uns love cream cheese, and that provides the base and makes the tortilla hold itself together. 

Kids can assembled their own, which gets them involved, and these are so easily transportable – just shove them into baggies (they stay nicer if you can wrap them in cling wrap first) and put them in a pack or a cooler for later. They’re a weekly lunch item for school for us. Lettuce or spinach adds extra crunch. Some fresh herbs, a little salt and pepper -- and if you have time, some sautéed garlic – all add flavor boosts, but aren’t necessary. These are just so user-friendly.

The Chocolate Crisp Jumbles are a popular variation on Rice Krispie treats that have been around for a while, but are worth adding to a regular repertoire, also because the whole family can get in on the action, they’re quick and easy to make, and they travel well. And they’re delicious!

Veggie Wraps

Tortillas (flour, whole wheat or whole grain)

Cream cheese, about 2 oz. per wrap

Mix of leftover cooked vegetables, about a half cup per wrap (we like combinations such as zucchini, tomatoes, onions and red peppers, and often throw in corn cut off the cob or black beans; adding sautéed garlic, fresh basil or parsley is nice, as well)

Lettuce or spinach (optional)

Place each tortilla flat on a surface and smear thinly to the edges with cream cheese. Spread vegetables across the center of the tortilla in a thin line. If using lettuce or spinach, lay it on top of the vegetables.

Fold one side of the tortilla over the mixture, and then roll it all the way to the end, using the cream cheese to make it stick. Cut in half.

If packaging for a hike or later eating, wrap each half individually in plastic wrap to hold it together better.

Chocolate Crisp Jumbles

Makes about two dozen.

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate

¼ c. unsalted butter

5 tbls. light corn syrup

3 cups Rice Krispies or other crispy rice cereal

Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or very thinly grease them.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a heavy saucepan over very low heat, in a microwave in increments so that it doesn’t burn or in a double boiler over simmering heat. Take care not to scorch!

Stir in the corn syrup and rice cereal. Drop by large spoonfuls onto the cookies sheets. Place in refrigerator for an hour until they are firm.

Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

The roadtripster is the handle of a longtime Coloradan who travels the country by any means possible, sometimes in an RV, sometimes car camping or in the backcountry, with kids and without.

Top ten things travelers forget on camping trips

There you are, surrounded by 12 hungry campers in various stages of sweaty, cranky exhaustion after a day of hiking through the woods, all eagerly awaiting the famous Goulash on a Stick that you’ve been promising to flambé over a roaring campfire all day.

The food has been prepped, the plates and utensils sit on a checkered tablecloth ready for action. And you would fire up a grill or a stove or some wood, if only…you hadn’t forgotten to pack the lighter. Or some matches. Or something, anything that would ignite and turn your culinary creation into something edible.

Sigh.

It’s another reminder that pack lists are the bomb, although they certainly aren’t a guarantee. Proof: a trip to a ritzy resort area where one of my daughters confessed just before we headed to the swimming pool that she’d forgotten her bathing suit, even though, as I pointed out repeatedly as we traipsed all afternoon from store to store, that she had checked it off her list as packed.

That was a costly one, because it was so far into the summer that the only place selling them had one her tiny size for…gulp…$80. What were we going to do? The swimming pools had a strict “no street clothes” policy, and we had a whole week to go.

So, after chatting with some other serious camping folks about this issue, here are the top items that seemed to come up over and over. And I’d like to say we’ll never forget a bathing suit again, but we all know that’s not true.

What are some of yours?

1.    Sunscreen. Thank heavens most places have this on hand, especially in convenience and campground stores. Still, sometimes all you can get is the tiny tube, for twice what you would pay for a big bottle.

2.    Bug spray. A recent trek to Moab found us so surrounded by mosquitoes it felt like we were in a stinging snowstorm. Some folks on the trip had spray, some not, and we quickly ran out. We wound up needing citronella candles, too.

3.    Flashlight. Or headlamp. Without something at night to light the way, things go bump.

4.    Maps. There’s always someone in the car or on the trail who refuses to ask for directions, and there’s nothing worse than being completely lost in an unfamiliar area. We keep ours in Ziploc bags so they don’t get wet or covered in food goo, and store them in files labeled by state.

5.    Lighter/matches. We try to bring both, in case the lighter winds up running out of fluid and/or the matches get wet. It’s always good to have a back-up.

6.    Containers for leftovers. A Ziploc full of a variety of sizes of Ziplocs is a great thing to have on hand for any kind of leftovers, but it’s also nice, if you have room, to have a few plastic containers for whatever winds up needing to be stored. It seems as though there’s always a little bit of something that we’re reluctant to just pitch. And the baggies are good for the inevitable rock, shell and leaf collections, as well.

7.    Band-Aids. Even when we remember them, they seem to disappear faster than you can say “owie!” So we buy the super big box.

8.    Sunglasses. Yeah, they’re going to get lost anyway, so go with the $5 pair. And bring a spare.

9.    Paper towels. They can be used for spills, as napkins, as ground cloths, bundled as oven mitts or potholders, wrapped around “owies,” called into service as dishcloths or towels...and so much more.

10.  Bathing suit. Not only have we forgotten to bring one on a trip, but I confess to having left mine hanging to dry on the back of a hotel bathroom door, and I almost did it again very recently on another trip. They’re just not an everyday item. 

The roadtripster is the handle of a longtime Coloradan who travels the country by any means possible, sometimes in an RV, sometimes car camping or in the backcountry, with kids and without.

More kids’ activity ideas for camping trips

Thank heavens companies keep coming up with ideas for keeping kids occupied on camping trips, although a recent river camping trip found the adults trying to muscle out the kids to play a game I’d never seen before.

Called Tailgate Toss, this simply constructed item involves two large, wooden boards with legs on one end that hold each board up at an angle. Teams divide into two groups – two to four people usually play – and each side then throws beanbags into the hole in each board. The scoring initially seems complicated, as it’s more involved than regular old bean bag toss, which is what this resembles, but eventually you get the hang of it.

Tailgate Toss, or "Corn Hole," is a big hit with all ages.

Some of the people in our group knew this game as “Corn Hole” –apparently it depends on what part of the country you call home –but the result was a hotly contested battle that got so involved, we stuck flashlights under the holes and played it well into the twilight hours.

You can get Tailgate Toss with the insignias of your favorite sports teams or just plain wood. For ages 5+

Cost: $64-$120

Get it at: tailgatetoss.com, amazon.com, overstock.com

Speaking of being on the river, whenever there’s water involved, stuff is going to get wet. We discovered a laminated version of the ever-popular Uno card game, called Uno H2O to Go, which works just like the original game except that each card is coated in plastic and has a hole in it so that the deck can be secured with a plastic hook, that then easily clips to pants pockets or the inside of a backpack or bag.

That means you can take the cards along hiking, in the car or anywhere that having something to occupy the group will come in handy. For ages 7+

Cost: $8

Get it here: Target, REI

An ideal in-the-car or RV game is Blokus to Go, a strategy game that’s fierce in its larger version and very fun in the smaller one. The pieces snap in place, with the basic idea being to get all of your tiles on the board, while touching another tile of the same color only at the corners. It gets a little maddening, but in a good way.

What’s also cool about the travel version of Blokus is that if you don’t finish – or, say, have to make a pit or picnic stop – you can just close the sides and hold your place. Young kids pick up on the concept very quickly. For ages 5+

Cost: $15

Get it here: amazon.com

The roadtripster is the handle of a longtime Coloradan who travels the country by any means possible, sometimes in an RV, sometimes car camping or in the backcountry, with kids and without.

Get your gear here: Cooking ideas, and a powerful flashlight

My friend Pete swears by crockpot meals on RV trips, plugging one in before heading out for the day so there’s a hot meal ready when everyone’s too tired at the end to throw anything together. RoadPro makes a 1.5-quart, 12-volt slow cooker that plugs into the cigarette lighter and works like a charm. The stoneware insert is dishwasher safe, and there’s a stretch cord that keeps the lid on so that you can drive while it’s cooking, too.
Cost: $28
Get it here: amazon.com

Speaking of cooking, if you find yourself at a campground with fire rings and are looking for a more efficient way to put your food over the flame to cook, the Tripod Pioneer Grill by Rome is great. The tripod is adjustable and breaks down for storage, and the rack one which you set the cooking pans, Dutch oven, coffee pot or even some foods directly is completely adjustable via chains, so that you can raise and lower it to control the amount of heat. The contraptions sometimes swings around a bit, but works especially well with heavy items.
Cost: $35
Get it here: rvsupplywarehouse.com

Everyone in camp should have their own flashlight, and the rechargeable, incredibly powerful Streamlight UltraStinger is pretty cool, able to go for an hour of continuous use, with a 30-hour halogen blub and an easy-to-hit push-button on-off switch. The 12-inch-long unit can be recharged in a vehicle with a 12-volt or using a 110-volt plug. The downside: It’s ridiculously expensive. But it will last forever, and the fact that it’s rechargeable is huge.
Cost: $155
Get it at: cabelas.com

The roadtripster is the handle of a longtime Coloradan who travels the country by any means possible, sometimes in an RV, sometimes car camping or in the backcountry, with kids and without.

Tips for first-time RVers

So you're going to do it – you're going to drive a vehicle the size of your first apartment to some cool part of the country, maybe with kids in tow, and there's a chance you're a little bit nervous about that. And understandably so...RVs are large, a bit more complicated than your car and come with a lot of bells and whistles.

Here are a few handy hints that may help the first time out.

Rent the right RV for your trip type and group size Talk with the folks at the place where you’re renting about how many people you are taking, what you plan to do on the trip (such as whether you’ll be hauling bikes or other toys) and where you’re headed (for instance, will you be driving on a lot of narrow roads?).
Try to avoid the common pitfall of renting too large an RV for your needs. It’s fun to have space, but the truth is, you don’t spend as much time moving around in it as you think – when you’re driving, you’re sitting, and when you’re parked, you’re sleeping the majority of the time. Slide-outs are the big must-have if you can get them; they add space when you’re sitting still.

Know your dimensions at all times They’re usually posted somewhere so the driver can reference it, but if not, put it on a Post-it. But also be checking before every bridge, tunnel, gas station overhang to see if you will fit. It’s easy to get so used to driving that you forget.

Have someone spot you when you park Make sure they’re well out of the way and you can see them (being able to hear them is nice, too) and agree on hand signals ahead. RV parks are famous for friendly folks who are willing to help, as well.

Side mirrors rule Because you can’t see out the back (except when you use the rear-vision camera, if your vehicle has one), your side mirrors are indispensible. Check them daily to make sure they are where you need them to be. While you’re driving, not only will they show you where other traffic is positioned, but they will keep you in the lanes, because if you can see the painted lines, you’re good. The camera is nice to check periodically, too, by the way, to see if anyone is all up in your backside.

Speaking of your backside…It swings way out when you turn, requiring a bit of a pull forward first. It’s nice if you can practice that a couple of times before pulling out of the lot.

And the best advice I ever received: Don’t drive down any road, alley or parking lot where you don’t know that there’s a way out. A friend of mine once had to unhitch a Jeep and drive backward an entire mile in a 31-foot motorhome after accidentally going down what turned out to be an unmarked no-exit alley.

The roadtripster is the handle of a longtime Coloradan who travels the country by any means possible, sometimes in an RV, sometimes car camping or in the backcountry, with kids and without.

Packing for a camping trip? Make a list, check it twice

Packing for a camping trip often feels like a no-win situation.

Half the time it feels like you’re hauling along everything you own – it seems as though it would make more sense to watch a video of a fire on the TV and save the gas money, because at least then you could reach into the fridge and all the beers would always be cold. And then there are those trips where you wonder what you were thinking about when you loaded up, because every ten minutes you remember something you forgot.

What to do? Well, the best thing is to make a pack list.

I know, it sounds so…organized. But think about it: Wouldn’t it be nice if every time you went on a camping trip, all you had to do was print out a tidy little list of all the things you needed to take, so that you could check them off as you pack?

There are several websites that offer pre-assembled pack lists, and those are great starting points (Go Camping America has a printable PDF that works nicely). You will probably find, as I did, that these lists require a bit of customizing for your own situation. Over the years, I’ve also found that we need pack lists for different types of trips – we have separate rosters for RV trips, car camping trips, back-country trips, trips where we’ll be mountain biking, river rafting, etc.

The easiest thing to do is start the lists on a computer, naming them according to the type of trip – which  for us means we can then cut-and-paste lists for larger trips, such as when we’ll be mountain biking on a car camping trip.  

We put two lines next to each item, so that we can make a check mark if it’s an item that we’ll need to take, and then mark it off when it’s been packed. It looks something like this:

Cooking

___ ___ propane stove

___ ___ coffee pot

___ ___ Dutch oven

___ ___ utensils

What’s also helpful about the pack list system is that you can print out separate lists for every member of the family, so that kids can pack their own clothes, games and other items. For younger kids, you can always check up on them, but older kids will appreciate some autonomy – they know the basic types of items they need to bring, but they can make decisions about the exact ones. Don’t forget the things you’ll need for the pets, vehicle maintenance and first aid.

At the end of each trip, maybe on the drive home, you can make notes about things you wish you had brought – one of the kids can have a notebook out to jot them down – and then you can add those items to the lists later.

The roadtripster is the handle of a longtime Coloradan who travels the country by any means possible, sometimes in an RV, sometimes car camping or in the backcountry, with kids and without.

Tips for a trip to Napa Valley wine country

When the weather starts to warm up, but it’s not yet so humid that you feel like you’re walking around in the armpit of a hairy man in a Turkish bath, a weeklong jaunt through Napa Valley wine country is just the ticket. And, let’s face it, the chance to drink some wine, especially if it’s free, can’t hurt.

There are more than 300 wineries in Napa, so it’s a good idea to pick a few that really interest you for sampling. Then base the trip on hopping from one charming town to the next, starting with Napa and ending in Calistoga (with Yountville and St. Helena between). You can fly into San Francisco, rent an RV, towable or car there and drive up – it takes about an hour on either Interstate 80 or U.S. 101. There are several campgrounds and RV parks situated around the towns.

A few tips to make your visit more enjoyable:

Visit the vineyards before May, after November or midweek – The crowds pick up in the summer and steadily increase through the “crush,” or harvest, which is late August-October. Otherwise, be prepared to stand behind hordes of people in the tasting room saying things like, “It has a lot of ’67 Chevy exhaust with a hint of woodchuck fur, don’t you think?”

Find out which tasting rooms charge – The fees vary from $2-$25, and some wineries, bless their hearts, still don’t charge. Some places include a souvenir glass, and a few offer snacks. Most put the fee toward a bottle purchase. Check online for two-for-one tasting deals, which can save quite a bit.

Have some kind of strategy – The first time I visited years ago, I inadvertently learned something crucially different from each winery. From Mondavi, I became schooled in the fascinating multi-layered vastness of a gigantic commercial operation. At Beringer, I discovered the point of tasting in flights; at Grgich, I learned about the science of making wine, and at Rubicon, I learned something of the soul of the process. For subsequent visits, I researched the vineyards ahead so that I would always come away with a deeper understanding of wine-making.

Check out the farmers’ markets – It’s one of the best ways to eat on the road, and there’s one nearly every day of the week somewhere along the route. The Napa Downtown Farmers’ Market runs May-October on Tuesdays-Saturdays. On Wednesdays, it’s the Yountville market June-September, and Fridays it’s St. Helena’s turn May-October, as well as the Napa Chef’s Market May-August. The Calistoga Farmers’ Market is on Saturdays.

Stay sober enough to make good choices – If at the end of the day, you find that you have seven cases of white zinfandel, you have only yourself to blame. You’ll know who’s about to make that really bad purchase – it’s the guy who’s going on and on about the “great legsh” on some cabernet at the counter. Also keep in mind that the great deals at the wineries are the fabulous wines that are only available there – meaning, they’re usually produced in limited quantities and not distributed – and the bottles that are discounted big by the case.

And, finally, you’re going to need to stop driving for a period of time while you do this; that’s all there is to it. The local police force keeps a pretty close eye on things. Designate a driver or rent a taxi or limo service, get someone to watch the kids, and then go taste some wine!

Visit the Napa valley site for more information.

The roadtripster is the handle of a longtime Coloradan who travels the country by any means possible, sometimes in an RV, sometimes car camping or in the backcountry, with kids and without.

What are your 2011 camping / RVing plans?

The decorations have been taken down and put away with care, the company’s gone and you’re back to your regularly scheduled programming. Like many folks perhaps you made New Year’s resolutions…and if you’re anything like us, front and center is to go camping and RVing in 2011. And why not? Where else can you experience the beauty and abundance of nature, enjoy healthy outdoor activities, cook up a feast over the campfire and make family memories that will last forever…all on a budget any family can afford?

Whether you are looking for an epic adventure across the continent or a close-by weekend retreat, you’ll find the perfect RV park or campground on the find a park page at GoCampingAmerica.com. Book your camping adventure online or play it by ear. Stay in a tent, a motorhome or travel trailer, a yurt or a cabin. Visit a full-fledged resort offering planned activities and events or go back to nature in a quiet, reflective campground. Get away to the mountains, a lake, the desert, ocean or the Great Plains - it's up to you!

Camping and RV opportunities abound but chances are you already know this by heart. What are your 2011 camping and RVing plans? Big family affair? Romantic escape? Adventure rich? Leave a comment below and let us know how you plan to enjoy the bounty of our nation’s great outdoors – we’re excited to hear all about it!

Happy 2011 camping from your camping buddies at GoCampingAmerica.com!!

RV Cooking Show Shares White Bean Pesto Dip Recipe

If you're anything like me, you want to hold on to summertime as long as you can. It's this time of year that gardens are lush with the last of the year's fresh produce and basil plants everywhere are working overtime. To help you take advantage of the summer's bounty and offer you a quick and delicious dish to bring to any gathering, I'm tickled to share this episode of the RV Cooking Show - White Bean Pesto Dip and Pine Acres Family Camping, MA.

We stop and visit with Jeff Howard of Linabella's Gourmet Garlic Farm (an awesome pesto master) then spend some quality time with Denise Packard making this party pleaser for their park's 50th Anniversary celebration - Pine Acres Family Campground in Oakham, MA.



Lookin' good? Learn more about the Oakham-area and print this recipe (plus a good RV recipe for pesto) at the RV Cooking Show website.

Summer’s fleeting…take advantage of every opportunity to Go Camping America, meet and make friends, share stories and delicious dishes…RV life has it's rewards!

Evanne
RV Cooking Show

Campfire Treat - Doughboys

For some families the kids are already back in school; for others the start of the school year is just around the corner. Either way, all across the country the upcoming Labor Day weekend is a big summer weekend to go camping America. Plan to enjoy quality together time hiking and exploring, geocaching if that’s your thing, grilling some mighty tasty chops, and capping the perfect day around a roaring campfire (find campfire tips here).

Top it off by trying a delish fireside treat that’s sure to be a hit...doughboys. These little toasted tubes can be filled with your choice of fillings - chocolate syrup, jelly, pie filling, whipped cream - you get the picture - and enjoyed on the spot. Here’s how to make your own doughboys:

You’ll need a “stick” about 1 ½ inches in diameter and about 2 feet long (pick up an untreated wooden dowel at your local home improvement store and cut to length). Decorate the holding end with permanent markers (this makes a great campsite craft).

At the campfire, butter the doughboy end of the stick and using refrigerated biscuit dough roll a single biscuit into a snake shape. Spiral wrap the dough on the buttered end of the stick making sure the dough is sealed on the sides and end - creating a “tube”. Rotate/toast over the fire for about 5 minutes - until it’s brown and easily slips off the stick (careful - they’re hot). Fill and enjoy - bet you can eat more than one!!

Find more kid-friendly recipes as well as your perfect place to tent camp or go RVing at GoCampingAmerica.com.

Contributed by Evanne Schmarder

2010 Celebrates the RV Centennial

One hundred…what a birthday! Three prominent RV-historians - renowned RV collector David Woodworth, RV/MH Hall of Fame and Museum archivist Al Hesselbart, and Smithsonian Institution curator Roger White - have cited 1910 as the start of the RV industry. The mass-produced, manufactured auto campers and camping trailers first built that year were the forerunners of today’s RVs and we imagine that RVing’s early pioneers were just as excited to go RVing as we are today.

The RV Centennial has swept the nation with the national media tour, RV mascot Centennial Charlie’s cross-country trip (and stint as an RV Undercover Boss), and the upcoming RV Industry's Centennial Celebration being held at the RV/MH Hall of Fame and Museum in Elkhart, Indiana. In fact, both the US House of Representatives and the Senate have passed resolutions declaring June 2010 RV Centennial Celebration Month:

The United States House of Representatives adopted a resolution May 26, “recognizing and honoring the 100 years of enjoyment of RVs in the United States.”
“Senate supports and recognizes the goals and ideals of ‘RV Centennial Celebration Month’ to commemorate 100 years of enjoyment of recreation vehicles in the United States; and encourages the people of the United States to celebrate this anniversary by taking part in recreation vehicle vacations.”

All across the country, RV parks and campgrounds are celebrating big, too. From vintage trailer rallies (including open houses and swap meets) to bbq gatherings to special geocache stashes the party has begun. Throughout the year, chances are your favorite RV park or campground will be hosting special events and weekends.

Take part in the fun they have to offer or make your own merriment. Throw an RV Centennial camping party. Schedule a camping trip with your friends and family, find your perfect park at http://www.gocampingamerica.com/, make reservations and get ready to get outdoors. When you arrive decorate your sites in fine birthday fashion, plan a potluck bbq, play your own birthday games, and enjoy the wonderful benefits of camping and RVing.

What are you doing to celebrate 100 years of RVing? Leave a comment, an idea, an inspiration below…we’d love to hear about it!

Contributed by Evanne Schmarder

RV Cooking Show - Three Crepes and a Castle

When you were a kid did you dream of being a famous movie star or sports figure, invited to exclusive parties to mingle amongst the elite? Visit the Hearst Castle estate and, with some imagination, you might get a taste of what it was like to be part of that crowd. There are several tours available including their newest – a self-guided Gardens and Vistas tour – complete with guides standing by to answer your questions about Hearst and “The Enchanted Hill”. Interestingly, rather than a rote tour talk, each guide is permitted to develop their own spiel focusing on their interest in the Castle and it’s art, people, grounds, history, and more. Well, at least for now, allow me to be your personal Hearst Castle tour guide in this episode of the RV Cooking Show – Three Crepes and a Castle – then join  me in my RV kitchen.

In honor of National Strawberry Picking Day I'm going to show you how to make delicious crepes. Though I use jam, curd, and nutella in this episode you can easily add fresh strawberries or any other fresh in-season fruit. You'll find that with ingredients that you most likely already have at home, you, too, can make amazing crepes. It’s not difficult at all…just technique. Watch this RV TV video and you'll see for yourself!  

Remember, you can print this RV recipe to take along in your camper. Nothing is more satisfying than elegance combined with nature! Enjoy!

Evanne
http://www.rvcookingshow.com/

RV Park and Campground Libraries

Picture yourself lounging by the pool or relaxing at your campsite, lazily enjoying a really good book. It’s so good you finally finish it with a smile but that smile soon turns to dismay…you’re only into the 3rd day of your camping vacation and you've already used up your reading material. Enter the RV park / campground book exchange. Yep, most parks offer a “library” worthy of your attention.

Locate the library (sometimes in the laundry room) and you may find magazines, books, videos, games, puzzles, newspapers and more. It works like this – take one, leave one or borrow and return one. At the very least, book and magazine exchanges can be found at many, many RV parks and campgrounds. The titles you’ll find in the camp’s library may be as diverse as a big city library – magazines from National Geographic to Cooking Light to Smithsonian to Highways, both fiction and non-fiction books - medical, travel, suspense, romance, etc. and often puzzles of every challenge level.

In some parks you might even come across a selection of movies – sometimes VHS, sometime DVDs. Movies are usually not for exchange but donations to the collection are always welcome. Borrow them for a day or two – free - but please remember to return them. Games follow the same procedure and are for everyone’s enjoyment.

If this is something that interests you, before you leave home gather up the magazines, books, videos, games, etc. you’ve already enjoyed and plan to visit camp libraries at every stop along the way. Don’t worry if they aren’t the latest and greatest. The magazines may not always be current but the content is as valuable as the day it came out. Recipes are still tasty; motivational advice still stands; touching family stories still have the power to move you.

You don’t have to exchange in the same genre, either. Exchange a novel for a cookbook, a self-help book for a AAA Travel Guide, a how-to guide for a children’s book. In some parks you might even come upon a “reference library”. Please respect their rules and requests when it comes to “reference” items. These items are typically for “in library” reading only.

So, when packing up your family’s home-away-from-home, bring along your “used” books, magazines or other entertainment items and know that more often than not interesting material is at hand – add or exchange as you see fit!!

All the more reason to Go Camping America …see you on the road!

Contributed by Evanne Schmarder