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Pine Country Publishing 127 Rainbow Dr #2780 Livingston, TX 77399-1027 928-607-3181

Alice Zyetz

RV Lifestyles columns-

Full-time RVing: More Than Beautiful Scenery©

2006 columns

2005 columns

2003-2004 columns

Subscribe to RV Lifestyles© by sending an e-mail to rvlifestyle-subscribe@listbase.net (Be sure to add rvlifestyle@listbase.net to your address book.) For information on reprinting Alice's columns, contact youshoulda at aol.com

December, 2006 - Radio-controlled airplanes
October, 2006- Volunteer photographer
September, 2006- Military campgrounds
August, 2006- Fire tower lookouts
July, 2006 - Portable writing
June, 2006 - Line dancing
May, 2006 - Go fly a kite!
April, 2006 - Exercising on the road
March, 2006 - Photography
February, 2006 - Bridge
January, 2006- Birding

December, 2006- Radio-controlled airplanes

This month we look at the hobby of flying radio-controlled airplanes. I am always amazed when I find out about a new hobby (that is, new to me) that I think is rather exclusive and then discover a Google® search will produce almost two million sites!

Yes, you too can join the hordes of hobbyists. Visit the AMA (Academy of Model Aeronautics) to find out where the Hobby Shops are located so you can buy your first airplane, where the clubs are located so you can meet people with the same interest, how to order the group’s magazines, when and where the 2007 AMA Convention is, and so on.

This is not the little balsa wood model airplane kit you used to put together in your room, while sniffing the glue all afternoon. These planes are big, motorized replicas of real planes with receivers that transport the message to the controller that operates the motor.

The remote control box has two protruding handles (like joysticks) that send signals to the plane. Some are gliders that use the power to get aloft and then shut down to glide in the thermals. As one flyer, Tim Henderson, explained to me, "One technique is to see where the birds are circling on a thermal. Aim your glider there and you can fly for hours."

Although he has been an airplane pilot, Tim, a newcomer, says that he appreciates the help of the veteran flyers. They use a Buddy Box, a contraption that has a line attached to the novice’s remote box so if the novice needs help, the veteran can switch over the control and bring the plane down safely. Tim confesses that he still has trouble landing his planes. Sharron Schneider, wife of a veteran flyer, agrees that landing is the most difficult part of the process. As she puts it: "Take off is optional; landing is not."

How do you travel with your planes? "Easy," says Sharron. "One plane sleeps on their bed during the day and is moved to the couch at night. The wings come off the other one and the parts and the control boxes are stored in the upper compartments of the rig." As they travel, Sharron’s husband Manfred looks for a big open space to fly his planes.

October, 2006- Volunteer photographer
This month we look at how another RVer adapted his professional job skills to volunteering on the road. Dale Russell was a documentary photographer for the motion picture industry, predominantly working with plastic models and other inanimate objects for various films, including Star Trek. When he and wife Judy, former educator, began traveling full-time, they looked for volunteer positions that used his photographic and her organizing skills.

Their first venture was at Fort Flagler, a state park south of Port Townsend, WA. To commemorate the fort’s 100^th anniversary, they were asked to produce a video that incorporated hundred-year-old photographs with contemporary views showing different areas of the park and its marine highlights. They received no pay but had free hookups and reimbursement of all photographic expenses. They found that position by talking to the rangers the previous year to find out if the park could benefit from their experience.

Armed with a resume and recommendations, they found their next position volunteering for the Boise National Forest, which at that time was establishing a Web site and needed photos of the camp sites and fishing and kayaking opportunities for visitors. Judy said she wrote a number of letters to various forest agencies to locate this position.

Dale and Judy then volunteered for the California State Parks by photo documenting the only working gristmill, located in Napa, CA. Another year they found themselves in the high country at Lake Cuyamaca, CA, between Julian and Interstate 8. During the winter months they experienced six snowstorms documenting the area for Lake Cuyamaca’s Web site and brochure.

If you would like to volunteer as you travel and want more information on how to find volunteer opportunities, do not miss Jaimie’s newly revised book, Support Your RV Lifestyle. Check out the Department of Housing & Urban Development's Web site for a source of volunteering links to national parks, forests, the Smithsonian, local volunteering, etc. A Google search for volunteering is always productive.

Volunteering has many benefits. For Dale, it was the "satisfaction of knowing my work was being utilized not just for entertainment but for the good of the country."

September 2006 - Military Campgrounds
Military campgrounds are also known as fam camps. Full-timer Larry Farquhar, who travels with wife Connie, retired in 1998 from 20 years active duty with the U.S. Air Force. They use military campgrounds about one-third of the time.

Larry was frustrated because there was no single source of current and complete information available about these campgrounds. Some other sources were very much out of date. Sounds like a challenge for an entrepreneur! So Larry built the Military Campgrounds Web site to provide the information he needed. Well-organized, the site is updated frequently with additional locations plus reader ratings.

Military camps are restricted to career and retired military, disabled veterans, and various others connected to active service and their guests. The average soldier who served a short enlistment unfortunately is not allowed to use the facilities unless invited as a guest. Each campground has slightly different criteria so always check first before you go. The facilities vary widely as well. Check Larry’s Web site first and then contact the campground to verify the rates and availability.

Although the site has only existed since the beginning of 2006, it already has been viewed 100,000 times. The readers continue to update the site and publish campground reviews. Congratulations, Larry, on determining a need and then filling it. Visit their Web site for inspiration even if you are not retired military. You too may want to fill an identified need someday. That was why Jaimie wrote Support Your RV Lifestyle: when she and Bill first hit the road there was no one book with all the information they needed to find jobs.

August, 2006 - Fire tower lookouts
This month the topic is fire watching and how it is done. Rob Brownell shared his story with me. He and wife Pam started as volunteers, but now they are both seasonal employees. Rob works for the Tonto National Forest in Arizona as a fire watcher or lookout. When I was interviewing Rob in Arizona, Pam was working in South Dakota temporarily as a dispatcher.

Rob’s day consists of sitting and looking out the tower windows every fifteen minutes searching for fire signs. He’s been doing this every summer for eleven years. "You have to like solitude," Rob says. "It’s great for reading and other quiet hobbies. Pam did a lot of beading those first few years."

When he does spot a fire, he informs the rangers by calling the dispatcher. The challenge is pinpointing the fire’s location. Rob was trained to use a tool that determines the azimuth (the distance from true North) to help describe the location. By becoming familiar with the names of neighboring mountains and local drainage areas, he is able to direct the dispatcher more accurately. In addition he uses quad maps that locate the area by its latitude and longitude minutes. As he explained to me, you get pleasure from helping. And, he adds with just a hint of a twinkle, "There is some competition among other fire watchers to be the ONE who spots the fire first."

Remarkably, the novice fire watcher only receives one day of training to begin. If this sounds like something you’d like to do next fire season, contact these agencies:

* USDA Forest Service

* Volunteer opportunities with the federal government. Click on Timber/Fire prevention for fire lookout jobs.

July, 2006- Portable writing
This month the topic is how to earn money though our writing as we travel. Many of us think of getting our travel stories published in various RV magazines, or we dream of producing an RV travel book. RVer Kay Kennedy’s new book, Portable Writing: The Secret to Living Your Dream, opens a whole new vista of discovering lucrative writing projects.

Kay shares more than twenty writing activities you can pursue on the road. Kay has been a freelance writer since 1986, producing newsletters, brochures, press releases, and many of the projects she discusses in her book. She describes each one in detail, including suggestions on getting started, samples of marketing letters to reach potential clients, and appropriate pay scales to use as a guide. Kay’s advice is practical and obviously based on her own experiences. Since you will often be gathering information from others, for example, she gives pointers on how to get along with difficult clients or interview subjects. She gained many customers via networking; Kay shows you how to make contacts even when you are new to a community.

Some of the many projects detailed in the book are writing manuals, catalogs, product flyers, restaurant menus, corporate, organizational, and individual histories, company newsletters, newspaper columns for clients, and many others. Although all the projects are portable, Kay devotes thirty pages specifically to writing while RVing. One of her favorite Web sites for freelance opportunities is Writers Weekly.

I highly recommend Portable Writing to you as a way to combine your love of traveling, writing, and adding income to your journeys. Visit Kay Kennedy at her Web site.

June, 2006 - Line dancing
This month we’re looking at line dancing. Thanks to Sharon and Jim Langford for the information. They recommend line dancing to all. Besides the joy of moving to the music, Sharon is more healthy when she dances. Last year they stopped their class for the summer and Sharon didn’t feel good until she started dancing again. Jim said he started to dance because he was already carrying Sharon’s equipment and it was easy to stay. He thought he would learn a dance or two, but he said, "Once you start, you just can’t help wanting to do more."

And there’s plenty more to do. No longer just country music, line dancing music COMES from Latin America, Australia, Ireland, to name a few. People do polkas, waltzes, Irish jigs, even hip hop-- everything but fox trots. Some steps have remained simple, but as the dancing craze has grown, so has the complexity of the steps. One dance has more than one hundred steps.

However, there’s plenty of room for the beginner. As you travel, you’ll find line dancing in some of the membership and large private campgrounds. Thousand Trails parks has been very supportive of line dancing, for example. Or go to a local senior center. If they don’t have line dancing, they may know who does. Two Web sites that Sharon recommends for names of dances, descriptions of the dances, music, locations of special events are LineDanceFun.com and Kickit.com. The Kickit site combines line dancing AND soccer!

A recent addition is Dancing for the Dream, in which Scooter Lee puts on dances for people over 50 that include low impact steps. Her focus is to get people moving and enjoying the use of their bodies in a less stressful environment.

You can email Sharon, with your questions.

May, 2005 - Go fly a kite!
This month my advice is to go fly a kite. Several years ago we met with some friends in Long Beach, WA, to attend a kite festival, my first. Having no idea of what to expect, I was overwhelmed with the different types of kites, the variety of colors and shapes, and the amazing number of participants of all ages. This year the kite festival is scheduled for August 21-27, 2006. Long Beach is located in the southwestern part of the state, across the Columbia River from Astoria, OR. If you are a 1000 Trails member, there is a preserve nearby as well as many other campgrounds in the area. Do reserve early; it gets crowded.

The best part of attending the festival was the introduction to kite-flying as a hobby. Many thanks to Escapees member and kite-flyer Don Boston for his input this month. Don describes what he loves about the activity: "It’s an outdoor activity with some challenge, usually in very nice places (the beach). Anyone can do it and it can be shared with others. There are so many styles and types of colorful kites that it is varied and always interesting. It can be challenging or sedate depending on one's choice of flyer at the moment."

Kite-flying is delightfully portable for the RV lifestyle. As Don says, "They break down to practically nothing, long and thin, so can go in odd places, under things, behind things, in roof pods, under seats, in basements. Most come with a sturdy carrying jacket of some kind or a storage bag of sturdy nylon or cordura can be purchased. They take very little room."

asked Don for his advice on getting started: "Just do it. Single string kites are easy, dual controls take a little practice, nearly all come with an instruction booklet and there are tons of publications on the subject. Also, if you're in a good spot for flying, there's probably someone else there too who knows what they’re doing, so ask for help if you’re befuddled."

I recommend that you attend a kite festival the first time so you can talk with vendors and participants to help you get started, and, of course, to buy your first one. Just do a Google search for kite festivals where you are traveling.

April, 2006 - Exercising on the road
Experts all recommend a combination of stretching, weight training and aerobic exercise. The latter is the easiest for travelers. What could be better than hiking or biking in the morning freshness of the mountains, forests and deserts where we travel? Or kayaking in the sparkling lakes and rivers in our bountiful country?

But how do we develop a regular regimen for stretching and weight training? Living at the Escapees RV Park Jojoba Hills, as I do now, I have access to classes that incorporate both. On Mondays and Fridays, we work with hand weights that train the muscles in the upper body and torso; then we include the lower body in stretches and mat exercises. On Wednesdays, we have a stretch bands class that accomplishes the same goals. Each leader has made a video that we can take along to guide us as we travel. On alternate days, I have a set of deep water exercises that I do at our pool. We also have a water aerobics class that includes stretching and strengthening.

Even if you are not a park member, you have many options. Many of the larger campgrounds or local Y’s have pools and exercise classes you can join on a daily basis. Some motels with pools allow you to use them for a minimal fee. You can build your own library of exercise videos and DVDs. Since the stretch bands add no significant weight to your rig, they are the traveling gym of choice. You can find them at any large discount store or fitness store. For more information, look for an article in the Escapees magazine in the next few months about the stretch bands class at Jojoba Hills.

Here are some Web sites that have free descriptions of general exercises as well as books targeted to exercises with stretch bands:

American Council on Fitness (ACE)

Shape Up Shop

Power Systems

Exercise Bands

Bally Fitness exercises

March, 2006 - Photography
As most of us do, Barry Kessler, traveling with his wife Jan, left his professional career as a photojournalist behind when he went on the road. Barry and Jan’s goal was to visit all the places they never had time to see when they were working. When he decided to take up a new hobby, watercolor painting, he used his camera to take pictures of scenery he would later paint. He met an artist in Big Bend, Texas, who said, "Why are you going to paint these scenes? Your photos are good enough to sell."

Thus began a new career. Barry and Jan travel to beautiful places and he photographs the scenery, animals, plants, birds, and whatever strikes his fancy. He does his own developing and matting for display and uses Photoshop for editing. When asked why he is a photographer, he says simply, "I love it." He adds, "Sometimes when I capture a particular picture, I feel that it talks back at me. That’s a high for me."

Barry has developed a Web site to share his photos. He sells by word of mouth. I came across his work when we met at Quartzsite last year. I had no place to hang his photos, but I selected ten of my favorites, which he made into note cards for me. Another man was going to Alaska. Barry showed him his bear photos. The man handed him a hundred dollar bill and said, "How many photos can I get?"

If you have a desire to sell your photos, Barry recommends that you don’t get discouraged. Carry cards with you, develop your own site and ask to link to other people’s sites, go to galleries, particularly in upscale areas, and show samples of your work. Take photos of subjects you love. He says, "If you believe in your product, it will happen."

February, 2006 - Bridge
My husband and I love to combine traveling with playing bridge. We have a printed guide to bridge clubs and tournaments throughout the country, but we can also access the information by visiting the official site for the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL).

Sometimes we find ourselves in a particular location and then look to see if there is a bridge game lurking nearby. Other times we decide to go to a particular tournament and then see where we can park. Usually the travel plans and bridge plans seem to coexist. For example, we want to go to Alaska this summer. Lo and behold there is a weeklong tournament in Anchorage. Two years ago, good friends moved to Vancouver Island and we had planned to go to the Olympic Peninsula. As it happened there was a tournament in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. So we did it all.

One of the byproducts of playing is that we meet the local people who introduce us to aspects of the region that we might not have found ourselves. In that same trip two years ago, we played in the Hood River, Oregon, Cherries Jubilee tournament. One member owned a cherry orchard and donated many of his beautiful cherries to the tournament for snacks. When we returned to the area that fall, we told him how much we appreciated his produce. "I have apples now," he said. "Would you like to visit my farm?" We spent several hours with him and his family on their several farms, and discovered they had been interned during the war, lost everything, and then started all over again and were able to rebuild their lives.

I love having the opportunity to travel and meet the local people along the way. I’m sure many of you have had similar experiences with your hobbies.

January, 2006 - Birding
Carl and Ann Erickson have loved birdwatching since Carl was stationed at Camp Pendleton in Southern California. He and Ann lived in nearby Carlsbad. Every day they watched the babies of two families of red tail hawks grow up on the power lines that stretched from tower to tower in their neighborhood. The Ericksons were then moved to San Diego, two blocks from Balboa Park, and joined a birders group there. They say that their interest in birds changed their philosophy of life. "We now value all forms of life and recognize the importance of a healthy environment."

Now that they are RVers, they have been fortunate to travel to some of the finest birding locations in the United States. One of their favorite spots is Southeastern Arizona, especially the Cave Creek region in the Chiracauha Mountains. In the valley are huge pieces of sandstone, as big as skyscrapers. RVs 25 feet or less can be accommodated. Many birds come to nest there and then return south to Central America. They saw a flame-colored tanager, a peregrine falcon, an Elegant Trogon , colored red and green.

There are many other wonderful birdwatching sites. Use your maps to locate wildlife preserves throughout the country. The Web has locations and general information or do a Google search for birdwatching.

The three main requirements to get started are 1) a pair of good walking shoes; 2) a good guidebook (they recommend National Geographic Field Guide to Birds of North America); 3) a good pair of binoculars (8 x 20 or 10 x 30). Carl and Ann recommend buying them from a binoculars and scopes store. The most important rule when birdwatching is to talk softly and not too much. Then you can listen for their movement as well as their calls. Enjoy!

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RV Lifestyles columns-

Full-time RVing: More Than Beautiful Scenery©

2006 columns

December, 2006- Radio-controlled airplanes