Apps and Other Stuff

This morning we had breakfast with Eldy's friends of many years, two couples...After breakfast, one of the couples came back to our rig to check it out. They are thinking about buying a used motorhome and doing some traveling, as both of them are not retired yet. They have a beautiful lake home near Syracuse, IN so they are not thinking about giving that up any time soon...It was fun to see their interest in all things mechanical and the questions about storage, how we find parks, and lots of other miscellaneous things! Eldy showed them the RV Park Reviews website that is our number one go-to website for information, our starting point for finding destination campgrounds. They have over 100,000 reviews of campgrounds all over the U.S. for any newbie RVer and/or long time traveler. People tell you what the pitfalls and cautions are for each campground, rate the campground on a scale from 1-10, and they either rant or rave about their stays and what they camped in. We also check out fellow bloggers for information on parks, too, like Laurie and O'Dell's Semi True Tales of Life on the Road  where they have a separate park review section in their blog.....also Tumbleweed where Jim and Dee Walter have a spreadsheet about campgrounds with very useful information.

Isn't the internet great for finding out stuff? I shudder to think what our travel plans would be like without being able to get on the internet while going down the road, checking out campsite reviews along with photos of prospective campsites/campgrounds before even getting there! And those apps for iphones--unbelievable! Eldy just downloaded his latest--All Stays Camp and RV. It did cost 4.99, but here's what you get: Tent Camping and RV parks info all over the U.S., it lets you find parks and services without an internet connection...From resorts to boondocking, extensive filters help you find what you want. Map adds points on the fly as you scroll, you are able to filter the  map by type and the app lists over 30 amenities...hundreds of possibilities....Over 21,600 campgrounds in the U.S. and Canada...private, national, state forests, county/city parks, BLM (Bureau of Land Management), CORPS (Corps of Engineer Parks), military "fam" camps, KOA, Good Sam's, Passport America, Thousand Trails, RPI, AOR, Coast to Coast, even primitive hike-in/boat in spots.  Extras are Walmarts overnight parking, Sam's Club, Costco, overnight parking for casinos and Elk's Lodge, truck stops with amenities details, chains have fuel price links and there's lots lots more......Wow! We'd be toast without our computers, that's for sure!
You know how people do without TV for a day, a week, or a month? Well, if we had to do without our computers, cell phones, and internet for any length of time, WE COULDN'T DO IT!  (Sad, but true! confirms E.)

This afternoon was a beautiful, beautiful day...It finally warmed up a little from the thirties and forties yesterday...Time for a bike ride and last chance to really take in the beautiful fall foliage..Last chance to smell burning leaves...Last chance to watch the leaves fall like snowshowers. I rode around the neighborhoods across from the campground and by Simonton Lake.

The campground has really emptied out...Today we found out that they are shutting the water off for the season tomorrow, so we will fill our tanks tonight and be all set. We only have one more day here before we leave for the southern states.....

Later this evening we are headed for one last family dinner with Eldy's children...Tomorrow morning we are going to Jasper-Pulaski State Park, about a two and a half hour drive to see the great migration of the sandhill cranes. The best times to see them are sunrise and sunset. We are going to see them at SUNRISE. (Are you SURE the best time to photograph the birds is sunrise? Do you realize what time that means we have to get on the road to get there at sunrise????) Yep and Yep! We have to get up before 5:00 AM to get on the road to arrive there to see the cranes fly out to get food. I guess the sight of about 6,600 sandhill cranes (at last count) doing their dances and taking off is something to see and well worth getting up for....Sunset would be easier to do travel wise, but for photos, morning is best. So morning it is!  At the peak of the migration in mid November, there can be as many as 15,000 cranes in the meadows at the park. Can't wait! (I'm going to remind Sparky she said that in the wee hours of the morning! laughs E.) I'm not too bad at waking up in the morning, I might be a little groggy, but I'm not grouchy! (And she's really not, folks! She gets up and she is PERKY!) Unless, someone has kept me up half the night snoring......which doesn't happen very often. So, we'll see you tomorrow at Jasper-Pulaski State Park!