To date this site has had more than 102,000 views. It's one of six Janet Groene blogs covering travel, camping, RV, boating, and camp/boat cooking. Place your link on all six sites for one year, one low rate. Contact janetgroene@ yahoo.com
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LET'S TRAVEL
Events listed below are not in chronological order. Scroll down to see all dates, all places near and far, sooner and later.
THE GLORY OF MOUNTAIN RHODODENDRONS
From rodeos and fairs to festivals and sunset concerts, the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds in Hiawassee, Georgia is the place to be, especially in springtime. A highlight of the season is the beloved Rhododendron Festival in Highland Gardens. It’s in full bloom April 12 to May 11, seven days a week, for garden tours, live music, plant sales, food trucks and vendor booths all amid the spectacle of mountain rhododendrons in full flower. Get tickets in advance at (www.) GeorgiaMountain Fairgrounds.com. Information, (706) 896-4191
NEW TRACKCHAIRS MADE WILDERNESS ACCESSIBLE
Exciting news comes from from Pinnacle Mountain State Park, Roland, Arkansas. High-tech Trackchairs now make it possible for physically challenged visitors to tour the rugged outback. The park is laced with trails. Here you'll find 55,000 acres of forests, wetlands and hosts of both natural and historic/cultural features.. The day-use park is near Little Rock. Reservations are required at arkansasstateparks.com+2accessibilityacrossarkansas.org+2arkansasstateparks.com+2
The 50th annual Atalaya Art Festival will be a humdinger at Huntington Beach State Park, Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. Dates are September 26-28 so reserve area accommodations ASAP. One of the South’s premier art festivals, the affair attracts more than 100 fine artisans and artists. Local musicians and food services will be on hand. For more information call the park at (843) 237-4440.
Attention Creole cooks. Bring your best recipe, win the Jambalaya Cook-off on April 12 and get a free stay. The Fireside RV Resort at the Robert exit in Ponchatoula, Louisiana has full RV hook-ups, cabin rentals and tons of amenities including a lazy river. Reserve your campsite or cabin at (985) 277-1059
SPRING FESTIVAL IN LOW COUNTRY GEORGIA
April 6 is Spring Festival time at Skidaway Island State Park, Georgia near Savannah. Bring the whole family to camp, hike trails lined with moss-hung oak trees, bicycle, bird watch and photograph spring buds while enjoying live music, food trucks and vendors selling Georgia products. Parking is $5. .Go to (www.) GAstateparks.org/, tel,. (912) 598-2300.
See easy, no-cook recipes for healthier, homemade trail mix, snacks and gorp at https://createagorp.blogspot.com
Discover the Yacht Yenta Cozy Mystery Series....
People are dying in Okecoochie County FL, but nobody can guess how the deaths are related. Meet Farley Halladay, a salt-cured sailboat widow who has an online charterboat booking business, dodges a wayward sister, cares for an old Navy SEAL veteran who was her husband’s mentor and wrangles a large circle of wacky friends. She cooks, copes and solves crimes in this unusual cozy mystery series. Check your favorite e-book seller for all formats or go to Kindle, https://amzn.to/3bB5XPh
SAIL MAINE IN A CLASSIC SCHOONER
Discover Lighthouses & Lobsters of Penobscot Bay, Maine on a three-day cruise, May 27-30 on board the classic schooner, J. & E., Riggin. During the cruise you’ll see as many of the bay’s 20 lighthouses as time allows, and enjoy a short dinner with fresh-caught lobster and grilled steak. Returning clients get a 10% discount if booked before February 1; newcomers get a 5% earlybird discount. See (www.) SchoonerRiggin.com/
VERMONT TO HOLD BLUEGRASS WEEKEND
Save the date! August 14-17, 2025 are the dates for the Green Mountain Bluegrass Festival in Manchester, Vermont. Yes, there will be camping on the grounds. As the date nears, get updates and lists of performers at (www.)greenmountainbluegrass.com/ Walk to downtown Palm Springs, California restaurants and smart shops from your RV site at the Happy Traveler RV Park. Hike scenic trails in the surrounding mountains. Laze by the shimmering pool. Soak in the spa. Summer is family time. Starting on November 1 the resort is adults only. Bonus points: the night manager speaks most Scandinavian languages. The calendar is packed with parties and special events. Call (760) 325-8518 or email happytrav@hotmail.com/
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Where are all the new US and Canada campsites, RV resorts, hookups for 2025? Is your fave campground closing? Reopening? Adding a swim-up bar? Where to find concerts that allow ad hoc camping on site?
See fresh, weekly intel gathered from local sources, then pounce on reservations, pre-opening rates and earlybird ticket prices. See CAMPGROUNDS; GOOD NEWS/BADNEWS at https://solowomanrv.blogspot.com
Want a private poke when news reports post? Contact janetgroene@yahoo.com and put NEWS YES in the topic line. Your email will never be sold, shared for used by me for another purpose.
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"Explore Fairbanks"
Free 2025 Visitors Guide
Reservations are hard to find for this summer and fall in Alaska. Order your free Fairbanks Visitors Guide at (www.) Explorefairbanks.com/guide or 1-800-327-5774. Plan your trip according to the city’s three seasons: Midnight Sun, Aurora and Winter. Iconic Fairbanks events include the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics and the World Ice Art Championships. Go dog mushing, ice fishing, snowmobiling in awesome scenery. Hike awesome trails, visit museums, try local cuisines.
NEW NASHVILLE EXHIBIT HONORS ROCKABILLY ICON
Honoring the 40-year career of Rosanne Cash, the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum in Nashville has a new exhibition, “Time is a Mirror”. It will run now through March 26. On display will be some of the artist’s stage wear, manuscripts, instruments, photos and other mementos. Cash's many hits include “Seven Year Ache,” “Blue Moon with Heartache,” “I Don’t Know Why You Don’t Want Me,” and “I Don't Want to Spoil the Party.” As a composer, Cash was awarded the MacDowell Medal.
Canned and packaged foods are good travel insurance. Even a day trip can turn into a longer-than-planned, hungry and even life-threatening adventure. For a book on provisioning your camper, boat, cabin or fish camp with familiar, affordable pantry foods from the supermarket see Survival Food Handbook, published by International Marine division of McGraw-Hill. http://amzn.to/1WdYqbe
FREEDOM OF THE OPEN ROAD?
Do you dream of living and traveling in a complete home on wheels? Living Aboard Your RV, 4th Edition by Janet Groene & Gordon Groene is a total guide to the full-time life on wheels. Should you sell the house or rent it out? Downsize possessions or put them in storage? Too young to retire? There’s a chapter on ways to make a living anywhere. Kids on board? We cover home schooling and also an exit strategy if and when the time comes to settle down. Order at any book store or let Amazon gift wrap and ship it for you. https://amzn.to/29XFEkq
MOONLIGHT MAKES MAGIC AT WATERFALL
In North Georgia, Tallulah State Park’s waterfalls and gorge are a spectacle, especially during monthly, ranger-led Full Moon hikes. You’ll start at twilight to hike to the suspension bridge, then watch the moon rise over the gorge. Dates of the full moon and start times for the hikes vary with the season. Sign-up is required at (706) 754-7981.
Go to https://createagorp.blogspot.com for easy travel snack recipes to carry in your pocket or day bag.
Where in the US and Canada to find a safe, affordable campsite? RV pad WITH FULL HOOKUPS? Glampsite? A furnished cabin in a resort? Lots of stuff for kids? The newest Jellystone park or KOA?
See our exclusive weekly reports of new, future, expanding or closing campgrounds and RV parks. Go to https://solowomanrv.blogspot.com and scroll down to CAMPGROUNDS; GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS.
In June Jeopardy, #6 in the Yacht Yenta e-book mystery series, salty widow Farley Halladay finds some possible answers to her husband’s death in a fall from the mainmast of their ketch. Many questions remain, however, as she struggles to manage her online charterboat booking company, care for her husband’s elderly Navy mentor and manage her wacky, wayward sister. https://amzn.to/3wcf6ao
See sweet and savory recipes for homemade travel snacks ( such as gorp and trail mix) for your purse, pocket, backpack, carry-on. Save money when you make a big bagful, then measure and package gorp in snack bags for freshness and portion control.
https://createagorp.blogspot.com
TRAVEL EMERGENCIES HAPPEN
We know that travelers have limited storage space for emergency foods, so Survival Food Handbook is written just for campers, RV travelers and boaters. Make the most of every ounce, inch and dollar with foods that you'll use and replenish. Always have balanced meals for a few days during an surprise evacuation, fridge failure, shelter-in-place order or other unplanned speed bump on your trip. http://amzn.to/1WdYqbe
Do you love sailing stories, sea yarns, cozy mysteries? Travel the Caribbean islands vicariously with widow Farley Halladay in this poignant, funny series of e-books set on sea and shore. Find it on Kindle, Google Play and all other major e-book formats. Start anywhere in the salty , six-book series, January Justice through June Jeopardy. https://amzn.to/3BH4AZK
Bucket List Alert! Hike or bicycle (trail pass required) the 34-mile-long Sparta-Elroy State Trail in Wisconsin winter or summer, when temperatures inside the long, dark, hand-dug tunnels stay the same temperature ( in the 50's and 60's) all year. It’s said to be the oldest rail-trail conversion in the United States. The railroad opened here in 1873. Campgrounds are found in small communities along the way.
Do you need a one-size-fits-all gift for any person, any occasion? Cooking Aboard Your RV features more than 200 travel-tested, shortcut recipes for camping, RV travel, tiny homes and all cooks who love shortcuts. Amazon can wrap and ship it for you. https://amzn.to/3nNndWY
Get the week's CAMPING AND RV news from Janet's insider local sources at https://solowomanrv.blogspot.com This is hard news from local media before it hits the RV headlines. Get a head start on reservations for the coming year and beyond.
Would you like a quick email reminder each week when Janet Groene's two Camping & RV blog/newsletters go live? One is camping recipes and cooking tips. The other is a how-to feature plus weekly reports of late-breaking campground and RV park good/bad news US and Canada. Email janetgroene@yahoo.com and put CAMP Yes in the topic line. We never share nor sell your information.
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