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January 2012
Dear Suzanne
| The new year brings a small change to the U.S. National Forest Campground Guide. The U.S. National Forest Campground Guide website has gotten bigger than just providing a comprehensive guide to national forest developed campgrounds. We have decided "ForestCamping.com" better describes what we have become. Besides, "U.S. National Forest Campgrounds Guide" is just too  long for our fast paced world. So the website, as part of the whole, will retain its name but we will refer to the whole as ForestCamping.com. By the way, this change will connect us to ForestCamping.com like Dell to personal computer or Kleenex to tissues. We hired a consultant (see Plans article below) who says, after 17 years, ForestCamping.com is now an institution so guess we are ready to be institutionalized. It's a minor change but an exciting way to start the new year.
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Notable Campground Table
| We began the Wanderings' monthly Notable Campground feature in response to people asking, "What's your favorite campground?" For the past five years we've been responding to that question in this space. To celebrate the newsletter's sixth year, we aren't going to tell you about one notable campground. Instead, we'll remind you of the sixty campgrounds already mentioned. Click here for the Notable Campground Table, January 2007 through December 2011.
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Record setting Ponderosa pine
| In southwestern Oregon, near Grants Pass, a tree was climbed and measured. The tree is named "Phalanx" and, at 268.3 feet, it is the world's tallest pine tree. "Phalanx" is surrounded by a grove of 250-foot tall Ponderosa pine. So, now the Siskiyou National Forest is home to this tallest known pine. Want to meet "Phalanx"? Contact the Wild Rivers District Ranger office for specific information.
 | | Ponderosa pine guard a campground's entrance |
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Plans for ForestCamping.com
| With the new year, we are seriously thinking about what the future is for our project. For example, we are thinking about the following goals:
- encourage more people to discover what is available in national forests and grasslands;
- increase viewership for the website;
- enhance the website while maintaining the quality and depth of information, e.g. incorporate a search engine; and
- create a team of volunteers to help us keep ForestCamping.com current.
We realize these are broad-brush and huge goals and it's just the two of us. But we have you all to help us.
The last two goals are where we could use your help. Tell us what enhancements you would add to the website. Again, it took us 17 years to do what has been done. There is no telling when we'll be able to get back to see what is happening in many national forests and grasslands. So, we are exploring the idea of providing you, the camper in those 175 national forests and grasslands, with some means of telling us what has happened at a campground. Our discussion continues and we'll keep you posted. In the meantime, you can let us know if there have been any changes to the information provided on the website simply by sending us an email.
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Tips for RV camping in cold weather
|  A couple of weeks before Christmas, the White Mountains here in Arizona got a ton of snow. There are a couple of non-forest service campgrounds near
Sunrise ski mountain in the White Mountains that are open for folks, like us, who want to enjoy the snow. The lodge and hotels are nice but the cost of lift tickets and a room does pose a challenge for many. However, if you have a recreational vehicle (RV) and can handle the cold, a long weekend of skiing, sledding and generally enjoying the snow is possible and affordable. Never tried camping in the cold with your RV? Here are some tips:
- Call ahead to insure the roads are safe. The local or state police are probably the best source for the most up-to-date condition in a specific location. The state's department of transportation is another option. Call "511."
- Take one of those umbrella clothes lines or some extra rope to hang wet things up. You will need to get those gloves dry before heading out the next day.
- Bring some extra large, thick and toasty socks to slip on when coming inside. There is nothing worse, in Suzi's opinion, then puddles of snow melting all over the RV's floor.
- Have an extra towel or two to dry off the dogs after their walks. Be sure to check their paws for any snow packed in between their toes. Some places use tons of salt to help melt snow so look carefully for any problems that might be causing.
For more RV-specific tips, go to Winter Camping in your RV in Camping with Suzi. | |
There could be more summer fun at a ski resort near you
| Even with freezing temperatures and white stuff on the ground, many ski resorts are starting to think about summer but not because they'll be shutting down. Last November, President Obama signed the Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Enhancement Act of 2011. This Act "permits year-long recreation opportunities on U.S. Forest Service ski areas, boosting rural economies while continuing to maintain stringent environmental safeguards." We have heard resort staff talking about zip-lines, mountain bike parks, and other fun stuff. Sounds good.
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Mt. Baker-Snoqualme NF Ghost town
| The town of Monte Cristo, located in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, was established in the late 19th century and became a "ghost town" soon after World War I. Until its demise, Monte Cristo flourished with residents, families and businessmen, including John D. Rockefeller. Today, visitors to Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, in Washington, can hike an easy four-mile trail, once an old road, to the ghost town. The Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience in Seattle, WA will have an art exhibit opening this March about Monte Cristo
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Bio-fuel, the story continues
| Have you heard about the price of home heating oil? Every year the cost appears to climb higher and higher. One solution some people have taken is installing a wood burning stove. Great, but now you need to get wood to burn. You can buy it from a commercial source or go to a national forest, get a Firewood cutting permit (that costs about $25 or so for a cord), head into the forest to the designated area, spend the day cutting up dead trees, load the wood into your truck, and hauling it home. Next, you'll have to spend time cutting your wood into a stove lengths, splitting and stacking it and then lugging what you need for the day into the house. Now that's work!
Or, you could invest in a stove that burns wood pellets. What are wood pellets? They are basically chunky sawdust that is dried, milled, pressed, bagged, loaded onto pallets and shipped to a vendor where you buy it, carry it home and pop into your stove. Sounds like a win-win for the Forest Service and the public. The Forest Service makes maximum use of cut trees and the public gets an affordable way to stay warm. The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (parent agency for the Forest Service) Rural Development department concurs. They provided a $1.2 million loan guarantee through their Business Program to help finance a new wood pellet factory in Michigan. And you thought the Forest Service only grew trees and fought wildfires.
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Camping Tip
| When camping with an ice chest, use block ice rather than cubed ice. It takes a block longer to melt than cubes. Better still, clean out one or two plastic milk jugs, fill up no more than one inch below the top, replace the lid, and put in your freezer at home. When it's time to pack, stick your milk jug(s) of ice into your ice chest. No puddles in the bottom of the ice chest and, as an extra bonus, ice water for drinking.
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Suzi and Fred Dow
Moon Canyon Publishing LLC | |
