Freedom in a Can: Adventures with Hamlet

BIG Cities. An RVers Forbidden Fruit? Could cities hold the new frontier of RVing adventures?  How can we take in all that a city offers without getting in a tight spot, or blowing our budget?  Just a few weeks ago, we explored the San Francisco area by foot, ferry, bus, and boat.  We hiked many miles around the city, climbed the Coit Tower, walked up and down Lombard Street, explored Alcatraz Island National Historic Park (on Hutch's bucket list since he was 8!), enjoyed lunch at a cafe, and laughed at Pier 39's resident sea lion clowns.   Cities offer something we just can't get anywhere else -- historic buildings and sites, culture in the visual and performing arts, and a wide array of culinary delights to dazzle even the most jaded foodie.   While millions of people from all over the world tour the Golden City, most don't go there with an RV.  Why? If you've ever driven a large rig of any size, you know that cities are not very friendly.  Larg...

Hutch got his first taste of "Giant Puff Pancakes" as an 8 year old during a sleep over at the Edison's house.  The food this adventurous family served always seemed exotic, and this strange confection baked and served in a cast iron pan was no exception.  The custardy texture doused with powdered sugar and freshly squeezed lemon juice provides just the right balance of sweet and tangy!     We used to consider this tasty "breakfast souffle" as something fancy that we'd only make for special occasions, but we recently realized that we almost always have all the ingredients in our camper, it's simple to prepare, and it dirties very few dishes.  It's now become a recipe  that it has found it's way on to our breakfast menu a few times each month.   And, even better, you don't even need to fire up the oven. Some call this dish German Puff Pancakes, others refer to it as Dutch Babies...whatever you choose to call it, it is easy, delicious, and made...

Summer is a great time to take your solar-powered RV or van into a gorgeous, off-grid location! The sun angle is high and there’s plenty of daylight hours to optimally charge your RV batteries using rooftop panels.  But, after living full-time in our camper for nearly 12 years now, we have found that the ONLY drawback to solar is needing to be parked in the full sun. From May through September, a relaxing camping trip can become brutally hot depending on where you are adventuring. So, how can you take advantage of parking your rig in the shade to keep it cooler, save money by staying in off-grid campgrounds, and also run completely on solar?  Portable panels and solar suitcases to the rescue!  We’ve spent the last month in the greater Yosemite National Park area, deep in the gorgeous Sierra Mountains. The conifer and oak forests in this part of central California provide necessary shade from the extreme heat, making camping in the summertime pleasant. With the help of the...

RVing Through a Naturalist's Lens While walking on a path marked "Jeffrey's Pine Loop" in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest that winds between Eastern California and Western Nevada, we looked up and all we saw were Ponderosa Pines -- massive trees of the eastern Sierra ridge with  long needles, rich brown-orange bark, deeply cracked and flaking, and pine cones the size of small watermelons littered all over the ground. "What's a Jeffrey's Pine?" we thought.  We pulled out the phone, searched and came up with a wonderful 3 minute video describing how to determine the difference.  Gentle Jeffrey cones have soft edges, while their Prickly Ponderosa cousins will poke you when you pick them up.  Eureka...a simple mnemonic, and easy to remember! Back in 2010, an email popped into my work inbox, "Join us for the Wonder of Wetlands Workshop!" it enticed.  As an outdoor educator working in North Carolina, I'd led more than a few kayaking exp...