We have been wanting LED Lights for every purpose for a while now. We have them in reading lamps, desk lamps, motion detector lights, flashlights.... but they haven't been quite ready for regular lights in our RV until now. Most are a bit dim or not bright enough to let you read small print from a distance or at floor level.

We have been testing LED lights from all over the world, various configurations, shapes and sizes. From cheap ones that burn out within a few months to expensive ones made for yachts.

Now, there is one we can finally recommend and endorse because we love it.
A new one called the Sensibulb from Sailor Solutions. Although pricier than most out there at $39.95 a bulb, it is amazing. This is version two of the light and it is great. The light it gives off is warm and easily replaces both incandescent and halogen light bulbs. There are various adapters available that allow it to fit different lights and a dimmer switch is also available. It runs on less than 1 watt so we recommend replacing your most commonly used light(s) at a minimum to notice the difference. That will save you a ton of power. They were designed with the boating market in mind and unveiled at the 2007 Miami Boat Show. Let's show them that the RV market wants innovation as well.

Why are hotels still charging for wi-fi access? In this day and age of internet becoming a tv alternative, access should just be just as available as color television in your room.

Reception is poor in most hotel buildings and some even run jamming equipment on cell phones and electronic equipment. So even if you have cell data service, you may not be able to use it in your hotel room. And you won't know if it works until you've checked in.

The other gripe is that many hotels will advertise internet access but not say if it's for a fee or how much that fee may cost. You see internet access as an amenity, listed the same as pool, cofee, etc. So you book it, check in and then find a fee card in the room.

We recently had a case where a chain advertises free high-speed internet access with their brand name in magazine, tv and web ads. So we made this change on the site accordingly. Then we are contacted by an individual location saying that they charge $10 per 24 hour period. What is a customer to do when the chains can't be straight with themselves?

I would like to say that you should boycott these hotels but it is difficult if you are already there or have a meeting at that hotel. Hotels around conventions are often the worst offenders. They have business travelers where they want them and charge accordingly. What choice do you have at that point?

Complain and complain loudly. Let them know on comment cards and at the front desk that you won't be back. That no one in your business will be back. That you will mention this on the convention survey so the whole event could possibly relocate to another hotel. Hotels are lowering rates to be competitive on internet websites like ours and then charging little fees for everything else, including things that used to be free.

Another aspect is that even if you know the cost of internet access, is it working when you are there? We hear many stories of the internet network being down or being upgraded in a hotel. You are out of luck without apologies. They may not accept the complaint as if you were saying there is no electricity. It may be critical for your visit but it's not an important utility to the hotels.

What do you think?

We recently stayed a night at the KOA near Shingletown, California. The location is great but without many other options nearby in the off-season. It is located between Shingletown and the Mt. Lassen Volcanic National Park. It is also near Cinder Cone, Lake Shasta and McArthur Burney Falls Memorial State Park. At the time of our April stay, the Mt. Lassen Volcanic National Park was still closed for the winter season.

The KOA Campground is nestled within cedar trees and without much else nearby. It is miles away from a town and hence it is quiet. That also means poor cell phone and tv service. Our Sprint data card did pick up a weak signal for internet access but no phone. The KOA had a slow but serviceable wifi connection that was free of charge. The office was clean and the staff was friendly. The main restroom beside the office was spotless and had a pleasant country craft feel. (Note that there were only a couple other guests in the park.) After hearing the multitude of rate options (water, sewer, cable, etc) we opted for a full hookup in the low 30s rate range. They were all higher rates than we'd like to pay but you already know that about KOA if you have stayed at one before or read our website. They are generally high priced but if they follow through on all the listed services, you get what you pay for. It would be nice to have the option of no hookups at all at a lower price point. All parks should have this option at around $15 or less.

Our first assigned site did not have a cable hookup that we paid for. The next site had a big log in the middle of it, so we couldn't pull in. It was rolled into the site by a neighbor who was squeezing his big rig and slideouts between a few trees. Finally, after going back into the office and waiting behind other customers each time, we had a space with everything we wanted and paid for a half hour earlier. The staff was very friendly and gave you a homey feeling so we really didn't mind. They also sold us a custom made coax cable of our desired length at a reasonable price.

The biggest downside, other than price, was a neighbor who felt it necessary to keep an outside spotlight on all night which shined right into our window.We can't really blame the management for that one but they could tell the guests to shut it off at their earliest opportunity. Outside lights are not appropriate when they are only a few feet from another RV.

We recommend the Shingletown KOA if price is no issue to you or if nothing is available at the nearby National Park.

We have updated our Wal-mart locations guide to include more locations (all new stores through March 2007) and more places where you can't park. We have re-run the GPS data for better positioning on the maps. The previous map load was woefully inaccurate, but the technology keeps getting better.

Please let us know about your experiences, positive and negative and what Wal-mart location that it happened. Our Wal-mart store guide gets over two thousand visitors a day and this is the place to share your stories.

Jessica

Earth Day 2007 is this Sunday April 22. It's a day to think about and take action in saving the place we all live and raise our children. Plant trees, change your recycling habits, book a room at a green hotel, eat organic or all natural. And then do the same thing on the day after Earth Day and the day after and the day after....

For more information:
Earthday Network
Earth Day International
Earth Day Wikipedia
Earth Day US Gov

We drove across the top hat of Texas, looking forward to amazing pie at the Midpoint Cafe in Adrian, TX. Unfortunately, they were closed for the day. So we tried to put our disappointment aside and drove onward. The next town heading east is Vega, TX. It is a fading town on Route 66 which was bypassed on the side by Interstate 40. We were tired of driving and saw a sign for the Walnut RV Park at 1403 Vega Blvd (Route 66) ph. 806-267-2310.

This is not a destination town but the park has the bare basics consisting of electric, water, sewer, restrooms and antenna reception from Amarillo, TX which is 35 miles to the east. There were a couple resident trailers and one other traveler. The owners were friendly and the park was quiet other than the distant noise of I-40 off in the distance and some occasional Vega residents driving down the street. For a stop in the $15-20 price range, it's not a bargain but it's not a rip off either. It keeps you out of two cities for a night, Amarillo to the east and Tucumcari, NM to the west.

We recently stopped by the Wellston West RV Park near Luther and Arcadia OK, northeast of Oklahoma City on Route 66. We arrived in the late afternoon with the office closed. The few trailers already there were all residents and one of them waved us in and said to take a spot. Spots were somewhat level but not perfect. Half of them are on the side of the highway and the other half were across a row, a little further from the street noise. The spot we picked didn't have working water. A neighbor knocked on our door eventually strongly suggesting we move to a spot where everything worked, right by the road. Even after explaining twice that we didn't need anything and were already set for the night. I think it was more about getting a "visitor" away from being next door than for our comfort. For a one night stop after filling everything that day, we didn't need any hookups that night and preferred to be further from the road. So we stayed put.

After sunset, hearing some people talking outside our RV, I stepped out to see what was going on. The previously mentioned neighbor turned his back and walked away but the park owners were there. No rates were posted and we had no idea what it would be. We paid the requested $18 for the night, after saying that we weren't hooking up to anything and were parked just for one night. AllStays.com does feel that parks should have multiple options and prices for different hookups. In this case, we were parked for the night in a primitive manner without even the working hookups they said they had. Did they think that we were there for night and probably going to drive away at that point? Maybe.

We can't recommend this RV park for anything other than a last resort. In this case, there is a Walmart a few miles up the road that would make a better last resort choice.

We pulled into Twin Bridges State Park in the afternoon. We were heading east on Highway 60 and missed the turn. We saw the obvious section of the park on the right side of the road but missed the campground on the left. Even knowing where it was after turning around, the turn was still a challenge. It is a sharp and steep that many big RVs may have trouble making from the east. Although it was a Friday night and great weather, the place was mostly empty. We picked a nice level spot and relaxed. There were two playgrounds within a short walk of our site. Small garbage cans were also located around every two or three sites.

The park has 160 sites, with lighted boat ramps, picnic facilities, both RV and tent campgrounds, playgrounds. Campsites range from semi-modern RV sites to tent camping, and comfort stations with showers. The park offers one-room lake huts with electricity. We questioned some of the "tent sites" however. Many were simply a place in the grass on a hill. I can't imagine sleeping on a slope as steep as these were. But it's a popular park so they may be the last resort sites.

We had a great lunch earlier in the day at Hammett House in Claremore, OK. One of the best places we've been to and it's been open since 1969. If you go, make sure to get a piece of pie. You may have to take it home with you. It took two people two sittings to eat a single slice of pie.

We stopped at Rustic Acres campground near New Douglas, IL for one night. They have around 140 sites but only a handful for one night stays. It is primarily a residential park with seasonal residents. Some permanent trailers are there as well. It has a neighborhood feel with kids running around and golf carts in front of the spots. The park advertises heavily in state publications like ones carried at the state welcome centers. The roads are well signed so it is easy to find and just a few miles off the Interstate. The office/store is lightly stocked with high prices because you don't have another choice nearby.

The park has a few spots with full hookups and partials so you have several prices ranges at around $24-26. That aspect is good, but the prices could be lower. For the $24, you may get a pull through spot a couple feet from the one next to you. And you need to pull up far enough in your spot so someone can pull in right behind you. Cozy. Resident children have their fun riding golf carts in repeated circles around your RV giving you a choice: Close your windows on a warm night or breathe in the exhaust fumes.

They will sell you propane but not until after 10am. Not good for people getting on the road.

Door locks didn't work on restroom doors and they could use some general repairs. Not real dirty but they left us the impression that we'd rather have a National Forest pit toilet. An additional note would be that they had just opened for the season a few weeks before so perhaps they are not fully prepared or caught up on the maintenance from the off season? Hard to say but we'd suggest passing by and finding another choice for your night's stop. One that is more appropriate for short stays and you are not the lowest rung on the ladder. The price here is a bit high for the locale and bonus fumes.