Stepping outside onto our private terrace there was a swinging hammock and a full day bed under the extended straw roof which neatly disguised the tent. We were yards away from the white sandy beach and could see the reef just offshore. To complete the picture a cheeky Colobus monkey sat on the roof, watching us. Having got over the shock, we quickly settled in and over the coming week enjoyed the retreat-like atmosphere of this unique resort. Meals were served in the open-sided dining room beneath a high thatch roof; the pool and spa were delightful, and we joined the local guide for rambles around the island, spotting tiny antelope, turtles and hermit crabs with huge shells on their backs. We visited the altar at which the local Digo people still leave their sacrifices and requests, and submersed ourselves in the sulphurous slimy grey mud for a DIY mud bath treatment.

Days out began with a stroll to the jetty and a boat or tractor ride to the mainland. The wildlife safaris were quite superb as we were within striking distance of Tsavo East National Park. After seeing herds of elephants, zebra, wildebeest, countless antelope and monkeys, the day ended as a cheetah strolled across the path in front of our jeep followed by four scampering kittens.

I don’t do camping, but I can recommend Chale Island. Call it bungalow accommodation, as the guide book does, then settle down to a relaxed existence of sleeping, swimming, reading, walking and eating. And of course safari-ing.

By Gillian Birch

Northern Hemisphere

1. Hold the watch so it is flat in your hand and even with the ground. Point the hour hand toward the sun.
2. Use something like a matchstick and set it on the watch face so one end or the head covers the number that is halfway between the 12 and the hour hand. (Use 1 instead of 12 if you are in daylight savings time.)
3. The head or the end that is covering the number is pointing south. Assuming your stick is straight, the other end is heading north.

Southern Hemisphere

1. This first step is the difference between the two hemispheres. Hold the watch so it is flat in your hand and even with the ground. Point the number 12 toward the sun.
2. Use something like a matchstick and set it on the watch face so one end or the head covers the number that is halfway between the 12 and the hour hand. (Use 1 instead of 12 if you are in daylight savings time.)
3. The head or the end that is covering the number is pointing south. Assuming your stick is straight, the other end is heading north.

I still love my ranger compass but I don’t always have it with me so this method suffices. And it takes less time than drawing an arc in the dirt around a stick.

Have you used this method and saved your butt in the wild?

By Adam Longfellow

Before noon and on level terrain, put a stick of around 3ft into the ground. Look for it’s shadow. (If it’s cloudy enough that you don’t have any shadow at all…well, this won’t work and you’ll have to just wish you had a compass or for some sun.)

Compass in the sand - Photo by treehouse1977

Mark the end of this shadow. You can use a stone, stick or whatever is handy.

Use the tip of this shadow for your radius and draw an arc around your stick in the ground. The shadow will get shorter as noon approaches. After noon, it will get longer again. Mark the arc again where the new afternoon shadow touches your arc.

You now have two marked spots. Draw a straight line between the two marks. This makes an East-West line in the dirt. The first mark is in the west and the second is towards the east.

Make a cross. Draw a line that forms right angles across your first line. This is your North-South line.

Compass in the snow - Photo by Uigers

Have you done this before? How did it work in your situation?

By Adam Longfellow

Fall trees - Photo by chrisbastian44

Here are just a few reasons to get out there again

• Less traffic
• Fewer campers around you
• Lower campsite prices
• Some campgrounds are free in off season
• Lower fuel prices
• Changing seasons and colors
• Very few kids camping around you

Fall Camping and Colors - Photo by inottawa

It’s not easy to miss a fall football game but a weekend trip out is well worth it. Depending on where you go, you may be able to bring a radio or video device and get the game while sitting at a campfire! Just make sure to keep the volume low so other campers get their desired solitude. You could also combine it with getting some firewood for the home. Then you have a great trip that serves a purpose as well and you won’t feel guilty for living the good life.

The tourists have gone but beauty remains - Photo by J Gurbisz

Mojave Green Rattlesnake. A catch-in-garage-and-release in Arizona.

New Mexico’s snake population is booming this year.  Heavy rainfall and abundant rodent populations mean snakes are fat, happy and multiplying.  A recent report by a local new station suggested three times as many rattlers had been caught and transported away from the Los Alamos area this summer. Rattlers have been spotted around Santa Fe as well.

With proper precautions, there’s no reason why you can’t still enjoy a hike.  The key is to be extra vigilant.  Here are some additional tips to snake safety:

- Walk well-maintained trails.  Snakes (and rodents) tend to congregate around debris and in tall grass.
- Wear high-top shoes and long pants.
- Be noisy. Let your feet thud into the ground.
- Keep children in the middle of the group.
- Always look before stepping over logs, rocks and debris.
- Continually scan the area around the trail.
- Walk around snakes. Or stop and let them slither away.  For the most part, snakes are afraid of you.
-  Snakes are usually most active in the mornings and evenings.  Be more cautious when out at dawn or dusk.
- Bites are most common in spring and fall.
- Travel with a snakebite kit like Venex Snake Bite Pocket Kit ($10).

If you or someone in your party is bitten by a snake:
- Stop moving immediately.
- Keep the bitten area below heart level.
- Remove jewelry and any other constricting object from that arm or leg.
- Get to a hospital as soon as possible.
- Do not ever try to suck out the venom.
- Do not apply ice to the bite.
- Do not apply a tourniquet or other constricting device.

By Anna Philpot

I want to remind people that there are thousands of these out there. They were manufactured in such a rush and so cheaply that they had dangerous levels of formaldehyde in them. The usual supply chains were stressed by the volume so the factories started buying products from other countries and regulated sources. Many people, including children, became very sick while living in them. Some people even died in them after surviving the original disaster.

Many of these trailers have never even been lived in. Some have had flood damage increasing the health hazards that already existed in these sick campers from the beginning.

In the nature of good old American capitalism, there are people out there that would love to sell you one of these campers, possibly disguised as something else. It is up to you to know what you are buying.

Please take extra care when looking at any trailer made in 2005. Yes, the worst of the gases would have dissipated into the air but the levels are still higher than normal all these years later. The crappy foreign glues they used were so deadly to begin with, they are still above recommended exposure levels.

So you save a few bucks. You give those savings to your insurance. They take your money, deny your claim and then you’ll be both sick and out of money while some suit is richer for it. That is what is happening to many people that are still in the wake of disasters like Katrina. They got taken by their home insurance company. They got taken by a private company under government contract. They got taken by their health insurance company. That’s the nature of business these days and it’s up to you to avoid it at the start.

Many companies and factories produced these trailers in Indiana. Many employees of those companies have become very sick. Note that the regular branded retail products from these companies are fine. The retail products are were made with more care and expense than the rushed and cheap bare bones FEMA trailers. It’s up to you to decide who took the money and ran and who is being responsible.

According to documents shown on a HDNet news report by Dan Rather, companies that were sued in the aftermath of these FEMA trailers include the following companies:

Gulfstream
Fleetwood
Starcraft
Pilgrim
Monaco
KZRV

Although nothing is completely official yet, it is said that about 100 parks will close in California, even with the current usage fee increase. Look for these closures and changes to start happening after Labor Day.

So get to your favorite park soon or you may not get back to it for a long long time.

California State Parks with Campgrounds

California State Parks Department

California State Parks Reservations and Fees

Stepping outside onto our private terrace there was a swinging hammock and a full day bed under the extended straw roof which neatly disguised the tent. We were yards away from the white sandy beach and could see the reef just offshore. To complete the picture a cheeky Colobus monkey sat on the roof, watching us. Having got over the shock, we quickly settled in and over the coming week enjoyed the retreat-like atmosphere of this unique resort. Meals were served in the open-sided dining room beneath a high thatch roof; the pool and spa were delightful, and we joined the local guide for rambles around the island, spotting tiny antelope, turtles and hermit crabs with huge shells on their backs. We visited the altar at which the local Digo people still leave their sacrifices and requests, and submersed ourselves in the sulphurous slimy grey mud for a DIY mud bath treatment.

Days out began with a stroll to the jetty and a boat or tractor ride to the mainland. The wildlife safaris were quite superb as we were within striking distance of Tsavo East National Park. After seeing herds of elephants, zebra, wildebeest, countless antelope and monkeys, the day ended as a cheetah strolled across the path in front of our jeep followed by four scampering kittens.

I don’t do camping, but I can recommend Chale Island. Call it bungalow accommodation, as the guide book does, then settle down to a relaxed existence of sleeping, swimming, reading, walking and eating. And of course safari-ing.

By Gillian Birch

The listings are updated by city, map and the Oregon interactive camping map that includes Wal-marts, rest areas, truck stops and more.

This adds Oregon to the list of recently verified and expanded states here at AllStays to include much of the western United States. I’ll keep on my continous update of the information as more and more campgrounds are being closed in budget cuts.

The listings are updated by city, map and the Colorado interactive camping map that includes Wal-marts, rest areas, truck stops and more.

This adds Colorado to the list of recently verified and expanded states here at AllStays to include much of the western United States. My next two major updates and expansions will be Oregon and Washington.