Leaderboard

This saddens me greatly. National Parks were meant to preserve the land in its natural state. Think back 150 years. There were no zip lines or food trucks. The idea of commercializing these natural areas goes against the very premise of their creation. Providing camping spaces that welcome those who wish to be part of the natural beauty of our country is important, but to destroy the natural experience with ultra modern conveniences will be the beginning of the end in my opinion.

Part of the proposal is also to set limits and blackout dates for senior pass holders. Personally, I find the NP campgrounds to be a bit too commercialized already, particularly those at the larger parks. I’ve always found the the park service run campgrounds to be clean, well maintained, and well run. In fact, I’d say that the only NP campground that we really didn’t like was one we stayed at in Yellowstone, which is leased to a private operator. One of our general rules with park amenities is that if Xantera or ARA is involved then we skip it, just because we know that no matter what it is - gift shop, hotel, restaurant, etc - we know it will be overpriced and poorly run. I don’t really have an opinion on food trucks, so long as it’s a few and not trucks lined up along every popular viewpoint in every park. Unfortunately, though, that would almost certainly be the case. And with food trucks comes trash and generator noise, etc. And the idea of adding ‘amenities’ like zip lines is to me the exact opposite of what these parks are about. It’s not the job of the NPS to entertain people. Their job is and should always be to preserve special places where people can go and find entertainment on their own. If you think that your trip to the Grand Canyon is somehow lessened without those things then I think you’ve missed the point of why you’re there. The proposal also would loosen regulations on outside tour operators, meaning more pink jeeps, more busses, aerial tours, etc. I guess it’s obvious that if I were in charge I’d do the exact opposite of this proposal. I’d limit the size and number of bus tours allowed in, place limits on RV length, add more primitive campsites, and just give the park service proper funding to maintain the parks and add more rangers.

I just read an article about a new TT from New Zealand called Romotow. They are thinking outside of the box! Mike https://romotow.com/

Kudos to GB National Park. Mary and i have camped and hiked over 40 national parks in the last 15 years. Standing atop Wheeler Peak in the Rockies within a pristine environment with very few visitors is a trip worth remembering.

Just a suggestion ... whenever any owner opens up a hidden compartment like this, be sure to use nylon wire ties to secure dangling wires and hoses. The factory still has not learned this, it appears. This “rats nest” is very disappointing to me.... Loose wires and lines flop around, chafe, loosen or break electrical connections, start water leaks and just look untidy. Five minutes with ties makes things secure and you won’t worry so much about failures down the road. Adding split loom would be even better, but more time consuming and not absolutely needed. John Davies Spokane WA

Townesw, thanks for the great photos and instructions. I'm sure other users will find this very helpful through the years. Sherry

Bill, thanks very much for the great info and pretty pics. I have not been under there yet to cap off my toilet line, but this encourages me to do it. I like your annotations, looks like you use Photos in IOS. The notes really make the pictures more helpful. Where would one get a thin long socket tool? Home Depot? Is it a standard size? Thanks again. John Davies Spokane WA

I paid $460 for my Thousand Trails membership and purchased four zone passes for $49 each because our trip was so extensive. We also added the Trails Collection for $199 which adds a bunch of RV resorts around the country. While during this 5 month trip we stayed 60 nights in the TT system, our previous trip out west and last winter in Florida we used TT another 57 nights. At this point we are at $7.30 average per night. There are other lifetime memberships beginning at $5000. The Harvest Host is now about $79 but I got in for $44 at the launch.

Hi Mike, I will be continuing my subscription. There are many interesting places to stop and even though Judy and I don't drink, many wineries and breweries offer other things to purchase. And some of the locations are fabulous. Supersize Life has a 15% discount coupon. They just added 600 golf courses for a premium as well.

Great details, great trip! What is the cost of TT and HH, seems like they should be imputed in your camping expenses. One thing I try to explain to non Oliver owners, and RVer's is the versatility of the Oliver when equipped with Solar. Unless you need the AC. where one stays is almost unlimited. Reservations and pre planning - only unless you really want to, freedom to just go - are priorities for us and the Ollie really excels here. RB