clair034

There are so many times, especially after a long day of sightseeing, when we come back to the camp and no one feels like cooking. It’s tempting to go out for something that’s cheap and bad for us, and more often than not, that’s what we do. I try to have a few things on hand, though, that will keep us from doing that too much. All it takes is a couple of chicken breasts in the freezer and some freshies – maybe a little bit of broccoli and a red pepper, or some celery and carrots – on top of steamed rice (even instant is better for you than a Big Mac) and we’re good to go.  Healthy and delicious!  Here’s our family’s favorite fast stir-fry. Super-fast Stir-fry The sky’s the limit with vegetables in this – we’ve used carrots, celery, all manner of bell peppers, broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms (shiitake, button, portobello), bok choy, onions and baby corn, all to good effect. We make a steamer full of brown rice, but it's faster with instant if that's what you have on hand. Serve...

The Blue Ridge Parkway, which runs for 469 miles from Virginia in the north to North Carolina in the south (and a tiny bit over the border into Tennessee), is one of the most scenic drives in the United States. It's famous for not being particularly RV-friendly in parts -- many big-rig drivers tote along another vehicle and park the RV at a centrally located campground to go explore chunks of the drive. The route is well marked by milepost (the spots below are so marked), and a good place to start your trip planning is at the official site . The views along the Blue Ridge Parkway are hard to beat. However, with the exception of the tunnels around Asheville, N.C., most of the road can be done in a motorhome; you just want to get a good map of the highway and pay attention to the warnings about tight sections and watch for the turnoffs that are marked as larger, as well as keeping an eye out for tunnel heights all along. Highlights include Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North...

We’re in the thick of family vacation time, and money isn’t getting any easier to come by. The most expensive components of a road trip continue to be gas, lodging and food, but with RV travel and camping, the lodging part is usually significantly reduced compared to those traveling with hotel destinations in mind. Here are a few tips for lowering the bill for some of the other things you’ll come up against. Plan ahead. This always sounds great, but it’s the hardest thing to do, especially with a day job and multiple people to coordinate. It’s the one thing, though, that will make the biggest difference. At the very least, try to come up with an idea of the most important places you want to visit – museums, theme or water parks, historical sites – and things you want to do, such as hiking or horseback riding. Then sketch out an itinerary and a budget. Having something written down helps you stick to a spending plan, simply because it keeps you on track. It also helps to have a good pa...