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Tweet by Jim Bessey   editor  I promised pictures of the gorgeous Adirondack scenery. What better way to get them than to ride thirty miles of railway into the mountains? Our Scenic Train arrives at Thendara Station, the Adirondacks UTICA, NY October 2:  We knew we had to return to Old Forge after we discovered Thendara Station during our first driving tour of the central Adirondacks  two weeks ago. This time, we knew the best way to come back was by train. A week ago, with the... Read Full Story

Tweet   by Jim Bessey editor We took a weekend Adirondack cruise through Old Forge, Inlet, Tupper Lake, Saranac Lake, and Lake Placid -- a very nice route for upcoming Leaf Peeping! We spent a gorgeous, if chilly, fall weekend on a whirlwind tour of New York State's Adirondack Park. Up in those mountains the leaves have already begun to change, and will likely peak during the next two weeks. You might enjoy retracing our route. The views along the way are spectacular as you pass... Read Full Story

Tweet   Jim and the boys, by the fire at SutterCreek Campground by Jim Bessey   editor STERLING NY:   After nearly 40 days of Perfect Camping Nights , we finally had the chance to enjoy a couple of them. As it turns out, we were damned lucky. On Saturday August 13 at 7:17 pm the National Weather Service issued the first of several Severe Thunderstorm Warnings for Monroe, Ontario, and later Wayne Counties. This ominous line of storm cells plodded through the townships along the... Read Full Story

Poolside 4th of July weekend at Cheerful Valley Campground (jcb) by Jim Bessey   editor  Tonight will set the record. With one more night over over-60 degrees and negligible rain, we'll have a Perfect Camping MONTH for July 2011. Thirty-one days of mostly sun, mere sprinkles of rain, and temps over seventy--the weather camping lovers pray for but rarely enjoy. Campers south of the Mason-Dixon line or west of the Mississippi will only smile and nod at these conditions. They camp... Read Full Story

Have you ever tried to fit five people into one bathroom? When we bought our 1964-built ranch house in Fairport we knew it was only almost perfect. It was big enough, had a garage and walk-out part-finished basement, a lovely yard with gardens--but only one bathroom. That was fine when it was just the two of us here, but sure got crowded when Lin's daughter and my two sons were home, too. Our tiny foyer Powder Room! We needed a powder room. We three boys weren't willing to use the... Read Full Story

by Jim  Bessey Two boys just hangin' out at our campsite (Holiday Hill Camping Resort) Sometimes I wonder why we go camping at all. It's no cheaper, anymore, than staying at a local motel. At $4 per gallon and 10 MPG when I'm towing, we can't really afford the long excursions we'd once planned. So we end up camping less than an hour from home. We eat cheap food and drink bland coffee. Feels like we spend almost half of our vacation time hooking up, driving, then setting up camp... Read Full Story

Editor's note - Raymond, a staunch Canadian outdoorsman, writes from experience. Winter Camping conditions , even in southern Canada, can last well into May. As Friday's Eastern Seaboard snowstorm so clearly showed, it's important to know the ins and outs of cold weather camping in our capricious springtime. Read on... by Raymond Alexander Kukkee , guest writer Winter Camping, Part I: Essentials and Equipment our Shasta camper trailer, deep in the snow Just mention Camping... Read Full Story

by Jim Bessey, editor     After 5 years of towing our lovingly restored 19-foot 1980 Shasta trailer , we have at last made the big move to Class A! here's how our new Class A motorhome looked at the Dome Back in January, my wife Lin and I spent a bitter winter day at the big Dome Arena RV SuperShow , wandering the displays, oohing and ahing, and taking pictures. At the time, in fact, I promised to return with pictures. I'll stop back with more of those in a later post. What we... Read Full Story

by Jim Bessey , editor PRESS RELEASE: 15th Annual Dome RV SuperShow runs today, Jan 21 to Sun, Jan 30 -- two full weekends of camping fun! 15th Annual Dome RV Show Some say that Spring is just around the corner, and the show to prove it is just down the road in Henrietta, NY. The Outdoor Store by Camping World hosts the big event, held in the renovated Dome Arena . Admission is free, though you may expect a small fee for parking. There are plenty of restaurants, coffee shops... Read Full Story

by Jim Bessey, editor Good thing this air mattress is...    from keith011764 Raymond Alexander Kukkee and I agree -- "we like camping better." But camping isn't perfect; some things could be better. The New Year is here, it's 2011; time to consider improvements we'd like to see for a better camping experience . Big Stuff: Low-price Late Check-out fees ~ Why should your final day at a campground be spent frantically packing? For weekend campers, this means Sunday morning is not... Read Full Story