Sorry about deleting the topic.
So far this is some of what we have been doing. New Hampshire, to Vermont, New York State (southern route), Ohio (very RV and traveler friendly), Indiana (not very traveler friendly), Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas.
As far as Wal-Mart is concerned, I ask permission to stay the night, and normally it is granted without any hesitation. They will ask you to park in a certain area. I always have a shopping list of Wal-Mart items to buy during the stop, and NEVER look like I am camping. No awnings, chairs, grills, etc. ever !!! An employee at the Boonville WM told me all about the Lewis & Clark celebration, and what was happing that evening and the next day. Made a very enjoyable stay out of what was really just a planned overnight stop.
I'm now at Melvern lake KS, with RT-T group at OZ-7. I leave for Hutchison KS, The Great North American RV Rally, on Wed, the 16th.

Barth at the battle of Bennington VT
We ran into some Cicada's along the way
Rest stop along the road
Boonville MO, where we stumbled into the Lewis & Clark expedition
Barth at the Lewis & Clark expedition
Lewis & Clark boats on the Missouri River
After 1800 miles, cooling off in Melvern Lake
Barth at Melvern Lake KS

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On the road.

89 Barth Regal 32
Runs like a Deere
New Hampshire




[This message has been edited by Jack (edited June 23, 2004).]

Re: A question on the original post about overnighting @ Wal-Mart.

We have done so several times, usually when finding a campground was inconvenient.

Jack's suggestions about asking permission and not setting up like you're staying a week are good, and are common courtesy as well.

Wal-Mart's own edition of Rand-McNally lists every W-M location in the U.S., shows the route and distance from major highways, and identifies those which allow RVs to overnight. Add to this, it costs less than you can buy it almost anywhere else.

On long trips on the Interstate, Wal-Mart beats highway rest stops all hollow.

Jack, just type the URL without the UBB code tags, and it will appear as a hyperlink on the site.

www.barthmobile.com

Jack:Where will you be next week? :I need to do some traveling.Maybe we could meet somewhere!We are in Tenn.

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Jay&Shelby 95 Regency 34ft. 300 hp.

I leave here on the 16th for Hutchison KS for the Great North American RV Rally for a little over a week then to Oklahoma for a day or so (to see if I can get a tornado to send me back to Kansas), then to Arkansas and no plans from there yet.

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On the road.

89 Barth Regal 32
Runs like a Deere
New Hampshire

The wind finally let up enough to have a campfire on the last night at Melvern Lake.
campfire
Barth by the campfire

Captain Zack got us to Hutchison KS, The Great North American RV Rally, safe and sound.
Captain Zack

The locals here in Hutchison really put out the red carpet for us (about 10,000 RV's)
Welcome RV's

Zack did get us here a day early, so we boondocked at local Kmart
Boondocked at KMart

Rain, rain, rain, Lot A, flooded, so we all moved to the Penny's Mall- Worked for me - got some needed shopping done. While I was backing into my 'spot' at Penny's, I had a new Safari at my rear. This view on the rearview camera really startled me.
Rear Window
Rear view camera

Now back to the lines of 'early bird volunteers re-arriving into Lot A.
RV's arriving behind us
RV's arrived before us

This is where I am now. Lot A - Row 9 - Site 1
Site 1 - wet enough to fish out coach door


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On the road.

89 Barth Regal 32
Runs like a Deere
New Hampshire



[This message has been edited by Jack (edited June 23, 2004).]

Jack, Your post came up twice, but clicking on the photos gives the message that the URL's are not available.

I removed the extra post, and fixed the misspellings. So it should work now. When I posted (via cell phone), it looked like it didn't work, so I tried again, and nothing, so I stopped. I guess both posted.

I leave here Friday, for Tenkiller Lake in Oklahoma, for about a week, then heading to Arkansas.

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On the road.

89 Barth Regal 32
Runs like a Deere
New Hampshire

This week at Pettit Bay, Tenkiller Lake, Oklahoma. Arrived in the dark, First real use of remote control roof spotlight. Really worked well.

The last night at the Great North American RV Rally had a special fireworks display for me, as the only Barth at the event.

Delorme SA2004 routes me on my travels, sometimes it thinks a ‘highway’ is a little more than it really is.

After Tugboat Zack finished maneuvering the Barth into it’s mooring at Tenkiller lake, he takes a well deserved rest.

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On the road.

89 Barth Regal 32
Runs like a Deere
New Hampshire


[This message has been edited by Jack (edited June 26, 2004).]

We are so much enjoying your travels. And we are jealous as can be.

Would you suggest goiing to those big rallies. I always wondered how crowded there were and if you can actually have fun?

Thanks also for the great photography. Tell us about your equipment.

Dave

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Long post - you asked.....
The rally in Hutchison was the first one that big that I’ve gone to, although the one a few years ago in Brunswick ME was almost as big, and it was better weather.
I knew that more than 5000 rigs would be arriving and making for long waits to get parked so I volunteered to assist, and that allowed me to arrive two days before the early bird days which were two days before the actual event. That got me a good parking space. My work assignment was to be a conductor on a ‘tram’ so I got to meet lots of people, and see and hear what was going on and get a good idea what to see and do during the event. My driver was a local, that had been a rodeo cowboy for over 30 years, and he looked just like you could imagine. Reminded me of when I lived in Greeley Colorado.
I never even went in any of the many hundreds of RV’s on display at the event. I attended seminars on various interests, and looked at vendors and poked and questioned and looked for the best deals on things that I had decided that I just had to have, and was able to get some questions answered, and to not buy some stuff that I planned on getting, but decided against for various reasons that become apparent when you see it and touch it.
I also got many comments about my Barth, (all good) and that was worth the trip in itself. By the end of the event, (a week on site for me) I was totally exhausted, and this stay at Tenkiller Lake was just to veg out, and get the rig back in shape.
To answer your question about is it too crowded and can you have fun, I had a ball, and the close proximity is part of the event. Makes you interact with the others, and that is normally good, and it was. Ya’ gotta’ do it at least once, and do it to have a good time no matter what.
As far as equipment, I assume you mean camera and Internet connection, not my Barth, which we all know about.
I originally had a Olympus 700 with my son, (actually a gift to him) and it went to Iraq to save us from the evil do’ers. Since I liked it so much, I bought an Olympus 720 for me, and that’s what these pictures are taken with. F2.8 and an 8 to 1 optical zoom. Really sweet.
I use MS photo editor to crop and resize to max 1200 pixels wide (or tall). I have my old trusty Toshiba Tecra 8000 laptop that traveled all over the USA with me for years when I had a job. Now it navigates me in the Barth, and gets hooked to the Internet via a Motorola 730 Analog/Digital Cell phone using the Verizon America Choice plan with free nights and weekends. The connection to the laptop is via a USB dongle, and a ‘mobile office kit’. I have National Access, billed as Minutes Of Use, so if I use it during my free time, its No charge. Speed is OK for a cell phone using ‘Quick 2 Net’ which is 14.4 both ways all the time.. If I can connect on a Verizon digital 1X connection it blazes, almost as fast as my home satellite connection. I also have AT&T One rate, which gives me voice connection in the with no Roaming charges, If I can get a signal, I can use it. I also have an Ositech King of Clubs modem for use on the AT&T analog connection if Verizon is not available and I really really really need to connect. I also have wireless cards and external antennas. I plan on adding a PCS ‘Patch’ antenna (very directional) to my Winegard TV antenna mast – so I can rotate it from inside, and may also add a 802.11b directional antenna to the mast also.
Both of these cell phones are hooked to Antenna Specialists dual band antennas on the roof of the Barth. I also use a hands free installed system for the AT&T system while mobile, and when camped, the phones are docked into a product called a ‘cell socket’ and that connects to a two line Panasonic cordless phone which I use to make and receive all calls.
Power for the computer is provided by a 500 watt inverter connected to the 4 Exide extra big golf car batteries, mounted on my brand new rebuilt sliding battery tray, which are charged my the 5 solar panels on the roof deck and controlled now, by a brand new solar controller. The inverter is in use all the time; I don’t switch to shore power ever for computer power.
I have more equipment, but this is enough for now. Boys and toys – you know the drill… There will be a quiz on this later


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On the road.

89 Barth Regal 32
Runs like a Deere
New Hampshire

How do you spell "envious"?

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Mark & LeAnna
1973 Barth 25 L
402 cid
P30 Chassis

We had a Barth mini-Get-To-Gether today. Francis B., from Mississippi, and me (Jack) on the road on the Natchez Trace in Mississippi.
This is a picture of the two of us at the GTG at the 160 MP Information Center on the Trace in my Barth.
Nice meeting a fellow Barth owner (even if it is on a ‘P’ chassis.)
Francis B., and Jack, fellow Barth owners chatting inside a Barth at the Information Center.

I’m now at the Jeff Busby NP CG –I was only planning on staying one night, but this is nice, and the price is right, so maybe another night or more.
The Jeff Busby NP CG on the “Trace”



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On the road.

89 Barth Regal 32
Runs like a Deere
New Hampshire

Here I am – next stop – if I ever leave here, is Tupelo MS, the birthplace of Elvis, and all I can think of is a Beatle’s song ‘Imagine’. Imagine a National Park, with trees so tall and full that my solar panels are not giving me any charge. Imagine a park so quiet that when trees falls in the woods, it can be heard. Imagine a campfire and cooking corn, and a potato, and a real thick steak, and when it looks like it may be done, it is. It is done to perfection, the steak, the potato, and the corn. Imagine that.
Still on the Trace, at the Jeff Busby NP.

Cooking dinner over an open fire at the Jeff Busby NP CG on the “Trace”
Dinner at the Jeff Busby NP CG on the “Trace”



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On the road.

89 Barth Regal 32
Runs like a Deere
New Hampshire