Wheel Life column and the Wheel Life blog is currently not active.

Wheel Life column: "After four great years, we're parking the RV" ran Sept. 16, 2007, in the Travel section of The Spokesman-Review.

You can still reach me at RVWheelLife@comcast.net.

Thank you for sharing your fascinating RV adventures for the past four+ years.

It's been a great ride.

Julianne Crane

Scott Blake writes in Florida Today about how the Brevard (County) Job Link Express bus will job-assistance services wherever they are needed.

The "$254,000 bus, which resembles a recreational vehicle on the outside, features 13 computer stations onboard for searching job listings and other functions. The vehicle also has equipment and space for job training and other services."

Image: Job mobility. Joan Van Scyoc, Communications Director with Brevard Workforce Development Board sits in the new Brevard (County) Job Link Express. The board can take the bus to different locations so people can look for jobs. Michael R. Brown, FLORIDA TODAY

One of the fastest growing segments of the recreational vehicle industry are the "toy haulers" many of which carry along ATVs into public lands.

It has been reported that while many ATVers are responsible, the few lawless renegades are tearing up everyone's public lands. Here are two recent articles.

Al Thompkins reports in Poynteronline (Poynter Leadership Academy in St. Petersburg, Fl.)on the damage caused when "all-terrain vehicle (ATV) riders ride off trails wherever they wish. Illegal trails are now showing up everywhere. Motorized vehicle abuse has been called one of the biggest problems facing public lands."

Rangers say that thousands of miles of trails now crisscross federal forestland. Many are disused logging trails, but in some cases ATV drivers armed with axes, machetes and other tools carve out their own paths.

The U.S. Forest Service has tried to sate the demand by setting aside vast tracts of land for ATV use, but they're often seeing those areas turned into a hub for more illegal trails.

Read more in: "Renegade ATVs Threaten Forests."

Greg Bluestine writes in USA Today: "ATV drivers invade, damage roadless forests"

Image: A damaged section of a trail in Mountaintown, Ga. Photo by John Bazemore, AP Photo

Wheel Life appears every Sunday in the Outdoor/Travel section of The Spokesman-Review.

Linda Wondoloski writes in the Burlington County (New Jersey) Times about being prepared for emergencies on the road.

“A lot of the things that go along with RV safety are common sense things for any vehicle,” said David Weinstein, spokesperson for the AAA Mid-Atlantic office in Mount Laurel, N.J.

“The most important thing is a fire extinguisher because of the propane on board.”

Because propane is used to cook food and heat the vehicle, “safety and operating procedures are paramount,” Weinstein said. “Look at the owners’ manual to make sure everything is hooked up properly” and take special care when children are nearby.

Read more in: "Riding with safety."

Image: Al and Jacqueline Worcester of Willingboro, N.J., relax outside their Itasca Sunova class A motor home at Millcreek Park in Willingboro. The couple uses a global positioning system when they hit the road. BCT STAFF PHOTO/MATT STANLEY

Wheel Life appears every Sunday in the Outdoor/Travel section of The Spokesman-Review.

From Business Wire.com -- "Labor Day weekend is a busy travel time for recreational vehicle owners. Simple tips from Nationwide Insurance ensure RVers can enjoy the open road without the hassle of trip." interruptions.

Read more in: "Avoid RV Snags and Slowdowns with Road Trip Tips from Nationwide and Camping World"

Image: Courtesy of Recreational Vehicle Industry Association.

Wheel Life appears every Sunday in the Outdoor/Travel section of The Spokesman-Review.

Airstream of Spokane is organizing "The Troubs Airstream Rally" at a campsite near the Columbia County Fairgrounds in Dayton, Wash. Contact Karyn and Nick Dietz at (800) 562-8015.

Non-Airstreamers can find local camping by contacting the Dayton Chamber of Commerce at (800) 882-6299

Listen to Antsy McClain and The Troubs by clicking on: YouTube: "Falling in Love in America." To find out more about the opening act, click on: Patti Hall.

Read more about Antsy McClain and the Trailer Park Troubadours in Wheel Life "Pop(-up) singer: Antsy McClain and his Troubs offer songs about the 'trailer lifestyle'" in the Spokesman-Review.

Wheel Life appears every Sunday in the Outdoor/Travel section of The Spokesman-Review.

Sheldon Alberts writes in the (Canada) National Post --

Two years after the storm hit on Aug. 29, 2005, more than 65,000 Gulf Coast families, an estimated 195,000 people, are still living in FEMA trailers. The vast majority of the trailers -- about 45,000 -- are located in Louisiana.

This month Federal Emergency Management Agency acknowledged that wood panels in many of the travel trailers provided to Katrina evacuees were laced with formaldehyde, a carcinogen that can cause severe respiratory problems.

It was the latest injury inflicted on Gulf Coast hurricane victims who were already struggling with the physical and mental trauma of being displaced indefinitely from their homes.

Read more in: "Katrina survivors suffer in 'FEMA's dirty little secret' trailers"

Image: Keith Craft, 53, stands in front of the FEMA trailer that he and his family have been living in since June 2006 while they repair their flood-damaged home in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. Craft has developed a hacking cough and his 13-year-old son has also suffered respiratory problems since moving into the trailer. The Federal Emergency Management Agency this month acknowledged that wood panels in the trailers were laced with formaldehyde levels far above levels considered safe. Photograph by: Sheldon Alberts/National Post

Wheel Life appears every Sunday in the Outdoor/Travel section of The Spokesman-Review.

Jack Broom writes in the Seattle Times about the love of vintage travel trailers.

Vintage trailers, with their shiny metal on the outside and warm tones of birch or mahogany on the inside, carry a coziness irresistible to their admirers.

Pat Ewing, who owns seven trailers, said nostalgia is a key factor, particularly for Baby Boomers like himself

"My earliest memories are of trailer trips we took when I was a kid ... to Mexico, Florida, Washington, D.C., and a lot of places in between," said Ewing, 52, who grew up in Kirkland, Wash.

As soon as automobiles were within the average person's reach in the early 20th century, Americans started looking for ways to stay overnight in or alongside them. Beds were made to fit in various car models; awnings and tents were rigged to hook up beside or behind them.

Read more in "Travel-trailer fanatics' passion fueled by fond memories of kitschy classics"

Image: Patty and Eric Dobbs restored the warm interior of this 1941 Kozy Coach, which they keep in their Snohomish-area garage. MIKE SIEGEL / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Tom Sowa of The Spokesman-Review writes:

"Today about 30 million people call themselves regular RV users. And the number of them being connected and staying connected has continued to grow. Like nearly any other electronic toy, computers keep getting smaller, less expensive and fairly easy to take along in a motor home or camper."

"Depending on how far afield you plan to roam, the choices for how to get and stay connected vary."

In the article Sowa interviews RVers: Chuck Woodbury of RVTravel.com; Diane Melde and Bill Joyce of sacnoth.com; and Michael Fousie of LightCurve.com.

Read more in: "Roaming and staying connected: An RV tech roadmap"

Image: Retired Portland television cameraman and now fulltime RVer Michael Fousie has several computers and printers in his motor coach. He creates Web pages while roaming the country. Photo by Michael Fousie

Wheel Life appears every Sunday in the Outdoor/Travel section of The Spokesman-Review.

While only a tiny percentage of RVers own these million dollar rigs, there seems to be an endless fascination about them by Eastcoast-based publications.

Kristina Shevory writes in the New York Times' Escapes section about upscale RV resorts in Southern California.

Shevory writes: "The lifestyle in these parks doesn’t come cheap. A parking spot, which can be a plain concrete pad or have “build outs” like an outdoor kitchen and bar, can cost $68,000 to $280,000. At Aguanga, a concrete pad generally sells for $80,000 to $120,000. A monthly fee of $330 includes daily trash pickup, water, sewer, cable TV and golfing for members. Owners can rent out their lots when they’re not there for $55 a night."

Read more in "The Ritz? No, It’s an RV Park"

Image: The Rancho California RV Resort in Aguanga, Calif., is part of a new breed of upscale parks for recreational vehicles. Sandy Huffaker for The New York Times.

Wheel Life appears every Sunday in the Outdoor/Travel section of The Spokesman-Review.

Listen to Antsy McClain and The Troubs by clicking on: YouTube: "Falling in Love in America."

Read more about Antsy McClain and the Trailer Park Troubadours in Wheel Life "Pop(-up) singer: Antsy McClain and his Troubs offer songs about the 'trailer lifestyle'" in the Spokesman-Review.

Wheel Life appears every Sunday in the Outdoor/Travel section of The Spokesman-Review.

Came across a Web site called Vintage Travel Trailer Art that features print reproductions of numerous old towable RVs.

The artist, Paige Bridges of Northeast Texas, has been an RVer (along with her husband) for about ten years. They are the proud owners of a 1959 FAN Coach Co. travel trailer.

It's just fun to click through the various images and wonder about the folks who own the rigs.

Image: "Made for Each Other" shows a vintage 1976 Trillium resting besides the road, being towed by a 50's era Jeep. A mountain bike is a clue that the owner plans to find a good spot nearby to camp and do a little biking. The scene is somewhere in Colorado, an outdoor paradise." Source: Vintage Travel Trailer Art.

Wheel Life appears every Sunday in the Outdoor/Travel section of The Spokesman-Review.

Author and solo RVer Joei Carlton Hossack has been writing about her travel adventures for more than ten years.

She currently has six books in print including her most recent "Chasing The Lost Dream."

Wheel Life caught up with her as she was winding up a monthlong book promoting stint in Edmondton, Alberta.

Read more in Wheel Life: "Personal travels are Hossack's signature" in The Spokesman-Review.

Image: Joei Carlton Hossack. Photo by Julianne Crane.

Wheel Life appears every Sunday in the Outdoor/Travel section of The Spokesman-Review.

Cindy McNatt writes in The Orange County (California) Register:

"Vintage trailer fans are a subclass of outdoor enthusiast. It lies somewhere in the baby boomer middle - forming groups like Sisters on the Fly and Tin Can Tourists."

"It's about having grown up in the great outdoors of the 1950s and '60s, remembering the trailers, the cars and the culture."

Read more in "From whimsical to way out, trailers get restored with vintage looks"

Image: A large and growing group who collect vintage trailers are having the times of their lives restoring them to their Sputnik-inspired glory. Source: Vintagecampers.com

Wheel Life appears every Sunday in the Outdoor/Travel section of The Spokesman-Review.

•“Rand McNally 2007 Motor Carriers’ Road Atlas” (Rand McNally, 158 pages, $19.95).

This large size, approximately 15- by 11-inch, atlas covers the United States, Canada and Mexico. It is ideal for RVers with tall or long rigs. It features more than 500 new changes to low clearance, weigh station and restricted route listings.

A 22-page section lists 40,000 city-to-city routes with route-specific mileages. There are Web and hotline resources for information including revised road construction and conditions.

Wheel Life appears every Sunday in the Outdoor/Travel section of The Spokesman-Review.

David Castello writes in the Visalia (Calif.) Times-Delta about a guy who cares for his pet companion so much that he went into a burning, smoke-filled travel trailer to recue the cat.

"A Visalia man who says his cat pretty much saved his life by helping him cope with the effects of nerve damage returned the favor."

Read more in "Owner saves cat from fire: Man goes back to save beloved pet."

Image: Ron Myers, left, holds his cat named "Mister," as engineer John Greenwood talks to him about the fire in his mobile home Monday after the fire was put out on South Divisidero Street, between Walnut and Whitendale avenues. in Visalia. Teresa Douglass/Times-Delta.

Wheel Life appears every Sunday in the Outdoor/Travel section of The Spokesman-Review.

•“2007 Road Master: Campground & RV Park Road Atlas” by MapQuest (Barnes & Noble Books, $19.95).

A comprehensive listing of more than 3,700 campgrounds and RV parks including United States national and state parks, and Canadian provincial parks.

This large size atlas features side spiral binding for convenient flat viewing.

Wheel Life appears every Sunday in the Outdoor/Travel section of The Spokesman-Review.

Diana and Jim Garot of Palmdale, Calif., were in the Inland Northwest recently visiting an old school clum—me. Diana and I go way, way back to junior high days.

They were a little more than two weeks into their annual three-month circle trip of the United States and stopped by for a couple of days at the Blackwell Island RV Park on the Spokane River in Coeur d’Alene.

They both took retirement “as soon as they could” and started making extended road trips.

On this year's RV journey, the Garots and two other RV couples took one exciting side trip at Gold Beach in Oregon.

They all jumped aboard a Mail Boat Hydro-Jet and traveled 40 miles into the backcountry on the "wild and scenic" Rogue River.

"They actually deliver the mail," says Diana. "Along the way the pilot does a couple of donuts in the middle of the river and the water splashes over everyone. Of course we were all wearing life vests. It was a lot of fun."

Read more about the Garots and their travels in "Wheel Life: Retired RVers having the time of their lives" in the Outdoor/Travel section of The Spokesman-Review.

Photo: Jim and Diana Garot, along with 15-year-old China. Photo by Julianne Crane/Spokesman Review.

Wheel Life appears every Sunday in the Outdoor/Travel section of The Spokesman-Review.

The national RVing Women 2007 Convention is planned for the Grape Fesitval Grounds in Lodi, Calif., for Oct. 10-14, 2007.

The group is committed to "recreation, support, information and networking for Women Rvers." For more information call toll free (888) 557-8464.

Lodi is 90 miles east of San Francisco, 35 miles south of Sacramento, easily accessible to Interstate I-5.

+ Closer to those of us in the Pacific Northwest are the activities planned by the Cascadia (Washington and BC) Chapter.

- On Aug. 24-26, 2007 the group is gathering at Bayshore RV Park in Tokeland, Wash.

- On Sept. 28-30, the group heads for the Icicle River RV Park in Leavenworth, Wash.

- On Oct. 26-28, women plan to meet at the Fidalgo Bay Resort in Anacortes, Wash., for it final planned outing of the year.

Pets are welcome to tag along on all outings.

Wheel Life appears every Sunday in the Outdoor/Travel section of The Spokesman-Review.

RVTravel.com writes in its Aug. 11 online newsletter: "The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced on Thursday (Aug. 9) a long list of RV recalls for July, 2007. Involved in recalls are Fleetwood, Monaco, Freightliner, Komfort, Four Winds, General Coach-Hensall, Spartan, Western Recreational and Keystone. Some of the recalls involve serious matters, others are less significant."

Read more in: "July RV recalls announced by NHTSA"

Wheel Life appears every Sunday in the Outdoor/Travel section of The Spokesman-Review.

Hot rods and customized cars are heading to Spokane.

As many as 1,500 1972 and earlier cars and trucks are expected in the 6th Goodguys "Great Northwest Nationals" car show due in the SpokaneCounty Fair & Expo Center, 404 N. Havana St. in Spokane Valley, August 17-19, 2007

TIMES: Aug. 17, Friday and Aug. 18, Saturday 8 a.m.-5 p.m., and Aug. 19, Sunday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

COST: General admission is $13, and kids 7-12 $6. Kids 6 and under are free. Event parking is also free. Sunday, Aug. 19 is “Family Fun Day” with kids 12 and under admitted free.

Photo: Courtesy of the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association.

Wheel Life appears every Sunday in the Outdoor/Travel section of The Spokesman-Review.

Jeanne Drake of Spokane took three visitors from Germany on a 6,000-mile road trip of the American West in her 21-foot B-Plus motor home. They stopped by a number of national parks on their three-week journey.

Read more by clicking on "Wheel Life--Best of the West: Spokane woman takes distant relatives from Germany on RV adventure" in the Travel section of the Spokesman-Review.

Image: Jeanne Drake, far left, took German guests 16-year-old Veronika Heeke, Silvia Heeke and 17-year-old Verena Heeke after returning from the whirlwind trip of the West. HOLLY PICKETT The Spokesman-Review.

Wheel Life appears every Sunday in the Outdoor/Travel section of The Spokesman-Review.

Sarah Schlichter writes in the Independent Traveler.com that national parks in the U.S. see more than 270 million visitors a year.

"Whether you're planning on camping in the backcountry for a week or simply driving along the parks' many scenic roads, we've pulled together a few key tips to help you get the most from your national park vacation."

Read more in: "Make the most of your national park vacation: How to avoid the crowds, plan your trip and stay safe in the great outdoors."

Image: A double rainbow forms at Hopi Point, after a rain shower at Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. Jim Mcknight / AP

Wheel Life appears every Sunday in the Outdoor/Travel section of The Spokesman-Review.

Michael Malik writes in the Indianapolis Star about how the "BMV thinks it has a solution to cut wait times at branches across the state: a mobile branch."

"The 'BMV 2 You,' is a mobile BMV branch converted from a 38-foot-long trailer."

"The BMV spent $140,000 outfitting the trailer and estimates annual operating expenses at $250,000, which is comparable to a small branch."

"The mobile unit will travel to different branches to relieve long lines, as well as to fairs, community centers and assisted living centers."

Read more in: "Coming 2 You: BMV Mobile license branch will provide most of the same services as traditional locations."

Image: "Curbside service: (Indiana) BMV Commissioner Ron Stiver steps out of the new mobile license branch, which is expected to cut BMV wait times. Danese Kenon/The Indianapolis Star.

Wheel Life is published every Sunday in the Travel Section of the Spokesman Review.

Debbie Hunter writes in the New Zealand Sun-Herald about a family of six who travel for 13-months around Australia.

"It was the trip of a lifetime, both physically and emotionally, the priceless experience of spending time with family and getting to know them; learning to depend on each other and read each other's moods and feelings. 'You learn as much from your kids as you teach them. That is the privilege of taking a year off. You don't get that on a three-week holiday.'"

Read more in: "Following a dream - family in tow"

Image: PACK UP YOUR TROUBLES: There's never a perfect time to drop everything and hit the road. Do it anyway. /Fairfax