It's been a once a year event for over 30 years in Denver, Colorado, The International Sportmen's Expo (ISE), and it's back this week at the Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th Street, Denver, CO 80202. If you're not one of the lucky retired RVers sunning it up in the south (although the weather across the country has been frightfully cold as of late), take an afternoon and cruise the floor and through the exhibits at this fabulous sports expo. You won't be disappointed. It's a great way to spend a cold Denver day . . . RV dreamin'.
Show times are January 7-10, 2010.
Thursday and Friday, Jan 7 & 8 - Noon to 9p
Saturday, Jan 9 from 10a to 8p
Sunday, Jan 10 from 10a to 5p
Admission is $15/adult, and children under 15 are free
In addition to all the hunting, fishing and gaming gear that highlights many booths at the show, the ISE offers many exhibitors showing off the latest in RV's, campers, ATV's, SUV's and 4x4's. One of our favorite areas to visit features all the latest and greatest in camping gear, outdoor apparel and the volumes of books and maps for sportsmen and RVers of all levels.
Stay tuned for our review after the show. We can't wait to discover the newest products and innovations in the RVing realm of things.
It's going to be cold in Denver this week, but if you take the RTD Denver Light Rail to downtown, you won't have to worry about parking or walking . . you'll get dropped off right at the Convention Center doors. Don't miss this annual event. It's a great time and the kids love all the exhibits. Plenty of food and drink . . and lots of sportsmen (and sportswomen) just like us to chat and visit with. Stay tuned for the results!
11/10/2009
HONOR ALL VETERANS - VETERANS DAY, November 11, 2009
Join us in a special remembrance for all Veterans. We respect you, honor you and love you. Your service to the United States of America, to your fellow military men and women, to your families at home and extended families abroad – we thank you and honor your service this day – and every day. Send a special prayer for all the soldiers of Ft. Hood Army Base, for those that perished and for their families, and for those that will carry on in their mission to serve us. Our hearts are with you all.
Today, we are sending special thanks to those in our family who served this great country.
To my Father, George N. Jones, MSGT USAF, retired after 20 years of service in the US Air Force, and served in Vietnam in 1967. My Father passed away on September 13, 2007. I miss you Daddio!
To my brother, David A. Jones and brother-in-law Timothy Callan, who both served in the US Army.
To both of my Uncles – Ronald L. McCulloch and Rodney L. Holland, both served in the US Navy in the 1950’s.
To our great Uncles – Leonard McCulloch and Hans-george Geuther. Both died in WWII in June 1944.
To our dear friend who has always been part of the family, Sgt. Luke Hartmetz, who returned home safely in October ’09 from his third tour in Iraq. Welcome Home Luke!! It’s good to have you back!
Happy Birthday to the United States Marine Corp, 234 years young today, November 10, 2009. THANK YOU to all the men and women from all branches of the US Military. We honor you! God Bless you and God Bless America!
Today, we are sending special thanks to those in our family who served this great country.
To my Father, George N. Jones, MSGT USAF, retired after 20 years of service in the US Air Force, and served in Vietnam in 1967. My Father passed away on September 13, 2007. I miss you Daddio!
To my brother, David A. Jones and brother-in-law Timothy Callan, who both served in the US Army.
To both of my Uncles – Ronald L. McCulloch and Rodney L. Holland, both served in the US Navy in the 1950’s.
To our great Uncles – Leonard McCulloch and Hans-george Geuther. Both died in WWII in June 1944.
To our dear friend who has always been part of the family, Sgt. Luke Hartmetz, who returned home safely in October ’09 from his third tour in Iraq. Welcome Home Luke!! It’s good to have you back!
Happy Birthday to the United States Marine Corp, 234 years young today, November 10, 2009. THANK YOU to all the men and women from all branches of the US Military. We honor you! God Bless you and God Bless America!
10/31/2009
NORTHEAST TEXAS GEM - COOPER LAKE STATE PARK
About 900 miles from Denver, and not far from where my parents retired is Cooper Lake State Park located in Delta and Hopkins County in northeast Texas. A real gem of an Rving winter destination in the little known recreational area of northeastern Texas. Residing in the common reference of “the bottoms”, the man-made lake lies in the rolling hills or North Texas, and has some of the best fishing anywhere in the country.
The lake itself is approximately 19,300 acres and is surrounded by over 3,000 acres of parks and wildlife areas - in two park units around the lake, Doctors Creek Park and South Sulphur Park. The parks are open year around and offer many RVing, dry camping, equestrian camping and recreational activities. (It’s rare to find RVing destinations that are also accommodating to horse riders, with old style hitching posts at each equestrian RV site, and a multitude of equestrian trails – horse lovers RVing sites - $18 per night.) Download maps of Doctors Creek and South Sulphur using the following links.
The Doctors Creek Park, on the north side of the lake, boasts a pristine sandy beach, two playgrounds, nature trails and limited use cabins along with 42 RV sites with electric and water hook-up sites. The larger of the two surrounding parks,
South Sulphur Park, provides 14 fully furnished cabins, tent camping sites, lighted fishing piers and 87 RV sites with electrical and water hook-up sites – both sides offering a minimum of 55 foot pads for parking. With 100 person group pavilions, multiple private picnic areas, an educational amphitheatre, equestrian trails, beaches and nature walk trail, the parks offer many attractions for a day at the lake or a long term stay. Check out all the RVing adventure parks in Texas, through the Texas Parks and Wildlife.
Off season RV’ers pay $10 a night for a site (Nov-Feb), and $14 a night for the remainder of the year. There is a $3 a day day-use fee for each vehicle entering the park. A gem of a price for one of the best RVing destinations in Texas. Each site is off the beaten path, very secluded and impeccably kept. In my tour around both parks, it was impressive how clean, tidy and well manicured the rangers keep these parks. Each site provides a picnic table, BBQ and fire rings, and lantern posts, with back in and pull-throughs. In addition to the fishing possibilities, wildlife sightings are abundant. Fox, bobcat, deer and armadillos to name a few. The temperature runs an average of 90-95 in the hot and humid months of summer, but the fall and winter months offer very mild temperatures. This part of the country does have the chance for heavy rain or ice in the winter months, but snow is a rare happening. Consider Cooper Lake for an extended stay, or as a stop off on your way south for the winter.
The lake itself is approximately 19,300 acres and is surrounded by over 3,000 acres of parks and wildlife areas - in two park units around the lake, Doctors Creek Park and South Sulphur Park. The parks are open year around and offer many RVing, dry camping, equestrian camping and recreational activities. (It’s rare to find RVing destinations that are also accommodating to horse riders, with old style hitching posts at each equestrian RV site, and a multitude of equestrian trails – horse lovers RVing sites - $18 per night.) Download maps of Doctors Creek and South Sulphur using the following links.
The Doctors Creek Park, on the north side of the lake, boasts a pristine sandy beach, two playgrounds, nature trails and limited use cabins along with 42 RV sites with electric and water hook-up sites. The larger of the two surrounding parks,
South Sulphur Park, provides 14 fully furnished cabins, tent camping sites, lighted fishing piers and 87 RV sites with electrical and water hook-up sites – both sides offering a minimum of 55 foot pads for parking. With 100 person group pavilions, multiple private picnic areas, an educational amphitheatre, equestrian trails, beaches and nature walk trail, the parks offer many attractions for a day at the lake or a long term stay. Check out all the RVing adventure parks in Texas, through the Texas Parks and Wildlife.
Off season RV’ers pay $10 a night for a site (Nov-Feb), and $14 a night for the remainder of the year. There is a $3 a day day-use fee for each vehicle entering the park. A gem of a price for one of the best RVing destinations in Texas. Each site is off the beaten path, very secluded and impeccably kept. In my tour around both parks, it was impressive how clean, tidy and well manicured the rangers keep these parks. Each site provides a picnic table, BBQ and fire rings, and lantern posts, with back in and pull-throughs. In addition to the fishing possibilities, wildlife sightings are abundant. Fox, bobcat, deer and armadillos to name a few. The temperature runs an average of 90-95 in the hot and humid months of summer, but the fall and winter months offer very mild temperatures. This part of the country does have the chance for heavy rain or ice in the winter months, but snow is a rare happening. Consider Cooper Lake for an extended stay, or as a stop off on your way south for the winter.
10/12/2009
TOP TEN WONDERS OF THE WESTERN U.S.
As soon as summer is over, we start thinking about where we’d like to go in our next season of RV travel. . . . the next time we can break free and hit the RVing road again. A few weeks ago we watched a documentary on the Travel Channel entitled Travel Channels Top Ten Wonders of the West. This program, which highlighted the majesty of several nature wonders in the western U.S, and was inspiring. With each commentary –we knew we had to visit these places. And there isn’t a better way to see the country than to pack up some food, hitch up the trailer and take to the road on a new RV adventure.
Denver is in the heart of the West, and realistically, if you took them one by one, all of these parks are within one to three days drive from our home base. But when we dream, we dream big, and can imagine hitting several of these locations in one trip. Planning and early reservations requests will be necessary. For example, my initial discovery of traveling to the Grand Canyon, camping reservations must be made at least six months in advance – and there is only one RV park near the Canyon with full-hooks up. If the Grand Canyon is one of our stops next year, we’ll need to clear time on the calendars and start laying out the trip now. Reservations will need to be made before the end of the year. We’ll explore all the options – and share all the results. We’ll take you through the whole adventure with us - one step at a time – and look forward to sharing our RV travels to each destination. Join us for the Top Ten!!
Here’s the list of the Ten Wonders of the West, with mileage from Denver.
Arches National Park, Utah (349 miles
Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico (584 miles)
Channel Islands National Park, California (1,079 miles)
Columbia River Gorge, Oregon (1,212 miles)
Death Valley, California (869 miles)
Mount Hood, Oregon (1,209 miles)
Redwoods National Park (1,230 miles) and Yosemite National Park, California(1,585 miles)
The Grand Canyon, Arizona and Nevada (677 to 856 miles, depending upon North or South Rim)
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming (593 miles)
One of the recommended first steps for any RV adventure across several states . . . get all the info you can in advance. A great source of information about traveling in any state, is the Department of Tourism. Request the States’ tourism packages and guides, and sign up on their websites to receive event information and travel updates. These publications are free and the information extremely valuable. Many States offer coupons to major attractions and detailed maps. Follow the link and order the FREE State Tourism packages for each State.
A good friend of mine lives in the great State of Utah and is an outdoor adventurer as well. If you are into RVing and ATV riding, check out Utah ATV Trails for a complete list of ATV trail reviews in Utah.
RV Adventurers, please email us at rvweekenderreview@gmail.com/"; we’d love to hear your comments/suggestions for any of the “Top Ten” you have visited.
Denver is in the heart of the West, and realistically, if you took them one by one, all of these parks are within one to three days drive from our home base. But when we dream, we dream big, and can imagine hitting several of these locations in one trip. Planning and early reservations requests will be necessary. For example, my initial discovery of traveling to the Grand Canyon, camping reservations must be made at least six months in advance – and there is only one RV park near the Canyon with full-hooks up. If the Grand Canyon is one of our stops next year, we’ll need to clear time on the calendars and start laying out the trip now. Reservations will need to be made before the end of the year. We’ll explore all the options – and share all the results. We’ll take you through the whole adventure with us - one step at a time – and look forward to sharing our RV travels to each destination. Join us for the Top Ten!!
Here’s the list of the Ten Wonders of the West, with mileage from Denver.
Arches National Park, Utah (349 miles
Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico (584 miles)
Channel Islands National Park, California (1,079 miles)
Columbia River Gorge, Oregon (1,212 miles)
Death Valley, California (869 miles)
Mount Hood, Oregon (1,209 miles)
Redwoods National Park (1,230 miles) and Yosemite National Park, California(1,585 miles)
The Grand Canyon, Arizona and Nevada (677 to 856 miles, depending upon North or South Rim)
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming (593 miles)
One of the recommended first steps for any RV adventure across several states . . . get all the info you can in advance. A great source of information about traveling in any state, is the Department of Tourism. Request the States’ tourism packages and guides, and sign up on their websites to receive event information and travel updates. These publications are free and the information extremely valuable. Many States offer coupons to major attractions and detailed maps. Follow the link and order the FREE State Tourism packages for each State.
A good friend of mine lives in the great State of Utah and is an outdoor adventurer as well. If you are into RVing and ATV riding, check out Utah ATV Trails for a complete list of ATV trail reviews in Utah.
RV Adventurers, please email us at rvweekenderreview@gmail.com/"; we’d love to hear your comments/suggestions for any of the “Top Ten” you have visited.
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