Our camper isn't going anywhere, anytime soon!

Friday's snowstorm hits upstate NY, and by Saturday our camper is snowbound!

The snowstorms that struck Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC missed us here. In fact, we were down to about one inch of snow. It all came back with a vengeance beginning on Thursday. The real snow arrived during the wee hours of Friday morning. Despite assurances to the contrary, the snowfall continued throughout the day Friday and on into Saturday morning.

We've used the snow-blower to clear the driveway at least four times, with clean-up by shovel needed each time to remove the heavy oatmeal-colored slush heaped by the road. Meanwhile, our camper sits quietly by my parking spot, next to the garage. We've had very little wind, so the accumulated snow sits nearly undisturbed on the camper's roof.

Undrifted snow all around the camper is now almost two feet deep. I'd have to shovel my way to the door to check for snow damage. Everything appears to be safe and snug, anyway.

I'm sure the local ski areas are running at capacity this weekend. Over the hill at the high school, there are probably no less than two dozen kids racing down the big hill. The snow continues to fall today, but the temperature hovers above freezing and the sun peeks out now and then.

Behind the house, our back deck (my summer "office") lies still under perfectly defined mounds of snow. It's beautiful, but none too hospitable.

There's no hint of spring in the air today; but it's not all that far off. Soon enough, our camper will shed it's insular blanket of heavy, wet snow. We'll open the windows and refill the water system, ready for another summer of camping. Not today, though, nor this week.

Photo reprints available on request.
_______________________________________________

How about you? Do you any winter camping pictures you'd like to share?

"Camping" season opens today with the Camping World 300, Nationwide Series auto race

[Written just prior to the race, fingers flying over the keyboard. Sat, Feb 13 2010]

Daytona Beach FLA : While 49 of the 50 states have snow on the ground, the Camping Season begins for all of us who follow professional auto racing. Minutes from now, the Camping World 300 Nationwide Series race sends us the sure roar of spring.

The infield defined by Daytona International Speedway's two and a half-mile track overflows with RVs from all around the country. The stands are packed with NASCAR fanatics. The smell of high-octane racing fuel and hot dogs fills the air. This race runs 300 miles in 120 laps, bringing us the incomparable thunder of 43 stock cars at full throttle. The sounds and smells of Spring!

Temps are lower than normal for this famed Florida venue, and the wind may even be a factor. With a cooler track, cars should handle better. We'll see plenty of daring side-by-side racing. Six former Camping World 300 winners join the pack, along with eight previous Nationwide Series champions. Rising star newcomer, GoDaddy's darling Danica Patrick hopes to give 'em a run for their money.

From the warm comfort of an upstate NY living room, we'll be watching AFLAC's Carl Edwards (my wife's employer is AFLAC). Edwards finished a video-replay second last year in this race. Also in the spotlight: Dale Earnhardt Jr. (of course!), Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, and a slew of Wallaces.

The pre-race interviews are done, the anthem sung, the flyover a sleek and stunning symbol of freedom and speed.We humbly thank Camping World for bringing us this splendid harbinger of better weather and camping adventures.

"Ladies and gentlemen: Start your ENGINES!" makes it official. Let's go Racing -- and Camping, too! May the best man -- or woman -- win.

Reprints available on request.
_______________________________________________

Did you attend the race? Love to hear from you if you did!

240-plus days, and still no snow in Rochester

Where's our snow, anyway?

Summer's long since over, and winter is nearly here, yet we still have no snow in Western New York. In fact, we've had no measurable accumulation since last April, over 240 days ago. That has to be some kind of record for this area.

It's been an exceptional year for camping, with nearly EIGHTY Perfect Camping Nights recorded from April to September. September was spectacular, if a bit chilly at times, with very little rain. All the area campgrounds shut down in mid-October, as the nights stayed cool and the leaves finally fell. With a bit of cold-weather gear and judicious use of our Coleman furnace, we could have done weekend overnights right up through this weekend. The sun's shining today, with temp's in the low 40's.

Our typical upstate NY November brings freezing rain, biting breezes, bitter late night temperatures, and snow before Thanksgiving. Not this year. Maybe it's Global Warming. Or maybe winter is lurking nearby, rubbing it's frosted hands together in malicious glee and planning a devastating surprise attack. The local ski areas aren't pleased with the current climate, I'm sure. White Christmas? Hope so.

At any rate, for we Northerners the regular camping season is done. Did you properly winterize your camper? Or did you make sure your tent is nice and dry, and stored in a protected spot? I have a couple of good articles saved around here somewhere, from the RV.net Blog. One has tips for winterizing and the other offers some advice for maintaining your camper's awning(s). I'll see if I can't dig those up and get them posted for you. That site is an amazing resource for RV-ers, especially.

Had a thought about winterizing for you, too. Do you cover your camper for the winter? Store it somewhere else for the season? Garage it? Mine sits stoic in the side yard, with the windows cranked tight, tires on planks, battery stowed indoors and the water system completely drained. Seems to weather the worst of winter fairly well. Just wondering what other campers do in preparation for the long winter's night. I'll see if I can find those other articles.

Photo: Erie Canal widewaters area near Newark, NY, earlier this fall (JCB)

_______________________________________________

How do you winterize? Leave your comments here.

It's a bird, it's a plane -- it's the Microsoft Sky!

This is an un-retouched photograph of the sky over Fairport, NY on a spectacular fall day.

One of my guilty pleasures while camping is sky-watching. This surreal skyscape turned up far too late in the fall for camping, though the weather was unexpectedly mild that day. I had to look twice -- it looked exactly as if one of those speed-painters had dabbed in the clouds in a frantic burst of brushwork.

Seems like Microsoft has moved away from using that trademark sky as their symbol lately, but this one certainly would do the trick. A week or so ago I published an article on Helium about curing writers block, and one of the tips I mentioned was to do some sky-gazing. It worked for me: I wrote this post!
______________________________________________

If you have an unusual skyscape you'd like to share here, please contact me or leave a comment.

Read 6 tips to cure writer's block from Jim, on Helium.com

Product reviews: Grill Charms™, as seen on Shark Tank earlier this evening

Hot off the campfire

by Sarah Pendleton guest writer

[Editor's note - Sarah is a full-time freelance editor and writer]

We are a family of meat lovers. The grill gets fired up every weekend, rain or shine. It can be a hundred and ten or twenty below - we have to get our fix! Steak, chicken, pork chops; every Saturday is a carnivore's dream. After ten years of marriage, I'm still getting used to it.

I grew up as the eldest of nine, and we were dirt poor. I could make a pound of hamburger serve the whole family for four meals straight, with creative use of spaghetti sauce, potatoes, rice and beans. I had never had a honest to God, home-grilled steak before I got married on my twenty fourth birthday to a real man: a hunting, fishing, red necked card-carrying member of the National Grill Masters Association. Let me tell you - it only took one juicy Porterhouse to have me firmly addicted.

Now, ten years and three kids later, we are firmly committed to keeping the cattle industry alive and well. Even our eighteen-month-old loves nothing more than sinking the twelve teeth he does have into a tiny portion of succulent rib-eye.

There's just one little problem.

I like garlic, and just a touch of pink in the middle. Hubby likes lemon pepper - and lots of it; and he doesn't freak about a little reddish juice on the plate. We both love Lee and Perrins. The kids don't share our passion for spice - yet - and theirs better be well done! When you have five steaks on the grill, it's kind of hard to keep track. You have to keep cutting them open, and trying to figure out which one is seasoned and which one isn't.

That's why I couldn't believe it when a friend turned me on to Grill Charms™ . These little suckers are perfect for helping hubby keep track of which steak belongs to who, and the kids love the concept of being able to personalize their own cut of meat. Grill Charms™ are made of stainless steel, look like dime-sized thumbtacks, and have serrated edges so they stay in the meat during grilling.

The designs on top of each one let you differentiate the meat. I have already picked out the Charmed Life collection, which features a sailboat, a dollar sign and a crown among other designs. I am aiming for the Spicy Collection next, so I can tell the kids' mild chicken piece or pork chop from my own tangy rub!

I'm going to have to get the Steak Collection for those times we have friends over that want to specify bloody or burnt, and I'm definitely picking up the Pink Collection for my aunt for Christmas. She's a breast cancer survivor, and her hubby also is a member of the Grill Masters Club. At under $20 per six-piece Grill Charms collection, I might have to grab a few more sets for stocking stuffers - hubby and I have a lot of meat loving friends!

Check it out folks - this is the new 'hot item' for the grilling carnivores in your life; and if you're like me, you won't be able to stop with just one set!

reprinted with a breaking update, 2009
copyright 2008 - all rights reserved, Sarah Pendleton for Just Camping Out
______________________________________________

From our interview with Leslie Haywood, founder and president, Charmed Life Products LLC and inventor of Grill Charms™ :

I'm a grilling gadget gal from Charleston SC and I have invented the perfect gadget for those scrumptious dinners cooked in great outdoors.
...Sometimes it can be tough for the master chef to keep track of who wants their steak rare, who wants spicy, who wants mild, who's allergic to garlic - all while drinking that frosty cold beer, gazing at the stars, chatting with your buddies about the fish that got away, and try to keep the dog out of the munchies. Grill Charms™ make it all possible. They are the must have campfire gadget while enjoying your time in the wilderness or at the KOA. [~Jim]

UPDATE: Leslie appeared on ABC TV's new and exciting show Shark Tank, seeking a relatively small investment in her vision. She completely charmed the male investors -- they went from Sharks to pussycats.

Leslie had THREE OFFERS on the table, and had to agonize over which one was right for her business. Let's just say she did NOT walk away disappointed, as so many other presenters have in the past.

This is a great product, a classy lady, and made for riveting television. Best wishes to Leslie as she moves forward with Grill Charms™. ~Jim