More to look forward to!

I (Kevin) have a group of friends that I've known since I was 16 years old. The bunch of us worked at a summer camp together in 1978 and 1979. There's actually eight of us who keep in touch on a regular basis. And over the past 35 years or so we've been through girlfriends and marriages (some more than one!) and children and everything in between.

Namibia change of plans!

We know our trip is still a few months off, but we want to keep you all updated as to our plans. It turns out that the little 4 wheel drive motorhome we had wanted is already sold out for the dates we wanted it!

So, good thing we are flexible.

That was a tough weekend.

Mondays through Fridays are not bad around here, but on a nice sunny weekend things get pretty hectic.

Especially when you have to deal with drunks, belligerent sober people, and people who don't seem to know how to use either a toilet or a trash can. Ah, the end of the weekend was a very welcome thing indeed!

There are moose in Saskatchewan!

We never used to think that there would be any moose in Saskatchewan, and we remembered being surprised when we found out that there is! We haven't seen any here in the area near the campground, although we are told there is the occasional sighting.

This post is for Judy at http://travels-with-emma.blogspot.ca/2013/07/i-wanted-to-see-moose.html because she drove a long way in the hopes of seeing a moose yesterday, but they remained hidden!

So, here are our travel experiences that include moose sightings!

Campground complaints

Fortunately, we haven't received too many complaints. Thinking about it from a camper or customer point of view, I'm trying to think if there is anything that would be a common complaint about a campground.

Most complaints I can think of would be something general about the campground itself. Like maybe the sites are too close together. Or a common one we hear and read about regarding "RV Park" type campgrounds is the lack of decent internet.

So I went to our monthly Board meeting last night to bring up any issues and discuss any problems. And, I heard about three complaints.

A little more thrilled...

When I mentioned yesterday that I wasn't "thrilled" with our new camera, it's mostly because I hadn't really tried it out yet!

So yesterday when I went in to town, I brought the camera with me for any possible photo opportunities.

New camera!

Ruth went in to town to go grocery shopping and picked us up a new camera at the same time.

I had seen it on sale at Future Shop (owned by Best Buy) and it was reservable in store so I had made a reservation online.

I posted a couple of weeks ago that I was looking at either the Canon SX50 or the Nikon P510.

Namibia trip update!

Okay, so we think we've got things worked out with our tour operator in Namibia.

As you know, our prize had included a one week ground tour taking in the major sites. They were putting us up in some pretty fancy places and with some nice meals included. But we really wanted to do some camping and RV'ing in Africa! So we asked if they would switch things up for us and they agreed!

So here's what we've got worked out...

Holiday Resort in the U.K.

Here's a fun opportunity for summer holiday time in the U.K.

Butlin's Resorts operates three family holiday camps located on some of England's most beautiful beaches.

What's it like being a campground manager?

Boy, we're half way through already. Approximately.

Here we are at July 9th. Our contract here runs from May 1 to September 30, so while that's a full five months, they said that it's entirely possible that we'll be out of here sometime between September 15th and the 30th depending on what the weather is doing at the time.

Results

Okay, two things to share with you today. First up, the winners from our magazine contest last week!

We are so happy that many of our regular readers were able to win! And you picked some great magazine subscriptions!

Here's the list of winners ...

Have you been on a cruise?

It's a little strange that we have never been on a cruise ship together.

When we were younger and had a normal working lifestyle, we used to do one week "all inclusive" getaways south to places like Cuba and Dominican Republic. One of the reasons was that we could get a good deal. Airfare, meals, booze...all included in the one price you pay, and it was so easy.

What do you think about ads?

We've received at least four offers for advertising here in the last couple of weeks. Five maybe.

Our popularity is growing and the internet shares this popularity with whoever wants to know via websites such as Alexa.com. So as we become more popular, advertisers start to notice.

Friday, already!

Wow, the weeks are just flying by. That's what happens when you're busy I guess!

We never did really tell you about our Canada day long weekend. Surprisingly, the campground was not sold out. But it was certainly busy!

This Namibia trip keeps getting better!

But before we get to that, there's something I've been meaning to post about for a while.

Our regular readers know that we've spent a lot of time at Hacienda Contreras RV Park near the town of Valle de Juarez in Jalisco, Mexico.

Well things are changing down there. And although it's not really better for the people who love to go there, it's better for the people who owned the park, our friends Barb and Sal. And that's what counts.

June Expenses

First of all, before we get to the expenses, a comment about this Namibia trip.

What an absolutely unbelievable week they have planned for us! They've organized a 7 day "self drive" tour where they give us a 4x4 vehicle and we do our own driving to see the highlights, staying at fantastic lodges along the way and in some of the National Parks including game safaris and a scenic 1 1/2 hour flight over the "Skeleton Coast". When it's all confirmed, I'll share the details with you all! All we can say is....wow!

First ten people will win.

Okay folks, here it is.

The first ten people to leave a comment below will win. The big question is, what will you win???

Contest...Tuesday morning!!

Just a reminder about our contest happening right here tomorrow (Tuesday) morning!

Ten of our readers will win! Here's how to try and be a winner...

A Happy Ending.

Well, we had another "situation" yesterday that threw our schedule off a little bit.

Day two of the Canada Day long weekend here. So, still really busy, another nice day, beach is packed with day use users, campground full, pancake breakfast at the restaurant, people renting canoes and paddle boats. You know, just enough to keep us busy. (So busy that we never took any photos!)

Well, it HAD been a great day...

Up until just after 5:00pm.

Oh, it was busy. Probably the busiest we've seen here. It was a gorgeous Saturday and so the day use area and the beach were packed. The boat launch was being used non-stop, and the lake was full of boats and people having fun.

The campers have arrived...

And the campground will be busy now until the end of Labor Day weekend in September!

We actually like it when it's busier. There's always something to do, even if it's just wandering around and talking to the campers and making sure everybody's having a good time.

Short blog post today...

We never set the alarm clock in the morning. One of us is always awake between 6:00am and 6:30am, and of course gets the other one awake. Sleeping in for us is maybe 6:45am!

This morning, it was 7:40am!! Unbelievable!

Arguing with Walmart

Some people don't like Walmart. We do. On an overall basis, we have found they have the lowest prices, and to us that's all that matters. And they have a policy that they will price match advertised sale products from other stores. This means we do virtually all our grocery shopping at Walmart.

RV'ing in Africa!

Our heads are still spinning because of this upcoming Namibia trip!

We're now thinking four months in Africa. There is simply too much to see. It looks like we're only allowed 3 months in Namibia itself, but if that's the case we would also spend time in South Africa and/or Botswana.

Blogger Interview...Episode #6

Today, we're introducing you to a couple who are similar to us in many ways. They left the rat race earlier than most people do. They sold their house and bought an RV. They work at times to subsidize their lifestyle.

"I believe many people allow fear to rule their lives. It is a calculated risk; we know that but are willing to take that risk."

And with that quote from their blog, here we are speaking with Kevin and Evelyn from The RV Khronicles of Kevelyn.

Booked!

Well, just like the white pelicans, we will be flying too!

Not only to Namibia...first, we had to get to Halifax.

Do you read the labels?

Marketing food is an interesting thing. Ever since we told you about honey we've noticed things a little more. We always read the labels, but now we notice the marketing on the front a little more. Do you read the labels when grocery shopping? And I'm not talking just the label on the front...the label on the back is the most important one!

Flooding

I'm sure most of you have seen pictures of the record flooding in Calgary, Alberta all over the news. At least it's all over the news here in Canada. In the U.S., it seems that Paula Deen is the bigger story. Paula who? Never heard of her before now.

Well, we have some flooding of our own going on here in the middle of nowhere, Saskatchewan.

It's not every day that you get a phone call from Africa!

So we're puttering around yesterday morning, getting ready for work. When I get an email from a girl in Namibia, Africa, asking for our phone number.

So I give it to her, and she calls.

Can you guess what happens next...?

Some things we notice about running a campground

First of all, we took a blogger break yesterday. First time in a long, long time. We'll explain why later. But don't worry...we won't be making a habit out of it.

So, while the official winner of the Namibia contest was supposed to be announced yesterday, we continue to wait. Hopefully we'll hear something today!

Blogger Interview...Episode #5

Today, we're talking with a young Canadian couple who travel with their kids!

There are several reasons we enjoy their blog, but I think the main thing that attracted us was the helpful tips that they regularly post. Plus, it's fun to read about the interesting things they do with their kids. Like eating stretchy ice cream in Turkey! Stretchy ice cream?? More on that later.

So, here we are with Charles and Micki from their travel blog, "The Barefoot Nomad".

Park Manager - $125,000 per year.

Parks Canada had an interesting advertisement on their facebook page, and it caught our attention...just for a second.

"Adventure is calling! You could be the next park/site manager at Tuktut Nogait National Park in the Northwest Territories."

My Dad was a Traveler

I don't have to look far to see where I got my desire to travel. My father was a traveler. And an avid photographer.

It would seem that we're in the final five!

And that we now have a 1 in 5 chance at winning a $10,000 trip to Namibia!

Thanks to all of our facebook fans who voted for us every day! It's now in the hands of the judges.

Buckets of Rain!

We got a little bit of work done yesterday morning, but just before lunch the rain started. And it rained, and rained, and rained. It poured buckets of rain!

Just to clarify...

Reader Sherry asked some questions in her comment yesterday on the blog. Oh, and Sherry, the park we visited yesterday was a National Park, not a Provincial Park.

The campsites in this particular National Park are all unserviced, but each park is different and you'd have to look up the park you're interested in visiting to get some accurate details. You can buy an annual pass valid for Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Nova Scotia for half price if you do it before June 30th, so that's your best bet if your going to be in the park for more than two nights.

A surprise day off!

Yesterday morning around this time, I had an email from the "boss". He's the guy on the board of directors that we deal with on a regular basis. He said that he knows we've been working hard and that we deserve a real day off. So while it was short notice, he said that if we wanted, he would come down and look after the place for the day so that we could get out of here.

Thanks Boss! Needless to say, we were outta here just after 9:00am!

A new addition to the family!

We had a list of different things we wanted to mention to you today.

Most important is the new addition to our family at Hacienda Contreras RV Park in Mexico!

Blogger Interview...Episode #4

We're happy to introduce to you today a relatively new RV and travel blogging couple. We were attracted to their blog ourselves because they are in the middle of a long trip to Alaska with their fifth wheel trailer!

And, they have an interesting background that led up to their life and travels together, so it's surprising how much traveling they've actually been able to do!

So, let's find out what's so interesting... here we are with Ray and Cindy of Ray and Cindy's RV Travels!

Wash your troubles away...

Laundry is an interesting thing, isn't it? Well, not really!

But it is something we all have to deal with and not everybody around the world has a washer and dryer in their house. We don't!

And of course when we're traveling in the motorhome, we've never had a washer and dryer. But you have to get some clean clothes, so somehow you find a way...

A day off?

What's that?

It's not a very good weather forecast for this weekend, so we were surprised to have a few campers show up yesterday. I think we've got 9 sites occupied.

Here's our winner...!

Congratulations go to Joe Girsch of Pennsylvania, winner of the $100 VISA gift card that we gave away here at Travel with Kevin and Ruth...here's the happy winner...

Our hands are sore!

And arms. I don't know about Ruth, but it's been 15 years since I've worked this hard doing steady physical labor! Enjoying it for the most part, but it would be nice to get a break long enough to let the muscles recover.

Okay, so what have we been up to the last couple of days? Let's see...

Why Namibia?

There are literally thousands of contests we could enter. After the Australia contest fiasco last year, we've been a little gun shy to enter ANY of them. But when I saw this giveaway with the prize being a trip to a very different destination, I felt we couldn't pass it up. I bet you don't know very much about the country of Namibia. We didn't either.

We have a winner!

Well that was fun. Our contest to give away a $100 VISA gift card was a resounding success. Or at least we had fun, we hope you did too! We're going to do other giveaways as time goes on, so we're looking forward to the next one!

Now, who won? Well, if you're a female...sorry. And if you're a regular reader...sorry.

Blogger Interview...Episode #3

A day late, but better late than never as they say.

Today, we're with another solo female traveler but this one lives and travels full time in her motorhome. She keeps a very active life volunteering at National Wildlife Refuges around the U.S., and she has a lifelong love of camping and RV'ing. She's got a popular blog, and even though she publishes almost every day, she doesn't often talk about her personal life. So we're happy to welcome Judith Bell from "Travels with Emma" so we get an inside look into how she arrived at where she is now in life...

Bear sighting!

The weekly edition of our Blogger Interview series is going to be a day late! We do have another interesting story to tell, and it's almost ready, but you'll have to bear with us until tomorrow! "Bear". Get it? Ha, ha.

Speaking of bears, we finally spotted one yesterday!

What do you think?

Do you like our new facebook header photo? It was designed and produced by someone from the fiverr.com website we told you about. I think it's pretty good for five bucks, no?

Those of you who don't "do" facebook might not have seen that we hit a milestone yesterday and that Travel with Kevin and Ruth now has over 500 facebook fans! We're pretty excited about that!

May Expenses

Well, after having a higher than expected April, we were glad to get back to a more reasonable level of expenses. Not quite as low as we hoped it would be, but not bad. We spent a total of $1,075 during the month of May. Here's how it all broke down...

Sunsets, part two!

 I know you've all been waiting patiently for part two of our sunset photos. I can't believe how many sunset photos we have, and how many are truly spectacular. We did part one a couple of weeks ago and if you missed it then, it's worth looking at. You can view it here.