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Motorhome Magazine Feature – Arizona’s Wild Side!

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The November 2015 issue of Motorhome Magazine features our article about beautiful central Arizona entitled Arizona’s Wild Side.

Arizona's Wild Side Motorhome Magazine November 2015

Motorhome Magazine November 2015 Issue
Article by: Emily Fagan
Photos by: Emily and Mark Fagan

Motorhome Magazine posts links to most of their destination articles on their website, and when one appears for this article we will link to it here.

Motorhome is an excellent monthly magazine for all RVers, whether you are excited newbies or seasoned pros who’ve been at it for decades.

But is there really a place for a professionally written and edited RV magazine in this era of online blogging? I think so.

Motorhome Magazine offers loads of tech tips, and the beauty of their technical articles is that they are read and edited by a number of experienced RV techs before publication, something that doesn’t happen with an ordinary RV blog (including this one!).

Even better, Motorhome offers oodles of mouth watering travel destination articles suggesting fun places to take an RV roadtrip all over North America.

In our household (and probably many others), whenever the various RV magazines we subscribe to arrive, Mark jumps on the tech articles and I run off to read the travel articles!

You can subscribe to Motorhome Magazine here.

I know you’re being inundated with great Christmas gift ideas right now (as we are), but in truth, a magazine subscription does make a wonderful gift. We’re giving quite a few RV magazine subscriptions as Christmas gifts this year in hopes of inspiring our friends to take their RVs out for a spin and to share a taste of this crazy lifestyle we live (Santa spoiler alert, Mom!).

As for Arizona in winter, it is a glorious place to take your RV during the coldest months and explore some exotic scenery. Lots of snowbird RVers choose the southwestern deserts as a warm winter destination. As described in our magazine article, central Arizona is among the best places to visit.

Anchored by the massive, sprawling city of Phoenix, there are loads of things to do, no matter what your interests are. We lean towards outdoor activities — hiking, biking and photographing Nature at her best — and central Arizona is filled to overflowing with places to enjoy these activities.

All of our blog posts from our RV travels to central Arizona can be seen here: Central Arizona RV Travel Adventures. A few of our favorites posts from Arizona are listed below, grouped by topic:

Knock-Your-Socks-Off Scenic Drives:

Fun and Exotic Flora and Fauna:

Places to See Spectacular Sonoran Desert Scenery:

Gorgeous Hikes:

Enjoy these articles, and if you have the time, brush the snow off your RV and come on down!!

Like many websites, this site is an Amazon Affiliate. During the upcoming rush of online shopping, we profoundly appreciate anything purchased through any of our Amazon links (feel free to bookmark this one!). We blog out of passion and as a hobby, but it is massively motivating to know our readers appreciate our efforts. Your enthusiasm encourages us to bring you the highest quality writing, photos and info that we can. Happy Thanksgiving!!

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RV Solar Power Installation Tips – Escapees Magazine

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RV Solar Power Installation Tips

Escapees Magazine Nov/Dec 2015 Issue
Article by Emily and Mark Fagan

The Nov/Dec 2015 issue of Escapees Magazine is featuring our article about installing solar power on an RV.

For us, solar power is by far the most valuable upgrade we have done to our rig, as it has given us unlimited freedom and spontaneity in our travels.

This article is the second part of a two-part series on solar power systems we wrote for Escapees (the first, RV Solar Power, appeared in the May/June 2015 issue.

There are a lot of little bits and pieces that go into a solar power installation but none of them are hard to understand.

This article presents a general overview of some of the things to consider when you tackle a solar power installation, including how many panels to buy, which sizes and types make the most sense, how to wire the panels on the roof to the batteries in the basement, where to place the batteries in the rig and how to wire the batteries to the solar charge controller.

The editors at Escapees Magazine have generously allowed us to share the article here:

RV Solar Power – The Installation Process

WHAT ARE THE BEST COMPONENTS FOR AN RV SOLAR POWER INSTALLATION?

Many people wonder which specific components they should buy for an off-the-grid RV or marine electrical setup, and there are many great systems and choices on the market, from pre-designed kits to individual parts.

For beginners, weekenders and vacationers, a portable solar power kit may be all you need to get started without taking on the challenge of a full-blown installation. I sure wish there had been such a system when we first started living full-time in our 27′ travel trailer.

For full-time RVers looking for a solution that has been pre-designed, a kit from Go Power or Renogy may work well.

We have been very happy with polycrystalline rigid panels, and would go with 24 volt panels on any future installations, however folks with space constraints or rounded roofs might prefer panels that are 12 volt and/or flexible.

We offer more details on the ins and outs of choosing solar panels in this post:

Which Solar Panels to Buy – Flexible or Rigid? 12 or 24 volt? Mono- or Polycrystalline?

We love our Outback solar charge controller, although our Schneider Electric (Xantrex) unit on our boat was fine, just less sophisticated. The Morningstar (TriStar MPPT) solar charge controller is also very popular and has an enthusiastic following.

For batteries, AGM is definitely preferable to wet cell (flooded) batteries in many ways, although they are much more expensive. Our Trojan Reliant AGM batteries have performed well. There is more info on choosing batteries here:

Wet Cell vs. AGM Batteries + Wiring Tips

Our Exeltech inverter is a work of art designed by the manufacturers of the inverters that power the International Space Station. Exeltech inverters generate the best regulated sine wave output over the widest DC input of any inverter on the market today, and they are often used to power sensitive medical equipment. An Exeltech inverter is far more expensive than many other brands of pure sine wave inverters, but because it is the heart of the AC electrical system when dry camping, it is a worthwhile investment for anyone tha plans to boondock a lot.

Magnum inverter/chargers are also very well thought of, and the installation is a cinch. Since our Exeltech inverter does have a built-in battery charging component, we rely on an Iota Converter and Charger on the rare occasions that we pllug into shore power via our portable gas generator or electrical hookups.

For further reference, we have lots of articles related to solar power and RV / marine battery charging on this website:

OVERVIEW and INTRODUCTORY ARTICLES

ARTICLES ABOUT OUR INSTALLATIONS

BATTERY CHARGING TUTORIAL

SOLAR POWER TUTORIAL

ESCAPEES RV CLUB

Escapees Magazine is published by the Join Escapees RV Club, a unique club dedicated to the needs of full-time and long-term RVers. Founded in 1978 by pioneering full-time RVers Joe and Kay Peterson, this unusual organization serves all RV travelers with a top quality mail service, a network of discounted RV parks, a variety of methods for campsite ownership and long term rental, special interest groups, training events, rallies, travel excursions (RV and otherwise), adult day care, insurance guidance, a directory of boondocking sites and more.

We are proud to be counted among the regular contributors to this outstanding magazine. If you’re a SKP and have never seen Rainbow’s End, the national headquarters for the Escapees RV Club located in Livingston, Texas, check out our blog post from our visit there last year:

Rainbow’s End – Escapees RV Club Headquarters

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Oregon’s Wallowa Mountains (and more) – In Trailer Life Magazine!

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One of the most beautiful and remote places we have enjoyed in our RV travels is the eastern part of Oregon. The Wallowa Mountains are a little visited treasure that hug the sparkling clear waters of Wallowa Lake. Nestled at the base of the mountains near the lake is the charming village of Joseph, home to just 1,000 residents. How remote is this area? Joseph is 6 miles from the next town, Enterprise, which is home to just 2,000 residents!

The October 2015 issue of Trailer Life Magazine features our article about the many wonderful things there are to see and do in eastern Oregon.

Out Yonder In Oregon Trailer Life October 2015

Trailer Life Magazine – September 2015
Article by Emily Fagan, Photos by Emily & Mark Fagan

Trailer Life Magazine has posted the article online here: Out Yonder in Oregon

What makes the Wallowa Mountains and the town of Joseph unique is that they lie at the end of the road rather than along a road that leads to somewhere else. On the way there, Baker City is a wonderful town to visit, and if you go in June, you can watch the fabulous finale of a four day bicycle stage race that winds all through the city streets while sipping a beer in a front row seat outside a brewpub.

Once in the Wallowas, there are unusual rides — one on a bicycle railcar on the old narrow gauge train tracks in the valleys and another on a tram that goes up to the top of the mountains — and there is beautiful lakeside camping, a town full of exquisite bronze sculptures and hikes among the wildflowers on the mountain tops.

Our blog posts from our RV travels in this area can be seen at these links:

Hiking the Wallowa Mountains in Joseph Oregon

Hiking into the peaks above cute little Joseph, Oregon. We’ll be back!

Trailer Life Magazine was one of the first RV magazines to be published and first appeared on newsstands in 1941. When we watched the old 1954 movie The Long Long Trailer starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, we were surprised to see images of 1950’s era issues of Trailer Life magazine in the movie!!

For both new RVers and old pros alike, this is a good magazine to learn various RV tech tips, get inspired to travel to different destinations across the country and stay in touch with the latest developments in the world of towable rolling homes. Subscriptions to Trailer Life are available here.

We have published several articles in Trailer Life Magazine, and you can read them all at this link.

For another perspective on RV travel to the Wallowa Mountains in Oregon and for more beautiful photos from the town of Joseph, check out the four blog posts written by Nina Fussing from the RV blog Wheeling It.

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Escapees Magazine Cover Photo + Photography Tips!

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We are delighted to have another photo on the cover of Escapees Magazine in the September/October 2015 issue. This photo was taken just after the peak of the magnificent autumn colors in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains. We were fortunate enough to be there for a few weeks, soaking up Nature’s incredible display. One morning we woke up to find our buggy and everything around it covered in snow.

Escapees Magazine Cover Sep-Oct 2015

An early autumn snow in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado
Photo by: Emily Fagan

Inside this issue we have a feature article offering a few pointers we’ve learned about how to take great photos.

We weren’t photographers before we started traveling in our trailer in 2007, but living this life of sightseeing throughout North America’s most beautiful places has made us eager to improve our skills.

While I spend many happy hours writing magazine articles and blog posts, Mark sits next to me studying photography. And when that boy decides to learn something, he dives in deep!

In a few short years he has plowed through a steady stream of photography books, ebooks, tutorial blogs and more. Luckily for me, as we sit side by side, he gets so excited about what he’s reading that he often reads aloud.

So, we have learned together, which has been great fun, even though it can be a little tricky sometimes for me to write and listen to his photographic words of wisdom at the same time!

The editors of Escapees Magazine have kindly allowed me to share the article here:

Enhance Your RV Travel Photography Skills.

I’ve got lots more tips and share all of our favorite photography resources and learning tools and also list all the camera gear, backpacks, filters and software we have used over the years in this post: Photography – Cameras, Gears, Tips & Resources.

Some our favorite photos from our travels this summer can be seen in these links:

Escapees Magazine is the membership magazine for Escapees RV Club, a wonderful club that brings together RV enthusiasts from all walks of life and that drive all kinds of rigs. Besides their outstanding magazine, one that covers a wide enough range of topics to include something as off-beat at photography tips, Escapees is also the biggest RV advocacy group out there. For that reason alone, anyone with an RV should be grateful.

Escapees looks after the unusual needs of all RVers, especially full-timers whose unique lifestyle could often leave them falling through legal cracks. Among the many other things Escapees’ advocacy work includes ensuring that overnight parking in commercial parking lots remains possible.

If you are an RVer, you can help their efforts by taking a minute to fill out the new Escapees / Xscapers survey so they can determine the demographics, interests and travel styles of the RVing community as a whole:

Escapees / Xscapers RVer survey.

This information will help them in their future RV advocacy efforts!

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Coast to Coast Magazine Cover Photo & Feature – Colorful Colorado!

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Coast to Coast Magazine Cover Fal 2015 Issue by Emily Fagan

Coast to Coast Magazine Issue: Fall 2015
Cover Photo: Emily Fagan
Feature Story: Riding the Rockies in Colorful Colorado

The Fall 2015 issue of Coast to Coast magazine is featuring our article called “Riding the Rockies in Colorful Colorado” about the spectacular fall foliage in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains.

Autumn colors are gorgeous everywhere, but we have been absolutely smitten by the golden hues that blanket Colorado’s San Juan mountains in late September.

The area around Ouray, Ridgway, Silverton and Telluride is ablaze with vivid yellow and orange hues in the last 10 days of September, and the Million Dollar Highway — Route 550 between Ouray and Silverton — is knock-your-socks-off stunning.

Not only is this area filled with vivid colors and jagged peaks, but the tiny mountain towns nestled between the summits are utterly charming.

An old narrow gauge train takes visitors from Durango up one side of the mountains while the jaw-dropping Million Dollar Highway takes drivers up the other side from Ouray. Both meet in the hamlet of Silverton where echoes of the wild west can be heard and felt in the antique miners’ buildings around town.

Coast to Coast is the magazine for Coast to Coast Resorts, a campground membership program of over 400 RV parks that gives RVers a way to invest in their future travels and enjoy resort style RV living for a nominal nightly cost.

The editors of Coast to Coast have been kind enough to allow me to share the article here.

We have spent two glorious fall seasons in this area. All of our pics and stories from our RV travels amid Colorado’s flaming autumn colors can be seen at these links:

Where is this part of Colorado? – Google Maps
Other Magazine Cover Photos and Feature Articles – Our portfolio of commercially published work

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OMG – We Made The Front Page!

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We went out for a walk this morning around the very cool town of Maysville, Kentucky, where we’ve spent the glorious past few days, and what a shock it was to see our faces peeking out from the front page of the paper inside the newspaper box.

Maysville Kentucky Ledger independent Newspaper

Hey… That’s our picture on the front page!

No, we’re not wanted. At least, not yet.

We’re just having a blast! And we’ve gotten swept up in the happy vibe that fills the air of this small town.

Maysville Kentucky Ledger Independent Newspaper

Mark beams as I get a mug shot of him early this morning
in front of the Maysville Kentucky Ledger Independent newspaper building

Where exactly are we? We’re in Maysville, Kentucky, a little town on the banks of the Ohio River, right on the northern border of Kentucky. We’re in the heart of tobacco country on one of early America’s most important shipping routes that shaped our country’s history.

You can see the location here on Google Maps (you can zoom in and out on the map for directions).

And what makes Maysville so special? Well, first of all, it’s so darned cute!

Maysville Kentucky Flood Wall Mural Art

The way Maysville looked years ago — painted on a huge mural on the town’s flood wall!

There is loads of history in this town, and the downtown streets have been renovated to show off the utterly charming architecture of a precious but long gone era.

To protect themselves from the Mighty Ohio River, this spirited town built an enormous flood wall. And rather than leave the concrete on the city side of the wall drab and dreary, they decided to paint a series of wonderful murals that depict the history of the area!

Maysville Kentucky Flood Wall Mural History

Marquis de LaFayette arrives in town in 1825

But more than the architecture, the fun murals, and the wonderfully walkable streets that are amazingly free of traffic, it is the warm and friendly spirit of this place that has totally captivated us.

Beginning with a city worker who took time out of his day to explain to us the workings of the flood wall that protects the town and to describe the major floods of the 1880’s, 1937 and 1997 that were truly frightening in their proportion, everyone in town has welcomed with open arms.

Maysville Kentucky Flood Wall

Terry shows us just how high the flood waters have reached.

This is a town that has roots going way back, and almost everyone, it seems, has lived here their whole lives. It’s a tight knit community, and one that you’d expect to be hard to penetrate.

Brick streets historic architecture Maysville Kentucky

Historic architecture lines the pretty brick streets
in downtown Maysville, Kentucky

Yet, as simple tourists off the street, we have found ourselves not only shaking hands with the mayor at the local neighborhood pub, but sitting in his car as he took us on a personal tour of the sights around town!

How many places can boast friendliness like that?

Charming architecture Maysville Kentucky

This place oozes charm and is filled with pretty buildings.

“It’s just southern hospitality,” Mary Kearns told us when she dropped by our trailer to interview us for the local paper last night.

It’s a lot more than that. When the town turned out for a 5k run on Saturday afternoon, the city streets naturally shut down and turned into a huge block party. A mobile DJ played great tunes well into the night, and the town kids suddenly jumped up on a picnic table to give the crowd an impromptu dance show.

Maysville Kentucky kids dance on a picnic table

After the 5k run, some kids burned off their excess energy dancing on a picnic table in the town streets!

Unlike many small towns we’ve visited, however, where the visitors centers are right out front and center, loading folks up with tourist literature and tourist activities, we had to go hunting to find the visitors center here!

It’s up on the second floor of the incredible Cox Building! And rather than filling our arms with reading material, the town’s very enthusiastic Director of Tourism, Suzie, took us on an in-depth guided tour of the building, revealing some astonishing secrets and mysteries that her dogged sleuthing had uncovered during the building’s renovation a few years ago.

Maysville Kentucky Cox Building and Masonic Lodge

The Maysville Visitors Center is in the 2nd floor of the Cox Building. But far more interesting than any tourist lit could ever be was the tour Suzie gave us of this mysterious building itself!

Lovely and fascinating as the beautiful buildings of this town are, however, the heart of any community lies with its people, and that is true in Maysville more-so than in any town we’ve ever visited.

The hub of downtown is inside O’Rourke’s Neighborhood Pub and in the flurry of action that always spills out around it. The owner, Norbert, took us under his wing on our first day in town, and drove us on an all day tour into the hinterlands where a few remaining fields of tobacco are just now being cut and harvested.

Those gently waving leaves of tobacco gave this area a magic carpet ride for a long time, but that ride has ended. The miracle to us is that even though the rug was pulled out from under this community, something that would have left many other towns devastated forever, this town has decided to have none of that and is thriving today with a spirit and joy that is hard to find anywhere.

O'Rourke's Neighborhood Pub Maysville Kentucky

O’Rourke’s Neighborhood Pub is where everyone gathers in Maysville to spend time with friends and catch up on the local news. Many nights the party spills out into the streets!

Does it sound like we’ve been given the keys to this city? We sure have! And not for any reason other than we rolled into town and started talking to the friendly people on the streets.

We’ll be telling the rest of our tales from Maysville soon, but for right now, we want to get back out on the streets of town to enjoy all it has to offer!

The newspaper story about us is online HERE

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Other towns we have loved — each one special in its own way:

Grand Teton National Park – In Motorhome Magazine!

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We are very excited to announce that our article about Grand Teton National Park is featured in the August 2015 issue of Motorhome Magazine.

Grand Teton National Park Motorhome Magazine Article by Emily Fagan

Motorhome Magazine August 2015 Issue
Article by: Emily Fagan
Photos by: Emily and Mark Fagan

The Tetons are located in Wyoming, just south of Yellowstone National Park, and all we can say is Grand Teton National Park is a stunner.

We have been there three times now (once was a quick drive-through due to wildfires), but our visit last summer was the longest and most in depth. We were there almost three weeks!

If you have been to the Tetons, you know how majestic this park is. If you haven’t been yet, it belongs on your bucket list!!

RV travelers often plan a big trip to Yellowstone, and that is a wonderful park. But they often don’t leave enough time to see more than a brief glimpse of the Tetons.

Hopefully this article will inspire folks not to shortchange themselves and to allow plenty of time for hiking, biking and even boating in this spectacular park.

This issue of Motorhome Magazine is on newsstands now. Motorhome has also posted it online at their website: Grand Teton National Park

Motorhome is a monthly magazine that is chock full of travel ideas and RVing tips, and you can buy a subscription here:

Motorhome Magazine Subscription

Before we began RVing full-time, we found the various RV magazines were very helpful learning tools, and we still subscribe to quite a few!

For more info about the Tetons, here are all of our blog posts from our RV travels there:

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Sun Valley Idaho – in Trailer Life Magazine!

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The August 2015 issue of Trailer Life Magazine is featuring our article about beautiful Sun Valley, Idaho. Entitled Under the Idaho Sun, it is the third feature article we have published in a magazine about this area since we first went there in the summer of 2009 (the others were in Highways Magazine, August 2010, and RV Journal, Summer 2011). Sun Valley is just that special!

Trailer Life Magazine Feature Sun Valley Idaho August 2015 by Emily Fagan

Trailer Life Magazine, August 2015
Article by: Emily Fagan
Photos by: Emily & Mark Fagan

Some folks think of Sun Valley as a winter destination, but it is loaded with activities and events all summer long, from outdoor pursuits like hiking and biking to cultural pursuits like free symphony concerts and art walks to unusual events like outdoor ice skating shows and figure skating competitions.

Trailer Life is on newsstands now, and they have also posted the article online at their website here: Under The Idaho Sun

One of the most unique annual gatherings is the Sun Valley Road Rally where folks with deep pockets and fast cars drive as fast as they can on a two mile stretch of the stunning Sawtooth Scenic Byway for charity. The 2016 edition of the Road Rally took place last weekend.

We saw the first edition of the race when it was won by a college age kid, along with his sister and parents, took a turn at the wheel of the family Porsche. He hit 188 mph.

Last year we watched it again when it was won by a young entrepreneur who hit 246 mph in his $3 million Bugatti Veyron. Perhaps even more impressive, though, was that a little old 81 year old granny hit 161 mph in her flashy yellow Corvette.

Stories like these develop a life of their own on the internet, and yesterday I noticed that my Sun Valley Road Rally blog post from last year was getting lots of hits from people clicking through from msn.com. Wow! When I looked into it further, I found out that the Spanish version of msn.com had posted an article about older folks doing adventurous things in their later years, and they talked about the race car driving granny, Shirley Veine, whom I had spotlighted. If you can read Spanish (and even if you can’t, because it’s a hoot), check out the MSN article here:

MSN (Spanish Edition): The Fastest Grandmother In The World!

Watching a car race on the open road is just one of the many fun things to do in Sun Valley, and we have enjoyed ourselves immensely each time we have taken our RV to the area.

Trailer Life Magazine is published by Good Sam Club, and if you join the club you get a few issues of the magazine as part of the sign-up package. You can also buy a year’s subscription to the magazine here: Subscribe to Trailer Life. It’s a good magazine that covers all aspects of living the RV lifestyle with a towable RV.

To read more from our RV travels to Sun Valley, visit these links:

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Coast to Coast Magazine Cover & Utah RV Roadtrip Article!

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Cover Photo Coast to Coast RV Magazine Summer 2015 Emily Fagan

Summer 2015 issue
Article: A Utah Roadtrip – Driving Amid the Red Rocks
Cover Photo by Emily Fagan

The 2015 summer issue of Coast to Coast Magazine has a fun photo of mine on the cover, and inside there’s a feature article I wrote with pics from both of us about the wonderful sights we saw along a scenic drive through southeastern Utah.

Although we have loved all of our RV travels, we still both agree that Utah is our favorite state to visit. The red rocks blow us away every time we see them, and we find ourselves going back again and again to enjoy the dramatic landscapes.

One of the best things about Utah is the scenic drives, and the state boasts quite a few. Almost every road in Utah is a jaw-dropper, especially in the southern half of the state.

Although a few of Utah’s scenic drives are rightfully ranked among the nation’s best, there is one, the Bicentennial Highway, in the southeastern part of Utah, that gets little attention and very litlte traffic.

A road trip that includes this route is a stunner, and following it with a turn onto the Capitol Reef Scenic Byway really got our juices flowing.

From the three unique red rock bridge formations in Natural Bridges National Monument to the miracle of Glen Canyon to the incomparable beauty of Capitol Reef National Park, these roads take you through eons of rock ages into recent centuries of human habitation.

When we drove our buggy along this route, I found myself sitting in the window of our truck taking pics as we went along because it was just that spectacular!!

Our many blog posts from our RV travels in Utah can be found HERE.

Our blog posts from the southeastern part of the state and driving directions are here:

Coast to Coast Magazine is published by Coast Resorts, an RV park membership program. Similar to a timeshare in the way it works, members buy into a home RV park and then enjoy very inexpensive stays at member parks. There are rules for how long you can stay at each park and requirements for staying outside the network after spending time within the network parks, but if you like to plan ahead and stay at higher end parks, it is a great way to go.

Full-time RVing friends we met in our first year on the road had been enjoying their Coast to Coast membership for several years when we met them, and they were very happy to be able to stay at these parks for just a few dollars a night.

The editors of Coast to Coast Magazine have given me permission to share this article about Utah here:

A Utah Roadtrip – Driving Amid the Red Rocks

For more of our published work, visit our Press Room page.

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Hydraulic Disc Brake Conversion – In Escapees Magazine!

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Hydraulic Disc Brake Conversion Escapees Magazine Jul-Aug 2015

Escapees Magazine Jul/Aug 2015
Article & Photos by Emily & Mark Fagan

The July / August 2015 issue of Escapees Magazine is featuring our article about upgrading our 36′ fifth wheel trailer with a disc brake conversion.

Now that we have taken our RV onto the congested, fast-moving and rather scary roads of the northeast, we are relying on our rig’s braking system like never before. We are so glad we have truly outstanding brakes!!

It seems that on a daily basis, whether in Virginia, New York, Maine or Nova Scotia, we are finding ourselves in heavy traffic. Too often we’re getting cut off by zippy little cars and/or coming down big blind, curving descents to be jolted to a stop by a red light. Slamming on the brakes while towing is just part of the deal out here.

Before we came out to the eastern states, we upgraded our trailer’s brakes from factory installed electric drum brakes to electric over hydraulic disc brakes. It’s not a cheap upgrade, but it is very worthwhile.

With permission from the editors at Escapees Magazine, you can read the article here:

Hydraulic Disc Brake Conversion

For anyone that tows a trailer, especially a fairly hefty one, this is an upgrade well worth considering. We have lots more details and a boatload of photos of our installation on this page:

Trailer Disc Brake Conversion – Electric Over Hydraulic Disc Brakes – WOW!

Escapees Magazine is published six times a year by Escapees RV Club, an unusual and very valuable club for anyone who owns (or would like to own) an RV. The club provides a myriad of services for RVers, from mail forwarding to discounts at RV parks to specialized RV weighing services to assisted living for elderly RVers to social groups, rallies, training for newcomers and travel caravans to Mexico and other exotic places.

A few months ago we took a trip to the Escapees RV Club Headquarters in Livingston, Texas, and despite being there during a deluge of rain, we had a wonderful time. See our blog post about their unusual headquarters campus here.

Recently, we were honored to become featured bloggers on the Escapees website. If you are looking for inspiration or information from RVers who are out here living the RV lifestyle, check out the Escapees featured bloggers page. Members who have registered and logged into the website can click here to see the full suite of the latest blog posts as well as create their own blogs to share their travels and tips.

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To see more of our published work, visit our Press Room