It's 9 a.m. here and there seems to have been and still is a lite misting, hopefully we'll get it all day as weather reported. And hopefully if the rain continues for a day or so, I'll get the laundry put away, the dishwasher unloaded and all the rest of those very boring domestic chores taken care of. While I was out yesterday I noticed the regular Iris are budding up and the Japanese Iris are loaded with buds. Deadheaded some of the roses, things are starting to fill in, it's such a joy to witness Mother Nature!! The Columbine plant I got a while back seems to be a happy camper in among the Hostas, hopefully it will reseed itself, such a pretty plant. As for the house plants, the Peace Lily is blooming it's heart out, I'm thinking about cutting the Dracena(sp) down a bit, one branch is touching the ceiling! Will need instructions for that! DD gave me a florist Poinsettia a few years ago and by golly that little plant is showing red bracts again. I just thought of a new area of gardening we can all get into: plant phycology! or maybe I need one for me! LOL

You can look into the primitive camp sites - There are quite a few of them especially on Bureau of Land Management land - Primitive camp sites may take a bit more effort but they are far less crowded. There are very few sites that are not near some popular destinatin, even up in the passes, like the Clarks Fork area of the Sonora pass where there are horse camps and primitive camps, seems like someone is always a little too close by. There is a book out called FREE CAMPING and TOM STIENSTRA camping books are very informative, and will let you knkow about some of the more primitive sights - beware some primitive sights are used by off roaders who have fully self contained RVS and will haul toys to a nearby track to run their noise polluting machines. Shasta around the McCloud area, Trinity and the Lost Coast areas of the State have fewer people using them, Sequoia and Kings canyon are far less populated than Yosemite. For a really great people free or alot less people camp time, go in the off season. I have camped out at Sequoia in April before the season started and practically had the place to myself. Even places clser to home like Samuel P Taylor park have alot fewer people in the winter months than the summer. OH and check out Kirby cove, which is practically free of campers and is within eyesight of SF. Camping World does sell a couple of good camping books, but the informatin is not as detailed as Steinstra's books and most people who shop at Camping world are RV'ers. Good Luck

Some trivia, since I'm still in the initial excitement phase.... Have notice that when my existing ref. ice-bin is stocked with these little cubes instead of its own crescent-shaped cubes, the dispenser doesn't spit them all over the kitchen like it used to. Easy/predictable dispensing for once. Suspect related to size/shape of the new cubes but, man, what a relief. (Whirlpool Gold side-by-side frig. I've got two of them at different locations and both of the ice dispensers have always done this.) For the price, thinking I might get a second unit for the second location. Also pleased to find the little machine makes ice at about 4x the rate of the unit in the ref. -- and I'm including bagging/re-freezing time in that number. In the past, I've often run out of ice from the frig when I've had company. When I knew I was going to have guests, I often went out and purchased a bag of ice to make sure I wouldn't run out. Appears to me, this machine may obviate that occasional need. @jeri.....have also noticed that that little indent on one side of the cubes feels wonderful in the mouth. Tip of the tongue fits right in there. Very pleasing sensation. OK, I'm over it.

We have a pop-up camper. We've camped in several western states at various campgrounds including national parks, forestry service, BLM and a few others. Most are a lot less expensive than the KOA costs mentioned above. Most have cost $15-$25 per night. Some spots are even free. It all depends on your wants and needs. We have a generator and don't necessarily have to be attached to water or electricity. If you're going to be camping in certain states on a regular basis, it would be worth it to buy a couple of books that detail the campgounds within a state, their views, amenities, comfort, etc. You can also look up some info on-line so you know what to expect. My dh always likes to plan his trip before we go. Sometimes we get the campgrounds we want and sometimes they are full. Some campgrounds are reservable and others are not. The book can usually give us ideas on other areas to look. It will also let you know if the camping area is big enough for your RV. The books are also good for sightseeing ideas that we would have otherwise missed. There are also on-line forums for those who like to camp. It's nice to have a first hand account on whether an area is worth your time or not.