Life on Wheels Conference

7/7/08 - 7/11/08

We have been asked twice now "What did you learn?" It is not quite that easy to explain what we did over five days with four sessions per day. Let me explain first what Life on Wheels is all about. Life on Wheels is a program for present and prospective RVers that provides an opportunity to learn up-to-date information directly from RVing experts. There are over 100 different classes offered that are of interest to RVers. Classes teach "how to", "what to", and "where to". There are also classes on repairs and maintenance and lifestyle enhancement. Most of the instructors are recognized travel writers and experienced RVers. The program is headed up by Gaylord Maxwell who is a long-time RV travel writer and lecturer. He is sort of the RVing world's guru. If you ever pick up an issue of Motorhome or Trailer Life, you will see an article written by Gaylord. Gaylor has written several books on the topic and was inducted into the RV Heritage Foundation Hall of Fame in 1997.

So what classes did we take. Well, Monday through Friday there were two one and a half hour sessions in the morning, an hour and a half lunch break, and two one and half hour sessions in the afternoon. John and I did a few classes together such as Camping and Boondocking On our Public Lands, Fire Safety, Is Solar Power Right for You?, Boondocking, Boondocking on Forest Service & BLM lands, and Lifestyle Wrap-up. I'm sure one of your questions reading this is what in the heck is boondocking? Well, basically, it is camping with no water, no electricity, and no sewer out in nature somewhere. Dry camping is descriped at camping with no water, no electricity, and no sewer in the likes of a WalMart parking lot, a truck stop, or a friends driveway. There are varing opinions on whether they are the same thing or not.

John took classes on Inverters/Chargers, Maintenance and Repair-Propane, Service Maint.:Diesel Motorhomes & Tow Vehicles, Maintenance & Repair: Furnaces/Water Heaters, Frugal RVer, National Parks of the West, Arizona State Parks: Land of Diversity, RVing in Alaska, RVing in the Pacific Northwest, Meandering Down the Highway, Alaska: The Ultimate RV Adventure; and RVing in the Southwest.

I took classes in Digital Photography Basics, Beaks & Feathers: An Intro Guide to Birds, RV Insurance, Snowbird Roosts, Are You Prepared?, Hosting in NW State Parks, Snowbird Guide to the Southwestern Deserts, Kokopelli, Boondocking Tips & Techniques, and Search Tools & Web Resources for RVers. Now, I know it looks like John had more classes than me and he did but that was because two of my selections were cancelled and none of the other selections interested me. I passed the time in the lunchroom talking with other attendees who also weren't in class either.

So based on all of the above, what did we learn? A lot. Mostly, that there are many, many places waiting for us to discover them. Of course, discussion did turn to fuel prices. LOW had cancellations but there were still 130 paying customers and 30 non-paying (after 4 paid sessions you can attend any LOW conference free!). There were married folks and single folks (many women travel solo in their RVs). The attendees really cover a wide spectrum of ages and rig sizes if they already own one. There were a few instructors that bailed out due to the price of fuel. Well known author's Joe and Vicki Kiva were only 100 miles from Lewiston when they had to return to Southern California as Vicki's father was terribly ill. The general consensus for those full-timing was that the travels will go one with longer stays in one area, boondocking more, and/or volunteering as a camp host or even get a short-term job if need be. Also, the discussion was that if we were home and working, we would still be spending close to what we are now for fuel.

I think we all were ready for Friday when it rolled around. We met and spoke with so many wonderful people. I must also add that the staff at Lewis and Clark State College treated everyone wonderfully. This was the first year at this college but I don't think it will be the last. It was very interesting to walk around the campus and see us "older" ones heading to class with our name tags blowing in the wind while younger ones attended their summer sessions. It was a wonderful experience and if we are in the area of Tucson next March, we very well may attend our third Life on Wheels conference.

So you think business cards are just for the working ones? Guess again! Most RVers have business cards that they hand out to people they have connected with that includes address, phone number, email, and website and/or blog information. Luckily, John and I had some business cards that our mail service made up for us so we were able to reciprocate. We will have to get on the stick and make up some of our design.