52 replies to this topic

[Davydd]

Davydd,

I'm glad to see someone praise the Class B van. I think they are perfect in most ways. We owned one for several years. I took mine on rutted mountain roads and expressways, just about anywhere I would have been able to go in the family sedan. Easy to drive, park anywhere, sleep in comfort, quick to get back on the road, etc. Great choice!

Everything was perfect except one thing, and it finally was its demise...my wife "needs her space." We honestly thought about towing a trailer....but come on. Even now, I look at one on the road like I used to look at red sports cars.

Keep the Show on the Road! Dave

Dave,

I was not impressed with most B vans until they started converting the Sprinters. Have you looked at them? I think they feel a lot more comfortable inside. The major manufacturers are Pleasure-Way, Leisure Travel Vans, Great West Vans and Roadtrek, all Canadian converters with good quality. Winnebago Industries will start selling them in March. Mine can be viewed via the web link in my signature along with my pork tenderloin sandwich web site.

[jack]

My RV is in the drive now covered with a form fitting bag and lots of snow. I thought this forum would be quiet till Spring too. Who knew food would kick it off again. Class B's are very cool. Remember the custom party vans of the 60's with the shag carpet, plush velours, and murals? They've come a long way! My loyalty to Class C's is harder to explain...I like to drive from a truck cab; I like a hood in front of me.

But I have a food to toss in the mix: chicken fried steak with gravy. We usually cook in our RV, my wife prefers it. But whenever we dine on the road, I scan the menu for chicken fried steak.

We did take one Autum trip before pumping the RV full of antifreeze. My wife said she wanted to go somewhere she'd never been. We went to Keokuk, Iowa! Actually we enjoyed the town and area very much.
It is a very old river town at the confluance of two rivers. There is a lot of history and grand, old river front homes. It would make a good road trip.

Have fun with your food

Jack Burke
DeKalb, Illinois

[mmarkley]

Just download one of my "Reubens on the Road" review forms (Review Forms and fill it out. It's mostly subjective. I usually measure them and photograph them to get some stats, but when it comes to the letter grades for different categories, it's just up to the individual.

I've had individuals and small groups get together and send in some reviews before. Just take some photos (one of the exterior of the restaurant, one of the Reuben and one of the dining area/diners if possible) and send in the rating form!

Chris

Chris,
If you ever make it to West Lafayette, IN, I recommend the Reuben at O'Bryan's Nine Irish Brothers. It is my personal favorite.

Michele

[Chris Rowland]

Chris,
If you ever make it to West Lafayette, IN, I recommend the Reuben at O'Bryan's Nine Irish Brothers. It is my personal favorite.

Michele

Thanks, Michele! We're in West Lafayette several times a month. I will definitely put this on my to-do list!

Chris

[jack]

Becky ought to be doubly happy. We have a camping topic now, to go with our RV topic. Cool! I tought this end of the forum would be quiet till the snow thawed, if it ever does. It was fun to see some fresh gabbing about camping.

If you read my bio or click on the link at the bottom of my posts, you'll see that I'm from DeKalb, Illinois. I work, civil service, at NIU, my daughter is a senior there, my son a sophomore. It was a very scarey day and a dark one for DeKalb and NIU. To top it all off, my wife is a 9-1-1 dispatcher with the City of DeKalb and was too busy to check on any of us. We were all locked in our buildings till the all clear. My family was safe, the kids are back in school. I'm afraid that DeKalb and NIU will now always be mentioned with Virginia Tech and Kent State. I think we would rather have been known for being on the Lincoln Highway and having a football team that can never quite beat the Big 10.

I hope you get lots of posts on the camping topic. My son and I camped in Wisconsin with the Boy Scouts in his 7th and 8th grade years. It was great fun! But, to me, that is the fun and magic of camping..."with the kids". Once the kids are gone or grown up, you lose your labor force. At ten years old gathering wood for the camp fire is fun. At seventeen it is more like, "are you kidding, why don't we buy some?" Space seems to be a major concern as kids grow older too. Even with individual sleeping bags, "his feet are touching mine!", "no they're not", is a refrain that I don't ever want to hear again at 2:00am. Individual bunks in an RV is far more peaceful.

I was inspired to add this post because today my son and I took the cover off the RV, after shoveling 5" of snow and ice off the roof first. I'm thinking road trips, even if the weather is not co-operating. This coming Saturday, the 8th, we are heading South till we run out of snow, probably central Arkansas. We just couldn't take the snow anymore. We're outta' here!
I'll let you guys know where we found Spring.


Jack Burke
DeKalb, Illinois

"On the Lincoln Highway"

[mmarkley]

I'll let you guys know where we found Spring.

Jack,

This morning when I got up it was 57 degrees here in central Indiana but I would guess that by the time you rolled through that would change. We are supposed to have a low of 29 tonight and snow tomorrow. No spring weather yet. Gotta love the midwest weather.

Michele

[jack]

Just a quick thank you for all the birthday wishes. The friendships within "The American Road" are really amazing.

Made a two week loop around the Dakotas this Summer. Unfotunately we weren't able to use as many Blue Highways as I would have liked. Interstates are still the answer for two week vacations, but once we retire I hope to never see another one.

We did the tourist things in South Dakota: Corn Palace, Badlands, and Mt. Rushmore. I was so glad to get out!! If I saw one more billboard for "Wall Drug" I was going to scream. The South Dakota we saw was one long string of signs. It all got so tacky and irritating. North Dakota was a welcome and wonderful surprise. No billboards, no casinos just real towns with real people and all very nice. We stayed in Medora and visited the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Did you know that North Dakota has a Badlands? Yep, at TR's National Park and is even better than South Dakota's Badlands. Medora celebrates Teddy Roosevelt at every turn and is a very enjoyable town to walk.

We returned to Illinois through Minnesota and Wisconsin and it was back to work at NIU. My daughter graduated in May with her degree in French and my son is currently a Junior. I have a road atlas marked American Road and plot every route that appears in the magazine. As soon as my son is finished, I hope to try all those featured roads and maybe discover some along the way. In the mean time thank you for a wonderful magazine for dreamers and thanks to the forum.

Jack Burke
DeKalb, Illinois

[roadmaven]

I have a road atlas marked American Road and plot every route that appears in the magazine. As soon as my son is finished, I hope to try all those featured roads and maybe discover some along the way. In the mean time thank you for a wonderful magazine for dreamers and thanks to the forum.

Jack Burke
DeKalb, Illinois

Right back at ya, Jack! And when it comes time to do the Ben Hur Route (Fall, 2007), I'll cruise it with you! Had a really fun time with Thomas Repp mapping and subsequently following that old auto trail. The start's just a few hours away from you in Terre Haute (or Ft. Wayne, depending on which way you're headed). Since it's been over a year since we did that, I think I just might have to take a weekend before winter hits and drive it again.

[Davydd]

Hello all again. We made three major trips this past year in our Class B conversion van. All three were centered around attending rallies with like minded Class B owners. The first was in the Hocking Hills area of southern Ohio. From there we went on to Washington DC and back to Indianapolis for the Indy 500, a yearly ritual. So as not to repeat myself all over the internet, here is a reference for that trip with heavy emphasis on road food.

http://www.roadfood....?TOPIC_ID=27766

The second trip in June was west to Niobrara State Park in northeast Nebraska where we again got together with B owners and then came back to Minnesota via Iowa to further sample award winning pork tenderloin sandwiches. Niobrara SP was a surprisingly beautiful park situated on hills that overlooked the confluence of the Niobrara River and the Missouri River. It was also a Lewis & Clark Expedition stop. Again, another trip report.

http://www.roadfood....?TOPIC_ID=28000

The last trip was in late September through early October out west primarily to Moab, Utah for another B rally. We passed through the Badlands, Black Hills, Rocky Mountain NP, Dinosaur, NM to get there. In Moab we spent time at Arches NP, Canyonlands NP and Dead Horse Point SP. We returned via the Grand Canyon South Rim and Taos, NM. Again I posted this B out West trip report in Roadfood.com with an emphasis on their favorite subject - road food. You might enjoy it.

http://www.roadfood....?TOPIC_ID=30902

What forum would one post trip reports like this in American Road?

We are pretty much parked for the winter now. Our next planned trip will be to Louisiana in April unless we get the itch and decide to head south in January. In three seasons of RV travel we have managed to put on 35,000 miles of travel covering 27 states so far. More and more of those miles have been on the blue highways as we learn to slow down and enjoy the country.

[Keep the Show on the Road!]

What forum would one post trip reports like this in American Road?

Not to worry! I have just started to scan your great reports, and given the quality, choose anyplace here you like as far as I'm concerned!

I'll check them out more in the AM, but I say don't worry about where, get on with when!

Great stuff!!!

Keep the Show on the Road!

Dave

[wanderlustjake]

I checked out the links too, I agree with Dave, post 'em! Thanks for making me have to mop off the keyboard! That's our kind of RVing, sightseeing and food! The dutch oven cooking is intriguing too, it is something we have been wanting to try. With luck, we'll have our rig out on the road next year too.

[Chris Rowland]

So as not to repeat myself all over the internet, here is a reference for that trip with heavy emphasis on road food.

I'm glad you had a token Reuben on your journey! The Corn Palace is also a classic--since it's different every year it's worth the stop.

Chris

[beckyrepp]

What forum would one post trip reports like this in American Road?


Hi there - great stuff!

One thought, but, it's you're call: you could post under the "Dining" topic on the American Road Forum.

Looking forward to reading more posts from you!