Utah rock shop housed in big 'rock' is good stop

Mickey Davis and her husband Don operate The Rock Shop in Orderville, Utah., along lonely U.S. 89 east of Zion National Park.

The shop attracts visitors from all over the world. When we stopped, Mickey promptly led us to big maps near the restrooms and made us stick a little pin on our town. The map has hundreds of pins, plus there's another map of Europe with more pins. The maps have been up only two months so you know a lot of people have stopped by.

Most visitors are tourists. They are attracted to the shop because it looks like its inside a sandstone rock as big as a house. But it's not rock, just plaster, paper and chicken wire. It's 30 years old and still looking handsome for a fake rock. The original owner built replicas of dinosaurs, some of which you can see in a Vernal, Utah museum.

Mickey and Don quit their corporate jobs in Las Vegas two years ago, she with Safeway, he with Camping World, to head to the sticks. It had just come to the point in their lives where they were so busy they never saw each other. Heck with that!

There are all kinds of rocks at The Rock Shop, and fossils, too. For $20 you can buy a really nice fish fossil. Or you can buy a dinosaur bone. The soft serve ice cream is good --most folks go for chocolate/vanilla swirl.

If you like rocks, you should stop by The Rock Shop. Mickey will talk your ear off, which is a good thing because she is a very interesting and nice person.

The friendly, hungry, ugly carp of Lake Mohave, Arizona

A short drive from Oatman, Ariz., and Laughlin, Nevada is the Lake Mohave resort of Katherine Landing. Visitors, including those who stay at the RV park, enjoy feeding the hungry, ugly and tame carp at the marina.

May is Great Time to RV to Netherlands Carillon

Back East with your RV? May is a great time to drop over to Virginia and experience the Netherlands Carillon. A gift from the Netherlands to the citizens of the United States, the carillon is a set of 50 tuned bells, located on the George Washington Memorial Parkway at Route 50 in Arlington.

Most of the year the carillon rings out tunes, played by computer. However, May marks the start of the season when human carillonneurs will sit down at the keyboard to set the bells to ringing during Saturday concerts from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. And on the 25th of this month, visitors are allowed to watch carionneur perform, as well as climb up the bell tower for some spectacular views from on high.

Miss the concerts in May? They'll continue to occur on Saturday afternoons and on national holidays through September.

RVers Can Rent Boats, ATVs, and More at Destination

Henry David Thoreau warned: "Beware of ventures requiring new clothes." As RVers, most of us have the clothes we need at any stop. But imagine arriving at your destination and finding warm weather, and beautiful lake, and no way to explore it. Instead of buying new equipment, here's a way you might be able to rent it--at a reduced cost.

Rich Hall spent eight years in the RV rental business, helping folks learn about the joys of the RV lifestyle without having to plunk down a large amount of cash to buy a rig. Now Rich has a new wrinkle: A web site where folks with RVs, motorcyles, boats, ATVs and other "recreational equipment" can offer to rent them out to folks who likewise don't want to plunk down a wad of cash to buy something they may need for only a short time. The site, rentzio.com, offers a meeting place for folks wanting to rent recreational equipment to find folks who have it to rent.

Hall's operation breaks down the US into states, and pull-down menus help would-be renters find equipment within the state, or within a given mile radius of any city. Those with equipment can provide full details of the equipment, photos, and more right on the site. Neither renter nor rental provider are charged for the servivce. We wondered how Hall could make much of a living, and he told us advertising revenues from links and banners are keeping the site going while he builds up for the future. Eventually, Hall tells us, there may be a "flat rate" fee charged to equipment owners.

Meantime, if you're looking for an ATV to investigate the dunes near Yuma, or a ski-doo to shoot through the waters of a nearby lake, check out rentzio.com.

This May be the Year to RV Yellowstone

If the seeming "dire" predictions of the local visitor bureaus are correct, this might be the year to consider a long-delayed trip to Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding country. According to published reports, reservations are solid for July and August, but "shoulder season" books are down nearly 13%.

With fuel prices looking like they won't go into orbit anytime soon, and the flexibility of RVing, a late spring visit or early fall arrival might be just the ticket if you've never been to this quiet corner of the country.

Best California Rest Area for RVers

Most of us would rather not spend the night in a highway rest area--particularly along an interstate highway. The noise, lack of privacy, frequent dirtiness, and all the rest, make rest areas less than desirable overnight spots. But for some reason, "the first and the last" along California's Interstate 5 seems to break the mold on that thinking.

Traveling northward, the "last" rest area (or going south, the first) along I-5 is just south of Hornbrook. Officially called the Collier Rest Area, this stop is sandwiched between the interstate and the beautiful Klamath River. But what really sets this rest area apart from your typical, "get off the highway and hit the bathroom" stop is the setting. While the average rest area sits on the same level as the interstate, the Collier Rest Area sits way below the nearby interstate. As a result, the noise level from the freeway is dramatically reduced.

Adding to quiet, the rest area is nicely landscaped, and a separate parking area for RVers is set aside from everyone else. With pull throughs dedicated to recreational vehicles, you're set apart from noisy "reefer" units on semi-trucks, and the typical round-the-clock in-and-out noise of the passenger vehicle area. Roll in, set up your rig for the night, and you can actually get a good night's rest. Next morning, if you have the time, take the scenic Klamath River Highway south and follow the river and its wonderful scenery.

It's not often we really get to pass along "kudos" to state government, but this one really got it right!

Learn Digital Photography in Texas' Biggest State Park

If you said, "Big Bend" as the answer to what is the biggest state park in the big state of Texas, you're right on the money, pardner. And if you're a newbie or consider yourself an "intermediate" digital photographer and want to learn more, now's the time to register for a digital photography course at Big Bend--take a shot at one of two offered in May.

When we say, "biggest state park," we say it with good reason. There's over 300,000 acres of land encompassed in this park. Much of it lies in the Chihuahuan Desert. Don't think of endless sands and cactus. Twenty-three miles of the Rio Grande river roll along the border of the park, so a bit of paddling can be had. Or saddle up to check out some of the seemingly endless miles available for horse riding, mountain biking, or just plain two-foot hiking.

But the photo workshop, led by the chief photographer of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine, Earl Nottingham, and backed by hotshot photogs from Canon cameras. Says Nottingham of the workshop:

"The camera is the perfect tool to gain a true appreciation of the Big Bend Country," Nottingham said. "It forces you to sit on a mountaintop while waiting for magic light and to savor the sights, sounds and fragrances of the Chihuahuan Desert."

The course operates on either one of two sessions: May 17-20 and May 21-24, and will set you back $450 per person. That includes park entry fees, lodging, meals and assistance of park rangers. Lodging is at the Sauceda Lodge, featuring dormitory-style accommodations with separate wings for men and women, and a dining room where meals are served. Dormitory accommodations? Wow! Maybe you can cut a deal to stay in your own RV and join up for the eats and class sessions.

Find out more by ringing up the Big Bend Ranch State Park at (432) 358-4444.

photos: Mud bake, sean_mcgee on flickr.com; horseback rider, Chase Fountain, Texas Parks and Wildlife