RV Campers Stay Connected

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." --- Thoreau, from Walden


It was July 4th, 1845 when Henry David Thoreau began to spend both night and day in his cabin by Walden Pond. This July 4th, I am staying in a cabin in Williams, Arizona not far from the Grand Canyon. I wonder what Thoreau's Walden might have been like had he made entries in an on-line journal, or blog. Today it is becoming more difficult to completely retreat from society, if not altogether impossible. I wonder, do we really need to retreat from society to live deliberately?

While all of us are becoming more mobile and utilizing technology to do so, it should come as no surprise that RV enthusiasts are utilizing many new technologies as they retreat from the restraints of a traditional home and take to the open road. I have met some on this trip who have shared their experiences

The Hrapoffs have just finished a year long jaunt around the United States. I caught up with them at the Lester Flatt Memorial Campground in Vilonia, Arkansas where they'll park until hitting the road again this fall. George, a retired diesel engineer, and Glenda, a retired mail administrator, have embraced learning in their retirement and are enjoying their high-tech toys. "I took a semester class a few years ago to learn how to use the computer," Glenda said.

George laughs as he recalls a time before he was comfortable using technology. He was working on the engine of a large ship and no one could get it started using the computer on-board. He disconnected the computer from the engine, attached a 9 volt battery and got it started. Today he proudly shows me his Global Positioning System (GPS) and laptop computer and talks about the technology that runs his new truck and his RV. "The day of the cresent wrench and screwdriver is over," he declares.

He and Glenda live a completely wireless life now. They dropped their telephone service on their land line phone a year before they purchased their RV. Now they pay all their bills on-line and use wireless computer access to to correspond with family and friends with e-mail. They have especially enjoyed receiving pictures of their grandchild born just ten days ago. Their cell phone plan has a family plan so those calls are free. They have satellite television through DirecTV, as well.

"Some campgrounds have internet access, but it's limited and the connection isn't good," Glenda says. They met a camper in Arizona that who had wireless access who sold them on the new technology. They researched their options and chose Cingular.

While George has a GPS system to navigate on their trips, he has come to depend more on Glenda and her laptop computer. With wireless access, she is not only navigating and plotting their course, she is researching their destination on-line while they are in route. "I'm standing in awe of it all," Glenda admits.

"I'm so happy with what I can do." She can't imagine what conveniences the future might hold for her and George but guesses that things "will just keep getting smaller." As comfortable as she has become with technology, she can understand why others, particularly those of her generation are reluctant. "Feeling secure is an issue that keeps some from embracing technology. We've all heard so much about identity fraud that some people are scared," she notes.

As for Glenda and George? "We'll never go back!"

Further down the interstate I met Sandy and Terry Hays, owners of the Sallisaw Campground near Fort Smith, Oklahoma. In the four years that they have owned the campground, they have seen a lot of changes in the technology campers arrive with and the services they expect to have available to them.

They recently installed wireless internet technology at the campground enabling the campers to access the internet from their campsite through Hotspotzz. Service plans can be purchased through KOA or Hotspotzz or reasonable pay-as-you-go rates are available.

Sandy expected younger couples to make the most use of the technology they have to offer, but has noticed an older generation becoming computer literate. "They often say they are new to it, but they're making the effort; that's fun to see," says Sandy. "It's now part of their existence," she adds.

Sandy admits that it is her husband, Terry, that has stayed abreast of technology in their household. "He is trying to stay progressive and anticipate what they'll [campers] need." Terry and Sandy can sometimes feel a bit isolated with the demands of running the campground. They credit the computer for keeping them informed and connected to "the outside world." "We installed a new Dell computer in the office and are beginning to take reservations on-line," Sandy says.

"We used to have a payphone, but the telephone company removed it because enough calls weren't being made on it," Sandy says. They installed a land line in the office, but it is rarely used for anything except dial-up connections for those who haven't switched to wireless service. They now see campers sitting at their campsites talking on cell phones and downloading e-mail on laptops and handheld devices.

Sandy misses those old days a little. "People were more social before. They wanted someone to talk to when they came in off the road. Now they just hurry in and hurry out."

As the sun begins to set tonight, and it becomes harder to see how to type, I am interrupted by a couple from Tennessee. "You're not working are you?" the gentleman asks. "Not really," I said.

"I left my laptop at home, this time," he told me. "It's just not capable of doing what I want to do. I use an XP desktop computer at home. What would you recommend in a laptop?" After a little small talk about technology, he and his wife were off to their RV.

They probably had to make a few calls on their cellphone.

Check out a blog I came across recently by the Hoy family. This family of six is documenting their life on the road in an RV.