SEASIDE CAMPING BRINGS FRESH AIR TO POLLEN SUFFERERS
RV TRAVELER: ESCAPE YOUR ALLERGIES
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10 Tips: How RV’s Run from Allergies
Are you on the lam from a pesky allergy that could ruin your stay in the mountains, seashore or prairies? Thanks to your RV you can out-run some allergies and out-smart others.
Here are just a few random strategies to keep in mind while planning your next RV trip.
1. Start with the RV itself. Take an allergy inventory of the RV's indoor air. Clean filters. Get HEPA air filters and perhaps even a HEPA air purifier.. Wipe down surfaces with a product such as Clorox PURE allergen buster. Give the RV plenty of ventilation, especially when it’s new and gassing off volatiles from building and furnishing materials.
If the RV has ’been closed for a while, a good scrub down can banish allergens that flourished during storage such as dust, dust mites, fungi, molds and mildew. Launder bedding and towels if they smell funky or just refresh and fluff them with a run through a hot dryer.
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2. Know your enemy. The more you know about your specific allergy, the better. Pollens are often regional and seasonal. If you know the one pollen that affects you, and when that pollen blooms in a particular area, you can fine-tune travel dates to suit.
3. Do your driving in early morning and late evening,, when pollution levels are usually lowest. Park the RV down-wind from sea breezes, which are purer and park away from winds off, say, a smoky factory, farm field or woods.
4. Shower and shampoo often. Change pillow cases frequently.
5. Consult pollen.com for maps, times of day, wind conditions and the many factors that drive a particular pollen.
6. Would it be a good idea to carry a card listing your food sensitivities for the restaurant chef? Severe food allergies, of course, call for stronger measures such as carrying an Epi-Pen and wearing a medical alert bracelet or device.
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7. The most common pollen allergies involve three main plant families. They are trees in spring, grasses in late spring and summer, and weeds, especially ragweed in late summer and autumn. Your nemesis may be specific such as oak, birch, Bermuda grass, Timothy grass, or ragweed. Keep records of your reactions and see an allergist who can test for specific pollens
8. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, many plants release pollen early in the day. Add in morning’s cooler temperatures and higher humidity and pollen stays closer to the ground.
9. Check the pollen forecast for your destination and plan your itinerary accordingly, especially if you’re thinking of spending a lot of time outdoors.
10. While you may not be allergic to your dog or cat, its fur can be loaded with pollen when it comes into the RV from the outdoors. Try a quick wipe-down with a pet wipe or damp cloth..
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CAMPGROUNDS & RV PARKS; GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS
NEW AND SOON-TO-BE RV PARKS & CAMPGROUNDS
Introduced last summer in Hallsville, Texas is Galilee Oaks RV Park and Campgrounds with 13 spacious, full hook-up RV sites and plans a-plenty for future additions such as a fishing pond, a lounge for digital nomads and a covered area leading to the bathrooms and laundry. They don’t appear to have a website yet. Email galileeoaksrvpark@gmail.com or phone (903) 240-9623.
Now open just outside Hugo Oklahoma,, Hugo RV Park has 29 RV sites with full hookups and Wi-F. The park also has a laundry, general store and mini-storage. Hugo Lake is known for fishing and boating. (580) -919-1503.
Roaming Trails RV Retreat is coming to Burleson, Texas in February: This park will feature 196 generously sized RV sites and all hookups. The resort will have zero entry pool, clubhouse, fitness center, laundry, security and lots of Texas fun such as horseback riding and line dancing. Other luxury Roaming Trails luxury RV resorts are coming to San Antonio and Killeen. See RoamingTrailsRV.com/
New in the Gem State is the St. Maries Riverfront RV Resort on the St. Joe River in St. Maries, Idaho. The 42-site resort has modern hookups, a laundry, fishing pier and swimming area. Reserve far ahead for special events such as Paul Bunyan Days over Labor Day and jetboat races in May. Get full details about this historic, scenic area from the Chamber of Commerce, StMariesChamber.org/
By next summer, 135 new RV sites are expected to be available in Anchorage, Alaska with the completion of the Denali View R-V Resort. Plans call for trails, a garden with historic markers and a playground. Reservations are not yet open.
George T. Bagby State Park, Georgia has a new, 32-site RV park with full hookups as well as new park features including classrooms, a renovated pool, ball courts, laundry and an amphitheater. The park is on 45,000-acre Lake Eufaula, one of the south’s best birding spots for migrating waterfowl. Check fpr an opening date in the New Year. Georgiastateparks.org/
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CHANGES, UPGRADES, NEW OWNERS
It takes a scorecard to keep up with all the improvements and additions that are happening at Burlingame State Park, Charlestown, Rhode Island. It’s been difficult to get reservations because of uncertainties and delays but now is a good time to book for 2026, when many new campsites and facilities will open. Phase 1 (2023-2025):has been replacement of outdated facilities in the Mills Camp, Midpark North, and Fish Camp areas. Phase 2 (2026-2027): will bring replacement of facilities in Legiontown, Midpark South, and Main Camp.. Get updates at https://riparks.ri.gov/campgrounds/burlingame-campground/.
In Hibbing, Minnesota, city authorities are funding a new 29-site RV campground for Carey Lake Park. Facilities will include a dump station, showers and access to the beach and a bike trail, all ADA accessible. An opening date for the RV sites has not been projected. Check for progress at g hibbingmn.gov/ (218) -262-3486
The province of Alberta is on a campsite growth spree. By the fall of 2027, popular Pigeon Lake Provincial Park, Alberta is expected to add dozens more campsites. It now has 250 sites, about half of them with electric, The new sites are expected to help meet the growing demand for hookups. Other parks that will be receive new campsites over the next few years Lesser Slave Lake, Writing-on-Stone, Castle Provincial Park, Fish Lake Provincial Recreation Area and Waterton Reservoir Provincial Recreation Area.
EVENTS
Now through mid-March, take in a free geology program at noon every Sunday at Gingko Petrified State Park Interpretive Center, Vantage, Washington. Buried under the park’s landscape are remnants of an ancient forest, turned to stone by a convergence of geologic events. What were they? Check ahead for camping information in winter. (509) 856-2290.
CLOSURES
In the interest of public safety, Bear Trap Campground in Cibola National Forest & Grasslands, New Mexico, will remain closed for 2026. Access roads are in poor condition, bathrooms are unacceptable, flash flooding can occur and the area hasn’t yet recovered from a fire that occurred in 2022.
See you at the beach!
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