RV Fitness on the Go + This Week's Campsite News

Blog copyright Janet Groene 2024. To support this free service with your voluntary, anonymous  subscription, send $10 every April to janetgroene via Paypal. 

A Perfect Fit

copyright Janet Groene 2024

Is your fitness program giving you fits as an RV traveler? Are you constantly looking for a full-service gym with trainers and state-of-the-art equipment? 

    Listen up! National chains such as Gold's Gym, 24 Hour Fitness, Anytime Fitness and LA Fitness allow travelers to find consistent service, equipment, coaching and programs in hundreds of locations nationwide.  

Here are just a few options for RV women on the go:

BlueCross/BlueShield members get discounts on a choice of more than 9.000 fitness centers through a program known as Blue365. Ask. 

Most upscale camping resorts offer fitness centers but they are all different. If you are committed to one regimen or one brand of fitness machines, it may pay to join a national gym chain that has the same standards at every facility.

Motels and hotels usually have a fitness center, day spa and swimming pool. Many offer a day pass or monthly membership to outsiders. Call ahead to ask about rules and day rates.  

YMCA/YWCA centers throughout North America may offer a guest visit for free or fee. 

Facilities and staffing vary according to location but most offer swimming. Many gyns don’t have a pool.  

Before joining a national chain, make sure you can use your membership card at any member facility. There may be a guest charge or a limit on how often you may be a guest. 

What to look for:

* According to one state’s attorney general, complaints against fitness club contracts are second only to complaints about robot calls. Shop carefully, read the fine print and know what you’re getting into.

* Understand each gym's philosophy. Is your goal overall wellness, strength training, weight loss, mental calm or training for a specific sport? What protocols are available and what certifications do staff have?

* Senior discounts and family memberships can be found. Shop around.  Know not just the cost of membership but what you get, and do not get, for the price. Is the use of some facilities at extra cost?

* How convenient are the gym’s hours and are they the same at every member of the chain?  Some are open 24/7. 

* Beware of automatic renewal clauses on your credit card. Some travelers find they have unwittingly signed up for another year. 

* Is the gym registered with the state consumerism department? Have any complaints been filed with any agency or the BBB? If so, how were they resolved?

* Does the gym require a long-term commitment? 

* Does the gym charge an up-front fee? Service fees, such as registration fees, membership fees, processing or start-up fees, may be required. However, says the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, it must be considered a "reasonable and fair service fee," meaning no more than 10 percent of the contract price.

    * What's the best way to pay?  Setting up an automatic withdrawal from your checking account may result in problems if there is ever a dispute.   Is there a cancellation fee?  Does your state law allow penalty-free cancellation in writing within X days? 

* What state laws are in place to protect customers in case the gym closes, moves or merges with another chain? They vary state to state.

One choice is to create your own fitness regimen,, one you can follow inside the RV,  outdoors,  on the beach or grass, home and away, rain or shine

CAMPGROUNDS; GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS

Are new campsites coming to your state or province? Check back here weekly for news in the US and Canada 

 

• * Save the dates August 29-September 2 be in Mount Pleasant,  Iowa for the Midwest Old Threshers Festival. Reserve your RV site early for a spot in the 72-acre campground with electric, dump stations and four restrooms/shower houses. The campground store has groceries and ice; a shuttle runs to the main festival area. Bring the kids to see old steam engines, antique cars and tractors, bygone engines and live horses. See live  performers and plenty of old-time music. Learn to square dance. See the parade, cheer at the Horse Pull and feast at food vendors. Go to OldThreshers.org/ Get multi-day earlybird tickets online at a discount. 
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• * In Ottumwa, Iowa, the Ottumwa Park Campground is now open for the season and with a new shower house.  Rates are $20 night, tent or RV. The campground doesn’t accept reservations but you can ask questions by calling (641) -682-1307.  
  

* In Jefferson County, Iowa summer is a-comin’ in.  Jefferson County Park is open but bathrooms may not be ready yet. Mae Coon Access is open for self-contained campers. No facilities are available at Round Prairie Park, but it’s open with picnic tables, fire rings and a pit toilet. A new, 14-site county RV campground is planned to be built off Key Boulevard in Fairfield by next summer.  

* Hammocks Beach State Park, North Carolina will close its Bear Island campground and shut down  ferry service this summer. No camping reservations will be accepted until an opening date is announced. 

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• * Progress is being made in Port Richey, Florida towards a new campground to be built on 16 heavily wooded acres. The land has a natural spring and will be developed with 120 RV sites with an “old Florida” look.  Stay tuned.
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•    * Dunnellon, Florida is about to get an RV park named after the 1962  Elvis Presley musical, “Follow That Dream”, which was filmed in this area. The Follow That Dream RV Resort will have 228 sites and luxury amenities.
  

    * Faithful regulars at Barnacles Resort & Campground in Aitkin, Minnesota will fnd a new restaurant opening late this month. Now known as the Mudflats Bar & Grill, the resort's former restaurant, now under new owners,  is a centerpiece of the 97-site campground. All sites have full hookups and about half are lakefront.

                           
*Another Carefree Covered RV Storage just celebrated a grand opening in Surprise, Arizona, the sixth location for this group. In 14 acres, the site offers 632 covered RV parking, 24-hour security, a dog park, Wi-Fi and ice.Visit www.carefreecoveredrvstorage.com/ The brand expects to continue growing in Arizona and Texas. 

 
    * Peach Queen Campground in Jemison, Alabama has new owners. The historic, 82-site campground has full hookups, a dog park, swimming pool and a spring-fed lake. Owned by the same family sine the 1800's and a campground since 1974, the land is now owned by a large real estate group that owns many campgrounds in the Southeast,  Renovations are underway and lakeside cabins are expected to be added in the future.  (334) 514-6659.

 
    * Ririe, Idaho will finally realize its long-anticipated Farmhouse Table restaurant at the 7N Ranch Resort, which has cabins as well as RV sites with full hookups.  An opening is tentatively planned for April 15, but check ahead at (208) 538.5097. As part of the Idaho Falls metro area, the destination restaurant will offer farm-to-table dining. The ranch is known for outdoor sports such as tubing, fishing,  mountain biking,  rock climbing and a driving ranges. 

 
* Mark your calendar for Farmer’s Market days in Opelousas, Louisiana every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday morning and in  Eunice, Louisiana on the first Saturday of the month.

 
    * After closing for renovations, Knob Noster (Missouri)  State Park will reopen on April 15.  Eight RV sites were upgraded to full hookups, new concrete pads were poured and each of the 25 campsites were spiffed up. Go to mostateparks.com.

 

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