All posts by dmallett

RV Life

The Truth About the RV Life

the_truth_aboutHave you been bit by the RV bug? Do you spend hours reading blogs on living the RV life, blogs that go on and on about a life of freedom and travel? Do you go to RV shows and wander through the huge homes on wheels, dreaming that you’re steering one of the huge beasts to wherever your heart desires?

It’s easy to get caught up in what RV expert Sunny Skye calls the RV hype—for example, you’ll wake up every morning looking out your window at beautiful views of nature, you’ll meet interesting people you can sit around a campfire with and trade foil dinner recipes, and you’ll be able to travel to places you’ve always wanted to see.

What the RV marketers don’t tell you is the other side of the nomadic lifestyle coin—the mechanical problems by the side of the road, the constant searching for water and a place to camp, the uncertainty of having just anyone able to walk up to your rig in the middle of the night—well, in short, the truth about the mobile lifestyle.

Sunny has been RVing since she was a kid, and she’ll show you how to assess if the nomadic lifestyle is for you in an unbiased and educated manner, balancing the pros and the cons. She does this by walking you through the most common steps in the RV life:

  • The Awakening: You first start to realize the RV life exists.
  • Plotting and Researching: Trying to decide whether or not RVing is the lifestyle for you. Thinking about the ways you could do it and whether or not it would be suitable.
  • Getting the Rig: The stage where you actually look at rigs, eventually buying one. This stage may take a long time, though typically it’s not like the previous stages, as you’re now committed to doing this.
  • The First Uncertain Months: You’ve begun the RV life and are either loving it or questioning it. Life is good, even though there may be lots of bugs to work out, such as how certain things work.
  • Settling In: The newness has worn off and you’re feeling competent in your abilities to handle things.
  • Getting Homesick and/or Lonely: Once in awhile you have a pang of missing your old life or house or the people you left behind.
  • Hard Times: You’re becoming more comfortable with it all, then something happens, throwing things off kilter. This phase always makes you wonder if you should stay on the road.
  • Happy Times: You’ve solved the problem and are back on track and really enjoying the RV life.
  • Burnout: This can come in many forms, but the general feeling is that you’re tired of living this way and need a change.
  • Another Awakening: It occurs to you that you don’t have to keep RVing and can go back to a house or apartment, or even a plot of land with your RV on it.
  • Plotting and Researching a Different Life: You want to get off the road. This stage is similar to when you were thinking about getting onto the road, but in reverse.
  • Getting Off the Road: The cycle is complete. You’re now back in a house and no longer want to RV, for various reasons. You may now decide to sell your rig, though you may keep it for short vacations or weekend travel only. And you may eventually decide to go full-time again.

Of course, not all RVers go through these steps or in this order, but Sunny gives you a good look at what you can expect on your RV journey. And if you’re one of those who ends up staying on the road forever, you’ll start out ahead of the game by knowing what to expect.

This book makes a good companion to Sunny’s other books, especially “Living the Simple RV Life,” “RVing with Pets,” and “Tales of a Campground Host.” You’ll also enjoy “Any Road USA: Living a Life of Freedom on the Road,” by Sunny’s friend, Bob Davidson.

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Bigfoot Books

Rusty Wilson’s Mysterious Bigfoot Campfire Stories (Collection #8)

Mysterious Bigfoot Campfire Stories
Mysterious Bigfoot Campfire Stories

Ready for some stories about the more mysterious side of Bigfoot by the World’s Greatest Bigfoot Story Teller? Turn all the lights on, close the curtains, tie your shoes in case you need to flee, and prepare yourself for some thrills as Rusty brings you 16 all new and original stories.

Flyfishing guide Rusty Wilson spent years collecting these stories from his clients around the campfire, stories guaranteed to scare the pants off you—or make you want to meet the Big Guy! Just remember to never go searching alone…

Come read about a most unusual campground host—then read about a case of Bigfoot habituation where the creatures make themselves at home, literally—a dog with a rare talent—a Bigfoot graveyard—a forlorn and abandoned Bigfoot that returns to wreak its vengeance—an encounter in the Missouri Ozarks—a Bigfoot caught in a trap—how a woman faces her Bigfoot fears—these and more great campfire tales.

“There are many mysteries on this planet, and I think they make life interesting. Of course, nothing compares to the mysterious world of Bigfoot, a world we humans rarely get a glimpse into—but when we do, it results in a huge paradigm shift. We begin to realize there are many things we don’t yet know, so many really good mysteries.” —Rusty Wilson

Another great book from Rusty Wilson, Bigfoot expert and storyteller—tales for both the Bigfoot believer and those who just enjoy a good story!

This ebook is the equivalent of a 240-page print book.

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Bud Shumway Mystery Series

The No Delay Cafe (Bud Shumway Mystery Series Book 4)

nodelay_cafeAn old rock hound has been killed in Utah’s wildlands, and ex-sheriff Bud Shumway knows it has something to do with black-market dinosaur bone thieves, even though his bumbling replacement, Sheriff Howie, thinks it has something to do with aliens. And after receiving a mysterious envelope containing a weird claw and a set of coordinates written on roll-your-own cigarette paper, Howie is determined to prove himself a capable sheriff, especially since he’s been accused of having a million-dollar voice and a ten-cent brain. Set at the No Delay Cafe, near the wild and mysterious badlands of Green River, Utah, this mystery will have you laughing, scared to death, and wondering if aliens might really exist.

Add in a whacky UFO sect, the cafe owner’s missing wife, a cantankerous and suspicious pilot, and a burned-out mechanic who takes his dogs four-wheeling in a Crown Victoria, and there’s never a dull moment. In any case, you’ll find out who really killed the old rock hound, and it may not be who you think. This is book #4 in the Bud Shumway Mystery Series. You’ll also enjoy book #1, “The Ghost Rock Cafe,” book #2, “The Slickrock Cafe,” and book #3, “The Paradox Cafe.”

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Bigfoot Books

The Bigfoot Runes

bigfoot_runesA mysterious cave contains a strange book that leads to a quest with an unusual and scary companion. The stakes? An entire species.

“It suddenly struck me what an incongruous team we were—a giant hairy Bigfoot, a somewhat broken-down scraggly human, and a small scruffy dog. I was pretty sure the Canadian Border Patrol had never seen the likes of us—and I hoped they never would.”

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Bud Shumway Mystery Series

The Paradox Cafe (Bud Shumway Mystery Series Book 3)

The Paradox Cafe
The Paradox Cafe

Rancher Mack Murphy has been buying up land in southwest Colorado, threatening those who won’t sell, including Junior, the uncle of ex-sheriff Bud Shumway. Bud agrees to visit his uncle to help defuse things, never suspecting he would get caught right smack in the middle of Mack’s murder. And it becomes the toughest case Bud’s ever had to solve, as almost everyone is a suspect

Set in the Paradox Valley, a beautiful and remote area with a wooly Wild West history, this mystery will have you laughing, scared to death, and wondering when the mysterious Wild Man will strike again. Add in some fake Ute Indian burials, a new-age addiction counsellor, Bud’s bumbling deputy Howie, a wealthy restauranteer with a penchant for railroads, Mack’s missing wife, Junior’s longing to return to his hobo ways, and two young gold prospectors who are always just one step ahead of the law, and there’s never a dull moment.

This is the third book in the Bud Shumway Mystery Series. You’ll also enjoy the first, “The Ghost Rock Cafe.” and the second, “The Slickrock Cafe.”

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Bigfoot Books

Rusty Wilson’s Twelve Pack of Bigfoot Campfire Stories (Collection #6)

12_packThirsty for more stories by the World’s Greatest Bigfoot Story Teller? This Bigfoot 12 pack will quench that thirst and make you afraid to go back into the woods. All new and original stories.

Flyfishing guide Rusty Wilson spent years collecting these stories from his clients around the campfire, stories guaranteed to scare the pants off you—or make you want to meet the Big Guy!

Come read about a Bigfoot caught in an avalanche and its miraculous rescue — then read about an unwitting witness to a Bigfoot rite of passage — a hang gliding flight that nearly ends in disaster — the infamous Gorilla Gulch — a pioneer woman who finds that a Bigfoot family has decided to set up camp near her cabin — a retired couple who feels the power of Bigfoot first-hand — a disabled girl who has an up-close encounter — the fear that comes when your pathway is blocked by a Bigfoot — a Bigfoot that climbs with technical climbers in Wyoming’s Wind RIver Mountains — a diver attempting to find an underwater Bigfoot cavern — a schoolhouse terrorized by a lonely Bigfoot — and a fire lookout who witnesses Bigfoot living in nests high in the trees — all great campfire tales — but be careful, as sleep will elude you…

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Bigfoot Books

Rusty Wilson’s Six Pack of Bigfoot Campfire Stories (Collection #7)

six_packThirsty for more stories by the World’s Greatest Bigfoot Story Teller? This Bigfoot six pack will temporarily quench that thirst and make you afraid to go back into the woods. When you’ve recovered, you’ll want to try Rusty’s twelve pack! All new and original stories.

Flyfishing guide Rusty Wilson spent years collecting these stories from his clients around the campfire, stories guaranteed to scare the pants off you—or make you want to meet the Big Guy!

Come read about a Bigfoot caught in a huge dam as the concrete’s being poured—then read about a Bigfoot hoaxer whose hoax backfires on him—a trucker with a very enticing load—a historic story of Bigfoot stopping a railroad from encroaching into its habitat—a woman who’s extricated from her wrecked car by a Jaws of Life never before seen—and a mountain biker with PTSD who’s rescued by a pair of fearsome huge beasts—all great campfire tales—but be careful, as sleep will elude you…

“I’ve spent many a night scared to death after hearing some of these tales, but in all honesty, what would life be without mysteries like Bigfoot?”
—Rusty Wilson

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Savor The West Series

The Arbuckle Cafe

arbuckle_cafeAnytime a cowpuncher brewed a cup of java, the “Arbuckle Cafe” was open for business. Rain or shine, both friend and stranger were welcome to a hot steaming cup of coffee and a good story or two. Arbuckle’s Ariosa coffee was the preferred drink of the range, and many a waddie warmed himself with the buckaroo brew before a long night guard with the dogies. Val FitzPatrick was a cowboy with the famous Two Bar outfit in northwest Colorado. “The Arbuckle Cafe” tells what it was really like to be a cowpuncher on one of the West’s last frontiers.

With the coming of the railroads, the American cowboy’s job changed drastically, as the great trail herds became a thing of the past. Many cowboys faded into history, but some discovered “the last frontier”, a place in northwest Colorado and northeast Utah that still prized their skills. Ora Haley, owner of the vast Two-Bar Ranch and Cattle Company, was the last of the Cattle Kings, and this was his domain.

Val FitzPatrick’s family homesteaded in this region, and Val became a rider for the Two-Bar at the age of 14. In later years, Val wrote many accounts of his life, and “The Arbuckle Cafe” is a collection of the best of his stories, all classic and authentic insights of what life on the range was really like. These stories are entertaining glimpses into lives as honest as a well-looped riata, lives that vacillated between adventure and boredom, the lives of the real cowpunchers.

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From the Publisher

Even though I grew up in the cattle country of northwest Colorado, it wasn’t until just a few years ago that I had my first sip of Arbuckles’ Coffee, the original “buckaroo brew.” After a mellow day of trail riding, we’d decided to kick back around the campfire for a spell, warm-up some canned beans, and see who could spin the best yarn. This turned out to be an appropriate setting for learning about the java that “won the West.”As the evening wore on and the pinyon fire settled down to a comfortable glow of hot embers, one of the old-timers posed a tricky question: “Go back one-hundred years. Who do you suppose was considered the most famous and best-known hero in the Old West? Whose autograph was most valuable?”We each had our guess-maybe the Governor of Colorado, Alva Adams? Was it Cleveland, the U.S. President? Chief Ouray of the Utes? Otto Mears, the road builder? After we’d exhausted every name we could remember, we gave up and the old-timer answered his own question. “It was Arbuckle. Everybody-men, women, children-knew of Arbuckle. His name was known in the lowliest dugout and in the best log house, in freighters’ camps, on roundups, in trappers’ tents, and in prospectors’ shelters. Arbuckle’s signature was the most treasured autograph ever known. Everyone drank toasts to him.””Who was Arbuckle?” we asked.

The old fellow, enjoying his role as historian, answered, “Arbuckle was the man whose signature appeared on the one-pound paper packages of coffee used by everybody. Arbuckles’ “Ariosa” was the only coffee known on the frontier for many years. The price was 20 cents a pound, and Arbuckle was the first merchandiser to offer premiums.”

He paused as if to remember, then continued, “On each package of coffee, running lengthwise, was the scrawled signature of Arbuckle. Cut out the signatures, save them, and in due course for a certain number of signatures and a little money you could get such things as scissors, jackknives, mirrors, comb-and-brush sets, razors, and perfumes, not to mention mouse traps, jaw harps, napkin rings, and mustache cups.”

That old-timer indeed knew Arbuckles well, for he was Val FitzPatrick, once a cowpuncher for the famous Two-Bar outfit at the turn of the century. He’d had his share of the strong brew, we were sure.

Out West, Arbuckles’ coffee was a success with chuck-wagon cooks, who were faced with the task of keeping cowpunchers supplied with plenty of hot “mud” out on the range. As enticement to buy Arbuckles’ Coffee, a stick of peppermint was included in every package of Ariosa. This became a powerful tool for the camp cookee to bribe cowpunchers to help with chores. The chuck-wagon cook was well-respected, for anything otherwise might lead to “dehorned coffee” or “water that’s been scalded to death.” Sears carried bags of the coffee in their famous mail-order catalogs at 20 cents a pound.

Arbuckles became so common that by 1890 it had became a generic name for coffee. It was common to hear cowpunchers ask for a cup of coffee by saying, “How about them Arbuckles?” And a good cowpuncher was “worth his weight in Arbuckles.” One old cowpuncher said he made “cowdog coffee” out of Ariosa. When asked what “cowdog coffee” was, he replied: “It’s just like cowboy coffee, you boil Arbuckles in a pan over a fire for a few hours, then you throw in a hoss shoe, and if it won’t sink, it’s done. Add a little whiskey. Makes you howl.” Variants on this recipe were once found across the West (often you’d throw in a six-shooter). Another cowpuncher said, “Most people don’t realize how little water it takes to make good coffee. Probably not all that nutritious, though, without much water.”

But truly, the most widely known man on the frontier, even more well-known than General Custer, was Arbuckle. And many a cowpuncher and many a waddie spent many an hour telling tales by firelight at the Arbuckle Cafe, served by a surly waiter called Cookee.

I sincerely hope you enjoy this collection of stories by Val FitzPatrick and have many pleasant evenings at the Arbuckle Cafe.

savor the west

Bigfoot Books

Rusty Wilson’s Wild and Weird Campfire Stories

Wild and Weird Campfire Stories
Wild and Weird Campfire Stories

And now, the infamous Rusty Wilson shares some of the stranger campfire stories he’s collected as a flyfishing guide—stories all on the creepy and wild side, stories that will leave goosebumps up and down your arms and chill your bones, campfire or not!

Follow along as two whacky paleontologists experience the dinosaur dig of their lives (and perhaps the last one of their lives) — and maybe helping a hippie backpacker sneak through the backwoods at the Canadian border isn’t such a good idea after all — then there’s the story of a love that can’t die, even though the lovers are both long gone — and a story that has the double whammy of both a ghost and a Bigfoot — and the tale of an impossible rescue from an avalanche that shows the meaning of true love, provided you’re not too creeped out to feel the compassion — and there’s the story about an Alaskan bush pilot who foresees his own future, as well as that of his friend — and also the story that asks if the land remembers tragic events…

Also included is Rusty’s famous story, “The Canadian Mountie,” a strange tale about destiny, and whether or not some of us can foretell our life stories.

Stories that will leave you wanting more—but only if you don’t want to sleep at night.

Rusty is known as the World’s Greatest Bigfoot Storyteller, and his books are in the Top 10 for Bigfoot stories. Come join him in some tales from the wild and weird side!

This ebook is the equivalent of approximately a 81-page print book.

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Bud Shumway Mystery Series

The Slickrock Cafe (Bud Shumway Mystery Series Book 2)

Slickrock Cafe
Slickrock Cafe

The crusty owner of a local rock shop has been killed in Utah’s wildlands, and ex-sheriff Bud Shumway has been asked to return to his hometown to solve the crime. He reluctantly agrees, never suspecting the case involves an old childhood friend and a pair of mysterious Incan skeletons known as the Malachites.

Set at the Slickrock Cafe, deep in the sandstone fins and domes of southeast Utah, this mystery will have you laughing, scared to death, and wondering when the mysterious Black Beast will strike again. Add in a motorcycle gang, Bud’s bumbling deputy Howie, a deputy sheriff who writes mysteries, a cantankerous rancher, and a cryptic Peruvian with his llamas, and there’s never a dull moment.

In any case, you’ll find out who the Malachites really are, and they’re sure not a tribe in the Old Testament. This is book #2 in the Bud Shumway Mystery Series and is the ebook equivalent of a 200 page print book. You’ll also enjoy book #1, “The Ghost Rock Cafe.”

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