Take Your Pleasureland RV Out For A Three Day Weekend

January 9th, 2013 -

Life’s persistent and most urgent question is, “What are you doing for others? –Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

On the third Monday in January (January 21), our country celebrates Martin Luther King Day honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., clergyman, activist, and civil rights leader. It’s a three-day weekend for many Minnesota RV owners, which makes this a great time to re-discover this inspiring man and his influence on American history.

To celebrate, you could take a RV road trip to view the Martin Luther King National Historic Site and Park in Atlanta, Georgia. Or, you and your family can learn more about Dr. King and his work through one of his books, such as Why We Can’t Wait or A Gift of Love. And of course, the “I Have a Dream” speech has never lost its power, and you can view a video of the speech or read the full text.

If MLK Day inspires you to give back (we see this a lot in our RV community), consider being a part of the national Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. On the MLK Day of Service website, you can click, “find a project” to locate a volunteer opportunity in your community or create your own project [http://mlkday.gov/serve/find.php].

There are also plenty of local opportunities to celebrate, remember and give back:

  • Get involved with The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board’s (MPRB) annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration and food drive.
  • Watch the Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Breakfast with keynote speaker Marian Wright Edelman and musical performances by Ann Nesby.

Go hook up the your new RV and have a great weekend!

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Minnesota RVers: What Would You Do If You Saw A Bat?

October 24th, 2012 -

Halloween is coming. And even though we have a blast camping out in the our new Minnesota motorhomes , carving pumpkins and dressing up as ghosts and goblins, it’s also a tough time of year for batty public relations. We thought this would be a great time to set the record straight with a few fun facts about bats from Bat Conservation International:

  • Centuries of myths and misinformation still generate needless fears and threaten bats and their habitats around the world.
  • The more than 1,200 species of bats. They range from the world’s smallest mammal, the tiny bumblebee bat that weighs less than a penny to giant flyig foxes with six-foot wingspans.
  • A single little brown bat can eat up to 1,000 mosquito-sized insects in a single hour, while a pregnant or lactating female bat typically eats the equivalent of her entire body weight in insects each night.
  • Almost a third of the world’s bats feed on the fruit or nectar of plants. In return for their meals, these bats are vital pollinators of countless plants (many of great economic value) and essential seed dispersers with a major role in regenerating rainforests.
  • About 1 percent of bats eat fish, mice, frogs or other small vertebrates.
  • Only three species, all in Latin America, are vampires. They really do feed on blood, although they lap it like kittens rather than sucking it up as horror movies suggest. Even the vampires are useful: an enzyme in their saliva is among the most potent blood-clot dissolvers known and is used to treat human stroke victims.

Minnesota has seven species of bats, and Wildlife Rehabilitation & Release, Inc. says that while some of our bats migrate south for the winter, others hibernate in caves, abandoned mines and buildings. Two species include the gorgeous silver-haired bat, which lives in forests and has dark fur with silver streaks, and the red bat, which often hangs from its tree roosts by one foot, mimicking an autumn leaf.

This Halloween, help spread the word! Bats are not what you’ve seen in horror movies. Bats are the good guys!

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National Wildlife Refuge Week

October 3rd, 2012 -

Theodore Roosevelt designated Florida’s Pelican Island as the nation’s first wildlife refuge in 1903. Since that time, the National Wildlife Refuge System has grown to include 553 refuges and 38 wetland management districts that conserve America’s diversity of fish, wildlife and plant species.

There’s at least one refuge in every state, and the refuges are home to an estimated 700 species of birds, 220 species of mammals, 250 reptile and amphibian species and more than 200 species of fish, which means that the refuges offer countless nature tourism opportunities for RV travelers.

During the week of October 14 – 20, we’re helping Minnesota celebrate National Wildlife Refuge week, and thought we’d share a few events happening across the state. Some of the highlights include special talks hosted by none other than author and naturalist Henry David Thoreau (as portrayed by historian Richard Smith at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, a photo workshop at the Fergus Falls-Prairie Wetland Learning Center, a photo contest at Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge, and bird-watching opportunities at most Minnesota refuges.

And, if your Minnesota RV travel plans take you further afield next week, you can visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife site to find a refuge on your route, and search for upcoming events all over the country.

 

 

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