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Communication
As full time RVers/Motorhomers, one of the major issues we contend
with is communication. How do we let friends and family know where
we are and what we are up to? Using a cell phone works some of
the time. Usually, however, it is just too costly--no matter what
great rates you set up for yourself. In addition to cost, we have
found that much of the time there simply aren't enough cells available
where we wander to. (Beware of sales people who try to sell you
antennas guaranteed to boost your reception. It just ain't a reality,
yet.) Dropping calls all the time becomes very frustrating.
E-mail requires a landline or a modem connection through your
cell phone. That applies to either a regular laptop computer
or
the now popular handheld PocketMail device. We have tried the
cell phone routine with both our laptops and our PocketMail.
It
works, some of the time. But, as we mentioned above, it is
just plain costly and unreliable. So, the next best bet is
the landline.
Landlines can be found at most private RV parks in the USA
and Canada these days. Some of these parks have really gone
out of
their way to provide nice space for computer/e-mail users.
In Mexico, there are internet cafes in almost all the major
towns
down the Baja. However, even with all of this, there still
aren't enough of us computer users to make good modem service
a worthwhile
part of the package for most RV parks and campgrounds no matter
where you travel in North America. So, you'll often find us
standing
in line waiting to use the park's one modem that also serves
as the 800 number access line. Needless to say, in this kind
of set
up, composing e-mail online makes you one very unpopular person!
Sometimes we wait hours to use the only pay phone in the park.
At one park--that advertised modem connectivity--Linda was
lead
to a hot, stuffy trailer used for storage and told that the
modem connection was somewhere, "down there under them boxes." After
ten minutes of moving boxes and crawling around on the floor,
she did finally find the phone jack. The heat in the trailer
almost
sent her to the hospital, however. So,all in all, it wasn't
an ideal set up-- despite the accolade in the Trailer Life
Directory.
So we decided we needed some system of communication that maximized
getting out information when we could find good connectivity.
Hence, wandercrones.com. We take photos, keep a log, write reviews
and stories almost every day. Then, when we find a good connection,
Linda uploads everything new to the web site. Family and friends
are alerted to changes, and everyone has new information regarding
our whereabouts and out journey.
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Information
Sharing and Business
By adopting this lifestyle, we have become part of a new and very
large family--A regular modern day gypsy clan, as it were! Some
estimate this North American nomadic family of full-time motorhomers
to be as large as three million. No matter where we go, we share
feelings of camaraderie and caring with other fulltimers, despite
our sometimes incredibly diverse backgrounds. There is something
about not being tied to place or property; about carrying our
homes on our backs like turtles, that has created a group of people
with a unique culture and language rooted in information sharing
and story telling. With that spirit in mind, we decided to put
together a special section devoted just to things of interest
to RVers. We hope it serves as an avenue for sharing the many
things we are learning on the road.
In
addition to just sharing information, Linda runs two businesses
via wandercrones.com: The
WebTinker and Roving
Rover's Guide to NorthAmerican Dog Parks. The WebTinker
offers affordable web design and consultation to RVers looking
to put together either a personal or business web site. Roving
Rover's Guide to NorthAmerican Dog Parks is a directory of RV
parks and campgrounds that are dog friendly.
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Tale
Telling
It's impossible to wander this continent and not have stories
to tell. From our travel logs and reflections to the adventures
of Andy the Cat and stories about Baja dogs, it's all here for
anyone with any interest in what two wandercrones traveling with
seven animal pals might have to say.
 
to who are the wandercrones?
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