This Week Lifestyle In Luxury Motorhome's

 

Destin RV Beach Resort

The Destin RV Beach Resort is a first class, luxury RV Resort. We have full hook-up services with beautiful landscaping, paver streets, and cement pads. We offer 34 sites large enough to accommodate even the largest luxury RV's. We also have two finely furnished condos available for up to 8 people. You can make your reservation here on-line or give us a call at 850 837-3529.

The Destin RV Beach Resort is conveniently located right across from the Gulf. We invite you to come experience the quiet and relaxed city of Destin, Florida, where the water is a gorgeous emerald green and the sunsets are a breath-taking collage of colors.

The Greyhound Group

" Skip " The CWS Chauffeur of Champions

 

                       Howard 'Skip' Stern: 

           The CWS Chauffeur of Champions

Skip Stern has been driving his whole life.

The Air Force veteran got his start behind the wheel of military fuel trucks on the runways of U.S. air bases in Germany. He was serving his country then. He serves the players and coaches of the College World Series now.

Skip has been a bus driver for Arrow Stage Lines in Omaha, Neb., for decades. Arrow has the contract to drive the College World Series teams everywhere they need to go during their time in Omaha. For the past 18 years, Skip has done exactly that.

If you stand outside TD Ameritrade Park during the series, you see the team buses pull up out front, flanked by police escorts. The players and coaches of the respective teams get off the bus and get mobbed with high fives, fist bumps and camera flashes by excited fans.

In the background, the drivers like Skip sit quietly out of view. These teams are at the stadium on time, and guys like Skip Stern are the reason why.

This year, Skip is the driver for the North Carolina Tar Heels. It's the third time in his 18 years of driving for the series that he's been assigned to the Tar Heels and he couldn't be happier.

"UNC is fantastic," Skip says. "From the moment I pick them up at the airport, the players and coaches are nothing but happy to see me. We shake hands and exchange hugs at the airport, catch up a little bit. Mike Fox (UNC's coach) is a great guy. Great coach."
Skip drives the teams to and from hotels to practice, press conferences, dinners and various other public events. Most of the time he logs 10-hour days. He shows me the itinerary he has been given, which looks like a military technical order. Everything is about being in a certain place at a certain time to make the College World Series work like a well-oiled machine.

It's a good thing Skip has that military experience to fall back on.
As we were sitting and chatting on Skip's bus, a UNC assistant leans in the door and tosses a white and Carolina-blue polo at him. "Here ya go, Skip!", the assistant says. Skip looks at me, smiles and says "I've got a closet full of this stuff. Miami, North Carolina, Purdue." Those free shirts are just a small perk of Skip's job.

For the most part, Arrow assigns drivers to teams as they qualify. Guys who have been driving a while, like Skip, usually get to pick who they drive. "Everybody knows, if Miami, North Carolina or Arizona make it here, that's who I drive. I've drove for Miami a total of seven times and have built a nice relationship with their coach, Jim Morris."

That relationship began during Skip's first year as a CWS driver. Plans were being finalized that year to take the Miami Hurricanes to a prominent local steakhouse for dinner. Once Morris knew when and where his team would be dining, he asked Skip if he'd be eating with the team. "I didn't know I was invited," Skip said. Morris looked at him like a manager talking to one of his pitchers on the mound and replied, "You're part of this team."
That wasn't just lip service on the part of Morris. After the Hurricanes won the College World Series in 2001, all of the players and coaches received gold national championship rings. One of the people who received a ring for doing his part for Miami was Skip Stern.

"It's real heavy and I don't wear it often," Skip says. But I take it out and put it on during the series."
In all, Skip Stern has been a part of three national championship teams. His first two were with the Hurricanes. The third came in 2012, when he was the driver for the Arizona Wildcats. He's also been the driver for two runners-up.

Skip also thinks about some of the former player's he had the opportunity to drive for, many of whom went on to have careers in Major League Baseball. He rattles off names like Ryan Braun (Brewers), Alex Cora (now with ESPN), Darwin Barney (Cubs), Mark Prior (Cubs), John Jay (Cardinals), Yonder Alonso (Padres), Chris Perez (Indians) and Dustin Ackley (Mariners). He makes it a point to follow the careers of all of them as closely as he can.

 

The 2001 National Championship ring given to Skip by the Miami Hurricanes. (Photo by J.P. Scott)

I asked him what the best thing about his job was. Without hesitation, he cited the relationships he's built. "I like baseball, going to games, going to practices...all of it. But the thing I like most is the relationships. I love to get to know the players and coaches and build those relationships. That's what makes this job special."

As we concluded our discussion, I light-heartedly brought up his first name. He was quick to smile and say "I was Howard Stern before Howard Stern was Howard Stern." I certainly won't argue.
If you are lucky enough to be in Omaha this year for the College World Series, look around for the North Carolina bus. As you might you'd expect, it will be decked out in Carolina blue, so it will be hard to miss.

Once you find it, give Skip a holler, high five or a fist bump and thank him for being literally behind the wheel of one of America's greatest sporting events for the better part of the last two decades.
Maybe he'll show you his ring.

   The Greyhound Group

Guest Post: On the Road with Greyhound

 

 Guest Post: On the Road: Atlanta to New York

A few months ago, Greyhound asked journalists and bloggers in Atlanta to try out their new Express service. Since I was already planning to go to New York for the launch of my new poetry collection, Render, I jokingly asked the PR person, Jessica C., if I could get a free ticket to NYC. I couldn’t believe it when she said yes. On the afternoon of April 11, I departed from Atlanta for an 18-hour bus ride up the East Coast. I was going to be a brave soldier and do the whole trip without stopping for a break. I was thinking of it as practice for when I finally go to Australia and have to sit on a plane for 20 hours. It didn’t quite go as planned, but the Greyhound folks I met along the way – from drivers to ticket agents – were incredibly helpful.

The new Greyhound Express fleet is painted with a dark blue and silver livery and the interior is definitely a step-up from the normal bus. There are wide leather seats, more legroom, cup holders, an electrical outlet for your phone or laptop and free Wi-Fi onboard. The bus driver on the Atlanta to Charlotte, NC leg was named Brenda and she was funny and no-nonsense. We left the city just after 2 p.m. in a torrential rainstorm and hit early rush hour traffic, but Brenda got us to Charlotte on time.

After quick stops in Greensboro and Durham, we rolled into the night toward Richmond, VA – the halfway point of this trip and where those going on to NYC would change buses. We arrived in Richmond ahead of schedule at around 12:30 a.m. During this leg, I realize that I am not 20 anymore and there was no way I can do another 10 hours on the bus. Even at nearly 1 a.m., the staff at the Richmond terminal was incredibly helpful. They quickly switched my ticket to an 11 a.m. departure, showed me where to grab a cab and suggested a couple of hotels near the terminal. It was fantastic customer service.

After getting some sleep at the hotel, I returned to the Greyhound Terminal for my 11 a.m. bus to New York. The terminal was packed with people, and so was my bus. I sat in the aisle toward the back with a nice man originally from Senegal, who had been on the bus for two days coming up from Miami. There were some other interesting characters on the bus, including a man headed to Manhattan in search of work and a woman skipping her Friday chemotherapy treatment so she could eat a big birthday dinner that night with her family.

It’s during this leg of the trip that I found the Greyhound Express’ biggest shortcoming: the lack of tables. In Europe, most coaches have a set of seats that face a table similar to a train carriage. Greyhound should consider taking out another row of seats or at least adding some fold down, airplane-style tables. It was impossible to do any real work on my laptop on the bus without a flat surface. I’d also suggest adding seat-back pockets for folks to put their magazine, snacks or iPad.

The bus driver on our Richmond to NYC leg was also very efficient and made sure we were on schedule. We stopped for lunch at Chesapeake House service station in Maryland, the fifth busiest rest stop in America. But this was no ordinary rest stop: inside the big building was a convenience store, fast food choices galore and quite possibly the cleanest pubic restrooms I’d ever seen.

Although our driver made good time, once we reached New York traffic was gridlocked. Our arrival into the Port Authority bus terminal was delayed by almost an hour as we inched our way through the Lincoln Tunnel. A Greyhound staffer told me where to find the taxi rank and I was thrilled to finally be in Manhattan.

Would I take an 18-hour bus ride again? Probably not. While everyone at Greyhound was fantastic, taking long-haul public transportation comes down to personal endurance and economics. The real take away for me on this trip was how necessary Greyhound really is to this country. From families, to those looking for work, to senior citizens, to students –Greyhound is still an inexpensive way to travel. Would I take Greyhound again for a shorter trip? You bet. I’ve already got one in mind for later this year.

Stepped-Up Action Against Unsafe Buses

Stepped-up action against unsafe motorcoach companies delivers record results

Last month, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator Anne Ferro kicked off Roadcheck 2011, saying, "We will not tolerate unsafe carriers that endanger the public." Today, the FMCSA released numbers that prove it.
Thanks to stepped-up surprise inspections, full compliance reviews, and enforcement actions, DOT under the Obama Administration has issued as many imminent hazard orders placing unsafe bus and truck companies out of service as in the previous 10 years combined.  Between 2000 and 2009, the FMCSA issued 14 imminent hazard orders placing unsafe carriers out of service.  In just the last year and a half, we have already issued another 14.




In the past four months alone, we issued eight out-of-service orders. These orders immediately followed investigations that found carriers or drivers to have so flagrantly violated safety regulations that continuing operations would present imminent danger to passengers and to the public.  For example, last month, we discovered a Michigan company transporting passengers in luggage compartments.
Roadside inspections of motorcoaches have jumped nearly 100 percent, from 12,991 in 2005 to 25,703 in 2010, while compliance reviews are up 128 percent, from 457 in 2005 to 1,042 in 2010.





In May, FMCSA and its state and local law enforcement partners conducted more than 3,000 surprise passenger carrier safety inspections over a two-week period. This strike force removed 442 unsafe buses or drivers from the nation's roadways.

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FMCSA 2013 Roadcheck Hits The Streets

 

 

2013 Roadcheck hits the streets with one goal: Safety

It's time once again for the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance's (CVSA) annual Roadcheck, the largest targeted inspection and enforcement program on commercial motor vehicles in the world.
Each year, approximately 10,000 CVSA-certified local, state, provincial, and federal inspectors at 1,500 locations across North America perform truck and bus inspections, with approximately 14 trucks or buses being inspected, on average, every minute from Canada to Mexico during the 72-hour event last year.
From sunrise this morning until sunset Thursday, we expect 2013's Roadcheck officers to conduct more than 70,000 inspections.

FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro with motorcoach operator

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator Anne Ferro attended this morning's kickoff event at FedEx Field in Landover, MD, and FMCSA Chief Safety Officer Jack Van Steenburg will be in Ontario, Canada, tomorrow for another Roadcheck event.
Safety is the FMCSA’s number one mission. And our partnership with CVSA and the States truly raises the safety bar for commercial motor vehicles. This year alone, FMCSA will award more than $300 million in grants to directly support nearly 10,000 state and local inspectors dedicated to motor carrier, commercial vehicle, and driver safety. 
This year, Roadcheck inspectors and enforcement officers will emphasize motorcoach safety and properly securing cargo loads on trucks.

Since February when I called for a nationwide crackdown on high-risk motorcoach carriers, we placed out of service 18 bus companies for violating basic safety standards and putting their passengers in jeopardy. Eleven of those companies were placed out of service since our Quick Strike enforcement teams got up and running in early April.  Working with our state law enforcement partners and CVSA, we are committed to removing those carriers and commercial drivers who cut corners to make a buck at the expense of safety.



With large trucks, cargo securement is important to the safety of every type of load from flat beds to van trailers and cargo tankers. Loss of cargo onto the roadways or shifting cargo that causes unstable trucks and buses can pose serious safety hazards. 

Last year, cargo securement violations accounted for one in ten of all commercial vehicle violations found during random inspections. So this year, along with our CVSA partners, we will scour every commercial truck to ensure that cargo is secured properly.

When it comes to unsafe trucks and buses, for the sake of everyone who uses our roadways, we have zero tolerance. We simply cannot allow commercial drivers, vehicles, and carriers that endanger the public.

That's why, working with our partners, we put action behind our words in events like Roadcheck and in our ongoing inspections of commercial motor vehicles. 
I want to thank the many men and women of law enforcement who put themselves on the front lines to protect the public’s safety, not just during Roadcheck, but every day of the year. Because of you, we save lives.
And I also want to thank the professional drivers who are out there on the road doing a good job day in and day out. You set a terrific example, and I urge you to continue setting that example for your colleagues.

On America's Team - Dallas Cowboys Bus

Brand America’s Team: My Weekend on the Bus

Travelling in style on the Dallas Cowboys Tour Bus

Today the Dallas Cowboys won the NFC East with a dominating win over their in conference rival, the Philadelphia Eagles.  They enter the playoffs with an 11-5 record and a high powered offense making them legitimate contenders for the Lombardi Trophy.
Whether you are a Cowboys fan or not, if you follow sports at all its very likely the notion of America’s Team evokes some level of emotional response.  Love em, or hate em there is no denying the brand strength of this enterprise.  The Dallas Cowboys have the most valuable brand in the NFL and the 7th most valuable brand in all of team sports behind 5 soccer teams and the NY Yankees (surprised?).  Category leading brands create highly engaging, emotional reactions.  The Cowboys certainly fall into this category of one.
This fall I was fortunate enough to spend a weekend in Texas attending a couple events and traveling in style on the Cowboys Tour Bus.  Not a bad way to roll and experience brand evangelism, Texas style.  Where big is better, attending a Texas event in official Cowboys transportation is a sure way to generate interest and enthusiasm (and a minor spectacle) among the locals. They LOVE their Cowboys! And the Cowboys provide their fans with an elevated brand experience.
The brand new 1.2 billion dollar Cowboys Stadium is the most expensive in the NFL. The new stadium includes a retractable roof, glass doors allowing each end zone to be opened, and a center-hung video display board. It is the largest high-definition television screen in the world – 160 by 72 feet (49 m × 22 m), 11,520-square-foot (1,070 m²) giving every fan unprecedented access to an up close and personal brand experience.  These are but a few of the more prominent amenities fans get to enjoy on game day.
A brand is a promise…about an experience that creates expectations in the hearts and minds of customers and employees.  The Cowboys provide a compelling, unique and differentiated brand experience converting customers into loyalists every Sunday. The organization has a Passion that is on display and embedded into just about everything they do. The way they do it is special. And the Purpose is clear.  Super Bowl Champions.
And just like in business, over the coming weeks the talent and teamwork will determine the organizations ability to realize the vision.
How ’bout them Cowboys!  Check out the bus…

Fire Destroys Thirty-five Greyhound Buses

 

"  Summercourt fire destroys 35 Western Greyhound fleet buses  "

The managing director of the bus firm Mark Howarth said he could see flames "leaping in the air"

 A fire at a bus depot in Cornwall has destroyed 35 buses - a third of the Western Greyhound firm's fleet. The fire in Summercourt, near Newquay, broke out at about 01:00 BST.
The blaze - the cause is not yet known - is expected to cause "significant disruption" to services in mid-Cornwall, including school buses.

Mark Howarth from Western Greyhound said: "A lot of hard work has gone into Western Greyhound and it's awful to see it going up in smoke."
The burnt-out buses included two brand new vehicles which cost more than £100,000 each, and four of Truro's six park-and-ride buses.
One bus was damaged but is "repairable".

Significant disruption Mr Howarth, the company's managing director, told BBC Radio Cornwall: "I could just see flames leaping in the air and, when I arrived, all the buses at the bottom of the yard were completely ablaze.

"The services will be significantly disrupted but we will run as much of them as we can."
He added: "There will be work for the drivers tomorrow."

Incident Commander Guy Herrington, from Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service, said: "Because of the flammable liquids and materials in the buses, the fire took hold very quickly.

 

It Took more than 60 firefighters tackled the blaze

 

"It takes very little for fire to spread from one vehicle to another but to tackle this number of vehicles in one go is rare."

The fire service said more than 60 firefighters tackled the blaze, and strong winds "significantly fanned the flames".

Neighbour Kelly Broderick said the winds meant "you couldn't tell which way it was going to go".
She said: "It was big, there were explosions; it was terrifying, to be honest."

Water from a swimming pool at a nearby house was used by fire crews fighting the blaze.
In Cornwall about a third of services are not operating or have been delayed, although services are running normally in Devon.

Western Greyhound has been operating buses in both counties since 1998.
It describes itself as a "locally based, family-run business".

There was no damage to the depot's offices or workshops and there were no reports of any injuries.
The cause of the fire is being jointly investigated by Devon and Cornwall Police and Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service.

Investigators said they were keeping an "open mind" as to how it started.

" Pace Suburban Bus to Upgrade Express "

Pace Suburban Bus to upgrade express, Bus on Shoulder routes with 13 MCI® Commuter Coaches

SCHAUMBURG, IL — May 13, 2013 — Chicago's Pace Suburban Bus has awarded Motor Coach Industries (MCI) a contract for 13 MCI Commuter Coaches with an option for 37 more. Pace will use the new coaches to replace older buses and those leased from MCI, on its poplar "Bus on Shoulder" service, which debuted in 2011 between Chicago and the southwest suburbs.

Pace recently announced it is increasing service on its Bus on Shoulder routes due to the dramatic ridership increases. Pace's Bus on Shoulder program, which began in 2011, currently uses 14 MCI Commuter Coach buses on the Interstate Highway 55 shoulder when traffic in regular lanes is flowing at less than 35 miles per hour. The buses using the shoulder cannot travel at speeds greater than 35 mph, or 15 mph faster than the flow of regular traffic—whichever is less. Special signage and roadway markings show where buses can use the shoulder, and the buses have markings indicating authorization to use the shoulder.

Shoulder riding has been cited to be one of the most affordable options for implementing bus rapid transit on highways because it is less expensive to modify shoulders than it is to construct new roadways, and it requires little capital investment compared with rail alternatives. Pace officials say the buses are reducing travel times through one of Chicago's most congested corridors, and more commuters are leaving cars at home.

Built to offer maximum performance and safety at highway speeds, the MCI Commuter Coaches feature plush, forward-facing seats along with individual temperature controls and reading lights, and a smooth ride for a tour-level riding experience that transcends typical transit. The new coaches come equipped with wheelchair lifts and clean-diesel engine technology for near-zero emissions. Pace is also adding optional security cameras, special Bus on Shoulder graphics and "do not follow" warnings on the back of the bus.

"The Bus on shoulder program has been effective at helping combat the Chicago area's chronically jammed expressway system, and we are very pleased that Pace has once again selected the MCI Commuter Coach," said Patrick Scully, Executive Vice President of MCI. "We're proud that our Commuter Coach offers the best mean distance between failures among all types of bus models, reinforcing our Reliability Driven promise to offer the highest quality coaches, parts and service."

One of the largest bus services in North America, Pace serves tens of thousands of daily riders with fixed bus routes, ADA paratransit, ridesharing, Call-n-Ride and dial-a-ride programs in a service area covering roughly 3,500 square miles.

This Week Lifestyle In Luxury Motorhome's

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Wine Country Respite

For a soothing atmosphere, give Rancho California RV Resort a try. They mix the amenities of a hotel with the comforts of home. If you're willing to take a 15 minute drive, you can easily find yourself in the Temecula wine country or the Pechanga Indian Resort. Although, if you choose to just stay put, you'll be able to enjoy such features as tennis, golf, hiking and horseback riding. There are laundry facilities, a pool, and even DSL, providing RV travelers all of the comforts of hotel life.

Breath of Fresh Air

Venture out to Northern California for a peaceful landscape at the Durango RV Resort in Red Bluff. You can choose between river front, pool view or convenient pull-through spaces at this 174 space resort. Their focus is on making patrons feel at home with hotel amenities, and well thought out features. The two-way paved roads will welcome you and your RV as soon as you head in.

Quietude and Serenity

Get away from the hustle and bustle of your home town at the KQ Ranch RV Resort. This resort, located in Julian, California, is set amongst an expansive background of tall green trees and clear blue skies. A mix of seclusion and luxury, patrons can enjoy nature in all it's glory without venturing too far off the beaten path. For those who are worried about getting to far from society, San Diego is just 40 miles away.

Fun in the Sun

You can enjoy the sunny Los Angeles weather without shelling out hundreds of dollars for a hotel. With seven locations spread out across Southern California, Sunland Resorts is a front runner in the industry. Location is everything, and Sunland has California travelers covered so that they can settle for the night in close proximity to whichever So Cal activities they choose--whether it be the beach, an amusement park or just a scenic drive.

Central California Luxury

Bakersfield is a common stop in the trek across the state, and is also home to the Bakersfield RV Resort. This well-kept and friendly resort is a welcome stop where guests can enjoy hotel amenities and several deluxe sites. Resist the urge to keep driving and settle in for a touch of comfort and home at this cozy and clean resort.