RV―The Future of Post-Covid Travel

In [1], it reports that scared Americans desperate to travel are buying up "Covid Campers."  This includes some people considering an RV for the first time because of the pandemic.

Social distancing could become a norm after Covid-19.  That’s where the recreational vehicle comes in: it is lot easier if you can bring along your own kitchen, bathroom and bedroom.

Post-Covid Travel

After lock-down ends, the demand for RVs in US has been high. US RV industry is dominated by several large manufacturers.  Here are the three leading RV brands to consider at your car dealership:

Thor Industries

Thor is the leading supplier of RVs to the US market. The company’s sales met over a third of US demand in 2016. Thor’s products include conventional travel trailers; fifth wheels; truck and folding campers; and Class A, B, and C motorhomes. The company owns many well-known RV brands, including Airstream, CrossRoads, Cruiser RV, Dutchmen, Jayco, Starcraft, and Thor Motor Coach. In June 2016, Thor acquired Jayco, which included the Jayco, Starcraft, Highland Ridge, and Entegra Coach brands.

Forest River

Forest River, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, manufactures RVs as well as utility cargo trailers, buses, and pontoon boats. The company ranked as the second leading RV supplier to the US market in 2016. Brands owned by Forest River include Coachmen, Dynamax, Forest River, Palomino, Prime Time, and Shasta.

Winnebago Industries

In 2016, Winnebago stood as the third largest supplier of RVs to the US market. The company's RV products include Class A, B, and C motorhomes; travel trailers; fifth wheels; folding camper trailers; and truck campers. These products are primarily marketed under the Winnebago brand name. In October 2016, Winnebago announced it would be acquiring Grand Design RV, a manufacturer of towable RVs.

References

1. Scared Americans Desperate to Travel Are Buying Up ‘Covid Campers’
2. Three Companies to Watch in the RV Industry

Superspreader vs Common People

Superspreader is a person who plays a disproportionate role in spreading a disease. A superspreading trend is evident for Covid-19 too.

Source: [4]

Superspreader

Typhoid Mary, a cook, is perhaps history’s most famous superspreader, infecting 50 people and killing three. Sadly, she was quarantined for life on North Brother Island, near the Bronx. Science commentator Anjana Ahuja thinks we have something to learn from her case. Studies suggest 80 per cent of coronavirus spread comes from 20 per cent of infected people. Tracing these spreaders is key to containing the disease.

Similarly, in the current Covid-19, a new chain of transmission has begun in Europe after a suspected “superspreader” travelled from a Singapore conference to a French ski resort, infecting four adults and a child.  The man returned to the UK on 28 January before being diagnosed with the virus himself later.

Common People

If the pathogen is to be contained, then the analysis of its spread needs to be more granular than simply measuring R, the reproduction number. R is the average number of people a carrier passes the disease to, but is just that: an average.

“The consistent pattern is that the most common number is zero,” professor Jamie Lloyd-Smith, from the University of California, Los Angeles, told the journal Science. “Most people do not transmit.”

Super Spreader Events

Dr. Fauci, however, has emphasized that it's the super spreader events rather than the super spreaders that we should try to avoid.   We have witnessed many such super spreader events in the past. The recent one was reported on Wednesday (10/28/2020):^[7]

On Wednesday, county officials said they were coping with the fallout from two more so-called superspreader events that left 56 people with the virus and nearly 300 in quarantine: a wedding that exceeded the state’s 50-person limit and a birthday party that did not.

References

1. To beat Covid-19, find today’s superspreading ‘Typhoid Marys’
2. Coronavirus: Five Britons in French ski chalet catch virus
3. UK warns coronavirus outbreak will ‘get worse before it gets better’
4. COVID-19: Specific and Non-Specific Clinical Manifestations and Symptoms: The Current State of Knowledge
5. A COVID-19 vaccine: 5 things that could go wrong
6. One Meeting in Boston Seeded Tens of Thousands of Infections, Study Finds
• A February meeting of biotech executives became a coronavirus “superspreading” event with a transmission chain across the globe.
7. Wedding and Birthday Party Infect 56, Leaving Nearly 300 in Quarantine
8. Coronavirus: What is the R number and how is it calculated?

Dallas Travel―Ford Center at The Star after Six Years

Ford Center at The Star is a 12,000-seat indoor stadium located in Frisco, Texas. Its main use is as the Dallas Cowboys' practice facility.  Six years ago, Cowboys had decided to move its headquarter from Irving to Frisco.

Photo Gallery

05/24/2020

The below photos were taken on 05/24/2020 on a stormy day which is the typical Texas' hot summer weather. 

All the high-rises seen in the pictures are newly-built since six years ago.  As you can see, there are cranes still hang high into the sky.  Probably the constructions will continue into many more years.

But, as you can also see, the original green pastures are gradually encroached by human activities and is disappearing.  Here is the cost we've paid for the urban development. 

05/30/2021

The below photos were taken a day before Memorial Day in 2021, which are quite different views from the previous photos taken on 05/24/2020.

Barcelona Travel―Visiting Girona from Barcelona

Girona is a small city, situated around 99 km (62 mi)  north of Barcelona. It’s the capital of the Girona province and the Costa Brava. Filled with ancient history, colorful architecture, and world-class cuisine. There are the old city walls to walk around, the old Roman Arabic-style baths to visit, the vast Girona Cathedral to discover and the tiny alleyways of the Jewish Quarter to meander.

Since much of the old quarter of this ancient city has been preserved, Girona is a popular destination for tourists, and film productions have used it as a filming location.   You may recognize parts of Girona, even though you’ve never been here before. That’s because parts of season six of Game of Thrones were filmed here.

Photo Gallery

On 12/20/2019, we have joined a full-day tour to visit Girona and Costa Brava from Barcelona, which was provided by Explore Catalunya. This tour covered three vista points:

1. Pals
2. Calella de Palafrugell
3. Girona 

Photogenic location at Onyar River (view from the bridge)

View of Girona Cathedral from the riverbank

Left: Basílica de Sant Feliu / Right: Girona Cathedral

Basílica de Sant Feliu

Sculpture "Girona Lioness" in Girona (La Lleona) - make a wish and kiss the lioness in the ass

Alleyways of the Jewish Quarter

Pont de les Peixateries Velles

Photo taken from Pont de les Peixateries Velles

Girona Cathedral

Calella de Palafrugell: A Mediterranean Paradise

Nestled along the stunning Costa Brava coastline, Calella de Palafrugell ⭐⭐is a picturesque town known for its whitewashed houses, rocky coves, and charming beaches. As part of the municipality of Palafrugell in Girona, Spain, Calella offers a tranquil escape from the bustling city.

Despite its popularity, Calella has managed to retain its quaint and intimate atmosphere. Visitors can enjoy strolling through the narrow streets, swimming in the crystal-clear waters, or simply relaxing on the beach.

Photo Gallery

On December 20, 2019, we embarked on a full-day tour to explore Girona and Costa Brava, departing from Barcelona. This tour, organized by Explore Catalunya, included visits to three stunning locations: 

1. Pals
2. Calella de Palafrugell
3. Girona

Our journey began in Barcelona under rainy skies. Due to the weather, our tour guide decided to head to Pals first. By the time we reached Calella de Palafrugell around noon, the clouds still lingered. However, as the day progressed, the weather transformed, and we were treated to a rare sunny winter day, as captured in the photos below.

  Spectacular Views of Calella from the Camí de Ronda Hiking Trail

This scenic coastal trail connects the charming towns of Calella, Tamariu, and Llafranc, offering stunning views of the Mediterranean Sea

References

1. Calella de Palafrugell travel | Spain - Lonely Planet
2. Calella de Palafrugell (theculturetrip.com)

Barcelona Travel―Tour of Pares Balta Winery

www.paresbalta.com

Organic and Biodynamic Farming

Parés Baltà is a family-owned winery whose origins go back to 1790.

They produce high-quality wines and cavas (or sparkling wines from Spain) with grapes that come from their 5 estates, located in different altitudes, from 170m to 750m above the sea. Therefore, they have a huge variety of soils and microclimates which give personality to their wines.

They cultivate the vineyards in an ecological way since the origins and in a biodynamic way since 2012. They have a flock of sheep which gives them natural fertilization for the soil and bees that help them to pollinate and to bring the essence of the Mediterranean ecosystem to their grapes.

Abbey of Montserrat

Full-Day Tour of Montserrat and Cava Trail

On 12/19/2019, I have joined a full-day tour provided by Explore Catalunya, which visited Abbey of Montserrat first and then Parés Baltà Winery.

After watching the performance of Montserrat’s Boys’ Choir, we were transported through the back roads to the wine country and visited the winery in the afternoon.  We left the winery at around 5:30 pm and returned to Barcelona around 7 pm delayed by some traffic.

Església de Santa Maria (on the way from Abbey of Montserrat to the Winery

Església de Santa Maria

Tió / Tronca (or "Log") is a character in Catalan mythology relating to a Christmas tradition

Underground wine cellars

Wine tasting

Video: How to open a wine in the right way

References

1. Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey
2. Montserrat Boys Choir Performance Schedule
3. Escolania de Montserrat
4. Explore Catalunya
5. Parés Baltà (a family-owned winery)
6. Barcelona Travel―Visiting Abbey of Montserrat