Lakeside

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First Time Returning To The Rally That Started It All

Two years ago I can vividly recall us driving our truck and brand new camper away from our first ever rally.  I turned to Lee and said, “I want to come back when we are full timers and give back.”  I can picture myself so clearly, shining with optimism, emboldened  by the things we had learned and the people we had met, and actually feeling like we could do this.  That in itself was a huge step for me.  As Linda says, I was a tough sell, but once convinced I completely threw myself into it.  I know many couples become full-timers without that experience.  I met a great couple just last night who have been full-timing as long as we have and never went to a rally, but for me I can’t even imagine that would be possible.  I needed outside verification that I wasn’t crazy, I needed to see with my own eyes that it can work, and most of all I needed to feel as if I was not alone.  The RV-Dreams rally gave me all that and more and I am really happy that we are able to come back and hopefully share some of that with the future full timers.

As we were driving to the rally yesterday, these thoughts were running through my head, and in anticipation of the people we would be talking to I started to think about what I would tell myself two years ago if I could go backwards.  The thoughts came so fast that I started taking notes in the car and this post is a direct result.  Since arriving we have been busy helping Howard and Linda, sitting at campfires, and  having a wonderful time getting caught up with them and meeting new people, but before we get to far into the rally I want to make sure I write this down.  So here is what I would say to myself.  I am pretty sure I wouldn’t have listened to most of it, but maybe someone else reading this will be smarter than I was!

  • Try not to sweat the small stuff (I definitely would not have listened to that!)
  • Everyone in your life is not going to get it, and they certainly won’t all approve.  Make your peace with that now.
  • You will sell your house.  It may take time, but it will eventually happen.  Have faith.
  • You won’t miss your stuff.  You may occasionally miss the idea of things, but the stuff itself you won’t miss.
  • Get your tires upgraded before you leave. (We put this off and then two stressful flat tires later finally had it done.  No way was it worth the delay and our peace of mind with G rated tires is much higher)
  • That being, said stuff breaks. Deal with it.
  • The claustrophobia will lessen with time.  You and Lee will find a way to coexist in a 400 foot space.
  • It’s not a competition.  There is no winning full-timing because there is no right and wrong way to do it, so find your own way.
  • Give yourself a break.  It’s OK if you aren’t good at this at first.
  • Trust yourself and trust your husband.  The transition is not always easy, but you will be fine.
  • That being said, you still won’t have it all figured out in two years and that’s OK.  It truly is about the journey and not the destination.
  • You will be happy.

The last one really resonated with me.  I am not a person who has had a lot of joy in her life. I have been successful, I have been productive, I have been satisfied, and I have certainly been content.  But pure unadulterated joy…not so much of that.  I have experienced more pure joy in the last two years than I have in my entire life…truly.  So whatever happens, however this plays out long term, I am OK with it.  The joy was worth it.   That’s really what I should say to myself.  Dive right in, the joy is worth it.

Thanks for listening, and thanks to Howard and Linda.  I have said it often and I truly mean it.  They changed my life by helping me to find my joy.

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  • As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.  Search Amazon Here
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First Time with a Major Repair

Just a few days ago I posted about the fact that our rig had just turned two years old and was out of manufacturer’s warranty.  To this point, the problems we have experienced have been minor and we were really feeling lucky.  Well, I am not sure if I jinxed us, but just as we pulled out of the campground to head towards Charleston to spend the week with our oldest daughter, Lee noticed that the rig seemed low on the passenger side, and pulled over.  One side of the rig was about 4 inches lower than the other, something I would never have noticed .  He stopped immediately, got out and checked, and discovered that a part of the suspension system was broken.  It was 8:30am on a Monday morning and our warranty company in Illinois didn’t open until 9:30 Central time.  Lee googled RV Repair in Rock Hill and made a call. Thankfully, Tim was right down the road and could come take a look within 30 minutes.  Lee is a certified RV Tech and often fixes issues with our rig, but when it comes to something of this magnitude we needed a second opinion.  Tim came right away and verified that one of the shackles on the passenger side was broken.

The image below shows the components. The shackle has two bolts and connects the leaf springs to the equalizer.

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And here’s our broken shackle…

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He also informed us no one in town would have the part and it would need to be ordered from Lippert.  Thankfully though he also said he could do the work in the campground and when I went inside to speak to the ranger one of the first come first serve sites was open.  These sites can be paid for day by day for up to two weeks and made the most sense in our situation.  So with some help from Tim we got turned around and parked in the site, which was about 50 feet from the site we’ve been in for the past week.

Tim called the warranty company for us and thankfully there was no issue with him performing the service.  He did try to call Lippert, who in turn called Open Range but they would not cover it under manufacturer warranty even though it was so close to the end date.  It also turns out that at 10,000 miles our wheel bearings should have been lubed and we have put around 16,000 on the rig.  That didn’t have anything to do with the shackle breaking (we believe it was stressed back in August when a tire blew on that side and wrapped around the axle), but was another issue that should be resolved prior to our leaving for Alaska.  And one of the lug nuts was turning freely on our new tire (probably over torqued when installed) and the drum should be replaced.  So what started as one problem turned into three and with the long trek through Canada right around the corner we knew we needed to get it resolved.

It was upsetting, of course.  We had planned this week with our daughter for months and were looking forward to seeing her apartment and checking out where she worked. Lee in particular was frustrated by the timing of the incident, but I really, honestly felt blessed.  There are so many places this could have been happened that would have been way worse, and the fact that we were safe, it was somewhat covered by warranty, and didn’t happen in a foreign country or on the side of the interstate many miles from a town are a blessing.  Here’s the thing, the rig is going to break and sooner or later every single one of us is going to have a major repair.  It’s part of the lifestyle.  The timing though, well that’s something totally different. Sometimes these things happen and it’s a minor inconvenience and other times it is major hassle to get the repair completed.  Most of the stories we have heard have been the latter, so the fact that we had a place to stay, were still near family, and were not in the middle of a work commitment is good.  So in those moments you can choose to focus on the positives in the situation or dwell on the negatives.  I chose the former.  There is no sense in being angry that it happened in the first place though.  If you move your home frequently things will happen.  It’s just a fact.  When it happens though, well that is something you can certainly be upset about.  Just keep in mind when it’s your turn that it probably could be worse.

After getting the parts ordered, Lee and I decided to make lemonade and complete a big purge.  Really you should purge every 6 months, especially in the first couple of years and we were going to do it in Quartzsite but things kept getting in the way.  You’ve seen our schedule since then, things have been busy and we are way overdo.  So we went room by room, cabinet by cabinet and went through everything.  Lee set a “no value judgement” rule which worked beautifully.  If either one of us wanted to keep something it stayed…no judgement, and in the end we ended up throwing away 4 bags of “trash” and setting aside 4 big bags of stuff for our daughter Kyrston to go through.  Whatever she doesn’t want we will pitch.  The thing I am most excited about is the reorganizing we did at the same time.  Using the principle of keeping the most used items closest to hand, we not only freed up tons of space, but more importantly put commonly used items in an easy to reach space.  And wow do I have so much more room.  It was a long day and we were both tired at the end of it, but what a great feeling.  We’ve lived in the rig long enough to know what our “problem areas” are and paid particular attention to reorganizing those.  Overall it wasn’t that bad…I think we have done of good job, but we did have some weird stuff we have been holding onto that we were finally OK of letting go of.

I was thrilled when Lee solved the proiblem of where to put the containers

I was thrilled when Lee solved the problem of where to put the food containers

 

Ooooh pretty

oooh pretty

 

And this high cabinet has been the bane of my existence

And this high cabinet has been the bane of my existence

 

Look now!!

Look now!! This is why the girls and I call Lee the “packmaster 9000”.

 

Everyone has one thing though that they just have to much of and can't get rid of. Books is it for both of us

Everyone has one thing though that they just have to much of and can’t get rid of. Books is it for both of us

 

So that’s how I felt on Tuesday night when I wrote the above.  It is now Thursday and I am not feeling as chipper.  The parts came in and the tech is on his way. but we have still not received a quote.  We have called three times and been called three times in return by his office manager, but he has been working up the quote this whole time.  Now the tech is coming to start the work and I have no idea how much this is costing me.  Plus, waiting around for this I have lost two days with my daughter.  I could have gone to Charleston either day, but stayed because the quote was coming and I felt I needed to be here.  At this point I don’t feel deliberately manipulated, but more the victim of a disorganized small business.  My anxiety level has risen over the last two days though and only Lee’s faith that it will all work out (that’s a switch) is keeping me somewhat calm.  Here’s the thing, when your home is broken and you can’t move you are a captive audience with extremely limited choices.  Yes, we could have switched to another tech at some point, but when? We even talked about getting the minimal done and heading to Indiana and biting the bullet on a Mor-Ryde suspension system but the timing would have been very tough with our work commitment not to mention the impact on our finances.  Plus based on the experiences of lots of other folks how could we be sure we wouldn’t put ourselves in a worse situation just driving there?  That’s why this whole thing sucks so bad. We are in such a vulnerable position and even with Lee’s technical knowledge there are some things we simply are not equipped to do.

OK, so as I finished typing the above, the call finally came and the tech showed up.  Coincidence I doubt that, but the price to us was $700- $800 which is certainly manageable, and less than either of us thought it would be.  For that we are getting 4 new heavy duty shackles, 2 new heavy duty equalizers, a new drum, all new heavy duty “wet bolts” with grease fittings and all the bearings greased and the brakes inspected.  The image below shows the difference between the old shackle on the right,  and the new heavy duty style. The new ones are more than twice as thick.

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The old strut

The old equalizer

 

The new one...much more heavy duty

The new one…much more heavy duty

 

The good news is that while we were sitting around waiting for parts to come in and quotes Lee finished our DIY RV Projects (Inside) page.  He has outside projects about 75% done, and we will post that when finished (the ladder box is taking a while to explain).  But I was excited.  Been trying to get that done for over a year and he spent 12 hours in total working on them for me.  Plus Thursday Kyrston and Jeremy made the 3 hour drive up from Charleston (they arrived about 20 minutes after the tech showed up) and brought their new puppy Finnegan! Puppies make everything better and it was so wonderful to get to spend some time with them.  Lee made a huge steak dinner and we played with the puppy (who is super fun and mellow) most of the day.  Plus the repairs went great.  The tech was finished in about 4 hours and after seeing the difference in the quality of new and old parts both Lee and I felt better about the whole thing. Yes it sucked that it happened at all, but when you believe things happen for a reason (as I do), that includes both good and bad.

Jeremy with the puppy

Jeremy with the puppy

Chewing on a stick!

Chewing on a stick!

Kyrston, my oldest daughter

Kyrston, my oldest daughter

Finnegan!!

Finnegan!!

Love, love this picture

Love, love this picture

 

Now we are heading to the RV-Dreams rally on Saturday (just in case we have any kind of an issue) and I can’t wait to see Howard and Linda again and meet all the people there. Should be very fun, and after that we are off to Alaska with a much heavier duty suspension system underneath us!!

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Supporting our Blog

We very much appreciate your support of our blog.

  • As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.  Search Amazon Here
  • You can purchase the ebook telling the story of how we became full-time RVers.
  • You can purchase our recipe book filled with 80 recipes we have cooked in our RV and taste tested by Lee himself. You can purchase the kindle or paperback version on Amazon or buy the Apple version on Itunes.

 

 

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First Time at an Adoption Party

One of the people that I admire most in the world is my sister.  Although she is 12 years younger than me and the baby of our family, she has always been a force.  As I have watched her get married and raise her kids, and our relationship evolved from big sister/little sister to peers, that esteem has only grown.  She is an outstanding mother and a person of deep faith, and unlike many people who just talk about their faith she has put her beliefs into practice.   Since she was about 15 years old she has talked about adopting.  It was always a major goal of hers, but not something that ever came to fruition.  So a couple of years ago, when the opportunity to foster an infant came into her life I wasn’t surprised that she jumped at the chance.  I did think  she was crazy :).  Her own kids were 10, 13, and 15 and she was in the “home stretch” of child raising by my estimation, but Wendy and her husband Josh were committed.  So began a two year long labor of love which is finally culminating in the adoption being finalized in May.

The baby Abram has grown from a very small 1 month old to a very solid toddler with a wonderful personality, and an infectious smile.  He knows his own mind, not surprising in a child raised by Wendy, but he is also incredibly sweet and loving.  The last two years have been really tough though.  Severing parental rights (even in the case of drug use and criminal activity) is necessarily a long and thorough process, but the ups and downs, starts and stops have definitely taken a toll on Wendy and Josh.  Throughout it all though, their faith that God put this child with them for a reason has not wavered, and finally the adoption day is set.  Wendy has been planning to have a party since the beginning and when she found out we would be in the area in April moved the date up so we could be there.  My parents and brother also came down from Columbus, so for the first time since Katy’s wedding we are all going to be together.

What I didn’t expect through this process is how much Lee and I would grow to love Abram.  Family to me is more than just a blood relation, but since we haven’t spent a ton of time with him over the last year I am surprised by how quickly we have grown to love him.  Lee and he have a very special relationship which is really a joy to watch and Abram adores his uncle Lee.  Unfortunately we can’t post pictures of his face until the adoption is finalized but he is cute as a button and his smile lights up the room.

Abram and Lee

Abram and Lee

Someone is tuckered out and it wasn't Abram!!

Someone is tuckered out and it wasn’t Abram!!

I also got to spend time this week with my niece and nephews which was awesome and I got to see two of Alec’s soccer games.  I have been honing my photography skills on birds, but try keeping up with a bunch of 12 year old soccer players.  Thank heavens for the sports setting on my camera! Alec scored three goals in the game (he’s really good) and I had a blast taking the pictures.

 

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My little number 10!!

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I love the way he throws his whole body into every play

Alec holding a picture of his Aunt Tracy from high school. We even had the same hair!!

Alec holding a picture of his Aunt Tracy from high school. We even have the same hair!!

We also gave the kids their presents from Mexico and had several meals together and with my mom (who came in on Thursday) and bought us all lunch and KFC for dinner one night.  I told everyone upfront we were on a strict budget and everyone was really cool about understanding that.  We did splurge and go to Anna J’s though for breakfast one day.  Lee had to get his eggs and catfish!!

Bryce even wore this to school. Thank heavens he loved it

Bryce even wore this to school. Thank heavens he loved it

Alec with his serape

Alec with his serape

Bailey modeled her prom dress for Mom and I. She was a good sport about it

Bailey modeled her prom dress for Mom and I. She was a good sport about it

Mom playing with the baby

Mom playing with the baby

The whole family at Anna J's ...sorry I had to block out Abram's face

From left: Wendy, Lee, Abram (blocked out pre-adoption), my brother Eddie, my dad, Alec, Josh (my brother-in-law), Bailey, Mom, and Bryce

We had a great few days prior to the party and then party day we all gathered together and helped put it together.  One thing I love about my family is they all pull together when there is work to be done and everyone pitched in.  My brother was an absolute rock star running all those last minute errands that always arise and Kyrston and her boyfriend Jeremy came up from Charleston and were super helpful.  You may remember Jeremy was my mental lifesaver during Katy’s wedding and once again he jumped in to help. The poor guy… every time we see him we are putting him to work.  I am really looking forward to next week in Charleston where we can just hang out with him and Kyrston.  The weather was beautiful and the lake venue my sister rented was great and it was really nice to all be together, especially since we wont be seeing them all for awhile.

Wendy setting up at the party

Wendy setting up at the party.  That’s her “yes, yes get back to work” face.  Some of you may have seen that look on my face a time or two lol

Jeremy and Kyrston stringing balloons

Jeremy and Kyrston stringing balloons

Bryce and his girlfriend Skylar who were super helpful

Bryce and his girlfriend Skylar who were super helpful

Dad working on his important silverware stacking job :)

Dad working on his important silverware stacking job 🙂

My sister is super crafty..she was on Pinterest before I even knew what it was

He rocked it.  By the way my sister is super crafty.  She was on Pinterest before I even knew it was a thing and she actually does the stuff she sees there.

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She just made up this sign on the spot

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The room was coming together

Kyrston (my oldest) has been taking a lot of pictures

Nope that’s not me…it’s my oldest Kyrston

Josh's parents Tommy and Cathy

Josh’s dad Tommy and his girlfriend Cathy who are a ton of fun

Bailey and one of her best friends Savannah helped Eddie all day with the errands

Bailey and one of her best friends Savannah helped Eddie all day with the errands

The lake venue was great for the kids

The lake venue was great for the kids

We setup ladder ball

We setup ladder ball

And croquet

And croquet

Plus Abram had a great time running around. 50 adults was about how many we needed to keep up with him

Plus Abram had a great time just running around. We finally had enough adults to keep up with him

Wendy gathered us all together to say thank you for all the support before the meal and say a prayer

Wendy gathered us all together to say thank you for all the support before the meal and say a prayer

The Herndon's

The Herndon’s thanking everyone

One of my favorite things was she bought special shirts for the family to wear. Here's the front

One of my favorite things was that Wendy designed these shirts for the family to wear. Here’s the front

And the back

And the back

 

From back: Josh, Bailey, Wendy, Abram, Bryce, and Alec

From back: Josh, Bailey, Wendy, Abram, Bryce, and Alec

From left: Jeremy, Kyrston, Dad, me, Mom, Wendy, Lee and Eddie

From left: Jeremy, Kyrston, Dad, me, Mom, Wendy, Lee and Eddie

So glad we got to spend time with family.  Next up Charleston, a city that I love, and a visit with Jeremy and Kyrston.

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First Time Preparing to Travel to Alaska

We have spent the last couple of weeks preparing for our trip to Alaska and since there are numerous steps to our preparation, I thought I would share them here for those that are planning on going in the future.

  1.  Checked on insurance coverage on all vehicles. We did have coverage, but Allied was kind enough to remind us we needed a proof of insurance certificate that was Canada specific for driving there, and they emailed us copies for both the RV and truck within 5 minutes.  Excellent customer service.
  2. Checked on cellular coverage. First I called Verizon who has a $2 a day plan you can use that expands your existing coverage into Canada.  Unfortunately I have a very basic phone and it is not eligible for international talk or data (it does have unlimited texting for free.)  The customer service was excellent via their Web Chat feature and they even told me they have a loaner phone program I could use to get a phone for the trip.  I am opting to skip that but it was good to know it was an option.  My AT&T experience was the exact opposite.  First I called and could barely hear or understand the person I was talking to.  She also told me that she couldn’t access my account and to call back in 1/2 hour.  I tried the chat feature next and was told (after numerous questions) that their Silver Passport plan is $30 for one month, still charges for some texts, is $1 a minute for phone calls, and only offers 800mb of data.  No thanks.   So we will be going through Canada with my text feature only and whatever Wi-Fi we can get along the way.  I will have to blog offline and then post when we are in coverage. 
  3. Checked on Roadside Assistance. We have Good Sam and we have coverage in both Canada and Alaska and the phone number to call in case of emergency is the same.  Very helpful customer service person. 
  4. Got a haircut and hair products.  I am fond of Supercuts, but they don’t have any locations in Alaska so I got a really short haircut prior to leaving.  I also bought my mousse and bought Lee’s shampoo which they only sell at Sally’s Beauty Supply.  I could have ordered and shipped the hair product at a later date, but took advantage of the better in-store prices and just took care of it. 
  5. Bought a Food Saver.   We have been wanting a food saver and a digital kitchen scale for a while and we bought one for both food and to shrink wrap tobacco.  We have no idea if we can get loose tobacco in Alaska at reasonable prices and since you cannot order it online, we went ahead and bought 2-1/2 months worth of bulk tobacco in South Carolina.  We needed to package it though, which is where the food saver came in.  Also, after seeing how Pat and Bridget used theirs we definitely decided it was worth it to reduce storage space and lengthen the time food stays good.  So far it is working great.
  6. Bought The Milepost book. Almost everyone who has traveled to Alaska swears by the Milepost book which gives you detailed information on what services are available at every mile of the trip.  Since we will be without data, this becomes especially important during our travel through Canada. 
  7. Put our route into Good Sam Trip Planner.  There are multiple ways to get through Canada to Alaska, but since we didn’t have time to meander we wanted the simplest and most direct route.  As a starting point we used Good Sam Trip Planner which knows that we tow and RV and the height, length, and weight of our vehicle.  We still have work to do here, but it’s a good starting point and at least we know the general route.
  8. Complete Vehicle Maintenance. Lee took the truck to get an oil change.  As a side note, they keep trying to charge us for fuel filters even though they are covered and he spent an extra hour there dealing with that. They wanted to charge us $200, not cool.  We also checked the dually tires at Bill’s suggestion and because they were 3/32 (should be 6/32) we had to get new tires.  Luckily I received an extra check for unused vacation days and that covered the cost, but it had to be done either way.  We used Costco, by the way and they did a great job.  Reasonably priced and good service. 
  9. Stocking up on food. Speaking of Costco, one of the things we are not sure about is how much food to stock up on.  I am sure there is a complex calculation of additional fuel cost for the weight versus higher prices in Alaska, but I am not going to get into all that. We did find there are two Costco’s in Anchorage which is about 120 miles from where we will be staying.  We are still pretty stocked up from being in Louisiana, so I think the only thing I am really going to make sure I buy before going is steak.  Lee likes ribeye and the prices fluctuate wildly as we travel so I have to believe they are going to be crazy high in Alaska. I can easily fit several steaks in our freezer if we use the Food Saver so that seems like the way to go. 
  10. Making Travel Day food. Cooking on long travel days is a pain, and we have discovered it is less tempting to eat out if we have something easy but good to cook on those days.  Since we are going to be faced with at least 9 long travel days in a row as we head north I am making spaghetti sauce and chili and freezing it and buying chicken patties and frozen hamburgers as well.  
  11. Completing some RV mods. Lee has a list of RV mods he has been wanting to get done, but always wanted to make sure we were close to a Home Depot when he started them, just in case.  Rock Hill is close to almost everything, so Lee took a couple of days to complete the repairs.  He removed the stair treads going from the kitchen into the bedroom in the back of the camper and hinged them, so now I have lots of storage underneath.  He also hard wired in the surge protector and voltage regulator, which was a big job, and involved him squeezing into a very small space.  He feels better that they are done prior to the trip and I am thrilled to have more space for my canned goods.

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So that’s our list so far, and we completed it in a week.  I am sure other stuff will arise along the way, but I know we both feel better to have this much done.  Obviously they have stores and goods in Canada and Alaska, but we both prefer to do as many chores as possible in advance of the trip.  

It does feel a little bit like we have gone back to newbie full timers with this trip.  We have become pretty good at navigating the lower 48 over the last year and a half, but Canada and Alaska are very different, so we are back to not taking anything for granted and proceeding with caution and care.  I am sure once we do the trip we will be surprised by how easy it all is, but better safe than sorry.  What’s nice is our friends Kelly and Bill are taking their first trip to Alaska this summer as well and although we are not going to be taking the same route we are sharing our experiences and ideas with each other as we go. 

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Supporting our Blog

We very much appreciate your support of our blog.

  • As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.  Search Amazon Here
  • You can purchase the ebook telling the story of how we became full-time RVers.
  • You can purchase our recipe book filled with 80 recipes we have cooked in our RV and taste tested by Lee himself. You can purchase the kindle or paperback version on Amazon or buy the Apple version on Itunes.

 

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Two Year Update on Class of 2014

Here is the newbie class of 2014...all the people we have been hanging out with all week !!

Two years ago we attended our first RV -Dreams rally and the experience changed our life.  Not only did we walk away from the experience with confidence we could actually do this lifestyle, we made an incredible group of people that we are still friends with to this day.  Side Note: We have been lucky to have met many other people in the lifestyle, but to keep things manageable I have just been updating on this original small group.    Although 11 couples it is a small sample of people who become full timers but it is a diverse group of people and I do believe it is a nice cross section of the larger group as a whole.   Since the two year anniversary of when we met is fast approaching I wanted to share some statistics on how the experiences of the group over the last 12 month period.  Each couples experience is unique, but there have been some similarities in experiences which could be helpful for those contemplating the lifestyle.  If nothing else it certainly proves there are lots of way to live this lifestyle and there is no one true way.

 

Demographics

  • The age range of the group is 47 – 70 with the median age being 56 years old. 
  • 95% of the group is Caucasian
  • 82 % have been married over 10 years
  • 55% have been married over 20 years
  • 36% have been married over 30 years
  • 55% of the couples have only been married once
  • 73% of the couples have grown children
  • 27% of the couples have grandchildren

Domicile

  • 100% of the couples lived full-time in their RV for a portion of the last twelve months.
  • 82% of the couples have no sticks and bricks home
  • 27% of the couples own a “home base” piece of property or RV lot
  • 36% of the couples are currently full-timing in a different rig than they started with
    • Upgrade to newer model for more space/features (18%)
    • Change from a fifth wheel to Class A (9%)
    • Major repair issue necessitated replacement of rig (9%)  

Finances 

  • 45% of the couples had one or more partners working professional jobs on the road
  • 18% of the couples owned small businesses on the road
  • 27% of the couples work kamped during the last twelve months
  • 36% of the couples have at least one partner who is retired with social security and/or pension benefits
  • 27% of the couples lived primarily off of investments/savings

Travel

  • 100% of the couples have spent time visiting with at least one other couple from the group
  • 45% of the couples have spent 30 days or more assisting family (holidays, weddings, family illness, parent/child health issue)
  • 45% are traveling primarily in the west, 36% are based primarily in the east, and 18% have split their travel time somewhat equally between the two areas.
  • 18% of the couples have experienced changes to their travel plans due to major repair issues
  • 18% of the couples have experienced changes to their travel plans due to health issues
  • 100% of the couples have the capability to boon dock
  • 55% of the couples have solar

Pets

  • 73% of the couples travel with pets
    • One pet (46%)
    • Two or more pets (27%)
  • 55% had dogs only
  • 18% had dogs and cats
  • 18% lost a pet to illness in the last twelve months
  • 27% of the couples had to change their travel plans due to campground pet restrictions (ie: dog breeds; number of dogs) 

So what does this all mean?  Mainly I think it shows (ethnicity aside) that there is diversity in who full timers are and how they live the lifestyle.  It also proves that the lifestyle is sustainable at least for the first couple of years.  One couple will be taking a “reverse snowbird” approach and is in the process of building  a sticks and bricks in Florida.  The other couples have plans to continue full timing for the foreseeable future.   We are excited to see what the next 12 months looks like for us and everyone else.

 

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Our Camper Turns Two and Visiting Amicalola Falls

Lots of milestones happening in April and one of our biggest is that the camper turns two.  This is a big date because it is when the original factory warranty expires and I thought I should take a moment to talk about that.  We have been extremely lucky in the area of RV repairs.  We certainly have had our share of things breaking, you are constantly shaking your home after all, but we have avoided some of the major issues that our friends have had.  Still, I am extremely grateful that we purchased an extended 7 year warranty at the time of purchase because after hearing about the experiences of others, I can’t imagine traveling without the peace of mind of a warranty.  We personally know three couples who have spent multiple months dealing with major coach repairs.  These issues go beyond the cosmetic and are structural to the frame of the rig itself and can cause havoc with travel plans.  One couple I know did the calculations and spent 25% of their time last year in or near repair shops, and they are not alone.    In all of these cases the loss of time and frustration was bad enough, but I can’t even imagine what that would have looked like if you had to spend your own money on top of that. From what I have seen there are enough of these issues out there that it goes beyond special cause variation (a fancy statistical term for the weird and unexpected) and becomes the norm for a certain percentage of full timers.  The scary thing is that there is no good way to predict these events in advance.  The issues are spread between used and new rigs and between Class A’s and Fifth wheels.  Also surprisingly the price point doesn’t seem to make much of a difference.  It seems just as many folks have issues in the higher priced models as in the more moderately priced models.

We have been extremely happy with our rig over the last two years.  Early on we had some slide out issues, but Lee was able to work with Open Range and get the parts and do the repairs himself.  We also had some problems early on with our washer/dryer combo unit, but we finally got a good unit and have had no issues since.  We replaced one Fantastic Fan (which supposedly never go bad) and had the cable to the black tank break, which we replaced with electric valves, and again, no issues since.  There is lots of little stuff, of course.  Screws come loose, we have a couple of bent window screens, and our step frame is bent as well because the pieces of a truck tire blowout hit it when I was driving one day.  The rig has been all around the outer edge of the country at this point and has it’s fair share of dings and knocks.  It’s not picture perfect anymore, but it is our home, and thankfully I was never a person who needed a perfect home to be happy.  Lee tends to lean a little more in that direction, but he has made his peace with the home imperfections that seem to be inherent in the lifestyle. Still, I am really glad we have our warranty for the next 5 years, because who knows when a major problem could crop up.  We think of it like living in a hurricane or tornado area.  Sooner or later one is going to hit and you have to be prepared for the inevitable. You can’t let the fear of it take over your life, but it’s part of the cost of living in such a cool place and you need good insurance to prepare yourself financially for it.

All that being said, two years is a long time, and especially after the dust in Quartzsite (which is still lingering in corners) it was definitely time for a major deep clean.  So we were incredibly grateful when our friends offered us their newly finished home base, to spend a few days .   A few  people we know have purchased or built RV spaces and use those as a home base.  You can either buy a spot in an established RV resort that sells them, or purchase a piece of land and add water, sewer, electricity, and a level pad to park on. The advantage of a home base is a permanent storage area for tools or other items, and a place to stay with no campground fees.  We have been extremely curious about the concept since we first heard about it and were very excited to try it out.  Plus April has been a tough month on campground fees since we have been moving so much and 5 days with no cost was a wonderful gift. Plus,  the site itself is  absolutely great.  Full hookups and ample water pressure are an absolute must for a deep clean and truly this was the perfect place.

Our spot at Camp Alexander

Our spot

Beautiful wooded area

Beautiful wooded area

The other reason Lee was excited about staying there was an opportunity to empty out and reorganize the storage compartments, and wash the exterior. Finding a way to wash the rig is not that easy.  Many campgrounds do not allow it, and neither one of us was that comfortable with using one of the big Truck Wash facilities along the major highways.  The other alternative of paying someone to do it was way out of our price range, so Lee really wanted to do it himself.  Thankfully, our friends place had the perfect setup for us to do it and Lee spent a happy couple of days washing the rig and detailing the truck.  He uses minimal water, using a bucket to hand wash and then a quick rinse. I decided to do something similar on the inside and cleaned the carpets, floors, woodwork, and refrigerator. While we were working, we really got a feel for the benefit of owning a little piece of land and were super content.

For one thing, it’s nice to be able to perform these chores in privacy without your neighbors coming over to chat or watching what you do.  Plus, Lee was able to leave out his supplies at night without concern anything might go missing.  We could spread out and really relax, which is not a feeling we have felt in a while. I don’t think I realized how omnipresent people have been in the last 1-1/2 years of our lives until we were completely without them.  I’m not talking about people we know who we are visiting with, but other campers.  Most folks we run across are very nice, but they are retired or on vacation and often bored.  Since Lee works outside of the camper more, he gets a lot of walk up traffic.  People are curious about the rig, about our Florida plates, whether we are full timers, how young we are in comparison and as pleasant as those conversations can be, sometimes it make it hard for him to get things done. And it’s so, so, so quiet.  Even in Quartzsite and Standard Wash we had road noise, generator noise, people noise, but here, except for the occasional barking dog from far away, it is blissfully quiet. It also doesn’t hurt that the weather has been glorious, with sunny days in the mid 70’s, humidity on the lower side, and a slight non-stop breeze.

After this experience, we are definitely sold on the concept, and will definitely be on the lookout going forward for a home base location.  They sell perfectly nice lots in RV resorts of course, but I don’t think that would be our preference unless the sites were very spread out.  The services are tempting and the great locations, but I think we would want something a little more remote.  Security, maintenance, taxes, utilities, proximity to family, and landscape all come into play, so for us it is not a decision to be made lightly.  We also need to think about income generation and proximity to work of some kind, or we would be limited in the amount of time we could afford to stay there.  All of that being said, we are in no hurry.  There is still so much of this great country to see, but I definitely am sold of the benefits of having a place to come back to.

After 3 days of solid cleaning we were both ready to get out though and after looking at all that was available in the area decided on Amicalola Falls.  This is the largest waterfall in Georgia and the largest “stair-step” waterfall east of the Mississippi so you know I was in.  Plus it was the most affordable activity in the area, costing only $5 for a one day parking pass in the state park.  We went to the visitor center upon arrival and were asked if we wanted a leisurely Sunday stroll or an extremely strenuous hike with 673 stairs….uh Lee said stroll and I have to say I agree.  They have an ADA trail that is .3 miles to the prime viewing area of the falls and after seeing all those steps, I have to say I feel we made the best choice.  

Beautiful flowers in bloom

Beautiful flowers in bloom

The park is also the starting place for the Appalachian Approach trail

The park is also the starting place for the Appalachian Approach trail

We got to see this young kid start off and his family say goodbye to him. Was sweet

We got to see this young kid start off and his family say goodbye to him. Was sweet

Our ADA trail was really cool, it was made of rubber and pretty spongy to walk on

Our ADA trail was really cool, it was made of rubber and pretty spongy to walk on

The trail winded around

The trail winded around a bit but was easy to traverse

With some nice views between the trees

With some nice views between the trees

Another advantage of taking this trail is you get to see this old bootlegger truck. See how the tree is growing around it. Look up on your left as you are approaching the falls to find it

Another advantage of taking this trail is you get to see this old bootlegger truck. See how the tree is growing around it. Look up on your left as you are approaching the falls to find it

First view of the falls

First view of the falls

After seeing the stairs I was glad we made our choice!!

After seeing the stairs I was glad we made our choice!!

The falls were amazing

The falls were amazing

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These were the steps going down

These were the steps going down

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After seeing the falls we drove up to the top and ate a picnic lunch.  There is also a really nice lodge with a restaurant, but our PB&J and Tuna Sandwiches were more budget friendly.  From there we drove one a back country road to see the campground (I wouldn’t try to get our rig in there) and then on the way back stopped at Mercier Orchards.   It was a beautiful day and I am so glad we got to explore the area a bit. before heading on to our next destination. And once again we really, really, really appreciate the very generous offer of allowing us to stay here. 

View from the top of the falls

View from the top of the falls

Our picnic spot

Our picnic spot

As we were driving the back vountry road we came across the old church and graveyard which was in the middle of no where but very well tended. All of the grave stones had real flowers on them.

As we were driving the back country road we came across the old church and graveyard which was in the middle of no where but very well-tended. All of the grave stones had real flowers on them.

MErcier orchard has U-Pick specials but we were early in the season

Mercier orchard has U-Pick specials but we were early in the season.  Really pretty though

The inside was absolutely huge with a great selection

The inside was multiple rooms of goodies.  The prices are on the high side but one of the best selections we have ever seen

They even had a hard cider bar in the orchard

They even had a hard cider bar in the orchard

Look who headed straight for the pies!! He ended up buying some amazing raisin bread.

Look who headed straight for the bakery.  Despite the nice selection of apple pies, Lee ended up buying some amazing raisin bread.

 
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First Time Without a Steady Paycheck

This morning I received my last payment from my former employer, and for the first time in my adult life neither of us will have a steady paycheck coming in.  It is the moment I was absolutely terrified of two years ago, and it marks the start of what I consider the third phase of our full timing life, so I think it’s worth stopping for a moment and writing about it.

The first phase of full timing for us was when I had my corporate job on the road.  In retrospect I am extremely grateful for my job the first year because it gave me continuity during a period of extreme change.  We were also able to focus on adapting to the lifestyle without the additional complication of needing to make money immediately.  Not that money wasn’t a huge part of what we discussed that year.  I couldn’t be comfortable without knowing the life was sustainable and obviously money is a huge part of that.  Still the conversations, although intense, were largely academic as I kept plugging along in my regular job.  Plus it proved to me that the life was absolutely possible for us.  We worked through so many things, how we traveled, where we traveled, who we saw when we traveled.  The list is endless and throughout it all I had this solid foundation which I will always be grateful for.

But, it was limiting.  I had to be near an airport.  I had to have almost constant cell and data coverage.  All of our exploration had to be done on weekends or vacation days.  So when the opportunity came along to accept a buy-out, I held my breath and we entered phase two.  The second phase has been the last five months of travel with a steady paycheck coming in, and volunteering or short jobs to supplement.  And despite my concerns about being bored or constantly worried,  the last five months have been fantastic.  If you have been following along, you have seen the pictures of the places we have been and heard about what we have done and it really has been spectacular.  So the second phase proved to me that we could definitely live this lifestyle with a fixed income and supplement with volunteering or work on the road.

As fun as that was though, fixed income is not our reality, so the third phase will be about proving to ourselves that we can live life on the road and make money as we go.  We have done a ton of research and put together plans, and yes, there are corporate/consulting jobs available for me, but those would require a significant amount of travel or time in one place, and at this point we are not quite ready to settle back into that.  It’s good to know it is an option, and may very well be our phase four, but for right now we would like to continue to move around and make money as we go from place to place.

What does that look like?  Well, that’s a great question, and to help people who are trying to do something similar, I am going to lay the finances out for everyone.  Although this is my life, it is also an experiment of sorts to see if/how long we can live under these circumstances.  It is very important to view this information in the context that it is specific to Lee and Tracy.  If there is one thing I have learned along the way, it’s that truly every couple is different, especially when it comes to what they choose to spend their money on, and what they are willing to do to make money.  So why bother sharing the specifics then if we are all so different?  Mainly because I wish I could have read it from someone else before we started.  Although everyone’s experience is unique, hopefully there will be takeaways from the information that will help other people. Plus I have found my readers to be a pretty kind bunch.  I don’t get a lot of “Monday morning quarterbacking” from folks, for which I am really grateful.  So basically I think I can trust you all enough to share the specifics of this next phase and you will continue to be kind as we make our almost certain mistakes along the way.

So let me lay it out.  We have $33,746 in “operating income” to start the next phase.  I call it operating income, because we decided early on in the planning stages to not hold ourselves accountable to making what we spent every month but to work off a fund which would go up and down as income and expenses occurred.  In addition to this money we have $10K in an “emergency contingency” fund and we have agreed if/when we hit that amount we will stop and get some kind of regular steady income until the funds are replenished.  Based on our 1-1/2 years of budget tracking we have a rough idea of how long that will last us, but it is very rough because this next phase is going to look very different.  Our full timing lives to this point  have largely been about going where we wanted when we wanted and that is going to change.  Our travels will be centered around where we can live cheaply and/or make money and our day-to-day existence will probably look somewhat different because of that.

Our plan as of this moment is for Lee to do some video work at the RV-Dreams rally the first week of May, then we immediately head to Alaska for a 5 month work kamping stint in Glenallen. The work kamping will be 40 hours a week for both of us (It was our choice to work a full work week as opposed to the typically much shorter work week associated with work kamping gigs, to make the trip there and back affordable) and will hopefully also involve RV Tech work for Lee and a second job in the evenings for me. This will be the first time for us on the road that we have been in a place for five months and it will look very different from the frequent traveling we have done in the past.  After Alaska we have tentatively signed up for the Sugar Beet Harvest and we will be working 3-6 weeks (7 days a week, 12 hour days) depending on the weather.  I haven’t stood on my feet for 12 hours a day since I was in my early 20’s, but the money is great and our health is good and it is a surefire way to replenish our resources if Alaska is more costly than we think it will be.  Our plans for the winter are tentative, but the current front-runner is a stint in Las Vegas or Phoenix where Lee can do production work and I can hopefully find a short contract in my field. The post-Alaska plan is definitely a rough one, and will be replaced with other opportunities if they arise, but I wanted everyone to know we do have a plan and are certainly not just winging it and hoping for the best.  That is really not in my nature!

After that things get really vague, and I am learning to live with that.  Part of the advantage of this next lifestyle phase is freedom and flexibility and Lee is not in any big hurry to give those advantages away.  Fair enough.  I need to learn to live with more ambiguity to give this a fair chance. The question isn’t “Is it possible?”, by the way.  There are enough people full timing this way that I know it can be done.  The question is “Are we willing to live like that?”  At this point I have absolutely no idea, but am willing to give it a fair shot.  I am also surprisingly sanguine about trying it and moving on to Phase four if necessary.

When we first started the lifestyle, I was so far out of my comfort zone that my competitive nature kicked in as a defense mechanism.  I wanted to “win” full timing.  Not to be better than anyone else, but to make myself feel better.  Silly really, but understandable in retrospect.  I took all the things I learned from other people’s lives and cobbled together my perfect picture of full timing.  I then attacked achieving that with all of my energy and intensity.  Somewhere along the line I had a moment where I realized that the image I had created wasn’t realistic.  I’d love to say I took responsibility for creating the image in the first place with grace, but that would be a lie.  I was angry.  Really angry, that after all the research and all the hard work I still couldn’t create that perfect image.  As my very good friend Dave said so eloquently, “Once you truly accept that full timing is real life and not a continuous vacation, which is a bitter pill to swallow, you can move forward into something real.”

That was so very true and I think everyone comes to that moment at different times and in different ways.  Once I accepted it though, I could stop trying to win and instead try to live my life to the fullest.  What does that look like in phase three?  I don’t really know, but I promise I will be as honest about the journey as I can, and as always thanks so much for listening and caring.  We have a lot of people rooting for us and we are truly grateful for that!

(Personally I think it will all end in tears. – Lee)

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Finding the Walking Dead Filming Locations

After our wonderful experience at the Whistle Stop Cafe, we were really looking forward to seeing the small town and surrounding area of Senoia, GA where The Walking Dead is filmed.  We didn’t do much research prior to arriving in the town, because we thought our experience would be similar to other towns that were famous because movies and television were shot there.  Unfortunately, that was not the case in Senoia. It is a cool little town with the added benefit of looking exactly like Woodbury on the TV show.  This is a little confusing because there is an actual Woodbury close by, but the filming was done in Senoia.  It does have one Walking Dead Souvenir Shop ,.  The souvenir shop is called the Woodbury Shop (again confusing because it is in Senoia) and is open daily from 11am-5pm.  It has an extensive collection (prices were very high), a very cool free museum in the basement, and a cafe. Unfortunately the cafe we had heard so much about was closed.  Also unfortunately they had next to no information on how to see the local filming sites.  There was one book with sightseeing location information, which looked very well done, but was  priced at $30.  Now we love The Walking Dead , but $30 was just too steep for us.  Plus, we knew the information was available online if we were willing to do some research.  Let me say right off that you can avoid all of this nonsense if you take one of the tours that is offered, and after our experience I kind of wished we had taken this route because they have access to some “closed-door” areas that were film locations, including Morgan’s room where Rick initially found him.

Senoia...This view alone was worth the stop

Senoia (or fictional Woodbury)…This view alone was worth the stop

The Walking Dead Cafe

The Walking Dead Cafe

The Walking Dead Store

The Walking Dead Store

Which did have some cool merchandise although as one local said at "Disney World prices".

Which did have some cool merchandise although as one local said at “Disney World prices”.

Under the gift store. Very cool photo op

Free museum under the gift store. Very cool photo-op

The walls had signatures from some of the cast members

The walls had signatures from some of the cast members

This was my favorite

This was my favorite

Two cell blocks from the prison were on display there and one was open so you could go inside

Two cell blocks from the prison were on display there and one was open so you could go inside

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The lady who ran the gift shop was not extremely friendly but did  ultimately point us to the “Alexandria” community.  It is within easy walking distance, not even 100 yards,  and we totally missed it on the way into town.  To find it, walk straight downhill from the gift shop to the gazebo and look to your right.  There you will see an ugly metal wall surrounding an upscale historic home area of town.  What Lee learned from the security guard was that the owner of the Stalwart Films production company that makes the Walking Dead lives in the tiny neighborhood that the wall surrounds, and he convinced his neighbors as well as the Senoia City Council to allow him to build the wall and shoot the show there. There is Walking Dead security there 24/7/365. And the City Council has approved leaving the wall in place through 2019, so that backs up the internet rumors that the show will be in “Alexandria” for quite a while. Having a production this large and intense around for that long is a lot to ask, but I am sure the folks are getting compensated.  If nothing else, the show is bringing huge economic benefits to a town of only 4,000 residents. The view of the wall and area was really thrilling, but what was not so fun was the aggressive signs everywhere and the attitudes of the folks who live there.  Look, I get it.  You live in a sleepy little town and when shooting is happening there are thousands of people who show up to get a glimpse of a favorite star or zombie, but being rude to people is not the answer.  All those visitors have to eat somewhere and sleep somewhere and there are dying small towns all across this country that would kill for a similar opportunity.  Personally, I would like to visit in a few years after the money stops rolling in and see how they feel then, but I don’t think I would ever go back.  I am glad I went once, but the whole experience put a bad taste in my mouth and unfortunately has made me less of a fan of the show.

Great Bridge and RR Track show on the walk down to Alexandria

Great Bridge and RR Track show on the walk down to Alexandria

Alexandria

Alexandria right in downtown Senoia

 

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One of the gates that the actual residents can enter and exit

One of the gates that the actual residents can enter and exit

Security guard

Security guard

If you have to use this many words to explain something you are probably doing it wrong

If you have to use this many words to explain something you are probably doing it wrong

I got very excited about this burned building and respecting the signs got the best shot I could

I got very excited about this burned building and respecting the signs got the best shot I could

 

For me the breaking point came when I walked over excitedly to take a picture of the burned out building and before I even came close to the curb the security guard got out of his car and told me I need to go back across the street.  I in no way came close to crossing the line and although normally I am non-confrontational in these situation I just had to say something.  I walked across the street, sort of reflexively and then walked back to the security guard and asked him if this was a public street I was standing on.  He had me repeat the question, which I did, politely,and when he said yes it was, I stated, then I can stand in the street and take this picture.  He begrudgingly agreed, but then said “Is the picture so important to you?”  “Yes”, I replied, “We drove a long way to see this and I want to capture it.”  I then walked down the street, being careful to stay off the private property while my husband stayed and chatted with the security guard.  Again, I get it, he had a job to do, but the job wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the fans and I don’t appreciate at all being talked to like that.

The studio which is right outside of town where the prison scenes were shot and we did catch a glimpse of the prison bus but were unable to get a picture because of the very high wire fence

The studio which is right outside of town where the “prison” was located. We did catch a glimpse of the prison bus but were unable to get a picture because of the very high wire fence

Not that anyone from Raleigh Studio will ever read this, but I would like to make a suggestion. If you want to solve this problem and make the fans happy, take the piece of gravel driveway outside your gate that you aren’t using, and turn it into a Walking Dead Tour area.  Charge a little money, give the fans something to be happy about, and sell the heck out of merchandise at a gift store.  It’s a win-win and would channel the fans energy into something that could help everyone.

Anyway, I was done with Senoia, but not ready to completely give up on The Walking Dead, so we looked at some blogs and found a Google Maps Walking Dead Locations.  It wasn’t the easiest map to use in the world and the descriptions were not that great, but it did get us to some sites. Most of them though were on private property and we saw lots of the ubiquitous No Trespassing signs.  The problem is if you don’t have an encyclopedic knowledge of the show it is hard to put the place with the episode.  It’s even harder because all of the spaces they used are dressed to look post apocalyptic so you need to sort of envision them dirty and vandalized as well.  Lots of the scenes are shot in forest or on railroad tracks and we could have passed right by numerous locations and not really known it.  We did find the location of the final shot in the opening credits with the lone walker though and that was really cool.  One of my favorite moments of the day, although unfortunately we couldn’t really stop and get a picture of it because it’s on a busy road.

 

This house looked familar but was it in the show??

This house looked familiar but was it in the show??

This tree looked very familiar, but again couldn't quite place it

Likewise, this tree looked very familiar, but again couldn’t quite place it

The gate to Hershels farm. The owner of the farm hates all things Walking Dead and doesn't allow anyone on his property

The gate to Hershel’s farm. According to the locals the owner of the farm hates all things Walking Dead and doesn’t allow anyone on his property.

According to the Google maps app the group took refuge in this church

According to the Google maps app the group took refuge in this church

Finally though the map led us to the little town of Haralson, GA and things got much better. Numerous scenes involving the governor were shot here and unlike Senoia, folks seemed happy to have the tourism, probably because now that those seasons are in the past, fewer people come here, since Alexandria is the current location.  There was a great shop called Walkin Dead Haralson, where we met Marlene who not only gave Walking Dead tours but also wrote the book we had seen earlier. Turns out there is an online version available (for only $15!!) and Marlene updates it weekly when the show is in production.  She also let us know she doesn’t set the book prices at the store and was very sorry for our experience.   She owns some of the property they filmed earlier seasons at and offers her own interactive tour where you can dress in costume and act out scenes in the buildings. The tour is $25 per person and although we didn’t take it since it was getting so late, Marlene was kind enough to give us a paper slip with some nearby locations and allowed us to take outside pictures of the buildings.  Our experience with her was what the entire experience should have been frankly and it was very nice of her to spend so much time talking to us.  She is a true fan and a smart enough business woman to capitalize on the opportunity, so good for her!

Haralson

Haralson

Cool store

Cool store

You can buy a toilet prop from the prison scene :)

You can buy a toilet prop from the prison scene 🙂

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These images were great and creepy

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Can totally picture the cast walking on the tracks

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The fan in the upper window was turning slowly…super creepy and cool

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So our experience ended well despite a rocky start.  I really wish I would have had the online version of Locations Locations of T.W.D. before setting out and I wish I would have met Marlene first.  I would still recommend going to Senoia if you are a fan, just know what you are getting into first and set your expectations accordingly. Still the day did end on a positive note when we drove into mid-town Atlanta and had dinner with an old high school friend of ours.  Brian got Lee his first production job many, many years ago and their careers have run somewhat in parallel since then.  It was wonderful seeing him and catching up, plus he is one of the few people we know who loves movies and TV like we do.  He was very interested in our Walking Dead experience and I could see his wheels turning on how he could do it better.  I have no doubt he can and look forward to hearing about it!

Brian and Lee

Brian and Lee

 

 

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First Time at the Whistlestop Cafe

Dave and Sharon took Friday off from the music festival in New Orleans and spent the day with us.  They went on a bike ride and then I went with them on a walk on the trails.  The trails were ok, but I really wished they added some through the marsh as the bird watching was a little limited.  Afterwards, Dave and Sharon cooked us a fantastic shrimp and chicken skewer dinner.  It was really sad to say goodbye, because the time with them was too short for all of us, but look forward to seeing them down the road when they come out west.

Dave picking us berries from the trees

Dave picking us berries from the trees

Love the trail names

Love the trail names

Did see a beautiful blue heron

Did see a beautiful blue heron

Turns out these are made by crawfish, which is why they are also called mud dobers

Turns out these are made by crawfish, which is why they are also called mud bugs

Dave and Sharon's rig

Dave and Sharon’s rig

Love the flowers she added on the outside

Love the flowers Sharon added on the outside

Yummy!!

Yummy!! There were only 2 left when Lee was done lol

Oh and did I mention I have SERIOUS refrigerator envy. This is NOT a residential fridge but the latest and greatest in propane fridges. I really want one

Oh and did I mention I have serious refrigerator envy. This is NOT a residential fridge but the latest and greatest in propane fridges. I really want one.  We missed this model by just a few months ::sigh

Next up was seeing Sue/Guy and Jo/Craig in Birmingham, Al.  Even though it was a 7 hour day, we decided to push through and get there in one day.  Turns out Saturday morning is a great time to pass through New Orleans and we had no issues making it around the city.  Also, despite all the horror stories we had heard about I-10 it was actually a good road.  They had resurfaced it recently and we had no issues all the way to the Gulfport/Biloxi area.  This is probably because of the casinos that have sprung up there and the desire to get the New Orleans folks to come out, but for whatever reason the roads were good.  That whole section of Mississippi looked really intriguing and it is definitely going on my list for a return visit.  The road did get a little rougher from that point until we hit Alabama but really nothing too terrible.  The drive was pretty with lots of green and rivers throughout and we made better than expected time.

Thankfully the campground they had selected for us was on the south side of Birmingham though, because the traffic did start to get a little worse as we got closer to the city.  We try to time big city driving earlier in the day when we are fresher, but in this case it just wasn’t possible.  Thankfully, Sue and Guy met us on the highway and took us in the last little bit, because it was really tough to find the campground.  It’s not actually a traditional campground, but an RV parking area of the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.  They had added full hookups to a section of the parking lot, Hoover RV Park,  and allowed people to camp there in the off season. I didn’t mind the parking lot so much because it was just for a couple of days, but I did mind paying $32 a night for a parking lot with a special event going on next door in the baseball field that played extremely loud (and bad) music until 10 o’clock at night.  Apparently they rent out the stadium for special events and due to the acoustics the sound was really really loud.  Thankfully there must be some kind of neighborhood noise regulations, because it was blissfully quiet after 10pm.

Initially we didn’t stay there long though, because everyone else was over at Oak Mountain State Park. One of the downsides of flexible travel plans is sometimes you cannot get into a place, and this was unfortunately the case with Oak Mountain.  More so because it seems like one of the best state parks I have ever seen.  It is very pricey at $40 a night, and the campsites themselves were older, but the park is huge with all sorts of activities including horseback trails, an archery range, tons of bike and hiking trails, and boating.   Guy/Sue/Jo/Craig got us a day pass, so we were able to enter to visit with them without paying $5 each which was nice.  They also made an excellent dinner of taco salad and homemade chips and guacamole and we spent several hours getting caught up.  We haven’t seen them since the Reunion rally almost a year ago and although you keep track of people through Facebook and blogs it was nice to catch up in person.  The next night they made spaghetti and I was starting to feel a little guilty because people kept feeding us.  Lee by the way was totally OK with it  and anyone who has fed him knows how great he is to cook for because he really loves his food.  So it was a very pleasant couple of days and then we were off again, this time to Georgia.

Jo and Sue with Jo's handmade chips

Jo and Sue with Jo’s handmade chips

Sues taco salad mix which Lee loves

Sue’s taco salad mix which Lee loves

From Left: Craig, Jo, Sue, Guy, and Lee. Lee wants me to sit down so we can eat lol

From Left: Craig, Jo, Sue, Guy, and Lee. Lee wants me to sit down so we can eat lol

Oh and Jo made chocolate pie which was excellent. She knows how Lee loves his pie

Oh and Jo made chocolate pie which was excellent. She knows how Lee loves his pie

And Craig our fireman made a great fire. I've missed these since the Outer Banks!

And Craig our fireman made a great fire. I’ve missed these since the Outer Banks!

Our next stop was Chattahoochee Bend State Park south of Atlanta. This park was the closest we could find to that area of Georgia and although 1 hour plus from Atlanta was a nice park to stay in for a couple of days.  Because Lee is a veteran we got 25% off and only paid $21 dollars a night for a huge site in a well wooded area.  There is a river in the park and numerous hiking trails, but we didn’t see any of that because we ended up spending most of our time exploring the area outside the park.  My main issue with it was the complete lack of ATT signal (I did have 2 bars of Verizon), but otherwise it was perfectly nice and reasonably priced for the area.

I should probably take a moment here and mention that if our pace is tiring for you, I get that.  We have never moved this way before either, stopping in a place for a couple of days and then moving on, but it’s not as bad as I thought it would be.  Since we only stay a couple of nights, you deploy your stuff minimally which makes packing up much easier.  It’s also giving me a chance to practice my hitching and unhitching, something I will be posting on once I feel I have mastered it, and the combination of seeing people and stuff has made it fun.  I do find I get tired though, but since we will be in the same place for 5 months this summer we are packing it in now while we can.

We had come to this particular area to visit a friend of ours who had recently moved to Atlanta and to see the areas where The Walking Dead is being filmed.   I’m going to save that review for another post though and instead tell you about our wonderful visit to The Whistle Stop Cafe.  Lee has started checking areas we visit to see if any movies were filmed there and he saw that Fried Green Tomatoes (one of my favorite movies) was filmed in the area.  The restaurant was originally an old  closed down hardware store, and for the movie they turned it into a cafe. When the production was finished, it was left behind, as is often the case, and someone purchased it and turned it into a real cafe.  Wow, did the experience blow me away.  The cafe looks exactly like it did in the movie and more importantly the food was reasonably priced and absolutely fantastic.  It’s kind of out of the way to visit it, but I had the best chicken tenders (which were huge slabs of chicken) of my life there and Lee loved the fried green tomatoes.  The whole experience was a 10 and made me really love my husband, because it would never even have occurred to me to look for it.

The Whistle Stop Cafe

The Whistle Stop Cafe today

Here’s a screenshot of the cafe from the movie, which takes place in the early 30’s

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The little town is really cute with several small shops

The little town is really cute with several small shops

And here’s two shots of those same buildings, from the movie:

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Here are some interior shots of the cafe from the movie, the first from the back of the cafe looking towards the front,

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and the second from the front looking toward the back:

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Locals sitting at the counter just like in the movies

Locals sitting at the counter just like in the movie

The booths are identical

The booths are identical

The fried green tomatoes

The fried green tomatoes.  This is a half order

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Whose enjoying his tomatoes

My chicken "tenders"

My chicken “tenders”.  This is a half order for $5.75!!

Lee's catfish was also great

Lee’s catfish was also great

The "train station" is now a gift shop

The “train station” is now a gift shop

Ruth and Idgy's house is a shop

Ruth and Idgy’s house is a shop

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Make sure you walk behind the cafe and see the BBQ pit which features prominently in the storyline

Make sure you walk behind the cafe and see the BBQ pit which features prominently in the storyline

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Here’s a screenshot of the pit from the movie. You can see Smoky Lonesome’s cabin the background.

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Fans of the movie will get this

Fans of the movie will get this

Smoky Lonesomes' cabin

Smoky Lonesomes’ cabin

This cracked Lee up

This cracked Lee up

Loved that they left it all as original to the movie as possible

Loved that they left it all as original to the movie as possible

So Juliette has done a great job of capitalizing on the movie without losing their town in the process.  Tons of locals were eating at the restaurant and the high quality food, paired with reasonable prices will keep it that way.  After visiting the cafe, we watched the movie (Lee for the first time) and it was so fun to see the movie again having just visited the place it was filmed.  Next up the locations where Walking Dead is shot and a visit to Atlanta to see our friend Brian.

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Camper Chronicles is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. We very much appreciate any purchase you make via our website links as they support our blog. Thank you.   Search Amazon.com here

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First Time on Avery Island

Since we really didn’t want to go back to New Orleans and Dave and Sharon had plans with their friends, we decided to make the two-hour drive to Avery Island.  Two hours is really on our outer limit of travel for a day trip, but Deb and Steve had visited it once and since then I had always wanted to go.  The drive itself was pretty and I even saw a bald eagle in a tree along the way, although it was on the highway and we couldn’t stop to get a picture.  Avery Island is the home of the Tabasco company and although I don’t really care for spicy foods, I love to see where things are made as we travel the country.  Plus the first heir to the Tabasco brand was an amateur naturalist and had turned part of the island into a nature preserve which looked pretty terrific.

When we arrived on the island (entrance was free), we went up to the factory.  There was a smell in the air, but it wasn’t as pungent as I feared and instead lent something to the whole experience.  The tour cost $5.50 and came with 6 tiny little sample bottles and the gift shop was fantastic.  The best part of the tour was watching the bottling line (which only runs Mon-Thurs) and if you wanted to you could skip that and just visit the gift shop.  The combination ticket for the gardens and the tour was $12.50 (a little on the high side) but the gardens were so fantastic it more than made it worth it.  Both tours are self-guided and pictures were allowed, so let me jump right in and show you what we saw. (It’s also worth mentioning that for the nature preserve tour, you can scan a QR code with your phone and Bluetooth your phone to your car speakers and get little speeches about each area as you drive through, which is pretty cool. You can also just call a phone number and use your speaker phone to listen to the blurbs as well.-Lee)

The factory

The factory

Pepper plants are now grown throughout the world, but all mash is made and tasted at the plant and aged for up to 3 years here

Pepper plants are now grown throughout the world, but all mash is made and tasted at the plant and aged for up to 3 years here

The barrles holding the mash have salt on top to purify

The barrels holding the mash have salt on top to purify

There were so many of them and each batch is tasted and approved by a member of the McIhenny family

There were so many of them and each batch is tasted and approved by a member of the McIhenny family

You can see some mash on the sides. That smell was pretty strong

You can see some mash on the sides. That smell in this area was pretty strong

The huge mash blenders

The huge mash blenders

The line was pretty high tech and we could see it through a glass window

The line was pretty high tech and we could see it through a glass window

At 11:30am they had already made over 300,000 bottles that day

At 11:30am they had already made over 300,000 bottles that day

Bottle made like cologne bottles because that's what the inventor originally used

Bottle made like cologne bottles because that’s what the inventor originally used

The labels are in many different languages as the product is sold in many countries

The labels are in many different languages as the product is sold in many countries

The labeled bottles

The labeled bottles

And boxed

And boxed

They had big bottle in one of the rooms to take pictures with

They had big bottles in one of the rooms to take pictures with

That was fun!

That was fun!

This map shows all the countries they are in. Pretty big in China

This map shows all the countries they are in. Pretty big in China

The gift shop had tons of products very reasonably priced

The gift shop had tons of products very reasonably priced

The tasting area

The tasting area

We ended up buying Tabasco Buffaleaux Cajun wing sauce ($5), Tabasco Worcestershire spicy ($2), and Tabasco Spicy Mayonnaise ($2.75).  These were full-sized bottles and you could not beat the prices.  Plus we picked up some Tabasco Chipotle Sauce for Sharon, which she says she has a hard time finding on the road. ($4)

It was fun, but two hours is a long ride and I was really hoping the Jungle Gardens would be good, and wow, they really were.  We stopped at the gift shop and ate our lunch and then took the driving tour through the park.  There are numerous places to pull over and take pictures so we ended up spending a few hours enjoying the area.  Ned McIlhenny ran the family business but his true passion was how man and nature could coexist in harmony.  To that end he studied the american alligator (and wrote one of the best books on the subject to this day), raised 60 different types of bamboo in the hopes it could eventually become America’s premiere building material, and built a rookery for snowy egrets.  The snowy egrets were being hunted almost to extinction because women wanted their feathers on their hats, and he built raised rookeries from bamboo and hand raised 8 chicks in his park.  Not only did they return to nest there, but there hundreds of descendants still return in the spring  and it was absolutely amazing.  He also has one of the largest Camilla collections in the United States, although unfortunately we caught the tail-end of the full bloom which is in February.

The drive itself was beautiful

The drive itself was beautiful

 

could not take a bad picture

Could not take a bad picture

Lots of alligators in the man made lagoons

Lots of alligators in the man made lagoons

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The island is bordered by a large canal

The island is bordered by a large canal

 

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This huge stand of bamboo was cut our so you could walk inside

This huge stand of bamboo was cut our so you could walk inside

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I got bamboo kisses :)

I got bamboo kisses 🙂

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Lee's pic of the Survey Tree

Lee’s pic of the Survey Tree

And Lee's amazing pic of the alligator

And Lee’s amazing pic of one of the alligators.  He got pretty close

I loved the Buddhist Shrine area especially.  Two friends of Ned’s found it in a warehouse in New York, purchased it and sent it to him.  He built the lotus resting area and the pavilion to hold it, but the statue itself is centuries old.

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Lee took this through pretty smudged glass…really great shot

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Offerings on the doors

And on the elephants

And on the elephants

The story of how it was purchased. Technically it should probably be returned to China but I was selfishly glad it was here so I could see it

The story of how it was purchased. Technically it should probably be returned to China since it is an historical treasure but I was selfishly glad it was here so I could see it

Beautiful pond and bridge

Beautiful pond and bridge  (Lee’s pic)

Lee's fish picture

Lee’s fish picture

The surrdonging landscape was very peaceful

The surrounding landscape was very peaceful

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I loved, loved this tree. The picture doesn’t do it justice

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RV’s have to take a different route as they can’t get through all areas, so definitely recommend bringing a smaller vehicle

You had to walk down to the bird rookery viewing platform and the path is a little rough so I definitely recommend wearing your hiking shoes if you have them.  The platform was amazing but jam packed with kids which did take away from the experience a little.  Lee and I stayed a long time (we probably took around 300 pictures) and the one brief interval where we were alone on the platform was magical. Here are a few of my favorite pics. If it wasn’t for the kids we could have done this all day.

Huge bamboo stands using locally grown bamboo

Huge bamboo stands using locally grown bamboo

 

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You can see the chicks in this picture at the parents feet

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This one posed for us

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The line of turtles under the birds was cool also

Lee liked this bird who kept playing with a stick

Lee liked this bird who kept playing with a stick

Lee's pic. Best flying shot

Lee’s pic.

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I really liked this shot I took

Lee's pic, probably the best of the day

Lee’s pic, probably the best of the day

After the birds we walked down into the nursery area (which was really a big field with large trees) and then drove through the Camellia area.  We both really loved it.  The weather was perfect, and the combination of plants and animals was amazing.  Highly recommend a visit, even though it is a bit out of the way if you are passing through and thanks again Deb for leading the way.  I would never have even known about this place if she hadn’t blogged about it.

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This bush was still in full bloom

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Loved this flower

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On the way home we stopped at a Popeye’s Chicken.  The store was out of cole slaw, green beans, and corn, but the staff was making it work and extremely friendly.  The chicken itself was hot out of the fryer and really tasty (although I still think I prefer KFC especially cold) and the cajun fries and cajun gravy on the mashed potatoes was super yummy.  We both got complete dinners for $5 each so the price was good and it was a true Louisiana experience.  

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I had to double up on starch because they were out of stuff

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I paired mine with some swamp pop.. sweetened with local sugar cane. Oh yeah not a healthy meal

Overall we really, really like Louisiana.  The people were all incredibly nice, the food is amazing, and the weather in April (and yes I know that is not the norm) was absolutely incredible.  The campground was great and there is so much nature in the bayou.  I absolutely want to come back and see the northern part of the state and could see us spending a lot more time here in the future. I am definitely a fan and thanks again to Bridget and Pat for keeping an eye on us throughout our visit.  It was wonderful!!

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Camper Chronicles is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. We very much appreciate any purchase you make via our website links as they support our blog. Thank you.   Search Amazon.com here