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First Time Meeting People from the Internet

It’s a funny thing to meet people who you have only gotten to know on the internet and something neither Lee or I have ever done before.  I will say it has been an awesome experience, but you have to leave what you think you know about a person from what they right and get to really know them as n the flesh people.  Some folks are exactly the same as you pictured them and others are different…not bad just different.  We spent last night and today meeting so many people who I have been talking to in the forums and it has been really wonderful. Usually in every couple there is a one person who posts and another who gets told to read certain posts lol.  In our little group it’s been mostly women doing the posting but the guys that do post are extremely knowledgeable and active.  One of my favorites is Red and he and his wife got to come when they took the spot of a last-minute cancellation.  Red and Pam have been camping for years, but just started full-timing when they both retired.  Lee and I just immediately felt so comfortable with both of them.  They are very kind and helpful but are careful to say they don’t know everything….I think they do but appreciate the humbleness 🙂  One quick story to tell you what kind of people they are…we had told ourselves the very first thing we would buy was a surge protector…because we had heard horror stories about folks who didn’t have one and lost their entire electrical systems in a storm.  Did we buy a surge protector first…nope..why because they  are very expensive and there were more fun things to buy.  So we get to the campground and the mother of all storms is coming in…tornado warning, flood warning, and heavy thunderstorms.  It’s 7pm when we realized we had a serious problem and decided we would have to unplug everything all night…not the greatest prospect.  Red leaned over to Lee and quietly whispered “I have an extra one you can borrow.”  He didn’t make a big deal about it…as a matter of fact he went out of his way to say it quietly and then took Lee and gave him a rundown of what he recommended us buying and why.  Long story short the next morning we drove to camping world and bought exactly what Red told us to buy…and yes it was extremely expensive (around $800 with the Good Sam discount)  but replacing the electrical system can run $2500.  You have those moments in life when God/universe  puts the right person in front of you at just the right time…and I really believe this was one of those moments.  Ok so this is what Lee bought…one is a surge protector and the other is a voltage regulator.  The surge protector stops the electrical system from getting fried and the voltage regulator “boosts” the power you are getting from campsites with low voltage.  It’s really cool how it does it.  It takes in juice and holds it and then adds to it so you always have the correct amount of power.  Power drops can hurt your TV and computer and this stops that from happening.  Think tape delay when watching a live television event 🙂

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We also met several other couples who are our age and who  just bought new 5th wheels or Class A’s.  I had been communicating with many of the wives online because we all were asking similar questions and going through the same things at the same time.  We totally bonded over the RV-Dream forum topics and meeting in person solidified that.        Some of my favorites so far are Kelly and Bill (screen name Jersey Girl),Jo and Ben (Jo and Ben)  Cori and Greg (bylandandsea), Linda and Scott (Liberty Linda), Jo and Craig (Mary Sunshine),  and Debbie and Steve (Debbie M).  In addition to folks I “knew” we have met several other been doing this a long time… couples such as Greg and Sue and Neil and Connie.  Plus when you meet people you get to see the insides of their rigs which is awesome for great ideas on how to maximize storage space.  Pam had put tension rods up high in her shower to hang towels on and we LOVED that idea and have already copied it in ours.  thanks Pam!!!

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After spending the day meeting people on our own we finally registered for the actual educational rally.  The introduction was fantastic and Linda had everyone organized and having fun in no time.  Howard and Linda (RV-Dreams) have been traveling the country for the last 9 years and they host and teach at these rally’s.  Linda had everyone stand up in different categories…do you own a Class A, Do you own a Fifth Wheel, who came the farthest etc…which not only got everyone involved but allowed people in the group to see who they might want to talk to.  Many people haven’t bought an RV yet and are staying in a cabin or nearby hotel and Linda made a point to ask those of us who had RV’s to invite folks back during lunch to see our rigs.   She did a VERY good job getting people loosened up and then we all played a game where one representative at every table was a jockey in the Kentucky derby.  I have run a couple large training seminars and the logistics are crazy…Linda was awesome at corralling 150 head strong people in a fun way with a very personal touch.

Howard and Linda

Howard and Linda

 

 

 

 

Kentucky Derby Game

Kentucky Derby Game

We headed back to our site around 9 thinking it was time for a good nights sleep and then Bill and Kelly came by walking their dog and we all sat and talked until 11pm 🙂  We are usually in bed really early so for us that was a late night and we had such a wonderful conversation it was hard to go to bed.  Can’t wait for tomorrow when the classes start…yes I know I am a geek but can’t wait to post more lessons learned 🙂

Lessons Learned

  • No seriously buy the surge protector first
  • Invest in a voltage regulator
  • Go to a Rally you meet the nicest people
  • Meeting people from the internet can be really cool (yes I know we are late to this party but better late than never!!)

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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 Parking at In-Laws

We got up early on Saturday and headed to Columbus to spend the night with my in-laws.  Lee and I are originally from Columbus, OH and Lee hadn’t seen his Mom and Step-Dad in a while so he was  very excited to stop along the way…plus we wanted to see what it would be like to park the Fiver in front of someone’s house on a residential street.  It worked OK, although it was a bit of an inconvenience for the neighbors and I wouldn’t want to do it for more than one night.  My in-laws are extremely energetic people who are “semi-retired”.  I say semi-retired because they took their passion for landscaping and flowers and now work in a greenhouse.  It was a big sale day for flowers but they left early and met us at their house.  It was so great showing off the RV and they really really liked it. Plus being the super generous people that they are they kept finding stuff in their house they knew would work well and they loaded us up with stuff. I told Lee we were supposed to be getting rid of stuff not getting more but DeDe and Denny always have the coolest stuff and they were very careful to only give us things that had two purposes. I love that they remembered the rule that everything had to have two purposes to go in the camper and it was fun receiving some neat treasures.  My favorites were three connected collapsible bowls (Update:  Love the concept but turns out I never needed them.  Still have them in a box in the basement but haven’t used them one time)  and two solar-powered Chinese lantern lights.  Lee loved the battery charger set and the collapsible hose.

Unfolded Bowls

Unfolded Bowls

Folded Bowls

Folded Bowls

 

They are absolutely the best in-laws ever and I am not just saying that because they both read my blog 🙂 They read my blog because they are truly interested in our lives.  One of the first questions DeDe asked was where had we put the magnets.  She remembered that I collected magnets from the campgrounds we went to and saw there was no metal in the camper to hang them on.  Lee showed her the custom piece of metal he had cut and placed inside one of the cabinets and it meant the world to me that not only did she remember I collected magnets, but worried about where I would store them. How sweet is that.

For my magnets

For my magnets

Also we had been wanting to go to Lee’s mecca…The Container Store, and they were very patient following us around for over an hour as we bought lots of little containers for stuff.  Lee was very restrained considering how much he loves boxes and it was only $226 but hey, you only setup your new RV once!!

Sunday Morning we left their house and headed to Louisville, KY.  I am an avid RV-Dreams reader and early in his travels, Howard had a custom truck bed cover made in Louisville, KY.  Lee wanted one just like it and since Louisville is only 4 hours south of Columbus had made arrangements with the same person to do one for us.  It was going to take around 6 hours to do, but we had really thought it would be important to extend our storage area to the truck and keep our wood dry so it was worth a side trip.  Lee called James when we were about an hour away and asked where we should drop the trailer since he would need the truck unencumbered and he recommended a Cracker Barrel about two miles from his house.  Many Cracker Barrels have extra-large parking spaces for Semi’s and RV’s but this one did no,t so we were a bit stymied.  I saw a Pilot station nearby and thought we should find out if they would less us park there for six hours.  As a side note we absolutely LOVE Flying J’s and it is definitely solidified as our stop of choice to get gas…the ones with RV lanes are totally amazing and by far the easiest in/out we have found.  That being said they are not very scenic places to stop and have lunch, so we have started using rest areas for lunch and just gas up at the Flyng J’s.  Sometimes you get really lucky at rest area…check out this picture of the view we had during our lunch today…right outside our camper window…amazing.

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The Pilot station was very happy to let us drop the trailer. There was no fee of any kind and they thanked Lee for coming in to notify them.  That being said it was super crowded  and I wasn’t thrilled about spending 6 hours in a busy truck stop.  Luckily James came to the Truck stop to meet us and saw within about 5 minutes the truck cover would not work.  Our hitch was too big and there wasn’t enough area to pool water??  I didn’t really get it, but Lee did and I realized we could push through and get to Riverside Plantation by 5:30.  Wow, that was awesome!  I called the campground and our spot was open and they extended our reservation one night…fantastic!!

The rest of the drive was largely uneventful. The new truck handled Jellico Mountain very well and this really neat thing happened when we stopped at a rest area.  There was an older gentleman check the torque on his trailer lug nuts, and Lee struck up a conversation because we had read you were supposed to be very careful about the torque on a new camper.  The man came right over and checked ours (finding only one slightly loose) and as we exchanged pleasantries we realized he was from the same small town I grew up in and lived there until the 8th grade.  I asked him if he knew my father and not only did he know my dad, they played little league baseball together and my grandfather coached him.  It truly is a very small world!  I called my dad from the top of the mountain and asked if he remembered and him, and he did.  This is why I love camping…not only are people incredibly nice but there are all these little surprises.

We made it to River Plantation...passing lots of touristy stuff along the way which was fun to look at since it had been largely interstate views up until that point.  Site 401 is “the best” in the campground according to staff and we felt really lucky to get it the extra day.   We did have a lot of trouble backing in (Lee’s first time backing up the fiver) and even more trouble leveling, but at one point I looked up and a nice older gentleman was standing there.  It was Red from the RV -Dreams forum and he was quick to say he didn’t wanted to interrupt us but Howard and Linda were having a campfire at 7.  It was so sweet that he walked down to tell us and I gave him a huge hug…Red is one of the active forum posters and he has owned 12 RV’s  in his life but this is his first 5th wheel.  He told us later he has trouble backing in as well…what a sweetheart.  We ate a quick dinner and then walked down to meet the group.  There was a huge circle of people and all of a sudden I felt intimidated.

You have to understand I have been talking to these folks for months online and I have read every word Howard has written but being there in person was a bit overwhelming. As soon as we walked up though I heard a squeal and Kelly…who I had talked to several times jumped up and immediately gave me a big hug.  Then Howard and Linda stopped what they were doing and came over and introduced themselves.  It must be weird for them, meeting people who know so much about them, but don’t really know them, but it felt like meeting old friends.  I did get a chance to tell Howard how much I loved his journal and how it inspired me to do this blog and he was very very nice about it. I felt a little star struck at first…in the RV world they are mini celebrities…but they are just regular people like us…regular people with thousands of followers 🙂  But hey, I just hit 350 followers so you never know!!

We had a great time meeting so many people I had talked to online and more are coming tomorrow…I am already having a terrific time and we haven’t even really started yet.  I haven’t felt this giddy in years…maybe that’s why I woke up at 2am and am writing this post…way to excited to sleep.  More tomorrow and thanks for reading I think I am going to try to get some more sleep…big day tomorrow.

Lessons Learned

  • Visit your in laws they probably have cool stuff in their garage 🙂
  • Rest areas are way better to have lunch at than truck stops
  • There are some incredibly knowledgeable guys on the internet…don’t be afraid to ask in the forums
  • RV-Dreams is the friendliest forum I know of
  • The Container Store is amazing

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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.  Search Amazon.com here

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First Time Driving the Fifth Wheel

We left this morning on our first ever two-week vacation and our very first trip with our brand new fifth wheel!!! We have been waiting all winter long for the chance to take this first trip which is to an RV rally in Tennessee.  What is even more awesome is I finished the last class of my MBA program last week.  I’ve been going to school pretty continuously for one thing or another for 9 long years and finally I am done!!  So it was a great feeling to hook up that fifth wheel this morning and get out on the road.  Lee had made some nice upgrades over the last few weeks.  One of the major things he did was add netting to the insides of every cabinet.

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The net is so awesome because it holds everything in but is VERY easy to undo and put back on.  It took him hours to custom cut the mesh and attach the fasteners and he did it because he knew how much we struggled with things in cabinets in our previous trailer.  What a sweetie!! (Yes, I do, in fact, rock.-Lee)

When we got the trailer hitched and were on the road I looked over to my right and this is what I saw.

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He bought this cactus in the 90’s when he was driving a truck cross-country and it had been growing dust on a shelf in his den ever since.  Totally cracked me up as the little arms wave in the wind and it was a great way to set the mood for the trip.  (He used to have a little cowboy hat, but that got lost in the last move to NH. Not to worry, I’ll find him another one once we take a trip out west. That’s where the cowboy hats are, because that’s where the cowboys are. Because that’s where the cows are. – Lee) Not that it wasn’t a little stressful.  Lee had only hitched it up twice and only driven it once from the dealer and I had never even driven the truck let alone the truck and fiver. (fiver is the short hand for fifth wheel).  He drove for a long time and it was going very well but after several hours I could tell he was getting tired.  In NY on 84 I told him to pull over and I would take a turn.  I’ll be honest, I was pretty nervous.  The fiver is huge (40 glorious feet of awesome!-Lee)  and the truck is big (Less than 40 feet, but still pretty glorious and awesome in its own right. – Lee) and well, it was intimidating, but Lee explained everything very well and I knew we had plenty of time to get to our first campsite.  The first 10 miles went great..it actually was easier to drive than the 32 foot travel trailer we used to have, because there was minimal sway…it’s more like driving one big car.  But then I hit construction. (Technically, she didn’t actually HIT the construction, she arrived at it.-Lee)  And not just any construction…it was one of the super narrow lanes with high concrete walls AND on top of that, a very steep downhill. I stayed cool and slowed way down and did OK, but it was incredibly nerve-wracking.  Then to make it worse we realized we had missed the exit to the truck stop I had picked out and only had 57 miles left before we ran out of gas.  Lee took out his phone and checked tons of apps;  All Stays, Gas Buddy, and My Pilot but could find nothing.  Finally when we were down to under 40 miles remaining before we hit empty, he said we need to take this next exit and deal with this off the highway.  (I’ve already learned not to trust the “distance till empty” indicator. 40 miles could end up being 14.-Lee) We both stayed very calm considering and then WOW! there was a diesel station at that exit that wasn’t on any of the maps.  The station was awesome!!!  It had diesel at our target price ($4.09 versus the $4.49 in NY) and a small three lane truck area in the back.   I am not ashamed to say when I pulled into the pump we took a minute to celebrate. God really does watch over drunks and idiots. (We’re the idiots, not the drunks.-Lee)

We stopped around 3pm at Woodland Campground.  We knew we needed to stop early the first night to run water through all the systems, do some more organizing, and basically get settled in.  This campground was perfect for an overnight stay and the couple who run it are incredibly nice.  It doesn’t really offer any features that would warrant a long stay for us personally, but it was perfect for an overnight and getting things together.  We had a wonderful time settling in…(think first night in a new apartment) and I have to say I really really love my fifth wheel. It gets better and better every time I am in it.  The sweetest thing was Lee put up our sign and this really sums things up…

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Lessons Learned

  • Buy mesh in bulk and cut to size for every cabinet.  Install little latches on the four corners (inside of cabinet) so it can be added and removed easily
  • Take a turn driving the rig right away.  Yes its intimidating but it will NOT get better if you wait.  As a place to start pull into a rest area on the highway (where the trucks park because its easy to get in and out of) and then take a turn on a long stretch of highway and pull off at a rest area to switch
  • Driving a fifth wheel is easier in some ways than driving with a travel trailer because there is no sway
  • Pick a speed you are comfortable with and set the cruise control.  If people want to pass they can pass.
  • I know I’ve said this one before but gas can vary wildly from state to state or even region to region.  PLAN AHEAD on full ups.  We saved $12 by going 30 more miles on one stop alone.
  • Get the My Pilot app for Flying J’s and Pilots.  Flying J’s with RV lanes are the best!!
  • When you hit construction slow down.  You shouldn’t be going faster than the trucks around you.  Speaking of that watch the trucks.  Those guys and gals are professionals so if they change lanes you might want to also.

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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 Getting the 5th Wheel Ready

Lee and I spent a good part of the day organizing the new camper and wow how much fun!!!  First off there is tons and tons of space.  I know we will fill it up, but right now everything fits easily and it’s fun deciding what will go where.  And I kept finding all these neat features that I didn’t know it had…soo cool.   Kyrston, our oldest, came over and helped with the organizing.  She inherited the “master packer” ability from her dad and did the kitchen drawers for me.  She also put together the combo food processor/blender I had bought a couple of months ago along with an Ender immersion blender.  (Update: to my shame I rarely use the food processor haven’t thrown it away yet but I regret the purchase.  I have used the immersion blender but not a huge fan.  It makes a mess in shallower bowls.  Usually I hand chop or hand mix.  It’s just easier. ) 

Yesterday we went to Bed Bath and Beyond and spent waaaay too much on bedding 🙂  But it’s the first time I’ve really splurged in this area in years and I really wanted just the right thing.  Lee was VERY patient when I went through the store and looked at every singled comforter lol.  We finally settled on some very high thread count sheets, a light weight down comforter, and this Kenneth Cole Reaction duvat.   We set the bed up today and it looked awesome!!! Exactly like I pictured in my head.  can you tell I am excited lol.

So we measured and put things away and then we all went to lunch.  Lee and I went on to look at various furniture stores in town.  I say various but there are only three in the nearby area 🙂  He really doesn’t like the kitchen table that comes with the camper..and when he expanded it..it was pretty shaky.  I love the chairs since they fold and one even turns into a super nice step stool so we needed to match the wood.  Despite the odds and minimal selection we found a reasonable priced table and the wood almost matched.  We also started looking at sofas to replace the one in the camper.  It’s ok but definitely not super comfortable.  This turned a great fun day into a bit of a grind.  Everything we found was too big or the wrong color or something.  We found something that might work (the space is limited so the depth of the couch is an issue..plus the backs have to come off or we can’t get it through the door.  Anyways, we took a time out and decided to sleep on it.  We may go to a large city next week and see what’s available.  I know that sounds easy for those of your who don’t live in the boonies but the closest major city to us is 1-1/2 hours away and it’s not even that big 🙂

So we came home and took a break and in true Lee fashion he started doing some internet research.  He found absolutely the coolest space-saving ideas which we are going to implement and I wanted to share the ideas with you below.  All in all a great day and I love love love my new 5th wheel.

Space Saving Ideas

Hoses on door

Great idea hanging hoses on the inside of the door to the under the camper storage unfortunately our doors are lightweight so this would not work for us

Long items in storage

Put long items in the storage under the camper but bracket them to the ceiling so they aren’t rolling around

My mother in-law recommended these. extremely light weight and color coded for the type of food you are cutting so you don't cross contaminate. She was a restaurant manager for years and knows her food safety

My mother in-law recommended these. extremely light weight and color coded for the type of food you are cutting so you don’t cross contaminate. She was a restaurant manager for years and knows her food safety

 

 

Lee's Spice rack solution...LOVE it

Lee’s Spice rack solution…LOVE it

 

We put the largest shoe section in the laundry area

We put the largest shoe section in the laundry area

A girls gotta have her shoes. We took a multi shoe cloth holder cut it up and Lee staple gunned it to the base on the bed

A girls gotta have her shoes. We took a multi shoe cloth holder cut it up and Lee staple gunned it to the base on the bed

 

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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.  Search Amazon.com here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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First Time Buying a 5th Wheel

I know it’s been a long quiet stretch, but things have been happening.  Back in December we finally got our new truck…Ford F350 4X2 (which we special ordered) and immediately after we special ordered our Open Range.  It was a long cold winter, but finally the Open Range came and today was PDI day!!!  That’s pre-delivery inspection …which I didn’t know either before I did this lol.  We did a ton of research on the internet and read waaaay to many horror stories, so Lee and I were both pretty keyed up for the event expecting the worst.  Well I was more than pleasantly surprised …it went beautifully.  Not only was it the first nice weather day in forever…the sune as actually shining…the RV was all setup and ready for inspection when we got to the dealer, Flagg RV in Uxbridge, Mass

Our service tech’s name was Paul and he was an older gentleman with a VERY thick Massachusetts accent.   At first Lee and I thought..oh here we go…but Paul was fantastic.  Based on advice we had read, I video taped the entire walk through and after a couple of our questions showed we had done our homework,  he slowed down and really explained things.   My favorite thing about Paul was if he didn’t have the answer, he flat-out said he didn’t know and then would find someone to give us the answer.  Huge credibility points with me.  The only downside was when the salesperson came back…asked how it was going, and when I said it was great…he actually said “I told you so.”   Seriously who teaches these people…geez.  Other than that moment, the walk through was great though and we had electric, started the generator, turned on everything thing in the camper including heat, AC’s, and the TV’s…which looked fantastic running off the antenna.  I would have never thought the picture would be that good.   At one point I was standing in the kitchen and turned around and it felt like home!!!  What a tremendous feeling.

The only thing we were not able to test was the water but it was clear water had been run through it and it was re-winterized as the shower had some wet in it still.  Lee goes back Weds morning to get the hitch installed in the truck and they will be walking him through hitching/unhitching, leveling etc.  I felt completely comfortable and we had an excellent walk though of the warranty we purchased from the finance guy David.  That was actually one of the most pleasant financing experiences I have ever had.  We talked in detail about the warranty (which we had researched ahead of time) and ended up getting platinum coverage, plus unlimited towing, RV tech travel coverage (so they can come to you), and a $100 deductible for $2300.   I had asked to extend to the longest time possible and got 7 years instead of 5 for a minimal up charge…it’s well worth it to ask.   I maxed out on warranties for the new truck as well…normally I don’t get warranties but in this case we thought it would be well worth the piece of mind.

So we are now the proud owners of a new truck and RV ……so enough talking already here’s the pictures 🙂

 

 

IMG_1484RigTrace

 

 

 

 

 

 

DCIM100GOPRO

Bathroom…had fits over weather to get a colored bowl or a glass bowl went with colored because essentially I am lazy !!!

 

DCIM100GOPRO

Lee’s chair..oh yes even in the camper there will be no fighting over this chair 🙂

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We intentionally had them take out the right side couch and are building a computer desk in this slot…cost us an extra $230 to take it out but well worth it because we got carpeting that way on the floor underneath which is usually not carpeted

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Very excited about my wooden blinds…they cost $400 more but I hate regular blinds because they always get bent. The valances gotta go though they look terrible

 

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Drawers are full length deep (not all are) and the counter covers the double sink underneath. The fancy faucet has a pop off sprayer too which is very cool

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Really big microwave and oven…was excited that you don’t have to light the burners with a lighter , but you do have to light the pilot underneath

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Love love love my kitchen…nicest one I have ever had

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Washer dryer combo…the only weird thing was they didn’t have Splendide but a Pinnacle instead…after asking they said it actually costs them more and is comparable…Splendide’s weren’t available until May

 

 

IMG_1469

This was the biggest thing…we downgraded from a King to a Queen bed and I am SOOO happy with it. Not only does it open the room up they also went ahead and put in the little side shelves which we thought we would have to build ourselves. Super cool. the mattress is not so great at first glance…but we knew that would probably require an upgrade at some point

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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 Closing Up for the Winter

So it’s the last camping weekend before we have to close up the camper and since we are planning on buying a new one in February not only does it need to be winterized, but also completely cleaned out and ready to sell.  In order to winterize, you need access to water, sewage, and power so we went back to Swanzey Lake Campground for out third visit.   While we were hanging out and relaxing, we realized this was definitely the location that we wanted to try as a seasonal camper.  Seasonal campers buy a year-long pass and stay in the same site, which eliminates the need for the constant tear down and set up of the camper…a huge plus!!  Also, you don’t have to pay for storage through the summer months because you keep the camper at the campgrounds.

We had the opportunity to stay at 13 different places this summer (more activity in a summer than we have ever had in our married lives:) ) and it’s funny that we actually came full circle.  We booked a seasonal site at the very first place we camped at, Swanzey lake Campground.    Although it wasn’t either of our overall favorite for the year (mine was Tree Farm Campground and Lee’s was Oxbow Campground), it is the closest to our house and offers a little bit of everything…wooded sites, a lake, a beach.  Plus the folks here have been very helpful to us newbies.

Lee went to the office to get a packet and found out there were only 4 available seasonal sites left…yikes!!  We walked around to see them and luckily one of my favorite n sites 102 was on the list.  Sold!!  I am particularly fond of the big rock at the back of the site.   So this is our new camping home for 2014.  The cost for a seasonal site is $2700 from April 15th – Nov 1st which is pricey, but in New England they are all pretty expensive so it is in line with prices we got from other campgrounds and still way cheaper than a one week vacation.

One thing that was very interesting was as soon as Lee paid the deposit, the entire campsite experience changed.  The women at the office/store started introducing him to other seasonals and the security lady, Vicky,  who drives around and keeps an eye on things, stopped by and introduced herself.  Apparently there are lots of activities for seasonals only…who knew.  Definitely going to be a different experience and I am looking forward to trying it out.

Once the fun stuff was done it was time to get down to business.  Although we have been sharing most of the chores Lee is definitely taking the lead on the tear down and winterizing.  He did a lot of research online and learned that the tanks have to be flushed multiple times (he’s done it five times so far as i am writing this).  Once they are completely flushed, an air compressor is used to blow out any remaining water and then a special RV/Marine antifreeze is put in the lines.  Luckily our local Walmart carries it or it would be another trip to the camping store.  In addition ALL the food must be taken out of the camper.  He thought canned goods would be fine, but apparently they can burst if they freeze solid then thaw..so that’s good to know.   And of course all cloth of any kind must come out.  Essentially if a rodent could use it for food or a nest …must be removed.  Finally, you put Bounce dryer sheets  everywhere!!!  Don’t skimp and buy an off brand… rodents and spiders don’t like the smell so you put them absolutely everywhere.  The batteries are disconnected, but the propane tanks can stay.. they just need to be turned off and covered.  The camper is also swept on the top and sprayed off the get some of the grime off.   It is going to take Lee a couple of days to do all of the tasks and thankfully I get a pass and get to work on other things 🙂 

It’s sad that we are done, but what a terrific summer.  We camped for over 40 days in New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Illinois, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Indiana.  We  bought our first RV, went to our first RV show, and picked out our second RV.  We bought our first truck and have picked out our second, a diesel.  We stayed at a farm, a casino, and on the ocean.  We took a magical hike, tried tons of new recipes, and learned so much, not the least of which was how much we enjoyed each others company.  It was a great time and I can’t wait until next year to see where the journey takes us.  You won’t be hearing much from us until February when we start the process of buying our Open Range, so talk to you in the spring.

 

Lessons Learned

  • Don’t leave canned foods in the camper in the winter because they can explode
  • Take all cloth and food out of the camper for the winter
  • Use an air compressor to blow out the water in the lines before putting in the antifreeze
  • Put Bounce Dryer sheets EVERYWHERE.
  • The bathroom sink is connected to the black water tank

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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 Traveling Long Distances – Bloomsburg, PA

We got up later than we would like, and didn’t get out of the campground until 9:15. The weird water connection reared its ugly head as Lee had to disconnect the sewer hose with no water flush … Yucky. Back on 80 though and heading East.

I’d like to take a moment and talk about gas. Doing research we have seen as much as a 50 cent difference between turnpike gas prices and truck stop gas prices and it is definitely worth it to wait until a truck stop then get off the turnpike and right back on. Couple of issues though.. If you want to combine bathroom breaks inside the Pilots are definitely the cleanest but they are often not RV friendly to pull in and out of. Along this trip we have tried TA, Loves, Pilot, Kwik Trip and regular Flying J and there were things we didn’t like about all of them. Mainly almost all are a nightmare to get a RV in and out of. Finally in Pennsylvania we discovered Flying J’s with RV Stations. Fantastic! Islands specifically designed for campers with a $5 dump station right in the island. Clean restrooms, no fighting with cars, easy access in and out. Can’t say enough and we will definitely be on the lookout in the future. Plus we having a Flying J card and save on every purchase inside. They only give gas discounts if you drive a diesel, but that will be the case when we buy a new truck.

Lee did the research this time and found a campground in Bloomsburg Pa… The halfway point left until home. The drive through Pennsylvania was absolutely beautiful. Much better than 90. The leaves are starting to turn and the views were often breath-taking. Indian Head Campground ended up being a little father from the highway than we would have liked and the drive to it was not promising. Pulling in we saw numerous old trailers parked in a row ( repossessions maybe) and a funky little camp store. The lady running the store was very sweet though and we were a little concerned as we pulled into our site. The site turned our to be terrific. Concrete patio, large open field in front of us and we got to hear the concert from the city fair next door for free :). Unfortunately although the campground has a lot of potential, I have to rate it 2 out of 5 pinecones. Needs a major cleanup.

I cooked chicken and potatoes and we setup much smoother than last night. Lee took his time and it went much smoother. Overall much more relaxing day. Tomorrow we head home. Miss my girls.

Lessons Learned

  • Use your Gas Buddy app as prices may vary as much as 50 cents from state to state
  • Flying J’s with RV Stations are the best places to stop and get gas

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First Time Traveling Long Distances – Bristol, Indiana

Back on the road… Sorry to leave the farm behind and a little nervous about trying to book travel as we go. I have read many posts about how folks don’t book their campsite until very close to the location… Many times just driving in and seeing what they have available. I wanted to give this a try as the allure is maximum freedom, but have been nervous about it all going horribly wrong since before we started the trip. We knew today would be a long day, as we had to get through Chicago. The idea was to follow the GPS and try to squeeze through avoiding rush hour traffic. Might have worked too, but a truck was broken down in the middle lane on the outer belt, leading to a traffic delay that had us hitting Friday afternoon rush hour. Not good :(. Lee and I have been switching off driving every two hours or so, which is working much better, and he got stuck with most of the Chicago traffic. He was a trooper though and while we were creeping along I started to look for campsites.

There aren’t any campsites close to Chicago, so I started looking around Gary, In. Unfortunately Notre Dame was a home game on Saturday and the campgrounds were treating it as a holiday weekend with a minimum 2 day stay. I think I dealt with the curve ball pretty well though, and we decided we would just need to go a little farther down the road. I found Eby’s Pines  Campground in Bristol, Indiana…right off route 80 with an off-season price of $37 per night. I didn’t want to risk just showing up, and I was glad I didn’t because the office closed at 8pm. The lady who checked me in over the phone was extremely nice, stating if we were late they would tape our pass and map to the office door.

Once out of Chicago I took my turn driving and we realized we were closer than we thought because right before Bristol we passed the time zone change and lost an hour. Still fewer miles is good and we made it by 7:30 right when we lost our light. The same woman was at the desk and she was very helpful and we went over to site 172. Lee had never setup the outside totally in the dark, but he got the head lamp out and got started. Unfortunately there was no water near the sewer pipe on this site and he had to stretch the hose to the site next to us. Thank heavens we carry extra hose, because the office was closed by the time we knew we had a problem. A really nice man at the site next to ours came over and offered his assistance and then invited us to hangout at their campfire. Great vibe at the campground with quiet laughter and lots of campfires surrounding us, but because of the water issue and extreme closeness of the sites have to rate it 2 out of 5 pinecones. Still worked good for a quick overnight.

I situated the inside pretty quick and then started the fire in the dark. I had thawed chicken and knew it would take a while to cook. Luckily, I had been hanging onto some instant rice which tasted great with the BBQ chicken and some slaw I threw together. Very filling and relatively easy. We were exhausted at this point and went to bed. Tomorrow is another travel day and hopefully less stressful.

Lessons Learned

  • Don’t drive through Chicago at rush hour
  • Use you Gas Buddy app to check gas prices well in advance.  They could vary as much as 50 cents per gallon state to state
  • Carry extra sewer hose
  • When booking campgrounds on the fly keep in mind the offices are not open 24/7 like a hotel
  • Check for local events around where you think you might say, could impact availability and price

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First Time Staying on a Farm

Tuesday we drove to Luck, WI, which is a very small town of about 1000 people. Our daughter Katy’s boyfriends family lives outside of town on a farm and offered to let us stay on their land. I was a bit nervous as this would be our first time camping on someone’s property. As we got off the interstate, Katy had warned us to be careful of deer and she wasn’t kidding! At one point 3 deer crosses the road in front of us and we had to slow to a crawl. The sun was setting which made visibility poor and we were navigating by GPS coordinates so things were a bit tense. Then I saw a bald eagle on the side of the road eating a dead deer. Amazing, it was so huge and I wanted to stop and get a picture but we were seriously losing the light at this point and pushed on. When we made it to the long driveway it was country dark… With no moon but lots of stars. Katy and her boyfriend Micah and his parents Jim and Linda rushed out to greet us and it was hugs all around. What a wonderful welcome after a long day on the road.

Jim offered to park the trailer next to his barn and Lee quickly took him up on the offer. He parked it neatly and in no time we were hooked up to their water and power and partially deployed. Linda held dinner for us, so we ate pork roast, potatoes, carrots, and bread. I have to stop here and say Linda and Jim are the most hospitable people I have ever stayed with and they fed us WELL. Almost everything they cook is raised on the farm and there is nothing like fresh, wholesome home-grown food. Plus they are serious foodies and everything was spiced with farm grown herbs. All I can say is wow. We stayed up talking until I was so sleepy I had to call it a night and was sound asleep in about 2 seconds flat.

The next morning we woke up before the roosters. In the field next to our site, they have game hens and a pen on laying hens with 4 young roosters so were forewarned about the farm alarm clock. Lee’s an early riser and was proud he beat the roosters. We finished setting up and enjoyed the beautiful morning sunrise. Katy came over as soon as we were up and we spent some time catching up with our beautiful and feisty daughter. Linda came over and let us know she was making breakfast and French toast and sausage followed. So good. I started to feel a bit guilty about all the meals, but Linda really wanted to feed us and we were more than happy to keep eating 🙂

Jim took the day off work (a rare occurrence) just to hang out with us and gave us a tour of the farm. Jim and Linda have 27 acres, and his brother Mike and his wife Barb work the acres next door as part of a non-profit sustainable farm they run. The farm is called Ananoth Community Farm and supplies vegetables for a local co-op. The brothers also have 4 cows, 4 pigs, and tons of chickens which they use for their own needs along with selling the excess to friends and neighbors. One of the coolest thing is Mike and Barb have interns from nearby colleges come and stay and work the farm. There is a separate bunk house for the interns and they work and learn about sustainable farming. Barb was also teaching some of them how to can and make homemade Applesauce … Yum. Even thought they were deep in the potato harvest, Mike took the time to answer my million questions about how he kept the plants so healthy without pesticides. One of the neatest things was that they plant eggplants as a throwaway crop to keep the bugs off the potatoes. I guess eggplants taste better… Genius.

It was a lovely 3 days with great conversation, great food, and capped off by an impromptu concert by the brothers and their wives around our campfire one night. Beautiful music sung by absolutely beautiful people and I am very grateful that I got to experience it. It truly was difficult to leave and I can’t wait to come back for a longer visit in the future.

Lessons Learned

  • Staying with friends is great
  • Water and electric from a barn works perfectly
  • Farm fresh food really does taste so much better
  • Fresh herbs are amazing

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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 Traveling Long Distances – Joliet, IL

Got up this morning and left for Joliet, IL. It was weird to not stop and stay In Columbus, but we were excited about continuing our road trip. Couple of things about Indiana… The roads really suck. Super bouncy and ill maintained. But there are tons of RV dealers everywhere you go. It was hard not to stop and look. Tom Raper in Richmond, IN seems to be the biggest dealer, but there were lots of others. We made need to bargain shop out this way when we buy our 5th wheel.   One other good thing about the drive was Indiana  flat and the mpg in the truck went up and gas was way cheaper.  Hooray for the Gas Buddy app.

We made it through some pretty intense traffic south of Chicago and landed at the Hollywood Casino in Joliet, IL.  Part of the purpose of this trip is to try things we have heard about but unfortunately things were pretty disappointing from the start. The casino was near an industrial area and although it was green the train sounds were pretty common. Also no fire ring. First time we ever saw that,  although a nice woman I spoke to who stays at casinos all the time says they rarely have them. Since Lee has been wanting to buy a portable fire ring and I have continually said we don’t need one… not so good for me. I had to say the dreaded “you were right and I was wrong”  🙂   Also it was $55 a night and although all the literature said that the sites had full services, when we got there,  no sewer hookup.  So we used a dump station for the first time.  The dump experience went pretty well.   I had read a lot about how nasty dump stations were, but it wasn’t so bad and we dumped before we parked and again the next morning. We filled up the gray tank completely in one day though…got to get a handle on our water usage.

We deployed pretty quickly and one thing I did like was every site has a concrete patio.  The patio allowed us to  quickly set up. It was quiet there too and I didn’t realize why until Lee said … said no kids. Makes sense no kids in a casino campground. It was neat and orderly with well-groomed grass, but definitely not our speed, although the older couple next to us said they like casino campgrounds  because they are very safe. They also said the bathrooms are very clean.   We talked about going to the buffet but it was 17.99 a person (no discount for staying on site or coupons available) and frankly I didn’t want to spend the money. We ate spaghetti instead,  which I had made at home in advance and frozen into camping size two people batches. Delicious and inexpensive. Finally we were settled so decided to go over to the casino.  It was incredibly lame. I wasn’t expecting Vegas, but for those prices, I expected more.  There were only a few blackjack tables open and although there were lots of slot machines none of my favorites. We took $40 out (paying $6 in ATM fees) and played for less than 30 minutes on $20 a piece. In Vegas I can play for an entire week on $20.   Love those nickel slots and high payouts 🙂  Very disappointed we left and went back to the camper and called it a night.

Even though it was a bust we did learn a lot. Casino camping is not always the bargain everyone says if is. Plus I absolutely know I don’t like tearing down and setting up in a new place everyday.  This every day moving is pretty wearing and luckily Lee agrees.  Can’t wait to get to Luck, WI and stay in one place for the day.

Lessons Learned

  • Casino campgrounds aren’t all they are cracked up to be
  • Indiana roads are super bouncy

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