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One Year Camping Anniversary

One year ago this weekend, Lee and I had our very first camping adventure here at Swanzey Lake Campground.  It’s been an amazing year so I thought I would take a second and recap what we have done.  If you looking for the full read…check out the Key Moments tab.  In one week we decided to buy a camper, found one, bought it, and had our first camping experience.  Last summer we went camping over 13 weekends and visited 9 states.  We saw our daughter in Wisconsin, went to the ocean in Maine, and saw the Olympic village in Lake Placid…just to mention a few highlights.  What we knew by the end of the summer was that we love camping and being together just the two of us.  The summer allowed us to reconnect to one another.

At the end of the summer we decided we wanted more (including longer trips and more boon docking), so we went to Hershey RV show for two days and found the perfect 5th wheel for us.  We ordered a new truck, ordered the new 5th wheel and endured a VERY long winter waiting to get out there again.  Finally the 5th wheel came and we attended an amazing rally and met so many other people who are as passionate about camping as we are.  So it’s been a year and we sit in the same site (this time as a seasonal) grateful for the many gifts last year brought us.   Because we are selling our house and getting our last child to graduate HS we intentionally picked a campground 20 minutes from the house.  I am going to wait a few more weekends before I compare seasonal camping to going to different sites.

One thing I can say is whether you are moving around or staying put camping is a really great way to spend the weekend.  Because I have been traveling so much, I absolutely had to go into town this morning and run some errands and I went from super relaxes to stressed in no time at all.   The lights and noise in a super store are jarring after the stillness of the campsite.  Everyone waves in the campground…no waves out in the “real world” plus I saw some pretty rude behavior in a couple of stores you just don’t see in the campground.  It’s funny because these are the same people who live in town but there is something about nature that seems to bring out the best in people.  So how do I feel after a year…pretty darn awesome about the whole thing 🙂  It just gets better and better and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

One of the really fun parts of camping for me is trying out new recipes.  Cooking was a chore with three kids but now I can really explore different foods and God love Lee for being willing to eat just about anything.  So this weekend I had menus that were all new items.  Most of them were a bust unfortunately…either didn’t taste that great or waaay more trouble than it was worth, but I did discover two winners and have listed the recipes below.  It’s a lot of fun even if the experiments don’t turn out that great and it’s a good way to kill time on a rainy day.  I love old cookbooks and found the following in one of the church cookbooks that people put out as fundraisers.  The recipe was written by Ruth Arledge and I thought I would pass it along.

A Happy Home Recipe

  • 4 cups of Love
  • 2 cups of Loyalty
  • 3 cups of Forgiveness
  • 1 cup of Friendship (I add a second cup because I think it’s so important)
  • 5 spoons of Hope
  • 2 spoons of Tenderness
  • 4 quarts of Faith
  • 1 barrel of laughter

1.  Take love and loyalty, mix it thoroughly with faith.

2.  Blend it with tenderness, kindness, and understanding

3. Add friendship and hope, sprinkler abundantly with laughter

5.  Bake with sunshine

Serve daily with generous helpings.

 

Sesame Scented Snow Pea Pods

Super easy and delicious

  • 1/2 pound fresh snow pea pods
  • 1/2 tsp sesame oil
  1. Steam snow pea pods for 3 minutes.  If you have a steamer for the microwave this works well.  If you don’t have a steamer, blanch the snow pea pods in water for 1-2 minutes until bright green.
  2. Drain peas and pat dry.
  3. Place in bowl and toss lightly with sesame oil.  If you have spray oil this works great.  Squirt 3 times then toss then 3-4 times more to taste
  4. Serve right away

DSC01821

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cinnamon-Seared Pound Cake

Simple to make and REALLY good.  The grilled cinnamon flavor goes great with the strawberries and the bread has a little crunch.

  •  1 16oz bag frozen strawberries (thawed)
  • 1 10-1/2 oz package frozen pound cake – thawed  (Sarah Lee is pretty yummy)
  • 2 TBL butter (softened)
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • Whipped cream
  1. Place undrained strawberries in blender and blend until smooth.  Chill in refrigerator
  2. Blend softened butter and cinnamon
  3. Cut thin slice off each end of pound cake
  4. Cut remaining cake into 6 slices
  5. Spread butter on one side of each piece of pound cake
  6. Place cake, buttered side down, on grill.  Cook for one minute then flip and cook for two minutes
  7. Place cake on plates with strawberry mixture and top with whip cream

DSC01828 DSC01829

 

 

 

 

 

 

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First Time Having Guests at the Seasonal Site

 

It’s been a crazy couple of weeks since we got back from the rally.  I have worked out-of-town both weeks and the weekend in between we finished getting our house ready to sell.   We definitely did NOT want to miss the Memorial Day weekend house hunting traffic, so we scheduled two open houses; one on Saturday, and one on Sunday.  The downside was no camper time while we got it ready for that.  Lee snuck out a couple of times and setup some basics and he put the new reclining love seat in and removed the original couch, but there was still lots of work waiting us when we hit the campsite Friday night.  The first day and a half was spent squaring things away and it was weird unpacking for a seasonal stay versus moving around all the time.  When you’re on the go everything is placed for ease of packing up and making sure it’s secure.  When you’re stationary you can put anything you want wherever you want, which is nice, but totally different from the rally arrangement.  While I situated things Lee worked on the support box under the couch.  In the pictures below you can see we bought a love seat with zero clearance so each side can tilt back and out.  It’s SUPER comfortable but does look pretty weird in that small a space.  That being said I don’t regret the purchase at all and until we can get to Amish country and buy a custom couch I am super happy.   I started down the path of thinking where would guests sit…how it looked etc, but as Lee quickly mentioned guests will mainly be outside and “Do you want to be comfortable or not?”  The man had a point and once I sat in it I was sold…slightly weird looking or not.  One last note Lee built a box for below the couch because the new one sticks out a little farther than the old one, so it needed something to rest on. The box didn’t look very good until he removed the padding and leather from the old couch and used it to upholster the new base. It looks great.  The man is a genius!! (It’s true. I am a genius. – Lee)

Here's the wooden box he built

Here’s the wooden box he built

Finished box on the bottom

Finished box on the bottom

My daughter Kay curled on the couch

My daughter Kay curled on the couch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That was the other thing..my daughter who is 18 gave up her Friday night and came out to visit us right after work.  It was so fun, we had hot dogs and marshmallows and she kept us entertained all night with weird facts from an app her phone has. She’s a good girl and it was sweet she came to hang out.  The lack of wifi was a bit of a bummer for her though.

One of my other favorite things was I got my rock collection sorted out.  I like rocks and have collected neat ones in all my travels.  I really thought I was going to have to give up my rock collection…partly for weight and partly because vision of rocks flying around the camper was giving me nightmares.  Lee and my in-laws all threw themselves behind solving my rock problem though (so sweet) and helped me find these very nice plastic containers at The Container Store.  I will be able to strap these in when we move and I now have three different rock carriers with plenty of space for more to come!!  I don’t know about you, but it’s the little things in life that give me true joy…so thanks to Lee, DeDe and especially Denny for helping me make this happen. (If you’ve never been there, I highly recommend The Container Store. It’s my personal mecca. The have anything you need for putting anything into anything. They even have little boxes you can put littler boxes into. – Lee)

My rock collection...left to right Gold...Black...Red

My rock collection…left to right Gold…Black…Red

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally on Saturday Lee hung my Audrey Hepburn picture (which I fretted would not work and make the room smaller and turned out to be perfect) and covered the cabinet mirrors with Artscape Window Film.  I really hated the fact that the cabinets across from the bed had mirrors for a variety of reasons…not the least of which is that I am not that crazy at looking at myself all the time. (I am not nearly as happy as she is about it. Who doesn’t want a wall of mirrors facing the bed???  Bow chicka bow bow, baby. – Lee) So I did some research and found a window cling at Home Depot.  We weren’t sure what it would look like on a mirror since it’s made to go on a window, but Lee, ever practical, said buy one roll and if it doesn’t work you’re only out $22.  Not only did it work…it completely surpassed my expectations…LOVE LOVE  LOVE it.   And, again, the room does not look smaller which was a concern.  So here’s my updated bedroom thanks to my great handy-man hubby. (The Artscape window film is really easy to work with, and looks great on windows, and apparently, mirrors, although the more colorful and detailed patterns probably wouldn’t look as good on a mirror as a simple etched or frosted glass look. All you do is rough-cut it to fit, spray the glass with water that has just a few drops of liquid soap in it, and then position it and squeegee it until there are no air bubbles or water left. There’s no adhesive, it just works based on the laws of fluid mechanics. Or magic. Then you use a very sharp razor knife to trim the edge, and sit back and enjoy the adulation and kisses from whoever you did it for. Hanging a picture is even easier and hardly ever requires squeegeeing anything, so the work-to-kisses ratio is more in your favor. – Lee)

 

My Audrey Hepburn poster

My Audrey Hepburn picture

Before and after with mirrors

Before and after with mirrors

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lee at work

Lee at work

Finished product looks so much better

Finished product looks so much better

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday night we had our friends Georgia and Jim over.  They had not seen the campsite yet and we were happy to be ready to share it.  I went with hot dogs and chips but I did make my Mom’s amazing potato salad.  Usually I’m lazy and buy a vastly inferior product at the grocery store, but making a small batch for just the four of us was super easy and it lasts well in the fridge.  I have the recipe at the bottom if you want to try it out.  It’s truly yummy delicious.  I also have been looking for years for that hot dogs that mimic those of my childhood memories and I finally found them.  Jordan’s Ball Game Treats are very inexpensive and taste just like the hot dogs I ate when I was a kid.  I am sure they are terrible for you…but I’ll take a good ole basic hot dog over one of those fancy ones any day. (Fancy hot dogs??? What the hell are fancy hot dogs? I don’t think she knows what hot dogs are made of. – Lee)

Oh I also keep forgetting to mention Lee put up a bird feeder on the window that Dede and Denny gave us and a hummingbird feeder.  We have had friends in both along our travels and since they are right outside my desk window I can sit and watch without scaring them away.  I included the hummingbird feeder mixture in the recipe section because it’s easy to make but I keep forgetting the ratio.

 

Bird feeder and hummingbird feeder outside my desk window

Bird feeder and hummingbird feeder outside my desk window

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Georgia and Jim (two of our best friends) came over and we had a great time.  Their son worked for Lee and he is the son we never had.  He chose the same career field as Lee and is doing very well in it so we had a very enjoyable night talking about our kids, our plans for the future, and of course showing off our new camper 🙂  It was also cool that despite having intermittent rain all weekend it was perfectly dry all night.    Thanks so much Georgia and Jim for helping us kick off our seasonal summer!!  Look forward to many more nights by the fire.

Speaking of the campsite here are the pictures of the campsite and our friends Georgia and Jim.

Campsite at night

Campsite at night

DSC01811

 

 

Kay and Lee hanging out by the fire

Kay and Lee hanging out by the fire

Big rock on our site

Big rock on our site

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very well wooded love that...we have neighbors but can barely see them through the tress

Very well wooded site.. love that…we have neighbors but can barely see them through the tress

 Connie’s Best Ever Potato Salad

1.  Peel potatoes and cut into 4-5 pieces

2.  Boil covered until you can easily cut through with a butter knife but remove before mushy.  Rinse with cool water

3.  Boil eggs and allow both eggs and potatoes to cool

4.  Use a fork to mix egg yolks, mayo, mustard, and good seasons

5.  Mix potatoes, green onions, and egg whites

6.  Mix dressing into potato mixture gently stirring.

7.  Refrigerate until served (best if made the night before)

Connie's Best Potato Salad Ever

Connie’s Best  Ever Potato Salad

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hummingbird Feeder Solution

  • 1 part sugar (must be the real deal)
  • 4 parts water

Stir well prior to filling up the feeder

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First Time Camping at a State Park in a Fifth Wheel

This morning I did much better at navigating.  I starting immediately when we got in the truck and looked at the My Pilot app, typed in our route, and saw all the Flying J’s and Pilots along it.  This let us decide in advance where we would stop and fuel.  Much better plan since we love Flying J’s and they aren’t everywhere and this allows us the greatest opportunity to find them along the route.  Lee gave me our approximate stopping point for the night…I really recommend this because it gives the navigator a starting point for a campground search and you can talk about shortening or extending the days trip based upon what you find in the area.   Howard had recommended a new website called Ultimate Campground Project.  There is  even a mobile version I purchased for $5.99 and well worth it!!  The site helps find public campgrounds which are less expensive and sometimes there are hidden gems as Howard says.   They do require more research though because generally their websites are not that great.  Based on his seminar at the rally…I search the area we were going then I called the campground first to discuss the size of our rig and see what they recommended and once armed with some site numbers I called the reservation desk.  It’s a good plan BUT the kid I talked to at the State Park was a trainee and we were having a tough time communicating and the reservation desk was clearly reading from a script which ultimately was not that helpful.  I did however get through the steps and locked us into a pull through site (#39) within 1 hour of getting on the road.   So I am feeling very proud of myself…very organized and together (For those who read my blog often you know pride often goes before the fall so prepare yourself.)

At our first stop I took another turn driving. Another advantage of Flying J’s with RV lanes is the are relatively easy for an inexperienced driver to get out of, so we departed easily and took off down the road.  I am really feeling comfortable driving the freeways.  My method (and I know not everyone will agree with this…Lee doesn’t) is to find a truck carrying special materials of some sort (liquids, heavy metal, etc) who I think is driving particularly well and pace them 4-5 car lengths back.  They know the road better than I do and I can watch when they change lanes which gives me plenty of lead time to do the same.  Now this being said, never do anything reckless to stay with them.  If you lose you truck buddy another one will come down the road.  I NEVER do this with the standard box trucks because their driving is to inconsistent from truck to truck but as a general statement the drivers with the unusual loads seem to be more cautious and better overall drivers.   One last comment on this…you can keep an eye on them but don’t relax so much you forget you control your vehicle.  I just look at it as an extra set of eyes…so to speak.  Hope that makes sense.  Oh one other thing…when I get tense I grip the steering wheel to tight which tightens the whole body and you actually have less control.  Keep your hands loose on the steering wheel.  Lee was really great about reminding me when he saw me gripping to tight.

Because we were doing so well, I wanted to stop and get a nice lunch at a Cracker Barrel.  We have been eating lunch in the rig everyday which was fine, but I wanted a treat so Lee found an upcoming Cracker Barrel on the All Stays app.  We know not all Cracker Barrels will fit a rig this size so he google mapped the area and saw the parking lot was small, but there was a large hotel next door.  We pulled in and because the parking lot in the back was empty Lee got out and gave me directions on how to back into a space (my first time).  This turned out GREAT!!!  Me giving directions to Lee has not worked that great because I don’t relaly know what to tell him, but he knows exactly what to say and told me step-by step how to park…it looked great.  We are definitely onto something.  I was totally calm because I trust him and he was kind while giving good directions!   My only feedback to him was to allow me to go as slow as I wanted because there is a delay between when he would say stop and when my brain could register it and hit the brakes.  The other thing is I don’t know what “straighten out” means..so he had to tell me turn the steering wheel left or right instead.  We were both pretty excited and think for us as a couple we are definitely on the right track with this method.   We went inside and asked permission at the hotel to stay for an hour (she said it was fine as long as we didn’t camp out) and had our lunch.  Although I loves me some Cracker Barrel…I would have to say overall it’s to much of a pain finding a place to park etc…plus it cost $30 for lunch versus something in the RV so I don’t think we will be doing this much.

So we finally came to the Frances Slocum State Park (in Pennsylvania) and checked in.  The office closed at 4pm but we made It by 3:20 so felt we had plenty of time.  We received direction…the trainee I had talked to was there and brand spanking new, and we got our maps and headed to the site.  This park is known for its man-made lake…which is nice, but we quickly realized that the small campground was designed for pop ups, tents, and small travel trailers.  We went to our pull through site and it was terrible. It was a tiny semi-circle next to the bath house with no view whatsoever. Also  the fifth wheel would face the road and the campfire would be on the wrong side.  Since the campground was practically empty we drove around the small circle looking at our alternative sites and Lee thought using our new method (me driving him spotting) we could get into one of the backup sites.  The office was closed by this time and I was trying to call the reservation d, but Lee (who is smart like that) walked over to the camphost and got her permission.  At the same time we realized there was no water at the site.

Ok so this was on me…despite my research and phone calls it escaped me the sites were electric only.  I assumed electric and water…bad bad assumption.  And we don’t carry much water on travel days (hurts the MPG) so we had to go fill up with water first which was way down the road.  Now I want to say this is where my positive attitude kicked in.  As they say the difference between an ordeal and adventure is attitude and I was bound and determined to look at this as an adventure…Lee not so much J  We went to the water area and hooked up our hose.  We knew we were getting water but it did take a long time.  I sat at the panel and kept hitting the tank fullness indicator and it took about 20 minutes to get to 2/3 full.  Once full of water we went back to our new site and Lee backed me in.  This took quite awhile because the angle to get into the site was pretty sharp.  We finally made it though but the fiver was seriously slanted.  So Lee pulled out the blocks and the moved forward a bit and then back and he used the stabling jacks…which we usually don’t have to do for a one night keeping hitch stay and we were somewhat level.    Actually he perked up during this process…he was very complimentary on how I followed his directions..I told him I trust him so it was easy to do exactly what he said and I think we both felt a sense of victory over the accomplishment.  He did say since we were beginners maybe we should stay away from State parks for a while, but I am eager to try another one just do a much better job on the upfront research.  Oh and as a benefit they don’t sell wood here but we were told we could burn any of the dead wood on the ground and we had a ton of it so had a very nice fire that night

 

Tilted fifth wheel :)

Tilted fifth wheel 🙂

Nice parking on the blocks by Lee

Nice parking on the blocks by Lee

 

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Much more level after the jacks were out

Much more level after the jacks were out

 

Overall the campground was less than average.  I don’t mind rustic but it should really have large sites and folks should not be right on top of each other in this case.  So I have to give them a relatively low score.  Please see below for a more detailed review.

I woke up in the morning with a terrible chest cold.  We went from 87 degrees in Tennessee to 57 degrees in PA and it went down to 33 overnight.  So here’s something I learned /…when you have a 2nd AC unit…even though the temperature controls have heat …it is not turned to the furnace so when you turn heat on you get outside air.  Basically I was warm and snuggly in my blanket but breathing super cold air all night 🙂  So I felt pretty yucky and helped Lee with the outside so we could get going as soon as possible.  The leveling blocks are like big Lego blocks and snap together so once Lee rolled the RV forward I started to pull the bricks apart.  One came off easier than the others and wham I smacked my self right in the bridge of the nose.  I literally saw stars and for a moment I thought I broke my nose…but it got better after a little while.  When we went down to the dump station that actually worked VERY well. I stood on the hose at the connection and Lee did the other parts.  While I was standing there I did notice the water we filled with yesterday had a huge sign saying Danger NO potable water.  The sign was not on the spigot though so we had gotten this water and I had brushed my teeth with it in the morning.  It makes no sense because every water spigot that’s potable will not hook up to a hose, so I think they expect you to use buckets or something.  Give me a break…we are buying a Water Bandit ASAP!!

After a long day of driving we reached the dealer we bought out rig from Flagg RV.  This was our first trip with our fifth wheel and despite a pretty extensive PDI (we tested everything except for water as it was still to cold) we had a small list.  The big one was the washer/dryer combo because the instrument panel doesn’t light up at all and it leaks.  Lee was ticked about this one, because everything else was relatively minor but obviously this aftermarket item was not installed or inspected correctly.  The Service Manager Steve was great though and had one of his top techs Chad review the issues while were there and then said they would order parts and have Chad make the 2 hour trip top our seasonal site to complete the repairs …couldn’t have gone better.  One other weird thing was a squeal in our Fantastic Fan.  Apparently Fantastic Fan makes an amazing product and Steve said in twelve years he had never seen one squeal (probably a bad bearing).  There is a lifetime guarantee on their part so they think they can fix it easily but both Chad and Steve thought it was weird we had an issue with it.  It didn’t show up in the PDI,  by the way because it only happens when the fan is on for a length of time.    Anyways the trip went VERY well…Lee picked up some valve extenders at their excellent RV store (seriously they have more parts than any store I have seen), and finally we headed to our seasonal site.

Our seasonal site is very tight and requires professionally backing the camper.  No really after seeing it with fresh eyes in the new fifth wheel we need a professional.  Luckily the owners sun is a professional truck driver and he moves them on the weekends, so we parked in the empty lot until Lee can meet the son and get it permanently moved to our seasonal site….finally!!!  I had an amazing time and really enjoyed myself but I am tired of driving so far every day.  I did want to add one picture thought that pretty much sums up how we felt about this week…which is in the top 5 vacations I have taken in my life !!

 

Who knew I could still bend back that far :)

Who knew I could still bend back that far 🙂

 Lessons Learned

  • The more challenging the day the more lessons learned 🙂
  • Check Fuel options along the route first thin in the morning and again after every fuel up so your deciding on where to stop in advance. Significantly reduces stress and gives you more options.
  • If traveling as a couple have one person selected the approximate end point for the days travel and have the second look for campgrounds/stopping places in the area.   Sometimes you can have too many choices is it’s wide open and it can take forever to research.
  • If you get a trainee at a campground and are uncomfortable with what their level of knowledge don’t be afraid to ask to speak to someone else. I was worried about hurting the kids feelings and ultimately that did not serve me well
  • Reservation call centers only know the information they have been given so if you have any concerns at all call the campsite directly
  • Try having the driver with more parking experience navigate and the other person drive the rig. It seems counter intuitive but it works great for us.
  • Have a small clip board and pad on hand to write down instructions such as fueling exit number and website campsite directions (GPS doesn’t always work for campsites)
  • Be careful when booking a public campground …don’t take anything for granted
  • Know in advance if you’ll need water and plan accordingly.
  • Buy a Water Bandit
  • If you have a 2nd AC unit it does not necessarily do heat despite having Heat on the controls
  • Wen you are separating the leveling blocks don’t whack yourself in the nose.
  • Pay attention to potable water signs

 

Frances Slocum State Park – Luzerne County, PA 2 out of 5 pine cones

Very small state park with a nice man-made lake   The sites are pretty small with electric only although the 50 amp was good.   No wireless but solid AT&T cell service.  The camp host was very nice and moved us to a larger site when the reserved site was not a very nice one.  Any dead wood laying on the ground can be burned and there were tons of cut trees.   Overall it was ok, but for that level of rustic I would expect much nicer views.  IT would be fun with kids in a popup for a weekend but definitely not “big RV” friendly.

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First Time Getting the Fifth Wheel Weighed and Driving Home

We started off the morning with getting our fifth wheel weighed by Howard and Linda.  They have been trained by the RV Safety Education Foundation  and have been trained on how to weigh  motor homes and RV’s.    They are very passionate about the importance of weight safety and this passion is discussed frequently on their website and in their rally.  We were convinced we wanted to do this, and at $60 (part of which goes to the RVSEF) it’s a bargain.  I am not going to go into all the specifics..but instead refer you to Howard’s blog for the details since he’s the expert, but essentially you can’t just look at overall weight but need to check the weight on each tire of the RV, the hitch, and the front and back of the truck.  Each area is a calculation based on type of tire and manufacturer specs…there’s some pretty heavy-duty math (which is not my best thing) plus they use special scales to weigh each set of tires so again…HIGHLY recommend you get weighed by someone who knows what they are doing…it’s a bargain. The big deal about the weight is how it impacts driveability, safety, and impact on your frame, and because we are brand new at all of this we were concerned.  Well, Lee got an A + from Howard and Linda 🙂  I say Lee because he is the one who found permanent homes for everything in storage.  A common thing people do is overload one side or the other and Lee was dead even side to side in the back and only 50 lb difference between the front and the rear. Plus we had LOTS of head room for adding more stuff.  Linda said this rarely happens and I was super proud of Lee that he came  so close simply by eye-balling it.  That’s my guy!!  (I am the pack master. – Lee) Howard gave us some recommendations for what PSI we could use on our tires (currently using 80 but can go down to 60 on the truck) which should give us a much smoother ride!!   The bouncy bounce in the truck on rougher roads is a little uncomfortable and this should help with that 🙂

Since we were the first appointment of the morning we also had a few minutes to tell Howard and Linda how much we had enjoyed the rally.  I had written them an email “comment card” and they took it in the spirit it was intended and thanked us for it. Lee spent many years traveling across the country doing large-scale live business events (think huge annual corporate meetings) plus he spent several years doing lighting and stage crew for traveling tours, including Cher and the Eagles.  My hubby knows live production. (And a good show is scalable, no matter how small. All business is show business. – Lee)  I have trained folks on new software systems all over the country as well…and we couldn’t help but watch the seminar from that perspective.  Howard and Linda run a very professional seminar while maintaining a warm and friendly environment.  Not the easiest thing to do.    The content of the slides was terrific, the pacing was good, the tone and level of detail were perfect for beginners like us.  Also many people put the logistics of an event on “auto-pilot” which can lead to problems, but Linda was actively keeping an eye on the food, bathroom cleanliness, temperature of the room etc.  If you do those things well they largely go unnoticed, but if they aren’t done well it can make a great seminar very unpleasant…(think about the last time you had to learn something and the room was too hot or cold).  Anyway, we were glad to be able to tell them how impressed we were by the quality of the seminar and then, reluctantly, we  headed out driving back home.  By the way, I really liked the campground.  River Plantation is very close to an outlet mall and all the Pigeon Forge attractions but it is also tucked away so if you stay in the campground it feels like you are in the wilderness.  I wouldn’t stay in the interior sites, they’re pretty packed together, but the river sites were fantastic and my site #401 backed up to a small waterfall that was lovely.  If you’re interested, you can see the end of the post for a full review.

Let me warn you  from this point in the day it was all downhill  so if you’re looking for one of my happy posts you might want to stop here 🙂

It started with the GPS being unclear as to which way to turn out of River Plantation.  Because most campgrounds are on private roads the GPS gets confused so we often turn the wrong way out initially…it happens all the time.  As we were driving to the highway we saw a couple from the Rally stopped on the side of the road.  They are easy to spot because they pull a fifth wheel with a semi truck cab and it was pulled over with the engine off, and the hood up. (Never a good sign! – Lee) Luckily Lee was able to pull us over and walk back to see if he could help.  Theresa and Rick were this very nice couple we spent some time with during the open house because Teresa had a custom-built sewing machine cabinet that was pretty cool and I was fascinated by her little sewing area in the RV.  Anyway, Rick thanked us for stopping and said he was fine.  He had bought a new heater hose at Napa and he said “This is why you always buy from Napa because they have sent someone with a replacement part and he is on his way.”  VERY good to know and I have added it to our lessons learned.  So back on the road we went.  I was feeling a bit sad…having to go back to the real world and was distracted.  My job is the navigator and let’s just say I did not navigate well.  I knew we had plenty of time before our first gas stop because Lee had filled up the truck prior to hitching up, so I blew off familiarizing myself with the route.  So we are driving along and noticing that the Diesel Exhaust Fluid light was on, and wouldn’t go off.

In a diesel (and this is all new to us) the EPA requires diesel exhaust fluid…I think it makes the emissions cleaner. Anyway we had gotten a warning message on the way down to the rally and stopped and bought a gallon of fluid.  Right before we left this morning, Lee put in a gallon but as we were driving we noticed the message did not change (it states you have X amount of miles before the engine will limit your speed to 50 mph, and then eventually go into idle-only mode.)  Ok, so now something that was a minor thing was turning into a big deal.  On the fly I am checking the diesel supplement manual and eventually we had to call the dealer we bought it from to ask why the information screen wasn’t recognizing that we had added the fluid.  The whole time Lee is driving btw and the miles are counting down.  According to the dealer, it should have reset automatically when we put more fluid in but since we only added one gallon (our tank takes five gallons) it didn’t work.  They also said that even after you fill it up, you should turn on the vehicle…let it run for 2 minutes…then turn off and do again until it resets.  Of course according to Murphy’s law as soon as we got this information we passed the last true truck stop for 50 miles and the mileage indicator is down to 99 miles left.  By the way if it totally runs out and you drive too far on none the truck will actually go into idle only mode…so this is nothing to screw around with.  Ok, now we knew what do…but we needed more of this fluid, so I pull up all those maps on my IPAD and it’s  too far for my comfort level to a true truck stop.  I use All Stays generally and a great app called My Pilot but there was only one “Road Runner” travel station 26 miles away.  Now Lee is irritated, because he’s stressed from driving, worrying about the mileage countdown,  and I am not navigating.  In my defense there was a lot going on BUT if I had familiarized myself with the route in advance it would not have been such an issue.   We pulled off at the travel station, which claimed to be a truck stop, and there was a sign (which we didn’t see until we were leaving) that said “Absolutely no trucks or trailers)…did you know these are not truck stops but designed for cars??? …I didn’t…It was just a regular gas station. We needed to get that diesel fluid so Lee took a chance and pulled in but then got “stuck” and couldn’t get out because of where cars were parked.  He hates that…I mean hates it with a passion and I have navigated us right into that situation.  (Let me just say here that there is a special place in hell reserved for people who park in stupid places. There is very little room for error in the geometry of moving something that’s 56 feet long.-Lee)  I jumped out of the truck and went and bought 5 gallons of the exhaust fluid while Lee put the flashers on and waited.  Once we had the fluid…he backed up (with my spotter assistance) and finally wiggled our way out and back onto the highway.  It was not easy, it was not fun, and it was very avoidable…as we stopped at the next rest area, filled the fluid tank completely…turned the truck on and off and the warning light reset. All of this happened before noon. I would love to type here “and the rest of the day went beautifully”, but we were both irritated with each other for another five hours; just got on each others nerves, until we finally took a  break and pulled over and talked about it.   I want to thank my new friend Cori because when I texted her around 4pm and told her Lee was seriously getting on my nerves her response was “Take a fake nap”  I laughed so hard I finally was able to let some of the tension go and talk about it.

We finally stopped for the night at a KOA which was off the highway and had a nice fire.  I know Lee felt bad about the tension because he talked me into buying a bear paper towel holder.  It was $40…yikes…but super cute and if I am going to spend I’d just as soon spend it on a small mom and pop business than at a large retailer.  Anyway here’s a picture of my bear 🙂

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Bear paper towel holder

 

And here’s a picture of our campsite at KOA Harrisonburg/Shenandoah Valley.  It was a nice campground, a little pricey, but the people were super friendly.  My major complaint was the smell of pig poop that seemed to permeate the air.  A local farmer must have been fertilizing.  You can see a full review at the bottom of the post. (That’s not smoke from the fire, that’s the haze of pig shit stink. Seriously. You could scoop that stuff with a spoon. It was nasty. – Lee)

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Finally, my friend Cheryl from the RV-Dreams forum wanted to know how Lee built our custom desk.  We have a Front Living Room model of an Open Range (386-FLR) and we custom ordered it without one of the couches so that he could build a desk.  I was going to wait until it was complete done to post, but Cheryl is looking at building one now and asked for the info…so here it is Cheryl written by Lee because I honestly have no clue how he did it…I just know I LOVE it!!!

 

So, this is not that terribly complicated, anyone who is comfortable with a few tools can do it. Swearing helps. Not smacking yourself on the head by leaning in too close or fast to the edge of the slide out will also help. The first step is to get yourself some kind of a recreational vehicle. I recommend the Open Range 386-FLR, with one of the couches removed. The space is perfect for a nice big desktop area.

But all you really need is a piece of kitchen counter from Home Depot or Lowe’s, or some other such store, and something to use as pedestals, for it to sit on. I like filing cabinets as desk bases, because you can put stuff in them. Be aware that desktop height is 30″, and you will find that the vast majority of filing cabinets are 30″, which makes sense. But our desk was going into a slideout, and the “floor” of the slideout is 7″ taller than the floor of the RV, so I needed to find something shorter. I totally lucked out, and found the perfect lightweight but incredibly strong stackable storage drawers at staples. They are 24″ deep, which is a LOT of room, and they are designed to lock together when stacked, making them very stable. They’re designed to be full of paper, and stacked up to 10 high, so they will take a tremendous amount of compression force. And when two of them were stacked, they EXACTLY hit the height I needed. Your situation may not have the height restriction, so plan accordingly. In my rig (as you can see I the pics, there are two pieces of wood at each side of the slideout floor to reinforce the floor, so I placed the drawers just inside of those, which gives me a nice little cubby on either side of the drawers to stick things like power strips and laptop bags, and small pieces of candy I can forage for later. I used 2″ L brackets to anchor the drawers to the wooden floor with particle board screws, because they have nice fat threads. To anchor the drawers to the brackets, I drilled a hole in the drawers and used small bolts with fender washers so they don’t chew through the plastic while driving, and lock nuts. I also used brackets to anchor the desktop to the drawers, and to the wall of the rig. Obviously, you have to make sure that you use short enough screws so that you don’t damage anything hidden underneath/behind the structure. Each RV is a little different, but if you poke around you can find places to anchor things to. I also cut the desktop to its a very snug fit side to side, and that helps to stabilize it. And finally, because I ran out of time and as a temporary way to keep the drawers closed while driving, I just popped a drywall screw through the side of each drawer to “lock” the drawers in place while driving. I’ll come up with something sexier later. I am having custom fronts made that match the rest of the rig and found drawer pulls that also match, so the drawer fronts will match the rest of the interior.

The decorative junk on the desktop is held on place using museum putty, which is amazing stuff. I highly recommend it.

Happy modifying, email us pics of whatever you come up with! – Lee

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Desk view…we are putting wood cabinets on to cover the filing cabinets

Brackets in bottom and top and there is a screw to hold the file drawer closed when driving

Brackets in bottom and top and there is a screw to hold the file drawer closed when driving

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lessons Learned

  • Get your RV weighed
  • Buy parts at NAPA they will deliver a replacement to you if you break down
  • If you’re having an issue..stop and talk about it.  MUCH harder to discuss things when driving and you may put yourself in a worse situation!!
  • When the diesel exhaust fluid light comes on fill the tank completely..but do not over fill
  • When you have filled the diesel exhaust fluid in a Ford truck you may need to let it sit for a minute then turn the truck on and off a couple of time to clear the warning message.
  • If you don’t put the diesel exhaust fluid in the truck will limit your MPH to 50!!!  Don’t let this happen.
  • Being the navigator is hard work if you do it right
  • Not all Diesel Travel stations have truck or RV lanes you need to do more research to find out!
  • Map out your next gas stop immediately when starting or after each fuel up so you have plenty of time to select the best price and best accessibility location

 

River Plantation RV Resort –  1004 Parkway  Sevierville, TN 37862  4 out of 5 pinecones

River Plantation is right outside of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee (Home of Dollywood) and is specifically designed for large RV’s and Motor homes.  Although I would not stay in one of the internal sites, the river view sites around the exterior were excellent.  They are large and my site (#401) has a small waterfall behind it that was both picturesque and made great white noise at night.   It was extremely neat, clean and safe with terrific laundry facilities and a very nice bath and shower area.  The site also has several cabins, and although the smaller ones I would pass because they have no amenities, the larger ones have a small kitchen in them.  The conference center is great if you’re having a rally and the people who run the place take it seriously.  There are tons of family activities close by and the Smoky Mountains are very close.  Despite being so close to so many attractions the place is tucked away and if you don’t leave the campsite it feels like you are in a more rural area.  Overall I was thrilled and would definitely go back.    My only complaint was the wireless was pretty spotty and at that price point I thought it could have been better.

KOA Harrisonburg/Shenandoah Valley – 12480 Mountain Valley Road Broadway, VA 22815  3 out of 5 pinecones

4 miles off the interstate but extremely secluded.  It is a smaller KOA but has a nice play area for the kids and a swimming pool.  The camp store was very nice for its size and the people were super friendly.  Wifi unfortunately was practically nonexistent unless you were near the lodge and then even a weak signal.  It was also pricey for what you got…we paid $47 for a water and electric only pull through site.  Another concern was a strong smell of poop throughout the campground.  There were several cow barns nearby and I am guessing the farmer was manuring his fields.  That being said it was friendly and a little off the beaten track which we like but I wouldn’t recommend staying here for more than a few days.

 

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Finish of the Rally and Taking a Day off

 

I forgot to mention that every morning Lee has been feeding a pair of local ducks.  We got some cracked corn and they come up to him every morning and quack at him until he gives them their daily treat.  Who knew Lee was the wild animal whisperer lol  Here’s a great picture of my hubby and his ducks.

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I like how his pre-showered hair looks a bit like a ducktail 🙂

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Here’s Lee’s ducks…he had them coming right up to his feet.

 

The last full day of the rally had an open house section where you could volunteer to show your rig.  We had a great time both showing ours and seeing others and I got tons of neat space-saving ideas especially from Linda who has been doing this for 9 years and had a carpenter friend come in and build some custom drawers.  My honey do list got bigger and bigger 🙂   It was also very gratifying to show other folks our open range.  People really liked the floor plan especially where Lee had built me a desk and it was great to hear folks  say what they liked.  At first we kept thinking folks were just being polite, but when they were specific it was nice.  Validated that we had chosen well!! Here’s some of the pictures I took (with permission) from other rigs and some cool ideas I want Lee to try to implement.

wooden box inserts

wooden box inserts

Linda has these cool wooden box inserts that slide out sideways...ingenious

Linda has these cool wooden box inserts that slide out sideways…ingenious

 

This is a simple ting but I really liked it a handle on the inside of the door so when you are walking out you can steady yourself. I am a klutz so this is a must have for me

This is a simple ting but I really liked it a handle on the inside of the door so when you are walking out you can steady yourself. I am a klutz so this is a must have for me

 

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To replace the couch we need to expand the pedestal. I saw this in a motor home and loved the way the wooden extended looked!!

 

 

 

 

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This is a simple solution that was great. Latch work mesh mounted on the inside of the cabinet doors and paper clips used to hold jewelry. Brilliant!!!

 

Spice Rack loved this because they were all so easy to see

Spice Rack loved this because they were all so easy to see

 

 

 

 

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Pull out drawers were very common (you can order them online) and make use of the entire space

 

 

 

 

 

Customer Wine Rack built next to the microwave

Custom slider plate shelves…what I loved was they fit plates and bowls and Lind is short like I am and they are within easy reach

 

After the open house I took a nap 🙂  That was a lot of walking and I had to get ready for the big closing party.  Linda had a Derby theme since Howard and Linda the rally organizers are from Louisville and everyone was supposed to bring a derby hat.  I went to the thrift store and bought a sun hat and dressed it up with feathers and I took Lee’s fedora and put a beautiful feather in it.  Lee said he had his “pimp hat” on lol.  The hats were really beautiful and we watched the race.  Then everyone danced and had a great time.  Breakfast the next morning we said our farewells to many folks leaving and took a great group picture of the “newbie” class if 2014.    Tonight we are going to one more informal bonfire and then we hit the road back home.  What a jam-packed week and I am kind of excited to get back on the road to get a little rest lol.  Can I say we were one of the youngest couples at the rally and the energy level of most of these folks put us to shame 🙂  Whew I need another nap!!

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

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

Pam is a corker...she's beautiful and has the most amazing positive energy...I want to be her when I grow up :)

Sue is a corker…she’s beautiful and has the most amazing positive energy…I want to be her when I grow up 🙂

Jo and Craig the nicest couple with a wicked sense of humor. Craig put two bunny ear feathers in his bal; cap

Jo and Craig the nicest couple with a wicked sense of humor. Craig put two bunny ear feathers in his ballcap

 

 

The self described "Hippy" drebyers :)

The self-described “Hippy” derbyers 🙂

Bill and Nancy have been married for 44 years. They walk (at a fast clip) every day except for Sunday. They are amazing and I hope we are like them after 44 years

Bill and Nancy have been married for 44 years. They walk (at a fast clip) every day except for Sunday. They are amazing and I hope we are like them after 44 years

Jo and Ben...Jo took sewer hose and toiletry products and got most creative...LOVE it and love them

Jo and Ben…Jo took sewer hose and toiletry products and got most creative…LOVE it and love them

Greg and cory...Greg put one feather in his hat..he's a minimalist...cracked me up every time I looked at it

Greg and cory…Greg put one feather in his hat..he’s a minimalist…cracked me up every time I looked at it

Eileen who took runner up in the prettiest hat contest...she's a great lady and a bit naughtier than she appears :)

Eileen who took runner-up in the prettiest hat contest…she’s a great lady and a bit naughtier than she appears 🙂

This was runner up in most creative it has a tremendous amount of detail all around really cute

This was runner-up in most creative it has a tremendous amount of detail all around really cute

Howard and Linda dancing to Rocky Mountain High by John Denver

Howard and Linda dancing to Rocky Mountain High by John Denver

This was Jesse retired Naval submarine engineer in his feathered hat, kilt, and cowboy hats. It says something that he only got second place :)

This was Jesse retired Naval submarine engineer in his feathered hat, kilt, and cowboy hats. It says something that he only got second place 🙂

Jeff in his "poop" hat...the suppositories hanging off the side were a scream..He appropriately won best use of recycled material

Jeff in his “poop” hat…the suppositories hanging off the side were a scream..He appropriately won best use of recycled material

Ellen and Mario...they have a smaller toy hauler but she is angling for a bigger rig !!

Ellen and Mario…they have a smaller toy hauler but she is angling for a bigger rig !!

Gin and Syl who are absolutely hysterical

Gin and Syl who are absolutely hysterical

Pam and Red in their cowboy hates. We love love love them!!!

Pam and Red in their cowboy hates. We love love love them!!!

Linda made this hat with a horse on top. She is a widow and their dream was to FT RV so she has decided to do it alone. Amazing lady!!!

Linda made this hat with a horse on top. She is a widow and their dream was to FT RV so she has decided to do it alone. Amazing lady!!!

 

I borrowed this hat from Sue for a minute LOVED it...she won fanciest

I borrowed this hat from Sue for a minute LOVED it…she won fanciest

Back of Sues Hat

Back of Sues Hat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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First Time at an Educational Rally

The last couple of days have been really great but sooo busy. The educational part of the Rally has been everything and more that I could hope for. I love the format…we spend 1 hour per topic which is just enough time to give solid information and answer questions but not enough time to really glaze over.  The topics were great and included Basic RV Maintenance, Batteries, Electrical systems, Traveling in Alaska, TV on the Road, Internet on the road, among other topics. Every night we have had a catered dinner and one night we had a pot luck which was tons of REALLY good food. My favorite though is at the end of the day when there is a social hour with an activity. Weds was Handy Gadgets where people showed cool things they had made of repurposed for RV’s. Our friend Kelly had taken a packing divider and turned it sideways to make a mountable wine glass rack.  You wouldn’t believe how much discussion there was around how to safely carry wine glasses in a camper 🙂

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Kelly’s wine glass holder 🙂

 

Lee’s favorite was Poo-Pourri (yes it is a real product). This great couple showed the video and everyone busted out laughing…hey some things are NOT better in close quarters and  everybody poops

 

Thursday night was the Newlywed game and they had three groups, experienced campers (5 years or more), Newbie Campers, and Wannabees. Lee volunteered us for the Newbie group and we were doing pretty good until the bonus question where they asked where the bottle opener was.  I was super excited because we had forgotten a bottle opener and I couldn’t open my Wachusetts Ale we had just bought a new one and I knew exactly where it was.  Lee wasn’t so sure where it was and in any case he always goes for the funny and he cracked up the whole room with his answer of “Does anyone have a bottle opener we can borrow.” In such a small space you really can’t find anything plus we keep moving things around trying to see which space fits best.

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Lee’s getting one right!!


Along with lots of great classes, activities, and just all around fun there has been time to have some great conversations with other newbie couples like us. Kelly and Bill cane one night Greg and Cori over last night and in both cases were talking to past 11pm. For those who don’t know I am an early bird and Lee often conks out on the couch by 9pm, but the great conversation, a little bit of alcohol, and a campfire and I really could have talked well into the night. Even if I I had not learned a single thing (which is definitely NOT the case) the opportunity to meet with other couples has been tremendous.  We were having such a good time meeting folks in little groups we invited all the newbie couples back to our place for the free night.  Everyone brought whatever leftover food they had lying around (which worked out way better than I expected) and their chairs and whatever they wanted to drink.  We gave several tours of the rig and folks really liked some of the features and some of the small customizations Lee has done.  Folks stayed from 5:30 to past 10 and we have a really really good time.  Tomorrow is internet on the road, boon docking (which I am super interested in) and how to find a campsite which I am VERY interested in…some of the folks doing this longer know the greatest trick for finding these beautiful relatively inexpensive campsites.  Here are some great pictures from the party.  I made some a pitcher of mai tai’s btw and they were a big hit!!  See the recipe below.

 

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Red and Scott

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Tons of food and Mario, Pam, and Bill

 

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Jo and Debbie

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Cory and Greg and the cutest puppy ever 🙂

 

 

 

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Linda and Pam

 

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Guy and Bill

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Sue who is an absolute scream and very fond of her wine 🙂

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Scott and Linda

 

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Kelly and Bill …Bill was snoozing after dinner but Kelly woke him up to take this picture lol. He was a much better sport about it than Lee would have been plus he makes one hell of a good pina colada !!!

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Eileen and Sue

 

 

 

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  • You can purchase the ebook telling the story of how we became full-time RVers.
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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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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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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