Boondockin’ Part III

In the last two posts we discussed Boondockin’ and the method to use the systems ya’ already got on board your RV and some additional equipment which can make your boondockin’ more enjoyable.

In this post we’ll talk about some resources you can use to find those ‘Boondockin’ campin’ spots. Of course the net is your greatest preliminary resource. There a world of information out there, ya’ just got to look for it.

Your road atlas or map is a good source to start to find State, & National forests, which allow ‘ Dispersed Camping. Camping out in the forest outside developed campgrounds with no hookups. Look up your local forest on the ‘net’ and search Dispersed Camping. Most times ya’ just head out on one of the forest roads and find ya’ a spot where someone else has already setup camp previously. We don’t want to impact the area anymore than necessary so remember, ‘Pack it in-Pack it back out’. We like to police the areas we camp and leave it cleaner than we found it. Now if your in a larger rig it’s a good idea to scout out an area before pullin’ that big rig down a one lane forest road only to find out it’s a dead end with no where to turn around. Backin’ a 5’ver fer’ a half mile is no fun.

DeLorme, the GPS people, also publishes an Atlas & State Gazetteer for each state. They’re topographic maps displayin’ every road in that state as well as showing all public lands. I believe they are about $20 each so ya’ could rack up some major scratch buyin’ one for each state ya’ visit.

Local knowledge is a great source and Google Earth is a good resource fer’ checkin’ out an area someone told ya’ about cause ya’ can zoom in and check out the ‘lay of the land.

Another great source is the Bureau of Land Management US Department of the Interior’s website. They have public lands all over the west and camping is almost always allowed. The US Fish & Wildlife also has areas available, search dispersed camping on their site. The US Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation has dispersed camping opportunities. A favorite map resource to locate federal lands is National Atlas.gov. They have viewable & printable maps of each state, just look for the ‘Federal Land & Indian Reservations Map’. There’s Boondocking.org, a database based on GPS coordinates. There’s Boondocking Guide that primarily covers the western states.

We often frequent State Gamelands or Wildlife Management Areas, most have camping available. There is an NRA site that is a good start for searching called Places to Hunt or search for whatever the public hunting lands in your state are called. These generally coincide with the hunting season but they are normally open at the beginning of season in early fall and remain open till the close of all seasons in the spring. Often there is no hunting going on when we have stayed at these.

Here a look at some more of the great places we’ve boondocked. Don’t forget to turn the sound up & if ya’ have a hi speed connection why not view it in full screen.

Boondockin’

If you’re not up to jumpin’ into a boondockin’ camp out in the stix, or lookin’ fer a mite more company, ya’ mite want to try one of the National Forest campgrounds. Many have semi-developed camps with pit toilets or no facilities at all. It’s a good place to practice your ‘Boondockin’ skills and use as a base, to scout out the surroundin’ forest for another ‘dispersed’ camp. Most of these Forest Campgrounds charge a small fee to camp but there are still free ones out there. The western states are cheaper that the east and if your 62 years of age or disabled you can get a lifetime pass for $10 that entitles ya’ to camp at half price on most federal land & gives ya’ free admission to National Parks. Whoo..Wee! We can’t wait cause in February we get our pass, half price campin’ here we come! A good source fer’ the National forest camps is Fred & Suzi Dow’s site, Forest Camping.com. They have been traveling and reviewing USFS campgrounds since 1994 and have an extensive  database on their site.

Here’s a few of the many Forest Service camps we’ve used over the years. Don’t forget to turn the sound up & if ya’ have a hi speed connection why not view it in full screen.

USFS Camps

That should give anyone a good start on findin’ boondockin’ camps in the area your planin’ on visitin’. If ya’ have any questions, ask away. I try my best to answer them, but I don’t claim to know everything there is about Boondockin’.

I was on the ‘Wanderin’ Hobo’s site the other night and he speaks of a time when all the USFS camps were free. Then they started chargin’ a dollar and he thought that was ridiculous for something that was always free previously, but he got used to it. Think there’ll ever come a day when the Forest Service Camps will ALL be free again?

Well wait no longer, here’s your answer!

 

Well enjoy your Boondockin’ and as always we hope to see ya’ down the road as we’re;

Dancin’ on the Wind.

Boondockin’ Part II

First I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and I know you didn’t overeat, right. Oh well I guess that’s part of the stigma the ‘Sacrificial Bird’ has created.
In our last post we talked about one of our favorite methods of campin’, Boondockin’. Fer’ right now let’s take a look at things you might need to make your ‘Boondockin’ experience a mite easier.
You need to have water, well we already said your RV is capable of totin’ quite a bit, so fill up before ya’ head into that forest camp . If you need more you can haul some back to your camp in plastic cans designed fer’ this or go as far as 50 gallon bladders that fold up flat when empty. A little conservation is the key and it becomes second nature after a while. I’m at home after a six month trip and find myself turning on & off the water, rather than just lettin’ it run & I’m on a well. I’m just used to doin’ that. Some folks go as far as catching the cold water from the faucet while waitin’ fer’ the water to get hot, then use it to flush the toilet and other things. If you caught it in a clean container, I see no reason you couldn’t just put it back in the fresh water tank. We have not gone to this level as yet. A boondockin’ shower is a ‘NAVY’ shower. Water on to get wet, water off, soap up & wash, water on to rinse, a couple o’ gallons at most and rinse your wash cloth in the sink with a little water or some of that wasted water ya’ caught.
Wastewater can be held in your grey & black tanks for a least a week, with some conservation, till you move camp. Or you can purchase a portable waste tank, commonly referred to as a ‘Blue Boy’ and find a dump station to drain it in. We can go almost a week in our truck camper, which only has a 13 gallon black tank & 16 gallon grey tank, the trick is conserve a little.
Now your gonna’ need electric, but we have most of that with us too. Your water pump, furnace, frig, and most your lighting all operate on 12V DC, your battery(s). House current, 120 volts, can be had by purchasing an inverter to power TV, or to charge some rechargeable item. An inverter gets hooked to your battery directly or thru a cigarette lighter plug, most of us have this where the TV antenna amp is located. The connection type depends on the size of the inverter. You can use a small inverter to power most electronics today, we carry a 150 watt inverter ($18) in the truck to power & charge the laptops, cameras and even recharge my razor when we go down the road, it could also be used in the RV. We also carry a 400W unit ($24) for the TV, DVD player & Digital TV thingy, that we need today to get that lovely antenna digital TV.  
Now remember that we are using the battery(s) to power the inverter so we need to be able to recharge the batteries. Get yourself a cheap multi-meter and check your battery voltage, you can tell the % of charge by that. There is a terrific resource on the net that explains all about batteries, wiring and charging, called ‘The 12 Volt Side of Life’. If you have a MH, truck camper and to some extent trailers, charging happens goin’ down the road. If your not stayin’ but a night or two this is normally not a problem cause you’ll charge back up when your movin’. I will warn ya’ that the furnace is a ‘power pig’ and if’n ya’ run her all night while boondockin’, ya’ will have a dead or near dead battery come mornin’. Put on another blanket. True ‘Boondockers’ use a catalytic heater that runs on LP gas but has no 12v fan. When in camp we’d have to run the engine to recharge, which isn’t too efficient and you might choke to death. So we carry a small generator, weighs less than 50 lbs. and runs for ever on less than a gallon of gas. We also have more that one battery, cause this is the heart of your ‘boondockin’ electric system’. Again conservation is necessary, ya’ can’t be like Trace Adkins with “Every Light in the House is On”. We’ve gone 5 days without recharging batteries with a little conservation. Only time the generator runs is to make one round of toast in the AM.
The other common method of recharging the batteries is Solar. Quiet, reliable, but pricey. Again we have not moved to this technology because our budget won’t allow it at this time, but we’re getting’ closer. Solar panels are mounted on the roof of the RV and silently send power to the batteries as long as there is sun shinin’ on them. Still a small backup generator is nice when camped under those beautiful trees or when you get a stormy stretch o’ weather. I have found a source for solar panels that is quite reasonable that I will be purchasing from in the future, here’s the Link.

How’s this fer’ a boondockin’ camp, we watched the resident beaver have his supper.

So we’ve touched on water, wastewater & electric. Now turn the fridge on LP gas, to save power, but the circuit board still needs a tiny bit of electric for that too. Turn things off that you aren’t usin’ or don’t need. Lots of things in your RV have what’s called "’Phantom Loads’. The TV uses power even when turned off, all those smoke, gas & CO² alarms use power. I’m not saying turn these alarms off, just be aware they are usin’ power. That TV amplifier we talked about earlier uses power so turn it off when your not watchin’ TV. The inverter that magically make electricity fer’ us also uses power even when it’s turned off, Unplug it. I even read that power outlet strips use power when turned off as long as their plugged in. Anything that’s sneakin’ power from the batteries is robbin’ you of time at that fantastic spot you’ve found in the forest.
Well I don’t know if’n I missed somethin’. If I did maybe someone will point it out. With all this talk of remote campin’, I don’t want anyone too think I want to be off by myself away from people cause I like to talk as much, as the next guy. My wife refers to me as the ‘Campground Ambassador’. Next time we’ll go over some resources to help ya’ find that fine Boondockin’ spot.
That’s all fer’ now and as always we hope to see ya’ down the road as we’re;

Dancin’ on the Wind.

A Different Kind A’ Campin’

Have you ever got the urge to just take your rig and get away from the ‘Slide to Awning’ existence in your RV park, campground, state or local park? Somewhere you can breath in the fabulous suroundins’ and feel at peace with the world. No neighbors, just you and maybe your partner livin’ the simple life. No hookups, clubhouse, pool, tennis courts, no bathhouse, just you & yours agin’ the world. Let’s face it, with today’s RV’s you carry all the comforts of home withca’. Ya got yer’ complete kitchen, bath, sleepin’ arrangements, then ya’ got your TV’s, computer & other electronical gadgets. Ya can tote water onboard, ya’ got a spot fer’all that water ya’ use to be stored & ya’ got battery(s) to make lights and what-not. Ya’ got all the comforts o’ home with ya’ so why not make use o’ all this stuff.

Aren’t we travelin’ this big green bubble so’s we can get out a see and experience all it’s got to offer? We park in some park or campground and take day trips to see the magnificent beauty. When your out there absorbin’ that magnificence how many times have you said, “I could live here”, or “Wouldn’t you love to wake up to this view everyday”? You’re getting’ the lookin’ down pat, but your not even scratchin’ the experience part. Well ya’ can do it with just a little ponderin’ & plannin’.

Let’s talk about ‘Boondockin’! Boondockin’ has been coined  as term referin’ to campin’ without hookups. Have you ever spent the night at ‘Wally World’? I guess some would call that boondockin’. Me, I call that an overnight stop that a kind retailer has extended us the courtesy of providin’ us a space to park.

To me boondockin’ involves a little more scenery. My friend Brian Gore over at RV Boondockin’ the Good Life has been getting’ a lot o’ flak with them that say he’s not doin’ her right or proper. Boondockin’ is what you make it. I don’t think there is one way right and proper to do it. So Brian do it like it feels right fer’ you!. Camped in the mountains, forest, desert or the beach. There are spots like this ‘YOU’ can stay fer the night and some for quite a spell. Most cost nothing more than the will an’ ingenuity to do  it. Some may cost a few dollars. But the spiritual rewards of wakin’ up next to a a mountain stream, or to the smell of the surf, or gazin’ across a meadow watchin’ the critters, or just smellin the crisp clean mountain air as you take in your majestic surroundin’s.

Opportunities to experience this type of camping abound in this great country of ours.  Now we’re based on the East coast and were havin’ a time findin’ remote anything, let alone campin’ spots, but I’ve found it can be done. There are lots of resources available on the ‘net’ fer’ this kind a campin’. I will discuss these in another post.

So until the next time I’ll just show ya’ some of the Boondockin’ spots we’ve found and best of all, every single one of these were all FREE, Nada, Zip, Nothing out of pocket, easy on the budget.

Well we hope to see ya down the road as we’re;

Dancin’ on the Wind.

A New RV Anytimers

Well we’re all moved in to our newly dee..signed Blog. Took a lot o’ burnin’ o’ the midnite oil, and then some. I played with a dozen different templates before settling on this one. Still has some things I’d like to change but the ‘Bloggin’ Gremlins’ won’t allow, so’s wer’e happy to be up & runnin’ with a new look. Speakin’ o’ the ‘Bloggin’ Gremlins’, When I imported all the old blog posts and comments to this new blog, so it would have continuity, my ‘Followers’ all vanished. Like gone, No one, just like David Copperfield had a hand in it. Aint’ the magic of the internet wonderful? So if’n you was a Follower before, I’d appreciate it if ya’ would join agin.
The new format also has a few new features like a spot to subscribe to any updates posted and a list of blogs we read that you might enjoy also. You’ll also notice a new photo album link. I've done away with the link that led to our website, Dancin’ on the Wind, which covered 2006 & 2007, and link directly to our ‘Picasa’ album. Now you can see all the pictures we upload at Picasa.
I got a burr under my saddle with them web hosting folks at Dancin’ on the Wind, cause I devoted a lot of time to a lot o’ changes and then they deleted the changes after they were published fer’ several weeks. Hours of editin’ the HTML code, all fer’ nothin’. Put my shorts in a wad, when they offer a service then just go to undo editin’ without even an email. So I’m of a mind that I’ll just let the website set fer’ a spell, maybe I’ll be findin’ a new hostin’ outfit in the future.
So let me hear from ya’ll weather ya’ like the changes I’ve made. I can take it. I’m a big boy. Just don’t be to hard on me cause I’m getting’ older each day.
Well that’s all fer’ this entry. As always, we hope to see ya’ down the road as we’re

Dancin’ on the Wind.

Get Ready! We’re 'Movin’

No, We haven’t sold the house, but it’s real temptin’.

RV Anytimers.com is movin’ to a new site. I been workin’ on a blog page that’s new & improved. Improved? That’s yet to be determined. Just a new look fer’ the site. It’ll still be hung on this here fence, just spread out a mite more, so’s we can cover some o’ the graffiti that someone's been scribblin’ on it when I’m not lookin’. Don’t want to reveal to much cause that would take away from the ‘Sur..prize’. Ya’ll will see one day real soon.

Our friends from Ontario zipped down Sunday, and I do mean zipped. Nineteen hours from Buffalo,NY where they attended a friends wedding on Saturday. I couldn’t believe it when they called Monday morning, Yikes, ya’ll must have broke the sound barrier at least once. I remember my Dad driving from NYC to FL in 21 hours and that was movin’!

Well we are enjoyin’ the time we get to spend with them over the next week, then it’s back to ‘The North Country’, Oh Canada, my home & Native Land. Theirs not mine! Oh Baby it cold up there, not just yet, but it’s comin’ soon.

Well I’d better get back to tweakin’ that new page so’s I can show it to ya’ll. As always, travel safe, we hope to see ya’ down the road as we’re;

Dancin’ on the Wind.

How ‘bout some ‘Wish You Were Here’ Pics?

I don’t have much to rant about today. We’re havin’ a Birthday Party fer’ our granddaughter Ashley, she’s gonna be 15, so we’re preparin’ fer’ a passel o’ teenagers, YIKES! Just some barbequed chicken, pop, salads and my fill o’ screamin’ & gigglin’ girls, sounds like fun huh?
Since there’s nothin’ new in our ‘RV Traveling World, I thought I’d post some pics from a past trip we’ve taken, just to make ya’ drool a might. Lets see if’n I can roll ‘em all into a nice sli…de presentation.

If you wish to view this slide show with the full screen option click on the link below. You will be taken to a new window Check the bottom right of the video for size controls.

Full Screen

Was the trip worth it? You betcha! It was everything I had imagined and more. Would I go back? “Durned Skippy I would”. The Mrs. might take some convincin’, but me I’d go in a New york minute! Was it expensive? Was milk $10 a gallon and eggs a dollar a piece? Absolutely not, everything was close to the price we pay at home includin’ fuel. Now there are some things that aren’t so readily available, like fresh produce. Plenty grown by Alaskans but for their own consumption. Oh yeah things in BC, Canada & the Yukon are a little pricey, but no more than they are in Ontario, Canada across the border from Niagara Falls.
If ya’ ever have the desire to go up to the ‘North Country’ it’s an experience ya’ wont soon forget. The trip through that part of Canada is as just fascinating as the Alaskan experience. Me I’m a bit of an old western romantic, so pullin’ into town to find only a Tradin’ Post with fuel pumps out front is my kind of adventure. I kept watchin’ fer’ Sgt. Preston & his wonder dog “Yukon King’.

We were lucky enough to camp with a couple from Fort Nelson, BC. She said they always see signs around town makin’ folks aware of bears frequenting the parkin’ lot of the market or community center and such. It’s probably the last & only true ‘Wilderness’ you will ever have the pleasure of seein’ in your lifetime. Oh yea this is ‘Boondockin’ Heaven’, as you can camp anywhere. We even camped at the Marina on the harbor, in Valdez. Backed right in a parkin’ space with our truck camper, bought fresh fish, watched the boats goin’ in & out fer’ two days. Nobody bothered us. We even stopped at visitor centers to ask what the cities policy was on campin’ on the street, only to get confused looks and the response, “As far as I know we don’t have one, you can camp anywhere.
Oh yeah I mentioned truck camper. This is the ideal rig to see Alaska in cause it’s so maneuverable & small. Big rigs are roomy & comfortable, but the road in the upper half of the Yukon is pretty rough early in the season, till the crews get to pullin’ up last years frost heaved surface and get her graded.
There is a book I recommend if yer’ plannin’ on takin’ the trip, it’s called the Milepost and it’s updated every year. It’s like the Bible of the North Country and it lists every little thing that you will find along any highway, mile by mile, in BC, Yukon & Alaska. See if you can go to your library and get an older version, it excited me just readin’ it. But do get a current issue to take with ya’, as you’ll need it. It’s invaluable.
So what are ya’ waitin’ on? Get plannin’! It’s a trip of a lifetime.
Well gotta go. Hope to see ya’ down the road as we’re;

Dancin’ on the Wind.

Some overdue Postin’

Since we’re settin’ home fer’ a spell I thought I’d tell ya’ a little about somewhere we visited in October. The Mrs. was supposed to write this entry but I can’t seem to motivate her in that direction so I’ll have to do the tellin’.

When we were on our way south we strayed a bit from our intended trail to swing over to ‘Mayberry’. Passport America has a park there, $15 a night, full hookup including cable and WiFi, pretty sweet deal. Anywho, when we checked in we found out this was the ancestral home and farm of the famous Siamese twins Chang & Eng Bunker made famous by P.T. Barnum. The farm was a tobacco plantation of some 2000 acres and the campground lies on most of it today. The campground has 83 full hookups and is a work in progress since they’re addin’ more sites all the time. As I mentioned in our September 30th post tours of their ancestral home were given on the weekend and since this was Thursday, Linda was disappointed she was not going to get to see it. We discussed staying, but we had to be in the Raleigh area cause friends were expectin’ us. When we stopped in the office the next mornin’ to compliment them on their campground, Linda told them she was sad that we weren’t here on the weekend to get a tour of the house. Well it turned out Ms Ruby Bunker, great grand daughter of one of the twins, I can’t recall which, was pullin’ up outside. She was glad to give Linda a private tour of the house and I tagged along, cause I was told to.

Here’s a picture of the house.

A portion of the campground from the yard.

No one lives in the house now but Ms. Ruby grew up here as a girl and her mother lived here till she died. They still maintain the home and it is immaculate, Ms. Ruby cleans regularly. Here’s Ms. Ruby and yours truly just inside the kitchen door.

Eng & Chang donated a portion of their land for this local church and are buried in the cemetery on the church grounds.

I put together a little slide show of some more pics of the house and some from ‘Downtown Mayberry’ that we visited the following day.

A Trip Back in Time

I hope Ya’ll enjoyed our little trip back in time, cause we did. It’s so great to travel this wonderful country, explorin’ the ordinary and the not so ordinary sites & places off the beaten path.

Since we seem to be home fer’ a spell, I hope to be postin’ at least once a week. I try not to make the content here to mundane and keep it on track with travelin’.

On another note I’d like to thank all the new ‘Follower’s for signin’ on, I’ll try to keep it interestin’.

Linda, Amy, Dan, Bonnie, Judy & John, Wayne & Maureen, Ashley, Danny & Shula, Andrea & the Cruzin2some.

Your readership has helped to popularize this here pet project of mine & I am grateful. You may notice in the sidebar we now have a link where you can subscribe to the blog. I’ve also posted a ‘States Visited’ map and Linda & I both have ‘Facebook’ pages. So if ya’ want to stop by to say ‘Hey’ or post somethin’ on our ‘Wall’, feel free. I think I may incorporate both pages into an RV Anytimers group page after I figure this ‘Facebook’ stuff out a little better.

Well that’s all fer’ this post, my brains havin’ a senior moment so I’ll sign off. As always, and I mean this more than ever, Hope to see ya’ down the road as we’re;

Dancin’ on the Wind.

Oh The Life of Stix & Brix, Grrr…..

We are safe? at home. Seems one of the Murphy family has taken up residence while we were gone. Everything we touch, seems to be jinxed.

During the first days home Linda went to do some laundry, the washin’ machine doesn’t seem to be fillin’ up all the way even though she has it set to the highest level. So she aint’ happy about haulin’ water in a bucket to fill it full, we could have done that along a river somewhere’s out in the ‘Shinin’ Mountains’, with a lot less stress. Same time I hear, “There’s somethin’ wrong with my stove too, cause it just clicked off”! Great, now I know why I enjoy homeownership. The stove is one o’ them flat top ‘computerized’ deals, that has brain farts, only there’s different kind o’ electrons involved. Last time we had a problem, the oven came on by it’s lonesome and wouldn’t shut off, I had to keep shutin’ the circuit breaker off & on every time we wanted to use the stovetop, which weren’t to safe. Tech support lady said, “It’s probably something wrong with the brain, but don’t worry when it get to 860 degrees it’ll shut itself off”. OK, ‘Oh highly trained technician person’, “What’s going to shut it down if the brain’s not workin”? Just give me a number to call when my new house is on fire, cause I’m callin’ that # before I call the Fire Department!!! We got the stove fixed, no charge.

Today I ‘m gonna go around the property and clean-up branches, palm fronds, dig up some large weeds and such so I get my lawn tractor and go to get the utility trailer that I haul behind her. I check the oil in the tractor and it’s low, so I’ll go get some. But first as long as I’m puttin’ new oil in I might as well change the oil. So while I run down the road to the Ace store fer’ oil, I’ll let the oil drain out, right. Not happenin’! The plug is in tight, so as I put some pressure on the wrench, instead of the pipe plug comin’ out, the short pipe nipple from the drain twists and tears and starts to leak. Grrr….. Not what I had in mind, but that dang Murphy, Grr… I’d strangle ‘em if I could find ‘em. So now it’s a matter o’ takin’ the mower deck off, then pullin’ the motor off so I can get to the drain and get the broken piece of pipe out to replace it, Grr…. Why can’t anything be easy!

Well my blood pressure has come down a little and I’m just lettin’ the tractor sit fer’ the moment. The stove has not acted up again, so I’m prayin’ that it was a ‘Brain Fart’ in the computer. Can’t get a straight answer on weather the washer is fillin’ like it’s supposed to or not.

But I’ve got lot’s more stuff to do around here. I have to pull wire and hookup two new RV spots I created as well as get the water connected. Have to go to Lowe’s and exchange the #8 wire I bought fer’ some #6 fer’ that job. Got lots o’ work to do on the 5v’er that’s been sittin’. Lots o’ little things around the house that I been neglectin’ so I can stay busy from now till I drop tryin’ to catch up.

On another note, this ‘Blog is growin’ everyday and I appreciate all of you who stop by to read a little. Anytime you need to know more or want to comment on anything, feel free. If you’d like to become a ‘Follower’, that would be fine. If’n you’d rather correspond private like, there’s a email link right under the ‘Followers’ Section Labeled ‘Contact Us’. Yesterday I had 25 views, today we surpassed that with 30 views. People from all over! I find it excitin’ and I hope I can keep it entertainin’ fer’ all who read.

Again “Thanks So Much” fer’ all who take the time to check us out.

Well I think I’ll go fer’ now and see if’n I can break somethin’ else. Hope it aint on me, I don’t seem ta’ heal as fast as I use too. As always we hope to see ya’ down the road as we’re;

Dancin’ on the Wind.

Last Travel Day Home

Sorry it has taken so long to write my final post of our trip but we’re still unpackin’ & washin’. It’s amazing how much one can cram into a truck camper.

The park were in, Manatee Hammock, is packed pru..tty tight right now. Those that were here fer’ the Space Shuttle launch, most are still here. I guess they decided to extend their stay so’s they could see it go up on Wednesday, if it goes. There were lots of kids in the park and they were ‘Trick or Treatin’ around the camp. This bein’ Sunday night and all I wonder why they haven’t all gone home? Maybe they didn’t have school on Monday.

We ate a quick dinner then went fer’ a walk round the camp. We were near the fishin’ pier when we met two ladies, Terry & her close friend, sorry her name escapes me. I asked if they were here fer’ the launch, they said they were. Terry said they were from the ‘West’ coast and being a ‘flatland floridian’ I assumed Tampa or nearby. I right away give her a card and tell them if they come over next time they are welcome to stay at our house, that we have 30 & 20 amp hookups and water as well. Then Terry told us she was from WASHINGTON, Oh that ‘West Coast’! We…ll that mite make a difference when you drop by on your next visit here. But your still welcome anytime your in the neighborhood, just call to make sure we’re home at the time, you have our card. If’n we get up to your neck o’ the woods next summer we’ll be sure to give ya a shout.

The last leg of the trip was just about an hour and a half. Y’all know this fella’s lookin’ forward to returnin’ to the ‘Stix & Brix’ life, Not. I’d be much happier on the road, but gotta do this fer’ now.

Well that’s all fer’ today, I’ll try and post again soon. Until then we hope to see ya’ down the road as we’re;

Dancin’ on the Wind.

A Big Wheel RV Park, St Marys

As the morning light illuminated the park we were pleasantly surprised at the choice we made to stay here. It’s great!!! The park sites are mostly concrete, on nice wide paved roads, average size 20’ x 70’, lots of pull thrus, all full hookups. They have a clubhouse with TV, Dish Network, DVD player & a Wii game. The clubhouse also contains several lending libraries, DVD, CD music, VCR & books of all sorts. As well as games, puzzles & tables for cards or what-ever. There are also three large private restrooms and a laundry contained in the building. Even though the website states modem at the office they have upgraded to WiFi throughout the park. There’s a catch and release fishing lake and tent sites as well.

Here’s a look at a typical site.

Here’s a shot of our site down the road.

Every Sunday evening they hold a pot luck dinner, they supply the main dish. We pondered staying for the Pot luck but home is just across the river, a couple hundred miles and calling to us.

Owners, Karen & Ron started the park in 2006 with 5 sites, they have added more every year and now boast 35. The park is a mixture of sun & shade with wide accesses. 

Here’s the hard workin’ couple Karen & Ron

The park lies 3/10 of a mile from the boat ramp on the Crooked River and Crooked River State Park is about 100 yards down the road from the entrance to A Big Wheel RV. St. Marys, a quaint little town chocked with history, is a mere 10 minutes down the road on the St. Marys river.

A Big Wheel RV Park is definitely a great stop for a night, a week or the winter season and the rates are great.

We sadly left Ron & Karen and headed down the road. Tonight’s destination is Manatee Hammock Park near Titusville, FL. Strange we leave one Titusville in Pennsylvania and wind up in another 1270 miles and 5 weeks later. Manatee Hammock is a Brevard county park located on the shore of the Indian River. Thanks to the cancelation of the Space Shuttle launch we were able to get a site fer’ the night.

Well that’s all I got fer’ today. Hope to see ya’ down the road as we’re;

Dancin’ on the Wind.