RV Life

 1^st Quarter Review

My friend Martha has requested a review of RV Life after our first 3 months, not about our travels but about our expectations going in compared to reality and the day to day details. So here goes

Me and Martha

Did we pack what we need?

Well we did upgrade to a Lithium battery after being underwhelmed by the battery life used when we had no electric hook up.  We weren't trying to run everything just some heat overnight when it dropped to 44 degrees in the Smoky Mountains.  So I guess we had that from the beginning.  We were able to ship it to Jim's folks and they delivered it to us when we visited them in South Carolina.

What do I wish I would have packed? Not much that I can think of.  It’s been pleasant to live with just the essentials.  Maybe an ice cream scoop but even without one we manage to scoop the ice cream. We have access to Wal-Marts but haven't really had to buy anything that we left back home.

What have I packed but have not used yet.  Cold weather clothes, fortunately I have not needed them yet.  We have had some cold nights and mornings that I needed my Columbia jacket and scarf but they have been the exception.  Not to say I am in shorts every day, we have had nice Fall weather, jeans and a fleece are usually enough to be comfortable.

Driving:

Have I driven the RV yet?  I drove the RV 3 feet back in Ohio and that is it.  Not unusual for us as Jim prefers to drive and we try to keep a day’s drive to less than four hours.

On the Road

When we are driving to a new place we try to not have to stop, so we pack a lunch and eat in the car.  We start with a full tank of gas but depending on the distance of the next spot we may need gas.  The gas station needs to be RV friendly-enough space so we can pull in and out with our 30 foot trailer, which is not true of every station.  

The time in the car has been enjoyable.  The scenery has been lovely and the rides not too long.

We prefer to stay 3 nights in one place, with the exception of a Harvest Host which only allows an overnight stay.  The Harvest Host we have stayed at help fill in gaps when we can't find a campground on our route.  We have been very pleased with the experiences we have had at Harvest Host each one has been unique and fun.  You stay overnight for free but are asked to support the host by buying something from them.  

Ceiling decoration at Harvest Host in Fort Pierce, FL

Food:

Groceries

We have found Wal-Mart to be a consistent place to do our grocery shopping. The prices are reasonable, and we can usually find one on our way between places.  The parking lots are large enough to park the trailer.  (We park in the back or off to the side perpendicular to the spaces, taking up quite a few spaces).  We are staying in remote areas and often a run to a grocery store means a long drive to a small store that has a limited selection of pricey items.   So we try to avoid those when possible.

Is it easy cooking?  

Yes, we have a propane 3 burner cooktop which I cook on.  Jim grills on a Blackstone outside.  We have an oven that I have only used for heating things up.  We brought our sous vide along which we use for steak and pork chops.  We cook up fried rice typically once a week (shrimp, chicken, or veggie).  We have used the Insta-Pot to make pot roast & pulled pork both make enough for 2 dinners.  I am eating more carbs than I would at home, but I am more active, so I have not put on any weight.

Typical breakfasts Items: yogurt, coffee cake, bacon egg and cheese on an English muffin, pancakes, and Jim has cereal.

Typical lunch: deli meat, cheese, and lettuce on a low carb wrap is our go to packed lunch when out hiking or driving to a new location, along with chips or pretzels and currently 2 small pieces of Halloween candy.  If we are at the campsite then leftovers, egg salad or soup.

Typical dinners: fried rice, ravioli and sauce, pulled pork on pretzel rolls, Italian sausage and peppers then campfire pizzas (using leftover sausage and peppers as filling), rotisserie chicken from Wal-Mart which makes 2 meals chicken dinner then chicken fried rice.  Taco salad, chili, hamburgers.  Basically the same meals we have at home.

Food storage:  The buffet holds most of the pantry items easily.  The fridge gets a little tight right after the grocery store but is a pretty good size overall.  The fridge and freezer keep everything chilled.  I do not miss digging into a cooler as we did when tent camping.

Cherry pie filling came from home pantry, still haven't used it.

The baskets keep the cans from moving while traveling.

The third shelf has a small white fan which helps circulate the cold air.

Deli drawer holds all the lunch meat and cheese.

Living in the RV:

Is the bed comfy?  

Yes, extremely comfortable, the previous owners had replaced the mattress from the original RV mattress to a regular queen bed mattress.  The bedroom is much quieter than a tent, I do not hear other campsites late at night or early in the morning so that makes it easier to sleep.  The bedroom has only one window that has a shade so it stays pretty dark so we are able to sleep until 8:00 am quite often.  

What is daily life like?  

We wake up by 8:00 am, have breakfast.  If we have a hike planned, I pack lunch for us and we drive off to the trailhead if we can’t hike from the campsite.  We eat lunch in some location on the trail or in a picnic area while out.  We typically are back at the campsite by late afternoon.  If we have internet, we check on emails and social media.  We cook up dinner.  After dinner I write up the blog for that day’s activity.  If we have tv coverage we watch evening tv.  If we do not have tv we play games (backgammon, trivial pursuit, cards, scrabble) or read a book.

 If it is a travel day we eat breakfast, pack a lunch to eat in the car while driving.   Follow our checklist for departure (close up the RV and hook it up to the truck) drive to the dump station then hit the road. We typically arrive at the new campsite around 2:00 in the afternoon and then set up the trailer on the new site.  Then we check out the new campground hopefully get in a hike nearby to stretch out the legs after being in the car.  Make and eat dinner watch tv, play a game or read a book, then go to bed.

Yes, we have campfires outside, but not every night.  We do enjoy the inside fireplace and use it often.

      Outside fire                                 Inside fireplace

Shower/Bathroom:

The bathroom is compact but not a problem.  If there is a shower house at a campground, I will use it over showering in the RV, so I do not have to worry about how much water I use.  Currently we are at a site with full hook-ups (we have water, electricity, cable, and sewer here at our campsite), so water usage is not an issue.  We also usually keep the dirty clothes hamper in the shower.

We love our blue towels, they work great without the bulk of terry cloth.

Laundry:

Some campgrounds have laundry, some do not.  We have gone to town twice to a laundromat to do laundry.  I prefer the campground laundry rooms.  They all vary on how nice they are.  Here at Harbor Mountain Resort  the laundry room is very nice.  2 washers and 2 dryers, a place to hang clothes, a table and chairs to sit at, a lending library, and tv.  We did not watch tv we read books which we just exchanged at the lending library table.  When I am out of books I am able to download books on my Ipad from the Arlington Heights Library which is great.

Overall:

We are having a great time.  It is hard to believe we have been on the road for almost 3 months.  I am trying to be a minimal planner and enjoy the events and places that come our way.  It has been the unexpected items that have really been enjoyable (happening upon a Civil War Skirmish competition).

I do have some anxiety as we drive off to new places but I work through it to get to all the good on the other side of it.

Well Martha I hope that was what you were looking for.   Love to all!