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A Journal About RV Travel Experiences

Entries in this blog

 

Where the Grass is Blue - The Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival

If you're a music fan, chances are there's a music festival for your type of music. Attending a festival is a chance to see several artists performing up close and immerse yourself into the music for a few days. Camping at one is way to deepen your involvement with the artists, music, and other fans. I'm a relative newcomer to Bluegrass music. I got interested in my early 40's when I heard Ricky Skaggs and his band Kentucky Thunder on an NPR radio program singing some old bluegrass tunes. I
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What To Do With All Those Travel Photos

You've probably got thousands of them stored on your computer, just sitting there, filed away. They're your travel photos and the images contain your fun moments, great experiences, and fond memories. They show much of your living history. Your parents probably used to paste them into albums or had slides made and showed them on special occasions. I used to do that up until about 15 years ago when digital photography made things so much easier. And now with technology, there's so much more
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What is the RV Lifestyle?

As a blogger and blog reader, I read some blogs that write about the RV Lifestyle. Most of these bloggers tend to write about their travels, what they're doing, or what they've learned. And they all write really good stuff. But its mostly practical and not philosophical. Few actually put a definition on what the RV Lifestyle is. One talks about getting out there, seeing the country. Some seem to infer that's its constant traveling in an RV. Some write about how they live full time in a RV
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The Simplicity of RV Living

I just returned home from almost four months of living in my RV. It was a first. I took the RV south in December and spent a wonderful 2 1/2 months at an RV park in Fort Myers Beach, FL escaping the cold New England winter. From there, we hung around St. Augustine for a couple more weeks and then headed west for a month on the road exploring west Texas. I had a great time. The Fort Myers stay was the first time I had stayed parked in an RV for such an extended time and it worked out just fi
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The RV Lifestyle - Wintering in a Florida RV Park

It might be a bit early, but I'm already thinking about my winter in Florida. One of the reasons I bought my current RV was so I could use it to escape New England winters. I love summers in New England. I love traveling across the country in the spring and fall. But I really look forward to going to Florida for the winter. I don't do winter activities and I'd much rather be sitting on the beach in January or riding my bike instead of the being stuck inside and complaining about the cold. Sp
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The RV Lifestyle - Adding Purpose to Your RV Travel

"Jim, you've got to do something more than just play when you retire. If all you do is play, then your play will become like work and you'll dread it." Those were the words of advice my retired friend, JP gave me when I asked him about his retirement. It was good advice and I often reflect back on it as I undertake my travels. These day's I'm spending a lot of my time in retirement traveling the country in my RV. Being able to travel was my dream for when I retired and it has become one of
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The RV Lifestyle - A Chronic Disease Therapy

Everyday, I try to remind myself how fortunate I am. I'm safe and secure. I'm not in want of food or shelter. I'm mobile and can travel. I have a great supportive family. But, I also struggle living with an incurable disease that at times causes me a certain amount of suffering. Four years ago, I got diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. Its a disease of the large intestine that causes frequent and urgent loose bowel movements, cramping, discomfort, and bloody diarrhea. Its a disease that h
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The Joys of Being a Sometime RVer

Several of the travel blogs that I follow are written by people living full-time in their RV. I'm not talking about trailer park living. These are folks who, as part of a plan (not necessity), sold their house and most of their possessions and live a life of what seems like perpetual travel. Their RV is their home and many say Home is where they happened to be parked. It's fun following their adventures because many times they're moving around, having new experiences, and seeing different pa
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Snowbirding in Florida

Over the past 16 years, I've done a considerable amount of travel in Florida.  I did some of this travel as a vacationing tourist, then as a cyclist, and more recently as a Florida snowbird. Living on the east coast, Florida has been an easy and warm place to get to.  It's also a diverse and fun place to visit. I can't say I've been everywhere (like Johnny Cash) nor am I an expert on Florida.  But I've been to enough places that I felt I could share some of my Florida snowbird wisdom.  This
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Seven Great Smartphone Apps for RVers

Here are some smartphone apps that I use that really come in handy while traveling in my RV. I've got lots of apps on my phone for news, music, photos, videos, notes, banking, etc. But, these are the ones I use most frequently while traveling. These are all Android apps that most likely have iPhone versions. Thought I share what they are so others could also enjoy them. Bubble Level A great app for leveling your RV. It has a 360 degree bubble level or a spirit level. No internet access ne
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Rx for RVing with a Chronic Illness

If you are healthy, living pain free and disease free, you are one lucky person. I just read a statistic that almost 50% of adults in the US have at least one chronic illness and it gets worse for older adults. Over 70% of us over age 50 have at least one chronic illness. A chronic illness is one for which there's usually no cure and requires constant treatment. These illnesses are things like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, pulmonary conditions, diabetes, autoimmune illness, chronic
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RV Travel Tips - My Not-To-Do List

Yoda, the Jedi Master, once said, "Always pass on what you have learned." I've read a few RV blog articles that attempt to do this. They've got titles such as "Lessons From the Road," "Things I Learned Along the Way," and "RV Travel Tips." Some offer very practical how-to or what-to-do advice. I believe we can all learn something from each other. It is in that spirit that I share some of my learned RVing wisdom But it's not on what to do or how to do it, but instead on what not to do. These a
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Return to The Texas Hill Country

Last year, we did a brief one day stop over while passing through the Texas Hill Country. This is a pretty area about 70 miles west of Austin. In my opinion, it one of Texas's nicest areas. Its a rural area of rolling hills, sparse trees, small towns, cattle ranches, and wineries. You can read my blog post about last years visit here - Texas Hill Country. Last year, we agreed that one day was not enough and planned for a return visit. This year we did a three day stop over so we could expl
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Recording RV Journeys with a DashCam

If you have an RV, you probably spend a fair amount of time behind the windshield seeing beautiful places or driving on scenic roads.  It's part of the fun of RVing, seeing landscapes and vistas that take our breath away.  Taking pictures of these places is great for creating a memory, but I also like to capture what it's like driving in scenic places.  I want to remember what is was like so I can relive and share my experiences.  Using video is a great way to do this.  I always try to shoot som
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Passing Through the Emerald Coast

After enjoying four relaxing days of beautiful ocean side setting on St. Joseph Peninsula, it was time to move on and continue our westward trek. We left the sparsely developed Forgotten Coast in our mirrors and continued on Route 98 into the heavily developed condo land that seems to typify the Emerald Coast. I’ve driven through this area a couple of times. There's not much here that I find interesting other than Gulf Islands National Seashore on Santa Rosa Island and some attractions near P
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Ocean City, MD - Worth a Return Visit

I really like taking a seaside RV trip during the fall. In most places, there's still summer weather without the summer crowds. This years fall trip took us down the tip of the Delmarva peninsula to the Maryland seashore. From our home, its about 300 miles down the I-95 corridor to Wilmington, DE and then south on Rt 1 for another 100 miles through Delaware to the ocean. We arrived at Rehoboth Beach and then followed Rt 1 along the coast going through Dewey Beach, Bethany Beach, Fenwick Isla
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My Winnebago View Profile - Living Large in a Small RV

I'm guilty of some RV adulation here, but I wanted to write an entry about my 2014 Winnebago View motor home. I'm not doing this for any compensation or benefits from anyone. I just want to share my experience. I bought the RV new in January, when I traded up from my Class B Roadtrek. I wanted something a little bigger than a camper van that would be more comfortable for stay put camping, but still had the nimbleness of a small vehicle. And, after 17,000 miles and 140 days of traveling, its m
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My Winnebago View - A Two Year Summary

It's been about two years, since I traded my 2012 Roadtrek 190 for a new 2014 Winnebago View Profile. In those two years, I've logged about 40,000 miles and spent over 300 days traveling in the View. The View has worked out to be a great motorhome for my travel lifestyle. It's small enough to be a nimble traveling vehicle. And it's just large enough for me and my wife to stay put for months at an RV park for the winter. I've had good luck with my View. Lots of people ask me how I Iike it s
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My RV Travel Checklist

Getting an RV ready for a trip. I'm sure everyone has their own routine that they follow to get an RV ready to roll. Some may have a very detailed and documented list and others might just wing it. I'm in between with some repetitive actions that are now built into my memory based on years of practice. But, I'm also an old Boy Scout and the "Be Prepared" motto has stuck with me, so my RV travel prep is broad based. I figured it might to be good to write this down and share it so others migh
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My Low-Cost RV Solar Install

I just got back from eight days of dry camping and got lots of comments and questions from people about my RV solar setup. I installed the system last year and wrote a blog post about my DIY Solar Install. It was something that I researched, designed, and installed myself. I added a second 100W flexible panel this spring and have used the full setup a few times this summer. Thought I'd do an update on how it's all working. As a "sometime" RVer, most of my overnight RV stays happen at establish
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My Essential RV Gear

Over the last few years, I've acquired some things that I feel are pretty essential to my safe and successful RV travel. These are not household items, camp site bling, or basic RV items like sewer hoses, water hoses, or electrical cords, but more in the tool and gadget category. This is not a complete or recommended list for other RVers. It's a list of the essential RV gear that I tend to use frequently and key items that I figure might save my bacon. I'm publishing this list in the spirit
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More Great Smartphone Apps for RVers

Earlier this year, I wrote an entry about Ten Great Smartphone Apps for RVers. It was a popular article with my readers. My smartphone has become a vital tool for me when I travel. In the past few months, I’ve added some more apps that have come in very handy while I’m traveling. So, in this post, I’ll share info on eight more smartphone apps. I've got an Android phone (LG G2) and all of these apps were free from the Google Play store. I didn't check, but most likely most of these have iPh
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Maine's Sebago Lake State Park - Lakeside Camping At its Best

Sebago Lake State Park is one of Maine's premier state parks. It sits on the north shore of Maine’s largest fresh water lake. Only 30 miles from Portland, Sebago Lake covers over 45 square miles and has over 100 miles of shore line. The state park is also huge. It consists of 1,400 acres on the northern shore of the lake right outside the town of Naples. It has a day use area for picnicking and swimming, a boat ramp, and two camping areas. I’ve been camping at Sebago Lake State Park for 5
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Living on the Road

I've learned a lot about RV travel from others - people I met on the road and from reading other people's travel blogs. Most of the info is about places to see, places to stay, places to eat, roads to travel. But, I've found little out there about living on the road. I'm sure there are books and blogs about being a full time RVer, but I'm in between. I guess you'd call me a "sometimer." I'm still tethered to a home, a hometown, and local family, but I spend about 4-6 months of the year trave
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Living in a Small RV - Parked for Two Months

Our two months of being parked in our small RV is up and we're moving on to the travel phase of our winter sojourn. We had a very good stay in Fort Myers Beach and it was so nice to avoid the cold winter weather in a nice warm climate. Living in our small RV worked out pretty good. I wrote about my observations after the first month in this post - Living in a Smal RV - Parked for the First Month. Not much changed in the second month. Here are some final conclusions. The small space in our
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