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About this blog

A Journal About RV Travel Experiences

Entries in this blog

 

I'm Not a Camper. I'm an RVer

I'm not a camper, I'm and RVer. I heard this phrase recently while listening to a podcast and it struck a chord with me. The person who said it, (Nick Russell of the Gypsy Journal) was talking about what he does while living full time in his motorhome. According to Nick, RVer's don't sit around the camp fire and sing Cumbaya. RVer's are in their motorhomes or trailers cooking, using the internet, and watching TV. I write this article as I sit in my air conditioned RV, listening to satellite
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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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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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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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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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How to Drive Your RV Partner Nuts

When I think about RV travel, I envision places, destinations, camping, adventure, and the open road.  There's also lots of mechanical and how to stuff that comes to mind. But RVing is also a people activity.  It can be done with groups, by couples, or solo.  I have yet to RV with a group, but I've done it with my wife, son, and solo.  I don't mind traveling solo.  But, having a partner along to share the fun and adventure with enhances the whole RV travel experience. There are blogs a
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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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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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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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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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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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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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DIY RV Solar Install

I've read a few articles and blogs about solar installs on RV's and it's always intrigued me. But I had never talked to anyone first hand about their set-up/experience. This past spring I had the chance to do that and it was vary helpful. While in Arizona this past spring, I met a fellow RVer who had a 200 watt solar set up on the roof of his Leisure Travel Unity class B+ (very similar to my Winnebago View). When I asked him about it, he told me he had been able to go 2 weeks on two 12V batterie
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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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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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Lessons Learned from Owning a Diesel Motorhome

I've owned my 2014 Winnebago View Profile now for over a year. Its a 26 ft class C with a small diesel engine (3.0L V6 Turbo diesel). I bought it new, have driven over 28,000 miles, and have been very pleased with it. For me, Its got just the right amount of living space and and just the right size for driving around. This has been my first vehicle with a diesel engine and prior to getting this RV, I had no experience with diesel engines. I thought the only change would just be going to a d
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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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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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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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Going from a Type B to a Type C: A Small Motorhome Comparison

Back in January, I traded my Type B 2012 Roadtrek van for a Type C 2014 Winnebago View. I owned my Roadtrek 190 Simplicity for 2 years and loved it. I’ve now owned the Winnebago View Profile 24V for 7 months and also love it. With seven months of use and over 16,000 miles on the Winnebago, I feel I can give a first hand comparison of the two vehicles. I'm not trying to show how one is better than the other or give a detailed feature comparison since they are different vehicles. I just thou
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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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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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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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Assateague Island - Wind, Waves, and Wild Horses

Assateague Island is a barrier island on Maryland's eastern sea shore. Its one of 10 protected National Seashores. Its got miles and miles of unspoiled beaches. Its also known for its wild feral horses that roam the island. The horses have their origins back to colonial times when colonists released horses for grazing on the island. The 37 mile long island is a large undeveloped barrier island off the Delmarva peninsula. Its protected on the northern end by Assateague State Park. The state
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How to Drive Through the New York City Area

If you're in New England and want to get south or if you're in the south and want to get to New England, you most likely have to pass somewhere near the New York City area. If you have an RV, it's inevitable that someday you'll have to drive through this area on some journey. Its a congested and confusing area to drive through with a maze of highways that crisscross each other. It can be very stressful and intimidating for someone driving for the first time through this area. Living in New E
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