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Scott and Jackie's Travels – Thousand Trails Reviews, Campground Reviews, Fulltime RVing, European Travel

Tag: fulltime

2016 – Planner or freelancer?

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compassPlanner or freelancer, which will it be?  That’s a question I come across fairly often, and I’ve written about it here and also here.  Should a fulltimer create a travel calendar, make reservations, and follow a schedule?  Or should a fulltimer go with the flow, setting sail in the morning, not worrying about where they will spend the night till closer to the end of each day?  I think there’s room for individuality on both sides of this issue (and certainly some compromises to be made on either side).  A lot, though, depends on your travel style and budget.

If you don’t mind a bit of uncertainty and enjoy the adventure of dropping anchor in an unknown port, freelancing can be a lot of fun.  You’ll have some misadventures along the way, especially if you try to be a pure freelancer who doesn’t even plan for  summer holiday weekends.  However, that will become part of your story.  After all, there’s most often a Walmart or a grocery store in the area that allows overnight parking.  Also, people who like to boondock on public lands are especially suited for freelancing.

Other than the boondockers, though, freelancers often end up paying more than their planning counterparts.  There are some great camping deals out there, but they generally go to planners who research campgrounds in an area and make advance reservations, sometimes months in advance.  For people on a tighter budget this is a bigger deal that it is for others.

Planning has it’s advantages but lacks the spontaneity some people associate with the RVing lifestyle.  Still, many of us simply enjoy working with maps and researching – looking for the perfect campsite and the best route to get there. They are able to land in some of the more popular spots on busy weekends.  Such travel is generally easier on the expense sheet; not only because you aren’t at the mercy of the campground owner who has the last available spot in the area but also because you tend to travel point to point rather than wandering between undetermined destinations.

If you’re on vacation, you most likely want to be a planner.  No one wants to waste precious vacation camping nights parked at a truck stop.  I think fulltimers are more likely to be planners, although there are a lot of fulltime freelancers out there.  Even then, though, most fulltimers make reservations for holidays, planning to arrive early and then stay on a day or two after all the poor weekenders have to return to the daily grind.   Even fulltimers who do a lot of freelancing tend to set a few hard dates and then freelance between them.

Fulltimers, more than most people, tend to march to the beat of their own drummer so there’s lots of wiggle room on this one.  Really, there’s no right or wrong way to do it – just “your way.”

2016: A different sort of Adventure

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2016 - Lake Conroe, TX Thousand Trails
2016 – Lake Conroe, TX Thousand Trails
A funny thing happened as we began our 2016 Adventure: it got sidetracked to an entirely different sort of Adventure. Our plan was to head for the high country, specifically, the western slope of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. We said our goodbyes and made the short drive to Lake Conroe Thousand Trails, the place where we’ve always started and ended our big Adventures. However, we already knew the alternate Adventure was a possibility. Then the phone rang with the invitation to stick around for a while and serve as interim pastor at our church. Again, we knew that our good pastor had resigned to accept another assignment in Tennessee and we had been asked if we would consider filling in for a while. We prayed about it and decided that, while we sure wouldn’t mind just heading north that we were willing to serve for a while if asked.

Being travelers as we are, I haven’t been asked to do much preaching since retirement after 40 years of fulltime ministry. Many pastors stay busy filling in here and there. However, I’ve usually been on the road and unavailable when people called. This time, since we’re just finishing up our winter volunteering gig we’re still in the area. Also, since we’ve called this church our home church for nearly three years now I feel more of a responsibility to help where I can.

2016 - Clear Lake Church of the Nazarene, Webster, TXSo, in a couple of weeks I’ll be back on a Sunday preaching schedule at Clear Lake Church of the Nazarene in Webster, Texas for a couple of months, maybe longer.

Honestly, we’ll miss the travel. After all, that’s what we retired to do and we’re having a great time doing it. Still, my life’s calling is ministry and I’m looking forward to this different sort of Adventure – doing something both new (being an interim pastor) and old (pastoring). Also, this church already has several terrific leaders who are ready to step up and accept various pastoral responsibilities. I’m looking forward to working with this leadership team.

So – for those still reading – our travel blog won’t be as active as it normally is during our Adventures. Next week we’ll add a quick update to our Lake Conroe Thousand Trails entries and then, over the next couple of months we may take on a minor camper upgrade project or two. Otherwise, our 2016 Adventure is on hold as we begin an entirely different sort of Adventure.

Campground Review: SKP Saguaro Co-Op – Benson, AZ

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We loved it at the Escapees SKP Saguaro Co-Op in Benson, AZ. In some ways it is my favorite campground to date. The resort was designed by and for fulltime RVers who are members of Escapees. The fulltime philosophy and common sense approach is evident everywhere from the wide, paved roads to the excellent and much used activity center.

The property has no pool or spa and reservations are not accepted. Escapees facilities are famous for always finding a place for a traveler to park their RV even it has to temporarily be a spot with no hookups. The activity center has a large meeting room with a full-sized commercial kitchen, a large library, a workout room with modern equipment, and a crafts room. There’s also a nice porch with a view of the valley below and the Dragoon Mountains. This view is especially pretty at sunset.

If you get the idea that I like this place you are 100% right!

RV Park Review – Green Caye – Dickinson, TX

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Green Caye is an interesting place. The property is huge with not only a big RV Park, but a lighted par-3 golf course, a mobile home/apartment/condo/townhouse section, and a self-storage. These all exist on the same property but operate totally separate from one another (in other words, no free golf).

The RV Park is a mixture of travelers and permanent residents and everything in between. There are many pull through sites and just as many back ins. The pull-throughs are close together, narrow and long. The back-ins are wide enough for two vehicles to park side to side and deep. The sites and roads are all good concrete.

This place is just a place to be. There are no activities, no pool, and the RV park offers no playground for the kids. Of course, nearby is NASA, Galveston, Kemah boardwalk, and all Houston has to offer.

There is only one bathhouse/laundry and, the way the place is laid out, there are many sites a long way from it. Some of the permanent sites are filled with “stuff,” but generally are reasonably kept. At the same time, there are several high dollar rigs here. Again, Green Caye is an interesting place.

If you plan on coming to Green Caye you probably need to know that our interactions with the office left a lot to be desired. When we arrived the young lady at the counter told me we had canceled our reservations and there was no place for us. Her attitude was that that was all there was to it. We insisted that we had not canceled and that we wanted our reservation to be honored. After some angst, low and behold, there was a place for us after all. Then after two months we left for a month, this time being sure we had written confirmation of our reservation. We arrived on the appointed day and a different person behind the counter reported that while he showed we had a reservation that someone else was already in the site. After 20 minutes or so, he found that someone had changed our site number. Then, when we prepared to leave, I attempted to turn in the gate remote controls on which I had made a $70 deposit. Alas, there was no record of my having the remotes. After 30 minutes or so and a phone call the decision was made to return my deposit to me. The moral to this story is: confirm your reservations, then confirm them again. Keep your paperwork handy and keep your fingers crossed.

I don’t think this area qualifies as a draw for Winter Texans.  During January the weather was especially cold with ice storms and school closings.  At the same time, people visiting the Galveston side of Houston but not wanting to pay Galveston RV Park prices might want to keep Green Caye in mind.

And if you happen to have two precious grandchildren in the area, well, then this is a terrific place to spend a few winter months.

Other reviews are here.

My motorhome versus 5th wheel story

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The sure-fired, guaranteed, spirited discussion topic among fulltiming RVers is, well you know what it is: which is best for fulltiming, motorhome or 5th wheel.  The obvious thing is that both are quite suitable.  After all, there are thousands upon thousands of people happily and enthusiastically traveling and living in both.

Note: after 6 years in the 5th wheel we did make the move to the motorhome. Here’s my article comparing the two.

Still, there are advantages and disadvantages to both.  Just for fun, here are my comparisons (note: I’ll update this list when I come across more “pros” either way):

Motorhome

  1. Easier to park and set up – important for people who move often or are challenged by such things. One thing that helps is that the driver is sitting right up front over the wheels – and the steering on a mothorhome lets the driver turn the rig very sharply
  2. Lends itself to the famous “in motion passenger pit stop” and it’s less famous cousin, the “honey grab me a soda from the fridge” in motion request
  3. Better for “bugging out” from a rest area or Walmart parking lot if things sound a bit strange outside
  4. If you tow a car you have a small, economical daily driver – also nice for scouting out the campground for sites upon arrival
  5. Most comfortable travel vehicle
  6. It provides the famous, “we don’t have to even go outside if it’s raining when we arrive” advantage
  7. While there are more steps to get inside, once inside it is all one level

5th Wheel

  1. More room inside – important for people who stay in one place longer
  2. The “house” and the vehicle are separate – really important when the vehicle has to go in the shop – you don’t have to get a motel room for, say, a transmission rebuild
  3. Cost of maintenance on tow vehicle is generally less – doesn’t require “big rig” service oil changes, and camper tires are less expensive
  4. Depending on your taste, startup costs are generally less
  5. Greater variety of floor plans
  6. More stable when driving in windy conditions (assuming a well matched tow vehicle and 5th wheel)
  7. Propane tanks can be removed and taken to a refill station
  8. When you want to upgrade you can upgrade the tow vehicle and 5th wheel separetly rather than having to greater expense of trading motorhomes
  9. A 5th wheel is easier to level on sites that are unlevel front to back – you don’t have to worry about putting the front tires up on blocks or having them dangling in the air if using an automatic leveling system
  10. Here’s a real biggie: a husband towing a 5th wheel is somewhat less likely to drive off without the wife aboard. 🙂

Here’s our story: when we began our search we set a budget for our fulltiming rig.  We started off looking mostly at diesel motorhomes but soon became discouraged that the nice ones were over our budget.  We began pricing bigger pickups and 5th wheels.  It became apparent to us that we had a better chance of staying under our budget while getting something we liked if we went the 5th wheel route – and we did.

A big influence on us was the living space available in the 5th wheels as well as the better floor plans.  We wanted a normal living room set up, including a more natural location of the television.  Most motorhomes we looked at didn’t offer such a floor plan.  A lot of 5th wheels didn’t either, but some did.

Now that we’re fulltiming, I admit that there have been times when I wished for a motorhome/towed vehicle.  The truck uses a lot of fuel, towing or not.  When we arrive at a campground, I really dislike driving around with the 5th wheel in tow while I cruise up and down narrow roads trying to pick out a campsite.

Most of the time, though, I’m convinced we made a good choice.  We like the living space the 5th wheel provides.  We think some of the advantages of the motorhome are minor at best.  After all, we would have to stop motorhome or 5th wheel for the driver to make a pit stop – not to mention that walking around in a motorhome in motion is somewhat dangerous and likely illegal.  We haven’t had to set up in any downpours, and if we did, we’d just get a little wet moving from the pickup to the camper where we’d wait it out.  Also, we don’t do camp Walmart or stay in rest areas so the possibility of needing to make a run for it from some undesirable situation really isn’t that great.

Then, we’ve had the pickup in the shop three times now, once overnight.  It was nice not having to take our whole house in to the shop and vacate it just for new radiator hoses!

Maybe, someday, we’ll join the motorhome crowd.  When we do, we’ll enjoy some of the advantages of living and traveling in a motorhome.  At the same time, though, I think we’ll miss some of the pluses of our 5th wheel.

Winter projects 2013-1014 wrap up

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We’re winding down our first winter as fulltimers and looking forward to several months of travel; exploring new places.  We divided our winter between Dickinson and Rockport, Texas.  Dickinson is close to family and friends (and doctors) and Rockport is a nice Winter Texan destination.  Obviously, there are advantages to being in both places.

During these months we’ve taken on several projects: including the maintenance, repair, and upgrade varieties.  Here’s a wrap up of those projects.

Maintenance:

  • Washed camper, waxed front cap
  • Flushed the water heater
  • Sanitized the fresh water tank
  • Replaced the reverse osmosis water filters
  • Had the pickup transmission and rear end serviced
  • Had the pickup tires rotated
  • Refreshed and repaired some of the camper caulking
  • Checked roof and applied fresh Dicor caulking where needed
  • Repacked the wheel bearings

Repairs:

  • A biggie: had to replace a bent axle (I know exactly where the damage was done)
  • A few light switches that were getting quite stiff to operate were replaced
  • Camper floor reinforced where factory had under-engineered it
  • Recaulked the floor around shower stall where there were some leaks
  • Pulled the toilet to replace a leaky valve
  • Changed pin height on camper (needed a bit more space between camper and PU rails)
  • Fantastic Vent repaired (now opens and closes with thermostat – and rain sensor works)
  • The two camper 12V batteries replaced
  • Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Detectors replaced

Upgrades:

Yet to come: the F350 goes in the shop to find a small coolant leak

As you can see, there’s been a lot to do! Special thanks to my friend Ron who is the brains behind many of these operations – I couldn’t do the mechanical stuff without him.

We love being touring fulltimers, but we’re learning that these rigs need more upkeep than a “sticks and bricks” house does. As you can see, most of the time and effort went into routine maintenance that needs to be done on a regular basis.

Now, with Spring upon us, we’re getting excited about our 2014 Adventure!  Stay tuned, good times are ahead!

Campground Review – Wilderness Oaks Resort – Rockport, TX

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It’s our first winter as fulltime RVers and we’re still learning as we go. We spent three months at a more residential park near family and friends and now we’re just finishing our first experience in a genuine Winter Texan resort here in Rockport, TX. The really big area for Winter Texans is still another 160 miles south of us, but this area, just north of Corpus Christi is probably the second most popular destination. Many of the people come south to escape the hard winters in the Midwestern states and central Canada. They come for the entire winter, staying from three to five months; and many have been making the trip for years, migrating south, landing in the same RV parks with the same neighbors year after year.

Obviously, being in a place like this is a new experience for us. We’ve been staying in campgrounds for a week or two and then moving on. Our stop here is for a month and we’re surrounded by people who are here for the entire winter. It’s a different experience for us and, while we’re looking forward to our next big adventure, I’d say it’s a positive one.

We picked this particular resort because of a combination of it having pretty good reviews on the internet and competitive prices. In general, we’ve been satisfied. Wilderness Oaks RV Resort has a nice community feel. There are plenty of activities: exercise classes, a ladies’ Bible study group, pot luck dinners, special events, music nights, and table games most every night. People are welcoming and friendly.

The campground itself is older and because of that the sites are smaller than we’d like. I was really challenged to get our 5th wheel situated in our site (although had our across-the-street neighbor been home and available to move his car from the front of his site it would have been much easier!). The back-in sites are shallow and the pull through sites are narrow. There are a couple of rows of pull throughs out by the highway and when they are full folks pay for the convenience of having a pull through by barely having room open their slide outs. Those sites wouldn’t be bad for overnight travelers but I’d hate to spend a month in one of them.

The campground has a heated pool and during the winter there’s an inflatable dome over it. Unfortunately for us, there was a problem with the dome that forced management to close the pool for most of our stay. There’s also a hot tub that we never tried out.

Probably the biggest negative here is the county airport that adjoins the property to the south. It’s not a busy airport but at times, especially when an area Navy base uses it to practice “touch and goes” the noise can get irritating. There’s also a helicopter service that makes a lot of racket when they fly. I will say that most of the noise is daytime only, and then, not all the time.

All in all, our feelings about this campground are much more positive than negative. The area is interesting, the facilities are acceptable, the people are friendly, there are lots of activities, and our campsite (although a bit cramped) is okay. As our future unfolds I wouldn’t be surprised if we end up spending more time here.

What is a fulltimer?

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There are some never ending debates in the RV world.  For instance, among avid RVers toss out the question, “Fifth wheel or motorhome?” and you’ll find yourself in an opinionated discussion.  Ask the fifth wheel crowd, “How big of a truck do I need?” and the rest of the evening will be filled with discussion.

And, if you want to have some fun, ask “What is a fulltime RVer?” and you are in for an entertaining conversation.  The crux of the matter is whether just living in a RV makes one a fulltimer.  Obviously, there’s a difference between living behind your grandmother’s house in their 1947 Airstream which is sitting up on concrete blocks and traveling around the country in a high dollar RV.  The question is, does the first person get to wear the “fulltimer” label?

I think the real problem is that the term “fulltimer” needs a qualifying adjective.

Think of the different kinds of fulltimers there are.  At one extreme there’s that person living in the 50 year old camper on the concrete blocks.  Then we’ll find people in more current rigs spending their winters in the sunny south and their summers in the moderate north, moving back and forth between campsites they may even own.  There are people who follow their jobs, moving when the work moves (and people who are workcamping from place to place).  At the other extreme are those who are touring the country.  Beyond all that, somewhere in the mix are people who are dreaming of becoming fulltimers and those who have had lots of fulltiming adventures but have now hung up the keys.

I propose that we just invite all of them into the fulltimers’ tent (not to offend you tenters who are reading this).  Then, when we want to be more specific, we add an adjective that clarifies just what sort of fulltimers we are at the present time.  In my examples above I’ve mentioned several kinds of fulltimers:

  • Stationary
  • Seasonal
  • Working
  • Touring
  • Wannabe
  • Usedtobe

I’m not trying to do a complete list here – rather, to move the discussion in a positive direction.  If you are a fulltimer, what adjective would you use to describe your fulltiming approach?

Just for fun, I’ve created this flowchart to help illustrate my thinking.

Of course, all of this is worth just what you are paying for it.

Fulltimer

 

Church hopping observations

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Borrowed from Wesley UMC Church webpage

Since retiring and becoming fulltime traveling RVers we’ve become church hoppers.   It’s quite a change from being the parsonage couple and attending our local church every time the doors are open.

As traveling RVers we’re on the move about seven months each year, changing churches every week or two.  We could visit the campground services or watch our home church online – and sometimes we do, but we like going to a local church.  Honestly, we miss our church family.  Going to church as perpetual visitors isn’t the same as being regular attenders.

Here’s our approach: after searching the web for an area church of our denominational flavor we look over the church’s web site for service times and directions.  We look for photos of people at a regular worship service so we have a better idea of the unwritten dress code.  Like most anyone, we just want to fit in and not be too casual or too formal.  When I was a kid people wore their “Sunday best” to church.  These days, not so much.  That makes it challenging to know just what to wear.  Also, we check the church calendar to see if there is a special event that Sunday.  If so, depending on the event, it might make us more or less likely to attend that particular week (VBS program, less likely – southern gospel concert, oh yeah!).  Often, the church with a website that provides us the above information is the one we visit.   By the way, the church that is still promoting last winter’s Christmas program in July automatically loses potential as a likely place for our visit.

If our own denomination has no nearby church, we look for a “sister” group, but really, we’re pretty comfortable in a wide variety of churches.

We try to arrive at the church just a few minutes early.  If we are too early we find ourselves sitting uncomfortably in a less than full sanctuary.  If we arrive late, we fear we’ll interrupt a service already in progress.  You’d be surprised at how often we’ve arrived at churches not knowing for sure which parking lot to use or even which door to enter.  That’s especially true with large churches with multiple buildings on their campus or with older churches that have an old sanctuary and newer buildings around it.

We’ve concluded that most churches are completely unprepared for walk in visitors.  They are comfortable with people who attend as a guest of a regular who is “showing them the ropes” but walk-ins are unexpected and unanticipated.  After being the ultimate church “insiders” we’ve realized just how uncomfortable walk-in visitors are during a meet and greet time.  Everyone is told to stand and greet those around them.  We stand and say a brief hello to those around us and then remain standing with fixed smiles while everyone around us has short private conversations as friends do at such a time.  Even churches that think they are friendly are mostly just friendly with one another, not with outsiders.

One eye opener for me, as a career pastor, has been the demeanor of pastors.  When we first arrive they come up to shake hands and smile, telling us how glad they are we have visited.  Then, they always ask, “Are you from around here?”  When we say we aren’t the light goes out and they quickly move on, sometimes with hardly another word.  I know how busy a pastor is on a Sunday morning, but this response to our not being “prospects” was surprisingly consistent wherever we visited and were greeted by the pastor.

Having said all that I want to add that, in general, we enjoy visiting churches.  As a retired pastor I often remind myself that I’m attending church as a worshiper.  I’m not there to look for interesting ideas or to “fix” the church.  In addition, we’ve been impressed by how many good preachers and singers there are.  We’ve enjoyed the variety and seeing the good that is being done in churches around the country.  It hasn’t been unusual for us to drive away from a worship service and remark to one another, “If we lived here we could be a part of that church.”

We miss our church family and friends.  We’re very aware that there’s a depth of spiritual life that is best fostered by being a faithful part of a good church family.  Also, we’re glad for social media and the ability it provides for keeping up with what is happening “back home.”  At the same time we’re enjoying our travels and the many opportunities to worship with the larger Church with a capitol “C.”

Travel Planning – I confess: I’m a Planner

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strategic-planningLet’s talk travel planning.  Among those who travel in a RV fulltime there’s a wide variety of travel styles.  At one extreme are those who seldom stay in one place longer than a few days and leave a campground in the morning not knowing for sure where they will be that night.  At the other extreme are those who research their trips mile by mile and start making reservations at campgrounds months in advance.  In another post I call the two extremes “planners and freelancers.” I’ve also written about it here. Between those extremes you’ll find the full range of travel planners.

I doubt it will surprise any of my friends to hear me say I’m a Planner.  That was true in my professional life, it’s true in my personal life, and it’s true of my approach to being a traveling fulltime RVer.

Over time I’ll start researching the areas we’ll be in, and by knowing well ahead of time, I can even check out county fairs and other date specific attractions.  This information, too, will be noted on either the spreadsheet or the calendar.  I also spend time checking out highway conditions like mountain grades or alternatives that will let me avoid city traffic.

By having my route and destinations worked out I’m more alert to discussions about the areas on various forums I visit as well as having a list of places I want to check out on the Internet on quiet winter evenings.

A few notes:

Again, don’t feel obligated to tell me you’ve been traveling for years just playing it by ear.  I’m not against your doing that, but I’m a Planner, and we like doing it this way.

Also, don’t get in too big a hurry with the calendar part of the planning.  It’s pretty easy to make changes to the Google Maps and your spreadsheet.  Once you start a calendar any change of days can potentially create a series of “bumper cars” in which you have to change every one of the entries!