We’ve learned a lot in the last 30 days about RV living and much of it has surprised us... especially in comparison to our life aboard a sailboat. Somehow, we just weren’t expecting the two modes of travel to be so vastly different. For example...
Reading A Guidebook
Oh, how we miss Skipper Bob! His handy “Guide to Anchorages along the ICW” has been replaced by a directory the size of a large telephone book... “Woodall’s North American Campground Directory - the Complete On-the-Road Guide for Today’s RV Enthusiast.”
Clearly, we do NOT meet the criteria - whatever it is - for “RV Enthusiast”, because we have yet to find the directory descriptions in our Woodalls book helpful.
Coming from Skipper Bob, phrases such as “close to shopping”, “laundry”, “Internet” and “bus-stop nearby” were good things. Not so much coming from Woodalls. Now that we’re on an RV, those descriptions translate into three words: “Don’t go there!”.
Our most recent example of a guidebook-gone-wrong fiasco happened in Santa Fe. This is what we read in the full-page color ad in Woodalls: Top Rated RV Resort in Santa Fe, 4.5 miles from Plaza, Swimming Pool, Play Equipment, Close to Shopping, Bus Stop Nearby, High-speed Internet. Woodalls rates the place 3 out of 4 stars for both services and recreation; cost per night was $34 per vehicle.
This is what we saw when we stopped their to have our propane tank filled: a gravel lot with no distinguishable boundaries or borders between camping sites. There was a tiny pool located just inside the park boundary, just off a busy 4-lane highway, and we did see a small patch of grass on which it appeared a game of horseshoes might be played. We got our propane. We didn’t stay!
We opted instead for a lovely spot in the Santa Fe National Forest just a few miles out of downtown... lots of trees, hiking trails - actual nature for just $10 a night! The Woodalls listing for this campground was in fine print.
Camping Lingo
We’ve learned some new terms now that we’re Rving.
Big-Rig Friendly = Run Away! There’s probably a casino nearby!
Pull-Through sites = see Big-Rig Friendly
No Hook Ups (aka Dry Camping) = We will probably like it!
Dispersed Camping = This is the term for a make-your-own-spot kind of dry camping on public lands. We will probably like it, plus it will be free!
Boondocking = Similar to dispersed camping, but could also include sleeping over in a Walmart parking lot. Believe it or not, we do this frequently and prefer it to KOA (or as we call it K - No Way!) and other RV “parks” and “resorts”.
A few of our “Bests” & “Worsts” so far...
We NEVER thought we’d find a reason to like Walmart, but it has happened. We love their parking lots! You can stay overnight for free; you can almost always find one; and though it lacks ambiance, you don’t have to worry about running out of cereal or toilet paper!
Best Boondocking Experience: Walmart Parking Lot in Albuquerque... there was a Whole Foods Market right across the street and a Blockbuster Video next door! (Note: The kids highly recommend Spiderwick Chronicles. The parents highly recommend the Sockeye Salmon.)
Best Campground Experience: Lake Norman State Park in NC... it was way off the beaten path and we were practically the only ones there.
Best Campfire Moment: Shrimp & Sausage cooked over the coals... so good we made it 2 nights in a row!
Worst Campfire Moment: Emily laughing herself right off her chair and into the fire ring.
Best Road: Kansas Turnpike... so smooth, our gas milage jumped from 8 all the way up to 10 miles to the gallon. Too bad we’re not in Kansas anymore!
Worst Road: Cobblestone street that seemed like it was never going to end in St. Louis.
Best RV-related Investment: Walmart Road Atlas. Our “Nuvi” GPS unit is great, but sometimes “Yolanda” (it’s a woman’s voice that tells us where to go) leads us astray. It’s nice to have a good old fashioned map, plus this one helps us find State Parks, National Parks & Forests, and Walmart parking lots in every state!
Worst RV-related Investment: KOA Campgrounds membership card. We used it once and that was one time too many! I think it was the corn cobs squirrel feeders strategically located on the tree at each site to attract “wildlife” that pushed us over the edge.
Best Thing about our Driving Days: The kids tend to take naps.
Worst Thing about our Driving Days: The kids tend to fight. Also, Pat really misses his autopilot!
Best RVing experience to date: tailgating on 4th of July in Norman
Worst RVing experience to date: tagging a fire hydrant in St. Louis while trying to turn around at the end of a dead-end street. Yolanda’s name was mud that day!
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