RVing According To Hank

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Bits of wisdom, points to ponder and little known facts about RVing.... mostly just things you never figure will happen until they happen to you.

• No matter how well you plan or how many lists you make, you will forget something important.
• Never ever buy gasohol.... your MPG will thank you for it.
• Most important accessory I bought so far..... heating blanket.
• The snooze alarm will fail to work when you need it the most.
• It won't start raining until you go to plug in the RV power cord.
• No matter where you are going it will always be uphill and into the wind.
• The curb you see in your mirror is closer then it appears.
• Your sewer hose will always need to be 1 foot longer then what you have.
• Always check your rig a few days before you are leaving. If you wait until the day before you leave and find something wrong, it may delay your departure.

More to come....

Day 2: Memphis TN KOA

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Despite the best efforts of my alarm clock, I made it to Memphis today. OK, it's not REALLY Memphis but Marion AR which is just across the river from Memphis. I set my Blackberry alarm for 7am. It went off and I hit the snooze for 10 more minutes of sleep. I found out at 8:30am that the snooze didn't work. That means no time for biscuits and gravy, just a cup of coffee and a muffin then hit the road.

This reminds me, I have to start a new page that I'm going to title "RVing According To Hank". It'll be bits of wisdom, points to ponder and little known facts about RVing.... mostly just things you never figure will happen until they happen to you. Look for the link on side menu once I get it started... and it'll be updated as I have more.

I drove about 400 miles today. More then I really want to drive but I felt this need to get to someplace where there wasn't going to be any snow. This also means I had to fill up twice today. Just a bit of advice: Do everything you can to never purchase any of gasohol in that corn lovin' state of Indiana. Your gas mileage will be in the crapper! Speaking of MPG, I found out I can get 1.5 better MPG if I follow another RV. The last 10 miles before I stopped for the night I followed another 5th wheel that passed me. I had to speed up from 61 to 64 to keep up and my MPG when up from 8.5 to 10. Something to file away for the future.

I have gotten this love/hate relationship with KOA campgrounds. I'm not sure they are a place I would go to to stay for a weekend or more. The sites are packed pretty close together and aren't "campy" enough for my tastes. They also tend to have a bit of highway noise since most are located for easy access. But then this easy access does make them ideal for over night stops when traveling someplace else. Most camp sites are pull through sites for easy setup, most have WiFi, offer some type of breakfast in the morning, nice clean showers and are generally well kept up. Kind of like the Holiday Inn... no big surprises no matter what one you go to but not someplace you really get excited about.

OK, so I'm now about 650 miles into the 1500 or so total miles to get to RGV and nothing eventful has happened. Let's keep it that way!

Day 1: Terre Haute, IN KOA

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And it begins: Believe it or not, I was able to leave home at 7am. Even surprised myself as I didn't get to bed until 1am and didn't get to sleep until about 3am. The roads were nice a dry and not very much traffic. I made it to Terre Haute about 1pm and decided to stop at the KOA for the night. I could have driven a couple more hours but figured that it would be best to try and get a decent nights rest before the next leg.

The Terre Haute KOA is a bit expensive ($40) but it is one of the few campgrounds open this far north. Since it's 30 deg. outside not much is usable at the campground but it does look like it would be a nice place to stay in the summer. They have free WiFi and cable TV, Spud got a treat and they came around later to deliver a few home made cookies. In the morning they offer a free continental breakfast but looking at the menu I seen biscuits and gravy for $2.50... thinking I'll have to spring for that!

Check back tomorrow for an update.

2009/2010 Winter Trip Expense Report

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Below I will detail my expenses for the 2009/2010 Winter Trip to the SW. This will include all expenses directly attributed to this trip. It will not include long term fixed expenses such as vehicle payments, insurance, phone, etc. I want to keep track of what the actual cost of the trip is compared to if I didn't take the trip.

12/29 - Fuel: Odo: 31290 - Starting tank fill up
12/29 - Food: $29.18 - Starting cache of food
12/30 - Food: $6.00 - Snacks
12/30 - Fuel: Odo: 31474 Cost: $70.12 MPG: 8.11
12/30 - Campground Fees: $40.64
12/31 - Fuel: Odo: 31665 Cost: $66.69 MPG: 7.87
12/31 - Food: $8.00 - Snacks and lunch
12/31 - Fuel: Odo: 31870 Cost: $65.65 MPG: 8.45
12/31 - Campground Fees: $52.00 including KOA yearly membership
01/01 - Fuel: Odo: 32072 Cost $62.59 MPG: 8.48
01/01 - Food: $11.00 - Breakfast and snacks
01/01 - Fuel: Odo: 32276 Cost: $62.57 MPG: 8.40
01/01 - Campground Fees: $29.00
01/02 - Fuel: Odo: 32685 Cost: $126.04 MPG: 8.77 (total 2 tanks)
01/02 - Food: $14.00 - Snakes and dinner
01/02 - Campground Fees: $28.12
01/03 - Fuel: Odo: 33053 Cost: 109.70 MPG: 8.82 (total 2 tanks)
01/03 - Food: $12.00 - Lunch and Dinner
01/03 - Campground Fees: $33.20

Total cost for 5 days travel to Rio Grande Valley = $806.50
Fuel: $563.36
Food: $80.18
Campground Fees: $162.96

Below are costs incurred once arrived. I will only show costs that are above and beyond my normal living expenses. Mainly the below expeneses will not include such things as food, clothes or fuel as I would be spending that no matter where I was.

01/04 - RV Park Fees: $33.20
01/04 - Accessories: $27.99 (20' sewer extension hose)
01/15 - Maintenance: $12 Cleaning Supplies
01/20 - Entertainment: $15 State Park Entrance Fees (3 days)
01/20 - Entertainment: $21 Souvenirs
01/22 - Maintenance: $15 Tire Repair
01/25 - RV Park Fees: $389.97 (3 weeks)

Tomorrow's the Day

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I have 12/30/09 marked on my calendar. That is the day I am leaving on my first extended trip to warmer weather! Not sure I can now call myself a "snowbird", just that I want to get away from these damned cold Michigan winters. If all goes as planned I'll be gone about 2 months.

The 5er is packed, truck is full of gas and a rough outline of my trip is in hand. Looking to leave around 7am and make Terre Haute for my first night stay. I plan on taking lots of photos along the way and keeping track of expenses. Keep an eye out on this blog for full details of my trip.

Snow Delays Departure Date

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Geez... just when I figured I'd be able to get out of town. The 1" to 2" snow we were suppose to have today has turned into 3" with an additional 3" tonight. Looks like I'll have to delay my departure date one day and leave on Wednesday. :(

Southbound Soon

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Looks like the weather is finally going to cooperate and give me a few days of good weather. Leave date for my adventure down south should be Tuesday 12/29. Not sure at this point what my final destination will be, I'll figure that out when I hit the Texas border. I am thinking maybe a dew weeks in southern TX in the Rio Grande Valley then head up to AZ for a few weeks. Just gonna wing it!

Meet My Flagstaff 28RLSS 5th Wheel

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The weather finally broke and I was able to get my new (to me) 5th wheel out of storage. Now I just need to get it prepped for my trip southwest. Plan to take a couple of months and either go to southern Texas or New Mexico and Arizona. Not sure where I'll end up, just depends how I feel when I hit the Texas border. I'll keep you updated on my progress!

Cold Brook Park - Climax, Michigan

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Cold Brook Park is a nice little county park located a couple miles off I94 at the Climax, MI exit. It is about 20 miles from my house. I like it because it is a clean quiet park that is close enough for me to just get away for a weekend and don't want to plan/drive for a more distant campground.

It has 29 improved sites (30 amp electric and water) and 22 rustic sites for tents. Camping fees are $20 per might. Each improved site has a fire ring and a picnic table. Most of the sites are shaded. The access road is paved and the sites are grass. RVs of any size should have no problem getting into the park. The shower/bathrooms are centrally located in the improved area and are nice and clean. There are 3 lakes reachable from the park if you are into fishing or boating. The boat ramp is about 1/4 mile from the campground. Some complain that it is too far from the campground but it is one thing I like about it. Those that come just to boat don't disturb us campers

Within close walking distance to the campground are two playgrounds for the kids, a pier for fishing, picnic shelters and a volleyball court. A short distance away (1/2 mile) is the boat ramp, dish golf course and swimming area.

This is just a campground that I enjoy. It is relaxing, sites are not packed close together and has a number of activities to keep you occupied for a day. You should check it out if you are in the area.

I rate it an 8 out of 10

Tailgating with your RV

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RVs are not just for camping!

We all enjoy getting out in the wild or heading out to destinations unknown. But you can enjoy using your RV in other ways! My family's big collage football fans and try to attend a game or two every year. I was born and raised in South Bend, IN so I'm a Notre Dame fan, my step-daughter graduated and works at Michigan State so a tailgate at a ND/MSU game was only natural.

The setup at ND is ideal for tailgating (see my photos). They have a huge field they open up to RVs which gives you a lot of room to park, cook out, play a few games or just sit back and enjoy the beverages. The weather was a perfect sunny 60 deg for this September game. We arrived about 10am for the 3pm kickoff, broke out the grill for the awesome bacon cheeseburgers and sat back to enjoy the cool adult beverages. Why bring your RV to tailgate? Not only do you have all of your supplies right at hand, but you have a potty at your disposal anytime you need it!

We wondered around a bit to visit the other tailgaters. A number were confused since we were wearing ND hats and MSU shirts! We got a lot of ribbing but it was all in good fun.

Oh yeah, we did go to the game too!

Riding on the Kal-Haven Trail

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One of my favorite spots to get away from things when home is the Kal-Haven Trail. View some of my photos. It is an easy trail to walk or bike, is not real busy and has some great photo ops. The 10th Street trailhead in Kalamazoo is only a few miles from my house so it makes it real convenient to get to. If your ever in Michigan and in the Kalamazoo, Bloomingdale, Grand Junction or South Haven area, you might want to take a couple of hours to walk the trail to unwind. Below is an excerpt from the Kal-Haven Trail web site:

Enjoyed by more than 90,000 outdoor enthusiasts annually, the 34.5 mile linear Kal-Haven Trail State Park extends from South Haven, on the shores of Lake Michigan, to the northwest suburbs of the City of Kalamazoo. The trail is built on the abandoned Kalamazoo & South Haven Railroad which existed from 1870 to 1970. The right-of-way was purchased by the DNR in 1987, and the trail opened in 1991. Trail passes are required for use of the trail. For more information, visit the Van Buren County website

The trail passes through the towns of Grand Junction, Bloomingdale, Gobles and Kendall where restaurants and other amenities are available for trail users.

A wide range of activities are available to trail users: biking, hiking, birding and horseback riding (on an adjacent trail between Bloomingdale and Kibbie); winter activities include cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling. Snowmobiling is permitted when the snow depth is greater than four inches.

Ten feet wide, the trail is surfaced with crushed slag and limestone. Parking is available at the 10th Street trailhead, about two miles north of West Main Street (look for the red caboose); in Bloomingdale at the depot; in Grand Junction at the DNR lot; and at the trailhead in South Haven at Wells Street and Bailey Avenue.

My Forrest River Flagstaff 28RLSS 5th Wheel

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OK, this is my final RV purchase for a while…. I hope. See more pictures in my Photo Album. The Forest River Flagstaff 28RLSS should fit my needs for quite some time. The super slide allows the couch and dining area to slide out giving me a lot of room and the queen bed in front will be real comfy. It has all the goodies that should get me by, large fridge, microwave, TV/stereo entertainment center, full bath with a roomy shower plus heat and A/C of course.

If you are wondering just what a 28RLSS is we can decode it a bit. The 28 means it is 28' long. OK, really it is 30' long but most manufacturers understate the length in the model number. The RL part means a Rear Living-room. The SS stands for Super Slide, or a long slide that, in this case, includes the couch and dining area. OK, maybe that's more then you wanted to know but it is interesting (at least to me) just what these model numbers mean.

As soon as I got I already was making plans to do some mods. The TV that is in it is an old 19″ analog TV. My choice was to buy a digital converter or a new TV. Guess which I chose? I hit the Black Friday sales and picked up a 32″ LCD TV. That also means I’ll have to make a custom mount to fit it to the entertainment center. But really, other then that there are no pressing changes that need to be done. I did get some landing gear stabilizers that need to be installed and the typical wheel chocks, hoses, extension cords, adaptors, etc. that you have to have.

So here I sit, waiting for the snow storm to pass, so I can get it home from the dealer and start getting it ready for my trip to warmer weather. I’m still not sure where I’m going to go. There is Florida, Texas or even New Mexico and Arizona to choose from. I’m tending more to the southwest and may just head out that way when the time comes and see where I end up.

The Winnebago Minnie-Winnie Experence

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RV number 2 is this cherry 1988 20′ Winnebago Minnie-Winnie. OK, really it is number 3 but I’m not including the pop-up I had for a couple of years back in 2000 or so. 5 cold and rainy weekends in the Teardrop convinced me I wanted something more comfortable and I came across this really nice Minnie at a local dealer. It was super clean inside, everything worked and needed very little work.

In the few months I owned it I got a lot of use out of it. I did a few camping trips to Cold Brook Park located about 25 miles from my house. I also used to tailgate at the Notre Dame / Michigan State football game and took a week long trip to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to see the fall colors (See pictures of my U.P. trip ). It really served me well and I enjoyed it, never would have done most of these trips without it.

But during my trip to the U.P. I did find one big drawback. If I wanted to just scout around a bit, I would have to break camp to drive there. The Minnie isn’t big enough to tow a vehicle so that was out. My new-found desire to head south for the winter for a couple of months each year also forced me to look for something that would better fit my long term needs. I really loved the Minnie, it was easy to drive, easy to park and had everything I needed for short trips. I just couldn’t see using it for longer trips.

So my search was on to find something that would be easy to drive and use for weekenders but be suitable longer trips too.

Camping in a Teardrop Trailer

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My first real RV that I started to use was a Little Guy Teardrop trailer purchased in the winter of 2008. It was perfect for towing behind my Honda Element and was different enough to draw attention. One of my hobbies is RC car racing and I run a web site, HobbyTalk, that is a discussion forum for RC, Die Cast, Models and Slot Cars. It was a perfect advertising venue for my web site and also served as a great pit trailer when racing.

I did a few modifications to the Teardrop by adding 3 stage battery charger, running 110 volt electric, adding an XM radio system and a separate 12v DC power supply so I could charge my RC car batteries off of the AC. It worked great as a pit vehicle but I found some faults when using it for camping. I have a few photos camping using the Teardrop in the Camping 2009 photo album.

Early summer of 2009 was marked by cold weather and a lot of rain on the weekends. 5 out of 6 weekends I wanted to camp it rained and was miserably cold. While I don’t mind being a bit uncomfortable once in a while when camping, 5 out of 6 weekends was just a it too much. Call me wimp if you want, but I wasn’t having fun and if I’m not having fun, then why do it? This weather and my desire to take some longer trips moved me to my next acquisition in Aug. of 2009.

A Bit of History: My Time in Yellowstone National Park

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Might be best to start with a bit of history to see what got me on this path to adventure.

In 2006 I lost the love of my life. After she passed away unexpectedly I was devastated, I was lost. To help heal and hopefully find my way I took a job with Xanterra working at Yellowstone National Park. My job was to be a carpet cleaner in the Mammoth Hot Springs area.

Of course things did not go as planned. 4 days after arriving I broke my foot playing volleyball. After a week they placed me in reservations…… I hated it. After 8 weeks in a cast, the doctor in Bozemen wanted operate on my foot to pin the broken 5th metatarsal bone. I decided to pass and headed back home to Michigan to get it taken care of.

But all was not lost. The 9 weeks spent in YNP started me on the path I am on today. I discovered the real wonders of the outdoors. The mountains, the rivers, the trees, the wildlife. The cast on my foot limited me to only scratching the surface of what was out there, but it had me hooked. I knew I had to experience more once I was healed and now I am in a time and place where I can do that.

I will, at some point, finish my quest to explore Yellowstone in deeper depth. But in the meantime I will take on some of the other wonderful sights that America has to offer. This blog will chronicle my adventures to explore the U.S. In the meantime you can view some of the photos I took during my time in Yellowstone National Park in my Photo Album.

RV Adventures Introduction

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What is this RV Adventures blog all about? Sometimes even I wonder about that myself.

My exposure to RVing all started in 2008 when I bought a Little Guy Teardrop trailer to use when I go RC car racing. I took it camping a couple of times and got the camping/RVing bug. It's snowballed into more then I could have imagined and has almost become an obsession.

And all that prompted me to start the RV Adventures blog.

I look forward to documenting my time spent in my RV, traveling, modifying and thinking about my RV. Look for detailed information on places I travel to, things I see, things I do and even things I don't do while on the road.

I prefer more rustic settings and places less traveled so you won't find much info about “RV Resorts” or high profile destinations. If you like state parks, grass, trees and fire rings instead of paved parking lots with shuffleboard, whirlpools and karaoke, then you'll want to keep reading. If you would you rather visit Alamogordo, Sonoita or Salida rather then Albuquerque, Phoenix or Vail, then hop on board.

I'm not a full-time RVer so I won't be traveling all year long. That doesn't mean My RV Adventures will be boring, we'll just cover a wide range of RV topics when not traveling. Look for pictures, reviews and even a few opinions along the way.

Stop back often to keep track of the RV Adventures of Hankster and my ever faithful sidekick Spud!