Cleaning!

Life is dirty.  Camping is dirtier.

How to clean your remote control
The average television remote controls has a lethal cocktail of bacteria within your own dwelling.  Hotel, hospital or other public area remotes are far worse than what is in your own home.  So whether you are home or elsewhere it is a good idea to clean any remote control that you or your family will be handling.  To accomplish this, remove the back and the batteries or the remote.  Now take a cotton wipe or cotton ball with alcohol and wipe down your big areas of the rmote.  Now, take an alcohol soaked q-tip and go around all the little keys and buttons.  If you see dirt down in the crevices take a toothpick or a needle and work it out.  One last swipe and voila!  One clean and sanitized remote control!

Steps --

1.  Remove back and batters (set aside)

2.  Put alcohol on cotton ball and wipe down the large areas

3.  Take a Q-tip dipped in alcohol to work around the smaller keys

4.  Remove any lodged dirt using a needle or toothpick

5.  Give it a final wipe and voila!  Done!

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Great uses for alcohol --

One of the most useful for campers with dogs is tick removal.  Apply alcohol to the tick site and then gently pull the tick out.  Use alcohol once the tick is out to disinfect the site.  :)

Clean with rubbing alcohol

Many more uses for alcohol

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It's a good idea to keep your cleaning supplies simple, light weight and diverse!  Besides you really don't want to put a bunch of harsh chemicals in the belly of your RV.  While RV tanks are quite durable, you don't want to start pouring a bunch of harsh chemicals down the drain to shorten the life of your tanks!  So keep it simple and effective with alcohol or a similar product.

Think outside the cube! Make ice cubes without ice trays...

You will find yourself in certain situations where you have a need for a particular item that you don't necessarily have in your possession at the moment.  In those instances, you need to improvise.  Now some people are amazing at improvising and others....eh, not so much.  Well, that's one good reason to have the internet handy!  If you have a problem, there's somebody out there somewhere that has a solution!

I needed ice cubes one day but no ice trays!  So I improvised by using a miniature muffin tin ---  worked great!

What's for dinner?

Cooking in a camper is really not so different from cooking in a stick built home.  I find myself using my crock pot for things I never imagined when I was younger.  When I initially purchased my first crock pot years ago, I used it for pot roast and beans.  That was it.  I could have called it a bean and roast pot and that would have described it's every function!  ha

Well, now that I have mastered cooking on the stove, I find myself branching out to other things.  One of those things is the crock pot.  Below are a few of my favorite crock pot recipes.  This list will grow as I discover new and tasteful things to cook in  my crock pot.


(I have a large, oval shaped crock.  All of MY recipes are geared towards cooking in MY crock.  You may have to make some slight adjustments if you are cooking in a smaller round version.)

Crockpot Lasagna -- yes, it is not only possible it is quite tasty!


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Easy summation:
Spray crock pot, bottom layer of plain sauce, layer of uncooked lasagna, layer of meat mixed with sauce, layer of uncooked lasagna, final layer of meat mixed with sauce, cook 3-4 hours, add cheese toppings in final 10-15 minutes of cooking, serve!

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Preparation:  Browned hamburger meat

1)  Spray your crock pot with a non-stick cooking spray (this will make your clean up much easier.

2)  With your spaghetti sauce, add a layer of plain sauce to the bottom of your crock and spread evenly.

3)  Add a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles atop of your sauce layer.

4)  Mix your hamburger meat with the remaining sauce and add a layer of meat sauce to the top of the lasagna noodles.

5)  Add a second layer of lasagna noods atop of the meat sauce.

6)  Add a final layer of meat sauce, cover with lid and cook on low for about 3-4 hours. Do not overcook.

7)  Just before finished cooking, add parmesan cheese and whatever other blends of cheese you like to the top.

Serve hot and with a salad and side of bread!  Yum.

Final note:  Lasagna is rectangle, my crockpot is round.  It is more than okay to break the noodles to fit your round crock pot.  Put your big pieces in and then break off smaller pieces to fill in around the edges.  ;)

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Crockpot Stuffed Bell Peppers


You can make stuffed bell peppers in your crockpot, using minute rice and cooking topping with tomato sauce, adding a small amount of water to the bottom of the crock and cooking for about 8 hours.

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Things that bug me and things that don't!

....and what about those ants!  Oh my!  If you have never camped before you probably have spent less than 5 minutes thinking about these little creatures, but let me tell you once you park your unit, there's a 95% chance you are going to have an ant problem.  Whether it be inside or out, they are gonna bug you!  Terro is a good solution for your stay.  Also, keep sugary snacks and such in zip locks or plastic air tight containers.  I have had them sneak into a securely closed up jar of peanut butter or sugar that I had closed with a twist tie!  They can get in when you are just sure they can't!

Also, while in certain parts of GA, you should know they have cockroaches that will come inside like they were invited for dinner!  Unreal!  I have never seen so many cockroaches.  It's not you, it's not your neighbor, it's just Georgia!

Also, let's not forget the little racoons hiding in the woods in the daytime who come into the camps at night.  We caught one of the little rascals hauling away a container of dog food on our first camping trip!  Night one, lesson one:  Do not attempt to leave any food (even dog food) outside or it will be gone by morning!

Speaking of hiding in the woods, near Washington, DC there is a park called Cherry Hill.  We loved that place; however it is on the spendy side as far as camping goes.  But what a thrill to walk along their walking trails and see the deer gathering in the clearing.  There were rabbits hopping around and squirrels having a grand ole time!  This is one of the best campgrounds in the USA.  They have a bus that will take you into DC daily, restaurant, swimming pools...all kind of things and everything is pristine.  You won't find any rundown tables or anything else for that matter.  Don't you just love God' beauty of nature?  The quiet of trees gently and the greenery once you are outside of a big city!  Ah, yes, these are things I truly love about camping.  People at the campground are usually pretty friendly, after all, a fair amount of them are on vacation!

Campgrounds

We have been to all kind of campgrounds, but one thing worth noting for anyone who has not camped in an RV before is that you should always check out the campground before registering and paying.  Getting your money back if you are unhappy with the facilities is sometimes like pulling eye teeth!

Funny how it usually works isn't it?  You pay and don't like your first five minutes there and it's almost impossible to get a refund.  On the flip side, if you do something that the owners are displeased with, they can send you packing in 5 minutes....again, with no refund.  I find that campgrounds are in the business of making money and an unrented spot is just a waste of real estate in their eyes, but they aren't real big on refunds or customer satisfaction really.  A few of them run really tight ships, but we have been places where they are setting off fire crackers way up into the wee early morning hours and nobody seems to care!

I just thought it was worth a mention.

Here is a nice place to check for campgrounds in the area you are traveling.

---------------------->RV Park Reviews<----------------------

Of course, like all reviews, you have to read between the lines.  I usually follow majority rule or most recent as campgrounds are always making changes and upgrades!

We use Trip Adviser to check reviews of and to find new and exciting places to go or restaurants to try.

Getting ready to hit the road again!

My husband has been job training and we have been in TN for an extended period of time.  We as in me and my three fur babies but by the end of next month we will be full time road warriors once again!  Woohoo!

Madeline!

This is Madeline Marie.  She is a full time daddy's girl!  She eats, drinks, sleeps and breathes all things daddy.  She even sleeps with his shoe when he is off working....daddy, daddy, daddy!  Pictures aren't the best, but Madeline is a girl on the move!  :D

Kitt!

Don't let that face fool ya!  She's a spoiled rotten princess!  Please excuse the little boo boo on her head.  Kitt ended up in my house after she was hit by a car for the second time.  Her owners took her to the vet to have her euthanized, but my daughter was working that day.  So, after the recent loss of my dog named Dolly, Kitt was welcomed to our little house!

Marla!

Marla is pure sugar.  She is scared of pretty much all other dogs that want to attack her.  She runs from Kitt (pictured above).  Yes, I know....she's a wimp, but we love her just the same!

She's still a killer though!  Just ask Sponge Bob!  ha

Marla is quite vocal.  She barks when someone takes a toy that she just knows is hers, she barks if the other girls are chewing on a hoof or if she wants their spot...too funny!

All of our pups are rescues, "fixed" and vetted!  :)

RV Full Timers!

Who are we?  We are just normal Americans trying to survive!  ..... fast forward to 2008, crash!  No job for 18 long and painful months!  After doing everything that we could to hang on, we had nothing left to hang on with!  So, when the going gets tough, the tough devise a survival plan.  That's what we did.  The kids were grown and off doing their own things, we had two dogs and each other.  Not much else.  Neither of us knew anything at all about camping.  But since my husband travels for a living (when he can actually find employment), it seemed logical to us!  Furthermore, it allows us the freedom to travel to anywhere in the US that there are actual bonafide jobs!

How we started :
Unit 1
We started this journey in the cheapest, oldest yet still functioning 5th wheel camper we could find at the time. We still have to pay campground rental fees.  If we stay for the month, it is cheaper than week to week.  Usually, that will run about $300 per month and sometimes electric is included and sometimes we have to pay for our own usage.  Our first camper was so small, the both of us could not stand to walk through at the same time, but we somehow managed for 6 months.  After 6 months of living like that, we had saved enough money to buy another one.  We opted to pay cash so we bought an Avion by Fleetwood, 36' with a super slide.  My husband had to gut the entire inside, but the cabinetry was good.  We sold the old camper for half of what we paid for it and still feel we got our money's worth.  Really, it was only worth $1500-2000, but at our time of purchase, we really needed something that would work for us because we also have two large dogs who would be travelling with us.  It is hard to find a hotel that is willing to allow a 75 lb AND  95 lb dog together in the same room.  ha

She's a real beauty!

Unit 2:
Once we moved into the Avion, our second unit, life was so much better!  After our little sardine can cramper, it feels like we are living the big life again!  I would say to anyone finding themselves in my shoes (and I know you are out there), there is nothing wrong with starting in a cramper you know is going to be too small for you.  First of all for monetary reasons (they are cheaper) and secondly, because you will learn how to camp.  I mean, if you do something wrong, you don't want to do it in a camper you are going to be in for a long time.  Don't fret over the small stuff.  It doesn't have washer/dryer hookups.  Chances are, you'll opt to go to the laundry mat anyhow.  The RV washer/dryers are not always efficient as water pressure is such an issue at some campgrounds.  It is going to depend on where you are camping.  How good is their water, electric hookups?  Okay, back to my story....

Basically, we bought the Avion did a ton of work on it and sold it for exactly the same amount we paid for it.  Not really a bad deal considering we did live in it, it was an older unit to begin with and we could have got more money out of it, but there was a fellow camper who had a need and quite frankly so did we!  We needed to sell the Avion because we had already purchased our next unit!  Out with one and onto the next!

Wow!  A super slide!  Say whaaaaat?

Unit 3:

Our current unit, we bought from Camping World for a song and  a dance.  It is a 36.5' Regal Prowler with four popouts.  The amount of thousands we paid for it can be counted on one hand!  Yeah, I know, it's called legally stealing!  :)  We have been in this unit for a couple years now.  We replaced the roof and installed a new awning.  Ugh!  I don't ever want to do that again!  The roof was easy compared to the awning but maybe it's just me.  Don't be afraid to try it if you have a need.  There are videos instructing how to measure and install.   I have found that I do not need nearly as many "things" in life as I once thought I did.  We are maintaining our debt free status.  

Wow!  One popout was great, but four?  Am I dreaming?  Nope, this is real!  

This unit has the living room upstairs which we love!  We have a fireplace in the living area which I also love!  Beautiful cabinetry, lots and lots of under belly storage and it's just a super nice unit.  We both love it and have loved it, but we will be upgrading in another year or so.  Not more popouts, of course, just a newer unit that we pay cash for when opportunity presents itself again.

We own a piece of property in TN complete with hookups for our RV.  So, if we have a need to land somewhere for free for an extended period of time, we have it in place.


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My advice to first time buyers is this -- and they are all important:

1)  Get the most number of popouts you can afford.  Maybe you ca't get any and that's okay because you can upgrade later!

2)  Walk around your bed and imagine yourself changing the sheets!  This is huge! Also, imagine yourself crawling in that same bed to sleep every night.  Is it against a wall?  Can you walk around the bed?  Hmmm...yes, these are definitely big considerations.

3)  Look for weak spots in your floor under the windows or where there is something in the ceiling.  If that camper has ever had a leak it came from a hole either one in the ceiling or on the sidewalls where your windows are located.  Check and negotiate your price.  I wouldn't be afraid to buy a unit that needs a little work unless it means removing cabinets and such.  They are pretty impossible to take out.   Seriously!  Don't just take my word for it though.  Research the internet and look and see how they are manufactured.  You will see.  It is assembly line fashion and some things are sandwiched between layers of the construction.  That's the part that makes it pretty close to impossible to remove and replace.

4)  If your unit is going to need a roof, I suggest looking at Gaco.  This product may change your entire lookout on purchasing a unit needing a roof.  It could literally save you thousands!

5)  Check your appliances and all mechanical things on your unit.

6)  This is ultra extremely important!  IF YOU ARE GOING TO LIVE IN YOUR RV FULL TIME YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST HAVE A POLAR PACK!  Don't take anyone's word for it.  If you have a polar pack it will have some sort of emblem, sticker or something on the outside of your unit telling you that this unit has a polar pack.  Yes, it is worth more money with the polar pack.  Pay the difference or you will be soooooooo sorry!  No, you cannot keep the cold out and the warm in without it!  It will be much like living in a pimped out tent in the winter without it.  Your propane bills will kill your budget!  You might be okay with that, except for one thing you are going to pay all that money and still be cold!

7) Be very very cautious about running off and leaving animals in an older unit in the summer time.  They are defenseless and cannot get out.  You've heard how dangerous it is to leave your pets in a parked car?  Well, this is much the same thing!  If your air conditioner fails your dogs could die in the heart of summer and left in an enclosed RV with no air conditioning.  I mention this because it happened to us except I was home with my dogs.  Even at that, they looked like they were going to die by the time my husband got home (about 30 minutes) and I had already moved them outside so they could get some air.

8)  Take what you need and purge often.

9)  I don't know of an easy way to repair delamination,  So if your unit has delamination, plan on living with it unless you know something I do not.  And if you do know an easy fix for this, please share!  If you don't know what delamination is, it is where there has been some water that has been trapped between the exterior layer of your unit and the wall and caused the exterior to pull away and cause a bubble like effect.  In other words it has a wave like appearance to it.

10)  Remember, if you buy a new unit and pay around $80,000.00 it is only going to worth about half that in 5 years.  So, if you are making payments, keep that in mind while you are ripping of those checks each month to make that payment.  :D

:-)

 Dolly Anne Marie Pierce (my old lady, my love) -- RIP baby girl, November 2012

Madeline Pierce (she is our 95 lb. baby)

Boots Pierce -- rip buddy!  May 6, 1999-July 2009