Kelly Kamping & Travels

A New Tow Vehicle

Posted on May 4, 2019May 2, 2019 by kellykamping

We purchased our 2018 Puma 28’ Travel Trailer in August of 2018. According to the dry weight of the camper we should have been fine towing it with our 2010 Nissan Titan which had a tow package. Careful about how much weight we put in the camper, we began our adventure.

***Stop right there*** As you’ve been told and read so many times, do not take the word of your RV salesman OR even the word of a salesman at the Nissan dealership!! Both said we should be able to safely tow the travel trailer even with all the things we needed inside.

**Wrong** Our first two or three trips we would slow to 45 mph many times due to very scarey sway and some fish-tailing.

Yes, we bought a new expensive weight distribution hitch and sway bars.

Yes, we did NOT overload our trailer.

Yes, we did NOT drive over 60 and usually 50 mph.

Yes, we were super careful to not make sudden stops, or quick lane changes.

But still, there were trips where our anxiety levels were too high (mine especially) and we would pull off the highway every hour or so just to give our nerves a rest. This makes for VERY long trips!!

So, we asked a friend who owns a car dealership if we could borrow his truck to tow our trailer up and down a local highway to determine if it would actually make a difference in towing. And YES, it did!

So we bit the bullet and ordered a new 2018 Ram 2500 4×4. At this writing we’ve had it 5 months and love it, and it’s made a huge difference in our towing.

Now. . . let me be totally honest with you. YES, we still get some sway despite the new truck and WD hitch/sway bars. We’ve come to the conclusion (and been told by others, and read it many times) that a bumper pull trailer is going to have some sway especially in high winds or when those 18 wheelers blow by at 70-75 mph. Even large motorhomes will give us a ‘push’ at times.

Our average driving speed is still slower than most. We don’t fly down interstates doing 70 even with our new truck. And on our long trips we still discuss and dream of one day having a larger 5^th wheel or perhaps a small motorhome – we’ll see. For now and the next two years we can be found traveling with our Ram and travel trailer.

Happy Camping!!

Camping, Rving, Glamping, Travel

Review: Orlando/Kissimmee KOA

Posted on May 2, 2019May 2, 2019 by kellykamping

A March conference gave us the opportunity to stay in Orlando at the Kissimmee KOA.

This is a very small RV Park which has some large, paved, spacious sites for motorhomes or large 5^th Wheels, and some large pull-thru paved sites. Many of the motorhomes seemed to be set up like they had been there for weeks (or months) with extensive outdoor yard décor, and patio set-ups.

Looking out our door. Larger pull -thru sites across from us

There is one row near the office with a few gravel/cement sites for smaller travel trailers and those stopping for a short time. This is where we were and our site was marginal. We were super close to the travel trailers beside us and our site was gravel and grass,with a cement area for the picnic table. They were short with only room for our 28 foot TT, and we had to park our large 2500 Ram sideways on the street. Despite the site being gravel it was uneven requiring blocks under the tires on one side. There was shade for some of these smaller sites, but not the ones around us.

Looking fown our row when neighbor pulled out

Despite the site being marginal the pool, hot tub and laundry were exceptional. Bathrooms/showers were very clean and individual with exterior doors opening onto a sidewalk beside the tent area. The laundry room was clean, large and had fairly new washers and dryers. The pool was clean, a nice size and lots of new lounge chairs with a large covered area for socials beside it. There is a hot tub as well. All this is landscaped with plants and palm trees. The office staff were helpful and took us to our site and helped us park.

The biggest plus to this small KOA is its proximity to Disney World and the amusement parks. Also, it is surrounded by restaurants, and directly beside a Sams Wholesale. Location, location, location which why the price in March was $73 a night. But remember, everything in Florida is high in the winter season.

To be honest we do not plan on staying here again, but it was convenient to the large big-name hotel at which my husband attended a 3-day conference. Piper (the traveling Shihtzu) and I enjoyed the RV and were able to meet up with the hubby for dinner since he had 10-12 hr days and stayed at the hotel.

Happy Camping!!

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Hanna Campground – Jacksonville, FL, beach area

Posted on March 27, 2019 by kellykamping

Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park and Campground (aka: Hanna Park/Campground) $31/day

A city park of Jacksonville, Florida, with 1.5 mi of public beach (dog friendly) actually located in Mayport, FL.,

http://www.coj.net/departments/parks,-recreation-and-community-services/recreation-and-community-programming/kathryn-abbey-hanna-park.aspx

We fell in love with this jewel of a park. There are pros and cons but let’s discuss the pros first. We’ll start with 1.5 miles of public beaches that are across from the campground. I estimated a 1/3 mile walk or bike ride to beautiful white sand beaches with wooden walkways and plentiful parking.

There is a beautiful lake next door which is part of Hanna Park with a very nice playground, splash pad, tons of picnic tables, pavilions, etc. Beware alligators of course.

The park also has many biking and hiking trails clearly marked and we took full advantage.

This campground is full of lush palmetto, palm trees, and huge oaks. We joked that we felt as if we were in Jurassic Park. Seventy percent of the campground’s sites have vegetation buffers in between sites. In fact we could not see the camper on one side of us, and barely see the one on the opposite side or behind us. You can see this in the photos.

We enjoyed the privacy and not sitting at our dinette staring into someone else’s campsite or window. When we were cooking or sitting outside no one was staring at every little thing we did. Let’s face it – some campgrounds you feel like someone is always able to watch you. But for those of you who travel with other camping friends, there are buddy-sites with less or no vegetation in between. You can be one big happy group.

I personally found this campground super friendly; everyone seemed to speak or wave, and I met several people just riding my bike or walking Piper. We’ve been to some campgrounds where not only do you meet no one but few speak.

Now for the Cons: The sites can be difficult to get into especially for larger 5^th wheels or Class A’s. With that said, there were lots, and I mean lots of 5^th wheels, Class A and Class C RVs in this park!! Although I saw a photo on the website when I made our reservation, when we arrived there was no way our 32’ (bumper to hitch) travel trailer would fit with awning and slide out. But the office was more than accommodating and gave us three options to check out and choose where we wanted to move. We loved the site we chose and it required only one leveling block under the tires on one side. The sites are sandy and you are constantly tracking into the camper, so take rugs to wipe your feet or plan on leaving shoes outside which we did at times.

There is no wi-fi but we had good T-Mobile phone service.

There is no cable but we got 14 channels using our camper’s antennae.

There is no pool (but a gorgeous beach).

The bathrooms were only average or below. Many times we use the bathhouse showers every other day for a longer soaking shower but chose to use our travel trailer’s shower at this campground. T

he laundry was a screened in porch with two washing machines and two dryers at $2.25 a pop. For a campground with 300 sites I was shocked there was no better laundry area but we washed two loads, the appliances did a great job, and we were happy.

If you like camping in a beautiful wooded area with firepits, privacy if wanted, biking, hiking and a gorgeous beach you would enjoy this campground.

For those who want every amenity and are more of a glamper, you just need to understand there are lesser items offered at Hanna but still VERY much worth it. As for us, we loved it and although we thought this was a ‘one time stop’, we are already planning a visit next year.

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Christmas RV Park

Posted on February 27, 2019February 23, 2019 by kellykamping

Critique of a Campground in Christmas, Florida

Yes folks, there is a place called Christmas, Florida, and I can only imagine what it’s like at Christmas season. We arrived in February to find a 20′ tall tree decorated with Christmas lights.

As you may know it is difficult to find an RV site in Florida in the winter due to so many from the North coming down for warmer temps. But I was fortunate enough to run across this little RV Park.

We had 9 nights in February reserved, and added 2 extra nights since we enjoyed the area so much. $73/night (10% Good Sam Discount is available). All campgrounds are pretty high priced in winter in Florida. The weather was fabulous while we were there and I did not have enough shorts and tank tops with me. I will prepare better next time.

This campground was probably 97% older people and by older I mean older than us – retirement age. But it was a very active campground as you will see below. Lots of people were biking or had golf carts.

(Pros) Very nice heated pool with loungers as well as tables/chairs and couple of umbrellas. 8’ deep on one end and steps at the other end (great for the older folks)

Super clean bathrooms and showers including attractive clean shower curtains and bath chairs. Dressing area outside actual shower stall. Huge handicapped stall and large handicapped shower.

Nice laundry room with nice washers and dryers, folding table, area to hang clothes on racks, utility sink. Wash and dry both were $1.75 (less expensive than most we’ve found).

Very nice meeting/cooking areas. Although we were not there long enough to participate in the picnics, potlucks, etc. when I rode my bike I checked out the different areas – five that I saw.

A couple of large screened areas with grills outside on patios were very nice. A large clubhouse area with tables for cards, very nice reclining sofas, pool table, a table with a puzzle (for everyone to contribute), and a kitchen which had coffee available daily. This area also had an adjoining screened porch and adjoins the bathhouse and laundry as well. It is located beside the pool and joins the campground office, also.

There were very nice game areas – bocce ball, shuffleboard, horseshoes and others. Unfortunately I was not able to participate in the games. I also saw a Calendar of Events with exercise classes, card games, arts and crafts, women’s lunch out, men’s breakfast.

The sites do not have fire pits but there is a very nice public firepit area (below) and we enjoyed meeting a lot of the temporary residents from up north and exchanging ‘snow’ stories.

(Cons)

Biggest con was an odor. I believe the water has a good bit of sulfur content which always emits an odor but also what we believe was the sewage treatment area was directly behind the campground. When the wind blew a certain direction there was an odor at times. (note: I saw a couple of posts on FB about campgrounds along the St. Johns River in Florida that have an odor from the sulfur water.)

Second issue was the roads are made of some kind of finely crushed material (shells?) and although it had a tiny bit of sand mixed in, it was more like a fine mortar (yes cement). Thankfully it did not harden as badly as cement does, however, our truck had to be washed very well TWICE to get it off. This sticks to your shoes so we left our shoes outside most of the time as to not track inside and require constant sweeping and mopping to remove it from the floor. But even then we kept the broom in the doorway and swept constantly. [Note: twice during our stay someone was on a tractor with a scraper blade leveling out the roads. This campground constantly had maintenance people out doing things. Good for them!)

Pool only open 12 – 5. Not a big deal but would be nice if it was open at least later for evening relaxing and swimming.

Summary: This is one of the friendliest campgrounds we’ve been in. People constantly greeted each other, stopped to talk, etc. Many of the guests are 6 mos winter residents so they care about the area like it is their home. It seems to be well managed, and there was constantly clean up going on to maintain the park.

There is a large ranch next door (Cracker Ranch) with cows and buffalo which I enjoyed watching when walking our Piper.

Wild Life Management areas are within 2 miles and the campground is convenient to both Orlando and Titusville/Kennedy Space Ctr/Cape Canaveral. Would be great place to park camper if coming down here for a cruise.

We ate out more than we usually do but there were good restaurants several miles away. Orleans Bistro in Titusville was fabulous. Kays BBQ in Cocoa was very good. Leoncito mexican in Titusville was fabulous. Hit Happy Hour and their delish Margaritas. We visited Mt. Dora – quaint little town with tons of unique shopping opportunities and eateries.

Our most exciting moment was watching a live rocket launch from Kennedy Space Center. It was the coolest!!

Our site:

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Tips and Shortcuts #3 – Bathroom

Posted on February 27, 2019February 23, 2019 by kellykamping

Storage and Organization in an RV

Brilliant-Motorhome-Organization-and-Storage-Ideas-14

Brilliant-Motorhome-Organization-and-Storage-Ideas-29

DIY innovative ideas I’ve found on Pinterest or Googled.

Our first travel trailer was so crowded in the bathroom there was no room for a trash can. I saw this first photo and bought a plastic cereal dispenser and it fit perfectly between the toilet and tub and a plastic grocery bag fits!

The idea of a shower rod with these hanging baskets interests me also. I like the way it keeps items up high from water constantly splashing on them, and out of the reach of little hands if you have them.

Super cool ideas from whomever thought of them.

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Suwannee River State Park, Live Oak, FL

Posted on February 23, 2019February 22, 2019 by kellykamping

A Critique of a Florida State Park near I-010 in Live Oak, FL

$22/night ($30.90 with tax and state park fee)

We were pleasantly surprised by this campground. We needed a place to stay for one night between Orange Beach, AL and Jacksonville Beach, FL and the price of this location mixed with proximity to I-10 caused us to stop. It was about 10 miles off I-10 (2 miles north, then 8.2 miles west). There were approximately 30 sites on a designated paved circle. The terrain of the State Park was filled with trees and vegetation and the sites were shady /wooded which in summer would be a huge plus! Only 3 sites are cement and very level – I know the one beside us was handicap specified and I believe the other 2 paved were as well. All other sites were not level, sandy, and we had to use leveling blocks but the sites were wide enough to make backing in easy. Ours had two posts and a short clothesline – what a great idea. We had full hook-up and a nice picnic table and fire pit. I hate we were there for only a short time and weren’t able to take advantage of these things. We did, however, take a great hot shower in very nice, clean bathrooms. They had numerous stalls and showers in the men’s and women’s, and a very large designated family/handicap bathroom/shower as well.

Since we’d been traveling all day, as soon as we connected the camper we went on a quick walk down to the river. Recent rains had obviously caused super high water and some flooding. Trails were well marked, and trail signs/maps were large and easy to read. I’m sure when it’s not so cold and has not been flooded these trails are definitely something we would enjoy.

This campground has a boat launch, overflow parking for boat trailers, a very nice playground and cabins to rent. The cabins were new looking and so cute we thought some of our kids might like to rent one sometime while we camped in the travel trailer.

I certainly wish we had more time here and we are putting Suwannee River State Park on our “must revisit” list.

(Sorry – quick visit and no photos)

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More Storage in Our Camper

Posted on February 23, 2019February 23, 2019 by kellykamping

As you can see in the photo below our Puma 28 foot Travel Trailer does not have a lot of kitchen counter space. I didn’t buy this camper because I’d be cooking a lot, and we have an outdoor kitchen which I intend to use a lot more.

Corner table problem

However, after a few camping trips it was obvious I needed some type of additional space to put items, or dishes when cooking or cleaning. The photo above highlights an area I could put ‘something’. I was not sure what, but it would have to be mobile and temporary as there are 2 drawers in the side of that lower cabinet which hold dish towels, pot holders, and an assortment of kitchen utensils. So. . . the search began.

Finally I found this kitchen island (and I use that term loosely) on Amazon (Pic courtesy of Amazon)

table 1

Let me say this piece of furniture is, well for lack of a better word, cheap (cheaply made). Sorry but it’s true. But cheap also meant lightweight in this case and I did not want a lot of weight added to the camper therefore this will suffice for now. I can’t remember the exact cost – between $40-50.

The Amazon description claims it will hold up to 44 lbs – I doubt I’ll ever come close to that. It has a small drawer in the top where I store items I need constantly – can opener, scissors, a knife. I throw dish towels in the top ‘wire drawer’, and cups or paper plates in the 2nd ‘wire drawer’. I’ve even put a bowl of fresh fruit here.

I put it together with no help from the husband. It comes with little wheels but they were super cheap and kept falling off and since this piece will be placed on the camper bed when we travel, I was not going to be constantly searching for wheels. So Mr. K suggested putting those little felt sticky furniture pads on the bottom of the legs. This made the ‘island’ shorter but it still works for what I need.

20190221_135636 Here it is in our travel trailer when I was cooking this week (with only one wing out). I’ve put a dish dry pad on top (with wings folded out) and put dishes on it to dry. I’ve put my small coffee pot on it, and of course used for extra counter space when cooking.

So far it has been exactly what I needed and fit perfectly in this little space!

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Gulf State Park, Orange Beach, AL

Posted on February 22, 2019 by kellykamping

A Critique of the Alabama State Park on the coast of Alabama

Approximately $53/night in January

This campground is huge with miles and miles of intersecting paved bike trails mixed with above-ground wide, wooden pathways above the marshes and wooded areas. Several trails go to the beach where pathways cross over the busy beach highway.

The bathhouses were clean and nice; laundry had around 12 washing machines and 14 dryers with rolling laundry baskets. The Laundry is across from the well-stocked Camp Store. All of this is in the same area as the Amphitheatre and Nature Center which has both live and mounted animals. Beneath the Nature Center are several live caged owls for viewing. Although it was winter and we didn’t use it, the pool was huge and had lots of nice lounge chairs. The only negative I saw was no playground although they had a playground type swing set. This was not a big deal to us – we found plenty to do with the grandkids when they came to visit.

The campsites are large with lots of space between. Most of them are shaded or at least have some small vegetation and/or a tree but the website has photos so you can choose what you want.

Check out Gulf State Park’s website and online map so you can get the full info on their fabulous walking and biking trails. The wilderness and these trails as well as being just across the road from the beach is what makes this Park/Campground a winner in our book!!

Unfortunately I only have 1 or 2 photos. We were busy with family on our January trip there but you can find plenty online.

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Bathtime: Travel Trailer AND Bathhouses

Posted on October 4, 2018 by kellykamping

One of our “must haves” when we looked for a camper, was a big bathroom. I told my husband, “I don’t want to sit on the toilet and brush my teeth.” That’s just me! Also, we are not small people – he’s 6’1 and I’m what I like to call ‘fluffy’ which means I’m not thin.

A shower large enough for us to comfortably turn around in (without body parts touching the side of the shower), and room for him to be able to stand without crouching was high on the priority list. We really lucked out that our big bathroom comfortably allows us both to be in there if one needs to shower and the other to brush teeth, etc.

However, even though we are fortunate enough to have this large bathroom, we still use bathhouses at campgrounds if they are nice. Unlimited hot water and that glorious water pressure is under rated. This was a new experience for us when we purchased our travel trailer, in fact I was a little appalled at the thought of a public bathhouse. That was until I went in a few and saw how nice they can be. Yes, we’ve been in some not so nice under duress such as when our hot water heater went out, but we try to avoid the sub-standard bath house.

Sorry, I digress. . . These are my bathhouse shoes (aka: shower shoes) !!! A very important item to me.

1. I don’t want to contract athlete’s foot or any other fungus in public showers. Yep, I’m a hygiene freak.

2. These dry super fast due to the material they are made of and the little air holes in the design. This is a plus for me because our first camping trip I rubbed blisters between my toes by wearing wet flip flops from the bathhouse to the camper. Lesson learned!!

These are inexpensive, around $7-8, from Amazon. bath shoes

Also, I quickly learned we needed a small bath bag to carry shampoo, conditioner, brushes, travel size hair dryer, and deodorant to the bathhouse. I tried a bag of a material that got damp, didn’t dry out well, and was too big. Back to Amazon I went to research what was available and found this.

20181004_192759

My husband’s is black and gray and not too girly for him to carry to the men’s room. It dries super fast and is perfect for the task! Around $9-10 on Amazon. We loved it so much I bought one to use here at the Lake on our pier. Fortunately we are blessed with a lake clean enough to take lake baths (shampoo, face wash, etc.).

No, I don’t get any kickbacks by mentioning Amazon. We live in a small town an hour from large shopping areas so I depend on Amazon for a lot.

Hope this helps anyone looking for shower shoes or a bag for the bath house!

Camper Storage, Organization, Camping, Rving, Glamping, Travel

Mistakes of the First Camping Trip

Posted on September 14, 2018September 14, 2018 by kellykamping

After several weeks of anxiety and preparation for our first camping trip in the new travel trailer, we pulled into the Jellystone Park in Elberta, AL, just outside Orange Beach. We chose Jellystone because it was June, hot as hades on the Alabama coast, and this campground has lots of shade. Also, it is only a few miles from two of our Grands and this park has lots of kid activities! I will blog more on this park in another post.

20180607_192136 — Here’s my sweet husband with his clipboard in his lap making edits to the Checklist!

My husband the accountant and I try to be very organized and plan, plan, plan. We have an excel spreadsheet checklist of what has to be done to set up and take down when camping.

However, excitement overtook us and after we completely set up and had already unhooked the truck, my husband noticed the stabilizer jacks were not down. Strike #1. Yes, we DID remember to chock the tires thankfully!

The other thing we did wrong on this first trip was not closing the refrigerator doors before traveling. We have a small residential type fridge in this 2018 Puma.

noodle on fridge

I found a pic on Pinterest (copied here from Pinterest) showing how to use pool noodles to keep your fridge open when parked to allow it to air out, but we forgot to take them off and close the doors when we left home. Two hours into the trip I remembered and we frantically pulled over to check. I guess all that rough riding caused the noodles to fall off and the doors had slammed on their own. And yes, this was also on the checklist. Strike #2.

Now we check and double check the list, afterall, we are 59 and 60 and while we find ourselves “young”, it seems to take two of us to double check things more often.

Here’s to Checklists and following them dililgently.