RV Maintenance

Now that the nice weather is here (for some of us!), it is time to do a little maintenance on the rv! We realized a few camps ago that we desperately needed to clean the awning. But how to do that efficiently and effectively? Hubby googled it and found a perfect method! He got a spray bottle of bleach water and sprayed the awning in the open position. Then he rolled it up and let it sit for 40 min or so. Opened it back up, used our outdoor hose (you know those 'as seen on tv' green hoses that shrink down to nothing when not in use? BUY ONE!) to rinse it off and BOOM! Nice and clean with very little effort or time!
Since then he has also greased the stabilizers and changed a few outdoor lightbulbs. I am sure he'll find other things to putter on - he always does!
A great idea for ANY rv maintenance routine is to always have a ready supply of 'spares' - bulbs, fuses, etc. Hubby has a flat tackle box type container that he uses for just such a purpose. Not only does it make yearly maintenance easier, but should something 'go' while we are out on a camp (especially a long distance one) he always has spares and can do spot fixes! 

Happy RV'ing!

Planning! Planning! Planning!

Half the work in a camping trip is the planning! It is one thing if you are going to be near a town - close enough to take a quick drive to pick something up! But we have had camping trips where the closest town is 40 minutes away. Pain in the rump to have to drive to pick up something you forgot! Find the way that works for you to plan - my way is lists! While we have extra clothes, warm socks, spare shoes etc in the RV, I always have to make a menu. I run through in my mind how to make each thing so that I don't forget some small (but usually important!) ingredient!
I am in the process of doing this right now as we are headed up to Fort Flagler (review will be posted!) for the weekend. I certainly cannot 'run to the store' for something up there, so this menu and accompanying grocery list will be important! Just remember to have fun with any camp you are on and if you DO forget an ingredient, don't stress! I always have a plan B, which usually involves using one of the basics I keep stocked in the RV. 

Happy RV'ing!

Kids and Camping

From my earlier posts you may have realized that the hubby and I have a blended family. By many standards today, we have a large brood - five children between the two of us.  We have taken our kids everywhere from the time they were born (my ex and I used to take our children everywhere as well) - restaurants, movies, camping, shopping, on airplanes - you name it, we've probably taken our kids! We had sets of rules for each place we would take our kids 'restaurant manners' or 'shopping manners' and they generally consisted of a few age appropriate expectations (you don't want to inundate a child of any age with a laundry list of do's and don'ts!) . When one of the kids would decide to act outside these guidelines, we'd simply say 'oh, THAT isn't restaurant (or wherever we were) manners!' and they would generally stop the behavior. Sometimes they wouldn't. Perhaps they were tired, or not feeling well, or simply acting their age. In that event, we would either take turns with the child outside while the other parent finished the event (movie, eat, etc). OR we would simply leave and go home. Our kids always knew that they would have great adventures, but that there was a level of expectation, and they usually lived up to that. Just expect a behavior from your kids and they generally will tow the line (and also learn that if they don't live up to that behavioral expectation that home and bed quickly follow!). This is our own personal philosophy in raising kids, agree with it or not it makes no difference to me because we have the most well behaved kids (three of whom are amazing adults now!).  We are not perfect parents and we do not have perfect kids, but we did our best to fill our kids lives with fun and adventure while not impacting those around us.

Which brings me to the topic of this particular article. We have noticed lately that it is the thing for parents to completely ignore their precious children's behaviors. We have sat through meals at restaurants while children (not babies, but children) scream the entire time. Or run around, bumping into servers and other patrons. Or throwing food. And mum and dad do nothing.

We have also noticed this behavior while camping. So I have put together a little list of basic 'camping with kids' behaviors that parents should enforce - and if you expect this behavior, and model it, your children will usually comply.

Do not let your kids hop on their bikes and ride around the campground yelling to their siblings/campmates at 6am. Most of us are still sleeping. Kids can be entertained around the picnic table (or rv table!) with a game, or breakfast, or crayons...or in the case of an rv - put in a movie! The rest of us who either have children who have been taught that there is a time before which you do not yell like a banshee or whose kids are past that stage should not have to endure early morning wake ups because you are not parenting your children.

While the campgrounds and rv sites are public, each site in itself becomes the 'yard' for the family camping there. Teach your children that it is NOT ok for them to run through everyone's site. They can run through yours. They can run on the public paths. But they should never run through someone else's 'yard'. You wouldn't want me to walk my dog through your site and let him take a nice big poop by your picnic table would you? Well, I don't want your kids running through my 'yard' while I eat or relax by the fire.

One last thing (see? my 'camping manners' list is really small, just like all my other 'manners' lists always were!).... teach your kids these wonderful, AMAZING phrases: "Please", "Thank you", and "Excuse me". Teach them to use them whenever they are in a public place (actually, I hope you are teaching them to use them at home too!). When a kid accidentally bumps into me, all is well when they say 'excuse me' or 'I'm sorry!". Kids are going to be kids. They are going to have melt downs. They are going to make mistakes. They are going to play loud, and giggle, and laugh, and have a great time - and camping is a great place for them to do all of this. But it is also important to teach them that even when camping, simple basic 'camping manners' are a way that everyone in the park can enjoy their trip!

Happy Trails!

Jaye

Time flies!

And here we are one year later! Yikes! This past year got kind of busy and so while there were a few small weekend trips we ended up winterizing the RV and parking it. I had to finish my degree (psychology) and the hubby got slammed with overtime at work on a huge project. Between work there was ferrying kids from one activity to another and so our love of rv'ing was put on hold....

But we are back! The rv has been de-winterized and we are off and running! This upcoming long Memorial Day weekend will see us back at Kitsap Memorial State park. Our reasons for choosing this park for our first 'camp' are many fold. First, it is close, so we can work out all the kinks that one usually finds in a first camp (this past fall/winter our rv was in the shop for quite a few small fixes - new tv, venting issues etc) so keeping a first camp 'local' allows one to not run into a situation where one has to have an rv fixed or towed far from home - keep that in mind for your first camp of the year!

Secondly, it is just a wonderful park! I know I have blogged about it before, but it truly is gorgeous! It sits in a small, wooded park so there are never a lot of rv's which keeps the ambiance of it being a more intimate community. We find people are friendlier and more open - we've made a lot of good friends camping at this park. It also offers a great variety given its spot - it sits on a hill overlooking the ocean so you have the beach to play on and fish from, the forest offers great trails to walk on, and the park itself is on a nice even plot so the kids can ride bikes easily.

So this week I will get back into 'camping routine' - I will get our menu set, make sure the rv is all kitted out with things we need.

We have several big trips planned for this summer (a four day Fourth of July beach camp, and a 10 day Eastern Washington camp!) and of course there will be plenty of weekend getaways!

So happy to be back RV'ing! :)

Happy Camping!

Jaye

Sun Lakes State Park and Resort

The hubby has been working on a huge project as I have discussed before. This has limited our trips to 2-3 day trips. Last weekend we drove three hours to Eastern Washington and tried out Sun Lakes State Park, which happens to be right beside Sun Lakes Resort. It really doesn't matter which side you stay on as you can utilize both areas equally. We choose to stay in the State Park** which is nestled down in a deep valley.
 I would not recommend tent camping in the State park as it is really nothing more than tent after tent on the dirt. One is not allowed to put a tent up on the grassy areas (I suppose to keep the grass as lush and green as it is?), so essentially you are camped in a parking lot.
The rv sites however are a different story! There is plenty of room no matter which site you are in, although the ones along the back area of the park (sites 75-83 in particular) have nice spacious side yards on each side and back up onto fields that are grassy and unused. In the early evening, be prepared for a wildlife show! We had a flock of quail and wild turkeys come through our camp in the early evening, as well as a couple of whitetail doe's with their fawns come through at dusk!
In late August it is still warm, but the breeze keeps you from getting hot and uncomfortable. The downside to this time of year is that there is usually a burn ban due to the preceding months of lack of rain, and so a campfire is a big no no. Which means no s'mores. But another rv camper had a gas fire pit and we actually walked over to their camp to let them know that there is a huge fine for having a fire this time of year - it looked so real! (Yes, we will be getting one!).
There are bathrooms and showers (50 cents for a 3 minute shower!) that are very clean. A sign on the main door to the bathrooms warns you of the wildlife around "Please close the door to keep out snakes, bats, raccoons and other animals". Gotta love camping in nature! 
There are plenty of hiking trails to explore, along with several lakes that one can swim and fish at. A short 4-5 minute walk away is the Sun Lakes Resort. Here one can rent peddle boats ($10 for an hour!), kayaks, and aqua bikes. If you forget some item or other you can go to the general store located at the resort and be prepared for NO sticker shock! Quite reasonable (prices comparable to any big grocery store!) and stocked with a wide variety of items. There is a gift shop (again, reasonable priced. Hubby packed ONE shirt - don't ask! and so we went here and were able to get three shirts for $25), and a little cantina - again, not expensive and a very large menu - that serves ice cream, soda, Italian soda, and burger and fry type menu items. There is also a mini golf ($4 a person) on the resort and it is a fun and cheap way to entertain the kids. Just make sure to go in the morning or early evening on as there is no shade and gets quite hot midday (when we decided to go!).
If you choose to tent camp or rv at the resort, it is wall to wall with very little space (practically non existent in the RV areas) between campers. I highly recommend rv'ing at the State park and using the amenities of the resort!
We LOVED this park! Weather was perfect and there were so many activities to choose from. It was also fun to just sit at the site in our camp chairs and enjoy the panoramic views that the valley walls provided. At night, the moon seemed to be magic. Because the valley walls tower above you, the moon is not there one minute and BOOM, there the next (as it rises up over the walls). Quite a sight to behold! We loved this park so much that we are booking our site for 9 days next summer! It is close enough to home that the trip there is not endless, and far enough away that we really feel like we are on vacation. The balmy weather (warm with a warm yet cooling breeze) makes you feel like you just might have parked your rv in a tropical locale!
We had adopted a kitten just a few weeks before this trip (which had been booked for months) and we did not want to leave him with the other two cats on his own just yet. So we took him. Camping. In the rv. He LOVED it and our dog did so much better with a camping buddy that we are now going to make the cat a part of our trips, just as we do our dog (yorkie). Nothing makes an rv really feel like 'home' like having your kids and a couple of pets! Since we've been home, I have found a cat scratching 'post' that hangs on a door knob instead of being free standing - which makes it a perfect space saver! I have also found a very compact, covered (with a swinging door!) litter box, also a very space friendly size. So don't ever doubt that you can accommodate a pet in an rv. All it takes is a little mad shopping skills to find space friendly items, and pets that will actually enjoy the drive and the rv  and are able to make the rv their second home (keep in mind, some pets do NOT like vehicle rides. If your pet doesn't like to go 20 minutes to the groomers in your car, they will not be impressed with a three hour trip in a vehicle and then being put into the rv environment).

This will be the first park that I give a full five RV's to! So many good things about it...

Happy Camping! 


**We choose to stay in the State Park because it is free for us (If you have someone in your family who has been determined by their doctor to be 'permanently' disabled, you are able to stay in areas managed by The Forest Service, the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Bureau of Reclamation for free). Although, even if we were not eligible for the Access Pass, we would stay in State Parks. Who wouldn't want to support their States parks and recreational areas?

Fifteen years...

When my husband and I met we had each been married and divorced and each of us had children. I had two, he had one. It was a rare occasion for us to have a dinner out alone, or a weekend to ourselves. Once we were married and had children together, it became even more difficult. Thanks to our 14 year old daughters Godparents, we actually had an overnight at a hotel in Seattle. Dinner, drinks, a nice night with just the two of us. That was 15 years ago and was our one and only get away without the kids. You read that right, 15 years. It doesn't help that hubby was Navy and stationed thousands of miles away from home - neither of us had any family around. Hence, 15 years.

Tomorrow, our last two 'babies' are headed to a one week sleep away summer camp! We have them all packed and ready to go and our RV is already ensconced at our favourite local park. The hubby has started a huge project at work and could not get the time off so I figured there was no point in me wasting MY holiday time, so we will both be working all week. But at the end of the day we will be happily sitting by a bonfire, eating a grilled dinner, and enjoying some long awaited 'us' time.

I sure hope it isn't another 15 years before we get a vacation together alone.

Happy Camping!

Jaye

Rating Systems and first rated park - Kitsap Memorial State Park

I have been trying to think of a way to design a rating system that will be fairly objective. What MY family may find useful at a site may not be what YOUR family needs. So I am going to simply list what is available at each site along with the unique quirks (each place has them!) both good and bad. I thought it would be kitschy to use a one to five 'rv' rating! I am not a tech person, but I will try to find a way to get a graphic where I can colour in RV's to match the rating. We'll see! In the meantime, I will rate Kitsap Memorial State Park. We spent two full weekends along with the better part of the week in between (we worked during the day remember, so we didn't spend full days there during the week!).
All rv sites have: water and electricity, individual septic (except sites one through three), a fire ring complete with an attached grill, and a picnic table. Each site also has a nice little grassy area, and the rv's sit on a nice pea gravel lot - so there isn't a lot of dirt and dust that is tracked in. There is a very large grassy field for playing on that also has horseshoe pits and a really nice playground for the kiddo's. If you don't have an RV, there are yurts, and of course tent camping sites. The beach access is easy, and is also wheelchair accessible. Keep updated on the fishing regulations for the time of year you are there and you will be able to enjoy some great fishing, or simply sit on the beach and enjoy all that the beach has to offer. We were there for the Fourth of July and took our chairs down to the beach and were able to have the MOST gorgeous fireworks show - FREE! :) 
HOWEVER.....in spite of all the 'good' of this park, the sites are very close to each other. They also are not set up very smartly - your neighbors water and sewer hook up will be in your grassy yard area - the water hook up can actually be touched when you are sitting at your picnic table - so there isn't a lot of privacy!
Also, the water pressure is pretty bad. When showering each morning we had to put up with our water often times going from full pressure to almost non existent. First world problems right?
So....weighing all the good, and subtracting points for the not so convenient (and I REALLY dislike how up close and personal the sites are with one another!) I gave this park a 3 RV rating (out of five).
Check it out for yourself and let me know your thoughts!

Happy Camping!

Jaye