Tag: camping

Misc Rambling

Oh the adventures we will have

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I have learned so much about an rv in the last month, I thought I would share the adventure Hooking up the truck to the camper is the hardest thing, first you have to back right up to the hitch connector and wait for the clamp to engage. Once this is done we have to pull it out of our steep ass driveway, hitch grinding the entire time into the street so we can get level enough to put on the stabilizer bars. These damn things scare the crap out of me so I simply stand back and watch. You have to put the trailer tongue down to take the weight off the truck then put on these steel bars in with a pry bar that makes a loud noise when on, good lord. Oh then there is two chain connectors that attach to the truck and the power supply for the lights to work. I’m tired just talking about it even though after the 3rd time we did the whole process in under 10 minutes.

On our first trip we learned that you need atleast a 4000 watt generator after we lost all power, oh n check your battery connectors to make sure they are all hooked up, another lesson as ours weren’t. Locate the gfi before you leave just in case it gets tripped you know where to find it, its in our bathroom, who knew.

The great part is we get to sleep in our own bed, no one bothers us, and we get to go to great places. The pictures below were taken at Mt Hood.

Frugal Ideas · Misc Rambling

The campers maiden voyage

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We just arrived home from our annual Grass cart racing camping trip in Wamic Oregon and let me tell you we had FUN…. There were 12 of us and we for the first time hooked up the new camper. Let me say out loud that we know nothing about a RV, I watched Youtube, yep and you can learn alot from other people so use your resources but there are things they don’t tell you and I am going to let you all know.

trailer outside
daisy may outside
Our RV is a 2017 with a power slide and awning, this includes legs (stabilizer bars and a tongue jack also electric) this is fantastic as you are not manually cranking to get your RV setup at the site but that frickin hitch and hooking up to the truck is a pain in my ass. Hooking up is the easy part, there is this little latch on the hitch that is up when not connected and down when fully engaged with the hitch. It sucks bad, you have to be at exactly the right frickin angle for it to click and release and most camp sights are not level so it is the MOST frustrating part of the entire process. We hooked up in 2.5 seconds but getting that hitch to release when you park is dumb.. you have to figure out if you are uneven (which you will be if you are in a forest camp site) how many plastic blocks you need under the wheels to get level. We needed 3 and my husband deserves Kudo’s as he had to miss a big ass tree and get on top of the blocks without running me over. Maybe that was his plan ha as I have great life insurance…. obviously I survived

So here is what I learned this week:
1. get some walkie talkies- they allow you to talk to the driver (husband) outside the vehicle, they were great. We bought ours at Bimart for $30 bucks
2. make sure you have some leveling blocks- we bought the 10 pack Campco but I will be investigating other options on Amazon, mostly because those little yellow blocks move when you back up.
3. A 2000 watt inverter compressor is not big enough power to operate your trailer. The microwave absolutely needs 4000 watts and if you do not have enough external power your breaker will pop and NO outlets will work. This cannot be reset until you get to a place where you can plug in to a 30 amp outlet to correct.
4. Grey and black water tanks- grey is shower and dish water, empty it as often as you like (anywhere). The black tank my husband the germaphobe is not going near. We do not poop in our camper, (unless we were in the middle of frickin nowhere why put yourself thru the trauma) but regardless we need to empty and there is a special hose for this task. I have no issue doing this, put on your rubber gloves and hook up a rinse hose. I put a cup of fabric softener in the black tank before we leave camping and some easy chemicals like borac acid laundry soap and baking soda, easy, cheap and works fantastic.
5. Snoring in the wood cannot be controlled so don’t try.
Happy camping more to follow

Family/Fun/Fashion

Camping Adventures

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My husband and I go on an annual tent camping trip every July with a group of friends. Yes we sleep in a tent but anyone who knows my husband understands that he is a glamper not a camper.

  • He has a water module that hangs from a tree and a room that goes underneath it so you can wash off, and the water is even warm after being heated by the sun all day.
  • The tent, this mac daddy Mountain HardWear beauty that a man over 6 feet can stand straight up in.
  • Cooking over a camp fire, ha you say. We have a stainless steel massive camp stove that runs on propane.
  • Air mattress, double decker with an auto pump so no sleeping on the cold ground.
  • Rugs, rugs and more rugs. My husband doesn’t want dirt tracked in the tent, ha

So I tell you all this because we finally took the plunge and purchased an actual RV. It is a 27 foot with 2 pop out beds and a slider. Now we were not planning on buying a trailer. We kind of fell into it when a gal I used to work with posted it for sale at a price we felt was too good to pass up.

  1. How in the hell do you back a trailer that is 27 ft long when the only thing we have ever towed is a small tent trailer when our boys were young?
    1. Practice for my husband as I won’t be doing that, EVER. I have a hard time backing up my smart car ;0)
    2. Turn the wheels left to go right, huh that makes no sense
    3. You Tube is our newest obsession
  2. Tires- who knew that tires on a trailer only last a max of 7 years
    1. A trip to the tire shop to ensure we don’t have any unforeseen blow outs
      1. The tires are pretty cheap and have hard side walls unlike car tires and have different weight limitations, who knew
  3. A generator-  we learned that if you are camping somewhere without power (such as the camp site we stay at )you will need one if you want to have lights, fridge, etc.
    1. An inverter I learned is quiet and pretty efficient
    2. I found one on Craigslist that is 2000 watts which is plenty big for our use
  4. Gear- lots and lots of gear
    1. A sanitation hose used to empty the poop tank
      1. My husband has already told everyone there is no pooping allowed in the trailer, ha
    2. Power cables, stabilizer jacks, hoses, stabilizer bars (keep the trailer from swaying while being towed), leveling pads, and too much other crap to mention
  5. Decorations- as the thrift store queen, I bought sheets, hanging storage, and kitchen stuff galore.
    1. Amazon is your friend, next day delivery and everything you ever need in life for an RV.
    2. Etsy- the custom decals are fantastic and super easy to apply
    3. Joanne’s- fabric on sale and then 50 % off, replace those old ugly curtains

Here are some photo’s. Our adventure is in 2 weeks and we cannot wait to make the maiden voyage. I had to add some flair so I added some super fun wood look self adhesive contact paper. Amazon 9 bucks and what a great update.  Hand painted closet handles (home goods $12) and fun dog artwork, replaced those ugly green curtains (Joanne fabrics $15), ram head (a buck at the goodwill). oh and nothing beats some good ole elbow grease- we scrubbed every inch of the trailer inside and out and it looks beautiful. Hope you enjoy

 

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Family/Fun/Fashion

Friends

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Since moving to Washington 4 years ago we have made some fantastic friends. My girlfriend from high school that I had not seen since the 11th grade has lived here with her wife for years, so of course we have picked up right where we left off. It is not very often you come across two people who are caring and would truly do anything for you.

Now let’s talk about our camping crew. My husband gets to be friends with a guy from work and of course his partner is the best. For the last 3 years we have an annual grass cart camping trip that truly is good for my soul. There are not phones, you get filthy, sleep in tents and cook all your meals on the grill. Doesn’t get any better, I feel like I can exhale when I am camping with these 2 great men.

Last night we had a small get together at our old, new house and we played games on the patio and everyone got to pick a different pandora song each time it was their turn. Needless to say we had way too much fun and I wonder why we don’t get together more often with the people we care about.

Misc Rambling

Camping Fun

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Every year we pick a weekend and camp with our friends. I think oh wow so simple a tent, sleeping bags and a fire. Wrong, my husband inspector gadget decided we needed some “essentials.” A portable table top grill, a solar heated shower bag and of course the potty with poo powder, and of course a room to put the potty in. Ha I’m sure more will arrive before we leave and who knows what else we NEED. I am just looking forward to watching lawn mowers race each other. I think we are officially glamping and who knew my man created it. 

Misc Rambling

Unplug

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unplug

Everyone that I know juggles their life responsibilities, between work, kids, commuting, exercising, eating and just simply surviving the day to day grind it is easy to become overwhelmed and not stop and take even a moment to enjoy yourself. I have been this person forever and not until recently did I realize how important it is to take time out from the chaos.

Will anyone die:

  1. If you don’t’ spend your days off catching up on chores
  2. if you don’t get out of bed until noon
  3. If you order pizza and have a Netflix marathon
  4. if you start cocktail hour at 9am
  5. If you lay by the pool all day

Um NO.

Could you go an entire weekend without checking your phone or email? This is very very hard for me since I work in information technology and love devices. This is my connection to the world. I also realize that this is a major distraction and has taken away from my focus on true conversations and the importance of providing my undivided attention to another person.

As part of my big 50 birthday celebration we are packing our tent and going camping in Wamic with our few friends. What is Wamic you ask, a little place in Oregon that has nothing but a camp ground, a bar and a grass cart track, oh and a rodeo.  We spend the entire day watching souped up lawnmowers race around a dirt track while eating foot long hotdogs and drinking beer, how much better can it get, ha. The best part is there is zero cell phone service so I am forced to go off grid, YES!!! I encourage you all to unplug even if it is just for a day. My goal is to incorporate this practice into my schedule once a week, wish me luck.

Misc Rambling

summertime rambling

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1. Why after 7 people have been attacked in the water by sharks in North Carolina would you be dumb enough to swim in that water, HELLO do you still not get it, sharks are in the water and they think you are a big sea lion
2. Is it really necessary to post every detail of your life on social media and ask stupid random questions just to get a response?
a. believe me no one cares where you are having dinner
b. I don’t give a rip about your random questions
c. stop fishing for compliments: oh you’re so beautiful, if he loves you he will step up, you should be more than friends, SHUT UP ALREADY we are adults (well sometimes)
3. Pot was just legalized in Oregon this week and is also legal in Washington State and Colorado. Here are some random thoughts and questions
a. Will crime now decrease because we will now have a whole gang of chill, relaxed folks?
b. Will fast food and grocery store profits increase because of increased munchies?
c. Does anyone really believe that now that weed is legal a whole bunch of people will run out and start smoking?
i. News flash I didn’t smoke before and I’m not gonna start now, duh…
d. Why in the hell did people in Oregon feel the need to gather on a bridge to celebrate?
e. Why does the news team covering the story ALWAYS interview the most nonintellectual dude in the group as a representation of all weed smokers?
i. interview the smart guy- not the one with no teeth wearing a tie dye skirt, good lord
f. If the government was smart they would see the trend and legalize it at the fed level, tax the hell out of it like they do cigarettes and get rid of our deficit, maybe I should run for office, ha
4. So its a few days before the 4th of July and I have to wonder how people who can’t afford food for their kids can afford to buy thousands of dollars in illegal fireworks. Jimmy has on shoes with holes in them but that mortar you set off sure was great.
a. It’s 100 degrees outside and the grass looks like hay in all areas so why would you set off fireworks and take the chance of setting EVERYTHING fire, including homes, this to me is ridiculous
b. Why is it necessary to set off mortars for 3 days after the 4th of July? Are you truly celebrating freedom? Do you even know what you are celebrating, just asking as my hunch is probably not.
c. I wonder if those people who set off the fireworks that sound like bombs have any idea what the impact is for the animals around them. I imagine they don’t care but for me it’s important to consider how scared most animals are (mine included) and do everything I can to not contribute to their trauma.
d. If I had my way, which means nothing, the only fireworks allowed would be snakes, smoke bombs and those little tanks and chickens that scoot on the ground, ha don’t have to worry about those getting away from you
5. Glamping fun- there is a place right outside of Dayton Oregon that we went to over the 4th this year where you can rent the funnest (I know not a word) vintage trailers that have been completely remodeled. It for sure could give me the I need a trailer bug but then I remember everything that comes along with owning a RV and all the costs for maintenance so if you all ever get the chance go visit The Vintages, so relaxing…. And everyone in a camp ground are always so friendly. This trip we were walking and saw some people from Idaho that our sons used to play with their kids when they were little, what are the chances..

6. Uber- my husband said he could never be an uber driver because he wouldn’t want anyone farting in his seats, ha I am still laughing 

7. Is it strange that my favorite color is brown? I just painted an accent wall in our bedroom and what color, yep brown gotta luv it