Camping and Retirement Blog - Page 17 of 17

Road Trip–Searching for Harper Lee

This post is not about teardrop camping. Instead, it is about a road trip to try out our new convertible. Monroeville, Alabama was our destination, a city with deep literary roots.

Harper Lee

First of all, I have always admired Harper Lee and her incredible book, “To Kill a Mockingbird” (TKAM). So when we were ready to take a road trip in my husband’s new car, Monroeville was the destination.

We chose Monroeville because it is near and a place I have always wanted to visit because of its association with Harper Lee. So, a few facts about TKAM:

Pulitzer Prize winner
First book published by a Harper Lee
40 million copies sold
Voted #1 on many lists of must reads
Academy award winning movie adaptation
Translated to over forty languages
Voted best novel of the twentieth century
Taught in many schools in and outside the U. S.

(Can you tell I’m a fan?)

Storyline of the Book

Lee wrote about “small town middle-class southern life” and Monroeville was her home. Her father was the inspiration for Atticus Finch and Monroeville became the inspiration for the fictional town of Maycomb. Another famous writer, Truman Capote, was her childhood friend who was portrayed as Dill in her novel. I so loved the novel that going to the birthplace of its creation was very exciting for me.

Traveling to Monroeville

However, my image of riding down the highway with the top down on this first road trip with the wind blowing in our faces did not match reality. It rained off and on the entire trip to Monroeville and that first day in town.

We arrived in time to have lunch at a popular restaurant, The Prop and Gavel. It was at this restaurant in 2015 that Harper Lee received published copies of her second book, “Go Set a Watchman” from her U.S. and U.K. publishers. The decor is dedicated to aviation and the legal profession, an odd, but interesting combination. We had Barrister Burgers with sweet potato chips, voted one of the “Top 100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama.” They were quite tasty.

It was too late to go to the Monroe County Heritage Musem after we had lunch and checked into our motel. Fortunately, our innkeeper had copies of “Walk Monroeville II”, which has a lot of information and history about the town and sites referenced in Lee’s books.

The Town of Harper Lee

So we began the tour late that afternoon. Most stops on the tour were at or near the courthouse. Its lawn was beautifully landscaped with many references to Lee’s books. The sculpture below is “A Celebration of Reading”, by Birmingham sculptor, Branco Medenica.

Every year in April and May, there is a TKAM play. However, we just missed seeing it. Act I is in the Otha Biggs Amphitheater, which is on the courthouse grounds. The set has the houses of Atticus Finch, the Radleys and Mrs. Dubose. My Big Guy is below in front of the set.

Harper Lee book TKAM set in Monroeville — Set for Act I

It was interesting to me that the Alabama Bar Association has erected a monument to Atticus Finch: Lawyer – Hero. This plaque is on the courthouse grounds.

Plaque dedicated to Harper Lee character Atticus Finch — Alabama Bar Association Monument to Atticus Finch

We also checked out the sites a few blocks from the courthouse where Lee and Capote grew up. Capote spent his summers in Monroeville with his cousins. Lee’s old home has Mel’s Dairy Dream in its spot, which is referenced in Lee’s “Go Set a Watchman”. A plaque dedicated to Truman Capote’s life is next to Mel’s. But, there is nothing but a stone wall from the original house of Capote’s cousins. Note the dark sky in the photographs because the rain was rolling into the area again.

Mel’s Dairy Dream, former site of Harper Lee’s childhood home

Former site of Truman Capote’s childhood home, next door to the former Lee home

We had a milkshake at Mel’s and headed back to our motel to beat the rain. Consequently, we had ice cream for dinner. We’re seniors–it’s allowed. Our evening ended with a movie and a bottle of wine.

The Courthouse

After a very good breakfast at the motel, we headed to tour the old courthouse. It did not disappoint! Built in 1904, it stands majestic in the center of town. It was in danger of being torn down several years ago, but was ultimately preserved. There were exhibits for both Lee and Capote. It also has rooms set up as they would have looked in the 1930s, the years depicted in TKAM.

Courthouse in Harper Lee town of Monroeville — Old Monrobills County Courthouse

The courtroom looks just like the one in the movie because the movie version was based upon it. So it was a most gratifying end to our tour at the courthouse. Anyone familiar with the movie can see the striking resemblance. There is a second story overlooking the main floor, just like the movie and the book. You can almost see Scout looking down from the second floor. The courtroom is where Act II of the annual play is performed, with members of the audience as jurors.

Harper Lee courthouse — The View from Above

The trip to Monroeville gave me a much stronger understanding of Harper Lee and her hometown. In a sense, I found her, but in many ways she is even more a mystery.

Controversy

In recent years, controversy has surrounded another published book by Harper Lee, “Go Set a Watchman”. But, I must admit it is a little hard for me to reconcile the two books in my mind.

It is my understanding that the town is divided over the second book and some legal action that occurred in the later years of Lee’s life. She died in 2016 at 89 years old. Therefore, questions have been posed as to whether Harper Lee in her late 80s had the mental capacity to authorize the publication of the second book.

Consequently, the controversy adds to the mystery of Harper Lee, the brilliant writer who only wrote one book in her lifetime with her second publication being a draft of her first novel. But, she was a very private person, who remained silent to the public for most of the time after TKAM was published. However, I find her fascinating. If you have not read the book (TKAM), you are really missing something. There is also an audio recording of the book by Sissy Spacek that is excellent. She was wonderful as Scout!

Goodbye Harper Lee

Finally visiting Monroeville, I am even more of fan of Harper Lee.

Returning home, in contrast, we had sunshine for the most of the trip. So we were able to have the top down on the car. Such fun! We have another road trip coming, then it will be back to our Tiny Trailer.

If you are a camper, there are several campgrounds nearby. Don’t miss Monroeville if you find yourself going through southern Alabama. You don’t have to go in a convertible. Follow us at, Retirement and teardrop camping!

Happy Trails!

Camping in Northern Georgia

Fun times with wonderful friends Memorial Day weekend at James H. (Sloppy) Floyd State Park in Summerville, Georgia.

Camping in Georgia

This was not our first time camping in Georgia. As we live in neighboring Alabama, it is easy to made the trip to a Georgia campground. Even so, it was a great weekend! We had site #4, which had plenty of shade and was near the bathhouse. The park was well-maintained and the bathhouse was kept very clean. The hosts for the park have been there for eleven years and seem to work very hard to keep it clean and attractive. They have many repeat guests.

Rain was expected off and on for most of our time at the campground, so we utilized only our privacy tent for changing clothes. We set-up quickly and were ready to go, which was nice.

Relaxing and camping in Georgia — Big Guy relaxing

The first night, we grilled steaks with our friends and turned in rather early. The temperature was cool in the evening and we slept very well with only our fan and the windows open.

Camping and Hiking in Georgia

On Saturday, we took a ranger-led tour to the Marble Mine, one of the park’s main attractions. It had gotten warm by that time and the heat plus the steep incline to get to the mine made it quite challenging. We saw a very large rat snake along the way that remained very still for about ten minutes. We estimate that he would be about six feet long if stretched out. Needless to say, we were very careful where we stepped after seeing him! He is not venomous, but still scary to me.

The hike was steep at the end, but we made it to the top. The waterfall with its crystal-clear water was worth the effort. It was quite beautiful and the water ice-cold. We were so hot by then, we would have liked to wade in it.

Hiking while camping in Georgia — We made it!

Games and Rain

The afternoon was spent playing Mexican Train Dominos and then dinner at The Crushed Tomato in Summerville, which features pizza, calzones, and several flavors of ice cream for dessert. We highly recommend this place! Our pizzas were excellent with perhaps the best crust I have had in the U.S. Also, it was quite inexpensive.

Saturday night brought torrential rains in the middle of the night. We had our fan vent opened widely and it rained in some on the middle of our bed. I have left it partially open before in the rain without it coming in, but it did not work in this case. We woke to a slightly damp middle of the bed and a very wet campsite, so the Rainy Day Plan was evoked for breakfast. When we returned, the sun was shining and our campsite was beginning to dry out.

Paradise Garden

In the afternoon, we visited a local attraction, Paradise Garden. It is a collection of folk art by Howard Finster, who has been called the Andy Warhol of the South. Mr. Finster passed away in 2001, but has achieved quite a bit of acclaim for his work. His art is displayed at the Smithsonian. He also designed album covers for groups such as R.E.M. We were very surprised by the number of people visiting the gardens. As you can see below, his art is very eclectic.

We rounded out the day with games of Rook and Mexican Train Dominoes. We grilled hamburgers for dinner at the campground. This was our last night, so we took down most of our gear before going to bed because my Big Guy likes to leave early going home. This is a long-standing habit of his. Not my favorite, but he does a lot to make me happy.

A few lessons learned:

Rain will come in the fan vent if open and it rains hard enough. A small opening works fine though.
Peggy should always come because I get to play lots of games when she is around. 😃
Put chairs in the car if it might rain. I knew this, but did not take the time.
A minimal campsite can be great if you are in the shade. We don’t really need a tent if it is just the two of us.

This camping trip in Georgia was awesome. We are looking forward to our next trip to Arkansas and Lake Catherine in Hot Springs! Check out our States Visited, a Campsite Resource to see where else we have traveled.

Camping Checklist, Don’t Forget Your Important Items

As new campers, we have found a checklist to be vital. We also use a checklist for food on each trip. This is our camping checklist.

Our camping checklist was very critical to the success of our camping trips when we first began. However, we did not use it as much later because many of the items are stored in the camper and footlocker.

Currently, we have a much smaller list of the optional items we are taking and the items that must be added to the cabin for transport.

Camping Checklist:

Tent/shelter with poles and stakes
Binder clips if attaching tent to Trailer
Ground cover/rug
Fuel for stove
Lighter
Chairs
Table
Water hoses (2)
Power cable with adapter
Privacy tent
Porta-potty/tissue
Co-axial cable
Leveling blocks
Hitch locks
Flashlights
Extension cord
Duct tape
Heater (if cold)
Electric blanket (if cold)
Bucket if no sewer for dishwashing
Box of assorted tools
Outdoor fan (if hot)
Awning

Cooking Gear

Most of the following is in a large footlocker that is always packed.

Frying pan
Cooking pot
Plates, bowls, cups, glasses, cutlery
Paring knife, spatula, cooking spoon
Coffee maker
Toaster
Corkscrew
Tablecloths (2)
Salt/pepper/spices
Plastic storage bags for leftovers
Foil
Paper towels
Cooking spray
Sponge, dishcloth, scrubber
Dishwashing liquid
Cooler
Water for drinking and cooking
Trash bags
Food

Clothing

Daytime clothing
Sleepwear
Rainwear, if applicable
Extra layers for warmth
Swimwear, if applicable
Shoes: hiking, flip!flops
Hat
Sunglasses

Personal Items

Sunscreen
Towels & washcloths
Soap
Insect repellent
First Aid kit
Medications
Toothbrush & toiletries in shower bag for each person
Hair dryer/flat iron
Makeup
Bikes, locks & helmets
Laundry bag
Laundry detergent

Other Items

Camera
Campsite reservation
Games
Tablet
Electronics chargers

We hope this list is helpful to you new campers because camping is more fun when you have brought what you need. If you would like to view more of things we have learned, we have a camping resource page you might want to access. The page will be updated as we have more information to share.

Wishing you safe and happy travels!

Camping and Execution of the Rainy Day Plan

This trip had several “firsts”–first porta potty usage for camping, first successful execution of rainy day plan, and first time our food was stolen by animals.

We reserved a site on Holt Lake at Deerlick Creek Park near Tuscaloosa, Alabama weeks in advance. When it was time to go, it was evident that a rainy day would likely occur at least once. However, we decided to go anyway as we felt we could easily handle one day.

Our site was right on the lake with lots of shade. There was a concrete slab for the trailer with a wooden deck and bannister. It also had a circular pull through. Lastly, a picnic table on a wooden deck and a graveled area with a grill were at a lower elevation. We could not attach our 10×10 tent because it rain would be raining late the next evening. So, we decided to forgo the tent.

Deerlick Creek Park Site 37 — Deerlick Creek Site 37

Porta Potty

This was the maiden voyage, however, for our privacy tent and porta potty. The restrooms were quite far away and up a steep hill, so we really needed them. I have to say that I loved having this equipment so close.

Our Leapair privacy tent went up and down very easily and the tissue inside remained dry in the heavy rain that followed. The porta potty worked well and was really no big deal. I don’t know why I resisted it so long. I am now “porta potty trained”. Here is a link to a similar model of the tent.

Porta potty in privacy tent — Privacy tent/toilet

It was good to just have the camper and the privacy tent. Set-up was minimal and quick and the site was very comfortable.

Things That Go Bump in the Night

On our first night, I was startled by a scraping sound near our teardrop. It sounded like something was moving around at our campsite. My husband was asleep and I did not awaken him. I opened the door and shined a light outside. I could see that one of our large Hefty plastic food bins was away from our table by about a foot. However, I did not want to get out and move it by myself. (I am a bit of a chicken when it comes to unknown things in the dark.) The scraping continued a couple more times and each time, I opened the door and shined the light. The last time, I caught a glimpse of the culprit. Its eyes were shining in my light and I could make out the form of a quite large raccoon.

Later, my husband woke up and we went out to survey the scene. The box had been moved about eight feet. That raccoon was planning to take our entire box away! We moved it to the top of the table with the other two boxes and we were glad to see that it was there the next morning.

Perfect Day

The first full day we were there was glorious! A beautiful, sunny day with lots of cooling shade. The temperature was perfect. We had a leusurely breakfast and just sat in our chairs and enjoyed each other’s company and nature. We used our phones as hotspots and kept up with email, Facebook, etc. In the afternoon, we went biking through paved trails. It was a truly uplifting and peaceful day, the kind of day that just happens occasionally that you can’t order up or force. It felt a lot like some of those past perfect days I have experienced at the beach.

Robbed

That night, rain moved in and there were heavy winds. We had to close our star gazer window because it was difficult to sleep with the trees bending so much in the wind. It was also very noisy with heavy rain. We were a little concerned about limbs falling on us. Later in the night, my husband got up and discovered that two of our food bins were open in the middle of our outside rug and everything was strewn about. The next morning, we discovered that our chips, English muffins, and cashew nuts were missing. The bags were down the back of the ravine where we think the raccoon has his nest. We put our remaining food in the car. Not as convenient, but much safer. We did not see any more evidence or their visits after that.

Rainy Day Plan

The rainy day plan was in place when we went to bed the night before. We had researched the area for where to eat and how to spend our time. Our clothes were in the camper, so everything was ready for us to just head for the car with an umbrella. So, we had a leisurely breakfast at the Waysider, a Tuscaloosa landmark. The restaurant was established in 1906 in on old house. It is famous for the biscuits and coffee and both were excellent, as were the complementary beignets.

Tuscaloosa Museum of Art

Next on the rainy day agenda was a visit to the Tuscaloosa Museum of Art. It is a very interesting museum with gorgeous Japanese architecture on the outside and Early American Art on display inside. The art is a collection by Alabama businessman, Jack Warner.

Rainy Day Activity, visit a museum — Tuscaloosa Museum of Art

George Washington portraits were abundant at the museum, more than I have ever seen in one place. The museum also featured many paintings and sculpture depicting early American life, a couple of which are included here. The museum staff were great and there was no charge for viewing the art. They also allowed photography as long as there was no flash. The art was beautiful and abundant, a perfect way to spend a rainy morning.

“Magnolia” Loading Cotton by Moonlight in 1865 by Jack Stobart

Jemisin an De Graff Mansion

Another rainy day activity was a tour of the Jemison Van De Graff Mansion. The Tuscaloosa County Preservation Society owns the mansion and offers free tours at 1:30 daily. We had a little time to kill before the tour, so we did a little shopping at the local mall and had lunch at the food court.

Our tour of the Italianate mansion was given by a very knowledgeable docent. She gave us a lot of personal history of the mansion. Interestingly, a woman named Priscilla Cherokee Taylor ran several of the plantations from this home, which was the townhouse for the family. The family name, Cherokee, was explained by the docent. The lady of the house at the time helped heal the daughter of the Cherokee chief. He was grateful and later saved the family from a Choctaw uprising. They asked how they could thank him and he said by naming their first daughter Cherokee. They have given the Cherokee name to a member of the family in each generation, a habit that has continued to this day. A portrait of Priscilla Cherokee Taylor is below and it was her mother who healed the Cherokee chief’s daughter.

Mansion Yesterday and Today

The 26-room mansion opened in 1862. It was very technologically advanced for its time with running water and a coal heating system. The mansion is currently well-maintained and proported to be haunted. Our docent told us it has been examined by paranormal experts on several occasions. We did not see or hear any ghosts, but she had some stories to tell. Today, the house is a frequent venue for weddings and special events. It is truly beautiful! Below is the mansion and a couple of my favorite rooms.

Conclusion

We really enjoyed our rainy day plan and were able to see some Tuscaloosa points of interest that we would have otherwise missed. I highly recommend our stops in Tuscaloosa and you don’t have to go in the rain!

Our visit to Deerlick Creek ended the next morning. It was our second Corps of Engineers campground. The volunteers impressed us because of the way they manage and maintain the park. They did a great job.

If you would like to follow along to see what we have learned in our travels, you might want to check out our resources page.

Lessons Learned:

Lock food in the car, even if not in bear country! Our habit in the past has been to put our table and food bins in our tent. If we had set up our new 10×10, the very persistent raccoon would likely have shredded it.
A Rainy day can be great because there is likely something nearby to do if you have a plan.
Corps of Engineer parks are great and very inexpensive. They also appear to have a similar look and feel. Especially relevant, the Senior Pass consistently provides a 50% discount.

Looking forward to that next trip!

Camping with Friends and New Equipment

Camping with Friends

We loved camping with friends at Whitetail Ridge in LaGrange, Georgia. It is a U.S. Corp of Engineers campsite and with our Senior Pass, only $12 per night. You can’t beat that for economical travel!

The trip was with three other couples who had larger RVs with bathrooms. The other couples were in a very nice area with lots of shade and a nice breeze from the lake.

When we booked our site many weeks prior, I wanted to be near the restroom, so I booked us in a different area. We have since bought a porta potty, but did not have one when the site was booked. Our site was on a slew with much less shade and breeze, and more bugs. It was nice, but a little hot and buggy. We spent a good bit of time in our friend’s area and I decided that I would not want restroom proximity to drive future site selections.

Eating and Camping with Friends

We had a great time with our friends! One friend, Peggy, is a great planner. We had a potluck one night and hot dogs and hamburgers on another. We also had wine and cheese one afternoon and an ice cream party with every topping imaginable another afternoon. I highly recommend camping with friends–they keep you entertained and well-fed.

We had a couple of nice meals in the local area with dinner at Country’s Barbeque and lunch at Fried Tomato Buffet.

Wild Animal Safari

Most of our group took in a local attraction, Wild Animal Safari. It was exhilarating–cool and a little scary. You can take your own car (I would not recommend) or rent one of theirs. The animals come right up to your car and eat out of your hands. They have giraffes, zebras, raindeer, pigs, and water buffalo. It was cool to see the animals so close, but a little disconcerting to have their heads partially in your vehicle and we were told that some of them bite! We were exhausted after the hour or so that the tour lasted, likely because of the adrenaline the tour awakened.

The Safari ticket also includes a small zoo with a lion, bear, monkeys, and many small animals and birds, including some beautiful peacocks. It was fun as well.

New Equipment

This was our first trip with our new PahaQue 10x 10 side tent. The tent is essentially a room that is attached to our Little Guy and can be a screen room or a fully-private tent. It was a nice addition to our campsite and relatively easy to set-up. We liked it, but would only want to use it for two or more days at a site. When we do some serious travel versus camping, we would not want to set up the tent.

Since our last trip, we have identified a solution for carrying our bikes. We obtained a dual hitch that enables us to add a Thule bike rack. It worked great, but was a bit of a pain to get the bikes on and off with the camper attached. Fortunately, I have my “big guy” to make that happen. We enjoyed being able to ride our bikes in the park.

Overall, we had a great time and look forward to more trips with our friends.

Lessons learned:

Don’t let restroom location determine where you camp because it is better to be close to friends, if possible.
Ask for help from experienced campers. A friend put together the pieces of our water connection, so there were no leaks for the first time ever. Thanks Patrick!

Looking forward to more adventures. Check us out on our main page, Retirement and teardrop camping!

Camping in Relative Luxury

Coastline RV Resort in Eastpoint, Florida was certainly camping in relative luxury for us because of the amenities offered. It was our third camping trip and we were there with friends for six nights in late February. Coastline Resort is a small campground with 30 sites on Apalachicola Bay and they also have Coastline Campsite nearby with 14 sites and fewer amenities.

Our campsite is in the photo below. We used an EZ Up tent because they do not allow a tent with a floor to protect the grass. All sites have a patio, grill, picnic table, Wi-Fi, cable television and 20/30/50 amp service.

Camping in relative luxury at site 19 — Coastline Site 19

Many owners of very large RVs book sites for a month or more. However, we were the only teardrop and the photo below will give you an idea of how small we were relative to our neighbors. Many were curious about our camper and very friendly.

Luxury Camping

Coastline offered some amenities that we lack in our Little Guy (LG). There is a recreation building with a full kitchen, which we were encouraged to use. We prepared several meals in the kitchen and watched movies on Netflix in the evenings. Few of the other guests used the facility as they had large fully-equipped motorhomes or trailers. It was a very nice place to hang out with our friends.

Camping in relative luxury with a recreation area — Recreation Area

There is also an exercise room, laundry room, screened porch, and pool. It was a little cold yet for the pool, but I did lay out in the sun once. The real luxury for me, however, was the bathrooms. They were just a few feet from our site and very, very nice. In addition to the tiled men’s and women’s bathhouse, there were two ADA-Family bathrooms that were seldom used. A photo is below.

Camping in relative luxury in this bathhouse — ADA Family Bathroom

The Surrounding Area

The area has been described as being similar to “old Florida” without the development found most places. Also, it is fairly isolated and the view from the bay is beautiful. I took the photo below from the campground. Highway 98 is between the bay and the campsite and there is some traffic, but not like in more populated areas. The towns of Carrabelle and Apalachicola are approximately 15 minutes away and St. George Island is about seven minutes away.

Camping in relative luxury with an amazing view — Sunset from Coastline Resort

Things we did on our trip:

Saw a play in Apalachicola. We saw “Oystertown Revisited” our first night in town at the Dixie Theatre. You might not expect much from a small town play, but the story of the town and its history was very entertaining and included funny moments and great singing. We thoroughly enjoyed it!
Had delicious seafood and heavenly Apalachicola raw oysters. We visited restaurants in Apalachicola, St. George Island and Carrabelle. (Blue Parrott, Paddy’s Raw Bar, Up the Creek Raw Bar, Fisherman’s Wife)
Rode bikes. We rented them on St. George Island and rode in the State park there and around our campsite at Coastline. (We now have a solution to take our bikes next time we go camping.)
Shopping. There is interesting, but somewhat limited shopping in Apalachicola and St. George has a good selection of island wear.
Visited Veteran’s Memorial Plaza. It is dedicated to soldiers from the South who fought in the Vietnam War. The statue that is in the park is below.

Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve

This was our rainy day activity. There is a film about the Apalachicola estuary, which is a term I did not know. It means where saltwater meets freshwater. Estuaries are very important for marine life and the famous oysters in the area. The Reserve also has exhibits, a beautiful nature walk and a walk to the bay. All of this free; I have paid many dollars in other places to be entertained much less.

Bald Point State Park

This was about an hour away mostly along Highway 98. It was a very small park, but had some beautiful views. Had a delicious lunch on the way back in Carrabelle at “The Fisherman’s Wife.”

Our friends have an airstream and are so much fun. They are pros at camping and have taught us so much!

This trip was probably be the easiest camping we will ever do, but we did have one rainy day. Our friends have said, “what will you do when it rains” and I have always said, “we will go somewhere”. This was our first rainy day camping and our longest trip so far and there were a few lessons learned.

Camping in Relative Luxury, Lessons Learned

Plan the night before what you will do if you wake up to pouring rain. My husband got up while I was sleeping with no umbrella and was working on making coffee. He was drenched! While he was in the recreation room, I located where we could have breakfast (amazingly, at the local Mexican restaurant). We should have been prepared to just get up, get in our car, and go.
More days camping requires more patience and effort than fewer days. This was our longest trip in the LG and for that reason, it was a little more challenging than the previous 2 and 3 day trips. It is definitely more work traveling in a teardrop than in hotels.
It is really great to have your bikes on camping trips. Our friends had their bikes, but we had to rent them. This inspired us to really search for a good option to haul our bikes. However, we plan to bring them on our next trip to Hillsborough River State Park near Tampa. It will be five nights at Hillsborough and one night on the way at Stephen Foster Cultural Center State Park.

If you would like to read about our camping adventures, see our page States Visited, a Campsite Resource.

This trip, camping in relative luxury, we had a great time! So, we look forward to more adventures!

Camping–Just the Two of Us

Just the Two of Us

Our first camping trip was with seasoned campers, and after it, we felt ready to try it alone. Even though it was getting a little cold for camping, we wanted one more trip for 2016. We only had three days, so could not go far. We decided to try Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores, Alabama. I called to make the reservation and they were able to provide a camping spot on the water and near a bathhouse. Arriving just before dark, we set up quickly. We brought along an EZ 10X10 tent and stored our table and food bins under it as there was a very slight chance of rain.

That First Night

No cooking was required that first night because we stopped along the way. We did not do anything special, just listened to music and talked till sleepy. Sleeping was wonderful in the LG. We have learned that it is important to keep the cabin ventilated, so we kept the fan vent on the top open. It was not cold at all under the covers, even though the temperature went down to the mid-forties!

A Windy Camping Day

We awoke the next morning to the wind howling and when I checked, winds were at 19-20 MPH. We quickly took down the EZ tent as we were afraid it would blow away and perhaps do some serious damage. It is quite heavy and though we had it staked, it did not seem adequate. We were down to just our LG on our campsite. It was a few days before Thanksgiving and the campground was filled with many large RVs. Next to them, our little spot looked barely populated.

A Beautiful View

We had a fantastic view! We were there for two full days and three nights and each day was filled with abundant sunshine and deep blue skies. Again, we had chosen a time with a cold front. While we were there, it became colder and after we left, it became warmer. At least no rain though! Below are some photos taken from our campsite.

Camping at Gulf State Park — View from Site 245

Excellent Raw Oysters

The first day, we had a very simple breakfast of instant oatmeal and then went exploring the area. The park is very nice and there are many trails and sites to see. We had lunch at the Oyster House in Gulf Shores. I have always been a fan of raw oysters, but these were perhaps the best I have ever had. Two factors, I think, contributed to this: the cold weather and the nearness to the source. These had to be very fresh and they were large.

More About the Park

A nice pier and beach access is provided by the park. There is also an outdoor swimming pool. This will be a good place to take grandchildren later. We visited the pier and walked on the beach. A few seagulls posed for some photos. If you are into fishing, this seems to be a good place to go as well, however, according to some fishermen we met, they were not biting on the day we were there.

We went shopping in Gulf Shores that evening and saw the movie, Hacksaw Ridge. It was a great movie! When we arrived back at the campsite it was getting quite cold, so we pulled out our new electric blanket.

Easy Like Sunday Morning

It was very cold outside when we awoke the next morning. I believe it went into the mid-thirties the night before. The idea of preparing any kind of breakfast in that cold was very unappealing, so we went out for breakfast at Another Broken Egg in Orange Beach. It was a first for us and we really enjoyed it. By the time we returned to the campsite, it was much warmer and the winds were calmer. We went to a small Sunday service at the Education Center with some people we had met the day before. After that, we rented bikes. There are many trails in the park and we had a great time! Much of the trails were paved and shaded with beautiful trees and Spanish moss.

Camping and enjoying bike trail at a Gulf State Park — Enjoying the View

Gulf States Park Biking and Hiking Trail

Evenings Camping at the Park

We planned to cook some spicy sausage on the grill that night and went to the nearby Walmart for charcoal. However, we were lured by Auntie Annie’s pretzels located within Walmart, and that killed our appetite. Consequently, there was practically no cooking on this trip. We sat outside for a couple of hours with our new electric blanket over us. It was not enough! However, for sleeping inside the LG, it did a great job. All three nights at Gulf State were great sleeping for us–no cold and no discomfort.

Our Puppy Wakeup Call

We awoke the final morning to a Lab puppy whimpering just outside our door. He had gotten loose and wanted in our LG. Greg could not get out because of this. Eventually, he crawled over me to get out on my side to avoid the puppy jumping into our cabin. The puppy was very friendly and followed Greg to the bathhouse. Greg found a tag with a phone number on him and called the owner, who was frantic to find him and came to get him right away. He was very grateful and had been looking for him since daylight.

On Gulf State’s Bike Trail

Camping Lessons Learned

1) Buy high-quality water hoses and fittings. Our cheap hose leaked and we had to find a hardware store to be able to hook up to the water without leaks.

2) Alligators are not a likely to come into your camp if you are near a lake in November. This may seem silly, but the website stated to beware of alligators and I was a little concerned about getting up in the middle of the night with an alligator nearby. A ranger told me that it is very rare for them to get out of the water and they are not very active when it is cold.

3) It’s not so bad to not have a toilet in your camper if you are near a bathhouse.

4) Lastly, and more importantly, we can go away camping for several days and totally enjoy each other’s company. Our first trip was with friends, which was great fun and helped to keep us entertained. We now know that it can be great fun for just the two of us as well!

What’s Next?

We are looking forward to 2017 and more camping adventures. Heck out our page, States Visited, a Campsite Resource to follow our camping trips.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!

First Camping Trip

We were so excited to be going on our first camping trip in our new teardrop. Our friends, who were experienced campers, made it easier and so much fun!

First Camping Trip

Our first camping trip was more than a month after we bought our Little Guy (LG). While we were waiting, we acquired camping accessories. Our son has done a lot of tent camping and he gave us some gear, including a ceramic heater. So, we thought we were good to go. However, the day before our trip, it occurred to me that if we wanted to use the cable service at the campground, we might want to get a coax cable. I called a friend to ask how that worked along with several more very basic questions about protocols at campgrounds. She probably thought some of my questions were silly, but remember, we are very, very inexperienced in camping.

The Campground

Our first camping trip was to DeSoto State Park in Fort Payne, Alabama. We were with four other couples and a single camper. They were all experienced campers and very helpful. We learned right away that we had neglected to bring a water hose, but a friend loaned us one. As we were staying for a couple of days at the site, we took a tent to expand our living space. It went up rather quickly and we were set. Below is a photo of our campsite. It was mid-October and the weather had turned much colder, with lows in the mid-thirties the weekend of our trip. We set up the tent with a table, our gear, and that glorious heater. It did an amazing job in making the tent very comfortable.

There were no other teardrops at the campground on this first camping trip. All were motor homes or full-sized travel trailers except for one pop-up camper. Our friends all had very nice accommodations. There were three motor homes and two good-sized travel trailers. I must say, after going around to check out all their campsites, I had a little camper envy. All had full baths, closets, headroom and space for entertaining. While they all were lovely, I still am glad that we have our Little Guy because of the many reasons outlined in my first blog. We just have to make some adjustments.

How Did the Big Guy Fit into Tiny Trailer?

I am going to show you something I could not find while we were shopping and considering our LG. We searched all over the Internet for comments or pictures showing anyone tall in a teardrop. My husband, Greg, is 6’3″ and the photo below shows him in our LG.

First camping trip in our new teardrop — My big guy in our teardrop

We used all of the LG’s functionality except the air conditioner on our trip. We stored the makings for hot dogs in our ice chest, cooked them on the stove, and washed the dishes in the sink. All performed beautifully! The cable television came in well and my husband watched part of the Auburn game. It was very comfortable. We had a couple of those pillows shaped like the back of a chair to lean upon, which made it more comfortable for just hanging out.

Watching the game on first camping trip — Watching the game

First Camping Trip, Cooking and Eating

Our first night, we had a potluck at a double campsite of our friends. We ate outside on the picnic tables. This was a site with two motor homes. They had cute lighting outside and the football game going in the background. It was very festive and lots of fun! I brought Mexican cornbread made at home, so there was no cooking for us.

Our first cooking at our campsite was for breakfast. We had the same thing both mornings: English muffins with egg, sausage, and cheese. The sausage was cooked in a skillet on the stove and the eggs in the microwave. We purchased an inexpensive two-slice toaster for our camper; it and the coffee maker were on the counter. It got crowded in a hurry. Next time, I think a small table set up near would be a good strategy for the toaster and coffee maker. We cooked our hot dogs the second night and we met at the same campsite as the night before to eat together. However, there were fewer of us because some had gone into Mentone, a nearby town for dinner. We ate inside one of the large motor homes and it had all the comforts of home.

You can see the galley in the photo above. It has an electric ice chest, two-burner stove, microwave, sink and some limited counter space. We cooked at the galley and had our breakfast and coffee in our tent. It was so nice to have a place to sit and eat that was warm. The tent was also a good place to change clothes and to store our dishes and food.

The Other Teardrop Issue

Other than being able to be comfortable in the LG, my big concern was its lack of a toilet. This was my first real-world reality check with that issue. We were about 400 feet from the bathhouse and the path was through a wooded area with three forks in the path. I made the trek during daylight a couple of times. It was easy to see the way to get there day and night because the bath house was big and well lit. However, even in daylight, I took a wrong turn once on the trip back. I am not generally an incompetent person, but have a terrible sense of direction.

Knowing I would have to get up in the middle of the night, I prepared as best I could. I had my flip flops on a shelf at the foot of the bed and a flashlight in the corner of the head of the bed. No problem getting there. It was cold, but not miserable. Also, I was moving, which helps me stay warm. I tried to pay attention on the trip back–but again–wrong turn! I came out in an area where all were big campers. Fortunately, I recognized campers belonging to our friends so I knew which way to turn. I made it back to the LG with no further issues.

If this is Likely Again

However, this got me to thinking about future camping trips. I have looked at some campsites on line that are quite large and are not laid out in a predictable manner. A few wrong turns could create exhausting wandering. That would not make me happy! I think I might have something that will help with that. There is an app called “Find My Car”. For me, it could be, “Find my Bed”. I would not need it in all circumstances, but if we stay in a larger, more complex campsite, I think I will use the app.

I know that there are options with portable toilets and those will be considerations as well, but I plan to take the bath house option most of the time.

Going Forward

Our first camping trip was truly amazing! We also expect to take a couple of short trips in the November-December timeframe and will be taking a long trip in February, which I know is going to be an adventure. So far, this has been great fun! If you would like to follow our progress, this is a link to our main page.

We welcome your comments.

Donna and Greg (aka Big Guy)

Teardrop Camping, The Decision to Buy a Teardrop

Why would a tall man and a professional womañn want to buy a teardrop camper with no toilet? Actually, it was a very logical decision.

My husband and I love to travel, but traveling as we have done in the past is quite expensive and we could only afford a limited amount of that kind of travel. I just did not see anything in my future that would fill the kind of time I would have on my hands.

A friend had recently begun camping with her husband and suggested we give it a try. I had only been camping a couple of times in my entire life and that was tent camping. I dismissed the idea at first, but she kept bringing it up. Occasionally, she would send me pictures of campers. At some point, miraculously, the idea became appealing. We began to consider it an option and my husband and I did some research on line.

Must Haves

A large bed. My husband is 6’3″ and we are both miserable in anything less than a queen.
An air conditioner. Neither of us can sleep if it is too hot and we keep our home very cold at night.
We have an Acura MDX and wanted something it would pull without any issues. We did not want to purchase another vehicle just to pull a camper.
A toilet, and preferably a full bathroom.
A high-quality product that would hold up well to our travel plans.

Various Considerations

Our requirement for a lightweight camper eliminated the majority of campers. Even most of the pop-ups were quite heavy and we felt they would not hold up well over time. It also takes a good bit of time to set them up. Of those that were lightweight, many did not have an air conditioner or a toilet. We finally settled on a Forest River R-Pod 179. It was perfect, with its queen bed, wet bath, and air conditioner. It was pushing it a little on the weight, but if we adjusted the towing package on our vehicle, it would work.

However, we did not consider storage of the camper when we decided on the R-Pod. The R-Pod is too tall to fit into our basement and we live in a neighborhood with covenants. To have an R-Pod, we would have to build a place for storage or pay rent for storage off-site. That seemed like too much for a couple who were not sure they would like to do very much camping.

Our research had also identified the T@G, a teardrop manufactured by NuCamp. I loved it when I first saw it, but when I suggested that we might purchase it, most everyone looked at me as if I were crazy. (I did mention that my husband is 6’3″). Also, it has no toilet and I am a professional woman not known for “roughing it”.

Man sitting behind teardrop camper — My big guy and our new T@G

Our Teardrop Choice

Once we had to consider trailer height into our search, A teardrop was the only type left standing. Anything else required construction or ongoing rent. My husband came around and was even enthusiastic. One thing that did help with the decision was seeing where a couple of other tall men had bought the T@G.

We had to give up some conveniences, a toilet in particular, but it enabled us to have a camper that met all of our other requirements and it weighs just under 1,000 pounds. You can move it around manually. That ultra light weight means that gas mileage is only minimally impacted and our Acura is well equipped to pull it.

The Purchase

We purchased a new T@G XL from Southland RV in September 2016. They had a great selection of small campers and Shonn, our salesperson, was great.

A big plus with the T@G XL is that it has a king-sized bed. In fact, it is basically a bed on wheels with a galley in the back. The interior is really nice with multi levels of lighting, a TV, air conditioner, storage under the bed, cabinets, a stereo/DVD player, and windows with shades and screens. The galley in the back has an electric ice chest, microwave, two-burner stove, storage cabinet, and sink.

One great thing about the T@G is its “cuteness factor”. It is adorable. Everyone that sees it, remarks how cute it is. In a world of big RVs and pop-ups, it is uncommon in the Southeast, which is our area of the country. The

A Blog as Well

I have named this blog, “Teardrop Camping Adventures” because it will be a real adjustment for us and adventure sounds so much better than adjustment. For my husband, the adjustment is because it is so little and he is so big. For me, not having a personal bathroom or even a toilet for days at a time will be challenging. However, I am sure that with our level of commitment, we will make those adjustments and have wonderful adventures!

If you would like to follow our progress, there is a resource page that includes many of the cool things we learn on our adventures.

More to come….

Hello world!

My husband and I are newly retired. We have never really been campers, but have purchased a T@G MAX XL camper as an economical way to travel and see this beautiful country. My husband is 6’3″ and the camper is a teardrop, hence the name of my blog. We hope you will follow our adventures!

I have have worked full-time for the last thirty-six years and was quite concerned about how I would fill my time in retirement. I do not have it all figured out, but teardrop camping is a pretty big piece of the puzzle. Camping in a teardrop allows us to travel just about as often as we wish, the blog is a technology challenge, and the writing is a bit of a creative outlet.

Also, everything you need to know for this kind of travel has a learning curve. We hope to share what we learn to help other new campers and to provide useful information about the places we visit.

Most posts will be about camping as it will be our most frequent mode of travel, but there will also be road trips and posts about retirement in general.

We hope you will follow along in our adventures!