Category Archives: Camp Ground Reviews

Cedar Crest, Albuquerque, and Santa Fe, New Mexico


Written by: Jeremy

Ok, so I realize we are not exactly going to get travel blog of the year by going two months between posts, but then again, that really was never the goal. Regardless, we did want to wrap things up and post an update to fill in the details of the end of our first year’s snowbird journey. In hindsight, the term snowbird, for us, has been somewhat of an oxymoron. More on that later. For now, we have made it back to our summer home in Colorado and we are currently resting up, saving some dough and enjoying a place that is really hard to beat this time of year.

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Juggling work with travel (and blogging) was always a challenge but as the trip wound down we came to a few more important realizations. Sure, we could stay at only discount parks and spend more time finding free campsites and eating PB&J’s but for us, immersing ourselves in the culture and cuisine of all the cities we visit is very much a part of the appeal of this lifestyle. It is kind of a Catch 22 for us. The more we work, the more money we have to do things we want but it also greatly affects the amount of time we have to do them. So for now, we both have buried ourselves back into our work so that we can save up for next years trip and have a little something to sock away for retirement.

RV TIP #10: Selling your house and most of your stuff does free up quite a bit of disposable income. Traveling across the country staying short stays in RV and State parks, driving a 3/4 ton diesel, playing golf all winter, and eating out regularly devours most of that disposable income in short order.

I also have to admit that I have become somewhat disenchanted with this travel blog. I have repeatedly said that I don’t want this blog to be just another boring informational travel blog that rates parks and lists likes and dislikes from various locations like a log book. Well, after reading our last several blogs I could see that what I didn’t want is, unfortunately, exactly what this blog has become. I realize that there is a place for this type of blog and that it can be interested for some to read, but it just is not personally inspiring to write anymore.

To be honest, after some of the initial excitement and challenge, we found that living on the road in the US was not as different of a life as we might have originally thought. We still work most days, walk dogs, cook meals, go out to eat, clean the house, get together with friends, and do all the other normal life things, we just now do it in a bunch of different locations.

Enough of me blathering on and back to the boring details of our not so boring life. After leaving Bottomless Lakes State Park in Roswell, we headed north towards Robin’s birth city of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The drive was brutal with winds pushing us to the limit and maybe even beyond what was advisable in our rig. Regardless, a little weary, we made it to the the foothills and a charming but also non-descript private campground in Cedar Crest, New Mexico called the Turquoise Trail Campground. This was a decent mountain park, but we found ourselves a week or two ahead the ideal camping season for this area and once again snow was part of our snowbirding experience.

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We stayed for a week and did some hiking in the nearby Sandia Mountains and also visited a great and recommended local pub/restaurant called the Lazy Lizard where we enjoyed some well done jam band covers and local brew.

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After a week here, we made the short trip down the hill towards Albuquerque where we set up close to downtown at the Albuquerque Central KOA. Upon arriving, we had fairly low expectations considering our experience in other urban KOA’s but in hind site, this place was certainly above average. The views were great from the park, and there were several dog off leash areas that make bathroom trips much easier for the boys. Overall we enjoyed our stay and would visit again.

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Like other urban RV parks and KOA’s we have visited, the immediate area around the park was not the best. With that said this location was safe and it did give us the perfect launching pad to explore the city, play golf, and to begin our eating out Olympics.

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As we have previously mentioned, the US gulf coast was not exactly the greatest place for the type of cuisine we prefer. Fried food and domestic bottles of pilsners have there place in the world but getting back to Albuquerque was like putting a couple of kids in a candy shop. Craft Pale Ale’s, gourmet vegetarian fare, and especially green chilies could be found everywhere and we made a point to eat out pretty much every chance we could.

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Public golf courses in the Albuquerque area were also spectacular as was the weather this time of year. Although we already knew this city fairly well, Albuquerque New Mexico, solidified its standing as a favorite place to live for a little while now, and maybe longer in the future. It is not a fancy town, or and especially “nice” place, but for whatever reason, Robin and I feel particularly at home here.

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After a week in Albuquerque, we moved on North toward CO and into Santa Fe, New Mexico. This is another city that is not new to us and we continued our green chili and craft beer assault to the tune of about ten extra pounds around the waist and a credit card bill that made me choke on my green chili breakfast burrito.

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We stayed in a sort of Santa Fe suburb at the Los Suenos RV park. The park was conveniently located right by the bus stop to downtown and there were also trails and a dried up arroyo that provided endless opportunities for hiking and for getting desert stickers stuck in your paws. We were busy with work and stayed here for two weeks.

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The public municipal golf course in Santa Fe, like Albuquerque, was outstanding and reasonably priced. I am sure these courses are different mid summer but this time of year it was perfect although at times a bit windy.

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We had originally planned to spend a couple of more weeks either exploring New Mexico or more of Southern Colorado. However, we were admittedly a little home sick and ready to get back to Colorado and specifically the Denver area. We made our way north from Santa Fe into Colorado all the way to Chatfield State Park just South of Denver. We did have a quick overnight South of Colorado Springs, but it was pretty much a straight shot up I-25 for us.

I just realized that after going two full months between blogs I have just written a blog that is way too long for anyone to actually read. So, I think I will stop here and complete our tale in a few days. Stay tuned and maybe I will be able to come up with something that is actually worth writing and reading.

No UFO’s found in Roswell’s Bottomless Lakes State Park

Written by:  Robin

We headed up to Roswell for a week on our way to Albuquerque.  I was full of anticipation to check out what I remembered from my childhood as a unique funky town.  I had announced my intention to visit the Roswell UFO Museum and hear what “really happened” with the mysterious crash of 1947 as well as hear the conspiracy theories about the alien autopsies that were allegedly carried out at the Roswell base.  FUN!!!!   As we drove through the town to make our way to Bottomless Lakes State Park, I quickly felt my anticipation fade to disappointment as I realized that what seemed cool to me as a kid…just felt cheesy now. Alienneonsign_edited-1 UFO museum2As we drove out of town we realized that the park was a bit further from Roswell than we realized so I decided that I would just let it go…and would not likely be venturing into town to explore much anyway.  I was driving this time, and my disappointment soon turned to anxiety as our GPS became confused and the directions I got when I called were making less sense the further we drove.  Wondering if there were mysterious forces messing with me because of my disbelief, we made our way down the very sketchy, narrow road that seemed to be heading to nowhere.

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Happily, after 7 miles of white knuckle driving, we saw a beautiful bright blue lake and some RV’s, so we knew we had made it.  It was starting to feel better already.  e were greeted by the campground host, Deb who upgraded us to a nice big pull through spot because they were first come, first served…and we were early!  As I began to look around at the beautiful area, I decided that maybe I should adopt Jeremy’s philosophy of the natural attractions being the ones we seek out, rather than the man made.

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This state park quickly became one of our favorites.  Here are some reasons why…

Geology….This was the first state park in New Mexico, established in 1933.  Apparently these “bottomless lakes” are actually an ancient limestone reef that formed caverns (not all that different from Carlsbad where we had just visited).  The nearby Pecos River eroded away the rock which collapsed the caverns and formed the 9 small but deep lakes, which are actually cenotes. They are fed by underground water percolating through the rocks. IMG_4760 (1024x683)

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This makes most of them salt water rather than fresh, because of the limestone.  This was GREAT news for hank, who loves to swim but breaks out in hives from most fresh-water environment.  Swimming was a regular activity for him that week.

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History….They are not actually bottomless, but range in depth from 18-90 feet.  They got their name because the cowboys who named them were trying to figure out their depth and tied two or three ropes together and drop them into the lakes to try to reach the bottom. The ropes were not long enough, so they thought the lakes were bottomless! The greenish-blue color created by algae and other aquatic plants also added to the illusion of great depth.  There was lots of great hiking around the lakes.  Deb even told us about a “buffalo killing field” that we could hike to.  We decided to stick to the lakes!one of the lakes (1024x683)

 

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Mystery….other tall tales and folklore abound.  There are two lakes called the Figure 8 lakes, that are side-by-side.   One tells of a horse that fell into one of these lakes, drowned, and was pulled out of the other. Also, numerous objects  have been reportedly lost in the lakes, only to be retrieved later from Carlsbad Caverns or even the Gulf of Mexico! There are stories of strong underground currents that suck divers and swimmers deep into the bowels of the Earth, never to be seen again! Just when you thought that was enough intrigue…the Bottomless Lakes also have stories of monsters that are said to be giant turtles that lurk in the depth!  So…there…who needs UFO’s and aliens anyway!

Peace…As it was early in the season the park was only half-full.  This made for many lazy afternoons in the sun, which we were really getting for the first time in about 4 months.  It was such a cold and rainy winter on the gulf-coast that we went a little crazy now that we had sun and warmth.  No distractions of a city or town…just the few of us campers nestled in the warm, sunny desert.  Ahhhhhhh…….

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Beauty….not only was this a great state park with HUGE spaces…it was very well kept.  There was an entire extra space in between each spot, so there was plenty of room to breathe!  Deb also told me about Pecos Diamonds, and gave me a map of where I could go to “hunt” them and a sample of her own so I would know what to look for.   Instead of visiting the UFO museum, one afternoon I set out solo to some remote land and went hunting.  She was right, once I learned what to look for…I couldn’t stop seeing them. (except when I got distracted by other pretty things…)20140325_140836 (1024x768)

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Character….Deb, what else can I say…excellent and kind campground host!  There were also others who are worthy of mention… a family who frequents the park, and sets up a MONSTER tent for 2 weeks at a time.  They don’t have an RV, but they did pull up in a big U-Haul, which carried their tent and the houseful of furniture and supplies they needed for two weeks…I felt like I was on the set of M*A*S*H!

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We met several friendly folk during our stay.  There was one, though, who we never met…who stayed in his BMW with the windows tarped, spoke to no one and occasionally emerged to take an hour trip to town or to walk to the restroom.

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Seemed creepy at first, but Deb assured us that they had their “eye’ on him…  We couldn’t figure out exactly what his story was…strangest camping neighbor yet…who knows, maybe I got to see my alien after all!

We enjoyed our week much more than we expected.  What a wonderful addition to our visit to the “Land of Enchantment”!!  It was actually hard to leave…but it was time to get back to a city so we could work, so off to Albuquerque we went.

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Carlsbad Caverns, White’s City, New Mexico

After a long, windy, and dusty drive from Fort Stockton Texas, we finally made it to New Mexico. First stop Carlsbad Caverns National Park in the southeastern portion of the State. This is really one of the first major tourist attractions that we have sought out since hitting the road. I have to admit that I am not real big on crowded tourist traps but if I am going to one, it is probably a natural wonder and not a man made or historical one; unless the man made attraction is craft Pale Ale. In any event, Carlsbad Caverns was a tourist trap and it was also a spectacular natural wonder that we are glad we got to experience first hand. The picture below was the entrance to the canyon.

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We took quite a few pictures using various camera settings but much like other natural wonders you probably are better off just visiting the website if you want to see quality professional photos of the place. I didn’t bring a tri-pod and nor did I want to make the entire experience about photography.

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The shear enormity was what was the most impressive to me and I never was able to capture that with a clear photo. We took the few mile hike into and around the caverns and then took the elevator back out. We had a good time exploring, reading and just soaking in this incredible place for a few hours on a day that wasn’t particularly crowded.

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We stayed two nights at the White’s City RV park right outside of the national park entrance. There are several other options closer to the actual town of Carlsbad, NM but this was the closest to the park entrance in White’s City. I must say, this is one of the strangest parks we have been to and one of the most run down. I am not sure when the website photo’s were taken but it wasn’t recently. We had a hard time trying to figure out where and how to check in and the staff seemed to be having an equally hard time figuring out who’s job it was to check us in. For paved pull through sites, they were terribly uneven and quite a few blocks had to be placed around in order to get our “Auto-level” to work on the trailer. The strangest part is that ALL sites had a shared hook-up and a shared picnic table and fire pit between two RV’s. We had approximately 6 inches between us and our neighbor’s slide out on one side, and we were completely tangled in a tree on the other side where we got to look out our front door and straight into our neighbors front door just a few feet away. This would be great if you were traveling with a friend but otherwise it was a little awkward and Rufus voiced his displeasure with the proximity to our neighbor’s small dogs as only he can.

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Although we didn’t use it, we also found it very odd that the campground bathroom had double shower heads in a single shower stalls with only a curtain and no way to lock the door. So I guess if you are taking a shower in this filthy place, another camper can just join you at the adjacent open spot two feet away. Weird to say the least and consistent with everything else about this very run down park. Our recommendation to anyone else coming to visit would be to stay in Carlsbad and make the longish drive in to visit the park. Of course we have no idea what the other options in Carlsbad were like, we just know the White’s City RV park didn’t suit us particularly well. We were happy that we only had two nights here before moving on to a more spacious State Park. All things considered we enjoyed the Caverns and we were both feeling happy to be experiencing some actual destinations instead of just randomly cruising around like it seems we have all winter. View Larger Map

West Texas Town of Fort Stockton

After leaving San Antonio we were really excited to be getting to Robin’s birth State of New Mexico but we needed another stop off while traversing the massive State of Texas. The Hilltop RV park in Fort Stockton, Texas was dusty, windy and very West Texas. This was a simple parking lot style park with relatively tight pull-through’s on gravel. Everything worked and the spaces were level so no complaints and adequate for a few nights.

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We captured/experienced some wonderful West Texas sunsets, and got to play golf on a dry and crusty West Texas municipal golf course.

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All in all we are enjoying hitting the road again as we headed to our next destination, Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico. Stay tuned.

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The Hangover – San Antonio, Texas

Written by: Jeremy

Our next main stop-over after Sam Houston Jones State Park was San Antonio, Texas and back to a crowded KOA. The place was full due to an upcoming Miley Cyrus concert and a WWE wrestling event at the AT&T center across the street. Both events made for great people watching around camp. I never really understood Miley’s popularity, but after watching a week of local news coverage  of crusty Texas state legislators trying, frantically to pass a ridiculous new indecency laws aimed at preventing kids from seeing the show, her popularity is much clearer to me now.

This is the first park to date where I refused the first site offered to us. It was on the side of a hill with several deep trenches that I just did not feel like battling for the relatively expensive park fee.We were given a different site that was acceptable but tight. This was a typical crowded KOA full of kids. On the up side, there was a wonderful bike path along a river for dog walking and we were right next door to a reasonable municipal golf course where we played a couple of fun (and dry!) 9-hole rounds.

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The other main draw was the proximity to the bus stop right across the street from the campground.  Most of the negative reviews for this park were due to the “bad neighborhood”. We found that claim to be ridiculous. Obviously just people that are not comfortable with a city. The only shady people we encountered were registered campers. We happily took advantage of the public transportation for a very fun day on the San Antonio River walk on the Weekend before St. Patrick’s day. They dyed the river green and we did a little St. Patty’s day drinking, Tex-Mex style.

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All in all it was a great day. I had been to the San Antonio River walk before, and it is definitely a recommended destination if you haven’t been. The highlight for Robin was when one of the water-taxi drivers spotted me along the walk and announced to his full boat on PA speaker “Hey, look at that guy with the beard. He looks like the guy from the Hangover!”  I realize I put on a couple pounds eating Po Boy’s in Mississippi, but Zach Galifianakis? Ok, maybe a little.

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We also got a chance to meet some new friends in the San Antonio area. Gary and Michelle from Changing States 2013 recommended a great restaurant/bar called The Cove and we spent a fun evening conversing with a couple of new friends that are about to do what we did a little over six months ago. The Cove had an impressive selection of Texas craft beer, good locally sourced, veg friendly fare, and even a dog friendly porch where Gary and Michelle’s three big dogs got all kinds of attention. Good luck guys. Hope to see you down the road!

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Sam Houston Jones State Park, Louisiana

Written by: Jeremy

After all of the excitement of Mardi Gras and after a month long stint in Bay St. Louis we were both getting the travel bug again. Yes, we needed to slow down but after over a month stationery our wanderlust was kicking in as was our desire to get to some dry climates.

We knew we were headed to and through Texas but we weren’t really sure where. We thought about Austin, but the South By Southwest festivities were probably a little more than we were up for and we had not made any reservations in advance. We found zero availability when we finally looked but that was OK as neither one of us really had enough time off work to really enjoy such a festival. Maybe another year. We decided to head towards San Antonio. The drive all the way from Bay St. Louis was a little far and we also wanted a chance to notch Louisiana into our RV travel belt.

Sam Houston Jones State Park in Western Louisiana fit our needs perfectly and we reveled in a nice spacious State Park for a few days on our way to Texas.

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The park was nice with plenty of hiking for the boys. The nearby town of Lake Charles was a dump and the campground itself was a little full of yeah-hoe’s on the weekend. Apparently putting up a spot light and then dumping a giant bag of deer feed around your RV makes for a real fun weekend of camping for people in this neck of the woods. I can only imagine what would happen if someone dumped a bag of feed down for deer and raccoons in a Colorado park. They would probably be arrested on the spot. Similar to what would happen at Sam Houston Jones State Park if you were to light up a joint. Different people and priorities for sure.

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The river hike and marshland were a real treat and although the park was full, it didn’t seem like the people do much hiking here so we had the trails to ourselves.All in all, we enjoyed our stay and would recommend this park for anyone passing through western Louisiana.

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Drowning in a sea of gratitude (and rain) – Bay St. Louis, Mississippi

Written By: Jeremy

As I spend yet another day inside on the computer instead of outside playing golf, it is hard not to get down at the unprecedented winter of poor weather on the southern gulf coast of the United States of America. It is hard not to grumble about how we should have wintered in the Southwest, or say we are never coming back here.

The truth is that we are disappointed in the weather, but I assume that is not something unique to us in the winter of 2014. In reality, we are having the time or our lives. We are seeing parts of the country we have never seen. Unlike most, we get to experience these places more as locals than as visitors. Realistically we are something between visitor and local and we are not the typical snow-birder either.

As I mentioned previously, we were looking to find a place to settle down for a month or so and away from the train noise. Well, we found our spot in Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi at the charming Bay Hide Away RV resort.

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Yes, the rain has been extreme and as I write we are talking about whether or not to venture out to the first local Mardi Gras parade we had been looking forward to. Although understandably soggy, overall, the park has been quiet, down to earth, and exactly what we needed for a month. Robin has had a pretty busy couple of weeks of working and we even had a chance to do some interior painting of our trailer. Maybe we will share more pictures once we are done, but right now we still have some work to do. All in good time.

As I mentioned before this is our 20th place in 11 states in just under 5 months.  As I write it has just occurred to me that we have now spent the greatest majority of our time on the road in the State of Mississippi. As I think about that now, this seems somewhat of an odd choice for us. Besides being about the only state with a name over five letters that I know how to spell, I had never previously visited the state and mostly what I knew about the state is some less than flattering health and education statistics. Although I don’t have any hard statistics to support it, after spending a month here, I venture to guess that it may also lead the nation in the number of people that commute primarily shirtless and in the back bed of a pickup truck. To say that Mississippi was not at the top of our list of must visit states would be an understatement.

I would love to tell you that after spending a month and a half in this state that I was completely wrong about Mississippi and that all of those horrifying stereotypes and statistics must be wrong. To be honest, you don’t have to spend much time here at all to see how and why those statistics are what they are, but at the same time there is another Mississippi stereotype that we did not expect based on our experience in other southern areas. The people here absolutely do embody the stereotype that you think of when you hear about “southern hospitality”.

Much like the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida and Alabama, Robin and I don’t exactly blend in seamlessly with the society here in Mississippi. Maybe it is our northern accents, our lack of appreciation of Nascar, Robin’s somewhat amusing lack of ability to decipher southern dialect, or our crazy belief that chicken is still “meat”. Regardless, wherever we go, we get funny looks and sometimes funny service when we venture out amongst the locals and quiz waiters about the content of the food.

Yes, the food and language can be a challenge, and if I get served one more food item in a giant Styrofoam container, I may scream, but that aside, the people of Mississippi are absolutely the most friendly, welcoming, and even entertaining people that we have come across in our travels to date.   Wherever we go, smiling faces, and a friendly and sincere “Y’all come back now” is boomed as we make our way to the exit.

The local workers, waiters and town folks that we have encountered are friendly, talkative and curious but, regardless of how many eyebrows we raise, I don’t think I have seen a single roll-of-the-eyes like I kept seeing over and over again in some other southern towns as we make futile requests for menu substitutions or directions to recommended and non existent places to walk dogs.  Yes, we have found that people here are just generally friendly and happy! It could be the fact that this is the Mardi Gras season but more realistically, I think this is just a friendly place with a genuine good sense of humor.

There is no such thing as a quick trip in and out of a store as someone is bound to want to converse. Sure, a lot of times the conversation is unusually loud and uni-directional, but that is part of the charm. We like the energy and vibe.

Michelle and Joe at the Bay Hide Away, could not be nicer and we have really been made to feel at home and included with the snow-birder crowd at the RV park. Unlike other snow-birder havens, we have been invited to all of the community clubhouse activities like Bingo and the chili cook-off.

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Not only were we invited people seem genuinely disappointed if we don’t show up. Sure our two-bean sweet potato chili didn’t stand a chance against the winning no-bean, two-meat chili but nonetheless, we had a good time sharing a meal and some laughs with our fellow travelers.

The little town of Bay Saint Louis is a quiet and charming, artsy town and we enjoyed some good meals and a “second Saturday” event where we visited a bunch of art galleries and antique shops and listened to some music being played in the streets.

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The nearby dog friendly beach has become a favorite afternoon destination about ten minutes from the park.

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We have even gotten to visit a couple of decent, well-priced, albeit soggy golf courses in between rain storms. I played a round where at least 6 of 18 holes were played in a complete fog with visibility less than 100 yards. Interesting golf experience, I will leave it at that.

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We were able to entice a couple of our new nomad friends to join us at the Bay Hide Away as they make their way west. We love the fact that we are developing an actual community, even though it is a rolling group.  Very strange, fun, and not something we necessarily expected. Even though we all live in RV’s and travel full time, they feel very much like the friends and neighbors we have had in any other place we have lived. We plan to meet up with them again in NOLA for Mardi Gras and probably other places as we all continue on in divergent yet somewhat consistent directions across the US.

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We also had a chance to visit a great local microbrewery called Lazy Magnolia located in Kiln, the hometown of Brett Favre. Our brewery tour guide Ginger, was stand up comic funny and just as quick to make fun of us northerners as she was to make light of her own home state. They make great beer and they are most known for their “Southern Pecan” Nut Brown Ale. If you are a hop-head like us, you might like our favorite flavor, “Southern Hopspitality” IPA. Even if you are not a beer drinker this was a funky and interesting operation to visit for sure. We have been to quite a few brewery tours over the years and this one one of the more entertaining experiences but probably not the most informative. I have a feeling that Lazy Magnolia brew is going to become more well known in the upcoming months and years as their distribution spreads around the country and picky microbrew connoisseurs catch on.

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As we are getting closer to Mardi Gras we have scrapped our original plan to move to the NOLA area and we are going to instead venture out from here for our visit to Bourbon Street. I think a second “Mardi Gras” themed blog will be in order and believe it or not, it looks like Robin and I will also be joining our fellow snow-birders at the Bay Hide Away as we get the opportunity to March in an actual Mardi Gras parade here in Bay St. Louis. Normally this would be the kind of activity that I would avoid like the plague, but here in Mississippi, this seems to be the kind of experiential opportunity that should not be wasted. Even if just for a day, I am going to do my best to be like a true Mississippian and not take myself too seriously. Who knows, by the end of the night, I might be the one catching a ride shirtless in the back of a pickup truck.

As yet another month on the road rolls by, we are still pretty much under water and completely over the rain but we are also drowning in gratitude for everything we are getting to experience in this new lifestyle. Although it can be difficult to remember in the rain, or  when other challenges arise overall, we have to pinch ourselves every day and with every new adventure.  

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The Train Keeps on Rolling – Biloxi, Mississippi

Written by: Jeremy

After leaving our week at Dauphin Island, Alabama, Robin and I had a long talk and decided we are both a little travel weary. Although we have loved our time on the road, we have been maintaining a challenging schedule for our first ever RV trip. We have been on the road for a little over four months, or half of our planned trip. Including our current location of Biloxi, Mississippi, we have stayed in twenty different locations in eleven different states. Our longest stay to date has been a couple of two week long stents. Our typical stay has been one week.

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Yes, we have kept it rolling and considering that this is exactly what we had planned and budgeted for, I am proud of our perseverance and generally positive attitude as we transition to a fun but challenging new lifestyle. When reading the blogs of other full-timers as we prepared for the trip, I was always the most interested and inspired by those that move a lot. Seeing different places, climates, and cultures was what it is all about for me. Although not every town culture and climate is exactly perfect, it is all part of the journey and exactly what we set out to experience.

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I guess that is why we did not at all mind being a part of the 2014 winter ice apocalypse “Leon”. An inch of snow and ice descended on the beach and roads in a part of the country that does not typically get it and is not prepared for it. I have always thought that people in the South just don’t know how to drive in bad weather. I can tell you that this is only half of the problem. The other is that the snow is not really snow here. It is white ice. They also don’t have equipment to deliver salt to all of the road but that really isn’t the problem either. They don’t even have salt to spread, just sand.

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We are experienced snow drivers and we have lived in the Midwest, Aspen and our current home sits at an elevation of 9,500 feet above sea level. An inch of snow in these places doesn’t exactly halt traffic or close stores. With that said I can assure you that I would not have even dreamed of driving my 4×4 truck on a street here in Biloxi during or immediately after this storm. It was a complete mess and we just hunkered down in the trailer with the animals for a couple of days.

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The weather for the rest of our week in Biloxi was just fine. Great in fact. Because of that, I am actually happy that we got the opportunity to experience a 25 year historic storm. I realize that may not make complete sense to readers sitting in the Midwest this winter, but ice skating on a sandy beach on the Gulf of Mexico is not something many people can say they have done.

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To be honest Biloxi was not even a planned stop. While trip planning in Alabama, we got a message from my brother asking if we were going to be anywhere near Biloxi this week. He had a business trip here and was staying at one of the many casinos hotels in the area. Turns out we were planning to drive through Biloxi on the exact weekend he was scheduled to arrive. So we simply decided to stay in Biloxi for the week instead of driving through. What a great coincidence and exactly the type of freedom and flexibility that makes my strong push to not over plan seem worthwhile.  We got a chance to hang out with my older brother as well as a chance to have a much needed fun night and dinner out at the Beau Rivage Casino. The storm even ended up causing him to get stuck in town for a couple of extra nights. We did a little gambling and sightseeing and he got a chance to experience a bit of trailer life.

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We picked the Cajun RV Park primarily because it had the best reviews in Biloxi and because it was close to the hotel/casino where my brother was staying. Although our pre-arrival expectations of Biloxi were not all that high, upon arrival, we were pleasantly surprised with the nice spacious site and the close beach access as well as access to golf courses and some shopping that we have not had for quite a while. In fact, we talked long and hard about just settling down here in Biloxi for an entire month. It seemed like as good a place as any and the monthly rate at the RV park was desirable. We were tired and we were also trying to slow down a little. If we could just get a quiet month to catch up on some work and sleep and not have to move four times we thought we might get recharged enough to be ready to meet some friends in the Big Easy for this big annual party we have heard a thing or two about.

Well, our excitement and plan to stay at this place for a month fizzled quickly. Within the first few hours lounging around our campground the first train went by. Robin and I both stood looking at each other in silence and disbelief as our entire trailer rattled while the train rumbled by, blowing its horn at full decibel within a stones throw of our great new site. An hour or so later brought another train. We had read some reviews that mentioned the train but most only noted it as a small annoyance and not a real problem. Well, it turns out, an obnoxious train that comes about every couple of hours including all night long is a huge problem for us. The train map indicates that it would have been tough to avoid regardless of which Biloxi RV park we picked. Unfortunately, it appears the train noise is just as much a part of the Biloxi, Mississippi experience as a shrimp po boy with sweet tea.

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As I write this on a Saturday morning, our last in Biloxi, Robin and I are more exhausted than we were when we first arrived a week ago and had the conversation about how tired we were. Oh well, this is part of the experience. We are writing this blog about our real life on the road and all the challenge that goes along with it. So for us, although we are both desperately ready for a quiet and stationary month, just like the trains of Biloxi, we are going to keep on rolling.

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Dauphin Island is for the Dogs

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Our most recent destination was yet another remote beach location off the gulf coast of Alabama, Dauphin Island. This was a small somewhat run down island which was obviously once a booming vacation destination but now, at least in January, is primarily a place for oil workers and old folks that want to spend their golden years and modest retirement savings fishing and worshiping. The entrance to the island was spectacular and intimidating when pulling the trailer.

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After checking in at the Dauphin Island Park Camping Area, and before we even got set up we were greeted by a friendly although quite a bit our senior fellow snowbirder who was intrigued by our Colorado license plates. After explaining how and why we were here, we were informed of the RV park bingo schedule, the locations of the fish cleaning station, the general store and each Church broken down by denomination. What else could we need to know?

No golf courses, hipster bars or $13 vegan sandwiches here. Just a somewhat run down camping area, a bunch of dilapidated, hurricane whipped houses and a dog-pee drenched beach with endless views of off shore oil and gas rigs. Or as Hank and Rufus like to call it “heaven on earth”!

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Yes, once again we found ourselves on a remote island miles from a city. To be honest, after months of island hopping, the excitement of an empty beach in cool weather has somewhat dulled for us. After a week in the exciting vacation town of Sea Side/Grayton Beach and the impressive Florida State Park network, we were probably a little let down by this location and what little there was to do. I can’t say that we didn’t see this coming. We had done plenty of research and we knew exactly where we were going and what it had to offer and didn’t.

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Truth be told, Hank and Rufus lobbied hard and picked this island, not Robin and me. While I am not about to subject my dogs to the psychological abuse of having an owner that writes blogs as the pet, I can honestly say that we probably would not have picked this location if not for their enthusiastic input. Although they primarily communicate their preference via Robin’s subconscious, their opinion is real, and satisfying their needs (sometimes above our own) is really no different than if we had kids. Trust me when I say, if they are not happy, we are not happy.

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In fact, some of the most fun and social locations for us, Charlotte, Cedar Key and Grayton Beach were not particularly great for the boys. The town of Cedar Key was very dog friendly but the hiking access that we had directly from the RV park was not ideal and nor was the amount of time we spent “out” and them “in”.

Although we knew that there might not be much night life for us humans, we compromised and chose the next place, Three Rivers State Park, primarily for the dogs. We then alternated back to the humans playground of Grayton Beach. As we mentioned in our previous blog, this was one of the most pristine beaches we have ever been but unfortunately, no dogs allowed.

As we walked every day toward the dog allowed dunes area at Grayton Beach, Hank would always take the right-hand turn toward the beach access trail and by the large NO DOGS ALLOWED sign. He would look back at us over his shoulder and the fully extended retractable leash as we explained that the state of Florida does not allow dogs on the beach even when it is in the middle of winter and even when no one else is around. Although he knew exactly what we were saying he completed rejected the law based on premise and he usually hiked is leg as he walked back away from the beach and past that sign. We then lead him to the “dog friendly” hiking area where we would spend half of our walk pulling sand spur thorns out of his paws.

After eleven days at Grayton, the dogs had been patient but we were going somewhere primarily for them and not for us. Dauphin Island met their needs nicely. The large beach was private to the campground and off leash friendly. We rarely saw other people as the weather was a bit cool for most. There was plenty of dead jellyfish to lick as well as dog poops and pees to smell and do everywhere!

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There was also a network of swamp trails and a bird sanctuary that was absolutely perfect for dogs. Our RV site also had a pretty nice “yard” for lounging and napping. Overall we had a blast, probably similar to how parents say they enjoy places like Disney World. You can say all you want that it is fun for adults too, but lets face it, if you didn’t have kids you wouldn’t go within a 50 miles of that place. That is about how I would describe Dauphin Island for us during this week long winter visit.

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One of our favorite activities in a new town is to seek out the local bars and restaurants. During our week at Dauphin Island we ate out four times. Although I won’t go into great detail about each location, what I can say is that the Chevron and Grill was probably the best meal we had out and the name is exactly what you think it is. That should tell you quite a bit about the Dauphin Island restaurant scene overall.  JT’s Sunset Grill was OK but like I said, probably not better than the gas station food around the corner with a similar menu. There was really nothing wrong with our lunch at Barnacle Bills and I think that is a complete and fair review of the place. Islander’s Restaurant and Bar was a somewhat nicer beach side atmosphere and bar but with horrendous food. The calamari appetizer we ordered may go down as one of the worst dishes I have ever been served at a restaurant. Maybe at some point we will start posting actual Yelp Reviews but right now keeping up with this blog is all I have. Sorry Dauphin Island, Alabama, I don’t mean to be so critical, but from what we saw, restaurants are not your thing.

We also went to check out the bar scene at The Pelican Pub but it was also not our speed and one drink was more than enough. The bar was on the water and it looked nice enough but before we had completed our order we were ready for the check. No music whatsoever and all bar TV’s were locked on Fox News with the volume up loud. Most of the women had voices deeper than mine and the tipsy locals propped up on bar stools started most conversation with the always disputable Alabama, drawl proclamation “I am not a racist but….”. The outdated bar and décor matched the opinions being openly expressed and this was no place for a couple of Colorado hippies seeking micro brews.  I always wondered why some people think that only degenerates drink at bars. I guess that is because in some places it is true and we often forget that Colorado is not representative of the entire country. We decided to do our eating and drinking at the trailer for the rest of the week and once again that decisions was quite satisfying to the dogs and our stomachs.

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Although my overall opinion of the island and people is not particularly high, there was plenty of nature to see and we visited the local Sea Lab Estuarium and Fort Gaines historic site; both were enjoyable but nothing to blog home about.

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There was also a Mobile Bay Ferry that transported cars on and off the island to a port that was right beside the campground. We did not ride on this ferry as it was closed to RV’s when we had planned to cross upon arrival. The port was fairly busy transporting cars as well as ships traveling back and forth to the oil rigs. Robin and I did have regular competitions to see if we could correctly name the boat that was going by based on the engine sound filling our trailer. The engine sound of Mr. Ethan became easily discernible after a few days.

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These were all interesting considering where we were and considering what little else there was to do, but overall, I would not recommend making a trip based on any of these attractions. In all fairness this is a pretty place and I’ll bet it’s a different situation in the summer when the water is warm and the dolphins are out to be seen.  I hope the tone of this blog was not too harsh. We are beyond lucky to live this island life and we appreciate these magnificent places even when the attached towns leave something to be desired.

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So in summary, when traveling as a family sometimes compromise has to be made and the needs of all family members have to be considered. Even when a location is not exactly paradise for a golf obsessed snowbirder in his thirties, I can be just as happy watching my tennis ball obsessed eleven year old dog do his thing and have the time of his life on an island made for a dog. 

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There is Something About Cedar Key

Written By: Jeremy and Robin

This year, our first holiday season on the road we decided that Cedar Key, Florida sounded like a good place spend a couple of weeks. We had previously joined an online group of other full timing “nomads” and this grouped organized a gathering at Sunset Isle RV park.

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At first we were a little surprised to pull in and see what looked like a pin hole that I had to back the trailer into. The usual group of fellow travelers immediately ascended onto the scene to offer assistance. We could tell instantly that this park was different than any we had ever been. Parking was actually a breeze with the helpfulness of our experienced neighbors and new friends. Once we got in we realized we had a gem of spot tucked away in the back corner. Our site backs up to the salt marsh and we even have access to a shared doc area and crab cage.

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For good reason, the sunsets are the claim to fame of Cedar Key. Night after night our group of new friends would gather on the docks or at the Tiki Bar next door to see what mother nature had in store and to share a drink and swap stories with a unique group of fellow Nomads.

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We had a great mix of experienced road warriors and quite a few others that were newly living on the road just like us. After quite a few weeks of island hoping all on our own, our social calendar was suddenly full of happy hours, trips to wineries, potlucks, breakfasts and nights on the town.

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The town of Cedar Key, Florida is charming and we got an opportunity to stock up on fresh veggies and local seafood bought along the road. The restaurants (and most things around town) are causal, quaint, quirky, and colorful – Perfect for our taste.

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It is also one of the most dog-friendly towns we have been so far. They seem to be treated a little more like friends than pets. No leash laws and plenty of indoor establishments (even bars and restaurants) that allow well-behaved dogs inside. The locals find all kinds of ways to bring them along for the ride.

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At our RV park, an onsite chicken coup supplies the breakfast cafe with fresh eggs and we even participated in a Christmas day potluck for all of us on the road for the holiday.

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A community fire pit burns all day and night and an interesting conversation or new friend can be found about any time you stop by to warm up. Best of all, you never had to wonder if you were welcome. Pulling up a chair or striking up a conversation with a fellow traveler always seems natural and easy at this place.

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There was wildlife to be seen and photographed everywhere. Unfortunately we didn’t get any good shots of the Wild Hogs and Eagles that we saw while hiking but the flock of white pelicans were pretty cool.

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Although the sunsets and wildlife are the claim to fame, the local musical talent and all around unique gathering of friendly, colorful, diverse and interesting people are what made this place like no other. Maybe in the world. On any given night live bluegrass, country, gospel, or folk/rock could be found either at the clubhouse or at an informal gathering around a campfire, or a small venue in town. Some of the locals that winter here are joined by anyone that is carrying an instrument or that can carry a tune. The result is something special as is everything else about Sunset Isle RV park in Cedar Key, Florida. The experience is something we consider ourselves lucky to have been in a time and place to experience. I would try to explain better but I can’t.

RV Lesson #8: Some experiences on the road can’t be captured or recreated in a blog. You just have to live them and learn to appreciate the gift found in every present moment, unique location, and colorful personality.

As we get set to leave we are sad to say goodbye to the new friends and place that we feel like we have known forever. At the same time we are happy to have connected with a group that we are sure we will see again – either here, or wherever the road takes us.

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