Upcoming Posts!

We're off to brave the chance of weather from Hurricane / Tropical Storm / Low Pressure "Sandy", whatever she may be by the time she gets up the eastern seaboard to Pennsylvania.  Hopefully, not till mid-day sunday so we can get packed back up from our last camping trip.  Bummer!  It's the last one already!  (most campgrounds close around our area on Nov 1st)

Upcoming posts will obviously be about this weekend's Holloween Adventure at the campground, but then we'll also have a post about winterizing and also a summary Campground Score-card for our adventures this year.

Check back soon!

Measuring Propane Use

Ever wonder how to check propane level in your tank?  After using the propane this season for 5 trips now, cooking and using the heater occasionally, and then using the heater nearly all night this past trip as the temps dipped below freezing got me thinking, how much propane did I use?


First, you need to have some sort of scale that you can place your tank onto or suspend from.  I think the grocery stores would frown upon you taking the tank inside!

On the tank someplace you will find some valuable information stamped into it.  This is more commonly found around the tank handle since it would not damage or impact the tank.  Sometimes it may also be placed on a placard attached to the tank.  Here you will find the water weight capacity (W.C.) the tank is able to hold, which converts to a propane weight using a common ratio of these liquid densities.  You will also find the Tare Weight, or empty weight of your tank.

Propane Conversion Chart

In my case, I see on my tank that my W.C. is 47.6 lbs.  Going to the chart, I see that 47.6 is nearly equal to 20 lbs of propane.  I also find on my tank that the empty weight is 19.0 lbs.

Water Weight - Top, and Tank Empty Weight TW, Bottom

Given this information, my full propane tank will weigh in at 39 lbs when full.  To determine how much propane I have remaining in the tank, I just used a digital fish scale that I could lift the tank up off the ground with and get a reading.  Prior to our camping trip to Quakerwoods, I measured our tank to be 37 lbs.  This meant that in our prior 4 trips, when we predominately used the stove and grill for cooking quick meals, we used approximately 2 lbs of propane. 

Weighing the tank with a digital fish scale

Close up of the scale

Following our trip this past time and really running the furnace, I could definitely tell that the tank was lighter, and here in the photos you can see that it measured approximately 31.6 lbs!  That's 5.4 lbs of propane used in just one trip!  The heater worked great, but wow, did it suck some propane!

Now, 31.6 lbs is the total weight currently, so subtracting the 19 lbs of the tank weight I still have 12.6 lbs of propane remaining, enough for our last trip out this coming weekend, even if it gets really cold (which it currently is not forecast too, looks like mid 40*'s for the lows at night).

So, armed with this information, I can now check my tank periodically and get an estimate of the propane left in my tank.

Bonus Note: 1 lb of Propane can yield approximately 21,600 BTUs!  So, if you are trying to figure how much you can run that furnace or particular appliance in the camper, take it's rated BTU output/hour and divide by 21,600 BTUs, and you'll have how many pounds you can expect to use per hour.

Happy Camping!!

Quakerwoods Campground - Oct 12-14, 2012

Another week of work, followed by an exciting camping retreat at Quakerwoods Campground in Quakertown.  Not a far drive, and really easy for us to navigate to since we are so close to the turnpike.  34 minutes from pulling the camper out of the driveway to pulling into the campground, can't beat that.

The forecast was looking to be a cold wintery feeling Friday night, but moderate on Saturday and Sunday.  We made up for all other campsite short comings with this trip and everything ran like a fine made swiss watch with regards to setting up the camper and closing it down.  Becky and I seemed to be right on the same track with each of us working together perfectly.  Not bad for our 5th camping trip!

Our Massive Site.

Quakerwoods is a nice campground that has the seasonals occupying the perimeter and a few weekender sites mingled in.  The main sites are in the center with easy access roads and all the low branches cleared from the trees.  In fact, 80% of the campground is gravel, since it is all sites and roads, with grass areas only found around the pond and soccer/softball field.  This is one negative for the kids.  Our site was huge, plenty of room for our camper, 10x10 canopy, two cars, and room for the fire ring and chairs.  The bathhouse was moderately tiled and nice, actually one of the better ones that we have been in this season according to Becky.

Great sign.  The things you see at Campgrounds.

Family Photo!! GoPro style!

Stayin warm by the fire and makin Smores!

Poor Madie, I had to put socks on her hands as mittens.  Here she is napping.

Friday night it was cold and damp, with a light breeze blowing in thru the woods off the field.  I ran the propane furnace most of the night to keep everyone comfortable and had the heated mattresses turned on too.  At 5am, the weather on the iPad said 26*!  Couple that with the raw damp wind, and we were cold.  It was best to stay inside the camper for breakfast and stay out of the wind till the sun really could get to work outside and warm things up.  Even then, we realized we weren't really prepared for the cold, not having gloves or mittens, or even pull over hats for the kids.  Everyone had hooded sweatshirts and fleece jackets, but even wearing both they were getting cold.  By mid-day, we decided to go for a wagon ride on the tractor since it was warming up a bit and it would get everyone moving. 

Ally catching one of the few fish today

Then we saw that the pond was being hit with full sun, and decided to give fishing a shot.  This way, the kids could have something to do and they would be out of the damp woods and in the sun, which would have worked better if the fish were biting!  We only caught two fish in nearly an hour, so everyone was bored and wanted to get back to the campsite.

The afternoon was filled with playing in the leaves, going for walks and playing at the playground with Grammy, and of course, having a great dinner and cooking smores on the fire!  We burned a good amount of wood this weekend and had a good time.  I recorded a lot of video which I'll assemble soon in the 'off season' to add to the blog.

Warwick Woods Family Campground!

Preparations began early in the week for another fun weekend of camping.  The girls did not yet know that we had worked it out for their friend Zoe and her mom to come up and meet us on Saturday to join us camping for the weekend.  Weather was looking to be great for another weekend in the woods, with some fall chill starting to set in as the week progressed.

Friday came around, and we already had the van packed and the hitch in place.  As soon as I could, I hurried home from work to help load the final items as Becky picked the girls up from school.  Being a Friday, there is always more traffic than normal and we were sure to hit it.  So as soon as everyone was home, we rushed back out the door and over to pick up our camper.

 

The snapshots above make it look easy, but it took me a few frustrating tries to get the camper in the position that I wanted due to the shape of our site being a 'kidney bean' shape.  Finally, I had it close enough and we leveled it,... or tried to.  The door side took two shim boards but the tongue jack was near full extension,.. which I did not like.  So, we lowered the front back down and I took some remaining shim boards and got them ready.  As I lifted the tongue with my huge muscles, Becky slid in the boards under the front jack.  That lifted us 3 inches or so, giving me more comfort in the jack.  I nailed two cleats to either side of the wheel to secure in place and we were finally ready to open the camper.  This added time to our typical setup time of 1 1/2 -2 hrs.  Generally, our setup includes making the beds, installing everything inside and setting up everything outside, once and done.  No getting a box out later to unpack or a camp chair to setup around the fire, it's all done when we arrive.

After some dinner, we relaxed a bit and then went down to BINGO!  The girls had a good time, and although they didn't win this time, I'm sure we will be playing BINGO more often at the campgrounds.

Ally checking her numbers

Becky Won! $2  (I think 4 people won simultaneously, so the pot was split)

So, after a long day at work, traffic, and the evening at the campground we were all ready to turn in and get some rest,... all of us except Madie!  She was just a bundle of energy and a wiggle worm for hours in the camper... so much for a good nights rest.

Saturday morning came quick, and so did Zoe and her mom.  We no sooner finished breakfast and they called saying they were down at the front entrance.  Good timing too, cause after a few minutes of looking around the camper and campsite, we were all off on our way to the Rec Hall to start the scavenger hunt!

Ally, Bella, Zoe, Madie

The campground provided the bags and a scavenger hunt list, so off we went to find at least 15 items on the list.  Bottle caps, yellow flower, oak leaf, clover, candy wrapper, etc, we were searching and picking up our items.

Craft time after scavenger hunting!

Madie's squirrel craft and her scavenger hunt paper.

One time when Becky and I started camping many moons ago, we were near a Girl Scout Troop who were making Spider Dogs??  Curiosity got the best of Becky and soon she was over there.  Now we make them with the girls.  Cut a "+" into each end of a hot dog and leave about a 1 inch length in the middle uncut.  As you cook the hot dog over the fire these ends curl back and make the hot dog look like a spider with 8 legs!  Zoe and her mom had a good time making them.  Note, fishing rod holders also make good snack holders at the fire!


Spider Dogs over the Fire!



Now that everyone had some lunch, we decided to go fishing in the early afternoon since their was a good chance of rain moving in later in the evening.  Girls went and played for a few minutes at the playground while I got the gear ready.  Then, down to the fishing pond we went.  All the girls caught a bluegill and were having a good time, and I was trying to get a catfish.  The website shows some photos of some big ones, so I had chicken liver and pantyhose to keep the bait together, and the patience to catch one.

Everyone fishing for a big catch!

Video says it all,... and I did too apparently at the end,... Ooops!
Disappointed, everyone headed back to the site while I continued to try for another hour.  No Luck.  One thing to make it all better, a good dinner and smores over the fire!


Smores!

Sunday is always tricky, as you know you have to pack up but you really don't want to.  What is nice about Warwick Woods is that checkout isn't till 2pm!  So, we relaxed in the Hammock, took a walk to check out the other campsites while many packed up, played in the arcade, and even had some lunch!

Madie and Daddy in the Hammock

Down the tube slide!  Wwwweeeee!

Ok,.. back at the homestead, time to pack up.

So, another great weekend camping and a really good time at Warwick Woods.  Definitely a place to return to and visit next year.  Any other families out there that want to go, let us know, and we have a few good sites near one another we can try to book.  Check out our video below too!

Fall is here,... Colonial Woods Camping #2

Friday:
Noon on Friday came quickly and I was soon on my way home from work to go and hook up the camper before the kids got out of school.  Now that they are in second grade and the evening light is getting shorter, picking them up directly from school is going to be a benefit to getting setup at the campground.

We arrived to Colonial Woods and found it to be quite empty this weekend in comparison to the busy and full weekend we camped here before.  This time, we were in site FS3, which was on the outer loop and a nice long site.  As we setup, we moved the picnic table to infront of our camper and enclosed it with our 10x10 canopy.  This allowed us to have a camp fire area off to the side, and we found out later that we could easily fit two cars with room to spare.

First Family Photo from Camping!

This time Becky and I were not quite in sync with the setup process.  I raised the camper without plugging in the fan/AC cord or extending the awning.  Of course, I noticed this after everything else was done and now we didn't have or stepstool with us either.  So, Ally and Bella took turns up on my shoulders to help unzip the awning and get it untied for Becky and I to setup.  Couple this with Madie crying loudly after falling on the stone, Ally and Bella being cranky cause they are tired and hungry, and we looked like the family you didn't want to get stuck camping next to.  But, after all was done, food was shared, and everyone was happy to be camping again, we were off to a much better start to the weekend.

Saturday:
The kids actually slept in their OWN bed ALL night!  Well, at least till the early hours of the morning when Madie was the first to wake up before 6am.  Once everyone was up and moving, Becky started up the cooktop to make eggs and pancakes for breakfast.  MMmmmm Mmmmm Good!  It's always a good idea to have a good breakfast before going fishing!

We all walked over to the fishing pond and I setup the lines.  Basically, you can picture three kids fishing from the side of the pond with me going back and forth down the line replacing worms, taking off bluegills, repeat.  It was just back and forth between them all and they were having a great time.  Madie caught her first fish, a bluegill, and was reeling it in.  She hesitated when it started splashing at the edge of the water, and then broke out in excitement.... "I got a fishy! I got a fishy!"  It was really neat to see her so excited.  Becky captured this great photo too when I asked if she wanted to kiss the fish!

Kissy Kissy!  You caught a Fishy!

Ally and Bella each managed to pull in about 6 or 7 bluegill each before 10am when craft time began.  Ally and I continued to fish while Becky took Madie and Bella to the main lodge for craft time.  When they were done, we fished a bit longer but the fish had learned their lesson for the day and stopped biting the hook.  So, off to the camper for lunch and some R&R before the forecast afternoon rain approached.  Radar showed a line of heavy rain approaching, so we elected to have hot dogs over the fire and smores for lunch!

These woods are infested with bugs and monsters!

Spider Dogs over the fire!

Fresh Chocolate Chip Cookie and Fire Roasted Marshmellow!  MMMmmmm

After lunch, we had a visit from Nana!  After showing her the camper and our setup, we all headed off to Free MiniGolf.  No one bothered to keep track of the score, as it was tough enough to keep the kids from going ahead to the next one as soon as they were done.  Everyone had a good time even though it was hot and humid.  A few rumbles of thunder in the distance, and we scooted back to the camper.

Ally starting off the next hole!

I Win! I Win!

The rain soon started with a light drizzle followed by the campground guy coming around telling us of the severe thunderstorm warning and heavy winds approaching.  We secured the campers awning and lowered our canopy over the picnic table, stowed the firewood, and went to the lodge to wait it out and play some games.  After about 45 minutes of a steady rain, very little wind, and nearly no thunder, we headed back seeing that the main line of the storms had passed.  But, still raining, we elected not to have our main dinner and just go with PB&J or PB&Fluff for a light dinner before going to the Ice Cream Social!  Gotta save room for Ice Cream!

Ice cream was good, with lots of toppings that made it better!  They were setting up for Bingo and Nana had to head home, so we said our Good-Bye and went back to the camper for the rest of the drizzly night.

Sunday:
yea,.. you know the drill by now...  Breakfast, Fishing, then Packing up the camper.  It was much colder now that the rain and storm front has passed.  We fired up the furnace to warm up the camper and pulled out our sweatshirts.

One of Ally's many Blue-Gill and Sunfish

Bella's 10" Bass!

So, we wrap up another trip with lots of smiles and great times.  Teardown and packing up was Smooth, and we redeemed ourselves in comparison to our setup on Friday.  Here is a slideshow of the weekend!  Enjoy!




Things That Worked:

1. Vent system works great even with the short grey water hose.  Very happy with this setup.
2. TV/DVD is nice to have to allow the kids to calm down before bed.  Also was nice to have with the rain this weekend.
3. Furnace!  Thank goodness for heat.
4. 2-way radios are really nice to have for the kids going to the bathroom or if we divide to do different activities.

Things That are added to the To-Do List:

1. Don't forget the step stool!  By the 4th trip, hopefully we'll remember it!
2. Velcro to keep the new step secured so it doesn't slide.
3. Check the interior light bulbs for replacement with LED fixtures to reduce the heat.  Same with the exterior step light as Madie likes to touch that one!
4. Fill / Check the propane tank.  Need to guage how much we used our first 3 trips with cooking and light heat use.  Fall chill is in the air, and I have a feeling we'll be using the heater more often to extend our trips to the end of October.

Knoebels & Lake Glory Campground, Catawissa, PA

For our second trip with the popup, we decided to move up our annual Knoebels weekend with the kids from after Labor Day to this past weekend.  I scheduled to take off work on Friday so we could get an early start to the 130 mile drive and check-in early.  I called on Wednesday evening to confirm we could check-in early and our site was not occupied and better yet, there were no additional charges for early arrival.  So, Thursday night I set the AirLift system to 28 psi, and loaded the car with all our stuff.  After playing TETRIS with the boxes, bags, and cases, everything fit in great and all we would have to load in the morning was the cooler and pillows.

All Setup

We left the house by 8am and hitched up the camper.  After checking all the lights and turning the fridge on 12V to begin cooling it during the drive, we were on our way over to the PA Turnpike.  The van handled the load fine on the highway and I could maintain 65mph easily in overdrive pulling just below 2000 rpms on the flat and on the slight grades it would drop into 4th and pull about 2400 rpms.  After the Lehigh Tunnel the long grades were no trouble and the camper tracked very well behind us with no sway.  2 hrs 30 minutes later, we arrived at Lake Glory Campground!

Madie's Little People Campsite!

We backed into our site and checked the level, and then uncoupled the van from the camper.  Within a few minutes we had a plan of action and we began to open the camper and unload the van.  Becky took care of the inside items and I took care of the exterior,.... i.e..  She was in the AC and I was in the Sun :-)


Site setup complete, it was time to head off to the Knoebels Crystal Pool for the afternoon to cool off and have some fun!  The water was FREEEEEEZZZZINNNGGG!!  The girls lasted about 45 minutes in the pool before we took a break and got some snacks and played on the rope course.  Back in the pool for a little while, but they were getting to cold and it was getting close to 4pm.  We wanted to head back to the camp and get changed for the evening, grab dinner, and come back for Family Bargain Night for the rides!

5am Saturday was COLD,... turned on the LP Furnace for the first time!

Knoebels is a lot of fun and if you haven't been there you should add it to your list of places to go.  Free Parking, Free Admission.  If you want to ride the rides you can purchase a booklet of tickets and go on the rides  you choose, or you can buy an All Ride Pass (bracelet) that you can ride as much as you want!  This is great cause we can get the girls a handstamp for the Bargain night and they can ride as many as they choose, over and over again, and Becky and I don't have to pay anything to be there in the park and watch them.  If we want to go on a ride, we just use some of the tickets we bought.  Here are some highlight photos from the weekend.

Ally riding the Helicopters

Bella on the Italian Trapeze (Swings)

My Favorite Photo from the Weekend

 

All the Ladies with Kozmo

 

Madie loved these train cars!

Mmmmm,.... Smores and the evening fire.... YUMMY!

Becky's BIG Bass!

Nice part about Lake Glory is that checkout isn't until 2pm.  This made Sunday nice and relaxed and while everyone else was packing up we were able to go fishing, do a scavenger hunt with the kids, and have lunch.   The girls had a few bites when fishing but no good results.  Becky managed to fight off the big one and reel it in!  <--SEE LEFT

Eventually it was time to pack back up, which went pretty smooth.  It was getting hot though and being in our site with no shade trees made it quite steamy when we had to roll up the awning! 

Back to reality on Sunday Evening, the ride and tow home was uneventful.  Back out again in two weeks to another Campground!

Camper Project Results!

As you've read in our previous posts, we've picked up a few items along the way and learned some new ideas from others at the campsite or online at the Forest River Forums (makers of Flagstaff Campers).  The fishing rod holder works great, and we even received some compliments this weekend.  The step and landing box worked awesome as well.  Turns out, the leveling shims and blocking fit perfectly in it.

So, a trip or two to Walmart and Lowes and we have a few items to share.  The 10x10 canopy that we have used for a long time makes a perfect screened in area for the picnic table.  This helps greatly reduce the bugs and doubles as a play area / game area in the evening if we turn on the rope light.  This casts a nice glow over the area without being intrusive for the neighboring camps.

Our Organized Campsite.  Awning, carpet, and Picnic Tent space + My little Madie

Walmart behind toilet organizer, modified, makes a nice shelf pantry!

With storage space a premium in the camper, this idea on the forums was a great one.  Take the metal bathroom organizer at Walmart and use it as a shelf unit / pantry over the stove!  Just left off the bottom section and we had to trim the top for height, but it fits well and lets us unpack a box of stuff from the car and not keep moving it in the camper.

The sink vent system worked fantastic.  No backups or slow drainage from the sink during dish duty or even during the rinsing of the lines where I run the water for about a minute.

Mesh screened in 10x10 is great for eating and playing games!

So, now that you have seen our updates, the next post will talk about our great trip to Knoebels Amusement Park in Elysburg, PA.  Nearly 300 photos from this weekend!