No Snow,... just lots of wind and rain this spring. Luckily our camper has stayed dry inside and protected. I've been lax lately about posting, since we are working so hard on our new house to renovate and to get our current house ready to put on the market. Finally, we will be getting a chance to open the camper and enjoy the comforts of camping without the cell phones on and work papers everywhere. We need a rest.
Some upcoming posts will be about our camping trip, spring cleaning, and lubrication of the camper parts. More to come soon!
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
This Winter Sucketh!
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Our Poor Flagstaff Camper,...
Our camper is holding out, dreaming of spring sunshine and warm beach side camping at Assateague Island,.... but first, this snow has got to go! We have been getting close to the snowfall records in the area for the past few years, passing many in the last decade. 6-10 inches at a time, we are getting pretty tired of it.
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Planning for Spring..... Can't get here fast enough!
So, as I sit here and type, we had 8 inches of snow a few days ago which crippled the area for a bit till they got a good chance to clean things up. The camper survived well, with the wind blowing most of the snow off of it in the day that followed. Now, it is freezing rain that is soaking into the snow, freezing on top, freezing the sidewalks,... and making it miserable.
So,.. why not think about the camping season and what we can do this year!
I managed to score a great deal on the Harbor Freight 45W Solar Panel system with charge controller on New Years Day during the big sale. Lowest price that I have seen for it when I used the 25% coupon too! That got me thinking on a rainy day like this, what is the best way to hook everything up for our camper and our needs. The Solar system will only be used a few times a year when we dry-camp out back, camp on the beach of Asseteague Island, or find another new place to go. The rest of the time we will have the opportunity to plug into the campground shore power and have the converter charge our deep cycle battery.
I read a bit about how the systems work and I wanted to add a way to disconnect the power from the battery to the camper as well, so that when sitting for a few weeks between trips the LP and CO detectors can't draw on the battery. Doesn't seem like much, but after 3-4 weeks it makes a difference when you go to power lift the camper roof.
Bring in the Blue Sea battery switch. This is a marine grade switch used on boats to select between two points of battery source, or both, and would be a perfect fit I think for our objective. If I wire the "common" terminal as the 12V battery, then option 1 can be the camper and option 2 can be the solar array. If we need, I can even select "1+2" and have the camper and solar array connected to the battery at once.
Typically, we will operate at Position 1, which gives us all the features we have connected now as if we are directly connected to the terminal. Battery is connected to the Camper Fuse system and Converter. If at a campground with hookup, the battery can be maintained thru the converter in the camper and charged.
Parking for the weeks between trips, I can select Position 2, but NOT have the solar system connected. This would effectively be my battery disconnect position.
Camping at Asseteague Island for 4 days with no hookups at the site, we can be in Position 2 and connect the solar controller and array to charge and maintain the battery during the day. Set to Position 1, the camper lighting, fan, and water pump can be active when we are in the camper in the evening and the solar array disconnected.
I still have to read up, but doesn't seem to be any reason why we can't be in Position "1+2", when connected to the solar array (not connected to shore power at a campground), so that the water pump can be run and the battery can have a load on it / charge on it at the same time.
In order to keep tabs on the battery voltage, a simple digital LCD volt meter will be wired across the battery terminals with a single pole switch so that I can turn on / off the meter to see the voltage of the battery. It is always a good idea to keep an eye on the voltage, but you also have to remember to read it at rest, which may mean an hour after disconnecting the solar array. You can read it while charging, but it is effectively reading the solar panel voltage output/charge, and not the actual state of the battery.
So,.. why not think about the camping season and what we can do this year!
I managed to score a great deal on the Harbor Freight 45W Solar Panel system with charge controller on New Years Day during the big sale. Lowest price that I have seen for it when I used the 25% coupon too! That got me thinking on a rainy day like this, what is the best way to hook everything up for our camper and our needs. The Solar system will only be used a few times a year when we dry-camp out back, camp on the beach of Asseteague Island, or find another new place to go. The rest of the time we will have the opportunity to plug into the campground shore power and have the converter charge our deep cycle battery.
Bring in the Blue Sea battery switch. This is a marine grade switch used on boats to select between two points of battery source, or both, and would be a perfect fit I think for our objective. If I wire the "common" terminal as the 12V battery, then option 1 can be the camper and option 2 can be the solar array. If we need, I can even select "1+2" and have the camper and solar array connected to the battery at once.
Typically, we will operate at Position 1, which gives us all the features we have connected now as if we are directly connected to the terminal. Battery is connected to the Camper Fuse system and Converter. If at a campground with hookup, the battery can be maintained thru the converter in the camper and charged.
Parking for the weeks between trips, I can select Position 2, but NOT have the solar system connected. This would effectively be my battery disconnect position.
Camping at Asseteague Island for 4 days with no hookups at the site, we can be in Position 2 and connect the solar controller and array to charge and maintain the battery during the day. Set to Position 1, the camper lighting, fan, and water pump can be active when we are in the camper in the evening and the solar array disconnected.
I still have to read up, but doesn't seem to be any reason why we can't be in Position "1+2", when connected to the solar array (not connected to shore power at a campground), so that the water pump can be run and the battery can have a load on it / charge on it at the same time.
In order to keep tabs on the battery voltage, a simple digital LCD volt meter will be wired across the battery terminals with a single pole switch so that I can turn on / off the meter to see the voltage of the battery. It is always a good idea to keep an eye on the voltage, but you also have to remember to read it at rest, which may mean an hour after disconnecting the solar array. You can read it while charging, but it is effectively reading the solar panel voltage output/charge, and not the actual state of the battery.
Thursday, November 28, 2013
2013 - Winterizing Again :-(
Another great camping season has drawn to a close here in the Northeast United States. Well, I'm sure there are people out there camping and there are some campgrounds still open, but the majority of the area closes November 1st for the winter and will reopen next April once the temps are back up above freezing. This year we had a lot of great trips and especially perfect weather for all of them. Most importantly, we spent a lot of time together as a family and enjoyed the outdoors, from here in PA to Assateague Island, MD, we were able to enjoy camping with each other and friends we made along the way.
Prior to our last camping trip at Little Red Barn, we decided to move the camper from our current storage/parking location up to my MIL home. This property is large and had ample room to make a parking pad for the camper. After scavenging some timber beams that were on the property, we called and had 4 yards of 3/4 Modified-minus stone mix delivered. Wow, that stuff is dense and like raking/shoveling concrete, but it made a very nice pad. All the kids helped too, which made it even better.
The weather was nice for a good cleaning so I pulled out the checklists I made last season and and began on the interior. Compartments were emptied and wiped out, and the kids placed the items in the van for the trip home. Everything was done quickly and neatly, and then it was time to RV antifreeze the lines, water pump, and tank. Took a little while, and almost 2 full gallons of the pink stuff until the water pump was able to pick up the solution and pump it thru the lines. Everything was now done inside, and I began to close the camper back up. A walk around the outside, completing the list of items on the checklist as I went, and it was time to put the cover on nice and secure for the winter weather and cold winter winds.
Till April my friend,....
Prior to our last camping trip at Little Red Barn, we decided to move the camper from our current storage/parking location up to my MIL home. This property is large and had ample room to make a parking pad for the camper. After scavenging some timber beams that were on the property, we called and had 4 yards of 3/4 Modified-minus stone mix delivered. Wow, that stuff is dense and like raking/shoveling concrete, but it made a very nice pad. All the kids helped too, which made it even better.
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| Spreading the pile of Modified mix for our new parking pad |
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| Compacting the nearly level pad using the lawn tractor |
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| Parked, awaiting the final cleaning |
Till April my friend,....
2013 - Trip 10 - Little Red Barn Campground - Halloween Weekend!
The weeks leading up to Halloween have been extremely busy between work, home, and planning for the weekend. Finally the weather forecast began to show the camping weekend ahead, but not as a comfortable fall weekend that we have been having but with a cold front passing thru middle of the week dropping the nightly temps into the freezing mark and daily highs struggling to break 50 degrees. The packing list now changed to include gloves, hats, and more blankets, we began to talk about driving two cars. This would allow the costumes to be packed safely so they didn't get bent or damaged with everyone in the car, as they are quite large this year. If you recall, Little Red Barn is where the Lego Family had their debut,... so this year we had to come up with another good family theme.
Over the past few weeks, we began gathering cardboard, paint, and the thoughts for this years costume theme,... and finally decided on Mr and Mrs Pac-man and ghosts! Each of the girls are a different color ghost, with their backs being painted in the color scheme of after Pac-man eats the power pill, changing the ghosts and making them run away. Becky and I would be the love struck Mrs and Mr Pac-man, chasing after the ghosts. I even downloaded the theme music to the arcade game onto my iPhone so we could have that play as we walked. The costumes are made from large cardboard sheets, primed with paint to help resist curling, and then finish painted on the outside with the colors each of the girls chose. For ease, they just slip their heads thru the costume and it rests on their shoulders.
As you can see from the photos, we had a great weekend of fall weather camping and meeting new friends, while also running into a few other campers that we have seen at previous campgrounds through out the season. At the costume contest, the girls took SECOND place!!! This year they didn't have individual categories, so taking second place was even a better accomplishment!
End of Season Already? BOO!
Over the past few weeks, we began gathering cardboard, paint, and the thoughts for this years costume theme,... and finally decided on Mr and Mrs Pac-man and ghosts! Each of the girls are a different color ghost, with their backs being painted in the color scheme of after Pac-man eats the power pill, changing the ghosts and making them run away. Becky and I would be the love struck Mrs and Mr Pac-man, chasing after the ghosts. I even downloaded the theme music to the arcade game onto my iPhone so we could have that play as we walked. The costumes are made from large cardboard sheets, primed with paint to help resist curling, and then finish painted on the outside with the colors each of the girls chose. For ease, they just slip their heads thru the costume and it rests on their shoulders.
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| Front of the Costumes |
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| Back of the Costumes! |
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| Our Campsite for the weekend, spacious and Large! |
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| All the kids playing Washers |
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| Craft Time at the pavilion making Trick or Treat Bags |
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| Fall Festive Group Photo! |
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| End of Season Photo with Becky |
As you can see from the photos, we had a great weekend of fall weather camping and meeting new friends, while also running into a few other campers that we have seen at previous campgrounds through out the season. At the costume contest, the girls took SECOND place!!! This year they didn't have individual categories, so taking second place was even a better accomplishment!
End of Season Already? BOO!
Friday, October 11, 2013
2013 - Trip 8 & 9 - Colonial Woods Campground
School is now in session and darkness creeps in earlier now, so our camping trips are just to local campgrounds for the quick weekend get-away. Also, since it is now no longer peak camping season, the rates have dropped a few dollars and there are some good deals out there. At Colonial Woods, if you book two weekends in a row, you can leave your camper on-site, just turn off or unplug the electric, and you get 10% off the second weekend! So, that's what we have done this time.
Friday was the typical caos of getting everything loaded and the camper picked up before the kids got out of school. We were able to pick them up and get on our way before long which made it nice for the setup. Check in was a breeze as usual and we were off to our site. While the site is long, if I place the popup all the way back I can't reach the power pole location, so it took a minute or five to get the placement right so our main plug could reach, and then we disconnected and let the kids out of the van. The rest of the setup went smoothly. Friday evening we enjoyed a small campfire and riding our pedal bike around the campground while others were moving in and setting up. Saturday was going to be a full day of activities as it was Grandparents weekend, and both Nana and Momsie were going to be coming to visit!
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| Madie enjoying her Hot Dog! |
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| Saturday Afternoons Swedish Fire Log Attempt,... worked pretty well. |
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| Playing Mini-Golf, Crazy Kid Style |
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| Riding the bikes and Scooters |
Sunday arrived and we took our time packing up what we needed and securing our canopy and camper. It felt weird loading so little stuff back into the car and leaving the camper there. We double checked everything was off and secure, and then loaded into the van to head home.
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| All secure, time to head home. |
Back to work for the week, with only having to get groceries and a few odds and ends for the second weekend of camping, it was an odd feeling knowing that we didn't have the camper packed up or at its usual storage spot. Honestly, I almost felt like I should drive over sometime and check in on it just to feel more secure.
Second weekend came up quickly and it was made even better by having off
work on Friday and already having a fully setup camper. We dropped the older kids off at school and then headed up to Scott Powersports to drop off my motorcycle for some maintenance and tires. Then a good breakfast with Madie, and we were to the campground still before 11:30am. Just a few
things to re-organize, turn things back on, and open up the awning, and
we were back in camping mode in less than 30 minutes! This weekend was more about relaxing and enjoying camping than anything else. The kids did crafts again and we were able to get some fishing in too. Hey,.. look what I found....
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| Rob the Turtleman,... Ayahaaya,.. Live Action! |
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| Becky go the bullseye!,... at least I hope so,.. otherwise, not sure what she is doing.... |
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| Bella throwing for the bullseye again! She was good! |
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
2013 - Trip 7 - Lake Glory Campground & Knoebels Amusement Park
It is time for our annual trek to Knoebels Amusement Park in Elysburg, PA. Becky and I have been going there for all of our married life, and a few years prior as well. This year the kids will get to go on a lot more as they have hit some serious growth spurts this past year! Just the weekend before, we also found out our neighbors were going to Knoebels and had a reservation at the main campground. Soon after talking with us, they called back and said they changed their reservation and would be at Lake Glory too! So, all of us began talking and planning, hoping to get some organized meals planned before we left. Due to work, they couldn't get to the campground before dark on Friday, so we took their ground tarp and tent to get it setup for them.
Thursday I had off of work and since we had the camper packed already from our last trip, it was a steady packing up of the van after breakfast and then we began our journey. The ride up the Turnpike was smooth and so was going out route 80. Not a lot of traffic or construction, which for the State of Pennsylvania is rare. We arrived at Lake Glory Campground and checked in at their new front office, wow, what a difference compared to the small shack like office they had before. They have been doing a lot of great upgrades to the campground and this was a huge improvement that they needed. Our site was very nice, shaded by the trees and tucked in with a nice spot of grass behind where the kids could play. Setup went rather smoothly,.... then we found some nails. Luckily, none in or at our camper tires or van, but there were quite a bit of rusty short nails found on our campsite.
Bella began picking them up and putting them into a cup, and before you knew it, the cup was full! We walked a few times back and forth, picking them up, and after we thought we got them all we went to the camp office to let them know. They were surprised to see them all and a bit taken back. The woman at the counter offered to go home and get her own magnet on wheels, like the roofers use, and bring it back to our camp. Sure enough, about an hour later after her shift, she came over and began running it back and forth. To our amazement, she picked up at least twice as much as we found!! Many just below the dust and dirt. She was very apologetic and patient, and went all around the two sites we had making sure she got as much as she could.
Thursday night we were out for a walk around the campground, when the wind shifted and you knew rain was coming. Before we got back to the site it started a steady drizzle, then increased to a downpour! Luckily, with our site in the trees, we were protected from some of the wind and heavy rain but everything got a good washing!
Friday morning the kids were up and excited to go spend the day at the park. During the week you can purchase All-Day ride passes instead of ticket books, which makes it nice that I don't have to count out three sets of tickets at each ride! Before we left though, we setup the huge ass tent the neighbors have. Wow, that thing is big and spacious!
The park wasn't very crowded once you got passed the line for the ride passes. The kids were able to go on nearly all their favorites and a few new ones too. We arrived at about 11:30 am, and rode all day till 7pm, when it was clear the kids were fading fast and it would be best to head back to the campground. Here are a few shots from our fun today!
Later that evening, just after 8pm, the Kennally's arrived in the dark and were glad we were able to setup their tent earlier in the day. We had some short time around the fire before everyone turned in for the night.
Saturday morning we all had a large group breakfast. Pancakes, Eggs, Sausage, Fruit, Juice and coffee, it was a nice spread. We even managed to have all the kids sit together on the one table while the adults had a chance to sit at the other, that was nice.
Off to the park, Dan and I drove while the ladies and the kids rode the Shuttle Bus. This way we could have the van to leave in the afternoon whenever we needed and the kids had fun riding the bus. Since there are no ride bands on the weekend, we used tickets that we had left over and another new book, and once gone, that would be it and we could go back to the camp and go fishing. All the kids had a good time riding together one the various rides and since there were now the 4 older ones and the 2 younger, it was a nice match up for going on the rides, no one was left to ride themselves.
Sunday morning came to fast, but it was another very nice morning. Clear skies and comfortable temps, we were able to pack up steadily while playing or doing something with the kids here and there. We decided to make sandwiches and have everyone eat while I hitched up the camper, that way we could most likely make the run all the way home without a rest stop or food break. Once on the road, we fueled up at a nearby station and then began the homeward trek, with only Ally and I staying awake for the ride and the rest of them sleeping away.
Summer is OVER...... Phew! That went fast! Only three more weekends of camping scheduled this fall.
Thursday I had off of work and since we had the camper packed already from our last trip, it was a steady packing up of the van after breakfast and then we began our journey. The ride up the Turnpike was smooth and so was going out route 80. Not a lot of traffic or construction, which for the State of Pennsylvania is rare. We arrived at Lake Glory Campground and checked in at their new front office, wow, what a difference compared to the small shack like office they had before. They have been doing a lot of great upgrades to the campground and this was a huge improvement that they needed. Our site was very nice, shaded by the trees and tucked in with a nice spot of grass behind where the kids could play. Setup went rather smoothly,.... then we found some nails. Luckily, none in or at our camper tires or van, but there were quite a bit of rusty short nails found on our campsite.
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| Just one of the many passes full of nails and screws! |
Thursday night we were out for a walk around the campground, when the wind shifted and you knew rain was coming. Before we got back to the site it started a steady drizzle, then increased to a downpour! Luckily, with our site in the trees, we were protected from some of the wind and heavy rain but everything got a good washing!
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| A decent Bass caught at the Lake |
Friday morning the kids were up and excited to go spend the day at the park. During the week you can purchase All-Day ride passes instead of ticket books, which makes it nice that I don't have to count out three sets of tickets at each ride! Before we left though, we setup the huge ass tent the neighbors have. Wow, that thing is big and spacious!
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| Riding the Whip!! |
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| Ally and Bella are getting to BIG! |
The park wasn't very crowded once you got passed the line for the ride passes. The kids were able to go on nearly all their favorites and a few new ones too. We arrived at about 11:30 am, and rode all day till 7pm, when it was clear the kids were fading fast and it would be best to head back to the campground. Here are a few shots from our fun today!
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| Sky Slide! |
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| Hand Cars! Madie's Favorite |
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| Getting some flying on! |
Later that evening, just after 8pm, the Kennally's arrived in the dark and were glad we were able to setup their tent earlier in the day. We had some short time around the fire before everyone turned in for the night.
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| Those silly neighbors! |
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| Camp Breakfast before the park |
Off to the park, Dan and I drove while the ladies and the kids rode the Shuttle Bus. This way we could have the van to leave in the afternoon whenever we needed and the kids had fun riding the bus. Since there are no ride bands on the weekend, we used tickets that we had left over and another new book, and once gone, that would be it and we could go back to the camp and go fishing. All the kids had a good time riding together one the various rides and since there were now the 4 older ones and the 2 younger, it was a nice match up for going on the rides, no one was left to ride themselves.
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| Clowning Around |
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| After the first pass, they weren't all smiling! |
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| The Whip! |
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| MmMmm.... Smores! |
Sunday morning came to fast, but it was another very nice morning. Clear skies and comfortable temps, we were able to pack up steadily while playing or doing something with the kids here and there. We decided to make sandwiches and have everyone eat while I hitched up the camper, that way we could most likely make the run all the way home without a rest stop or food break. Once on the road, we fueled up at a nearby station and then began the homeward trek, with only Ally and I staying awake for the ride and the rest of them sleeping away.
Summer is OVER...... Phew! That went fast! Only three more weekends of camping scheduled this fall.
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