Camping trips

View this slideshow of Ft DeSoto Photos

Ft DeSoto County Park, FL

December 5-7,2010
December in Florida can go either way. Downright cold or nice moderate temperatures. Our luck this time was for windy, near freezing conditions. I guess it was a test for the wind hardiness and and warm up ability of our tent and aluminum camper. We spent 3 nights at Ft. DeSoto and each night it got down into the thirties, with winds blowing 30-40 mph the whole time.
Opening up the camper in those winds did not pose too much of a problem with the two of us. We were in a relatively protected campsite, with shade overhead and tree barriers around. Most of the campsites are situated like this.
I had ordered three heat shield sheets to try to protect from the cold and hot. These only partially covered the roof and walls of the camper. (Ordered a Pop Up Gizmo later on. More about that later.) We both had sleeping bags and quilts, and the foam mattresses on the aluminum frame. (Will have to consider putting a barrier between frame and mattress in future cold trips.) We had installed foam flooring from Sam's Club that we snapped together and cut to fit, so every bit of exposed floor was covered. The little electric heater from Wal Mart was going full blast, and we did manage to get the temperature up to 50s and low 60s inside the camper.
Aside from being cold and windy, it was an enjoyable experience. Ft DeSoto is one of the most beautiful campsites around. A little expensive, $35-40/night. Water and electric provided. Most of the sites are shaded with a good tree and shrub barrier between sites. Check out their website to get a look at each individual site, which you can see when are choosing a site to book. It's a very popular park, and winter early spring time is very difficult to obtain. Booking is open 6 months ahead of time.

We were in site 15, overlooking the water. Here's a short video of the windy conditions, from the inside of the camper. As you can see, we need to develop a better way to organize the equipment to avoid clutter.
The foam mattresses are ok for sleeping, if you have adequate padding on your pressure points. Otherwise you really need a thicker one than the one provided by the company. We plan to get a foam topper.
Nighttime bathroom trips are a reality for people of a certain age. (as are we). The camper doesn't come with a bathroom or shower (our choice), so I knew we would have to get one. After looking at all sorts of options on the web, including one that hung off the ball of the tow hitch, I settled for one my neighbor suggested. A five gallon drum fitted with a toilet seat made especially for it. Line that with a 10 gallon garbage bag, and some kitty litter at the bottom, and you're good to go. I did not relish tramping 100 yards to the unheated bathroom in 30 degree weather 2x a night, so was glad this option was available.
Ft DeSoto's North Beach has been consistently rated one of the best in the US. Although too cold for swimming, it was great walking on the beach, which is very natural.
The beach gets crowded with locals on summer weekends.


Walking path and lagoon behind our campsite



North Beach, Ft. DeSoto



The first night in our camper

October 2010
Rippling Waters Church of God Campground, West Virginia http://www.ripplingwaterscog.webs.com/

We were driving from Indiana to the Western part of Virginia through Ohio and W. VA. We got as far as W. VA after driving most of the day and stopped at a rest stop just over the border to ask about campgrounds. They recommended one that was about an hour down the highway right before Charleston, that was owned by a church. We found it after driving quite a ways (it seemed) off the highway, and it turned out to be quite nice. There was fast fading evening light, so we tried to back the camper in and set up as fast as possible. Lets just say that the first time backing in was a laugh. We ended up pushing it into the site (thankfully it doesn't weigh very much and is easily maneuverable with one person pushing it). 



Pond with a little chapel at the campground

I wished we had watched the setup video on the company website at least two more times before attempting to do this in a rush. We were unable to use electricity that night because the connections in the part of the campground that was opened was not yet converted to 30 amp, which is what the camper has. So, by flashlight we worked, taking about an hour to set everything up. It was starting to get cold by this time, it being mid-October in the W. VA mountains. After driving all day, all we wanted to do was grab a quick something to eat and crash into bed. The camper body is all aluminum (a major selling point for us) so conducts heat and cold very easily. I froze that night, since we hadn't installed the flooring mat for the camper and since we didn't have electricity, there was no way to set up the heater we had gotten at the Wal Mart down the road. At least we had two foam mattresses which were fairly comfortable to lie on. We had actually entertained the idea of staying at the Wal Mart, but there were too many lights in the parking lot, and a lot of traffic for such a rural area. Wal Mart has a fairly liberal policy of allowing campers to set up for the night, as they will benefit when the people go in the next day to buy items.
Here are some photos of the campground, but not of our site, which was a grassy strip with electrical outlets and water along the side.


Permanent campers across pond from chapel

 The people who had campers set up year round had the best sites, overlooking the little pond.

We didn't stay long at the campground, no electricity, no hot coffee... Besides we had to get to a friend's house in VA. If things had been different - a great place to relax, take walks and explore the surrounding countryside.

Our camper

We purchased a Living Lite Quicksilver 10 in the Fall of 2010, and drove up to Indiana to pick it up. It's 10 feet long packed up, and 20 feet long when opened up. It's considered a pop up, but unlike the traditional ones with a hard roof, the top is a tent. It's fairly easy to set up, and takes us about 20 minutes to open up and get things in place. I'm sure as we gain experience it'll be a little faster.
We've loved camping for a long time, but do not relish camping in Florida for most of the year. Also do not relish camping in the pouring down rain, and floating around on our air mattresses. Therefore, the purchase of our QS 10, which is fairly rain proof (though not lightning proof I'm told) and has a spot for a small air conditioner.


Our QS 10 in friend's drivway

 There are two queen size beds on either side, a small kitchen area with sink and a table with 2 bench seats on either side. Check out more photos of the interior and other details at the company website, under our links section.
We chose a red color for the body of the camper, because of our red truck. Ironically, our first trip was with our blue Hyundai Tucson. Still looked pretty patriotic.

This photo was taken along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia.
I will write other posts about the various campgrounds in our travels, including the first night we camped in our QS 10.
So far we don't have a name for the camper. I'm not that creative on those fronts, so don't anticipate there will be one.
Onward to the meat of the blog......