Big Country 3700FL

To start out I have to say that we are not buying this beast.  Not now anyway...  It's always fun to poke around and look at what might be someday, and after shopping at our local Camping World we stopped in the showroom to see what was new and fun.  I'm posting this one because it has a lot of the features and floor plan that we would like if we were to go full-timing.

This fifth wheel is made by Heartland, and appears to be one of the larger varieties they make in the Big Country series.  From their website it would appear that this is a new floor plan for 2015.

One of the main things we like about it is the living area in the front and the sleeping quarters in the back.  I'm not sure if it's just how the rig is divided up, but we like the use of space. The front end of the trailer usually never has a window so having the TV/fireplace area there makes sense.  The slide on the left of the picture gives you some extra light with all the windows, and you could still sit in there even with the slide in. I'm not sure about the carpet, but I'm usually never sure of carpet in an RV.  Only pseudo-complaint is that it only has one reclining chair and there might be arguments over that - although the cats would love all the room on the couches.

I also liked the bedroom area with it's large king bed and ample storage space.  It doesn't look like one would run out of drawers any time soon.  It also had some nice MCD shades in there so you could sleep in as long as you want.  There is a large closet with a washer/dryer prep so that would be nice as well.  Looking back through and comparing what I remember to the floor plan online, I don't think the bedroom would be easily accessible if the kitchen slide was in (if accessible at all).  I think an important factor for full-timing or even traveling in an RV is how usable it is in a pinch without the slides out.  Not sure this would work so well...

The kitchen was quite nice with a full size fridge, nice layout, and a table with chairs (vs a booth setup).  It has all the comforts and conveniences of home including an oven.  Not a ton of counter space, but with the covers on the sink it starts to make up for that.  I think there was also an area by the table, but I'm not sure if it was useful for kitchen prep.

Like I mentioned this fifth wheel was a beast.  It weighed in at almost a dainty 13000lbs with a GVWR of 15500#.  This would require a serious truck to tow with.  It is billed as a 4-season trailer with R-38 in the floor and roof, R-11 in the walls.  Looks like dual pane windows are an option.

Overall a very nice fiver - nice layout, residential feel, and all the amenities one would want.  And if it's not included in this specific trailer it's an option.  Although the lack of access to the bedroom with slides in would give me pause, with them all out it would feel like quite a home.

Mosquito Lake

This past weekend we stayed at one of our favorite Ohio State Parks - Mosquito Lake State Park.  Despite the name there are no more mosquitoes here than any other park.  We lucked out and were able to reserve site 201 - our favorite!  It's in the campground loop that is very treed and many of the sites actually go back into the woods.  They're also far enough apart that you have some privacy from your neighbors.  It was a quiet, relaxing weekend, and the only thing wrong with it was that it was too short. :)

So far we're up to 15 nights in the camper, and the summer's just getting started!

Reminders: Save Water, Save Yourself

Remember to turn the water off when you leave your campsite.

We were reminded of this during our last camping escapade.  We happened to notice that the water pump was running every so often, but didn't think much of it the first few times.  Sometimes there's air in the lines - no big deal.  Well it kept running so we started looking for why.  I happened to look in the toilet, and lo and behold it was full of water.  Had we not noticed it would have overflowed all over.

We thought about it, and had this happened during our last trip when we were hooked up to city water we might have come back to a flooded camper.  No bueno.  Trailers are subject to constant earthquakes as we haul them around so unlike your house, things are a little more likely to go wrong.  It just happened that some plastic in the lines came loose and went through into the toilet valve causing it to stick open.

Turn off the water, turn off the potential flood.

Steel Drums in the Sink

During our last camping trip I apologized to our camping neighbors.  What had I done, you ask?  Something that so many campers do in their trailers - run their hideously loud water pumps!  Luckily she was understanding and said that her camper does the same thing.

I'm not sure if that water pump, being configured the way it was, couldn't have been louder if they had attached cymbals to it.  Every time it came on it was like a steel drum band was full force, and we felt like every camper in a 5 mile radius must be looking our way wondering if our little trailer was about to explode.  Just a quick flush of the toilet could wake the dead.  Heaven forbid anyone take a shower!

But all that has changed with just a few simple pieces of piping.  Jon built what is commonly known as a pump isolator.  Just a few pieces of pipe on either side of the pump to keep it from transferring it's nasty gyrations to the rest of the trailer.  And he did it without even buying the kit which makes it that much better (and cheaper).  When we turned it on tonight we didn't automatically cringe and cover our ears.  Amazing!

Why RV manufacturers don't include this as part of the standard install I don't know.  It's almost like they try to make it as loud as possible running pex tubes through steel holes that double for a percussion instrument.  I had read somewhere that these isolation kits don't work all that well, but if you are having problems with the full band water pump I whole-heartedly recommend trying one out.

We can all see you peeing

Happy Memorial Day weekend!  Somehow I ended up with a 3 day weekend, so of course we are camping. As a registered member of the Procrastinators Society I was obliged to wait until the last minute to reserve a campsite.  So I was pleased when I found 2 sites left at one of my favorite local State Parks - Punderson State Park.

We've had near perfect weather.  And although I was a little too tired to see the meteor shower last night I did get a wonderful nights sleep. I even woke up at an early hour and haven't really been tired all day. We ate at some local places, did a little grocery shopping, and I made a trip to the range to improve my aim. 

Somehow though we ended up right next to a site where there are 13 people. Granted many of them are children, but that only means they scream without abandon.

I also thought of a few reminders for those who are starting the camping season. Remember that if your tent flaps are open, other campers who walk by can see inside. Because there are few campers on your loop does not mean that you should have... intimate relations out in the open.  Also peeing outside in front of everyone is generally not acceptable, especially when there is a restroom less than 30 yards from your campsite. 

Just know that I didn't come up with these at random.

Portage Lakes State Park - Nimisila Campground

I've been going to Portage Lakes State Park since I moved to Akron almost 20 years ago.  The great views of the lake, peaceful surroundings, and easy access to the water make it a great place to be.  It wasn't until years later that I discovered camping at the State Park, and it's still a place I love to go.

Portage Lakes State Park is actually three separate parks.  The northern most park has a marina and picnicking, the one in the middle is the one with beach access, a dog park, disc golf, and many trails and fishing opportunities.  The southern most park in New Franklin is the one with Nimisila Lake and the Nimisila Campground.  The campground is surrounded by the lake, has 6 electric campsites, and 68 more non-electric sites.  The campground has paved roads.  There are no modern amenities here except vault toilets, potable water, and a dump station.  But there is a playground and campground boat launch.

With fewer amenities comes fewer campers, and the campground is generally very quiet.  On weekends the electric sites are usually occupied, so if you want one of those I recommend that you reserve in advance.  But if you can boon dock you pretty much have your choice throughout the campground.  Many of the sites are nicely wooded, although just this year the park has cleared out a lot of the old, dead Ash trees.  Trees have been replanted, but it will be many years before you can sit in the shade under one of them.

Electric Site

For trailer campers like us the electric sites are perfect.  They are nestled in amongst the pine trees and are right near a small pond.  It's a near perfect location for late night campfires and relaxation.  If you need to fill with potable water you'll need a long hose because the water outlet isn't right near the road, and it's also located within the campground on the second road.  If you register onsite you will do so at the small (generally unoccupied) ranger station with an envelope in the registration box. There is a small restaurant, gas station, and ice cream stand nearby.  Go a little further and there are grocery stores, a Target, movie theater, and a Camping World.  AT&T 4G/LTE coverage here is good.

If you're looking for a quiet getaway in a nice, wooded campground surrounded by nature and less by other campers/trailers Portage Lakes State Park is worth a look.

Portage Lakes State Park website

more photos after the break

Storms, Sirens & Socks

It's been a few years since we had to take shelter in a campground toilet with other campers...  Last time we were in a tornado warned campground at East Harbor State Park when we had the teardrop camper.  I think it was around 10 or 11pm when the sirens went off, and the only nearby structure was the campground bathroom.  I remember there were a lot of people in that little area, and it wasn't entirely pleasant.  It was deja vu when the sirens went off again that night around 2am and we all did it again...

The Game room

This time it was much more pleasant as we had an entire room to play in.  The adjacent county was tornado warned and we heard the sirens going off.  We checked radar, and sure enough it looked like the center of a storm was headed our way.  We played the game called "How Fast Can You Take Down Your Awning" and we headed off to the game room which is in the basement of the general store.

There was quite a light show in the sky, and the rain came down in buckets.  But we also got to meet some fun people.  John and Sherie were already there along with a couple from Idaho and their dog, Angus.  They were fun to chat with, and the 120lb dog (who was only 10 months old) was a sweet heart.  Shortly after, David, Elizabeth, and Gracie (the dog) arrived.  I was excited to meet them because we had connected on RVillage and had planned on meeting up at some point.  Granted, meeting people in a tornado shelter situation isn't ideal, but it was fun nonetheless.

It was kinda funny because between all the smartphones, iPads, and laptops we made the game room look like a state of the art weather center.  I'm not sure if anyone in the local area was having with their cellular connection, but I think we were taking all the bandwidth on several carriers reloading radar images.  Sorry about that...

Then came the flood.  The area in front of the game room doors have a big drain right there, but the

amount of water coming down the little hill was too much for it.  Eventually a large puddle formed.  Then it became a water hazard.  A small creek began to come into the game room from the doors which later gave way to a small river.  We had to all move to a different area of the room as a pond formed.

By the time the warning had cleared we were all ready to get out of our little water logged game room - some of us actually had plans to sleep at some point that night.  But upon opening the doors we discovered that leaving would be difficult - there was a huge puddle that would eat our shoes if we stepped into it.  Eventually, several of us just took off our shoes and walked through it in our socks.  That was fun.

I have to admit though, despite the wet socks that are still drying, it was one of the highlights of our camping trip.  I really enjoyed meeting the other folks there, trading travel and camping stories, and getting to know them (and their pets!)  Everyone was very friendly and it could easily have been a potluck or something.  (Food makes everything better, right?)

To those we met I wish you safe travels!  To those reading this, know where to go in an emergency in a campground.  And always travel with an extra pair of socks!