Gasp! You mean you camp without hookups!?

Friday – June 30, 2017 – Richardson Lake Camp Host

Temps: High 73º, Low 52º

We are nearing the end of our first week here at Richardson Lake. It has been a bit cool and rainy but today we finally got a break and the sun is coming out between the clouds. Today is Friday of the Fourth of July weekend. Should be lots of campers coming in today and over the weekend. Many of them will leave on Tuesday so we will have our peace and quiet again.

When we were in Goshen at the Heartland Rally, Dennis was chastised by a gentleman that asked him how he could submit me to the awful experience of camping without hookups! I have to admit having full hookups (electric, water and sewer) is nice however most of the time it comes at the expense of privacy and ambiance. Most places, at least where we have been, the full hookup sites are spaced pretty close together and in some cases you can see right into your neighbors unit and practically shake their hand. They typically cost more and the setting is more city like than a true camping experience. At this national forest campground we have no services to our site which is referred to as dry camping. We rely on our batteries for electricity and use fresh water from our tank and live in relative comfort.

So what do we do about electricity?

I mentioned in one of my first blogs that Dennis installed a solar collection system on our rig. And in January purchased a new set of 6-volt renewable energy batteries. He installed a monitoring system so we can see the status of the batteries. The batteries have performed very well as we have been here 5 ½ days, have not run the generator to charge them and they are still at 91% of charge. Because we are in the woods there is not enough sun getting to the solar panels so eventually we will have to run the generator to charge them but at the moment we have plenty of electricity.

In addition to having the right batteries we have to adjust our life style a bit. Some people would probably say its adjusting it a lot but to each their own. A lot of the lights in the camper were already LED so Dennis replaced most of them that were not. The first few days we were very frugal with lights, turning off any that were not essential at the moment. As we were seeing that the lights are not drawing much we have been less concerned about them. We have run the gas furnace, which has an electric fan, a few nights and in the mornings to take the dampness out of the camper. We have not used the microwave and use the gas stove to cook, heat water for tea and make coffee as well as cook outside over the fire or use our dutch ovens. Of course the water pump and gas refrigerator uses electricity among other misc. components in the camper. Dennis installed a 12-volt outlet in the bedroom so we can charge our phones with a 12-volt USB plug. There is virtually no TV signal here so we are not using the TV which if we did would require running the inverter. That would be a double whammy as both the TV and inverter need electricity to run.

For these “sacrifices” we get pleasant surroundings, a great view and solitude. Next post...how do we manage our water.

Where we are parked: Richardson Lake Campground – Wabeno WI

Campground Host - Richardson Lake

Monday - June 26, 2017 – Richardson Lake National Forest Campground

Temps: High 61º, Low 46º

Today we begin a 5 week stay at Richardson Lake National Forest Campground as campground hosts. Dennis was here last year in July. I came up for weekend or week stays since I was still working. This year I plan on being here most of the time with occasional visits back home.

Sunday morning Dennis left our house around 9:30 with the camper. I followed with the car about a half hour later. It is about a 2 ½ hour drive so we were in no hurry. He stopped in Carter at the casino to fill with water. I stopped also. Once to buy some maple syrup and then at the grocery store in Lakewood to get a pizza. It is supposed to be chilly tonight so heating the oven for pizza will help to warm up the camper. He waited for me at the campground so I could help get the camper backed into the site. Large site but needed to do an S curve with the camper to get it in. Success! Dennis is getting pretty go at backing this thing! In the evening we ate pizza and played a couple of games of Yahtzee. I won two. Yahoo! Can only get two TV channels here so we will need to find alternate entertainment.

This is quite the departure from where we were two weeks ago where we had full hook ups. However in Goshen we could practically reach through our window and touch the neighboring units. Here the sites are spaced quite far apart and at the moment there is only one other camper.

Where we are parked: Richardson Lake National Forest Campground, Site 8, $12/night, no electric, water, sewer or dump station. Hand pumps and pit toilets. Potawatomi Casino is only 8 miles away and has water and electric sites and a dump station and is free for maximum of three nights. We can go there to dump and get water.

2017 Heartland Owners Rally Goshen Indiana

Sunday June 11 thru Sunday June 18 - Goshen Indiana

This past Sunday we returned from spending a week in Goshen Indiana at the Heartland Owners Rally. The event was held at the Elkhart 4-H Fairgrounds in Goshen. The rally is for owners of any type of Heartland RV and included seminars, a vendor building, group get-together and factory tours. This is the second time we have been to this rally. The last time was in 2015. Being newbies at the first rally we were very busy trying to see and do everything. This one seemed a little more relaxed.

We arrived on Sunday June 11^th after an uneventful drive from Campbellsport. Dennis woke up early and we were on the road by 4:00. This helped to avoid a lot of traffic in Milwaukee and Chicago. The first official day of the rally was not until Tuesday when the seminars and vendor building opens. We spent Sunday and Monday meeting up with old friends and meeting new.

Tuesday we spent the day attending rally events and seminar. Wednesday we took a drive to see some things in the area. In Shipshewana I found a place that sells solar equipment. Dennis is interested in using solar to charge the pontoon battery. Wellspring Components supplies solar equipment to the Amish in the area. In addition to the solar they also sell a wide variety of grills and outdoor cooking equipment. Dennis purchased a 20 watt solar panel and a controller. He may have been able to get it cheaper on line but was happy to be able to see and feel the items before he purchased.

Also in Shipshewana is Eash Sales. This place was huge with several buildings selling home decor, cooking equipment, outdoor furniture made from colorful plastic wood, sheds and cabins and bulk grocery items. We admired the outdoor furniture and purchased a few items from the grocery store. They also had a beautiful Clydesdale mare “on display”. We chatted with the Amish fellow that was her keeper for the day.

From there we headed to BonneyvilleMill County Park to see the working grist mill. The Mill is on the Little Elkhart River in a park maintained by Elkhart County. We spent about an hour at the mill talking to the docent and watching the mill run. I also purchased 2 Ibs of fresh ground corn meal. It should be wonderful the next time I make spoon bread.

We spent the rest of the week attending rally events as well as had service work done. Heartland, MORryde, Lippert and MCD Shades all had service teams at the rally. We had a couple of issues looked at including a squeaky slide, a broken recliner and had our shades adjusted. We had all of our issues fixed at no cost to us. Awesome! Also purchased new Glowstep steps for our fifth wheel from Torklift. When not used the steps occupy the same space as our current steps. They can be extended to fit various ground heights at your door and have legs that extend to the ground to provide stability. They are being shipped to our home. I will provide a review once they are installed.

The fairgrounds has a half mile dirt track used for sulky racing. Friday and Saturday we were treated with Trottingbred races. The Trottingbred Horse was developed in the early 1960's by crossing Welsh, Hackney, and Shetland Ponies with full Standardbred Horses for their speed. The cross created a very versatile horse willing to do anything asked of it. In 1977 the Trottingbred officially became a recognized breed of horse by the American Horse Council. Today, they are primarily used for Harness Racing in the United States, Bermuda, Canada, and Italy, but are also used for trail riding, driving teams, horse shows, and pulling Amish Buggies. The ponies were fast and cute to boot!

Where we are parked: Elkhart County 4-H Fairgrounds, Site 282, $25/night, water, 50 amp electric and sewer. This was the rally rate which included some meals and tours. The normal public rate is $23/night for water and 30 amp electric and $30/night for water, sewer and 30/50 amp electric. They also offer weekly and monthly rates.

Our spot

Maple Street - Ours is the second from the left.

Bonneyville Mill

Buggy Parking

Trottingbred Races

Now this is how you go to the races!

Can you come home with me?!

Life Happens

Friday - June 16, 2017 – Life Happens

Last time I posted a blog was when we returned to Wisconsin in April. Since this blog is part personal journal I want to make note of some significant life events that have happened since my last post. We are currently at a Heartland RV Owners Rally in Goshen Indiana. I will provide information on this event in a future post.

As I said, we returned to Wisconsin in April the week before Easter. Toward the end of April my sister Pam was having health issues. On May 1st she was admitted to the hospital to find out why she was getting bouts of delirium and having trouble talking. I went to Chippewa Falls on Thursday to visit her. I returned home May 9th to attend a birthday party on May14th for our neighbor Carmie. During the two weeks my sister was in the hospital they ran every kind of test imaginable to try to determine what was causing her symptoms. Ultimately it was determined that her MS had entered her brain and was affecting the area that controls sleeping, eating and speech. She had both a Do Not Resuscitate order and no feeding tube order in place. Norm and my family met with the doctors and made the very hard decision to take her off life support. She was taken to Dove nursing home facility in Chippewa Falls the same day. On Wednesday May 17^th I returned to Chippewa Falls to be with her and my family during her final days. She passed away on the evening of May 25^th. A celebration of life visitation was held on Tuesday May 30^th. Pam will be missed by all her family and friends. Love you forever big Sis.

During this time there were two more events that happened. On Monday May 15^th my nephew Stevie and Nicole’s house was struck by lightning and caught on fire. The fire burned in the basement for several hours before it was detected and ultimately it was deemed a total loss. No one was home at the moment so everyone was ok. The same day my brother Steve (Stevie’s dad and my brother who had heart surgery back in February) was at the site of the fire and started to have chest pain. They took him to the hospital. After a few tests they determined one of the bypass repairs had collapsed and his blood was flowing through one of the old, blocked arteries. They fixed him up by putting a stint in that artery. This was great news and he should be good to go for a long while.

As for Stevie and Nicole, they received a check from the insurance company for the house the next day and found an apartment to live in until they can get their house rebuilt. If there is a silver lining they now have the opportunity to lay out a new and better floor plan for the home and add a few extra square feet.