The Break-in runs (or here comes the snow)

    Things have been busy trying to get ride of the house (giving it to the daughter), downsizing the estate to fit into the new rig, and trying to get retirement setup so this post combines our first two trips in the Flagstaff. We started with a planned weekend to Normandy Farms in Foxboro, MA for their CT weekend.  Since Camping World (Berkley, MA) is on the way there (sort of) we decided to make it a long weekend and spend Thursday night at my oldest son's (Jim) house and hang with the grandkids  We dry-camped in his driveway for our very first night in the new rig.  Being very early April the heat ran all night.  When I got up at 6:30 (ish) am I had 1/3 battery capacity remaining.  By 7:30, with the sun coming up the battery was already up to 2/3 capacity - Solar panel CHECK!
   Acushnet, MA is a very quaint town for an early morning walk.  I always bring an insulated mug of coffee with me when I walk.  Just slide it through a belt loop when it empties.  After getting kind of lost (I am slightly familiar with the town) I came out at an intersection with a Dunkin Donuts.  I decided I need another cup and got one for the Mrs..  Jim made a nice breakfast sandwich for both Lori and I and then we were off to Camping world.
    One would think that a store named "Camping World" would be able to handle people who show up to shop and have their campers in tow.   Not necessarily the way life is though!  Berkley had no parking for a pickup/trailer combination.  However, the staff was very accommodating and helped us back in to the area where they sell trailers from.  We got many items for the new trailer including an RV GPS and a surge protector for hooking up to the parks electrical system.  Since we are going to full-time in August and travel to many different types of facilities the surge protector seemed like a good investment.

    Heading from Camping World  to Normandy Farms we hit a winter storm.  The snow came down hard and eventually started to accumulate in the breakdown lanes.  We made it to Normandy Farms without incident and were very efficiently checked in.  Normandy Farms is a very high-end campground and lives to that standard.  The entire staff is professional and friendly, from the pool staff to the gate personnel.  Lori and I got to enjoy the pool/sauna/hot tub area on Friday evening.  Made for a very relaxing time seeing the drive in the snow was white-knuckle for me.
    We go to check out all the systems in the Flagstaff on Friday and early Saturday.  I noticed that the water heater did not work on AC but it did work on propane.  A quick check of the owners manual alerted me to a switch that is used when draining the tank for winterizing.  The switch was easy to find and corrected the issue. The rest of Saturday we spent with friends from the Fold and Go camping group.  We checked out the different snowmen that were built at sites throughout the campground and actually got to see a "Tiny House".  Normandy Farms was unique because I did not see one 'park model' home in the entire place!

   Our second weekend in the rig was to the other end of MA. near Sturbridge Village.  For years we have hit Sunsetview Farm in Monson on their opening weekend.  This is a very rural campground so it is quiet.

Unlike Normandy Farms most activities at Sunsetview are outdoors so the pool is not open when we are there and they have not yet staffed the kitchen.  However, the staff here is very nice and we use this as the first campout of the season for the Fold and Go group. 

The new rig

    Well, we picked up the new rig on Saturday.  We settled on the Flagstaff 26FKSBD.  It's about a 26 foot box with a front kitchen and rear bedroom.  There is a floor-to-ceiling slide-out in the living room which has the sofa bed and the dinette (also convert to a bed).  There is a partial slide-out in the bedroom.  Both slides are driver side slides. The people at Custom Camper in Southington, CT (http://customcamperinc.com/) were incredible to work with.  We told them the kind of camping we do - about 30% dry camping for us - and they helped us setup the rig.  We have two 6-volt batteries that will give us longer life on a single charge.  We have a 150W solar panel mounted to the roof.  With these additions plus my 40 gallon portable water bladder and a 25 gallon tote we can easily live "off the grid".
    After years of towing popup campers towing a travel trailer is an experience. My previous camper was the Coleman Niagara weighing 4400 lbs.  The Flagstaff is at 6600 lbs dry so neither is a burden for my Ram 2500.   The real 'shock' was looking in the rear view mirror and not being able to see what is behind me over the top of the popup.
    We got the Anderson weight distribution / sway control hitch.  I don't know if it was this new, high-tech hitch or the setup of the trailer but it tracked true right behind the Ram
   We spent Sunday packing up the trailer.  Our fear was that there would not be enough storage to handle he rig packed to full-time.  The clothes storage may still be limited but there are plenty of pass-throughs to storage bins where we can pack the off season clothes in totes and store them in the pass-throughs.
     We have 13 nights of camping (9 of them boondocking) before we live in the trailer full-time and then we'll have 3 months local to work out the kinks before hitting the road in September.  Our first trip will be to Normandy Farms (http://www.normandyfarms.com/) in Foxboro and the following weekend we are at Sunset View Farms (https://sunsetview.com/) is Monson, MA.  Both are a little over an hour of towing.  Then in early May it will be off to Assateague Island Nation Seashore (https://www.nps.gov/asis/index.htm) for 9 days of boondocking at the best place (so far) to stay at. We split the trip to Assateague by staying at Ft Dix (http://www.militarycampgrounds.us/new-jersey/willow-pond-camp) on the way down and Naval Weapons Station Earle (http://www.militarycampgrounds.us/new-jersey/earle-rv-park) on the way back.
    Once back from Earle wwe will have to have a semi-permanent place to stay (we still have about 3 weekends a month booked) so we will definitely have a good assessment on the rig before we hit the road big-time!

It's been awhile!

Well folks, it's been awhile!  We are close to retirement.  Sorry you haven't been in the loop.  Last year at the Springfield (MA) RV show we looked at trailers and they were all in the 11K lb range. So I went and got a Ram 2500 from Rob Dickens at Valenti Auto Mall in Mystic, CT (I recommend him,highly).  At the Springfield sow this year all the trailers were in the 6500 lb range.  We went to Custom Campers in Southington (CT) and get a great deal on a Flagstaff (Forest River seems to make everything) 26FKRS .  We are having it outfitted with a 2000W solar panel and dual 6V batteries, along with a couple of other items to allow us to boondock/dry camp for extended periods.  We take delivery on 3/10 and these posts will become more frequent, especially after 8/31/18 when I will have nothing better to do.  I hope you enjoy the ride!

Brialee Campground

This post finds us at Brialee Campground in Ashford, Ct. with our Fold and Go camping club friends.  Brialee is a beautiful, well run campground. If you get here before June the rates are extremely low.  In season the rates are higher but not out-of-line for the amenities and the amount of activities they run on weekends.  The campground has a full day of activities planned.  On our weekend the schedule started at eight in the morning when the snack bar serves breakfast.  Activities started at ten with ceramics and ran the whole day, concluding with a band from 7:30 p.m. until 10:30.  It starts all over again on Sunday right up until checkout time.

We like Brialee because it has a pond with a pet beach.  We bring the ‘grandpuppy’ and he loves to be in the water.  My wife, Lori, is found of waterfalls and Brialee is close to Diana’s Pool in Chaplin, Ct. 

Diana’s is on the Natchaug River and has a series of small falls and cascades.  In season you can always seem to find kayakers working the river.  It is a beautiful place for a short hike and some very good picture taking.

Assateague Came Early This Year

Happy Easter from Assateague!  The island is a lot cooler in April than it is in October.  Fortunately the camper has heat.  Right now I cannot charge the battery or bring n AC power from my generator.  I think my 20-to-30 amp adapter has a short in it.  We will be off to the parts store this morning to buy a new one.

Let's try Assateague in the Spring

Well here it is, April 18^th, Good Friday, and I’m sitting at the Deer Run Campground at Naval Weapons Station (NWS), Earle in Colts Neck, N.J..  We are heading to Assateague for our annual trip.  It is a little different doing this in April!  For one it is much colder than we experience when we made the trip in October.  Only one other camper is at the NWS and we are in adjacent sites.

I was actually hoping to get started a day early.  However, Lori could not take the day off Thursday.  I would have liked to have had a ‘free’ day to run around the NWS and really check it out.  Typically we get here and set up.  Then it we prepare a meal, eat and relax.  We turn in early because we like to be on the road by 10 a.m. and with a pop-up that takes a little work.  So we have no time to get a feel for the facility.

Opening Weekend

Well, I know I said I'd post on the Springfield (Ma.) RV Show.  The sad fact is that the show was uninspiring this year.  All the dealers seem to bring the same style of rigs.  Not a lot of variety.  We did like two models but I don’t know if they are capable of withstanding everyday use.  The two were both Forest River products, the Roo and the Surveyor Cadet  .  Fortunately we have a few years to make a decision.

We are currently on our first campout of the 2014 season.  I typically wagon master the first opening campout of the season.  This year we picked Whispering Pines in Hope Valley, R.I  The campground is under new ownership this year.  There is not a lot of activity this time of year.  Only a few of the seasonal campers were there setting up and cleaning.  They did have a small display of campers from Arlington RV  .

The Fold & Go Crew preparing for a relaxing Saturday.

The campground is about 30 minutes from Misquamicut StateBeach.  Since we bring the grand puppy with us we had to make the trip to the beach.  While the temperature was near 70, once we crossed the dunes to the beach the breeze off the sound made it feel 20 degrees colder. Axel did not seem to mind.  He had a great time and fighting the surf will make sure he is tired for the night.
Because of the government shut down we will be heading to Assateague National Seashore soon.  I'll post from there