Break from the Camper

It's been over eight years on the road, starting with 

5 kids

then having a baby makes 6

the oldest gets old enough and moves out on his own with his new job

the second oldest gets a full time job in Missouri and moves out on her own

4 kids still at home

now only 6 in the camper

While we still love traveling full time it is nice to take a break now and then. Down from eight people, it's still tight quarters in our 42' fifth wheel.

There are cabins here and there that rent by the month during the off season.  Some are furnished with all household items that are used during the in-season.

While I don't want a break from the camper every year, it has been nice to take one here and there and stretch out a little.

The kids enjoy bedrooms and I am completely spoiled using the microwave, coffee pot, and toaster all at once with out blowing a breaker!  It's a miracle!!

Taking a shower and running the water in the kitchen - no screams from the shower turning cold!

A refrigerator that can hold enough food for a week!

There are many benefits of a house that I have grown to miss, but not enough to buy one!

Some people ask where we are, and to be honest, I won't tell. Because next year we may want this cabin again....don't want to share!

I purchased a tread mill to try to get the extra weight off. When we move back in the camper I guess I'll give it away.

Our table and Christmas tree. It's nice to have the extra room!

Our own bedroom with no bathroom in it and a lock!

A nice big kitchen for lots of baking!

Last time we were here most of us put on 10 lbs with all the fresh bread and good food!

Four burners, big fridge, and an oven - great to be the chef again!

Traveling fro HOT Chadwick Missouri to the Low Temps of Salida, Colorado - on the road again!

After a wonderful and exhausting spring in Chadwick, MO it was time to head back out on the road. It was great to run the off roading campground there where we have so many wonderful friends and family. But, with the heat indexes reaching around 100 degrees every day, we knew we were about a month later leaving than we normally like.


Often times weather does dictate our travels. We've learned to leave Missouri no later than the 3rd week of June if we don't want to deal with the horrible temps in western Kansas and eastern Colorado.  But this year we broke our own rule and stayed a month longer. Our daughter has moved to the Springfield area and is on her own now. Staying near her for the extra month was well worth the heat.


We left Sunday, July 12th and had a rough first day of travel. Many of you know that we take two vehicles - 


We brought the blue Raptor 80 ATV along for this part of our trip. We like to off road in Colorado and Utah and Gabriel is old enough to do so.  But, the flat bed that I pulled did not handle the lay out of the UTV and ATVs well. As I drove down I-44, it felt like the trailer was sloshy in the back and seemed to pull the van instead of the van pull the trailer. I got on the walkie talkie and told my husband how it felt. So, while we took a break at Precious Moments in Carthage, MO - he added two spare tires to the tongue to add weight to the front.  I got back in and it road a lot better. 

That night my hubby changed the trailer around again by putting our Raptor 80 on the tongue of the flat bed. Once he did that , it drove great. 

We spent our first night at the same place we always do when we travel across Kansas on Hwy 50 - Oasis RV Park. Great place to stop for the night.

Day Two - We left as early as possible because Shae (my husband), found a cracked rim on one camper tire. So, we found a Walmart in Pratt, KS where we waited over two hours for service. Temps were 105 degrees when my hubby got the new tires and installed them on our camper. We spent hours wandering Walmart and he spent hours sweating outside.

We parked for the night at the Sportsman's RV Park in Lamar, CO. It is a nice place to stop for the night and jump in the pool to cool off. 

Day Three - From Lamar we made the trip all the way to Howard, CO. It is a wonderful campground - Bandera's Bunkhouse  RV Park, Motel, and Horse Camp.  It is right on the Arkansas River, which I can hear from in my camper. It sounds beautiful. 

From our base at Bandera's Bunkhouse RV Park we had many adventures....

those are coming!

Outdoor speakers on a camper help everyone in the neighborhood to enjoy the movie!

My son has been looking at campers lately.  The newer ones have many gadgets that I wish our camper had.  

Walking in all of those new rigs made ours seem 

retro

ancient 

out of date 

And ours is only a 2009!

How quickly things change.

The outdoor speakers were unique, although something that I don't need.  If I am outside I want to hear the outdoors, not music.

But, it sure explained a recent situation.  While an evening hike at Zion River Resort in Virgin, Utah, we came across an unexpected situation.

Virgin River at Zion River Resort in Virgin, Utah

Besides the sound of traffic, there was a camper with the TV playing as loud as can be!  We were so surprised that he was playing the movie so loud.  We had visited with this man many times and he did not seem like the type to crank up the radio or TV!

We made it around the corner and went inside our camper and shut the door and could still hear the voices from the other camper!

Well, last week my son said, "I bet he had outdoor speakers and didn't realize 
they were on!"

"Ah ha!  That is it!"

So, for those of you who have outdoor speakers, make sure they are off when watching TV!  

We laughed a long time about it.....

Tytus didn't catch any fish....there wasn't a hook on the end!

Campers are close so the noise can be heard by neighbors, like us.

Camping with off-road vehicles

Recently a question came across the Facebook page for full-time traveling called Families on the Road. A gentleman wanted to know how campgrounds and state parks react to off road vehicles, ATVs in particular.

We have been traveling full-time for over three years and during that period we have hauled our off-road vehicles across the country. As we made the hard choices of what to bring on the road and what not to, our ATVs were something that had to come. Off-roading is something my husband and I have done since we were very young and is a family hobby we all enjoy. It was hard to imagine traveling to so many beautiful places and not get to experience from the seat of a four wheeler.

There is something different when you experience nature while being in it rather than driving by it in a vehicle or taking the same tour that hundreds others have taken that same day. Sure, we do those things, but sometimes we come across a place that is only accessible by off-road vehicle and that is when the fun begins.

Before I get all weepy eyed telling you the wonderful adventures we have had together in the wilds of America, I will get to the logistics of traveling with off-road vehicles.

This is how we do it.

We have a 42’ Toy Hauler fifth wheel camper. The back end of the camper comes down to form a ramp that we can drive our ATVs into. The room is 8 ½ by 12. The floor is rubber and has places for tie downs to attach. We payed the extra money to get a gas tank that is under the back room. It has a nozzle to put the gas into the ATVs. I must admit, we rarely have used it. I don’t like to have gas fumes in our camper. Call me crazy, but I like all our brain cells. I think my husband and son have lost enough siphoning gas out of our van for the ATVS.

When we started our trip we actually used the garage area to store our ATVs. After we had our last child we decided to take them out and make that back room into a permanent kid’s room. It has carpet on the floor, toys everywhere, and school books on the desk.

We bought a second vehicle, a 15 passenger van, which I drive. It hauls a 16’ flat bed trailer with four ATVs, 4 kayaks, a Kawasaki Mule, and bikes. My husband is a master at putting them all on like a puzzle. Tie downs, straps, and more straps are used to hold everything snuggly in place. He checks and re-checks each strap before we head out and at every stop to make sure it is safe.

My husband drives a Dodge Dually one ton pickup that pulls our camper. I drive in front of him with the van and flat bed. He stays behind to make sure the trailer is pulling right and everything is secure.

Not all campgrounds like two vehicles and two trailers. But, most don’t mind a bit. They usually have a spot for us to park our extra vehicles.

State parks are different. Usually they charge per vehicle and trailer. Some have even charged per kayak and ATV even though we weren’t going to use them there. Needless to say, we didn’t stay at those.

National campgrounds are more tolerant. They usually don’t care if you park on the grass, how many vehicles you have or how many people. They almost always are friendly and courteous. Some have a two week limit but others do not. Camping spots are usually larger and more space in between.

As far as riding on state or national campgrounds – they do not allow it. No riding on their property. They do not mind us parking our flat bed with the toys on it but by no means are we to ride them around.

We try to always let them know that we have no intention of doing that.

So, sometimes we have to trailer our off-road vehicles and other times we try to camp near a national forest so we can ride from our camper.

Each state has different regulations as far as stickers required to ride there. Different counties have different regulations also so be sure to check out local laws before making your camping reservations.

Now, to the cry me a river part of my post. I just have to write it, though. I want you to know why we go through the trouble of hauling these expensive toys across the country.

Life has never been easy for us. My husband was severely ill for 13 years with nerve damage to his face. When he was finally well, he decided to do this trip. Once again, life was not easy. Our first year on the road was really hard. That is why we did year two. The first year was not what we thought it would be so we wanted to keep going so we could experience the wonderful times on the road that we had sacrificed so much for.

Badlands of South Dakota

We love traveling now, but it is still hard. So, when things get tough, we leave our camper and go into our huge back yard, the United States. When I jump in the Mule with my kids and we head up a mountain to explore this amazing country of ours, all the troubles of yesterday, today, and tomorrow just melt away. Nothing else matters when we are traveling down a road with the wind in our hair and the dust at our back. We never know what is around the next bend; sometimes a mud hole and other times the most beautiful aspen forest or mountain.

We have ridden in deserts, mountains, forests, and near lakes and rivers. I love to bike ride, but I cannot take six kids on bikes 40 miles around a mountain or desert in a day. Driving through the landscape in our van is nice but how much better when we can get off the main road and be in the landscape instead of just viewing it.

I pray that God would give us a treasure when we head out on an adventure. We might find a beautiful tree or a sparkling stream. Sometimes the treasure is a rock worn smooth by the wind or a deer that lopes through the woods. Treasures are to be found everywhere if we just slow down our busy lives and take the time to look.


ride to the San Juan Mts outside of Mancos, CO

I can hardly wait for hunting season to be over so I can grab my kids and head out into the woods to learn about trees, fishing, hiking, beaver dams, deserts, drought, floods, and sun…by being in it, on our off-road vehicles.

Gabriel and I go for a winter ride in Mark Twain National Forest , Missouri

Cody on his ATV enjoying the desert in Arizona

Shae misses his KTM. He sure enjoyed while he had it!

Our family enjoys picnics up in the mountains.

We love to ride where the van can't go.

Leaving an area after a long stay.

Wow, I had no idea what the limit was on stuff crammed in this 42' camper, now I know!  I still am not totally sure how I will fit everything back in, but I will.  We have been in Phoenix for four months now and we sure have accumulated stuff.  The problem is that I want to keep it all.  People say, well if you bring something in you have to take something out.  I don't want to take anything out!  I just need about 10 more feet, but I can't have it.  So, I will cram it all in and work our way back to Missouri.  When we get there, we will unload a bunch into our storage trailer.  I did make a deal with Shae that if I can keep the front 2/3 of the camper uncluttered and clean, I can clutter the back all I need to.  Now, I can't help but think, "How on earth does he expect me to not have the camper cluttered with eight people in it and all of our homeschool stuff and everything we need for any kind of weather or activity for eight people, (I know I already said that, but it is an important number!)"  So, the other day I uncluttered everything I could and crammed it in boxes in the back corner in our toyhauler garage/kids area.  It is not pretty, but it works.

Leaving Harvest Church in Glendale, AZ after 4 months of volunteer work.

Kids act crazy in front of pastors of church....oh boy...

Living in a camper with six kids, well, is not easy. Now, many people say, "Well, at least you have two teen agers to help." And, yes, they do help. But, they can be just as time consuming as a toddler. I love my teens. They are incredible, just time consuming. So, life is challenging enough and then we throw ourselves into a camper. It is pretty wild. Now, make it Christmas, throw a Christmas tree in our little camper, an extra table, and lots of presents! Wow! It is crammed! I just take a deep breath and walk around everything. It is crazy, but a good crazy.

Now, today was an adventure. I had to finish up my shopping. I am a little tired, so I will spare you the long version. The short of it is this, Cody went with my Uncle to help with my cousin's garage door. Shae is working and then volunteering by pulling wire to help build a huge new church. Hanna, Naomi, Gabriel, Josephine, Tytus, and I set out for a day shopping at Guitar Center, Old Navy, Justice for Girls, Best Buy, Toys R Us, and Walmart. Well, we didn't make it to the last three.

We were at Guitar Center when the pastors of the church we are doing volunteer work at walk into the store. It was nice to see them. But, of course this is when Gabriel decides he is going to play with Tytus. He pulls on his legs. I tell him to stand by me, (Hanna had Tytus). He came to me and then headed back over to Tytus to pull his legs some more. All the while I am talking with the pastors. Gabriel goes to Tytus, I tell him to come back. Gabriel comes back and then goes to Tytus. I tell him to come back. Gabriel comes back and then goes to Tytus, again. This happens 4 times while I am talking with the pastors. It never fails, the kids disobey in front of the last person you want them to.

So, we head to Justice for Girls, can't afford anything, so on to Old Navy next door. We find Naomi a couple of shirts. While we looked, there was a cute little toy puppy I let Josie sit by to play with. She needed a little time for her. She enjoyed talking to it and sitting on it. It was time to go, but she was not going to leave. No way. Absolutely not. I asked her nicely, then firmly, then strongly. She came with me. We got about 4 isles down. I saw another cute shirt for Naomi. Just about then, Josie decided she was going back to the toy dog, now. Off she ran, with me calling her from behind. She made it to the toy dog and was not going to leave. I was carrying Tytus, so I had Hanna go get her. Josie would not leave. Hanna had to pick her up as she screamed and cried no. We got to the check out when Josie decided she didn't want to stand in line anymore. She hid in the clothes rack. Needless to say, I loaded up the kids, informed them they were not going to Toys R Us and we would head straight home. Now, I tried to have extra compassion on them, I knew Josie had a little cold and wasn't in her right sorts. But still, I could not ignore her disobedience. We got home and I sent Gabriel and Josie in the back for a nap. Hanna then told me she had seen the pastors in Old Navy, too! You have got to be kidding me. So not only did they see Gabriel disobey, but they got to see the show put on by Josie!

So, I feel this is a good time to mention two things I feel very strongly about.

1st. It is good for people to see that we are not perfect.
I remember there were two women I thought had it all together. They had lots of kids, homeschooled, cooked perfect, had great marriages, etc. But, I was wrong. They had problems, too. Their lives were not even close to perfect. As I got to know them better, I saw that they struggled some, too. I think it is so important to not try to live up to an unrealistic expectation that we usually put on ourselves. Do you know someone that you think has it all together? I dare you to get to know them better and see that they have flaws too, just like you and me. Now, I am not saying do not better yourself, or learn from other peoples lives. I just mean that we have to be careful to not try to live up to a standard that is not realistic or possible. If we do , we will always be a failure in our own eyes.  Everyone has hard days.  This doesn't mean we can over look complete disobedience, it just means it is not realistic to think we will not have those days.

2nd. Living in a camper is not easy. Many people think this is the easy life, that traveling is like a year round vacation. It is not. Like I told my Grandma today, my camper is a house, my home, it just has wheels. I need a vacation like anyone else. Traveling full time with lots of kids is a ton of work. But, I always ask myself, "Is this problem the result of living in a camper or would it be this way in a house?" A lot of our difficulties would be in a house also, they are not dependant on a camper.

Well, it is after midnight and I have 3 sick kids. I better get to bed so I have enough energy to take care of them.

God bless you,
Sheri

Prickly days in the prickly desert.

Should we get a different camper or fix up the one we have?

(Written in my journal 10-14-09)

We have had our 5th wheel for a year and a half now. It has been good for us. But, we are considering changing our way of travel. The 5th wheel and truck are good. We have lots of room in the camper. We don’t all fit in the truck, so we bought a 15 passenger van that I drive. I haul a flat bed with 4 atvs, 3 kayaks, and 6 bikes. We really like to four wheel, so if we bought a driving camper we would have to leave them behind. Also, with a driving RV, we wouldn’t have enough room. We would have to get an older one and remodel. The new ones are way out of our budget. A driving RV would be so nice when we travel, though. Tytus, our baby, gets tired of his car seat real quick. Also, I feel like the time I waste driving I could be taking care of the kids, feeding them lunch, doing school, playing with them, reading them books, and we would have a bathroom to use. Two of my kids need character training. It is hard to do when I am driving. Then we are all quiet when the baby is asleep, so he DOES NOT wake up.

So, we have two choices:

1. Buy a driving camper. If we do that, we will have less room and not be able to bring the fourwheelers. I think it would be too cramped so we would need to buy a cabin somewhere to go back to every few months, to stretch out a little.

2. Keep what we have and remodel a little. Also, we are trying to not drive longer than 2 hours at a time. If we leave when it is his naptime, it is a pleasant drive for everyone.

I think for now we are going to do option 2. We will keep what we have and just change the ways we travel. Driving 2 hrs at a time seems to work better. Also, if the National Park or museum we want to visit is more than 45 minutes away from where we are parked, we’re not going. We will just have to move closer with our camper and stay for a few days. We are limited on where we can camp because Shae has to have internet with his air card and signal for his cell phone. Most National Park campgrounds do not have signal, so we have to stay at campgrounds outside of them. We would like to camp in National Forests more. It is free and tends to be very beautiful. But, there too we are so limited by Shae’s work. But, when I think about how we are limited on where we can camp, I just remember that we like food.

 No work, no eat.

 So, we are happy with what we can do and where we can go.

I would really like to remodel or consider getting a different 5th wheel. The carpet in the camper just grosses me out! It is the cheapest stuff and is just disgusting. I am constantly sweeping and vacuuming. I might just buy a decent vacuum, instead of the cheap shop vac I have. I want to pull all the carpet out and put some other flooring in, but the carpet is what helps the slide outs go in and out. I am going to try to be creative and come up with some way to get the carpet out. My husband thinks I am crazy. He said it would be so much work. I know he is right, about me being crazy and it being a lot of work (ha ha ha). So, I am going to do some research and see if there is an alternative.

I also want to take out the big bench seat table we have and put in a real table. The benches we have are cloth! I have 6 kids, and two eat like little pigs! I try so hard to teach them manners. But, it is very hard to in the camper. Josephine really needs to be in a high chair and Gabriel a regular chair.

 I would like to change out our windows, too. We really need the double paned windows. There is a little draft that runs through them.

That is all for now. I am ready for bed. The wind is terrible outside. I can feel our camper shaking!
Sheri