Date Weekend-July 2020

Date Weekend-July 2020

LOVE THE LIFE YOU LIFE! LIVE THE LIFE THAT YOU LOVE.

This past weekend Tawnya & I (no kids, no dogs) decided to check out Pohick Bay Regional Park. From our house it was a quick 40-50 minutes (26-miles) drive.

We spent our date weekend paddle boarding, enjoying some pretty good local wines and watching Bond  James Bond.

Attached is a quick video recap of our fun weekend..Thanks Go Pro

#etctacamping2020

#liveagreatstory

@wpwinery

@novaparksva

https://plus.gopro.com/media-library/WyM4GoyV6BpKB

The Vineyard at Hershey (June-2020)

Harvest Hosts

Before I go into our stay at The Vineyard at Hershey. I want to give major props to Harvest Hosts. Harvest Hosts works with local farms, wineries, alpaca farms, breweries, golf courses to alllow RV'ers (with elf contained units) to boondock on their property. The yearly fee is nominal but what you get in return is priceless. In our years as members of Harvest Hosts we have stayed at properties that offer breath taking views and sampled/purchased some tasty and interring items.

If you are interested in reading more about Harvest Hosts Click Here

If you decide to join and want a 15% discount Click Here

Date of Stay-June 2019

Location-The Vineyard at Hershey in Middletown, Pennsylvania. This is a GREAT place for tasty wines/beers and amazing views but is in no way associated with Hershey Park or The Hershey Chocolate Company.

The State of Pennsylvania was in the middle of Phase-2 of the Covid-19 recovery plan, which meant bars and restaurants could only offer to go service or service on their exterior patio. No sit down/eat in/tastings. We were informed of the restrictions but still welcomed by The Vineyard at Hershey.

Prior to our arrival we were given specific instructions on where to park, which was great since we arrived prior to their opening. Insider tip...the parking lot gets packed if you can arrive prior to opening...DO IT. It will make maneuvering in the lot easier.

Once they opened the outside bar we enjoyed a few 12oz samples of their wine and the live music...which we enjoyed. Since we were 10-minutes from downtown Hershey we decided to head in and walk around. At this point the park was still closed and Chocolate World had just reopened. After our impromptu walking tour of Hershey we headed back to The Vineyard at Hershey and enjoyed a few more 12 oz samples and then decided to pick up a bottle of Rabble Rouser for our collection.

From our camping vantage point we were able to enjoy the amazing sunset and epic sunrise.

#etctacamping2020 #harvesthosts

Wyndridge Farm (June-2020)

Harvest Hosts

Before I go into our stay at Wyndridge Farm in Dallastown, Pennsylvania. I want to give major props to Harvest Hosts. Harvest Hosts works with local farms, wineries, alpaca farms, breweries, golf courses to alllow RV'ers (with elf contained units) to boondock on their property. The yearly fee is nominal but what you get in return is priceless. In our years as members of Harvest Hosts we have stayed at properties that offer breath taking views and sampled/purchased some tasty and interring items.

If you are interested in reading more about Harvest Hosts Click Here

If you decide to join and want a 15% discount Click Here

Date of Stay-June 2019

Location-Wyndridge Farm in Dallastown, Pennsylvania

The State of Pennsylvania was in the middle of Phase-2 of the Covid-19 recovery plan, which meant bars and restaurants could only offer to go service. No sit down/eat in/tastings. We were informed of the restrictions but still welcomed by Wyndridge Farm.

When we arrived I checked in with the person working the outside beer to go area. She was busy with customers driving up yet she was super friendly. She gave us clear directions on where to park. Once we got set up we went back down and started talking about their beer and cider offerings. Without doing a traditional tasting the bartender/clerk/super friendly person did a GREAT job of describing the beers/ciders that they had for sale. We settled on 2-6 packs of cider...which were quite tasty.

Once everything closed up for the night we walked around the property and came across this stunning stage that overlooked the valley.

Once the threat of Covid-19 has passed us we will be back for the views but most importantly if an employee working outside in the heat is that knowledgeable about the beers and ciders imagine the experience once the bar is open.

#harvesthosts #etctacamping2020 #rvlife

The New Normal In Camping

After 12-Years of Living The RV Lifestyle I have expierienced  The New Normal In Camping—>Dealing with and interacting with other RV'er that are heavily into politics.

Preface: I am not a SUPER POLITICAL person even though I near a SUPER POLITICAL CITY. I dont engage people on their political or religious beliefs…my chats around the camp fire tend to be around food, alcohol, food, other places to go and ohh yeah food. You believe what you want to believe and we both will come away with a good recipe and a good story.

This past weekend we stayed at one of our favorite RV Parks and a few of our neighbors PROUDLY displayed their TRUMP-2020 flags. Our closest neighbor made it is mission to BLAST obnoxious country music (BTW I LOVE country music..however I am not sure which part of the country this music came from)  and somehow the was able to find pro TRUMP ads. Throughout the weekend people would walk by his site and laugh, some would look in horror and point and a few would engage him in conversations. Over the weekend he attempted to engage me or my wife and would start off with a political conversation, we just respectfully declined and went about our business.

Over the weekend I had many thoughts about what I should do.

1-Engage him in a fact based debate about the statement on his flag? 

2-Complain to the campground owners about the flags and/or the music.

3-Sit inside of my motor home and ignore the site of the flag and the sounds of his music.

4-Don't let certain outside influences ruin my good time.

Years ago my presence in an RV Park/Campground would be met with the same level of disgust as I have for this flag and its message. Instead of engaging with him I realized that this is the new normal. In a divisive political society where there is no more respect for an opposing view point and you are either right or stupid we all have to get used to dealing with, in our own way, the in your face political messaging!

. 

Facts

1- He paid for his little slice of heaven just like I did

2-He is not harming anyone and who knows his type of music might be therapeutic to his ears.

3-He is no better or worse than I am…just different

4-I wasted maybe an hour or two of my vacation that I NEVER get back thinking about his flag and the music

Trip Report May 2020 (KOA OBX)

Location-KOA OuterBanks

The planning for this trip was a little bit stressful due to the uncertainty of the COVID-19 virus. We made reservations in January of 2020. Once Dare County closed businesses that were not essential the social media manager did a great job of keeping their Facebook Page updated with any re-opening updates. In Early May it was announced that Dare County/Hatteras Seashore would be open to non-residents on May 22nd. 10-minutes after the news became public I received a call from the KOA Outer-banks explaining the situation and adjusting my reservation. As the opening dates changed the KOA Outer-banks did a great job of keeping me informed.

This by far is one of our favorite RV Parks. During our 1st trip 12 years ago we spent a few nights at the KOA Outer Banks and we have been coming back every year or two.

The Top 5 Reasons Why We LOVE The KOA Outer Banks

1-All members of the staff are helpful and friendly

2-This KOA  has plenty for everyone to do or not to do…if you want

3-All sites are wide and deep enough. We prefer site-217

4-The facilities are always clean and well maintained

5-All members of the staff are helpful and friendly

Typically I make time to take pictures of the places that we stay…fortunately I spent my time relaxing and recharging my batteries.

A few changes (I am not sure is this was due to the COVID-19 virus, if they were I hope that they keep them)

1-Text Messages-Throughout my stay I received multiple text messages about different events going on around the campground. I found this to be a better way to communicate that the piece of paper that they give you at check in

2-Rolling Cart with wood and ice available. You never you need something until you need it. Having the cart rolling around with wood and ice was awesome! We were able to keep our campfire going a LOT longer than planned which led to lots of family memories.

If you have the ability I would defiantly check out the KOA Outer Banks

Camping Fun March-2020

Camping Fun March-2020

Our 1st Weekend Out we took a short jaunt to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia to hike and have fun.

Here Are A Few Videos

Homemade Marshmallows

Marshmallow Recipe

Hiking In And Around Great Falls :-)

Tawnya's Hash :-)

One of our favorite breakfasts is my wife's AWESOME Hash

Ingredients

• Yukon Gold Potatoes
• Sweet Potatoes
• Breakfast Sausage (loaf or roll...not the links)
• Granny Smith Apples
• Garlic
• 1/2 of an Onion
• Butter
• Oil or Bacon Grease
• Salt & Pepper

Here Is A Video Showing How Easy It Is-->Tawnya's Hash

Where Do I Keep Ferocious But Fabulous?

Living in a densely populated area I need to find a place to keep my 41-Foot Fleetwood Discovery. Here is a quick video from home to the storage lot.

Storage