Last Days at Assateague Island National SeaShore

I does not seem that we have been here a Assateague Island National SeaShore for a month now but in 3 short days we will be leaving. We have enjoyed our time Camp Hosting here. We had a great time working with the staff here they a great. The weather was great the entire month. Also spent some time with our good friends Mike and Cindy who we hosted with in the past and a Tim and Kelly was also here part of the month. The ponies where a lot of entertainment for us as they where in the camping loops almost every day. As usual we meet and made some good friends,  that is one one the best parts of camp hosting and full time RVing. These are just a few of the pictures taken while we where here on the Island.

Assateague Island National SeaShore

We are enjoying our frist few day here at the beach and have already seen a lot of ponies.  We love seeing them come by our camp site daily. The weather has been great the last few days with a lite breeze and nice temps. Hoping the rest of the month is the same. 

This us one of favorite campgrounds and it is even better with Tim and Kelly  who we met in Florida  camping next to us.  This is our 4th year spending the month of June here on Assateague Island National SeaShore and ever year it gets a little better.
Here are just a few of pictures that we have so far. We also seen a seal sunning itself on the beach.

Weber Grill Mod

The Weber Q series grill are very popular with camper, and it seems that a lot of people have them. But as a lot of us have found out they have a weak link,  the regulator .  A lot of people have had problem with them not heating up and can not get a blue flame. Sometimes they work and sometimes they do not. But there is a easy fix and your Weber Q will burn better and heat up a lot faster. We use ours hooked to a 20 pound tank and the grill works better than new with this mod. We do not use the small 1 pounds tanks, just to much trouble when you us the grill a lot. The fix is easy, first you remove the control knob on the grill by pulling it off the value. Then remove the nut the holds the control gas valve on the bracket. Then remove the control valve and the regulator . The bracket that holds them should pull out. Remove the regulator from the control valve, you will not need the bracket or regulator. You will need 3 brass fittings and a new hose with regulator to complete the mod. Here are the labels for the 3 brass fittings that you will need, I picked mine up from Home Depot but you should be able to find then at any good hardware store.

Here is what the fittings should look like when you have them hooked the the control valve. You first install the 1/4 MIP x 1/8 FIP to the control valve. Next the 1/4 FIP and them the 3/8 OD x 1/4 FIP. The new hose with regulator and 3/8 connection on the end. 

Next you install your new hose with regulator and 3/8 connection on the end to your tank and grill and you are ready to grill.

Now you are ready to enjoy your Weber Q and it will heat up faster and burn a lot better than before. I could not believe how much better my grill works now. One last tip, after turning the gas on at the tank wait about a minute before lighting the grill to let the hose pressurize 

2017 Summer update

It is hard believe that we have been camping hosting here back at Jane's Island State Parks for 3 months now. Time has gone by so fast and we have had such a good. We have not been posting a lot because really there has not been a lot new here. When we get here at Jane's Island it is really laid back and just a great place to spend time and we love hosting here.

In 3 days we will be packing up and headed to Assateague Island National Sea Shore for the month of June. It will be nice to spend a little time at the beach and visit with friends that will be there also. Hoping to get some more nice pictures of the ponies. See you at the Beach !!

Back in Maryland

We have been back in Maryland now for a few days after a long and fast 3 day trip back from Texas. For the most part it was a good trip other than a major traffic jam on I20 in Louisiana, Not sure why but we where in a rolling backup for about a hour or more . The one thing that I have learn is that a lot of  States need to spend some money on the interstate road system. Most of the highways we traveled where in bad shape and they seemed to be worst the more South we where. Hopefully they will improve in the next few years.

The second thing that we noticed was the price of diesel fuel has gone back up again and it is crazy as to how much difference there is from station to station. The truck stops on the interstates seem to be always higher than the rest of the smaller stations, I guess that is because they know the big rigs do not have a lot of choice and have to use the truck stops. Is diesel not cheaper to make then gas?

When we are traveling across country we sometime like to pull into a Walmart or Cracker Barrel or some other places overnight for a little rest and some sleep before driving on. We always ask permission and try to park in a will lit area. However we had our first bad experience in Newton Mississippi. We where parked at the far end of the lot at about 12pm when heard a truck running outside of our camper , I looked ousidet the bedroom window and saw a pickup parked next to ours with 2 guys in side looking at our truck. They sat there for a 5 minutes and then pulled off and 15 minutes later they where back sitting there again . Not sure what they where up to but at this point we where not comfortable staying there so we pulled out and just decided to drive through the night. That is why we made the trip back so fast.

Now we are back in Maryland I think the man upstairs is messing with us, it is COLD and the wind is blowing and they are calling for snow, ugh!!!! This is a shock to our system after being in Texas and having 70 and 80 degree weather. Maybe it will not last to long and get warm soon, we are looking forward to summer.

As most of you know there is always something that goes wrong when you travel a lot in a RV . We had a great trip until with where setting up at our camp site in Maryland. As we where getting ready to unhook form the truck one of the front landing gear was not going down. After doing a little looking we found that  a shear pin had broke and came out. After a easy repair we had the gear fixed and where all set up. Now we are ready for some fun.

Water Pressure

For those of you that own a camper and use full hook-ups at campgrounds you should have a water pressure regulator on your must have list. These regulators reduces the water pressure going into your camper to 40 - 50 psi. There all types of regulators on the market from $8.00 to over $100.00. and some are adjustable. The basic ones sell for around $10.00 and can save you a lot of problem and head aches. High water pressure can break water lines and cause leaks. They are easy to use and hook up and go between your faucet and water hose. Most will last a full camping season unless you are a full time RVer like us and them you may have to change then about every 6 months. If you do not use one you might want to think about getting on, We where recently at a park and checked the water pressure and it was 105 psi.  This high of pressure would cause all kinds of problems. The pressure regulator below is about $10.00 at Walmart and other RV shops and is all you need to feel safe when you hook up to a water supply.

Our Time In Texas Coming To A End

Well it is about that time again when we start planning our travels back towards the East Coast for the summer. We have enjoyed our time in Texas and will miss our newly made friends, but maybe we will see then again in our travels or when we are back in Texas again. The weather here in Texas has been a little crazy this year with it being hot some days and then cooler on some. We have enjoyed camp hosting at the two parks that we where at ( Lake Corpus Christi State Park and Fort Parker State Park ).  We have again been a little slow on posting because we have just been hanging around the park and taking it easy.

We are looking forward on getting back to Maryland and seeing all our friends and eating some good seafood. That is one of the things we mess the most is being able to find good fresh seafood and a cheese steak sub. We where a one place here in Texas and they did not even know how to make a cheesesteak sub, guess it is more of a East Coast thing not sure! I have a few projects that I am wanting to get done once we get settled in at the park that we will be hosting for this summer. And maybe will have some time to work on a few ink pens, have not had a lot of time to make any here in Texas.

Our time is growing short here and will be posting our plans as soon as we have then all worked out. We in the process of planning our route, going to try to take a new route back and see some things we have not had a chance to see yet. To our friends in Crisfield Md. get the cheesesteaks and pizza ready we are coming!!

Old Fort Parker, TX

Today Gwen and I visited Old Fort parker Historical Park. We enjoyed seeing how the pioneers lived and how hard it must of been for them. Old Fort Parker is a reconstructed fort which pays tribute to the Parker family and other pioneers who paid a high price to settle in Texas. The Parkers and other members of their church came to Texas from Crawford County, Illinois in 1832. In 1832 , Daniel Parker a staunch theologian, had gained permission to settle in Texas. After organizing those who wanted to got to Texas into the Predestinarian Baptist Church, they all left Illinois in July 1833 in ox drawn wagons. Daniel and the majority of his followers settled near the city of Elkhart, Other members of the group preferred to settle farther west, near the Navasota River. Elder John Parker and three of his sons Silas, James and Benjamin began in Dec. 1833 to clear land and construct “ Parker Fort “.

   

   

   

   

                    

Fort Parker State Park

It is hard to believe that we have been at Fort Parker State Park for more than two week now. Time is going by fast and we have been having such a good time and staying busy that I have been a little slow updating the blog. Fort Parker is a small park with only 35 camp sites and 10 mini cabins. The site are setup so there is lots of room between sites and easy to get into. Some of the sites might be a little short for bigger rigs. We are on a host site on the top of the hill is the shelter area and have a great view of the campground.

  

The mini cabins are just a basic cabin with only a picnic table inside so campers must bring their own camping gear, cots, sleeping bags and whatever else you might need. The cabins do have electric and there is plenty of room inside. They also have a outside table and fire ring and room for parking. These are nice for people that like basic camping and gives you a nice place to get out of the weather.

  

The T pier is a great spot for fishing or watching the sunsets in the evenings. There is also a fish clean station for cleaning any fish you might catch.

  

In the day use area the is a nice nature center , boat ramp and the park rents kayak and canoes. There is also a shelter for picnics.

  

We are told what we are going to be really busy in the coming weeks with a Trout Clinic being held for the kids, there will be fishing, games and food. The local Bass Club is also giving the kids free fishing rods so this should be a good time. I will try to get lots of pictures if I get some free time. It is on the weekend of Jan 29th both Sat and Sun.

As soon as I have time I will be posting more pictures of the park so keep check back on the blog.

Oak Forest RV Park

Yesterday we pulled out of Lake Corpus Christi State Park  for what we thought was going to be a short trip to our next stop. Boy where we wrong, 6 1/2  hours later we stopped into Oak Forest RV Park. The day started out  with our puppy  getting sick all over me in the truck. It went down hill after that . We where getting ready to pull in for something to eat when we blow a tire on the  camper.

To make a long story short we called road side service  to find someone to change a tire. In the mean time a nice guy stopped  to see if we needed any help. So him and I got to work changing the tire that turned out to be not that hard.  I did learn that I need some better blocks in case this happens again.

Now we are just relaxing and enjoying the day the weather has turn out great 73 and sunny. First time we have seen any sun in about a week. Pulling out tomorrow for what we hope.will be a short 2 hour trip to Fort Parket State Park  where we will be camp hosting for the next two months .

Final Days at Lake Corpus Christi State Park

In about 8 short days our time here at Lake Corpus State Park, Texas will be coming to a end. We have had a great time and meet and made some new friends. That is one of the best parts of traveling and camping full time. The weather has not been as nice as it was last year, but still better than most parts of the country. It is Christmas Eve and we have the AC running so life is good. We will start packing things a little at a time so that we do not have to do it all at once. When we leave here we will be headed to Fort Parker State Parks for a two month stay, looking forward to staying at a place we have never been before. Texas is a big state and we still have not seen all of it, maybe next year. Not sure as of yet what we will be doing once we get to Fort Parker only that we will be camp host. Going to keep this short. Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Winter in Texas

I have been a little lazy postings updates lately. Everything is going great here and we are having a good time and meeting new friends. Gwen has the Christmas tree and declarations up inside and lights outside on the RV and trees. So I guess we are as ready for Christmas as we are going to be. We are looking forward to the up coming Christmas Dinner that the park is putting on, should be a good time. Then there will be a pot luck dinner the  volunteers are having along with a cookie swap. Guess I am not going to loose any weight this month.  It is hard to believe that we have been here for over a months already. Time goes fast when you are having fun. It will not be long and we will be getting ready for our next move to Fort Parker State Park. Hope the weather does not get to cold there, it is north of where we are at now. The weather here has been all over the place here the last few days. There was a cold front that moved through and we had rain and cool weather for a few days and then the sun was back out yesterday and back in the 70’s . Now today it is cool and damp out. But at lease we don’t have snow.

We met a really nice couple camping behind. Now Gwen has a new shopping friend.  Talking with them they where telling us the when setting up they noticed that the wheels on the camper on one side seems to be too close together. Stated that after they had looked under the RV that had the springs on one side had broken and failed completely and the springs on the same axle on the other side where broken in a couple different places. Do not know how they ever made it to the campground. They are not sure how long it had been like that are how long they had driven with it that way. They checked with a few of the local RV dealers and it would be two weeks before they could do any thing . So we decided that we would fix it at the campground. It was not as hard as I though it might be and after getting all the tools needed we had both springs replaced . Lesson learned always crawl under the RV and inspect every thing before heading out on a camping trip and carry a good bottle jack, Nice to have for flat tires or to make repairs.

Sorry we do not have any pictures to post. We have been just hanging around the campground visiting with the other camper and not doing any road trips lately. The campground has been full most of the time and we just like meeting the other camper and getting together and finding where they have been in their travels and where they are from. I have also taken time to make a few more ink pens ( my new hobby ) on the days it is nice and sunny. So for now we are just hanging out here in the South of Texas and thinking about all you guys up North shoveling snow!

Flame Genie Product Review

The Flame Genie portable fire pit uses wood pellets instead of fire wood. At only 12 pounds it is easy the store and transport. It comes with a nice carrying case. There is little to no smoke or sparks once the pellets start to burn. This is a nice little fire pit to carry and use when campgrounds do not have fire rings on site. Would also be great to use at home. We have only used ours about 4 times but so far we are happy with it. The flame pattern is nice to look at once it get going and it does put out plenty of heat. The pellets are readily available at stores like Lowe's, Home Depot, Walmart and Tractor Supply. We got ours at Tractor Supply  $2.99  for a 40 pound bag. What we have found that most times we burn about 20 pounds a night and you do have to keep adding pellets to keep the fire burning. But at 20 pounds a night and only $2.99 a bag it is still cheaper than having to buy fire wood. This fire pit may not be for everyone but it is nice to have when no fire ring is available. Clean up is easy and there is very little ash to deal with. I would recommend this pellet fire pit to anyone that want something easy to use and it comes in two parts so it is small and easy to carry with you.