Yet Another Break Down

Today started off good and everything was going great until we crossed in Georgia on I95 when we had a tire blow out. Theses tires are only two years old and already had two them blow. To make matters worst it also took out the wiring harness that was running to that side on the frame and also some how pushed the side out about 3 inches now it will come in but not all the way and will not go back out all the time and makes funny noise. So here we set in a camp ground until tomorrow so we can call around and find out who can work on it and make all the repairs. 

Skyline Drive VA

Day two on the drive and we are having great weather and the leaves on the trees have stated to change already. The campground is full so we where lucky tp get a site for the week. We will be leaving next Friday. We have seen 3 bears already a mom and 2 baby cubs. Phone service on the mountain is spotty at best so will update as often as possible. For the next week it is just going to a lot of what we do best, eating and relaxing, and take lots of naps.

End of Summer

It is hard to believe that summer is coming to a end and that in a week we will be leaving Jane's Island State Park and headed to Skyline Drive VA.  We are looking forward to spending a week in the mountains before going to Florida for the winter.  We will miss going to Texas but will be able to get back there next winter.

I have just about got most of the little projects finished up that I wanted to get done. Have the new electric box wired up for the generator. Rewired bath room light for new LED . Lot better lighting then what we had before and now in the process of doing the rest of the light as soon as they get here. They where shipped out today. Will not take long once we receive then.

Summer Almost Over

Summer is almost over and our time here at Jane's Island State Park ( Camp Hosting ) is coming to a end. As always we have enjoyed our time here and will miss the staff and our good friends doing the winter months. Not a lot new to report on over the summer things have for the most part been the same. As with every summer we spend here at Jame's Island we have meet some good friends that we will be following their travels and maybe meeting up with doing the winter months. We have a few small projects to finish before we leave but should have them all done in the next few weeks.

We had a great Labor Day Weekend and had plenty of things to keep us busy. On Sat the kids had a great time at the Crab Derby that is held every weekend . The kids always have a great time and for some it is the first time they have ever been crabbing.

On Sunday we had a cook out with all our friends, Family and Jane's Island staff. We had a good time and best of all some amazing food. Glad we know some good cooks. For those who could not make it we are sorry because you missed out on some good eating.

We had planned on going back to Lake Corpus Christi in Texas but had to change our plans, more on the later. Looks like we will be headed to Skyline Drive VA. for about a week and then to Camp Mack in Lake Wales FL. for the winter months and then to Hamburg State Park Georgia. Having to stay on East Coast this year.  We are looking for to Hosting in Georgia it will be the first time we have spend more than a few days in the state. We have not set a departure date yet but we should have one set in a week or so. Can not wait to spend some time in the mountains of Skyline Drive VA. We will post any updates as soon as we have them.

Jane's Island State Park

We are back Camp Hosting at Jane's Island State Park in Crisfield Md. This is where we will be spending the biggest part of our summer. We enjoy hosting at this park and come back here every summer. The main reason is both our families live in the area about a hour away and we can be close by and see the grand kids from time to time. Plus they have some good seafood. We are hosting with our good friends Vince and Nancy that we meet about 5 years ago. It is nice having good friends around.

The park this time of year is usually close to being full and it keeps us busy. They try to have a lot of events for the kids on the weekends and we help out when ever we can. Most of the time we try to make the Crab Derby and Tie-Die, love watching the kids faces that is the best part of camping watching the kids having fun.

It will not be long before we start making our plans for the trip south for the winter.  This summer seems to be going by faster than normal, guess that is because we are having so much fun. We are already starting to make our travel plans for next year looking for new places and new things to do. We are always on the lookout for some place new to visit. 

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.