Saturday, June 24, 2017

Second Trip - TN, KY, MO, OK and AR (July 2016)

Our second trip out with the 5th Wheel was to make our way to Missouri for a mini family reunion and then to Oklahoma to visit a friend and lastly to spend a few days in Arkansas for our anniversary.

On the way to the 1st stop in our journey we stopped at a KOA in Paducah, KY a.k.a Kentucky Lake KOA. Unfortunately, due to the storm that had been through there just before we arrived, we could not check-in as the campground was without power and didn't know when the power would be fixed.  Since this was only the 2nd time we had taken our 5th Wheel out we didn't have a generator at the time, so we had to go to a different campground that did at least have electric & water for the night.  That just so happened to be right across from the KOA.  So we ended up staying at Cypress Lakes RV Park for one night.  They were very friendly and accommodating considering the circumstances.  We didn't really get to know the campground very well since we only stayed 1 night and really it was pretty much just for about 6-7 hours to sleep.  We had a pull-thru space which was convenient but due to more storms this is what we woke up to the next morning. 

Due to the fact that the storms had really messed up the area we cannot give a proper review of either campground. 

Cypress Lakes RV Park - July 2016
After our stay in KY we went on to our next stop in our journey and that was in Missouri.  We were visiting there for a mini family reunion for my side (Ginger's) of the family.  We had plans to spend a few days for visiting and a big family picture.  This stay was at my brother's house (Brian), who was nice enough to provide a 50amp outlet for us to plug into.  He put that in special for us.  Of course this was a nice place to camp and the company was great!

Missouri - July 2016
 Here is a picture of us at the mini reunion.  Picture was taken at a beautiful Park where we were visiting.

Jon & Ginger - Missouri - July 2016

After our stop in Missouri we headed on to Oklahoma to visit a military friend of Jon's.  Here we pretty much did the same thing that we did in MO.  We parked the 5th Wheel in the driveway of our friends house, but instead of staying in the RV we stayed in the house so we could visit, since this was just a one night stay.  We enjoyed catching up with our friend and meeting his wife, and a couple of their children.

Our final leg of our journey took us to Hot Springs, AR.  We had decided to spend a few days there to celebrate our Anniversary.  We found this really nice campground called Catherine's Landing which is part of the RVC Outdoor Destinations.  The check-in was very easy and the staff were very helpful and friendly.  We found our campsite quite easily and backed in with no problems.  The campground had a lot of nice foliage and sat on a creek that opened up to the lake.  They offered canoes and pontoon boats that you could rent and take out on the lake.  The pool was very well kept and really wasn't all that busy considering the time of year.  We ended up staying 3 nights here and were very impressed with how clean and well kept the campground was maintained.  Once again, we ran into some unforgiving weather during our stay.  A horrible thunderstorm moved through which took our the power to the facility and camp sites.  And once again, we were caught without a generator due to the fact that this was only our 2nd outing.  We had went ahead and started to break down camp to head back home when someone had come around and told us that no one was allowed the leave the campground due to power lines being down across the road that goes in and out of the campground.  Anything taller than 7 feet could not leave, order of the local fire department.  So instead of checking out at 11am-noon time we were not able to leave until around 3-4pm.  Although it was not the campgrounds fault we were a little disappointed to get such a late start to our journey home.  But we did really enjoy our visit here.

Catherine's Landing Campground - Hot Springs, AR - July 2016

Catherine's Landing Campground - Campsite
We really enjoyed our stay here at Catherine's Landing in Hot Springs, AR.  Our review of this facility is 4 Stars.  We would like there to be a little more shade trees around the campsites/pads for shade and just for nature sake.  Everything was very clean and the staff were very friendly and helpful.  If we decide to visit Hot Springs again we will probably stay here again.

So after our 2nd Journey we decided there was a small lesson learned.  BUY and TAKE a Generator!  Needless to say our very next purchase before the next trip was a Generator!  Don't leave home without it!

Thanks for reading and Happy Camping to All!  Be safe in your travels!


Saturday, April 23, 2016

Maiden Voyage - Camp Hatteras, NC

So once we purchased our new 5th wheel, we planned our 1st trip to test out everything!  We decided to take a trip to the Outer Banks of NC.  This trip for us was about a 6 1/2 hour drive from our home.  We wanted to put the trailer through it's paces to see how it did along with learning what we "need" and "don't need" to take with us.

We allowed about 3 weeks to plan and get ready for the trip.  We spent a lot of time online looking at many other RV blogs for lists of "must haves" and a slue of other Checklists and such.  I took everything we found and read online and compiled our own list of "Must Have" and a Departure and Setup Checklist, which I will share with all of you.

You will not normally hear me say this but at one point during all the shopping for supplies I said "I'm tired of shopping!".  So much to do and purchase that my brain was full.  Luckily nowadays you can read plenty of reviews and be an informed buyer, but it's all a bit overwhelming.

Well, after weeks of preparing (which felt like it was non-stop), we took our Maiden Voyage to the Outer Banks of NC and stayed at a very nice campground called Camp Hatteras. 

Here are some photos of our trip!

Outer Banks, NC
Camp Hatteras
April 18th - 21st, 2016

Arrival at Camp Hatteras, NC - April 18, 2016
Camp Hatteras, NC - Campsite #56 - April 18, 2016
Camp Hatteras, NC - Camp setup - April 18, 2016
Camp Hatteras, NC - Stroll along the beach - April 18, 2016
Camp Hatteras, NC - Stroll along the beach - April 18, 2016
Camp Hatteras, NC - Polly's first visit to the beach - April 19th, 2016
Camp Hatteras, NC - Polly's reaction after her beach encounter, Not impressed! - April 19, 2016
Camp Hatteras, NC - Day 1 dinner, YUM! - April 18, 2016

Camp Hatteras, NC - Day 2 Dinner - Chili Lime Chicken Kabobs - April 19, 2016
Camp Hatteras, NC - Day 2 Dinner - Love that outside Grill! - April 19, 2016
Camp Hatteras, NC - Just Chillin' - April 19, 2016
Camp Hatteras, NC - Keeping an eye on things! - April 20, 2016
Camp Hatteras, NC - It's a Camper Dog's Life - April 20, 2016
All in all we really enjoyed our 1st trip in our new 5th wheel.  We learned a lot in just one trip and are looking forward to our next trip in July.  

Stay tuned for more Rving with the Morgan's!

Happy Travels,
Ginger

New Fifth Wheel Pictures - Inside

Here are some pictures of the inside of the new 5th wheel, before we load it down.

Island Kitchen, 2 Lazyboy Recliners and a Queen Sofa Bed.
Kitchen and Entertainment Center.
Dinning Table with 4 Chairs. Love the storage in the seat of the Chairs!
A view from the back of the 5th Wheel.
The front door and Entry Cabinets.
Bedroom with Queen bed. Lots of closet space!
Slide out with Closet and a cabinet with shelves.
Bathroom Shower and Sink to the left.  Under the sink is a laundry shoot.
Bathroom Cabinet and hall door.
Bathroom Sink and Toilet with pocket door to the Bedroom.
Outside 32" TV and to the right is an area for the outside Grill and Table/Counter.
For 2 people and a dog we feel that this 5th wheel will be plenty of room for us during our travels.

Happy Travels!
Ginger

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Our New Purchase

So our Rving Journey is about to begin.  After almost 2 years of searching we finally found the Fifth Wheel that suited us.  As of March 28th, 2016 we are proud owners of a new 2016 Forest River Flagstaff Classic Super Lite.  It had all the upgrades we wanted and all for the right price.





A few days later we went back and had the hitch installed in our truck and did our "Walk Through" to go over all the details and to have a mini lesson of how to work everything.  So much in one day! A little bit overwhelming!  I think it's just going to have to be "learn as you go" when it comes to owning and operating a Fifth Wheel.  Luckily we've learned a lot already by watching a lot of YouTube videos.

More pictures of the inside coming soon!

Happy Travels,
Ginger