This weekend we’ll be at our next RV adventure.  This time, Diane and I will be in the RV at a camping area adjacent to the Girl Scout “Scout Out” here in Orange County.  Unlike last weekends RV Resort, this one will be a BIT more primitive, with no hookups or amenities, unless you count the nearby pit toilet and surrounding nature an amenity.  Should be a great time to see how we fair at “boon-docking”, as they call it.

Oh, and I’ve added a twitter feed connector, so all the people (all 32 of them) that follow me on twitter will now get an update from me when we post or edit entries or pages.  Good times.  Will need to register as a use to post comments, so we can keep the hack spammers away.  :/

Diane, Molly, and I spent the weekend at “The Springs at Borrego RV Park“. We had a “fun” trip out, as the GPS took us on a route that included signs saying vehicles longer than 40′ were not allowed.  With the 35′ of the RV, plus Diane’s car on the back, we greatly exceeded that length.  But, we made it.  I know I need to pay a lot more attention to the maps ahead of time, and not rely on directions from GPS and the RV resort itself.

We got everything setup quickly.  Molly and I had spent some time in the pool, which was a perfect temperature.   The wind was something else out there, and we had to pull in the awning shortly after setting it out, and put away all the chairs.  We started working on dinner shortly after, but I had forgotten the charcoal so a few things needed adjusting.  Fortunately we had everything needed to cook our chicken, potatoes, and corn in the RV.  We all watched some TV and then headed to bed.  The wind woke all of us up at one time or another, as it rocked the RV.  Given our proximity to the San Andres fault, we could have been having earthquakes and it would have felt the same as the wind.

On Saturday we went to the Anza Borrego State Park visitor center, walked around the exhibits, and took a stroll on their hiking trails.  We saw the biggest lizard I’ve ever seen in the wild.  I’ll get some of Diane’s pictures and add to this later.  The rest of the weekend saw Molly spend some more time at the pool, and she and I went on a couple bike rides.  There was some family movie watching, as we all enjoyed another viewing of “RV”.  We also had dinner at a community event at the RV Resort, where they had some bands playing and a taco bar.  Molly also colored her eggs so that they could be hidden later by the Easter Bunny. We had boiled them at home before the trip.  They have some new, very low-mess kits that have you put the eggs into little plastic bags and then inject the paint/glitter into the bag.  It worked pretty well and she was done in no time, and the now tie-dye kinda looking eggs were ready to go!

Sunday, we got up and found the Easter Bunny had hidden the eggs, and left Molly some nice goodies in her basket.  Molly took no time at all to find the eggs.  It seems the Easter Bunny can manage his job just fine in an RV!  We had some breakfast, watched some TV, and started working on preps to leave and head home.  Molly and Diane headed to the pool, and I worked on getting the rig prepped for leaving.  Once everyone was ready, we headed to the office/entrance area.  There we hooked up the car, checked out with the office, and found a geocache that had been stationed there near the entry area.

Instead of going back the way we came, we decided to head over to Salton Sea.  Diane and I had visited a few months ago, and we decided that since going that way would keep us on better roads, we’d also stop by and show the sea to Molly.  We grabbed some lunch in the RV, and then headed out to the visitor center and beach area at the Salton Sea State Recreation Area.  Molly wasn’t too keen on the dead fish on the shore, which were far fewer in number than when Diane and I had last been.  Once everyone had seen (and smelled) enough, we headed out.  Stopped for gas and some Del Taco for Molly, then on our way.

The wind was a constant for the whole trip, but we were now headed into it, and right through the area of the 10 where they have the wind turbines.  Well, before we even got to the 10, the rocking and such caused one of the kitchen cabinet drawers to loose it’s locking mechanism.  Then, the top part of the drivers side mirror came loose, and very quickly blew away.  Fortunately, there’s a lower convex mirror that could be adjust for some good visibility, and I had the back and left side camera’s as additional viewing options.  It was a bit nerve racking at first, and some white knuckle moments, but we made it home safe and sound.

It was a great first weekend out.  Now, just need to get the mirror fixed, as we have another camping event this weekend at a local state park where Molly is camping with the Girl Scouts.  We’ll be going from the flat, well maintained, full-hookup conditions of an RV resort, to a no hookup, dirt, state park.  Should be good times. 🙂 …

In the RV world, they call them Toads or Dinghy’s, but it’s basically the car/truck/jeep you pull behind your RV. You could use a trailer, or a tow dolly, or “flat” tow, where all four wheels of the towed vehicle are on the ground. Flat towing is the best from the stand point of reducing weight behind the RV, and for easy of disconnect when needed. But, you need to make sure the vehicle you tow can be flat towed.

Originally, we were going to tow the FJ. This would require not only the tow bar, base plate, wiring, and brakes, but also a drive shaft disconnect as the FJ is not able to be flat towed without the disconnect. Also, I took the FJ to a scale. With all the modifications and such, it came in very close to the 5000 lbs capacity of our RV. I wasn’t comfortable maxing out my towing abilities given that we are likely to be bringing more stuff in the RV than the typical vacationer.

So, we gave Diane’s car to a friend, and used a pre-approved vehicle loan from the credit union to buy a used 2007  Honda CRV.  This car has the ability to be flat towed, has a great reputation, enough room for us to be comfortable, and the weight is less around 3500 lbs.  Diane loves the car, as it came with heated seats, probably her favorite add-on of all time.  All the vehicles are 2007 now.  Still undecided on what to do with the FJ.  We’ll likely keep it at first, just need to find a home for it either here in California, or possibly at my sisters in Indiana.  Might also sell it too, just not sure yet.

Well, the inspiration for this post today is that the CRV is over getting a base plate, lighting, and brakes installed today at the El Toro RV center in Irvine.  This should be finished later today or early tomorrow, and then the RV goes over for part of the braking system install, and some final fitting up to be done.  Hopefully by the end of the day tomorrow, we’ll be ready to take our “Toad” with us to The Springs at Borrego RV Resort in a couple weeks, and then wherever else we venture too beyond then.  Keeps getting closer!

Just to add some specifics… We have a Demco Baseplate, Demco Dominator Tow Bar, and the Unified Tow Brake System from US Gear. So far, I’ve just used/driven with it from the service center to the storage center, so the upcoming trip should be a learning experience!

It has been a very hectic March for all of us. We finally got everything squared away with the RV, and I was able to pick it up on March 5th. Diane’s Dad helped out by shuttling Molly and I to the dealer for the final paperwork and delivery. This is while Diane and Megan were off in New York visiting Hofstra University, and Victoria was away with friends. It was an easy and fun ride from the dealer in Murrieta to the storage spot in Lake Forest. Pulling in and even backing into the spot was super easy. Molly and I were able to grab some In-N-Out, and had our first RV meal sitting in the storage area. I had to leave on a week long work trip the next day, so the RV got to sit and rest in its new surroundings till I got back.

Over the past week we’ve had some time to get new bits like sewer and water hoses, an air compressor, and the special TP and tank treatment things. We’ve also had our first dead battery experience. This forced me to read the manual and figure out what devices were attached to what batteries, and then how each battery bank was charged. We were able to get the engine jumpstarted from the FJ, and then drove around for a while to get everything back up and in working order again. Diane and Molly were with me for the driving, and everyone is liking the whole thing a lot.

This past weekend was all about getting the back bedroom fixed. The unit came with two twin mattresses, which make for a king bed width, but only 75 inches long. We had purchased a queen memory foam mattress (via a great deal at woot.com). But, we should have waited and learned a bit more. The extra 5 inches in length on the standard queen is too long, and it impedes the bedroom/bunk slideout as it comes in. So, we’re investigating a custom sized bed to give us the maximum size and best operation, or may just get two new twins. Time will tell.

The box that the be sits has a liftable lid, which houses a storage area, and the fresh water tank and pump. One of the piston type lift mechanisms for the lid was broken (stuck open) and caused some of the wood pieces to become broken as others (and I) tried to force it closed. Also, I discovered the fresh water tank wasn’t strapped down. As of today, I’ve got the wooden bits repaired and back at the RV, and just need to reinstall them in the next couple days. I also need to pick up a really long socket wrench extender so I can get the fresh water tank straps back on. Hopefully finding some sound isolation material can happen this week as well, so I can get the fresh water pump to be a bit quieter.

That’s it for now. Just an update on the progress, and fixing up the site a bit. Trying to add some map/tracking, and got a few ad’s for stuff we use/like setup. Hopefully they get a click or two and generate a little to pay for the site.

We’re still waiting for the credit verification portion to be complete. Not sure why it is taking so long. I’m told it is the credit reporting agencies that are causing the delay. Basically, there’ a guy who looks over the credit report, and makes recommendations that will raise the score. He then has to go to the credit reporting agencies and show them proof that the changes were made, and then they give him something that he takes to the bank/credit union showing the higher score. This will get us a lower interest rate, and whatever.

ANYWAY, due to the delay of all this (it SHOULD be done this week) our sales person had another used 35 foot bunkhouse come in, and he wanted us to look at it. We would be able to switch, if we decided that was what we wanted to do. Well, we have chosen to do just that. We’ll now be getting a 2007 Itasca Sunova 35J. This one is nearly identical to the Winnebago, as the Itasca is a Winnebago Industries brand. There are only a few differences, and they are all improvements. Plus, the Sunova comes with some extra things that we were going to want to add anyway, and, it was a little bit less money. All in all, a good thing was delivered in this time we had to sit around and wait.

Our plan had been to be out this weekend at an RV resort in Mission Bay, San Diego. That didn’t happen, but we had fun visiting the RV’s at the dealer, and had Diane’s parents with us for the trip. A good time was had by all. Even Molly, who insisted that this one chair in the Winnebago was better than the one in the Itasca. Our every helpful and attentive salesperson Roger is going to make sure those chairs mysteriously get swapped so little Miss Molly is satisfied with the switch.

So, we have a storage spot for it, all the paperwork for credit history stuff is turned in, and it has been in for a week. Fingers crossed that we have the RV in our possession this week!

Here’s a picture of the Sunova. Looks nearly identical huh?

It’s been almost 3 weeks now since we bought the RV. We’re still working with the financing guy, and waiting to hear when we can pick it up and get our orientation. This financing “thing” was way different than when we bought any other car, and even different than when we bought the house. It is pretty cool though, just takes time.
Got a storage spot for it up in Lake Forest off of Bake. Should be a good place to keep it, and to work on it for small projects at times too.

Plans are already made. We have THREE camping reservations booked right now. First one is at an RV resort down in San Diego in just two weeks. We won’t have the “dinghy” setup by then, but should at least have the basics like dishes and toiletries. 🙂

I have a trip to Las Vegas next week, so we’re hoping to get into the RV before Sunday. Tata for now.

If you’re watching this, you’ll see many changes over the next couple months. We’re trying to prep ourselves to go mobile. We’ve got lawyer meetings this week, and will have a better idea of our abilities to “do this” after those meetings.