Just "Ducky" - Floating Around

[Bishoparc]

Taking a page from @PaHunter 's (and several other’s) book, I decided I'd start a thread to track all of my camping adventures. My boss has been encouraging me, since I work remote anyway, to take my camper on the road and try working remotely some. Seeing as how I'm not getting any younger and the world keeps getting crazier, I figured I'd try taking him up on the offer. If nothing else, it will give me a good way to brush up on my trip reporting skills here on The DIS.

Unfortunately DW can't work remotely and doesn't have a bunch of time off so some of these trips may be solo. I absolutely hate leaving her at home but, after losing my mom earlier this year, I've decided I've got to live some more while I'm taking my trip around the earth. DW is used to me traveling a bunch for work anyway so I figure I can at least get away with once a month on good behavior.

If anyone has any campgrounds in the southeast states they'd recommend that have decent wifi and a view, please let me know. I'm a fan of waterfront (lakes, rivers, etc) but also enjoy anything that has the feel of the Fort (woodsy). There are a ton of campgrounds here in the FL panhandle but, especially during the summer, most are more expensive than the Fort! I do have cell phone hotspots from 2 different providers (AT&T and Verizon) to use as a backup and am looking at some of the cell phone boosters.

With all that said, meet Dr. Mallard or "Ducky" as we like to call him if you haven't already(NCIS reference.) Ducky came home with us May 31, 2018. After several "intense moments of fellowship" with the Camping World service department, he seems to be doing mostly well these days (I say this after spending $1,300 on slide repairs last week.)

 

[Bishoparc]

Placeholder post for trip quick-links

• Fort Wilderness | Orlando, FL - August 21-23, 2020
• Fort Wilderness | Orlando, FL - September 4-7, 2020 (Labor day last minute)
• Fort Wilderness | Orlando, FL - October 11-17, 2020
• Bear Lake @ Blackwater River State Forest | Milton, FL - January 29-31, 2021
• Our Property | Caryville, FL - March 20-21, 2021
• Pigeon Forge Landing | Pigeon Forge, TN - April 2-4, 2021
• Gulf State Park | Gulf Shores, AL - April 30-May 2, 2021
• Gulf State Park (do-over) | Gulf Shores, AL - May 14-15, 2021
• Pine Mountain | Pigeon Forge TN - June 5-11, 2021/Harrison Bay State Park | Chattanooga, TN - June 11-12, 2021
• Our Property | Caryville, FL - July 3-5, 2021
• Hurricane Lake North @ Blackwater River State Forest | Milton, FL - July 9-11, 2021
• Fort Wilderness | Orlando, FL - September 26 - Oct 3, 2021
• Gulf State Park | Gulf Shores, AL - October 29-31, 2021
• Bear Lake @ Blackwater River State Forest | Milton, FL - January 28-30, 2022
• Gulf State Park | Gulf Shores, AL - April 16-24, 2022
• Fort Wilderness | Orlando, FL - March 31-April 4, 2023
• Harrison Bay State Park | Pigeon Forge, TN | June 11-18, 2023

 

[Teamubr]

Anchor Down- North of Pigeon Forge about 20 minutes (technically in Dandridge, TN) On Douglas Lake, Great amenities and cheap. DW and I both worked remotely from there in April. Decent wifi if you have a site close to a repeater and good cell service to hot spot on. Hard to get a weekend spot during the season.

j

 

[WeLovePluto]

Oohhh...I got out with $100 in slide repairs for my 2019 Mallard but it was just the seals and under the extended warranty. But if you ever want some entertainment, talk to my DW about Camping World.

we stayed at Emerald Beach RV resort in Navarre for the 4th. It was nice and reasonably priced. Used a hotspot more than their wireless so that we could watch Hamilton on Disney+.

 

[jbrostek]

Anchor Down- North of Pigeon Forge about 20 minutes (technically in Dandridge, TN) On Douglas Lake, Great amenities and cheap. DW and I both worked remotely from there in April. Decent wifi if you have a site close to a repeater and good cell service to hot spot on. Hard to get a weekend spot during the season.

j

I will add The Ridge Outdoor Resort as a backup to Anchor Down. Big level sites, nice pool, killer WiFi, still close to Great Smoky Mountain, and the staff was great to work with. Minuses right now is lack of mature trees, some erosion control still has not established and heavy storms can cause some silt/mud. (staff came and cleaned our site after one incident.)

 

[Bishoparc]

I will add The Ridge Outdoor Resort as a backup to Anchor Down. Big level sites, nice pool, killer WiFi, still close to Great Smoky Mountain, and the staff was great to work with. Minuses right now is lack of mature trees, some erosion control still has not established and heavy storms can cause some silt/mud. (staff came and cleaned our site after one incident.)

I was super excited to see the Ridge and it looks very nice but not quite as scenic as I had hoped so haven't stayed there yet. They're also building a new one down the road from the Apple Barn that will open in March 2021 - https://pigeonforgelandingrvresort.com/

 

[Bishoparc]

Fort Wilderness August 2020

Here are the links from our August run down to the Fort for a quick weekend trip:

• 8/21 Arrival & Check-in process
• 8/21 Friday Afternoon/General Fort Pics
• 8/21 Friday Night/Bus Pics/Dinner
• 8/22 MK Morning Overview
• 8/22 Final Rundown of the quick trip/Park Wait Times/Masks, etc

 

[Bishoparc]

Wellll my plan was to go visit the fort again one weekend in September but it appears every single weekend is booked up.... Hoping they open some more loops so I can get in.

 

[Bishoparc]

Fort Wilderness Labor Day 2020

Well last night all loop types opened up for this coming Labor Day weekend so I snagged a premium site. As of this morning looks like the only thing left was premium meadow so I'm glad I didn't wait to book. My guess is they've opened up some more loops but I'll see this weekend.

**Updated to add the links to the trip report for this trip**
Saturday morning
Current Fort Information
Geyser Point
Disney Springs
Chef Art Smith's & Sprinkles
Fort Backstage

Rained a lot on this trip on Sunday so didn't get to do much that afternoon/night but still was good to enjoy a long weekend at the Fort.

 

[Bishoparc]

All checked in and on site 1124 for our 2020 DISboard Rendezvous at the Fort.

• Day 1
  • Site setup
• Day 2
  • Morning/Epcot
  • Lunch and evening
• Day 3
• Day 4
  • Magic Kingdom Morning
  • Magic Kingdom Afternoon and WCC
• Day 5
  • Gem Mining at the Fort

 

[Bishoparc]

We're headed down this weekend for a quick visit to MK on Saturday. Staying off-property this time. Camper is in the shop. Let me know if there's anything you need me to research for anyone at MK.

 

[Bishoparc]

Bear Lake @ Blackwater River State Forest | Milton, FL - January 29-31, 2021

As some may or may not know, I am a ham (amateur) radio operator. There is a yearly event called "Winter Field Day" in which groups of hams get together, setup their equipment, and operate off emergency power (typically batteries or generators) in remote areas to see how many contacts they can make. We did ours at Bear Lake campground just north of Milton, FL this year. The campground is beautiful with recently renovated bath houses and their pavilion, where we had our event, was large and well appointed. We took our camper up there along with a couple of others and camped as well.




Setting up antennas



Operations





All in all we ended up with around ~175 contacts, which isn't a lot but we had fun! Many visitors stopped by to see what we were doing and we got to share the hobby with others so all in all it was a HUGE success.

Highlight Video

 

[friendofeeyore]

Sounds like fun. Milton KOA was our first overnight stop when going to "The Fort".

 

[Bishoparc]

I don’t know if any of you have watched it but we’ve been watching the “Keep Your Daydream” YouTube channel. We started at season 7 but it’s this family that has gone to full time RV life and they document all their travels, including the not so fun stuff that happens with a camper. It’s extremely well done and really inspiring.

DW and I took out our dinette from the camper so that I could put a desk and a recliner in that space since we never use the dinette anyway. In doing that, we discovered we have water intrusion from somewhere. Found the carpet wet under the dinette. Dropped it off for service yesterday so we can hopefully figure out what’s up. Also having them install a slide awning over our main slide.

All that to say that, after watching that YouTube channel I/we are committing to camping more this year. I want to live life and experience everything we can while we can. Here’s to living life!

 

[Bishoparc]

Camping at our property in Caryville

We have 66+ acres about an hour and a half from home that we like to go take the 4-wheeler to and camp as well when we can.

We had been wanting to get a new mattress for our camper for some time but we were nervous about ordering one online without being able to try to so last weekend we went to a local furniture store. They happened to have a great mattress we liked the feel of on clearance. It was normally just over $1k but we got it for $525. Slightly more than I was wanting to pay for camper mattress but at least it was a known quantity. This one is an actual queen mattress so of course we happened to have a Mickey Mouse queen comforter laying around


We're planning to go to TN over Easter weekend to celebrate my birthday on April 1 so I'm glad we decided to take a quick trip before then as we discovered more issues. As I was turning on the propane to run the fridge while we were on the road, I smelled the distinct odor of propane so we got some soapy water. Sure enough, the supply switch that allows you to change between the tanks was leaking quite bad. I thought maybe it was low on propane so we got the tanks filled but unfortunately that didn't solve the issue so back to Ace Hardware we went and they happened to have the valve we needed. (Of course this has now added 2 hours on to when we had wanted to leave.)

We finally get on the road and over to our property just around sunset. The view was beautiful pulling in but unfortunately by the time we got setup the sun had already set so I didn't get to take a picture.

After we got settled in, I got a fire started and the DW got the hamburgers going on the grill. This property is literally in the middle of no-where so it is purely peace and quite other than the occasional wild animal you hear in the woods. It is bordered by state managed wildlife areas so when I say it's in the middle of nowhere, it really is. The clouds cleared up and the sky was absolutely beautiful and the temperature was just right.


This morning we get up and I enjoyed some cheese grits and sausage while enjoying the peace, quiet, and scenery. While the DW was cooking, we also discovered that our range hood fan has apparently decided to stop working. Going to have to pull it off and see what's going on there and possibly replace it. The light comes on so I know it has power. I've also noticed that the slide cables have eaten in to the metal where they come out. Not sure if I'm going to get the repair place to fix that or try to rig something. I just had them serviced not too long ago so not sure why they're doing it but it's about to fully eat through the metal border.


Following breakfast we took a walk around the property. We saw several deer tracks as well as turkey and wild hog. We heard some animal in the bushes but we never were able to determine what it was. This was also the first time that I've just left the camper hooked up to the truck. This definitely made it much easier to do a quick trip. I stay so busy that unfortunately it's hard to get away. I'm working really hard this year though to take time for myself to just relax.


Well that's it for now. We're working on a few other modifications that I'll post pictures of soon and be on the lookout over Easter weekend for the TN trip report.

 

[PaHunter]

Sorry but by April 1st there will be no Birthday pixie dust left. See on the 31st of March I along with 3 female friends of mine will be celebrating our Birthday's and using up all the Birthday pixie dust.....one of them is the same age as I am, the others are younger.

 

[Bishoparc]

Pigeon Forge Birthday Trip 2021 - Day 1

We left the house around 3:00P CST to embark on our trip to TN for my birthday. Did most of the prep work yesterday and then I finished loading everything today while Josie was at work.


I always take HWY 29 from Florida up to AL-113 then to I-65 North. The first part of the trip was rough. We had 20-30MPH winds from the cold front that came through yesterday so I wasn’t able to get above 65. The sway was brutal for the first 2 hours even with the sway bar. I think I’m going to have to get the airbags for the back.

Then comes the horrible first part of the I-459 Birmingham bypass. Thankfully it’s not that bad the whole way but that first part is RUFF! We then got on I-59 and it was smooth sailing for most of it till we hit some construction which added about 15 minutes.

We stopped for the night in Rainbow City just south of Gadsden. Before pulling into the campground we got gas one more time so I’d be full in the morning AND I used a CAT Scale for the first time to weigh the rig and camper. They have an app that you just enter the scale number and you can pay with it so you don’t have to go inside. Great way to make sure you’re not too heavy.


So we’ve purchased a couple of things since our last trip that I had to share with you all. I heard about it on that “Keep Your Daydream” podcast i mentioned. First is the “Level Mate Pro”, a Bluetooth device that you mount near the front of your trailer or somewhere in your motor home. You get your camper level somewhere via a normal level then go in the app and it memorizes what level is. Once the app is setup with measurements for your rig, you turn the device on, open your app and use it to get your camper level from side to side. How do you easily get it level from side to side you ask? Well by using our second new device “Anderson Levelers” of course. These handy devices are placed in front of your tires on whichever side of your rig is showing low and then, while using your Level Mate Pro, you pull up on them until you show level in the app. The levelers can raise you up to 4”.


Tonight we are staying at “The Cove” campground which is right off I-59. This is also the first time I’ve just left the truck hooked up. I always thought you had to disconnect but learned that from YouTube as well. Hoping to pull out around 7:30 in the morning. Thanks for following along!



Link to Day 2

 

[friendofeeyore]

Happy belated birthday! Enjoying your Tennessee adventure!

 

[PaHunter]

Pigeon Forge Birthday Trip 2021 - Day 1

We left the house around 3:00P CST to embark on our trip to TN for my birthday. Did most of the prep work yesterday and then I finished loading everything today while Josie was at work.
View attachment 566512

I always take HWY 29 from Florida up to AL-113 then to I-65 North. The first part of the trip was rough. We had 20-30MPH winds from the cold front that came through yesterday so I wasn’t able to get above 65. The sway was brutal for the first 2 hours even with the sway bar. I think I’m going to have to get the airbags for the back.

Then comes the horrible first part of the I-459 Birmingham bypass. Thankfully it’s not that bad the whole way but that first part is RUFF! We then got on I-59 and it was smooth sailing for most of it till we hit some construction which added about 15 minutes.

We stopped for the night in Rainbow City just south of Gadsden. Before pulling into the campground we got gas one more time so I’d be full in the morning AND I used a CAT Scale for the first time to weigh the rig and camper. They have an app that you just enter the scale number and you can pay with it so you don’t have to go inside. Great way to make sure you’re not too heavy.
View attachment 566515

So we’ve purchased a couple of things since our last trip that I had to share with you all. I heard about it on that “Keep Your Daydream” podcast i mentioned. First is the “Level Mate Pro”, a Bluetooth device that you mount near the front of your trailer or somewhere in your motor home. You get your camper level somewhere via a normal level then go in the app and it memorizes what level is. Once the app is setup with measurements for your rig, you turn the device on, open your app and use it to get your camper level from side to side. How do you easily get it level from side to side you ask? Well by using our second new device “Anderson Levelers” of course. These handy devices are placed in front of your tires on whichever side of your rig is showing low and then, while using your Level Mate Pro, you pull up on them until you show level in the app. The levelers can raise you up to 4”.
View attachment 566519View attachment 566520View attachment 566521View attachment 566523

Tonight we are staying at “The Cove” campground which is right off I-59. This is also the first time I’ve just left the truck hooked up. I always thought you had to disconnect but learned that from YouTube as well. Hoping to pull out around 7:30 in the morning. Thanks for following along!
View attachment 566525
View attachment 566580View attachment 566581

So what does it weigh ??? We stayed at The Cove on the way home last time from the Gulf.

 

[Bishoparc]

So what does it weigh ??? We stayed at The Cove on the way home last time from the Gulf.

So this was when we first got there (which is too much weight on the drive axle.)


This was after we drained the fresh tank and went up another rung on the weight distribution hitch. It’s still too heavy so we’re going to have to lighten the load before our next trip. Would’ve never realized it had I not used the scale. Once we re-adjusted, the truck handled so much better. Barely new the trailer was there. I’m still learning but have been doing a ton of YouTube watching the last few months trying to be a better prepared camper.