We left Springfield just one week ago with a winter cold wave almost blowing us out of town. The rain followed us all the way, almost as if to wash away all traces of the trail behind us. Our camper was full of all that we thought we would need for this 3 month adventure. Three months seems like a very long time, but it also seems to pass so quickly. It is almost time to do laundry! Marilyn, I think that is in your job specs. We knew we would love being here away from the winter limitations, but I don’t think either of us realized how much we would love it. It is more like coming home after a long absence than going away for a time. The mornings are brisk, but we have been sleeping in till about 8. By the time we get our showers and do our morning chores, it is time for a late morning walk. The outer loop of the campground measured 2.0 miles on my bike odometer. At this point in time that is just about right to give us a workout without any joint aggravation.

You can tell the time of day by the heating-cooling mode. The morning starts with the heat mode on the thermostat set at 65 from the night before. I usually get up to pee for the second or third time about 6 am. I set the thermostat up to 68 and hop back in bed to cuddle for an hour or two before getting up for the day. The furnace runs on propane which we have to provide, but it heats up the space evenly and quickly. Once up and moving around, I switch over to the fireplace which is electric and is provided in the monthly rent. By the time we get back from our walk, the camper seems warm even though we turned off the fireplace before we left. So, now it is time to open the windows. There is good ventilation and it is soon very comfortable. If the afternoon heats up too much, we switch on the air conditioner until about dinner time. As it cools down in the camper, we switch on the fireplace for the evening. At bedtime, the uneven heat of the fireplace is replaced by the furnace set to 65 and the cycle repeats itself.

You will recall my comment last summer about this camper being a destination camper. Now, we are seeing it from that perspective, and we could not be happier. We discussed our likes and dislikes of the camper in this current setup. The ONLY thing I don’t like, is the steps. They are very inconvenient during the traveling portion of the journey. But, now that we are set up, they are stable and easy to use. So again, this is a GREAT destination RV. Marilyn does not like the limited space beside the bed. When we got the camper, it had an RV queen bed. We replaced it with a full sized mattress from Sam’s. It is more comfortable and gives us a couple extra inches on each side of the bed. Remember that “cuddling” comment above? This bed is plenty big enough for us. Squeezing our way beside it as we climb into bed, is a challenge we have to adjust to. ( I know it is dangling but sometimes it just seems right to let it dangle there.)

We have not done a lot of exploring here, but as we get more settled in, we plan to explore the surrounding area. Right now, we are just enjoying the perfect weather with walks in the campground and short drives to the beach and around.

You can look forward to future posts including a tour of the RV and pictures of our adventures in the area.