Mission 013 - Thanksgiving 2019 around Elberton, Georgia

Our Thanksgiving-Break trip this year took us over to Richard B. Russell State Park on the Georgia side of Lake Russell, primarily so we could be close to Jessie's folks' place for Turkey-Day. Jessie also happened to be sick with a cold at the time, so between family obligations and her feeling a little run-down, we didn't get to explore the park much during this "mission." However, we did have our own little Thanksgiving feast inside the camper, and even made time to ride over to Elberton, GA and check out the mysterious Georgia Guidestones on Black Friday. Come along and see!

Five Ideas for Organization & Storage in a Small(er) Camper - (Special Report)

Two people can definitely survive in a 19-foot travel trailer, but two people AND their mounds of stuff surviving in that space is still an open question! In this video, we share a few of the tricks, hacks and accessories that help keep all of our loot and supplies from piling up and overtaking our limited living space. Maybe one or two of these things can help YOU in your "home on wheels!"

Mission 012 - Seeing Fall's Colors at Watson Mill Bridge State Park

What better way to escape all of Halloween's hub-bub than by running off to northern Georgia to see some Fall colors!? In our latest YouTube video, you'll see that Watson Mill Bridge State Park outside of Comer, GA was where we spent a long weekend for this year's All-Hallow's Eve, enjoying the forest hiking trails, listening to the rolling South Fork River, and of course, seeing the famous covered bridge. Take a look at our stay in this lovely, peaceful little gem of a state park, and then plan your own trip there!

Mission 011 (Part 2) - Kings Mountain National Military Park

Our newest video is up on the YouTube channel! Our long weekend at the Kings Mountain parks continued with our Saturday visit to the National Military Park, the site of the Battle of Kings Mountain in 1780. We lucked into visiting on the weekend before the October 7th anniversary of the battle, so there were lots of goings-on with re-enactors and other demonstrations to see, in addition to the lovely forest hike. Take a look at our jaunt through this historical place and see yet another fine example of the great work the National Park Service does in preserving America's special places!

Ten RV Lifestyle Questions Challenge! (Special Report)

Have you seen the current YouTube Camping craze??? Well, these videos probably aren't as "viral" as those Ice-Bucket-over-Your-Head Challenges from a few years ago, but at least the Ten RV Lifestyle Questions Challenge doesn't require a towel and a change of clothes! In our latest YouTube video, we jump into the fad and provide the answers to the questions that all of you our there have been dying to ask! (Just play along, folks - we have fragile egos...)

Mission 011 (Part 1) - Kings Mountain State Park

More video fun for you!! Fall camping season begins, although you'd never know it as we departed for Kings Mountain State Park. Early October was still brutally hot down here in the South, but that didn't stop us from going camping! Join us as we discover one of South Carolina's original state parks, up where North and South Carolina meet. This historic location is known for its extensive hiking and equestrian trails, the "Living History Farm" (which we explore), and fishing and paddling on Lakes Crawford and York. We camped, we hiked, we grilled... see how it happened over on our YouTube channel!!

SunTrust Park & Battery Atlanta - BASEBALL ROAD TRIP!!!

We have another video up on the YouTube channel! What do we do while we’re biding our time until our next RV adventure?  Well, there’s always baseball!  I mean, really - who in their right mind doesn’t love a beautiful day at the ballpark!?!?  On the first day of Autumn, we made a day-trip over to Atlanta to see the Atlanta Braves play their final home game of the season.  Take a look as we show you SunTrust Park, the home of the Braves, as well as Battery Atlanta, the new shopping/dining/entertainment community that is growing rapidly around the ballpark.

Campground Review - Lake Greenwood State Park, Ninety-Six, SC

One year of RV ownership!! To mark the occasion, we returned to the site of our “shakedown cruise,” our very first RV camping trip last September (2018), Lake Greenwood State Park! Since we’re a little more comfortable with the camping process this time around, we devoted a little more time to our surroundings so we could share our opinions with you. Take a look at our latest video over on the YouTube channel, as we take you around the park and show you its high points… and low points… so you can decide if you’d like to see this lovely camping destination for yourself!

American History, in Our Own Back Yard! (Well, almost...)

Yet again, we find places to explore fairly close to home! During our one-year-of-RV'ing anniversary trip back to Lake Greenwood State Park, we ventured over to Ninety-Six, SC to see the National Historic Site there. It's fascinating to walk the grounds and learn about the events that happened here, and how instrumental those events were in the creation of our nation. Situated amongst 1,000 acres of forest land, this site is another example of the fantastic job the National Park Service does at protecting significant places, keeping them beautiful and accessible to everyone. If you live nearby or are traveling through this portion of South Carolina, you definitely should devote a couple of hours to experiencing this great place!

See what we found there over on YouTube!

Furrion Vision S Backup Camera - Unboxing & Installation (Special Report)

Haven't all we towable-RV owners struggled with backing our rigs into spaces at one time or another? Being able to see everything you need to see from the driver's seat with a large trailer behind you is always a challenge, and having electronic "eyes" on the rear of your rig can certainly benefit you. In our latest YouTube video, we'll install one such product - the Furrion Vision S Vehicle Observation System. Take a look and see for yourself just how easy this process is!

End of "Camping Season?" BAH!! Bring On the Fall!

Hey, fellow Campers!  Jessie here again!  Fall approaches, and parts of the country may see the end of "camping season" on the horizon, but we here in the warm, wet South don't look at it that way!  Cooler weather just means changing your camping expectations, and to keep you apprised of our itinerary, today we share what we have mapped out through the end of the year.  Here goes: 

• For the Labor Day weekend (and our wedding anniversary!), we'll return to the site of our very first RV'ing trip - Lake Greenwood State Park.  With a year's worth of experience under our collective belts, we may actually have a stress-free trip this time around - although the first trip there was wonderful in its own way! 
  
  
• In the first week of October, we'll head up to the unique Kings Mountain State Park, which is kinda-sorta two parks in one. Not only does SC Parks & Recreation operate the State Park, but the National Park Service also participates in the property, managing Kings Mountain National Military Park. The park is also a big destination for horse-lovers, with lots of equestrian activities there. 
  
  

• We'll spend the Halloween weekend in a very UN-spooky place - Watson Mill Bridge State Park over in Georgia! Famed for the old covered bridge at the park's entrance, this park caught our attention while we were researching our trip to Tallulah Gorge. We expect lots of opportunities for great fall-colors photo-taking there (weather permitting, of course)!
  
  
• Thanksgiving Break presents a challenge, as we want to use the time off from work to go camping, but families "demand" we remain close to home, so as a compromise, we'll camp at Richard B. Russell State Park. On the opposite side of Lake Russell from Calhoun Falls State Park (where we had a wet. wonderful weekend this summer), this Georgia park is close enough to my folks' place that we can still do Thanksgiving Day with family during our stay.
  
  
• The year ends with our week-between-Christmas-and-New-Year's vacation, a tradition we hope we've started after our Asheville adventure last winter. This year, we've decided to see Myrtle Beach State Park... in the dead of winter! The way we figure it, all of the summer beach-crowd won't be there making lots of racket, right...?  

We'll provide more details as these dates approach, and more stories and pictures after the dates pass!  Stay tuned! 

Mission 009 (Part 2) - Tallulah Gorge State Park

Since the long weekend at Tallulah Gorge State Park began with the death-defying hike into and out of the river gorge, the philosophy we adopted for the remainder of our weekend was “Low-Energy Relaxation!” Check out our much less-stressful “hike” (more of a leisurely stroll) on the lovely Shortline Trail, followed by some frolicking in the waters of Lake Tallulah. Oh, and as always, we share a few “Lessons Learned” as we wrap up the great weekend!

See how it all played out over on the YouTube channel!

Mission 009 (Part 1) - Tallulah Gorge State Park

Our newest YouTube video is up and running! After climbing out of Tallulah Gorge, we felt the urge to shout "DELIVERANCE!" to the Heavens, as we then totally understood how Burt Reynolds and Jon Voight felt at the end of that movie! Well, maybe we exaggerate a little... Take a look at our visit to Tallulah Gorge State Park in the Georgia mountains, where we foolishly jumped into the infamous "Gorge Trail Hike." Rushing waters, jagged boulders and broken toes all conspired to wear us down, but we conquered the trail and lived to tell the tale! 

Surprise! We've Got a New Tow Vehicle!!!

Words of Wisdom - be careful when you “window shop” on the internet!  A little harmless browsing one evening leads us to make a sooner-than-expected return trip to Florida, where our new tow vehicle was waiting for us!  Take a look as we drive a long way and back home in a single day, while signing up for a very-large financial commitment in the process!  Whoa, Nellie, but this is a big truck!!! (Well, it is to us, anyway…)

See how it happened over on the YouTube channel!

Mission 008 - Calhoun Falls State Park

Another camping trip, another rainy weekend… but, what? You think we’d stay home? Nope! Calhoun Falls State Park is a lovely, secluded park on the shores of Lake Russell, where (in dryer weather) fishing and boating are the activities of choice. Despite the rain, we’ll show you both campgrounds in the park, as well as the almost-two-mile hiking trail and the very-friendly “wildlife” that may visit your camper!

Take a look at our latest entry over on the YouTube channel!

The "Falcon" Gets it's First Bath! (and other mundane chores...)

"If you wanna have the fun, you've gotta put in the work!" So said a Wise Old Man, once upon a time, and it's very, very true when it comes to RV ownership. In this video, we run up to "Docking Bay 94" to give the Aluminum Falcon his first real bath, specifically cleaning and treating the roof, along with some other little fix-it projects. Oh, and we finally fly that darn drone a little, too...

Campground Review - Ocean Grove RV Resort, St. Augustine, FL

Our "epic" adventure to St. Augustine finally comes to an end.  Ocean Grove RV Resort was our "home base" during our week-long stay there, and we could not have been more pleased with it! In our newest video, we show you the whole place, including our campsite, the poolside bar, the "turtle pond" and the lovely marshland views at the back of the resort. See our review!

Mission 007 (Part 4) - St. Augustine continues with the World Golf Hall of Fame!

New Video Day! Our Spring Break “mission” to St. Augustine continues with a visit to the World Golf Hall of Fame and lunch at the Caddyshack restaurant.  Located inside the mixed commercial/residential community known as World Golf Village, the Hall of Fame honors the history of the sport and the accomplishments of the greatest men and women to ever play it.  As they say, “if you love golf, you’ve got to go!” 

Head over to the YouTube channel and see how it went!

Mission 007 (Part 3) - Pirates & Castles... and Ice Cream!

Our Spring Break week in St. Augustine continued with a day in the heart of Historic Downtown.  We spent this particular morning going through the Pirate & Treasure Museum, a subject near and dear to Jessie's heart, being that she's from North Carolina (also known as "pirate country" back in the 1700s).  After lunch, we toured Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, learning about the fort's unique history and taking in the lovely views of Matanzas Bay.

Of course, we recorded large parts of our day, as well as our discovery of Mayday Ice Cream, for video-posterity!  Take a look at our latest entry over on the YouTube channel!

Mission 007 (Part 2) - Our First MeetUp with Fellow YouTubers!

New Video Day! (Yes, we know you've seen this photo before, but bear with us) As we told you earlier, one of the highlights of our St. Augustine trip was meeting Chris and Lisa of the "Camp More/Bark Less" YouTube channel. Take a look at our latest clip, in which they introduce us to their poodles and give us a tour of their motorhome, on which Chris has done some pretty extensive renovations! 

Mission 007 (Part 1) - St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum

Here it is! The first video from our recent week-long journey to St. Augustine, Florida!  After our first boondocking experience at a Walmart parking lot outside Savannah the previous evening, we completed the journey to Ocean Grove RV Resort, the spent the following afternoon at the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum. "Spring Break" lived up to its name, as we were blessed with sunshine and mild temperatures, FINALLY experiencing some weather more suited to RV camping! 

Of course, there will be more video highlights of this trip in the weeks to come!

Springtime in St. Augustine!

Our week in St. Augustine, Florida comes to a close tomorrow (Friday), and it has been all that we could have ever hoped it would be!  Of course, there will be videos over on our YouTube channel in the coming weeks, but there are already images and words over on our Instagram and Facebook pages, as well as our Twitter feed, so have a look over there.

One image we will share here is proof of our very first "meet-up" with fellow YouTubers.  Chris and Lisa Wilson of the "Camp More/Bark Less" channel were nice enough to arrange their schedule so as to be at our campground when we arrived in St. Augustine, and we thoroughly enjoyed meeting them "in the flesh" and getting to know them better! RVing and YouTube-ing has brought us into contact with so many great people, a trend we certainly hope will continue. Be sure to check out youtube.com/campmorebarkless to see Chris and Lisa's RV adventures!

...and be sure to check here, and on all of our social media accounts, for pictures and stories of our fantastic week in St Augustine!

Blastoff for Florida! (where it's raining...)

Howdy, Wet Campers!  Oh, excuse me - I meant "Happy Campers," because all of YOU out there are!  It's just US who are Wet Campers, and if Jim Cantore and the crew at The Weather Channel are to be believed, our influence on rainfall in the American Southeast continues to be strong.  We leave tomorrow afternoon for our week at Ocean Grove RV resort in St. Augustine, Florida, and we'll be taking rainclouds with us!

As usual, that won't keep us from somehow finding some fun down there.  We plan to visit such local St. Augustine landmarks as the World Golf Hall of Fame and Castillo de San Marcos, and even have our first YouTube meet-up!  Chris and Lisa Wilson of YouTube channel "Camp More/Bark Less" (youtube.com/CampMoreBarkLess) will be joining us at the campground for the weekend, and we are really looking forward to meeting them "in the flesh" and comparing notes about doing the RV-thing.

We'll post some pics on our Instagram page (@LiveNLearnRV) while we're in the Sunshine State (and hope they live up to that name...), so you'll be able to keep up with our doings a bit.  Of course, we'll also have lots of video to share with you when we return, although at the rate the weather is shaping up, it may just be video of us sloshing around in the mud... but hey! - it will be moving pictures of some sort!

Mission 006 - Congaree National Park

No camper, no problem! While the "Aluminum Falcon" is in the shop, we got our dose of St. Patrick's Day-green that weekend by taking a day-trip over to South Carolina's only National Park - Congaree National Park! We see the largest intact expanse of old-growth bottomland hardwood forest remaining in the southeastern United States, up-close and personal. Despite its reputation as "nothing but a swamp," we found it to be a lovely, peaceful place.  See what we discovered in our latest video over on the YouTube channel!

Five Cold-and-Wet RV Lessons Learned (so far...)

In retrospect, we probably began our RVing life at the worst possible time of year - late summer.  Our first "mission" with the Aluminum Falcon to Lake Greenwood State Park, was a glorious time.  We had never towed a travel trailer to a campground, never set up a campsite, never had to deal with things like water hookups and propane-powered refrigerators.  However, the weather was fantastic - warm and dry, with pleasant breezes coming off Lake Greenwood, and lots of natural scents and sights to enjoy as we lounged and relaxed.

That didn't last, though. Fall/Winter 2018/19 in the American South was INCREDIBLY cold and rainy, and our next four camping trips were plagued with drenching rains, blistering cold, or some combination of both! We have tried to find the proverbial "silver lining" in all this by convincing ourselves that we now know lots of things about how to camp in BAD weather, and now that springtime approaches, we'll have even more fun going forward learning about camping in GOOD weather!!

Another benefit is that you dear folks get to learn from our experience! In this video on our YouTube channel, we tell you about five cold-and-wet lessons we've lived through and learned about dealing with dreary camping weather:

The ANGRIEST RV vlog Ever Recorded!

Well, sometimes the best-laid travel plans just don't work out. In our latest video, you'll see how our trip to take the Aluminum Falcon back to the dealer for some maintenance was only partially successful. You may also see Smokey blow his stack... EEK!!!

New Month, New Updates!

Hey, Happy Campers!  Today's post is just a "status update," to let you know that, just because the world at large considers this time of year to be the camping "off-season," we still have some things going on.

We got the Aluminum Falcon up to Camping World in Spartanburg last week for his planned maintenance.  Of course, we had to leave him there for a while, as we expected, but we intended to spend the weekend in a hotel in Spartanburg and do some other things while we were there.  Note I said "intended" - that didn't work out so well...

However, it did provide some fodder for our next YouTube video!  Keep your eyes open this Sunday, when our latest video mis-adventure will debut, and you'll get to see for yourself how we adapted to everything from Mother Nature to the Lodging & Hospitality industry working against us.

We haven't pinned down a date for running over to Congaree National Park, as the afore-mentioned Mother Nature seems determined to never again allow the Southern U.S. to see a sunny weekend.  When it happens, we'll let you know.  St. Augustine is still firmly on the calendar, though!

Again, check back either here or on the YouTube channel this Sunday for the new video, and be sure to subscribe to the channel, and share it with others! It's easily found at YouTube.com/LiveNLearnRV.  

Mission 005 - Aiken State Park, or as we call it, "Camp Spooky"

Peace and quiet. These are just two of the many things RV camping can offer, depending on where and when you go. Can there be such a thing as TOO MUCH peace and quiet? Well, check out the video for our recent long weekend at Aiken State Park for the answer.

Again, we won't be doing any camping in February or March, but there will be travels (of sorts) and news to report, so keep your eyes peeled for more words here!

MAJOR MILESTONE!!!

Hey, Happy Campers everywhere! Jessie here, and Smokey and I want to share this milestone with all of you! One hundred subscribers on our YouTube channel! It is mind-boggling that anybody at all is interested in our adventures, let alone a hundred somebodies! 

When we started this blog and the YouTube channel, our goal was to prove to ourselves, and by extension to others, that getting into the "RV lifestyle" did not necessarily mean selling your home and all worldly possessions and roaming the country in a large motorhome. We wanted to prove that it is possible to be "normal," continue to have a home and a job, and still experience RV camping and learn about some  our country's natural wonders. At least one hundred people are Livin' and Learnin' right along with us, so why don't you come along, too?

If you haven't subscribed, please head over to YouTube.com/LiveNLearnRV and hit that red "subscribe" button, so YouTube will know that you're interested in what we have to say, and click the bell-shaped icon so you'll get notifications whenever we upload a new video.  

...and again, THANK YOU to you (first) one hundred folks out there! 

See the "Aluminum Falcon," Inside and Out!

RV Camper Tour! In our latest YouTube video, you finally get to learn all about the "Aluminum Falcon," our home-away-from-home! We'll show you our Rockwood Mini Lite 1905G, a 19-foot travel trailer, which is the basis for our philosophy that you don't necessarily need a Giganto Fifth-Wheel or massive motorhome to get into RV camping!

Even though we won't be taking on any new travel "missions" in the "Falcon" until closer to springtime, don't forget that there will be more content coming here throughout February and March, so keep checking in on us!

New Year, New Travel Plans!

Hey, fellow Campers!  Jessie here again!  As the new year unfolds, we've made plans for a handful of camping trips, and we want to keep you apprised of our itinerary so you'll know what sort of "travel tales" to expect.  Here goes: 

• This coming weekend, we'll spend a little closer to home, at Aiken State Park. It's a fairly secluded state park, primarily known for canoeing on the nearby Edisto River. We won't be getting into the water, though (especially in late-January!). 
  
  
• 
  In February, we'll be taking the Aluminum Falcon up to Camping World of Spartanburg so the folks there can take care of a few bug-a-boos we've discovered, and get it done well in advance of our one-year warranty expiring!
  
  

• 

  While it technically won't be an "RV" trip, we hope to take a day-trip over to Congaree National Park down below Columbia, SC in mid-March.  It is, after all, South Carolina's only National Park, and we sort of feel obligated to patronize it - and of course, we WANT to patronize it! Since it doesn't have RV campsites, we'll let the Falcon save it's "energy" for April...
  
  
  
• ...when we'll embark on one of our biggest adventures yet! We'll spend the first week of April in St. Augustine, Florida!  We'll stay at an RV resort down there and experience all sorts of local sites, local historical attractions, and local cuisine! 

We'll provide more details as these dates approach, and more stories and pictures after the dates pass!  Stay tuned! 

Campground Review - Asheville West KOA

Asheville West KOA was our "base of operations" for our post-Christmas vacation to the NC mountains, and possibly the only local RV park to NOT end up flooded that oh-so-very rainy week! Despite the weather, and the campground undergoing some fairly extensive renovations while we were there, we were impressed! See our review!

Mission 004 (Part 2) - Biltmore Estate... IN THE RAIN!!!

Our wet-and-wooly post-Christmas vacation in the Asheville, NC region continued with our visit to the fabulous Biltmore Estate!  Of course, our luck with camping weather also continued, as seven inches of rain fell during the eighteen hours leading up to our arrival there, so Smokey's first experience at this beautiful place was far from how it should have been.  Nevertheless, we managed to spend an entire day there, both Living and Learning about the largest private residence in the United States.  See for yourself! 

Keep tabs on us in the coming weeks, too! Later in January, we'll have a video reviewing the Asheville West KOA, where we stayed for this trip, and in February, we'll finally have a "camper tour" video for you, along with a product review or two.  Stay tuned, Happy Campers!

Mission 004 (Part 1) - The North Carolina Mountains!

Sorry we've been delinquent about keeping the blog updated, but Christmas and all the associated hub-bub have kept us from being as thorough as we'd like around here. What little time that wasn't claimed by Holiday responsibilities was taken up by preparing for our first out-of-state trip in the Aluminum Falcon! Well, we've returned, and can say that we lived to tell several tales! Of course, we won't tell them here - that's what YouTube is for!

Our first video of our latest RV adventure covers our trip up the Appalachian foothills to the Asheville West KOA campground, then checking out the small towns of Sylva and Dillsboro the next day, despite a steady, heavy drizzle all day.  See for yourself!

Keep an eye out for our next video, in which we'll show you our day-long exploration of Asheville's famous Biltmore Estate, and how visiting this site can be done even with raging floodwaters working against you!