First thing's first, we still haven't frozen to death. Yet. However, the time spent this winter in a cold-ish climate has given some lessons learned and insights on things that you can do if you want to try RVing in the north during the winter.
First thing's first, consider a skirting. In some parts of the country, this is a necessary step. The polar package isn't necessarily going to be enough to protect pipes and tanks. With most RVs, it will go around the bottom edge, and in the case of fifth wheels, enclose the "garage" area. A good skirting company will work with you to custom fit what you need for your rig, and knowing the exact year, make, and model of your RV, including floor plan, will help with some of the initial leg work. You might have some difficulty with the front stabilizing tripod if you use that on a fifth wheel, but otherwise shouldn't be too bad. It'll cost a decent amount, but may just be worth it for the life of your RV.
Second thing is one of the more obvious ones, and that's propane. In the winter months, you will be using a lot. With the RV we have, we go through a 30 pound tank in about three days, although when we had a cold spurt of near zero degrees Fahrenheit, it ended up lasting about a day and a half. Probably the best thing you can do is to have an extra tank of the same size as your others, and keep it in rotation. You don't necessarily want to get stuck around a holiday weekend, such as Thanksgiving, where everything is closed not only for Thursday, but the rest of the week afterwards. There are fuel stations that will dispense it, but they don't have the staff to do it overnight. Make sure it's also a fill and not an exchange, as we've mentioned previously.
The third, but most important, is going to be your hookups. Get used to using your on-board fresh water tank, because you're not going to be able to keep a water hose attached. Heated hoses do nothing for your filters and other connectors, as we've unfortunately busted a spigot during one of our adventures. Don't even try dripping, because it will still bust, not to mention deplete a park's water supply if they're on wells or cisterns. Leave that hookup completely unattached for the majority of the time. Try to find windows of opportunity where the temperature goes above freezing, and fill/dump when you can. In a pinch, if you're storing the hose in a warm place, you might be able to fill when it's close to freezing temperature. However if you're using refillable water jugs like we have been doing, keep your oldest one empty with a funnel so that you can fill your fresh tank in a pinch. Sewer pipes you should be able to get away with keeping hooked if you make sure it's as empty as possible, but you're not going to want to keep the grey open, lest the contents freeze on the way out.
So if your Internal Compass takes you to the north for winter, it doesn't hurt to be prepared, and these tips should help.
All I want for Christmas is a thawed RV,
A thawed RV, please a thawed RV.
Gee if I could only have a thawed RV,
then we could wish you Merry Christmas!
We have to test our polar pack,
And put on new skirting on the bottom.
Since we chose to stay in the north,
Just can't say we forgot 'em!
All I want for Christmas is a thawed RV,
A thawed RV, please a thawed RV.
Gee if I could only have a thawed RV,
then we could wish you Merry Christmas!
Freedom Rolling is back with another Brew Review, as we take you to three different spots across the country to sample some craft beers. As with this and all other brew reviews, please ensure that these, or any brews, are enjoyed in accordance with local laws wherever you may be.
We start with a trip east to the city of Hickory, North Carolina, home of Olde Hickory Brewery and their Hefeweizen. A popular unfiltered German style, the pale color and noticeable scent of banana brings an interesting twist to a classic. With the first sip, that smooth yet what and yeast-rich taste will bring a comforting feeling from a very simple yet time-honored brew. If you're not used to the taste or scent of yeast, you may find it to be strong in an unexpected way, so it might throw you a bit. However if you are experiencing a hot summer day in the Carolinas and need a quick cool-down, this just may be the one for you.
Taking a trip out to Kansas City on the Missouri side of the river, we make a stop at Boulevard Brewing Company to try their Space Camper Cosmic India Pale Ale. Mission Control describes a hazy golden color with the typical hop scent one would find with a typical IPA. As the brew comes in for a landing on the palette, the hop taste is strong at the outset but doesn't permeate much further than that, leaving little bitterness in the mouth. Hop lovers may want to ground this particular choice in favor of something a bit stronger, but the average drinker may find this choice takes them to infinity and beyond.
Time to take a trip north to the grand-daddy of craft brewers in Nebraska, Empyrean Brewing Company in Lincoln for what seems to be one of their more interesting offerings, the Long Route Peanut Butter Porter. Coming into the glass in a dark brown color, the scent is reminded of a peanut butter cup one would find on the candy rack at the grocery store checkout. Upon first sip, even behind the typical beer ingredients, you'd think that Reese's came to town to have a hand in this, as lingering for a moment is that calming taste of peanut butter. It's a good reminder of the old days when having a peanut butter cup, and on a colder evening when darker brews are more commonly enjoyed, anyone who has this will feel completely at home.
So the next time you Follow Your Internal Compass to another location, try out some of the brews available. You never know what you're going to find.
First thing's first: We haven't frozen to death. Yet.
However, after 1,577 days on the road, we have found a couple of spots where, at the times, we've wanted to return to make long-term stays. This can happen for a number of RVers after seeing many of the things they wanted to see, and it becomes a bit of a "home base" for them while retaining the freedom to easily go somewhere else. There's certainly much more out there to find, but that will come in due course. For now, we are thankful for those who have made our last two major locations hospitable, and we wish all of you the best this Thanksgiving.
We hope to soon give updates on our Internal Compass as we progress through this year.
Time to head to the links for another disc golf match!
Welcome to the Anderson Sports and Entertainment Center on the north side of Anderson, South Carolina, home to The Trails Disc Golf Course for today's matchup between our competitors. This match was a bit delayed due to the presence of Hurricane Helene wreaking havoc on the course, but with a number of the downed trees being used for decorative pathing and tee box benches, The Trails is once again a lovely 18-hole course to play. Our competitors will be trying out the front nine this time around, so let's see how they do!
Course Result:
His Holes: 2
Halved: 5
Her Holes: 2
Course Record: Him 10 - 5 - 18 Her
Holes Record: Him 71 - 114 Her
The off time from the hurricane and winter season were not good for him, as a few wild throws meant she was easily able to take the first hole. The second would find him in the creek for a penalty, giving her a chance to take hole two. She would find herself overshooting the hole into the water for a penalty, giving him a chance to catch up from some wild shots to halve the hole. The fourth was looking like she'd go on another tear, but he successfully made a long putt to halve the hole. The fifth would find him making yet another long putt, while a miss from her meant he would bring the score to within one. She has some bad tree luck on six, and he was able to capitalize and tie up the match. Our players would trade missed putts on seven to halve, along with halving eight and nine to finish out the match as a draw. The shot count would see her winning 43-44 from a two-stroke win on the first.
He pulled out a draw, but can he get another win? The next time will tell, but until then, be sure to Follow Your Internal Compass.
Welcome to the next installment of Brew Reviews. This time, we'll be taking you coast to coast to coast in order to sample some of this country's craft beers. As with this and all other brew reviews, please ensure that these, or any brews, are enjoyed in accordance with local laws wherever you may be.
We start up in Portland, Maine at the Allagash Brewing Company for their Allagash White, a Belgian-style wheat beer. First presentation gives a very light yellow color with only a slight amount of haze along with that traditional wheat scent drinkers of this type have come to know and love. Upon first taste, once you get over the heavy carbonation, this brew is certainly clean and unfiltered. There is a claim of a citrus taste, but it must be subtle if it's there, because it really wasn't detected. It's certainly not the worst choice for a summer beer, especially if you happen to be in the area, but better wheat choices have been seen throughout this series.
Taking a trip out west, we head to Boonville, California, home of Anderson Valley Brewing Company and their Coastal Ale. As it is presented with a golden color fitting of the Golden State, the scent brings hops that reminds you of some of the macro-brews widely sold. Upon first sip of this brew, there seems to be a bit of an acidic bite to what would otherwise be an average beer that doesn't taste like much of anything else. This brewery boasts about solar power and "sustainable" brewing; perhaps if the company focused more on the actual brewing, they may have been able to come out with a more exciting product.
Over to the other shore we go to the Bevi Bene Brewing Company in Charleston, South Carolina for their Polotmavý Czech-Style Amber Lager. The presentation is that wonderful reddish-amber color with gold accents when it hits the light. Although an amber is typically done with malts, a slight hint of hops is detected by scent. Upon first sip, although the brew has a bite to the roof of the mouth, there is a calm, relaxing feeling to the bottom that one would normally expect from an amber. It's a bit of a "yin and yang" sensation that complement each other, and if you're a red and amber lover that's looking for some excitement in your beers, this may be the choice for you.
So the next time you Follow Your Internal Compass to another location, try out some of the brews available. You never know what you're going to find.
One more disc golf match to be played!
Welcome to the outskirts of Clemson, South Carolina and the Mountain View Park Disc Golf Course for today's matchup between our competitors. Mountain View Park is a free-to-play course overlooking Lake Hartwell with 20 relatively short yet technical holes. Our competitors will be playing the front nine this time around, looking to improve their statistics. How did our players do?
Course Result:
His Holes: 1
Halved: 3
Her Holes: 5
Course Record: Him 10 - 4 - 18 Her
Holes Record: Him 69 - 112 Her
A relatively simple first hole saw both of our players halve the hole for par. However although both had some bad tree luck on the second, a little time in the rough for him meant she was able to take the hole. Tree luck was absolutely terrible for him on the third, as she won that hole with a par. The bad tree luck would swing the other way, as he answered back in the fourth with a par of his own, followed by a halved difficult fifth. On the six, he missed a putt, while she was able to capitalize and win the hole. The bad times in the rough continued for him, as she was able to take the seven with a first for her: a birdie! He would have more bad luck in the rough on eight giving her another hole win, before closing out with a halved hole. Shots were 39-44 in her favor.
She continues to pour it on, but will it continue? Find out next time, but until then, be sure to Follow Your Internal Compass.
Once again, we decided to stay at Clemson RV Park at the Grove. This was previously visited by us. However this time, we chose to have an extended stay in the RV, at a whopping eleven months.
Grounds: By the time we made it back, a good chunk of the housing development nearby had finished, and some of the homeowners in the area are a bit rowdy so you may have to deal with their noise. It looked as if they were doing more construction, perhaps as an additional access for the executive suite. The area is building up with additional commercial establishments, so future visitors may not have to travel as far.
Staff: It was nice to see the staff continuing to be accommodating towards changing needs and multi-day trips. However, for the number of regulations that the park has, they don't seem to ever enforce them. Obviously you don't want to be a hard stickler like we've seen at other parks, but speeding and wrong way driving were getting out of hand to the point where other driving vehicles and even children were nearly being hit by these unruly tenants.
Amenities: Of the bath houses that had maintenance issues on our first visit, we found the same disrepair upon our return. In addition, other things continued to break in the bath houses that were never fixed, despite raising rent and laundry prices for what seemed to be zero return. They did add a couple additional washers and dryers, but that's assuming they work and weren't trashed by either unruly tenants, or non-tenants that seemed to be in and out of the facilities with the door never locked. On the plus side, we did see a number of events, including hosted dinners, bouncy castles, and game shuttles, taking place during football season for home games. There was also a barbecue competition that was hosted in the winter months with a similar atmosphere. If you go during the right time, although the rates will be significantly higher, it could be a very happening place.
Atmosphere: During the events, there certainly is a lot of positive energy in the park. However, the far end of the grounds, where most monthly renters are placed, has a significant "trailer park" vibe akin to the commonly associated stereotypes. There are cluttered sites, tenants deciding to park their cars across several pads without paying for them, loud music at all hours without being able to listen to your own sounds in your own rig while wearing headphones, and the problem tenants are either incredibly arrogant or "don't speak English".
After this stay, we regrettably must lower our rating to 7 out of a possible 10. Rumors were spreading of a significant price increase in the near future. This location does not conduct background checks on monthly tenants when compared to other parks, but after what we experienced, we sadly now understand why other owners are now being forced to do this. We were happy to be able to find an opportunity to leave this area, and should we come back to upcountry South Carolina, whether for a visit or long term, we will likely not return to this park.
As our players head to a new location, so begins a new disc golf series!
Welcome to Grand Central Station, this one being in Central, South Carolina, for today's disc golf match. Grand Central is a free-to-play, themed park with two separate 18 hole courses. Today, our players will be playing the front nine of the "freight" course. However, the basket for hole 9 is missing on our course, replaced with an overturned bucket. The bucket will be played as if the putt was made passing over it. So how will our players fare?
Course Result:
His Holes: 1
Halved: 4
Her Holes: 4
Course Record: Him 10 - 4 - 17 Her
Holes Record: Him 68 - 107 Her
Hole one started with him in the rough, but she was unable to capitalize as the hole was halved. He had even more difficult time in the rough on two and three, but she was able to take the hole each time, garnering a two-hole lead. The rough continued to plague him on four, along with a missed putt, resulting in her taking a three hole lead. He would have some bad tree luck, but a missed putt from her resulted in the hole being halved. She'd miss a putt on six, but it wouldn't matter, as an awkward shot landing in the rough meant a hole win for her. Hole seven would see her taking a penalty for landing in the creek, and because of that, there would be no shutout, as he took the seven. The final two holes were halved by our competitors. The shot count was 52-55 in her favor, as this course proved to be quite difficult.
She is pulling away. Can he bring it back? We'll find out next time, but until then, be sure to Follow Your Internal Compass.
Once again, Freedom Rolling comes to you with another brew review, this time from the Keowee Brewing Company in Seneca, South Carolina. So let's head down to the taps and see what they have to offer. As with this and all other brew reviews, please ensure that these, or any brews, are enjoyed in accordance with local laws wherever you may be.
First up, we find the Highly Contagious Key Line Pilsener. Presented in the typical pale color you normally find with a pilsener, this one has a heightened scent of limes from the added fruit. Upon the first sip of this brew, a slight bit of sourness comes into your palette as a result of the key limes, yet not in an overpowering sense like some of the sour beers available at other breweries. It almost gives you the sensation of drinking a cider, but otherwise has no taste to it, almost as if it's a flavored water. It's a decent introduction to sour beers if you need to ease your way into them, but perhaps there are other options.
Heading down the flight line, we come across their recommended choice, the Hike & Hops American IPA. We can see why they chose this as the one to drink, as it has a beautiful golden color and a scent of citra hops. Upon the first sip, the hops are controlled to where they aren't overpowering, yet unlike some of the similar American IPAs we've reviewed, this one will leave the slight aftertaste of hops in the roof of your mouth. Although this combination seems to be one that almost every brewery does, you cannot deny that it's a comfortable staple to have, along with a good way to ease into the type of brew.
When you're in the deep south, you almost certainly have to try something that involves peaches. Enter the Peach Kölsch they call Good Friends with Peach. Clearly it is going to have that orange color you'd expect from a peach, but surprisingly you don't detect the scent of it when the brew is presented. After one sip, you do get the sweetness that you'd get when biting into a peach, but it must truly be overpowering, as you really don't get the taste of anything aside from what seems like peach juice. As much as it's inventive to try to showcase the local crop, there must be some better choices available.
If you've been reading the brew reviews, you know about Freedom Rolling being a sucker for ambers, so we almost certainly have to try the Hindsight Amber Lager. As with most brews of this type, that lovely caramel color you expect comes forward, but no additional scent upon presentation. After the first sip, there's a subtle kick that you just can't put your finger on, so you go back for a second. Perhaps that intrigue is what really sells the beer, but otherwise it's just an average amber that you'd expect to drink anywhere.
With another side note, the brewer on site was incredibly kind and knowledgeable about his products. Compared to the last time a brewery was visited, this is something you really want to see when you step into an establishment like this. Although the beers were average, they make up for it in customer service, so if your Internal Compass takes you to northwestern South Carolina, you may just find this to be a good choice of watering hole.
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