One of my friends recently asked me how hard it was to pack up and move my motorhome. Actually, it is pretty easy, but I do most of it the day before. First, I don't clutter my campground with everything including the kitchen sink. You would not believe what some people find necessary to bring along for a weekend. I have seen plastic grass coverings, multiple chairs and side tables to hold drinks, small extra refrigerator and table to hold extra refrigerator, tablecloth for picnic table, strings of lights, bug zappers, screen tent, bikes, lawn games, and so on. I even once saw two guys unloading a small freezer from the back of a pickup truck. (It was one of those 9 cubic foot chest freezers you can buy from Sears.) They told me it "came in handy" for camping, and they bought it cheap at a garage sale. I am guessing they used it to hold beer??? They did have electric hookups, so that is my best guess.
One of these days I will have the nerve to take some photos of my fellow campers.
The most I ever have outside is one chair and a doormat, and a couple of boards I use to level my rig since I don't have automatic levelers. I sometimes will put a tablecloth on the picnic table, but mostly I put something out, use it, and then put it right back in. That makes it a LOT easier to pack up and leave! And even then, I will put away most outdoor stuff the night before.
And I learned a very long time ago to NEVER leave my awning out overnight. Had to get up at 2:00 a.m. once, get dressed, and put the awning back in on an extremely dark and windy night.
So, all I have to do in the morning, most of the time, is toss anything loose on the kitchen and bathroom counters into the respective drawers or sink. I also make sure all doors and drawers are latched. Then I start my engine and push two buttons to close the slides. Then I turn the engine off and go outside to unhook the water hose, if I have a connection, and put it away, along with the electrical cord. Five minutes, tops! I do often have to stop at the dump station and dump both tanks, but that takes maybe another 10-15 minutes.
And I am on my way! When I get somewhere, I am usually tired, so end up just hooking up electric and maybe water, and occasionally boards I use for leveling.
All of this is one very big reason why I own a motorhome and not a trailer. Trailers take a lot more time because you have to hook them up to your tow vehicle and unhook at a new camping spot.
FYI: We take a grass covering rug for the dog to lay upon in front of our RV. My Grandparents took a freezer to freeze fish after fishing excursions. Not a beer to be seen. Love the lights people put up at the camp spots especially my sons so the Grandkids don't get hurt after dark. With 7 of us we have lots of bikes but those are the best times I can remember. When we all meet to eat dinner we usually meet up under the screened in tent placed over the picnic table that also has a tablecloth on it. Grandbabies, you know... who doesn't want to make it nice for everyone.
ReplyDelete1st Prize- to you for taking the least amount of stuff for ONE person.
SO, people bring lots of stuff to the campground to spend time with family having a carefree visit. Spending time together is what it is all about not who brought the least amount of stuff... Geerrrrr This is the 2nd time you brought this up and the list just got bigger! Reading this blog entry also makes me sad since I like your writing.
ps. Pictures? Yeah, not a good idea.
TX Nana....