Tag: RV Life

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Trinidad State Park Campground Tour and Review

Trinidad Lake State Park Campground Review Trinidad, Colorado #ruffroadrvlife #coloradocamping #ruffroadrvlife

Trinidad Lake State Park is a Colorado State Park located in Trinidad, Colorado. What a scenic park! We loved our short stay here.


*Heads Up! Colorado State Parks charge a daily fee in addition to camping fees. At this park the cost is $9.00 per day.

There is also the South Shore Campground which has 10 non-electric sites. This campground is within walking distance to the lake.

What we love about Trinidad Lake State Park:

  1. Large sites, some with brush, others out in the open
  2. Clean park
  3. Great views: Trinidad Lake, Fishers Peak, Spanish Peaks, Sangre de Cristo Mountains
  4. Easy to get to from Interstate 25
  5. Verizon worked
  6. Park is nice. It has been updated.
  7. Trails – easy to challenging

What we didn’t love about Trinidad Lake State Park:

  1. Colorado charges a per day fee for vehicles in addition to the camping fee. While we have seen this elsewhere, $9.00 seems a little hefty for a daily parking fee. Towed vehicles are included.*
    If you are spending any time in Colorado, go for the $80 – $120 park pass.
  2. No water at the majority of sites and only a few full hook – up sites.
  3. No easy access to the lake and no swimming in the lake.

Trinidad Lake State Park is worth a stop if you are traveling along the I -25 corridor in southern Colorado. We’re glad we booked there!

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Hood Park, Washington

Ruff Road Review

Just off of I90 in Washington, near the town of Burbank, is a US Army Corps of Engineers park called Hood Park. Hood Park is located on the shores of Lake Wallula and the Snake River which flows into the Columbia River.

Fun fact: Lewis and Clark camped near here where the Snake River flows into the Columbia River. You can visit this location which is now Sacajawea State Park.

What does Hood Park have to offer?

Hood Park is a picture perfect park like setting with sprawling shade trees and lush green grass. Even though it is a larger campground with 67 campsites, each site is spacious with plenty of room between sites. All sites provide a view of the water. The park has electric hook-ups but you will need to use your on board water. There are many water faucets around the campground to fill jugs and you can fill your tank with fresh water at the dump station.

Things to do:

Boating Swimming Fishing Bike Trail nearby! We enjoyed kayaking these waters.

Kayak sitting on the shore of the Columbia River
On the shores of the Columbia River, where Lewis and Clark once camped.

Dog Walking Report: Park roads and walking trails around fishing ponds provide ample room to walk dogs.

What about phone service?

Verizon works great at Hood Park. We only use Verizon, but according to Trip Wizard reviews, T Mobile, Sprint, and ATT also work here.

Where have we been? Where are we going?

We are gradually making our way from Oregon back to Florida. You can check out our trip to Oregon from Florida on our channel playlist, Full Time RV Life- Campgrounds from Florida to Oregon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwigIQJQWqc&list=PLm8lskmqAcnMNY1zzxKNXYHmIgpLbeQAR

Our last stop was LePage Park in Oregon. https://ruffroadrvlife.com/oregon-camping-lepage-park/

We enjoyed five days at Hood Park before hitting the road and heading to Idaho. After a peek at Idaho, we are on to Montana, and South Dakota. Our route will then take a dive south. Stay tuned for more reviews, full time RV life tips, and adventures.

About Us:

Our names are Gary and Sharon. We live and travel full time in our RV, Ruff Road, with our two half husky sisters, Terra and Luna. We share lessons learned, places we’ve visited, and provide videos and pictures of campgrounds in our Ruff Road Reviews. Subscribe to follow the journey. You can follow us on our You Tube channel, Facebook and Instagram.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHRpIFHJItKn3X_7DKY77Mw?view_as=subscriber

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“We like looking at freedom!” Safe travels!

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Our TO DO List for Full -Time RV Life

Load Plan for bikes and kayaks

I am a list person but this one was overwhelming! Our TO DO list for full-time RV Life really began when we made the decision to travel and live in an RV full- time. That was about two years ago! We have been living in our RV, Ruff Road, for over a year at this time. Our plans were to be in travel mode before now, but circumstances and my Appalachian Trail hike delayed our launch. We did go on a few camping trips to get our travel feet wet and of course, living in Ruff Road everyday allowed us to get to know the ins and outs of RV living.

So my one piece of advice if you decide to become a full-time RV dweller and before you make your own TO DO list for full-time RV life is to be flexible. There were circumstances beyond our control that required us to delay our plans. That’s ok. We have lived happily as stationary full-time RVers. We are looking forward to finally “hitting the road.”

This list will include our final TO DOs. Our process for stocking, and moving in to Ruff Road can be found in our previous posts. In addition, see our previous posts for our downsizing experience. https://ruffroadrvlife.com/the-move-downsizing-and-moving-in-three-weeks/

TO DO List for Full- Time RV Life

How are we doing on our final TO DO list for full-time RV living?

Well, I’m happy to say that most items have been checked completed. We still had a few weeks to go at this point. This list is not a comprehensive list of all we’ve done. However, it includes the things that we needed to purchase and/or to do before we begin our full-time RV travel life. In addition, it includes items that we didn’t even think about initially such as check bank cards.

We hope this last minute list helps others beginning their journey. Follow us on our journey here and on our You Tube channel Ruff Road RV Life: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHRpIFHJItKn3X_7DKY77Mw/videos?view_as=subscriber

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How to Tow a Vehicle With Your RV

Mounted Roadmaster baseplate for the Falcon All Terrain tow bar
The Roadmaster Baseplate Kit installed to use with our Roadmaster Falcon All Terrain non-binding tow bar.

We are moving forward with our plan to “hit the road” soon. One important task for motorhome owners is to determine how to tow a vehicle with their RV. That was a biggy on our TO DO list in terms of cost and decision making. We learned about different methods to tow our car. Then, we made our choice and began the process.

What was our reason for a second vehicle?

Ruff Road is a class A motorhome and we wanted a second vehicle for our journey. We have taken trips without a towed vehicle and in some locations that worked out okay, however as full timers we want the flexibility of a smaller vehicle to run errands, get to trailheads, sightsee, and of course to transport our toys.

We have heard of others who found that renting or ubering when they arrive at their destinations is more cost effective since you don’t always need a second vehicle. That is an option to research or consider if you are traveling in a motorhome. We have not tried that and with our two lovely shedding 55 pound dogs, I don’t think it’s even an option. Yes, we have the extra maintenance and the insurance on this towed, however the benefits for us outweigh these factors. So, we dived into how to tow our vehicle with our RV.

What are the different ways you can take a second vehicle with you?

There are four ways to take a second car with you while traveling in a motorhome. We explored each method when deciding how to tow our vehicle with our RV. However, the first method doesn’t involve towing at all.

  • Your partner can simply drive the second vehicle. I know there are rvers out there doing this. We’ve done it ourselves on some trips. Pros: You have a second vehicle with you. You avoid the expense of adding a trailer, dolly, or tow system. Cons: You don’t have that ride time with your partner- that could be a pro for some, however. You will be paying more for gas/ diesel to cover miles in two vehicles. Your vehicle will experience more wear and tear driving the extra miles which could increase maintenance costs. Entrance to some campgrounds could cost more due to the second vehicle. Many campgrounds consider a motorhome with a towed car as one vehicle. While we haven’t had any experience with campgrounds that charge extra, they are out there and you could end up paying a daily fee to have that extra car. Cost: No extra cost for equipment.
  • Another option is to trailer your vehicle. You would need to pull a flat trailer behind your motorhome with your car strapped to it. Pros: This one is probably the best to save wear and tear on your second vehicle. You can back up if you find yourself in a tight spot. A trailer can tow any vehicle. This is a quick way to just get rolling- no installation required outside of a hitch. Cons: You will need to find a place to store your trailer at your campsite. There may or may not be room at the site requiring you to park it at a designated overflow lot. We have limited experience with getting a car onto a trailer, however in our experience it is just a little stressful. Although with practice this should become fairly easy and straightforward. You will have the cost of the flatbed trailer plus maintenance and insurance. You also have the extra weight. Of course, you will need to purchase a tag yearly. Cost: $2,700 – $4,200 approximate costs, varies based on weight and size of the vehicle you are trailering
  • The third option is to tow your vehicle on a dolly, two wheels on the dolly and two wheels on the road. Pros: This tow option will take up less space in your campsite. Dollies are cheaper than flat tow trailers and do not require installation of equipment that flat tow vehicles require. It is a quick and easy way to hit the road. Cons: This, for me, would be another stressful option driving the vehicle onto the dolly correctly and insuring it is strapped down appropriately. Not all vehicles can be towed by a dolly. Check your owners manual to determine if yours can be dolly towed. You will have to ensure that your vehicle’s running lights, brake lights, and turn signals are connected to the motorhome. Cost: $1,600 – $2,000 approximate
  • The final option is to flat tow your vehicle behind you. We researched the other options but went with flat towing when deciding how to tow our vehicle with our RV. We really wanted to keep our truck but the only way we could have towed it was on a trailer or to back it onto a dolly- yikes. So we went with our older, but still great, Acura. Pros: You will not have to store extra equipment at your campsite. The tow bar folds out of the way and you are done. It’s easier (read less stressful for me) to hook up to a tow bar than the dolly/ trailer option. Cons: You can’t back up. Not all vehicles can be flat towed- check your owners manual. This method requires installation of a baseplate to connect the tow bars. It also requires the purchase of a braking system mandated by many states. Additionally, you will need to ensure that your lighting system is connected either through your vehicle or through magnetic attached lights. Cost: $2,363 for our system- Roadmaster Falcon All Terrain non-binding tow bar, Roadmaster baseplate kit, and Blue Ox Patriot II Braking System- purchased from etrailer.com. http://etrailer.com   We had to add a six inch hitch adapter which added another $115. We did not pay for installation since we did it ourselves. Installation cost can be $1,200.

Moving on, we are flat tow ready!

Deciding how we would tow our vehicle with our RV was the first step. Then we purchased the equipment and made a date to install it. We “did it ourselves” or rather Gary and our son-in-law did it themselves. They installed the baseplate on our Acura MDX so we can connect it to our Falcon All Terrain non-binding tow bar. The install took about four hours and since they did the job we saved approximately $1,200.

I’ll admit that it was scary as Gary sent me pictures throughout the morning of our car in parts. However, it all hooked up fine except there were more than three inches from the center of the RV hitch receiver to the center of the base pin on the baseplate. This meant we had to purchase a high- low hitch adapter to ensure we were towing safely and to not void our warranty. Our next step is to tow our car to the dump station next week.

How do you tow your vehicle with your RV? Share any lessons learned or tips in the comment section. We’d love to learn from others. Our decision is based on our situation and of course, your decision on how to tow your vehicle with your RV will be based on your specific situation and your needs.

This brings us one step closer to finally “hitting the road”. If you want to see that baseplate install, check it out on our You Tube Channel, Ruff Road RV Life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpyvKQkis74&t=18s

Learn about us, who we are and why we are full time RVers. https://ruffroadrvlife.com/

If you want to follow our adventures in full time RV life with dogs, subscribe and click notifications. We will be posting more content as we become more mobile. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHRpIFHJItKn3X_7DKY77Mw?view_as=subscriber

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Fun With Fuses

Check out our latest video, Fun With Fuses! We are excited that we solved three electrical issues in Ruff Road. We became more knowledgable and saved money by solving these issues ourselves. https://youtu.be/qJrbbYTsexM

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Purge and Reorganize

We shared how we recently went through Ruff Road evaluating our space, purging and reorganizing.  https://ruffroadrvlife.com/together-again-and-one-year-purge-a-versary/

Follow the link below to our You Tube channel, Ruff Road RV Life, to hear what we did to purge and reorganize our RV.  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMJF0T7fsbU

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Together Again and One Year Purge-a-versary!

Together again! I’m home after 600 Appalachian Trail miles. I have 278 miles to complete the entire trail. It’s been a great journey but I really missed Gary, the pups, family, and my cozy Ruff Road bed. It’s good to be home.  If you want to check out my Appalachian Trail Journey, go to Trail Gator Trail Tales on YOU TUBE:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDhM9jZwVlQ

Hiking the Appalachian Trail

Together again- What are we doing?

We have a list as we begin our plans to officially hit the road. We have been living in Ruff Road for a year and three months now. Our plan was to be on the road by now but with my hiking, hiking injury delay and other obligations we are still living at home base in Florida.  We will be wintering here as we complete final tasks necessary before hitting the road.   We will be sharing our prep list in the next post since it will include things we’ve done to date to prepare and our final TO DOs.

Our major TO DO for this week was to purge and reorganize inside cabinets and outside storage bays.   My post from April stated:  “They say if you haven’t used it in a year, it has to go.  I think in a small space like an RV you need to assess the clutter more frequently.”  This is definitely true since we have had more than one purge and organize in a year’s time.  This time was more thorough for cabinets in the front of the coach. since kitchen and bedroom areas have been thoroughly reworked in recent months.

How much did we purge?

We threw away five bags of trash- mostly from the inside of the RV which included outdated and unnecessary paperwork.  I know that’s a lot!  I couldn’t believe it myself but when we moved in it was quick so some notebooks or folders were stored without a close review of contents.  For example, our notebook containing product manuals contained a few manuals of items we no longer owned.   Our outside purge yielded one large trash bag full of items not suitable for donation.  In addition, we filled one tote of items for donation.   This included those items that we thought we needed but never used.

Our Biggest Accomplishment

The biggest accomplishment from our reorganizing this time was better utilization of space.  For example, when we moved in we planned to group like items together.  When that space was filled, we plugged in excess items as logical as we could but still had like items in two places.  Also, we have learned over the course of a year, which items we used most frequently and moved them to the easiest accessible bay.  We started out with what we “thought” would be important in grouping items and what to keep.  However, as we put that into practice we learned that changes were necessary based on day to day reality.   We realize that as time goes by, we will revisit our newly reorganized areas and go through the process again…and again…and again.  That’s ok.  That’s RV living.

Our cooler stores all of our kayak equipment. Vacuum items are now easier to access.

Purging is like losing weight.  It can be hard to do.  It is easy to creep back on you.  However, when you lose it or purge it, you do feel better.

Upcoming Posts:

TO DOs for Hitting the Road

What did Gary do while I was away for months hiking the Appalachian Trail and hanging out in Colorado?