The road and I have been like brothers From all the miles and time we’ve spent together Yeah, we’ve seen it all We both seen changes in our time Busted dreams and detour signs We keep rolling on
“Brother Highway” by Ned Ledoux
Since the day I was born, I have been traveling the highways and backroads of the United States with my parents or as a solo traveler. I don’t know why the road has such a hold on me, but I know that it’s my happy place.
The roads that appeal the most to me are the long, straight two-lane roads that have hills or mountains in the distance, or roads that end in Small Town America where neighbors still help neighbors. My travels take me to small towns and big cities which have broadened my horizons to see the differences in the American experience which include food offerings, mores, and the cultural differences.
Enjoy these images from the 2022 RV Adventure:
Kick Back Ranch & Event Center
Poche’s RV & Fish Camp
Kemah, TX
I know that I have been blessed to be able to see the many facets of the United States of America during my RV road trip of the past almost two years. The views are breathtaking and the people I’ve met give me confidence that, as a nation, we are not as divided as the media might lead you to believe.
This week’s low temperatures in San Antonio averaged 28 degrees, with daytime highs in the 30s. Unless you prepare for them, these temperatures can wreak havoc on RV water systems. With temperatures in the 20s, water hoses can freeze, tanks can freeze, and water lines to disastrous effect.
What should you do to prevent RV issues from frozen pipes and possibly frozen tanks?
First, empty your black and gray water tanks before the cold weather and unhook your sewer hose. Store your sewer hose.
Second, fill your fresh water tank and unhook all water hoses.
The only connection is to electricity when temperatures stay below freezing for extended periods during the day.
Bertha looks like this when the weather is going to be below freezing because, buttoned-up, she can retain all the heat generated by the furnace, heat pump, or space heater. The furnace ducting is run to provide heat to the wet bay.
Notice the silver ducting in the wet bay. This allows for safe operation and helps prevent frozen tanks and pipes.
The bottom line is that it only takes a minute to protect you and your RV from costly repairs and other issues when the temperatures drop and stay below freezing. Thankfully, I learned this lesson by reading and YouTube instead of by living it.
RV life can be incredibly enjoyable and, at times, deeply frustrating. More often than not, the difference comes down to one thing: how we share space with others. Just a little campground etiquette can go a long way.
I was reminded of that lesson one morning as I was preparing to leave a campground. Someone else’s parking decision directly affected my ability to exit my site.
When Parking Decisions Affect Everyone
In this case, a pickup truck and a golf cart were parked in a way that blocked what is normally a loop road used as both an entrance and an exit within the campground.
The result? A clear exit was no longer available.
What I ended up having to do was back up until I found an empty pull-through site and then use that to access the main campground thoroughfare. It worked out, but only because I had options. If there hadn’t been an open site, I would have been stuck until other campers woke up and moved their vehicles.
To be fair, this campground did have another exit I could have used, so part of the responsibility was mine as well. Still, it was a good reminder of how small decisions ripple outward in shared spaces.
Why Campground Etiquette Matters More Than Ever
Since the onset of the COVID pandemic, the RV community has grown rapidly. Many new RVers are learning as they go, and not everyone realizes how their setup, parking, or noise affects others around them.
With that in mind, here are a few practical, experience-earned suggestions to help everyone have a better stay.
Practical Campground Etiquette Tips
Be Aware of Your Surroundings
Before settling in, take a moment to look around. Ask yourself how your parking, slide-outs, or awnings might affect neighboring sites or campground traffic flow.
Leave Room to Maneuver
When parking or staging vehicles:
Avoid blocking entrances, exits, or loop roads
Remember that RVs are wide. At nearly 9 feet across, most rigs need at least 10 feet of clearance to maneuver safely
What feels like “just a minute” can become a real obstacle for someone else.
Keep Noise in Check
Loud televisions, radios, or outdoor speakers can quickly sour campground relationships. Sound travels farther than most people expect, especially in quiet outdoor settings.
If you can hear it clearly from outside your rig, chances are your neighbors can too.
Be Mindful of Exterior Lighting
One thing I didn’t fully appreciate early on was how bright exterior RV lights can be. Leaving them on all night can shine directly into neighboring bedrooms.
If you don’t need them, turn them off. Darkness is part of the campground experience.
Respect Campsites as Private Space
Don’t walk through another camper’s site without permission. Even if it feels like a shortcut to an amenity, that space is someone’s temporary home and yard.
Walking around is always the better choice.
Be Neighborly
Mr. Rogers had it right. A little kindness and awareness go a long way.
A wave, a quick apology, or a moment of consideration often prevents misunderstandings before they start.
Final Thoughts
I’ve learned a lot from staying in campgrounds across the country. I’ve also seen negative reviews of campgrounds where I personally had no issues at all. Often, those reviews weren’t about the campground itself but about interactions between campers.
The easiest way to enjoy RV life is to make sure your actions don’t negatively affect others or yourself. I can’t guarantee a completely issue-free stay, but I can say this with confidence:
Courtesy makes campground life smoother for everyone.
And smoother days lead to better stories down the road. 🚐
I had been trying to plan a fly fishing trip with Capt. Kevin Merritt since we’d reconnected back in the early summer of 2021 while recuperating from my fall in Fredericksburg, TX. This pre-Christmas trip was the perfect chance to do just that.
It had been twenty years since I’d been fishing with Capt. Kevin Merritt, but we picked up right where we left off back in 1998 when he guided me fishing in the Florida Keys for tarpon, snook, and other saltwater species. On this trip, we were after trout and it was also an opportunity to test all of the recent upgrades to Bertha before I embark on the Winter 2022 RV Tour on December 30.
We left Barker’s Boat and RV Storage at 7:00 AM on Thursday, December 23 for the four hour drive to Cherokee. The drive would give me the opportunity to test the new Kenwood Dash Cam and the RVI Command Center which provide tire pressures for Bertha and Rosie. I had also installed a towed battery charger on Rosie to keep her battery charged. During the 2021 Summer RV Adventure, Rosie’s battery would die after four hours of towing and would need to be jump started. This new addition would prevent the discharge and allow me to use Rosie immediately without the need to worry if the jumpstart battery could get her started. The RVI Command Center also provided charge information during the drive. The upgrade to the RVI Command Center keeps all my RV drive time information in one place.
We arrived about two hours early at the Cherokee/Great Smoky Mountains KOA and weren’t allowed to check-in early. But, they accommodated us by parking us in their check-in line and allowing us to leave Bertha there while we went fishing. The first stop was River’s Edge Outfitters to get the lay of the land and purchase our tribal waters trophy and regular fishing licenses. With fishing licenses in hand, we headed back up Big Cove Road towards the KOA and found some likely waters about a mile up the road. Kevin rigged us with an indicator ahead of a weighted nymph and a midge dropper. The length of the entire tippet was almost twelve feet which made for interesting casting with a seven and a half foot four-weight fly rod. I looked like I was doing hand-to-hand combat; whereas, Kevin being the professional he is, made it look like poetry in motion. It only took me three hours to get the hang of it.
Rainbow Trout from the Raven’s Fork – Cherokee, North Carolina
At two o’clock, we checked back in at the KOA and were able to move to our site and set up. Once set up, we walked across the campground road to the Raven’s Fork Creek and set up for some more fishing. We were now fishing in keeper waters. About ten to fifteen casts into our fishing, I hooked a nice rainbow and brought it to hand. A couple more hours of fishing netted a few more fish, but we didn’t keep any of them.
My wading stability is not what I need it to be, and twice I went to my knees in the very cold stream. I’m thinking I need a wading staff to help with walking on the uneven and slick river bottoms because the fly-fishing bug has definitely bitten me.
As the sun started going, thoughts turned to supper, and we decided to head into town and pick up a couple steaks and potatoes for dinner. With dinner cooked, we sat down to enjoy a couple jiggers of High West’s Rendezvous Rye with the meal. All in all, a perfect day fishing in the mountains.
Overnight the temperatures plunged to 24 degrees and the city water hose and filter froze and left us without water for a period of time. I was washing my hands when the water went from good pressure to nothing; so, I went outside and noticed that everything was frozen. I turned off the city water, and made sure once back inside the motorhome that we could use the fresh water from the water tank. All was perfect when I turned on the water pump. We had running water again. I’d missed the weather report where it said it was going to be that cold. The last one I looked at had shown 34 degrees for the low. In the future, the only question left in my mind is whether I need to purchase a heated hose or just fill the water tank until temperatures rise.
Once the sun came up and it warmed up a little, we went back to fishing before the 11 AM checkout time. We missed a couple of really nice fish, but all too soon, we had to check out and head back to Belmont for Christmas Eve festivities.
There are already plans in the works to do this again in the spring after I return from my Winter 2022 RV Adventure. I can’t wait to do more fly-fishing in the North Carolina mountains or wherever the opportunity presents itself to wet a line.
The sofa that came in Bertha was uncomfortable and didn’t allow for anything more than a place to sit or as a pull-out bed, a place to sleep. I spent the entirety of my Summer 2021 RV Adventure complaining about it. So, on November 5, I took Bertha to Quality RV in North Belmont for her scheduled maintenance and a furniture upgrade.
In doing my research, I found that the Thomas Payne Seismic Theater Seating by Lippert would fit my needs perfectly. The Seismic theater seating comes with power recline and lumbar functionalities, a chaise-style footrest, heated seats, and massage options, LED lighting, dual cupholders, a storage compartment, and a fold-down center console. The cost for the furniture with shipping was roughly, $2,250.00. Installation would be an additional charge from Quality RV.
Dinette Cushion – Before Rejuvenation
The dinette cushions after spending my summer using the dinette for eight to twelve-hour workdays were beginning to flake and crack at the edges. When I returned home on October 23, I decided that I would need to get them recovered and have the foam replaced since it had weakened over time as well. I went to J&J Auto Upholstery in Gastonia, North Carolina, and showed him the cushions. He quoted me $225 per cushion to recover and replace the foam. Three weeks later, the cushions looked great and the foam will allow me to work comfortably for hours.
Dinette Cushions – After Rejuvenation
The installation looks great and will give me years of enjoyment. I can’t wait to use them on my Winter 2022 trip which starts on December 30th with a visit to Kick Back Ranch & Event Center in Alabama.
First-Time RV Lessons That Save Money, Weekends, and Stress (Possibly a Marriage) | Bill & Laura Egeln
byStan Cromlish
There’s a moment in RV life when excitement gives way to reality.
A parking lot decision before cell service disappears. A warning from someone who’s been there before. And the realization that the RV you almost bought could have changed everything.
In this episode of the Wandering Gypsy RV Life Podcast, I sit down with Bill and Laura Egeln, new Class A RVers who share the real, unfiltered lessons they learned as they stepped into full-time motorhome life with their Tiffin Allegro Open Road, Gladys.
This isn’t a highlight reel or a brand pitch. It’s an honest conversation about what new RVers don’t know yet — and how the right advice, timing, and mindset can save money, weekends, and a lot of stress.
We talk about:
The moment someone told them, “Do not buy that brand.”
Rookie mistakes most first-time RVers make
Why arriving after dark is a lesson you only need once
The 300-mile rule and planning smarter travel days
Tire age, pressure, and weight realities
Why RV inspections are non-negotiable
Cold weather surprises and winter prep
Learning from technicians instead of panicking
Why good resources matter more than floorplans
At its core, this episode is about understanding that RV life isn’t about avoiding problems — it’s about being prepared for them.
It’s not if. It’s when. And everything is fixable.
