Thousand Trails Campground Membership...Show me the savings!

I'll admit it. I never thought I would ever buy a campground membership. For one we prefer to boondock as much as we can. We like more natural settings with fewer people and more space around us. To us spending $15-$20 a night is expensive as there are so many wonderful free options out there (more so on the West coast we found out this winter). The cost in the East is so prohibitive we weren't sure if we would ever be able to return to Florida again.

We have always preferred to camp off the beaten path. To follow a trail to an area where few people are and be surrounded by natural beauty instead of feeling like you are jammed into a parking lot. One of the main reasons solar is so important to us.

Since we sold our house rather quickly and jumped in, head over heels, into this full time life style we had little time to make a winters plan other then...we are heading to Florida! The last time we travelled to Florida the dollar was at par and we didn't notice a huge cost burden of staying in Florida. This year with our dollar being so horrible, and our last minute plans, I started booking sites to have a place to stay. I didn't want to get down here and not find a spot. I booked all our sites from Jan 25th until the end of march before leaving Canada.

At the Rally in February we met many families who belong to Thousand Trails.

We asked them about the pros and cons of joining Thousand Trails. There were way more pros then cons. Financial reasons was the main benefit we heard over and over again. The second highest ranked benefit was it allowed them to be near other fulltime families more often then not. This was a huge factor for us deciding to buy a zone pass. Our kids had so much fun meeting new friends at the rally we knew the friendship factor would be huge for us.

We read some blogs posts against it like this one. Don't let that one discourage you though...continue reading as THIS one may just put you over the edge in favour of buying into the Thousand Trails membership! Either way you have to decide what is important to your family and run with it!

There ARE huge savings to be had. Initially we were concerned if we would get our moneys worth since we are from Canada and can only stay 6 months of the year in the US. We literally paid for our two zone membership and still saved hundreds of dollars by cancelling bookings we already had and moving into the trails system over the next 5 weeks we had left to stay in the States. We will use it again next fall and will renew next Spring and maybe even upgrade as the savings is huge if you have to stay in regular camp grounds.

We bought a two zone pass with Florida Max attached (Florida Max included Bulow RV resort, Gulf View, Harbor Lakes, Lake Magic, Sunshine Travel and Winter Quarters Pasco as six extra resorts).

Our purchase gave us 23 South East Camp grounds plus the 6 max pass bonus and 18 camp grounds in the North West as we knew we were heading out West again in the fall. We also can switch our zone one time so after we return to Canada we will switch it to the South West Zone from the South East Zone so we can stay in California next Nov and December.

source HERE

Here is what we saved: (all dollar amounts in this post are in USD)

We cancelled one week at Fort De Soto when my daughter broke out in a rash, which refunded us $301 and moved to Peace River for two weeks which was FREE as we have 30 days included with our membership.

We saved 20% at our time we had already booked at Terra Ceia RV Park which was an Encore resort. We could now save 20% because we are trails members. So we paid $40.80 a night instead of $50 with fees and taxes of regular rate. Savings of $36.80.

We changed our month of March reservation at Pine Island RV Park which was $1293.15 for the month, We cut it back to one week so we wouldn't incur cancellation fees and still got 20% off as it was an Encore park. They credited back our credit card $953.05.

We spent two weeks at Punta Gorda RV park which was part of our Florida Max pass for FREE.

So savings wise instead of spending $2096 for Feb 20th to March 31st (basically 5 weeks of camping) we spent $604.95 for two zones and Florida Max pass plus$239.10 in other camping fees (negative refunds) for a total $844.05 which included the membership purchase.

Doing this still saved almost $1300 for 5 weeks of camping! Plus we still have it to use in the fall to drive down to California for Nov and Dec (we will do our one time zone switch), plus if we need it for Jan and Feb before having to renew, we have the potential to save $1000's more depending how much we use it. Since we have it I can see us using it for our 14 days in and then 7 out, over and over and over again...until we upgrade :) Now if only they would buy a few more parks in Ontario and BC and we would be all set!

So what do you think? Do you see the savings?

Evacuation practice

Sierra has been asking lots of questions about what will happen if we (me and Ian) die in a fire. She wants to know who she will live with. Pretty serious questions for a 5 year old (on a less serious note, but yet funny...she wants to live with some one who will let her have a kitty).

With her questions about us possibly dying in a fire we decided it was time to practice an evaction plan for the travel trailer in case of an emergency. We had never really thought of doing it before. We made plans to do it the next morning as it was getting late.

That night while Ian and I were sitting out by the fire Aayla woke up crying. We went to the trailer door to go in to see what was wrong but couldn't get in...Aayla locked the door as she tried to open it (don't worry it's NOT a fire).

We told her to go wake up Sierra. She didn't have any luck trying to do that as Sierra sleeps on a top bunk. Luckily Sierra left her window open and Ian liften me up so I could reach in and shake her leg to try to wake her...but no luck. I shook her leg a bit harder and yelled "Emergency" and she sat right up.

Sierra was able to wake up when she heard it was an emergency and came to unlock the door to let us in. It wasn't a huge emergency but we were proud of her that as soon as she heard emergency she woke right up and sprang into action.

First thing in the morning we put our new evacuation plan into action. The girls had to lie in their beds and pretend to be asleep. When they heard emergency they had to get to the living room window as fast as they could. Sierra was then repsponsible to open open up the window and help Aayla get out first by helping to hold her hands as she slid to the ground. Next she had to get herself out and go find an adult.

They are both monkeys and thought it was fun to preform the practice a few times. This is something we will continue to do on a regular basis because you just never know...



Do you practice emergency evacuation procedures with your kids while travelling?

Seaquest State Park (Trial trip part 3 and we are home)

After leaving Cape Disappointment as we are driving I am constantly looking out the window at the scenery and looking for wildlife. As we were driving I was getting a snack out for the girls when Sierra yells..."mommy look at those!" and I barely had time to pick up the camera and snap off a photo of the elk. We have seen a few on different days on this trip but I have never been quick enough to get a picture snapped off. Luckily Sierra saw them way off in the distance, and I had time to scramble for the camera. Not an excellent shot but a photo non the less.

We are headed to Seaquest State Park which is very close to the I5 so we can hop on it in the am and head home.

We arrived and took a quick drive around the park as it is self service this time of year. The park was empty. There was no one around at all and only 2 other campers arrived that night. We chose campsite #4 a pull through with electric and water service, a nice open area with the picnic area behind us and playground a crossed the road and lots of space for the kids to roam, explore and discover.

We took a quick walk to investigate a small playground just a hop skip and a jump away. It was a bit too big for Aayla but she made out just fine. There was a second playground as well that daddy made it to with the girls that had a couple of swing sets just on the other side of the picnic area.

Sierra collecting fallen branches for her wedding bouquet

as she walks along humming...here comes the bride!

The sun was shinning through the trees when we arrived so it was a nice little walk before heading out to Mt St Helens. The cashier at Safeway said to hurry up as fast as we could because the clouds roll in and cancel all hopes of any view at all. The drive up was pretty with lots of scenic over views.

With the warm sun shining down as we left we were ill prepared for this:

very snowy scene we quickly came upon as we climbed the mountain on our way to the Mt St Helens Visitor Centre.

FYI this time of year the momuments and visitor centres are closed. Closed to people and closed to cars. It would have been nice to be able to at least get into the parking lot instead of having to brave the snowbanks. Ian ended up with a couple of wet feet but made it in to at least read the signs. We popped into the main visitors centre right beside Seaquest as we pulled in but it was closing at 4 and we wanted to hurry up before we lost all chance of a view. It would have been nice if they informed me that everything was closed up before we left so we could have packed up the boots instead of just informing me that the road is 40 miles long...owell we had a fun drive anyway even if all we could see was this:

Right at the top of this photo above is where the volcano top is and yes, it is right behind the clouds as Murphys law would have it! If you have a really good imagination you can see through the clouds...LOL!

The next morning the girls had a quick bath, (yes they both fit in our little tub) we packed up and hit the road for home. Getting out of the park was a bit narrow but slowly and surly we made it out with no scratches :)

And then somewhere before Tacoma we saw a Cabela's on the left.

We have never been to Cabela's before as we don't have them near us in Canada. Let's just say as we pulled in I was amazed at how crowed the parking lot was and I couldn't image that all these cars were here for this store. The parking lot was huge and full and there was nothing else around so...

As we entered the store our jaws hit the ground I am sure. It was huge and it was 2 stories and even though the parking lot was jammed, the building was so big it didn't feel busy at all. We managed to dwindle away 2 hours in there. The girls loved the Mountain of taxidermies (animals of all shapes, types and sizes) and the mini aquarium inside.

I bought a pair of binoculars (Nikon Monarch 10X42 ATB) which should be more then I need but with the girls I wanted something durable, water proof and with a great warranty!

Ian got a scope for his Robson Arms XCR (the gun of his dreams he recently purchased...I must say it is taking me some time to get used to the guns as I have always been anti guns even in imaginative play with the kids...but I am trying to open up and might even visit a range with him this week so he can site it in???), a wood splitting axe (we had a heck of a time with the firewood this trip), and some other odds n ends...

Which makes me think about this post at Big Dawg and Freeway I read last night about gadgets...funny no matter how compact we are in our RV's there is always room for the gadgets and it's amazing at how quickly our lists of gadgets grow. We have a long list of iphones, laptops, GPS's, many cameras but there always seems to be something else on the wishlist...like an ipad, or a new camera lens... the possibilities are endless! How many gadgets do you have? What are your favourites and what could you have done without? We are considering an in dash GPS as we left home without our portable one on our trial trip and really missed it.

Overall our trial trip was a huge success, despite the rain and cloud cover, we had lots of fun exploring new areas, making new memories and getting a better taste for life on the road! With about 20 days left before our maiden voyage we need to get fixated on finding an internet solution as with the amount of time it takes to sift through pictures, edit them, upload them and write about them, an occasional hour at the coffee shop just won't cut it :) Any suggestions? And what about satellite?

WELCOME to PB & J Adventures! Thanks for joining us on our journey!

photography...

I say I like photography but really I like taking pictures. I know little or rather nothing about the capabilities of my camera or how to use many of the features, but rather focus on the content and the composition, and let editing do the rest!

What I like about photography is the hunt...

having that Eagle fly above you at just the right moment

the abilty to see animals in their natural habitats,

Capturing a special moment between sisters

looking for the little details.

Do you go the extra mile to get a good shot? My weakness is bears...I love them and living in British Columbia we see them every so often on our trips.

My first time we saw a bear on the trail was when we were camping near Harrison Lake in 1998. We had friends with us and he said, "I wish we would see a bear". I said, "goodluck...in all my trips I have never seen one". We literally drove around a corner and there in the middle of the road was a bear! I swear this to be the truth. It was the first time I saw a bear and I was amazed at seeing the bear, and at the whole situation.

This was before my digital days began so sorry no shot to upload and even if it were on digital there wouldn't be much to see as it quickly ran off the road and into the safety of the woods...and what do I do? Yup...I jump out of the truck to try to get a better pictures, but no luck he was gone in a flash. However from this a bad habit emerged...that's right...much to my husbands annoyance I am always jumping out of the truck and carefully getting as close as I can...all in the name of a decent picture :)

My next bear was while we were driving home from Penticton in 2001 I think and he was grazing on the side of the road. Again not during my digital days, but I did jump out again to try to get closer.

We saw a few more throughout the years, next was while we were on a bus tour in Alaska in May 2007. The bus stopped and we were so close to a young bear eating the new shoots on the bushes at the side of the road. I tried to jump out but the bus driver wouldn't let me. I was heart broken...instead I got a few crummy shots through the glass...oh they could have been amazing!

My last bear sighting was in August 2009 on a drive to Tofino. This guy was sauntering along, grabbing a bite to eat every few paces. As close as I got I am not terribly thrilled with the images I captured, but the memory will last a lifetime!

Now as we are getting prepared for our trip this summer it is time to buy a new lens. Not to capture bears probably but I am sure there will be lots of wildlife and the scenery... oh I can barely wait for the scenery!

I have one of the first Canon Rebel Digital SLR's with an 18-55mm lens I rarely use as I hate switching lens so I use my point and shoot for close up macro pictures. The lens I use most of the time is my 55-200mm but it just doesn't quite cut it. I need an all around, do all lens with a much greater zoom. Afterall we will be having some amazing travels this summer through the Grand Canyon, and the Everglades and so much more...I can't wait to start clicking away :)

What camera do you use? Do you like it? Recommend it? Do you use it to it's fullest capabilities? No matter what you have, it doesn't do you any good in your pocket or your purse so pull it out and put it to use. I hope to take a gazillion pictures this summer...thank oodness for digital as I have a habit of clicking off 600-700 pictures on a long weekend camping trip so imagine what a trip of 140 nights could add up to!!

Welcome to Livin our dash! Our newest follower. She just won a stylish blogger award :) Make sure to stop by her blog...and enjoy!

Camping or RVing???

Tonight I was reading a post on the Forest River Owners Forum about what we call it...camping or RVing and it got me thinking...

Now that we have a travel trailer are we now RVing or are we camping still? Perhaps they are the same things, just worded differently? Maybe you are RVing when you are in a motor-home? but what if you are on BLM land in the US or a Forest Service Road in Canada? Are you still RVing because you are in a motor-home or are you camping because you are off the grid? Is it what you are in, where you park or whether or not you use electricity, solar or a generator? Is there a difference or just a preference?

As a child I tented with my family. As an adult I started off tenting but then traded in the tent for a camper, and have now traded in the camper for a trailer, but I still call our trailer "the camper".

We used to think people in trailers weren't really camping and now find ourselves in one.

Will what we "do"really change? I don't think so.

We are still going to enjoy being out in Nature, going on walks and hikes,

searching for wildlife and taking photos,

catching dinner

roasting marshmellows..(yes a campfire is a BIG part of camping for us and during fire-bans the propane fire works but it really isn't the same),

looking up at the stars on a pitch black night...does it really matter if we sleep in a tent, or a camper or a trailer, or a motor-home?

Or even in daddies arms after an exhausting day full of fun?

I don't think so. For us...we are still camping, in a trailer we call a camper, and being as close to nature as we can even if we have all the features of home in our home on wheels. (I can admit I don't miss packing up a drenched tent, with soaking, crying kids, and yes we will still be plugged in at times to DVD players and iphones and computers)

BUT we will be LIVING LIFE,

ENJOYING LIFE

and not letting it pass us by!

We will be having fun

exploring,

discovering,

enjoying our natural surroundings

learning and expanding our knowledge as we soak in as many natural wonders as we can.

What do you think? Are you RVing in a trailer or camping? No right or wrong, just opinions and I am curious as to what you think.

Welcome wishes going out to Marty! Thanks for following us on our journey... and may you enjoy your journey along the way!