We are getting so excited about getting out for a test run in Stevie, our new to us RV. She is going on 22 years old and we really want to start taking some test runs on the weekend to make sure everything is in working order before our big trip to Bonnaroo in June. Our first trip is scheduled for the Hoosier National Forest at the end of March. Since Indiana weather is a bit unpredictable, we may have to adjust per local weather conditions. This trip will give us an opportunity to put about 300 round trip miles on Stevie as well as test the generator and holding tanks. Our first adventure will be a boondocking test since it is preseason for the Hoosier National Forest campgrounds and there is no water or electricity provided in any of the campgrounds until summer. There is also no cost to camp and no entrance fees during preseason, so we’ll be traveling with a full water tank and testing our water conservation skills.
With new house batteries, we want to test how long the batteries can survive before needing a recharge from the generator. I’ll be taking readings on the batteries quite often to make sure we don’t fall below a 50% charge. I hope to get a monitor for that at a later point but we are holding off on some improvements until we feel confident that we will have Stevie for the long haul. We currently do not have any solar panels to charge the house batteries, but I am considering a portable unit in the future that can help top off the batteries during the day to reduce the use of the generator. We do use a very simple solar trickle charger for the chassis batteries just to keep them charged through the long gaps between driving, but it will take a much larger system to recharge the house batteries.
It is amazing how much joy there is in planning an adventure. Even just planning a simple long weekend helps to organize the processes we will use each time we take off for a vacation. We have a few of these weekends planned as a lead up to our full 2-week vacation, so we can test our skills and the capabilities of Stevie. I’m certain there will be many weekends on the road exploring the Midwest throughout the summer. But the real journey that is about to begin will take us into the videos of YouTube to our own channel. We are working on the details but plan to begin vlogging about our journeys in the very near future. I’m sure the we’ll have some difficult times with the process as we begin, but hope that by the time we are seasoned travelers we will have the skill set in place to make some amazing videos. Journeys are not always about traveling, and entering the world of vlogging will be a major journey for us.
Until next time, plan your adventure and start your journey!
Blue Moon Journeys 