Name of Blog
RV Tips Blog
Camping Tips Blog
Chasing Adventure- Coast to Coast
08-14-2015Author :Blog Editor in Chasing Adventure- Coast to Coast
by Deb & Mike Whitt
As this is our first submission for our blog, we thought we would like to let everyone get to know us. We departed the busy life of Washington, D.C., and moved to Florida in 2005. While living in the D.C area, we found adventure by sailing a 34-foot Catamaran on the Chesapeake Bay and along the East Coast. However, within months of arriving in Florida, we sold our Catamaran and ventured into the motorcycle world. The motorcycle life included a Memorial Day ride from Florida to the Viet Nam Memorial in D.C. We rode with a group on the first planned “Ride To The Wall Southern Style”, it was a lot of fun and a lot of stiff bodies at the end of the ride. The motorcycle lifestyle was fun, provided plenty of adventure, however, something was missing.
In 2008, we purchased our first RV, a used 2006 Damon Challenger. We had no idea of what we wanted, needed, or what we were getting into. Turns out the Damon wasn’t so bad, however, we decided after a few years we needed a newer RV. Next came a 2010 Fleetwood Bounder, it proved to have a major leak that could not be fixed, best way to fix it was to trade it in at the dealers. So it was on to a 2011 Georgetown by Forest River. Another “Used” RV, that also provided its fair share of trouble.
The Georgetown developed a hydraulic leak which left us high (literally, as the legs would not retract) and dry in Tennessee and again in Georgia. After two lemons in a row, we traded for a new Winnebago Adventurer, Model 37F, an absolutely beautiful motorhome. The Adventurer was comfortable, spacious, and never gave us a problem. We purchased the Adventurer in July 2014, it was new with little or no miles on it. After a few 2-3 day trips we headed out to Tennessee. The Adventurer was a “gas” powered motorhome, did well almost everywhere we wanted to go, until we headed into the beautiful scenic mountains of Tennessee.
Although the Adventurer still performed well, the noise from the “whining” engine, climbing the mountains, was almost too much to take. We continued on our trip into the mountains and found a “hidden gem” of a RV park close to Fall Creek Falls State Park in Tennessee. Three days of touring the state park, and exploring the Amish country around the park, provided many experiences to remember. It is a great place to visit with family and friends, the state park claims four waterfalls, and an abundance of camping, along with a lake and hiking trails. If you are into viewing different waterfalls, there are a total of twelve (12) waterfalls in the immediate area.
Although the state park offers RV sites, their sites are not meant for a “big rig”, it is great for Class B and C, but not for a Class A. We had reserved the one spot capable of taking our RV and it would have been just a little tricky getting into the spot. We cancelled the reservation and found a spot at Mountain Glen RV park, located approximately 8-10 miles from the entrance to the state park. The park is run by the owner’s sons, and their management and service is excellent and quite professional. It was absolutely a pleasure staying at their facility. The second night at the RV campground resulted in a “free” and delightful lesson in pie making! I am sure many of you have heard of the “Pie Iron”, a delightful device to make “pies” utilizing the hot coals of your campfire. A local man from Chattanooga made a few “pies” and brought them over to our campsite. He had mentioned earlier that he would be making pies later that evening and would bring some over, at the time I thought, how weird this guy must be! I was wrong, the pies were great! We have since made several with fairly good results.
Upon returning home from our trip to Tennessee, I began to “just look” at Camping World and Lazydays RV sales inventory. Our original plan was to enjoy the Adventurer for a year or so, then trade for an Itasca Meridian, going from gas to diesel. We kept putting off trading due to the cost and at the same time the problem of finding a Meridian floorplan that we wanted. So, while “just looking” through the inventory at a few places, I first realized that Lazydays does not sell the Meridian, they sell Winnebago, but not the Itasca made by Winnebago. However Camping World does indeed sell the Itasca label. Much to my surprise and pleasure, two different Camping World facilities had the exact model, the 40R, on-hand and ON SALE! Long story short….we made a deal for the Itasca Meridian and transferred from a “gas” powered RV, to a “diesel” powered RV.
This RV is everything we could ask for, it has the comfort, the ease of driving, the quiet and smooth ride, and the power required to climb those mountains. We are heading out to the Tennessee mountains in a few days, and I cannot wait to climb the mountains in our new RV.
Looking back, I now know what was missing with the motorcycles! It is called “COMFORT”. Going from a motorcycle seat, the heat from the road, the rain drenching us, and the many different hotels each night, to the comfort of home in our Meridian, yes, that is called comfort! I am currently finishing up our website and hope to have it up and running by our next posting. I will provide the URL once completed. If you are interested in a sailing website, our old sailing website can still be reached, although it is not maintained anymore. Deb and I look forward to sharing our adventurers with you and hearing of your adventures.
Until the next posting, may your dreams of RV travel be recognized, and may the Lord keep you safe in your travels.
About the Bloggers: Debbie and Mike Whitt are part time RV’ers who decided to give up sailing and begin a life on the road and enjoy the RV’ing lifestyle. With no idea of what type of RV they wanted, they began with a used 2006 Damon Challenger. Five RV’s later, they enjoy the RV life in their 2015 Itasca Meridian. They love the adventure, meeting people and searching for all the great seafood spots along the way. The RV life is somewhat different than the sailing world yet, it offers all the adventure they had hoped to find. Although adapting to the RV life has been a new experience, they enjoy the many trips that they have taken to discover the beauty of the USA. They are currently planning to be full time RV’ers by mid-2016. Follow the adventures of Deb and Mike and their two miniature longhair dachshunds, see where their adventure takes them while preparing to be full time RV’ers.
You might also like these related articles!
Blog Author Details
by Deb & Mike Whitt
As this is our first submission for our blog, we thought we would like to let everyone get to know us. We departed the busy life of Washington, D.C., and moved to Florida in 2005. While living in the D.C area, we found adventure by sailing a 34-foot Catamaran on the Chesapeake Bay and along the East Coast. However, within months of arriving in Florida, we sold our Catamaran and ventured into the motorcycle world. The motorcycle life included a Memorial Day ride from Florida to the Viet Nam Memorial in D.C. We rode with a group on the first planned “Ride To The Wall Southern Style”, it was a lot of fun and a lot of stiff bodies at the end of the ride. The motorcycle lifestyle was fun, provided plenty of adventure, however, something was missing.
In 2008, we purchased our first RV, a used 2006 Damon Challenger. We had no idea of what we wanted, needed, or what we were getting into. Turns out the Damon wasn’t so bad, however, we decided after a few years we needed a newer RV. Next came a 2010 Fleetwood Bounder, it proved to have a major leak that could not be fixed, best way to fix it was to trade it in at the dealers. So it was on to a 2011 Georgetown by Forest River. Another “Used” RV, that also provided its fair share of trouble.
The Georgetown developed a hydraulic leak which left us high (literally, as the legs would not retract) and dry in Tennessee and again in Georgia. After two lemons in a row, we traded for a new Winnebago Adventurer, Model 37F, an absolutely beautiful motorhome. The Adventurer was comfortable, spacious, and never gave us a problem. We purchased the Adventurer in July 2014, it was new with little or no miles on it. After a few 2-3 day trips we headed out to Tennessee. The Adventurer was a “gas” powered motorhome, did well almost everywhere we wanted to go, until we headed into the beautiful scenic mountains of Tennessee.
Although the Adventurer still performed well, the noise from the “whining” engine, climbing the mountains, was almost too much to take. We continued on our trip into the mountains and found a “hidden gem” of a RV park close to Fall Creek Falls State Park in Tennessee. Three days of touring the state park, and exploring the Amish country around the park, provided many experiences to remember. It is a great place to visit with family and friends, the state park claims four waterfalls, and an abundance of camping, along with a lake and hiking trails. If you are into viewing different waterfalls, there are a total of twelve (12) waterfalls in the immediate area.
Although the state park offers RV sites, their sites are not meant for a “big rig”, it is great for Class B and C, but not for a Class A. We had reserved the one spot capable of taking our RV and it would have been just a little tricky getting into the spot. We cancelled the reservation and found a spot at Mountain Glen RV park, located approximately 8-10 miles from the entrance to the state park. The park is run by the owner’s sons, and their management and service is excellent and quite professional. It was absolutely a pleasure staying at their facility. The second night at the RV campground resulted in a “free” and delightful lesson in pie making! I am sure many of you have heard of the “Pie Iron”, a delightful device to make “pies” utilizing the hot coals of your campfire. A local man from Chattanooga made a few “pies” and brought them over to our campsite. He had mentioned earlier that he would be making pies later that evening and would bring some over, at the time I thought, how weird this guy must be! I was wrong, the pies were great! We have since made several with fairly good results.
Upon returning home from our trip to Tennessee, I began to “just look” at Camping World and Lazydays RV sales inventory. Our original plan was to enjoy the Adventurer for a year or so, then trade for an Itasca Meridian, going from gas to diesel. We kept putting off trading due to the cost and at the same time the problem of finding a Meridian floorplan that we wanted. So, while “just looking” through the inventory at a few places, I first realized that Lazydays does not sell the Meridian, they sell Winnebago, but not the Itasca made by Winnebago. However Camping World does indeed sell the Itasca label. Much to my surprise and pleasure, two different Camping World facilities had the exact model, the 40R, on-hand and ON SALE! Long story short….we made a deal for the Itasca Meridian and transferred from a “gas” powered RV, to a “diesel” powered RV.
This RV is everything we could ask for, it has the comfort, the ease of driving, the quiet and smooth ride, and the power required to climb those mountains. We are heading out to the Tennessee mountains in a few days, and I cannot wait to climb the mountains in our new RV.
Looking back, I now know what was missing with the motorcycles! It is called “COMFORT”. Going from a motorcycle seat, the heat from the road, the rain drenching us, and the many different hotels each night, to the comfort of home in our Meridian, yes, that is called comfort! I am currently finishing up our website and hope to have it up and running by our next posting. I will provide the URL once completed. If you are interested in a sailing website, our old sailing website can still be reached, although it is not maintained anymore. Deb and I look forward to sharing our adventurers with you and hearing of your adventures.
Until the next posting, may your dreams of RV travel be recognized, and may the Lord keep you safe in your travels.
About the Bloggers: Debbie and Mike Whitt are part time RV’ers who decided to give up sailing and begin a life on the road and enjoy the RV’ing lifestyle. With no idea of what type of RV they wanted, they began with a used 2006 Damon Challenger. Five RV’s later, they enjoy the RV life in their 2015 Itasca Meridian. They love the adventure, meeting people and searching for all the great seafood spots along the way. The RV life is somewhat different than the sailing world yet, it offers all the adventure they had hoped to find. Although adapting to the RV life has been a new experience, they enjoy the many trips that they have taken to discover the beauty of the USA. They are currently planning to be full time RV’ers by mid-2016. Follow the adventures of Deb and Mike and their two miniature longhair dachshunds, see where their adventure takes them while preparing to be full time RV’ers.
You might also like these related articles!
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