Going “Water-Green” = Conserving Water on the Road

Water, our most precious resource

Water = the giver of life, liquid of the Gods, precious gem of the universe. We tend to take it for granted, especially when it’s so easily reachable by the handy tap that magically purveys it into your house.

All that changes when you move into an RV, especially if you “dry-camp” or “boondock” (i.e. camp without direct water hook-ups) for any length of time. We’ve developed a renewed appreciation for this wonderful resource over our past year of RVing and although we started off as relative amateurs we have now become avid water-conservationists and Masters of the Tap. No longer do we blow through our 100 gallon water tank in a few days, but find that it now easily stretches to 2 weeks and could probably go longer with a little extra effort. In going RVing we’ve gone “water-green” and here’s the low-down for others looking to do the same:

How Much Water do you Really Need?
The average westernized person uses ~123 gallons (466 liters) of water/day at home (per The World Almanac). That’s an astounding amount of water and you wouldn’t last a day as a dry-camp RVer with that usage. Most of the waste goes to flushing the toilet, long showers and washing dishes. In reality a gallon/day of water will cover essential needs while 2 gallons/day should cover basic needs. We use just a couple of straight-forward conservation methods and run ~3.5 gallons/person/day. If we’re feeling luxurious and going all-out (full showers and all) we’ll use ~8 gallons/person/day. Any RVer should be able to do just fine on 4 gallons/person/day going down to 2 gallons/person/day for the more conservative lot.

Conservation Tips
Water conservation is really pretty basic stuff. Don’t let the taps run, use less to flush the loo, use any local camp facilities  and so forth, but here’s a few extra tips that help the mobile mover as well:

1. Dishes -> Wipe before you wash. When you wash your dishes, do a quick wipe with a paper towel to get off excess grease & bits before you put them in the sink, then save up your dishes so you only wash once/day. When washing do a sponge-on in a tub, and quick rinse off after. Never let the tap run.
One Step Further: Some people go further on this one by using disposable paper plates & cups which they trash at every meal (and thus avoid clean-up altogether). We prefer our real china and don’t like the excess trash, but it’s another idea for those who need it.

2. Loo Flushing -> Less is more. When flushing out the toilet a quick flush does just as well as a longer one. Some people keep a pail of external water handy and use that. Others only flush for #2′s. If you’re at a campground that has an on-site toilet, using the camp facilities obviously  helps to save your tanks.
One Step Further: If you’re way “out there” using the great outdoors and pooing in the wild (as long as it’s done properly) can also be a big saver. You don’t need much to cut back on this one.

Bathing with a washcloth can be...well...almost exotic

3. Bathing -> Go Navy-style or get out the sponge. If you’ve ever backpacked any length of time you know it doesn’t take much to get you clean. If you use the shower in the RV, the simplest thing is to go Navy-style and turn off the shower while you’re “lathering up”. Then, just rinse and dry. If you want to conserve further ditch the shower and use a sink/pail of water with a sponge or wash-cloth. Sponge, lather, sponge and dry. If you’re out boondocking in the wild it can be quite romantic to do this outside with your partner .
One Step Further: For the ultra-conservationist, baby wipes will do the job on all the “necessary bits” and they’ve kept me usably clean while backpacking many-a-time.

4. Washing Hands -> Switch to hand sanitizer. We waste a lot of precious water by washing our hands. So, instead of running the tap, buy a hand sanitizer dispenser and use that instead.

5. Brushing Teeth -> Use a cup. Instead of letting water run for brushing teeth, put some water in a cup and use that instead.

6. Drinking -> Get a portable container. Drinking water is the one area where you don’t want to conserve unless you’re absolutely forced to. So, drink as much as you fancy and supplement it with an external, portable container. We have a plastic 5-gallon jug that we fill-up before we go off. You can buy collapsible containers too.

7. Recycle -> Re-use your grey water. For those folks looking to extend even more you can re-use your grey water. When you wash the dishes, cook your veggies or brush your teeth, save that water and use it to flush the loo.

As you get more savvy in water-conservation you’ll find yourself limited much more by your grey tank (your waste water) filling up, than how quickly you use the main water tank. There are lots of ways to “stretch your tanks”, as we’ve covered previously, but in the end good water conservation is good for everyone, and with a little bit of creativity it can even be fun too.

30 Years and a Few Hairs Later….

Paul & Freddie...two peas in a pod

One of the things I love about RVing is the ability to go off and reconnect with old friends. In fact, RVing is all about community in my mind whether it’s the cool people you meet on the road, the connections you make in the campgrounds or the friends and family you hook up with along the way.

Well, the last few weeks it’s been Paul’s turn. Imagine if you will, two Cuban boys growing up in Miami (where else) and making mischief as boys do.  There’s a whole book of stories in there and when they meet up 30 years later, all that really separates los hermanos is a couple of wrinkles and a few less hairs. Other than that it’s really just like old times.

Julie & Lucky hanging at Dog Beach in Fort de Soto

In an odd turn of events both boys married tall white women, left Florida and travelled around. There’s a few differences and surprises of course….Paul now speaks French and Freddie had 2 beautiful girls and became a Deacon no less, but old memories are strong stuff they re-bonded happily like two old pigs in mud.

So, we’ve spent a great few weeks hanging with Freddie and Julie, getting to know the girls, playing with the dogs and frying up steaks on the grill. It just goes to show that whether you’re apart for just a few years or a few decades, good friend are a lifelong gift. And all that despite a few less hairs on the head. So, cherish those you love,  and may we meet again soon!

SP Campground Rating – Alafia River State Park, Lithia, FL

Another very relaxing stop, with some mountain biking thrown in for fun!
Link to campground here: Alafia River State Park
Link to map here: Alafa River State Park

1. Site Quality = 4.5/5
   This is a very new park and the sites reflect that. They’re all long, paved flat sites with nice grass “sitting areas” and good separation between campers. All have picnic table, fire-pit, 50Amp and water. Selection of back-in and pull-though, plus sites for horse-camping in the Lonesome Lake loop.
2.  Facilities = 4.5/5
   The facilities are spacious, brand new and cleaned daily so they’re very nice. Their only ding is that they only built one shower per restroom (one men’s and one women’s) so if it’s occupied you’re out of luck to get clean. The surrounding area is a playground paradise with a picnic pavilion, grassy play area, lakes, over 20 miles of horse-trails, 17 miles of bike trails and hiking. There’s also on-site dump station and potable water.
3. Location = 3.5/5
   I have to give this campground bonus points for the huge mountain bike and hiking area that’s next to it, plus the lovely lakes. Lithia is not exactly a “destination” location so there’s not a lot to see in the surrounding town, but the park itself has plenty of activity to keep you busy.
4. Pet Friendliness = 5/5
   Another great pet-friendly location. Lots of space in the campground, plus plenty of hiking in the surrounding area (trails can be accessed directly from end of Lonesome Lake view)

Overall Rating = 4.4
BONUS ALERT = Bike some of the raddest mountain bike trails in FL!

Summary: We chose this stop mainly to visit one of Paul’s old buddies and ended up really enjoying our stay. This is a very new campground located on 6,000 acres of natural land with over 20 miles of horse-trails, hiking, fishing, kayaking and some of Florida’s most challenging mountain bike terrain (as accredited by the International Mountain Biking Association). The camping sites are laid-out in an open grassy area and are large, flat, paved sites with 50Amp/water and nice separation between campers. Most have an open view of the grounds plus a select few (#27, 4, 5, 6) with lake views  There’s a lovely lake and playground area in the middle of the two camping loops. During the week this place clears out and you have an entire wilderness area to yourself. It tends to fill up with locals and horse-campers on the week-end. Lithia is not exactly a destination location, but I have to admit the mountain biking here (built on an old phosphate mine) is an unique draw. We spent a lovely week hanging out by the lake, biking on the trails and spotting wildlife (gator, wild boar and birds). A very cool place and we’d definitely come back to stay.

 Extra Info:  Verizon data worked flawlessly, AT&T cellphones worked barely. Sites are reservable, $22/night for 50Amp electric/water with selection of back-in and pull-through. On-site dump station.

View of our site (#21)

View down Alafia Lake loop showing pull-through site #18 on the left

One of sites with lake view (#4)

Another view of Alafia Lake loop (site #30 on left)

View of lake between the 2 camping loops

Playground area and facilities

The Story of the Big Tree that Wouldn’t…

Paul poses w/ the victim of our tree encounter

It was a dark and stormy night….

Well, OK maybe I’m just being overly dramatic and wishful. It was more like a perfectly clear, windless and very bright sunny day. With ne’er a weather forecast to blame the young enthusiasts left their campground in the giddy knowledge that all could be handled. After all, the intrepid voyagers had been on their trip for many months, had bounded great mountains, crossed hair-raising ridges and penetrated deep forests. In other words they were Experts, Kings of the road, Masters of the wheel and so on. You get the picture…

All that stood between them and their next adventure was a few turns and a couple of trees. Now, granted the trees were a tad tight, and I’ll begrudgingly admit that a few of them were even somewhat worrisome, but after all these were mere trifles for the WheelingIt Gods.

See those gashes? Beware the tree....

All went well of course. Turns were conquered, trees glided by and much self-congratulation was in progress….right up until the tree that wouldn’t. You see, it was the last turn, the last curve and just a few inches to the left of where it should have been, and the darn thing wouldn’t move. It just wouldn’t! It wasn’t even the bottom that was an issue, it was a sneaky curve at the top where the tree was hanging lazily into the road. There was a heavy crunch, a sound a bit like fingernails running down a blackboard and a nice, long squashed metal bit (formerly not squashed I might add) spinning off to the side.

Paul jerry-rigs a temporary fix on the awning cover

Yes, after many faultless months yours truly had just encountered our first collision and our back left slide-cover was the victim. Apparently we weren’t the only ones who’d done this. This particular little devil of a tree showed ample evidence of other RV encounters with multiple big gashes on the side. Despite the company, however, our egos deflated like great, big popped balloons and we were left gaping stupidly at the damage.

Now, overall it wasn’t too bad and I could say the lesson let us off easy. It was only the outer metal cover of our slide awning that was crushed and we can order the parts online, but the impact on our egos was everlasting. There’s probably many excuses I could make, but in the end it was simply the result of overconfidence. The tree that wouldn’t has taught us to look up and always, always have a spotter on the road.

So now, when we see other RVers missing bits of their rig rather than chuckle privately about their mistake, we humbly commiserate and go over to share our story. After all we’ve been there…and chances are we might be there again.

P.S. I’m sure you’re dying to know who was driving. As an honest woman I can’t possibly give such a sensitive and painfull piece of information away, but I’ll just say it wasn’t me…..

SP Campground Review – Silver River State Park, Ocala, FL

A relaxing stop along the Silver River in North-Central Florida
Link to campground here: Silver River State Park
Link to map here: Silver River State Park

1. Site Quality = 4.5/5
   This is a newer park and the sites are lovely. Very large (huge in fact), perfectly flat, packed dirt pads with tons of separation between campers and a nice “sitting area” with picnic table, fire-pit and grill. All sites are surrounded by forest, have 30 Amp (a few with 50 Amp) and water. There’s a selection of back-in as well as huge pull-throughs.
2.  Facilities = 5/5
   Lovely, new facilities here. Bathrooms are huge with large showers, good water pressure and kept nicely clean. Laundry and dump station on-site too. The campground itself also has picnic areas, a museum, and rentable canoes.
3. Location = 2.5/5
   North-Central FL is not really a “destination” location, but given the area the campground is really nicely located. It’s close to the “city” (Ocala and Silver River), but feels very remote and natural. A good selection of hiking trails, biking and even kayaking/canoeing along the river.
4. Pet Friendliness = 5/5
   Good place for pets. Plenty of space in the sites plus lovely hiking trails all around.

Overall Rating = 4.25
BONUS ALERT = Canoe along the pretty Silver River (and maybe spot a gator)!

Summary: This is one of the newer Florida State Parks and I consider it a bit of a hidden gem. The sites are huge (enormous), perfectly flat and with wonderful separation and all the roads are large, paved and with easy access even for the biggest rigs. The park is set alongside the very pretty Silver River which provides canoeing, hiking and biking (no swimming because of the gators however). It’s only a few miles to Ocala and the surrounding towns & shopping yet it feels very remote and peaceful. The only negative is that the area (North-Central FL) doesn’t have alot of attractions so it’s not exactly a destination locaton. The lack of people does, however, mean the campground is pretty empty most of the time. We spent a nice quiet few days here exploring the park, hiking the trails and visiting the on-site museum. A very nice stop and we’d definitely stay here again if we were driving by.

 Extra Info:  Verizon data and AT&T cellphones both worked here. Sites are reservable, $24/night for electric/water with selection of back-in and pull-through. On-site laundry and dump station.

View of our very spacious site (#22)

View along our loop showing roomy access & lovely site separation

View of pull-through site (#18)

View of facilities...these are nice and new

The very pretty Silver River