Posted in: Christmas, Exploring Texas, Holidays, Sightseeing

Drive Through Nativity

Although we certainly do not miss the Ohio winters, there is something about snow and lights that get you in the holiday spirit. There are not a lot of Christmas lights or decorations up at the campground yet, just our lights and two other RVs. It certainly doesn’t feel like Christmas time yet, even with our River Walk experience.

After searching online, we found a few Covid safe events. Our first event was a free one at a local church, a live drive through Nativity.

It was only held one weekend and had quite the line to get in. The church had its own app which had a music track. If you didn’t have the app, they also offered a CD for you to borrow for the car. They had their own radio station playing a live broadcast as well.

The story began with the three wise men and their three camels. These were the only animals we saw, the rest of the “live” was from the people. The town setting of Bethlehem was really neat (although I only saw 1 person wearing a mask in the scene). At the end there was even an actual baby for Jesus! The scenes, props, and costumes were quite elaborate.

Posted in: Christmas

New eBook Out Now: ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas Campground Edition by Ben Tepe

As we explored the USA in our travel trailer I became inspired to spread some Christmas Joy! But not just any Christmas joy. Specifically, the under served niche of Campground Christmas joy. Thus, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas Campground Edition was born.

This new timeless tale sees Santa and his team visiting a travel trailer to create Christmas magic.

Right now it is available as an Amazon ebook. The print version is being formatted, but is having some technical difficulties.

If you do not have have an Amazon Kindle device, you can download the free Kindle App from the App stores. Click here for more information the app on Amazon. (The ebook is available on Kindle Unlimited if you have the KU subscription, or for sale for $3.99.)

I hope you enjoy reading this book with your family as much as I enjoyed making it with mine. (If you did enjoy it, please leave a review on Amazon. Thank you!)

Warm holiday wishes and safe travels y’all!

~Ben Tepe

Posted in: Christmas, Elf On The Shelf, Food, Holidays

There Was An Elf Spotted In The Campground (You’ve Been Elfed)!

At our old sticks-and-bricks, we used to make and deliver Christmas cookies to everyone in the cul-de-sac. There were a few times we did Elf Bags as well, but it mostly the cookies. It was a great way to try to bring a little brightness to someone else’s life. I do miss our neighbors and the cookie tradition. Sometimes the neighbors joined in: one of our neighbors would bake sweet bread and bring it over, another would sometimes give us an ornament when we dropped off the cookies, one year a neighbor and their family went caroling.

With Covid, I have noticed not as much community get togethers in the campgrounds, which I totally get (and support). We’ve been staying to ourselves as well, with just the “hello” in passing for the most part. However, I think everyone needs some cheer, especially this year, so we wanted to do the Elf Bag at the campground. Due to Covid, we didn’t do any homemade treats and tried to make sure everything in the bag was sealed or washable. Elf Bags are similar to the Halloween boo bags, only Christmas themed. (I’ve also seen it as You’ve Been Jingled.)

We found a cute ornament kit and a Hershey’s Build-A-Santa bar at Target (ornament kit in the deal bins at the front of the store). We also added in a bag of red and green suckers, a penguin tic tac toe game, candy cane filled with red and green candy, and some mini candy canes. For more Elf Bag ideas, you can see my list here (from my mom blog). The campground store also had a packet to put in the fire pits that caused the flames to change* color, so we put one of those in as well.

You can find the free Elfed printable here.

*Affiliate link

Posted in: Christmas, Costco, Food

Wineing in the RV: Advent Calendar Days 10-15

Day 10: White wine. Atlas Bear, Chenin Blanc, Product of South Africa. I think this was the first South African wine I had ever had. The label art alone was worth a purchase. Who doesn’t love a bear on a bicycle transporting balloons? It was a standard white wine for me. A little dry.

Day 11: Red wine. Bold Bull. It was good, nothing really stood out.

Day 12: White wine. Not a favorite of mine. It was ok. Carrete Viognier, Chile.

Day 13: Red wine. This was decent merlot, nothing too crazy. The Conductor, Bulgarian Merlot.

Day 14: White wine. This one had a little of a floral/fruity smell. It was a little sweet for a white wine with an almost tangy aftertaste. Baciato Dal Sol Trebbiano (Italy).

Day 15: White wine. This one has been my least favorite so far and would not try/buy it again. There was a slightly sour bite to the first sip, not the sweetness I usually like in a rosé. LTD Rosé Blend Grenache-Cinsault.

Posted in: Christmas, Holidays

Hanging The Tinsel: Decorating Our RV

We wanted to have lights on the outside of the RV for Christmas. We hung some lights around the back door and the ladder, and across the front using Command hooks. We found a candy cane striped rope light and have that laying on the ground near our connections. (Helps to see it when we have to go out at night to empty the tanks). The outdoor tent also got decorated with plastic ornaments at the corners and lights on the inside. It’s not the best light hanging I’ve done, but it at least looks cheery! 🙂

Inside the RV we have a RV ornament hanging by the TV, our stockings and two large ornaments hanging off the living room slide. On the wall, we have our Christmas tree (complete with lights), and a Christmas RV decoration sent to us in the mail! We also changed the LED strip lights on the living room slide to red and green.

Posted in: Christmas, Elf On The Shelf, Holidays

Elfing Around: Adventures of the Mini-Elf Days 4-11

This elf gets around!

With just four rooms, it has been a challenge for him to hide and observe. However, he is making the most of the small space as we all are.

Mini-E likes to go high for optimal viewing perspective. This round, he found his way onto valences, slide outs, stockings and even behind the mirror on the medicine cabinet.


Days 4-7

NOTE: The oldest found Mini-E in the bathroom to be creepy because he felt watched while he went. The family has requested E provide some privacy and abstain from bathroom watching in the future. Looks like he is down to just three rooms.

Days 5-11

Days 8-11 found Mini-E hiding in Will’s messy desk, behind Ben’s green screen he uses for work, sleeping on our bedroom slide, and in the pantry guarding the bag of chips.

Posted in: Christmas, Costco, Holidays

Wineing In The RV: Advent Calendar Days 1-9

Let’s tuck in for some drinking!

The wine Advent calendar was super cute. After you open the outer box you can see 24 little circles that you poke out for the countdown.

Day 1: Started with a Red wine. Vieux Ciseaux Merlot from France. Ooh la la. I was carving a pumpkin at the time and felt it accompanied it well. NOTE: The half bottle fits nicely in my wine glass, so technically I only had 1 drink.

Day 2: Red wine. I like reds more than white wines, so I was excited to see where this was going. Nightfall, California Zinfandel. I think I liked it. Going to have to try another to remember.

Day 3: White wine. Okay, I guess we had to have equal treatment with white and reds. Ciel Bleu D’Aquitaine, Sauvignon Blanc. It was nice for a white wine.

Day 4: Red wine. Ceilo D’Oro, Sangiovese, product of Italy. I drank this on my birthday after visiting Roswell. I was hoping for an out of this world wine, unfortunately it didn’t quite deliver that. It was nice. I enjoyed the previous Red wines more though.

Day 5: Red wine. Pasarica, Malbec from Argentina. An outstanding accompaniment to foil dinner over the camp fire. Works well when gearing up to take on laundry.

Day 6: White wine. Ballun, Pinot Grigo, from Moldova. Nice wine after a long day with the cattle. I enjoyed this after seeing the Fort Worth Stockyards. Nice grassy overtones or that might have just been my jeans. Either way, solid white wine.

Day 7: Red wine. Heros, Syrah, Vin de France. This one comes with a story of regret. It was a little drier than I normally like. But, unfortunately due to a 400 square foot, child induced earthquake, we lost this wine and a seat cushion before I could give it a thorough review. Fortunately, no family members were harmed in this winetastrophe.

Day 8: White wine. Octopads, Macabeo, product of Spain. Drank this after a visit to Dallas. It was fine, but not one I would seek out in the future.

Day 9: Red wine. A nice Pinot Noir, not my favorite, but not bad either. Three Brothers Pino Noir.

So far, so good with this experiment. I will say, I am a little behind with my consumption (only averaging a bottle every 3 days). I guess I should have started this in early September. So either I am going to start day drinking for the rest of December or these bottles may go to just tastings for some of the wines, especially the ones I don’t love at first sniff.

Wish me luck!

Posted in: Christmas, Costco, Food, Holidays

Wineing in the RV: An Advent Calendar with a Kick

During our Costco adventures, we found a wine advent calendar! Ben got it for me and I have been enjoying it since October. It contains 24 half bottles of wine. I started Advent early this year (on Halloween), because there is no way I could drink that much wine in 24 days! It has been a neat adventure. There are a lot of different types of wines in the calendar, most of which I probably wouldn’t try on my own.

The wine Advent calendar cost $99.99 (+tax). I’ll have a few posts with pictures of the bottles from the wine journey as we prepare for Santa’s arrival over the coming month!

So far I like this type of wineing a lot more than what we normally have in the RV.

NOTE: For you beer lovers, I also saw a beer advent calendar at some locations.

Merry, Merry Advent!

Posted in: Christmas, Costco, Holidays, Newbie Tips

Christmas Gifts for RVers

We have been traveling full time for over 150 continuous days in a travel trailer. Below are a list of some of the products that have helped us the most along this journey. If you get to buy presents for a RV enthusiast these are sure to please.

NOTE: The costs listed are what we paid and may change. Please use these as general guidance and check for yourself as you may be able to get better pricing.

LevelMatePro* While some of the newer (and nicer) Class A and C’s have auto-leveling, ours does not. It does have an electric jack and stabilizers, but you still have to level it. Instead of taking a level and doing it the old fashioned way, LevelMatePro was recommended and we love it. It mounts in your rig and uses your phone to show how level you are from left to right and front to back. I would recommend this product especially for those that are in travel trailers or have an older rig. Unless you are parking on a perfectly level concrete pad, it is super useful on travel days. (Cost: $145)

WeBoost* This helps boost all signals in the area, so we use it for our cell phone hotspots and the independent hotspot. There are a few different types of the WeBoost (home, car, RV, etc.) to meet your needs. We have seen a little bit of a difference in the signals. When you work/school from home, it’s important to have good internet signal. (Cost: $400)

Leveling Blocks*. These are like giant Legos used to help level the RV. We use these for the stabilizers, the jack, and to level the RV. We’ve even add them under the steps when there is too big of a gap. (Cost: $30 – we bought 3 sets)

Blackout curtains. Great for keeping the sun out for sleeping, heat out on hot days, and the cold from sneaking in on cold days. (Link to post on hanging our curtains.) (Cost: $25 each – we bought 4 sets for our 11 windows)

Air purifier*This is great if you have allergies. As we have traveled the country we have each discovered new pollen and molds to be allergic to. Luckily I had this air purifier at home before we left. It may be a little big for RV life. It does work really well though! (Cost: $85)

Costco membership. Although we don’t buy quite as much as we used to (just don’t have the room for it), we still love our Costco membership. We love the organic ground beef and chicken, as well as the frequently changing inventory. It’s fun to discover what each Costco has. Many of them carry different things. For example: Ohio doesn’t sell liquor; New Orleans sold Ben’s favorite “souvenir” (a collapsible tote); California sold boogie boards; Many have specific city/sports team gear. Gas prices are usually pretty good as well, but we’ve only come across a couple that carry diesel. Plus, it’s hard to beat their hotdog/soda ($1.50 special) and pizza ($9.95 for a very large pie) prices! (Cost: $60 for Basic; We upgraded years ago to the Executive for $120 because we spend enough that the 2% cash back just makes sense for us).

Propane Fire Pit. We just got this and have only used it twice. It had great reviews, rather light weight, small enough, and runs on propane. There are separate things you can buy for it, including a rack to cook on top of. We were looking for a wood alternative (although Ben loves a wood fire), since most of the places in the West have had a wood fire ban. NOTE: Some places are out of stock, with more coming in the first week of December. Try calling the store. It was listed as both in stock and back-ordered online at Camping World. I called and they did have one in stock (and they held it for me at the desk). (Cost: $150)

Viair Compressor*. As expected, this is an air compressor. This guy does a great job with the RV and truck tires that require higher pressures. The real win is the compressor connects directly to the travel trailer battery to run and has plenty of accessories to allow a reach to all of the tires without too much relocation. (Cost: $300)

Dehumidifier. We have been in locations with unusual heat waves and deserts lately. There have been a few times (mostly in the beginning of the trip) where the humidity in the RV has gotten high, even with the A/C and the bathroom fan on. The one thing we have read a lot about, is that RV’s can grown mold somewhat easily. We try to keep the humidity at a normal level. I have used this humidity/temperature sensor* for years, and it does pretty well. We brought it with us on the trip. We ended up buying a small dehumidifier* to help with the humidity in the RV. (Cost: Dehumidifier $45, sensor $17)

Fire extinguisher*. Most new RVs come with a fire extinguisher by the front door (kitchen area). We have one in the outdoor kitchen and one in our bedroom as well. You just can’t be too safe. (Cost: $30)

First aid kit*. My mom made ours for us before we left. She combined many of our existing kits and confirmed everything was in date. This is a great gift if you have the energy and time to DIY. She did a great job of getting most of what we needed, but still kept it to a reasonable size. We used an art container with internal dividers. It slides nicely between the bed and the wall. We have already had to restock the bandaids from multiple falls from bikes on gravel. If you don’t have the time or inclination to make a first aid kit, this looks like a thorough one that should fit most situations. (Cost: $30)

Solar Decorations*. This one is just for fun, but we ended up loving them. We got solar powered coloring changing balls. We hang them on the awning arm. It makes it nice to find the RV in the dark and adds some ambience when sitting by the campfire. (Cost: $17)

Hope these suggestions make your holiday shopping a little easier! If we missed any RV essentials, please remind us in the comments. Happy holidays!

*Affiliate links

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