Bounding Around

Charleston, SC

Joined August 2018

We sold our house and moved onto a 2000 Fleetwood Bounder and are working remotely while we travel the country!

Come for the music!

We had a blast checking out this famous Texas dance hall!  For $20 you can park in their parking lot/field and stay the night.  Definitely worth it if you like live music and are in the area.  We will definitely be back!

Great biking!

This park is a great stop if you are on your way from Houston to Austin.  It's actually connected to Bastrop State Park by an 11 mile road that is mostly used for cycling.  And that's exactly what we did!  There was very little road traffic and the views were great!  There are also several scenic overlooks in the park and I highly recommend checking these out.  Great park with great views and biking!

Marfa Lights!

This is a perfect overnight stop! Not only is it free, but there is nightly entertainment too– the Marfa lights! We had a good time at this stop and enjoyed watching the lights with many other spectators. The sunset was incredible and there were a few other people staying the night as well. There is a restroom there too. If we are ever passing through the area we would absolutely stay here again!

Free camping in Texas wine country!

All of the RV parks in Fredericksburg are expensive. So, we made the decision to spend our first night at Gillespie County Safety Rest Area. We had pretty low expectations for this overnight stop. However, we thoroughly enjoyed this stop. In fact, we almost stayed two nights! From here, we biked to several wineries and even went on a run through Lyndon B. Johnson Ranch Historic Site.  This was a great stop and we will definitely return!

Full hookup pull through sites!

All of the sites at Stephen F. Austin were pull through and full hookup which was really nice. Our first night there we went in to town to explore and hit up the local grocery store. We loved the downtown area.  More importantly, the campsites were hosts to a lovely firefly display each evening!  Not sure when specifically this happens, but we were there in March and it was awesome.  We used this as a base for exploring Houston and it was quite the drive, but the campground was awesome.  Definitely recommend!

Great amenities!

This park is a little nicer than ones we stay in, but we really enjoyed it. The park is right on the awesome bike path and we were able to park and not drive anywhere for the week-long stay. We biked downtown to check everything out and also biked to the missions. It’s awesome being so close to the bike path. The facilities are really nice too. They have a pool that we didn’t use but looked super popular as well as a gym that was great. The staff was really nice as well. Also, if you don’t want to bike– there is a bus stop right at the park that is really convenient.

Great park!

This was a super pleasant stop! We enjoyed exploring the trails and seeing the wildlife right around our campground. We had great internet for working and were close to an amazing BBQ restaurant featured on Guy Fieri’s show! We liked this park and would definitely stay again!

Wouldn't stay again

So, this is probably the worst state park we have stayed at yet. The bathrooms were pretty gross and there was absolutely nothing special about this place. They did have some trails and I enjoyed a walk on them, but it’s honestly not that much of an enjoyable stop! We definitely would not stay there again.

Unique Area of Louisiana

This park is way south in Louisiana. It was a super interesting area to explore. We had some of the best fried chicken we have ever had from a gas station! The beach view isn’t the greatest with oil rigs dotting the horizon, but it is such an interesting area and we are so glad we checked it out! The campground was nice and it also had free laundry which is a huge plus!

Location and Laundry!

We stayed here to be close to New Orleans. It is still a bit of a drive into the city, but there is a ferry you can take also. You still have to drive to the ferry, but it is supposed to be closer. We didn’t use the ferry though. This is a nice state park that has pretty scenery and free laundry!! It’s a little cutthroat in the laundry room, but if you can get a machine it is pretty nice to be able to catch up on laundry for free!! The sites were level and spacious and they had trash cans at just about every site that was a nice bonus. This is our first LA state park and we are very impressed!  If you are in a RV, be careful coming in - there are some massive speed bumps!  We were ok, but our neighbor thinks he cracked his coach on one of the speed bumps.

Ranger Review: Ecovessel THE BOULDER Insulated Water Bottle at PinnaclesNP

Campground Review:

Be sure to look at a map carefully and drive to the property side of the park if you plan to camp here!  There are two entrances to Pinnacles and they don't connect by road.  Also, we didn't have any cell phone service, but we did manage to get service with our hotspot while in the campground.  The store has wifi too, but we didn't need it.  The campground is plenty nice, but it doesn't have the feel of a typical National Park campground.  We stayed in one of the electric sites with our RV, but there are dry camping sites as well.  We had an awesome time in the park hiking and spotting California Condors.  The park is absolutely worth a visit and this is by far the closest place to stay.

Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products from time to time.  At this campground, I tested the Ecovessel Boulder Insulated Water Bottle.  The quality and performance of this product are both very impressive!  I tested this out both with hot tea and cold water and gatorade and have been very pleased.  I love the strainer feature so it keeps ice from rushing to my mouth every time I take a sip.  It's also convenient for tea as well.  Not to mention the color is great.  I love this water bottle!

Festival of Lights - Amazing!

This county park is a great one, but it is especially awesome during the Festival of Lights. People all over Charleston want to come check out the lights, so being able to stay in the park during the festival is amazing. You are right there with all of the festivities, but the park is set back a little so you don’t have to be in the hustle and bustle if you don’t like. The location is the best you are going to get for checking out downtown Charleston. Also, Folly Beach is the closest beach and isn’t far away at all. There are some great restaurants nearby and grocery stores too.

Odd location but pretty park

We enjoyed several amazing sunsets from this State Park. The people working here are super friendly and we had a good time here. There are a few trails you can walk on and some places that people were out fishing. It’s in a bit of an odd location– just off the busy main road all by itself, but it isn’t far if you need to get back to town. The facilities were nice and we had a great time here!

Beautiful lake

This is a nice state park in a small town in north Alabama. The lake is really pretty and the campground has a nice view of it. The facilities were really nice and there is a store and restaurant all within the park. It’s a bit of a drive to get to town so try to get the essentials before setting up camp. The campground is nice– a definite recommend!

Best price we found near Moab

We actually stayed here for a whole month. That was a little long for us, but the park was just fine. They had gas grills you could use during your stay and we enjoyed that for sure! There is laundry there and the facilities are very nice. The people working were friendly too. This is a little out of town, but still close enough to get to town and the parks easily. There is a ton to do in the area so come ready for outdoor activities!  Also, it is HOT in July.  Pick a different month to come if you can!

Not worth the price

So, we unfortunately got off on the wrong foot with this campground. It was likely our error, but we did not see anywhere in the booking process that there would be additional fees once we arrive at the campground. This is the only campground we have had this experience with too. This made the nightly rate a lot higher than what it was worth. Yes, the lake is nice, but you are right by a busy road and there is road noise all day and night long. Also, you aren’t on the main part of the lake– more like a little inlet off the main part. The facilities were fine and our site did have a good view of the sliver of the lake. However, if we find ourselves in the area again we will find somewhere else to stay. They did have some sites that you can tie a boat up to. If we had a boat I can see where this would be super fun having it tied up right at your RV site, but without a boat I would check around.

Cute park hidden away

Croft State Park was right on our route so it was a convenient spot. However, it turned out to be really nice too!! It is on a lake and there are trails in the campground for exploring. There are plenty of sites with a great view of the lake. Also, they supposedly have a big event every year for Halloween. We weren’t there for that, but it seems fun! The staff was super nice as well. This was a great way to spend a few days enjoying the lake view and getting caught up on work!

Pretty park - popular too!

This state park is a little outside of Austin near the airport. The park stays busy and it’s easy to see why– it’s really nice with waterfalls you can check out in the park and it isn’t far from the airport. We had a great stay here and will definitely check it out again if in the area. Although– watch the branches if you are in a bigger rig– we watched a guy hit one and mess up his roof. Also, if you will be camping in Texas State Parks a bit be sure to get the annual Texas State Parks pass– it will end up saving you a lot of money! Also, we went to a nearby market to buy what we thought was salsa(see pictures)– it definitely wasn’t and it was sooo spicy!!

Convenient location

Homolovi is right off the interstate on the way from Albuquerque to Flagstaff. We decided to stop here and check out the Route 66 town of Winslow, AZ. It was a neat little town with a lot of history! We went to Standin on the Corner Park and La Posada Hotel. The park itself has ruins you can explore, but we weren’t necessarily blown away by them. However, the bathroom and shower facilities were nice and even though it’s not a super scenic location, we still had some nice sunsets! All in all, this is a convenient stop if you are traveling this way!

Awesome free spot near 2 national parks

This was our first boondocking experience and we loved it! This is absolutely an entry level boondocking spot, but that was perfect for us. There is a gravel parking lot that is pretty level and trash cans. There are no facilities other than that though. The big draw of this place is being right outside of Carlsbad Caverns NP. We also lucked out and were camping there when another couple we knew were(totally by chance!) and we met an additional couple while there. While we were here we also visited Guadalupe National Park. I highly recommend this spot! Make sure you come stocked up with supplies though because it is a bit of a drive to get to town!