West We Go; Palo Duro & Cadillac Ranch
2022/4/24
As we continued our trip westward across the vast state of Texas on our way to a meetup with RV Miles in Sedona, Arizona, we stayed a few nights at Palo Duro Canyon State Park. Palo Duro Canyon is one of those magical places that you won't ever want to leave. We hiked the Lighthouse trail which led us to one of the most magnificent rock formations we've ever seen. Just thirty miles down the road from Palo Duro we stopped by Cadillac Ranch and left our own artistic mark on this iconic art installation from the 1970's which juts out from the Texas ranch landscape.
Simple RV Upgrades:
RV Airflow and Oxygenics Bodyspa RV
2021/10/10
Moving into an RV means you are leaving behind the world of central air and endless hot showers. RV showers and RV air conditioners are huge sources of consumption for power and water, which need constant consideration when using your RV. Thankfully companies like Oxygenics and RV Airflow are making products that plug into the existing RV systems, making your RV systems work more efficiently and help make the trade-offs of RV living far more bearable. Watch how easy these installs are in our RV and pick up a few tips we learned in the process!
DIY, Installing a TPMS
2021/2/28
Have you ever had a tire blowout? It is a dangerous situation and one most people would like to avoid. This video is a technical DIY about installing a TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) on your RV tires. You might think that this system is only for people who have an RV, but that is wrong. Most new cars come with TPMS, but lots of cars are still without them. These systems allow you to put alerts for high and low pressure on your tires as well and temperature alerts which are displayed on a monitor within your driving vehicle. In this video, Scott walks you through the installation of the Truck System Technologies TPMS that uses flow through sensors. It's a fairly simple installation that just might save your tire and your life.
Roofing RV Retreat
2021/1/31
When your RV is at risk, you move it. Roofers came to repair damage to our house's roof caused by Hurricane Delta. You wouldn't think it necessary in an RV to go on a staycation but when roofers come a knockin', it's not only important for the safety of your RV to vacate the premises, it's important for the sanity of your pets. This week is all about hitting the pause button on projects and being forced to move. Thankfully we found a nice RV park really close to the house where we took a roofing RV retreat
Kayaking the Basin
2020/11/29
In this week's video, we took our kayaks for a little paddle on Bayou Fuselier in the Atchafalaya Basin on Thanksgiving. No turkey or alligator sightings but we did see lots of water fowl including ibis and even a belted kingfisher. It was the first time we took our kayaks out with the truck and it was a total game changer! We got a little rain but had lots of laughs as we paddled this 7 mile loop in the swamp. The Atchafalaya Basin is the largest wetland and swamp in the United States and is located in south central Louisiana.
The Breakdown: Part II
2020/11/8
In this week's video, The Breakdown Part II: Return of the Truck, we continue our breakdown saga as we wait for our truck's DPF to be fixed by a Ford dealership in Meridian, Mississippi. We find some good things to focus on while we wait for the repair and review some simple ways that helped us get through this stressful situation.
Interior Systems Demo
2020/10/18
This video dives into the interior systems in our Grand Design Solitude S-Class 2930 RL-R, as well as hitching it up with a Reese Goosebox to our Ford F350. We received an epic "getting to know your RV" walkthrough at Tom Schaeffer's RV Super Store in Pennsylvania. The video is full of technical details and helpful pointers about how to care for the health of your RV's interior systems.
Picking up our new RV
2020/10/4
Come along with us as we pick up our new RV at Tom Schaeffer's RV Super Store! Follow our 1300 mile journey all the way from Louisiana to Pennsylvania to get the model we wanted, a 2020 Grand Design Solitude S-Class 2930RL-R! It was a long journey but it was well worth the trip.
Crabbing at Rockefeller Refuge
2020/06/26
We headed to Rockefeller refuge on the coast of Louisiana to go crabbing. Rockefeller refuge started as 86,000 acres of marshland established by the Rockefeller Foundation in 1914.
Supporting local farmers during Covid-19
2020/04/01
Due to the rapid spread of Covid-19, many states are issuing stay at home protocols with allowances to leave to pick up essential supplies including groceries.
Support your local farmers!
Art Exhibit: Close to Home
2020/01/05
Art, it's what I do. My name is Alicia Faciane. In this video you will see a glimpse into what my life as an artist was like when setting up for an art show.
Houston: 12 Hours in the City
2019/10/20
We made a quick road trip to Houston, Texas to see some rigs, hang out with a good friend, eat delicious food and see a fantastic concert. We were on the move for 19 hours... It was a long day, but totally worth it!
Paddling on 2 O'Clock Bayou
2019/09/15
2 O'Clock Bayou is a quiet and very scenic waterway on the north edge of the Atachaflaya Basin near Krotz Springs, LA. This was our first kayak day trip with the Lafayette Paddle Club.
Harvest Host: Overnighting at a Ranch
2022/2/7
West we went! What better way to start a trip westward then a stay at a ranch? We made our way into Texas and finally put our Harvest Host membership to use! Our stay at the NRS Ranch just west of Dallas, Texas was a great overnight stop; it was an exciting place to visit and a peaceful place to sleep. We happened to be staying the same night as the American Military Showdown, where cowboys were roping calves in under five seconds!
Summer Blues & One Star Park Reviews
2021/8/8
Welcome to the campground! In our latest video, watch as we pick away the summer blues and hang some art featuring one star national park reviews! This week we took time to enjoy the little things. We are getting used to everyday life in our RV and enjoying some much needed recuperation! It felt so good to laugh and get some sun; this RV life is feeling more like the right route with every passing day!
Mardi Gras 2021, NOLA
2021/2/14
This year, 2021, Mardi Gras parades were canceled by many cities in Louisiana: due to Covid-19, parades drawing large crowds were seen as too risky for health concerns. The parades might not be rolling through the streets of New Orleans but happily many krewes and revelers found a manner to celebrate the spirit of Mardi Gras in new and endearing ways. 2021 is the year of the "house float" where people took to decorating their own houses like they were Mardi Gras floats! Check out how we celebrated Mardi Gras 2021 in New Orleans, La!
Demystifying the RV Buying Process, part I
2021/1/24
The RV buying process can feel completely overwhelming and intimidating: It is a process that normally has to be lived to be understood. In this video, we dig into the RV buying process in the hopes of making it less overwhelming. We chatted with our wonderful sales consultant, Sean Shanoskie, who helped us when we bought our RV. He gave us a behind-the-scenes perspective on understanding the sales process at Tom Schaeffer's RV. We also got some great tips and insight about what to do and ask when preparing to buy an RV, to help it go as smoothly as possible and to help you can feel ready to go through the RV buying process yourself.
HurricaneEvacuation
2020/11/22
In this week's video, we travel to Northern Texas to evacuate during Hurricane Delta. Watch as we make a quick exit from our sticks-and-bricks house in South Louisiana and with our pets to seek refuge and solace. This trip unexpectedly ended up being the first RV experience for our cat, Juneau. We waited out the storm at a great lakeside campsite in Johnson Creek Park, an Army Core of Engineers Campground, which has its own beach
The Breakdown: Part I
2020/11/1
RV life is not all sunshine and rainbows. This week we share our first BUMP in the road. Join us as we travel back from picking up our new RV and try to figure out how to deal with our first breakdown! This week is full of the good, the bad, and the ugly or RV living!
Exterior Systems Demo
2020/10/18
This video dives into the exterior systems in our Grand Design Solitude S-Class 2930 RL-R. We received an epic "getting to know your RV" walkthrough at Tom Schaeffer's RV Super Store in Pennsylvania. The video is full of technical details and helpful pointers about how to care for the health of your RV's exterior systems.
Filling in our Pool
2020/09/27
Sometimes the road to your dream takes you down a long and winding path! This video is full of big machines & big dreams. Watch as we show you that destruction can be strangely productive as will fill in our old fiberglass pool.
Reel Talk
2020/05/22
One of the things that we both agreed on when traveling is that we wanted to pick up fishing. We got a couple of KastKing BlackHawk II collapsible rods, making it easier to bring them with us. The more that we travel the more self reliant we hope to become.
Mardi Gras with the Krewe de Canailles
2020/03/01
Mardi Gras is such a fun time to be in Louisiana! Mardi Gras season is a carnival time, full of celebration that starts after the Epiphany and culminates on the day before Ash Wednesday.
Couchon de Lait at Vermilionville
2019/12/22
We visited Vermilionville in Lafayette, Louisiana during its third annual "couchon de lait". A "couchon de lait" is a pig roast. Vermilionville is a living museum and folk life park in South Louisiana.
Morning Launch at the Glow in the Cro
2019/10/06
The Morning launch is the morning event for the Glow in the Cro hot air balloon festival in Carencro, Louisiana. During this three day event balloon pilots take up their balloons early in the morning.
Chewbacchus 2019
2019/09/15
The International Krewe of Chewbacchus throws a hell of a party every year in New Orleans for Mardi Gras. We had a blast dressing up in goofy costumes and dancing on the sidewalk as the parade rolled by.
"Fig"uring out our RV Oven
2021/12/30
Ovens across the country are filling up with delicious holiday treats, unfortunately RV propane ovens have a less than satisfactory reputation for getting the job done well. They are known for burning food, poor heat distribution, and can turn even the most patient cook into a hot head! After picking figs this summer at a u-pick orchard, we share tips we discovered while using our RV oven in order to make one of our favorite recipes: Fig & Tasso flatbread pizza. Prepare to drool over this recipe and repair some of the broken trust between you and your RV oven.
Selling the House & Going Full-time
2021/7/18
We bought an RV so we could explore life beyond our front door. Come along for the ride as we share our process of downsizing and some very exciting news about how we are finally moving on and following our dreams! None of this amazing story would have been possible without following some simple but brilliant advice. Sometimes the simplest things can prompt the biggest changes!
Our Cat Found a Hole in our RV!
2021/2/7
Recently on her first RV trip, our cat pulled a disappearing act. She discovered a perfect cat-sized hole in the shoe cubby under our stairs, which led to the underbelly of our RV. This made for an unexpected and rather stressful experience. Thankfully the ordeal was relatively short but then came the harder question, how do we fix this problem? Our pets safety is really important to us. In this video we show you how we resolved the "escape hatch" permanently so that our RV could function properly and our cat won't be able to "disappear" again.
Getting Ready to Tow
2021/1/17
One of the most important things to consider when getting an RV is how you will tow the RV. In this video we show you how we got ready for towing our new rig. We installed a B & W Turnoverball Hitch and discuss the reasons why we chose the B & W Hitch and Reese Goosebox towing setup. It's a combination that has lots of advantages. This video also includes links to a great DIY Reese Goosebox installation and a small but important fix we made to our Reese Goosebox to make our towing experience even better.
Buzzed by Hummingbirds
2020/11/15
This week we share an amazing experience: We were invited to view a hummingbird migration in South Louisiana. Watch as this group of hummingbirds, which we learned is called a charm, chatter and chirp as they defend their territory and food source against other hummers. These hummingbirds were really an amazing sight to see as they filled up on energy for their continued migration south.
The Halfway Point
2020/10/25
Join us as we continue our return journey back to Louisiana with our new RV. In this adventure we continue first experiences: our first refueling at a truck stop and our first campsite at a US Army Corps of Engineers Campground. We spend a couple of beautiful days getting to know our RV better while camping and hiking in starry Alabama.
The Return Journey
2020/10/11
While traveling back from picking up our new RV, we make stops in Virginia and Tennessee to visit with friends. We experience mooch-docking and campsite hookups for the first time. Watch as we get to know our rig and travel through some beautiful areas in the Eastern United States on our way back to Louisiana.
ACA NXT: Instachat Highlights
2020/07/12
In this video Alicia talks with Jaik Faulk, Visual Arts Director at the Acadiana Center for the Arts, about being an artist during quarantine and how she thinks her new project, The Route of It All, will affect her art.
Backyard Crawfish Boils
2020/05/13
It’s crawfish season in Louisiana. These delicious crustaceans are boiled and devoured usually from early February through early summer. The traditional crawfish boil is full of fun, friends, and food overload.
Woodfiring with Zach Sierke
2020/02/02
We were invited to be a part of the fall wood firing at Zach Sierke Pottery in Fairhope, Alabama. We helped to prep, load, fire, and unload the kiln. The whole process took about a month from start to finish.
Sunset Paddle on Lake Martin
2019/11/17
Lake Martin is a beautiful place to visit in South Louisiana. Join us for a kayak paddle during the magic hour, the time of day when the sun is glowing near the horizon, as we paddle through the cypress trees.
Glow in the Cro
2019/09/22
The Glow in the Cro is a hot air balloon festival in Carencro, Louisiana. 2019 is its first year. The "glow" is an evening event that starts just before sunset during which the balloons remain on the ground and light up to show off their brilliant colors and designs.