Campbell’s Camper

From Delray, we traveled to Arcadia, Florida. We were once again staying on someone’s private property. The most challenging part of our stay was the gate at the entrance. It required Herb to get in and out of the van every time he arrived or left in order to open and close it. To make things easier, I would usually go out and handle the gate for him. It wasn’t a major problem, but it did become part of our daily routine.

The property itself was lovely, and the couple who owned it were easygoing, helpful, and accommodating. We were set up near the back of the property, which was fully fenced. Beyond the fence, on the neighboring property, there were cows. It was nice to wake up and occasionally see them grazing nearby.

The couple also had chickens and dogs, and we got to know some of the neighbors as well. When we first arrived, it was very cold and incredibly windy. The weather warmed up while we were there, but some days remained quite windy, while others were surprisingly cold. Overall, it was a really lovely place to stay.
While we were in Arcadia, we made the decision to trade in our truck for a van. The van could hold much more of our gear and would make loading and unloading significantly easier as we continued our travels.

We found a van that had previously been used as a crime scene investigation vehicle. It was older, but it had been well maintained and was in excellent condition. It also came with built-in shelving and cabinets, making it much easier to store our belongings and stay organized.

The van had very low mileage and a large engine, making it a practical choice for towing our trailer. We chuckled at the idea of using a van as our tow vehicle, but since then, we’ve seen far stranger and funnier setups in RV parks. Before long, our van seemed perfectly normal by comparison.

We were taking outdoor showers during our stay and had a shower tent that we set up for privacy. However, it became so windy that we eventually had to take it down. Showering outside was already challenging, and some days were very cold. The water was also quite cold, which made the experience even less enjoyable.

While we were there, we decided to purchase a propane-powered tankless water heater shower unit. It provided hot water on demand and made our outdoor showers much more comfortable, especially on the colder days.