Wednesday, January 2, 2013

2012 Camping Costs

O.K…. here we go.  I can account for 363 nights of camping for 2012.  The lost nights might have been when we were near Area 52 in AZ.   Of that 363 nights 113 nights were on one of our two lots.  These next figures do not include that and therefore are based on 250 nights of out and about.  We spent 114 nights with no charge camping - free. This could be a relatives/friends driveway or lot,  BLM land (Qsite usually) along a river, Wal-Mart, or ?  It was free but seldom is it really free.  Next was 44 nights in Thousand Trails (TTN) at $53.  33 nights in regular private owned parks at $666. 17 nights in AOR membership parks at $161.  16 nights at Passport America Parks at $318.   9 nights in SKP/events at $177.   Then 13 nights at ROD, C2C, Elks, RPI for a total of $173.  Not unusual anymore to pay extra in any type of park for 50 AMP service or just a sure charge in membership parks to include TTN.  Yearly fees for memberships ran $513.  We pay most 2/3 years in advance so they are not all included in these numbers.  So we spent about $1653 in nights camping plus $513 for yearly fees this year for a total of $2166.  Divide that by the 250 or so nights results in an average of about $8.66 per night at least.  Not to shabby and not real accurate but in the ball park on the average for us.

We will probably drop RPI when it expires.  ROD already has.  A lot of memberships parks over lap even in the Thousand Trails system.  We will keep it along with Coast to Coast (C2C).  Passport America we will keep also because it’s good for traveling from place to place and it’s cheap.  Elks we will keep for awhile longer.  It’s homey.  Private parks we try to avoid like the plaque.  But, sometimes you just have to for various reasons.

Lots.  They are expensive and costs continue when you are not there like taxes.  Renting a lot or a camping site I think is cheaper especially when you stay longer than a month.

Today the frig is working.  I called an authorized Norcold repair place in Surprise and can’t get us in until next week like Monday at 10 AM.   We are going to Quartzsite next week some time unless the frig ties up.  When it’s fix we are heading for Quartzsite.

Seems as long as we turn the frig off before we turn the inverter on or off or hook up or unhook elect or turn on the generator we are fine.   It will go into the shop to find out the cause.  I think it’s the main circuit board myself.

See ya….