Sad day >>>

My fifth wheel is sitting in Lancaster waiting for me to show up for 1 last weekend. . . I will tow it home this Sunday and winterize it... I really dislike having to do this, very sad time... then its the countdown to my first trip next year that gets worse..

When we winterize, all it means is we dry camp. Many of the State campgrounds are open all year with heated wash houses. The hiking trails are open or we can snowshoe if necessary.

A space heater and/or the propane to keep warm and a 7 gallon water jug keeps us for the weekend.

If you live in the where it snows, you adapt.

We just arrived in Key Largo for the winter
We hauled our 25 footer here and tomorrow we do the inspection on our brand new almost 40 foot long Forest River trailer, and if everything goes well, we'll then haul it into our permanent site which is only a couple of miles from the dealer.
My biggest concern is the 12 foot overhang behind the rear wheel; making the swing into our site

Jack L

We also camp when winterized, go to parks/CGs with open bathroom facilities. We have a blast!

DutchmenSport wrote:
Let the fun continue all winter ... even in the snow!

We all have our own definition of fun. Winter camping is not mine. :)
I'll let you enjoy the solitude of the CG.

I know it is sad, but you WILL be okay (holding back tears). Here's what you can do...

Grab a large stack of the best interesting, long and enlightening books of all time - The Iliad, The Odyssey, War and Peace, Pride and Prejudice , Ghandi: An Autobiography, etc. Or perhaps something more light-hearted like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Wuthering Heights or a Lord of the Rings novel. Maybe your tastes are a little different, but you get the idea...

Curl up beside the fireplace until Spring. Play some great music to set the mood. (Tip, set youtube on loop so you can listen to a song all day long.)

suggested song no. 1
suggested song no. 2
suggested song no. 3
suggested song no. 4
suggested song no. 5
suggested song no. 6 (over 1 billion hits on youtube!)
Need more, just let me know.

Having said the above, we did a record 58 camping nights this year (woohoo!!). There is a bad series of storm about to hit the west coast here tonight and it probably won't stop raining until April. That's okay tho., the best thing about this time of year is that it's almost camping season again!!

I always say, why not winterize it, then continue using it throughout the winter -- dry camp (like back in the days when you tent camped), except you have the luxury of using everything except the on-board water.

Pick up a port-a-potty from Wall Mart, you can use that in the bathroom, and dump it into the campground pit-toilets (no chemicals). Bring your water in jugs, catbath, and still enjoy week-ends going somewhere.

Indiana State Parks let you camp all winter. No water, but do have electricity. Pick a camp site near a pit toilet and you've go the entire campground to yourself! No one goes in the winter. It's an awesome time to go!

Wash dishes by catching water in a pan and tossing out the door or in the fire pit or into the pit toilet. Heat water on the stove (like you use to do over a fire when you tent camped). Let the fun continue all winter ... even in the snow!

I know what you mean. We have two more short local trips planned and then away she goes. My mood usually holds up through the holidays but then the 5 more months of rain start to get to me. I guess that is what happens when your recreation pursuits involve the outdoors. Just remember how enjoyable it will be when you start back up next year.

Keep your chin up! Spring will be here before you know it.;) Now is the time to get all though projects done that you have been putting off since you started camping last spring. :B
Make it a great winter!
Bill

I know what you mean; winterizing is depressing.
Taking it out of storage next spring sure feels good though!