Hello folks, yes this is a little tongue in cheek. Our plans changed like I am sure yours have. We were in the middle of bringing Natasha to life when this virus began to rear its ugly head. The trip would have taken us to Destin, FL west on the I-10 corridor for a few weeks then visiting family in El Paso. Vegas was next on our sites for a family visit then northeast to Moab, south to Sante Fe, and then? Our first trip of the 2020 season would last approximately 2 1/2 months.
I worked on modifying our Open Range with an upgraded Vectron 712 battery monitor. We planned to stay at Harvest Host locations along the trip which called for boondocking in many of the locations. We ran tests sitting in the drive and felt pretty good about our battery life over a 12 to 14-hour timeline.
The initial thought was we could control our contact with the outside world-traveling in our RV. That was dashed as we realized the complexity of that plan. Sure we would avoid hotels, restaurants, and such in our rig. Fueling, rest stops, grocery stores, etc was an entirely different problem. As the virus spread and the prepares began to strip the shelve of every imaginable item we had a quick change of plans. The 2020 season was put on hold for a stay-at-home plan.
Steps: 150,998
Nights: Many
Diesel Fuel & RV Park Daily Average: $0
- Lady Liberty Farms – Gallatin, TN
Nights: 20
Must-See Attractions
Back Porch
If there was one thing that sold us on this house it was the back porch. Set up in the classic southern way with northern exposure, twin overhead fans, and a great view of the back yard and surrounding area. There are two very large french doors on either side of the porch leading into the living room. This allows us to bring the outside in on nice spring days as a lounge around the living area or step quickly outside for some fresh air.
Couple with direct access to the Masterbedroom and boom you have the perfect getaway from the interior of the house at any time of day.
This is just a hidden gem Northeast of Nashville, in Cottontown, TN. MAP We love this location, it’s quiet, dark and there is plenty of room between your neighbors.
Fire Pit
Ginny, Zoey, and I spend many a spring and fall evening by the firepit. Perfect replacement for that campfire on the road. Smores does happen here as well. The firepit is a Rick Wittrig original. We ran across his iron art during an art show in Nashville when we moved back in 2007. I am positive that we will be burning up that 1/2 cord of wood I split earlier this spring.
Years later, Rick was to create a firepit that would “set the world on fire”. This special fire pit would be for the Vancouver Olympics in the Winter of 2010. The Olympics are a sporting event like no other. The event brings people together from all over the world. Fans cheer for people from far and wide as they stretch their athletic abilities to the max. This uniting force is what drove Wittrig to recreate his signature masterpiece. It became a symbol of world-wide unity and sportsmanship. It was a humbling moment for Fire Pit Art®, as they watched the symbolic lighting of the torch. Which in turn ignited the world through their unique and handcrafted design! Ricks Story
The Garden
Prior to jumping into RV most timing, I loved to garden. I spent a great deal of time preparing a 40′ x 4′ piece of ground getting it ready for our vegetable garden. The soil was very good to start but we amended that with a couple of years of composting that we had built up.
The results were nothing but fantastic. We harvested the sweetest tomatoes, the best greens, Brussel sprouts, snap peas, and beans we had ever tasted. I’m sure we all stay this about our gardens :). I loved working the soil in this patch of ground. It became a daily habit to go out and tend it.
We practiced organic gardening. Controlling the surrounding runoff was difficult but we controlled that the best we knew how. That leads to some interesting fights with insects and such that just wanted a piece of every inch of the garden.
You notice the hoop system I set up for the entire length of the garden. The local bird population got word that we had some very ripe and tomatoes and such and began to peck away at our fruits. The rabbit population had the same idea when it came to our greens. I finally had to cover the entire garden in netting to keep them at bay.
When we bought the RV in 2016 the garden took a back seat to our traveling. We just could not plant and maintain the garden at the level that was necessary to promote good growth. I covered it with landscape fabric and mulch and kissed it goodbye. That all changed this year as we found ourselves confronted with Covid-19.
Our travel plans were canceled for the foreseeable future. The garden now became a great calming place for me and with the restrictions on travel, it was going to provide us once again with some great vegetables. I took up right where I had left off in the summer of 2016. The soil was in great condition and I got right back into the planting and tending routine. More on this in a future post.
Rain Water Collection
In an effort back in 2016 to supplement the water needed to keep the garden green I built this collection system. This featured five 50 gallon food-grade barrels interconnected with PVC piping and attached to the downspout.
This proved to be a fantastic way to gather rainwater from our roof. It did not take much to fill these barrels to the brim. If it rained more than an inch a day or so they would overflow. That seemed at the time like a good problem to have.
I have since supplemented these holding tanks with another food-grade 250-gallon tank near the garden. I use a transfer pump to get the water to that barrel which is situated about 50 yards from the collection system.
With a little more tweaking I am planning to lay a drip system in the garden supplied by that tank. Might even get cute and add a timer to it for hands-free delivery of water to our plants.
There’s No Lack Of Fine Food
You might already know this but if you are new to the page, I love to cook. Many of the recepies we have taylored for the rig where tested right here in the Lady Liberty kitchen. Full-timers, part-timers or just staying home, give these a try. Look for more rig ready recipes in the coming months.
Fresh Gazpacho
There is nothing better than finding a great farmers market while traveling. The place is filled with fresh local organic produce if you are lucky. A few more stalls down and you might even find some fresh crusty bread. For Ginny and I there is nothing like garden fresh cool Gazpacho with a dollop of sour cream on a hot summer nite of camping. Add crab cakes to the mix and you have a perfect dinner combination.
Chicken Florentine
This is another go-to recipe for Ginny and I. No need for a ton of pots and pans, you can do this in one 12″ nonstick pan. The flavors are all very well balanced, and this recipe is a crowd pleaser. It can be easily thrown together with a side of rice or quinoa to soak up all the Florentine sauce. To make the side easy pick up a microwave bag of Seeds Of Change Quinoa.
Portobello Melt Dipper
Hey there fans of vegetarian meals as you travel, here is your recipe. My wife enjoys a break from the meat every other day menu that typically happens on this rig. Simple, quick, tasty, fresh ingredients and easy to prepare on an RV is this.
