South Bay RV Campground

Camping can be a real delightful experience if you’re in the right park at the right time of the year.

We’ve only been RV camping since 2006, but we now have our favorite campgrounds on a list of those we frequent the most here in Southwest Florida, I mean like every few weeks or so without fail.

Summertime in our neck of the woods is a lot of humidity with almost predictable rain showers in the afternoon.

So, with that in mind, we always do our fishing in the morning and are usually finished before noon. 

Since my birthday is in mid summer, I get to choose the one campground we love among our favorites.  For us, South Bay RV Campground is that special place.

      Our drive is a few hours East from our home on the Gulf side of the state, of course we make our usual stop at the Wal-Mart in Clewiston for some last minute goodies for our weeklong stay.
      South Bay RV Campground is actually located about 18 miles East of Clewiston in a small town called South Bay……….go figure!

The entire park is surrounded by a small canal that is filled with fish of all kinds, a couple small alligators, and there’s even a small lake called Shiner Lake, where I’ve even caught and eaten some big Channel Catfish……..YUMMY!

Shiner Lake has a walking path all around it so anyone can get his or her exercise walking or riding a bike.

South Bay RV Campground is under the supervision of Palm Beach County, so all the 100 plus 30 Amp and 50 Amp campsites are all paved with water, sewer and even cable TV, as well as Wi-Fi.  For the kids, there’s even a playground.  If you like to have a group meeting onsite, you can use the Pavilion recreation hall, you can also use one of the two laundry rooms if you need it, where your clothes will be super safe.  There are also 18 handicap spaces available should you require one.

Someone is in the office everyday except Sunday’s and when you check in, they give you a little packet showing where your site is, and the gate code to get in after hours.

One of the major advantages of camping at South Bay is the fact that it is right next to the largest lake in the state of Florida, Lake Okeechobee!  Which just happens to be famous for its bass fishing.

You just drive out the front gate, go up the dyke, and down the other site to the rim canal and boat launch.  You can’t see the main lake from here, but there is plenty of fishing in more calm waters.

The next closest town is Belle Glade and is only a few miles North of South Bay.  They have massive sugar cane fields and a large processing plant nearby. 

Since I like to also choose a good restaurant for my special day, we love to eat at a place in Belle Glade called Wah Lan’s.  You guessed it; some great Chinese food served buffet style.  Don’t know how its possible, but the waitress actually remembers us every year, so she’s very accommodating.

Although Lake Okeechobee is noted for great bass fishing, and it is, there is also some great fishing for channel catfish, which I love eating, some crappie, which I’ve never personally caught, plentiful bluegills, which I catch and release a lot of, except for what I use to catch bass with, Mayan Cichlids, which I also love eating, and a few other types of fish I normally don’t keep.
Yes, there are a few alligators around, but they not only don’t let you get very close, but they just overall leave you alone and watch from a distance, thank goodness.

During the summer months, usually from June through September, you can camp for half price, which makes this a super great deal for anyone who is willing to put up with that summer humidity.

Overall, we highly recommend camping at South Bay RV campground anytime you get the chance.  Happy Camping!
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How do you find an RV water leak?

If you have ever owned an RV or any kind of camping vehicle for any length of time, then you probably had to deal with the fact that you had a water leak somewhere.  So, how do you find an RV water leak?

First of all, I believe you must have the ability to be able to fix almost anything.  With that said, how do you find a water leak?  Well, you just have to start looking.

Let’s say you see a puddle of water on the floor where it shouldn’t be, what would be the first thing you’d want to do?  Explore of course.  Look at everything and any place you suspect a leak to be coming from.  Sometimes they come from a distance away and are extremely difficult to find where the source is.

If possible, test with a water hose if you have one.  Most RV’s of any size today come with a water and electric hook up, so having water available is almost a given.  Unless you’re doing some primitive camping, without facilities.

Even if you own a tent and it’s leaking, you can probably find the leak by pouring water over the suspected area and have someone looking from the inside to see exactly where the leak is coming from.

We purchased our new Bullet RV in March of 2012, so you would not expect it to be leaking anywhere inside, especially a mere 7 months later, but much to our amazement, it did.

My first thought was that since it had rained that night, the leak was coming from the outside storage door on the left side, because I saw water near the wall and inside that storage area.  Luckily for us, we could just open the little hatch they built inside, next to the bed, and look down into the storage area.

After wiping up the little bit of water there was, I told Karen that I’d check it out in the morning when it was daylight.

First thing the next morning, I found a little water standing, so I wiped it up again until it was completely dry. 

Since we didn’t want this small problem to interfere with our morning fishing, we launched our little Sea Eagle boat and headed out to catch some fish.

After returning from our morning fishing, I opened up the outside storage door only to discover that water was still standing in a small area close to the wall.  Since it hadn’t rained in the morning, I immediately knew the rain wasn’t the cause of this leak, so again, I wiped it dry.

Because I have a built in natural sense of fixing everything I can, I decided to pull off the water connector from the outside wall and check the hoses. 

I turned off the main water supply and proceeded to remove the three screws holding the water connection to the side of our Bullet.  Luckily for me, it was a lot easier than I expected.  However, I did notice that the connector was well sealed against the side panel, and it made a suction type noise when I pulled it away.

After pulling out the water connector, I then turned on the main water valve, only to witness a very small drip, drip, drip coming from where the hose inside our Bullet connected to the main water hose connection from the outside.

A miracle, the water stopped leaking and I was a very happy camper!  So, after giving Karen the good news, we both could relax knowing that problem of how to find a water leak was solved.

Well, since we’re coming out of summer weather, it did rain again that night, and again the next day, there was a very small amount of water standing…again!

I knew right away that the outside seal had to be broken to fix this problem, so I advised Karen that we stop at the hardware store on the way home and buy some plumbers tape and silicone sealant.

So, after cleaning up the little bit of water, again, we proceeded to prepare our Bullet for the short trip home.

We did stop at the hardware store to buy the things I needed to fix that nagging little leak, and right there in their parking lot, I again removed the water connector, unscrewed the water hose behind the connector, wrapped some plumbers tape around the fitting, then put the sealer all around the hole area, and finished putting in the three screws.  Then as an extra bit of safety to avoid future leaks, I ran a small bead of sealant around the edge of the outside connector before heading for our storage area.

I was very happy that I knew how to find a water leak and could fix it before any major damage occurred.  But believe me, some water leaks just can’t be found and you must persist and try and fix what you think might be causing it.  Lets face it, how do you find an RV water leak isn’t always as simple as this!
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Gator gets aggressive!

We just happen to reside in one of those states where alligators are in abundance, and we see them much of the time.  Especially since we camp near water and I fish a lot.

Recently, we camped at one of Florida’s finest parks called Myakka River State Park.  It’s certainly one of those places where you WILL see gators cruising the Myakka River, as well as the main lake.

They mate during the spring and at that time they can get rather territorial now and then.

After ten years of living in Southwest Florida, we’ve never personally had any type encounter with an alligator during one of our many fishing adventures, except for our last camping trip!

During the morning we set up my chair and shore fished.  Within about 10 minutes I looked up and saw a rather large alligator swimming right toward me.

Luckily for me, it stopped about 30’ away and just stared at me.  Much like they do when you’re fishing anywhere in this area.

Only this particular day, this gator was obviously a very aggressive one that didn’t want anyone in its self proclaimed area.

It wasn’t long before the gator started creeping closer until it was less than ten feet from where I was sitting.

Waving my arms didn’t work this time, but when I finally picked up our little blue cooler, that aggressive gator did a virtual back flip and landed about 20’ away.

It was at that time that I picked up my chair, cooler and fishing gear and left the area.

Karen and I walked back to where we started the trail, but along the way, I looked back and saw that same aggressive gator swimming upriver, literally following us.

We arrived at the place where the trail starts and there weren’t any gators around so I decided to start fishing again.  About 10 minutes went by before I noticed that same gator swimming toward me again.

This time, it kept about 30’ away and just watched me fish.  Knowing that gator was still just watching me, I just kept looking to see if it was moving closer.  It did move about 10’ closer, so again I packed up and we left the area.

The next day we drove to the bridge and watched while two gators actually walked up an embankment, bit into some tree branches and returned to the water.

All in all, it was an exciting few days and we even caught some fish in the main lake!

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Bugs don’t bug me no more!

Coghlans Bug Pants

I bought the small (I'm 5 ft and 110 pounds), so I worried it would be too big. I wore it outside my shorts and it was fine. The ties at the waist and ankles have an adjustable elastic cord, so there's no issue with the legs dragging on the ground. The fine mesh partially blocks the breeze, so it is hotter than bare skin. But at the same time, it's easy protection when you're only going to be outside for a brief time or if you're not sure whether mosquitoes will be a problem or not. Although I've found a natural mosquito repellent I like a lot (Liquid Net), I don't always want to take the 10 minutes it takes to fully spray myself and wait for it to dry... especially if we're camping and I've just showered and am only going outside for a few minutes. The mesh also serves as light sun protection if you're caught without sunscreen.

Yes, it looks a little weird, but so what? I'm surprised more people don't wear these. I sure could have used them when we went to Collier Seminole State Park in the summer (I know--what were we thinking?) when the mosquitoes almost carried me away! It works, it's lightweight to carry when you're not wearing it, and the price is well worth it (thank you, Coghlan!).

I have to mention that the first pair I received had about 4 small holes in it. I submitted a replacement request through Amazon and received the replacement pants very quickly... and no holes! So if that happens to you, don't despair. Now I have to order the Coghlan Bug Jacket to be totally protected.  Basically, "bugs don't bug me no more" and I'm happy for that!
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Florida rabbit feeding!

Here comes the rabbit, rabbit, rabbit!

     During our camping adventures we often see small animals like this rabbit feeding themselves on whatever they like that's available.

     Our personalities dictate that we are loyal conservationists and we always respect the animals that inhabit this earth. 

    We do a lot of fishing, but that's for fun and food.  Most of the fish I catch are released since we want them to reproduce to keep our balance of nature in tact.  So, every time we see a rabbit feeding, I say "here comes the rabbit, rabbit, rabbit!  We love these animals and will do anything to keep them alive.

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Don’t let a blowout ruin your camping trip!

     We had just finished camping for a July 4^th weekend with no problems, except the fish weren’t biting as expected, and the humidity was very stuffy!

     On Sunday morning I fished about an hour from shore just before breaking down our RV setup, and the humidity was already starting to zap my energy, so that was slowing me down somewhat, but we still completed our departure checklist.

     After dumping our tanks, we pulled out of the park onto the main road and headed toward our storage.  Less than 30 minutes later we turned onto one of the last roads, about two miles away from our storage, and within a few minutes I head a noise that sounded like a shotgun going off.  Our RV really didn’t handle any different so I first thought we hit something. The road itself was very smooth without potholes, rocks, turtles or armadillos.
     Luckily, there was a side road we could pull off onto to check things out.  What we found absolutely astonished us. 

     One of our four tires had completely blown out, including the steel belts inside.  It was a sight I shall never forget!

     At first I was going to just change it myself, only to realize we had Good Sam Roadside assistance, so we called.  We waited about 45 minutes before I got out the jack and removed the spare tire.  During our wait, three people stopped and offered assistance.  We made the decision to call our favorite tire store, and they had the tire we needed.  A few minutes later roadside assistance called us for service, so we just told the driver that I had done it myself and we were OK.

     Although I normally keep correct air pressure and stay away from animals, potholes or rocks in the road, this gave us a new appreciation for maintaining everything on our RV.
     So, what would you do if you suspect one of your RV tires had blown out?  Well, you probably already have the answer so here's a few reminders: Put on your flashers and pull off to the side of the road if possible, check all tires, either call for roadside assistance, or hopefully you have a hydraulic jack handy.  Place jack under axle where tire is bad and jack up so tires barely clear the ground.  Hopefully you also have a lug wrench, so loosen them all and proceed to continue jacking up until tire is clear of the ground.  Pull tire off and replace with your spare that's inflated to the proper pressure.

     One very important thing to remember is to make sure you buy the right trailer tire and not a car tire.  There is a difference, so get the size right off the tire and you’ll be safe driving any road.  Just don’t let a blowout ruin your camping trip!
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EternaBond Sealing Tape

     At first I was a bit skeptical about any type of tape on our RV roof.  I've read a few articles where it just doesn't work.  Much to my delight, my wife ordered a 50' roll, and when it arrived, I asked what are we going to do with this? 
     I asked that question because of all the doubts I had built up in my mind.
We schedule one Saturday morning to seal our RV's rubber roof.  My skepticism about this type product almost completely disappeared when I rolled off a couple feet and starting sticking it onto the seam across the top stretching from side to side.  By the time I finished that one seam, I was 100% convinced that this may be the holy grail of RV rubber roof sealant!
     Not only did it stick to anything it touched, it stuck so firmly that I had trouble pulling up one small corner where I didn't align properly.
     It was that first seam seal that prompted me to continue with all the other things I wanted to seal up like the TV antenna, radio antenna, skylights, bath vents, refrigerator vent and of course around our A/C.
     It took me a couple hours to complete, and I literally ran out of that 50' roll.  Almost immediately, I logged onto Amazon and ordered more tape, only this time I got the 4" wide instead of the 3".
     The following week the tape arrived and I drove to our RV storage and applied the remaining tape across the back.  That took me less than 30 minutes.
     Overall, the complete job made me feel rather elated that we did something that could possibly stop water from entering our RV, especially since our friend has a fairly new RV and recently experienced a water leak.
     The mysterious thing about water leaks is you usually never know where they come from. 
At least we now sleep better at night knowing that me may have stopped any potential leaks for our camping future.
     If  you're thinking of resealing your RV, house, or even Mobile Home roof, I highly recommend you give Eternabond sealing tape a very serious consideration.
     This could save you a lot of money, especially since fixing an existing leak is not only very expensive, it will literally turn you ceiling tiles a brown color you don't want to see.
     The real answer here is Eternabond Sealing Tape.
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