One of the most exciting things about RV life is clearly the amazing places you get to travel. There is so much out there to experience, and if you are the least bit outdoorsy, you can have all the luxuries of your own home moving with you to anywhere in the US and still be “camping!” (But really more “glamping!”) Ladies, don’t like to pack for your next vacation? Just bring your whole closet! Want to save money instead of eating out? Bring your whole fridge and pantry with you! Want to have all the comforts of home? Literally just bring it all with you! And this is what RV life is all about! I always modify the old adage, “I’m bringing everything, BUT the kitchen sink,” to “I’m bringing everything AND the kitchen sink!” There is just something so comforting about knowing that you can literally wrap up every material item you own in about thirty minutes or so and hit the road! And when you are not traveling, RV “homesteading” can be equally as fun!
Fortunately, my husband Joey with his expert people skills, led us to the R-Ranch in the Mountains, a quaint resort in the South Appalachian Mountains of the Chattahoochee National Forest. With a scenic, winding 20 minute drive up the mountains, it was an ideal place for my commute to my new job at the US Army Ranger School at Camp Frank Merrill. There were several other options available for us, such as Turner Campsite and Etowah River Campground where we could have lived long term for as little as $650 a month (including electricity); however, the commute would have been about 45 minutes. There were other Ranger instructors who did stay at some of these other campgrounds we later found out, and they seemed to enjoy the sites.
R-Ranch is a resort that requires a lifetime membership with annual dues. I recall them being around $1,000, and you get access to the resort. Doing the math in comparison to a monthly rent of the usual $500 to $700, that is dirt cheap, actually way less than the average stay at a national or state park of $20 to $30 a night. Electricity was a separate bill and ranged from $100 to $150 as our camper pulls a lot of electricity. This resort features 158 paved hard sites, free horse riding, a huge lounge for weddings and other events, a large pool, two lakes, and the most adorable cabin and cottage rentals similar to a tiny house community (individual owners make improvements on the cabins as needed or desired but others can rent them). The resort also has concrete slabbed, full-hookup sites (For the newbies, full-hookup means it has water, electricity, and sewage right on-site), a dump and propane station, and a little convenience store; they have other sites for a more temporary stay with just gravel, water, and electricity near the horse arena. These sites are usually used for the annual rodeo show they have in June. We later sacrificed our sewage and moved there as it was very secluded. We ended up meeting two wonderful families we still talk to today.
As a life-long lover of horses, I thought we had landed in heaven when we arrived at R-Ranch. I was sold as soon as Joey even mentioned horses, but the spacious lots, the serenity of the valley, and high mountains around R-Ranch hooked me on this location. I had just landed my dream job, found myself in an area that was so ruggedly beautiful without all the usual hustle and bustle of life around an Army post, AND I could go hang out with my second favorite animal (dogs are my favorite animal) – someone pinch me! We chose a gravel site with full hookups in a private corner facing the mountains away from any neighbors. We valued privacy over some of the perks such as concrete slabs, plus it had a babbling stream next to it (where I found Joey washing dishes in next morning to “save water”).
There was so much to do and explore when we arrived, but we had to wait on the delivery of our BRAND NEW RV!
I remember the first time I saw our camper pull up the street at R-Ranch as we stood waiting at our campsite. The dealership featured a free first shipment, and the dealership driver was hanging out the window waving and smiling at us as he slowly pulled our 42 foot rig toward us. All I could think about was how huge the camper was, and yet it was dwarfed by the mountains behind it. The driver backed it up into our new spot, and it was here that I received a crash course from Joey on setting up camp. And within thirty minutes, VOILA, we were camping and yet we were at home! Looking out our windows at the gorgeous Appalachian Mountain ranges, listening to the quiet hum over our two electric fireplaces, and watching the slow, gentle flow of the stream right outside, I realized why our camper was called Solitude. We felt totally, wonderfully alone suddenly, and the overload of excitement in my chest had worn me out and allowed me to fall soundly asleep; I would need my strength because the next day we had to fill our camper with all the home amenities we needed!
~Lesley
