We Learned The Hard Way! Mistakes Made While Visiting Florida's Newest State Park

So we have a crisis. I was surprised and not surprised. You forgot dog food? We forgot. How? I'm dry. And I'm not smelly anymore. Snake? What? What kind of? I wonder. It's probably a water snake, huh? I messed this one up a little bit. So we decided it was time to deep clean the black tank. We filled it with fresh water, added a bottle of the clear it, just knowing that when we get to the state park that there would be a dump station. We dump before we go park. Everything would be happy, right? Well, this evidently is one of those state parks that does not have a dump station on site. Literally, this has only happened to us one other time before, and I don't know how many years of RVing now. So word to the wise, A, make sure that you check to see if there's a dump station. So we have to dump first before we go to the state park. And I'm excited because this is kind of a cool thing as far as where we are going is Florida's newest state park. And we're going to share all about that in this video. Okay, so I found this on the Garmin RV GPS. On the home screen, it has a thing that says plan RV services. So if you click that and then you click dump stations. Yeah. Look at that. Yeah. So there's Petro. It's the one we want. So I'll just map that. And that was like really super simple. I didn't have to Google the address or anything. Okay. We've got lights, another check off the box, upward and onward. All right. Blast gas. He's taking your seat. Both of our ACs going, we're running about 2,100, 2,200 Watts. The PV charger, which is the solar is giving us 2,100 Watts, 2,154. And so we're only discharging at 450, 550 Watts total. That should really sustain us at 80%. We can run both ACs going down the road and break even basically. Is there a dog park here? So normally I'd wear gloves. I highly recommend it because these green diesel pumps through the truck stop lines are usually pretty grody. The other lesson I learned is always stand back, stand on the side because it can come back out and splash you. That's what happens when you don't wear gloves, folks. All right. So here's the deal. What this number says right here is not what we will be paying because we use the Open Roads card. We have used this card for the last three years and literally every year I go through our fuel costs year by year and we save hundreds of dollars. Last year we saved in the thousands of dollars by using our Open Roads card. So it's something that we love and we highly recommend just because it saves us so much money. So there will be info down below or right over here. Okay, so Alaska did the duties. Did you pick it up? Pick what up? The duties. Yes, of course. So she said that the dump station is actually at this gas station over here so we have to go back out on the road. Okay. But she said she doesn't know where it is. So since it's like right here, maybe we just walk down there, pay the fee, ask exactly where it is because what I don't want to have happen is we pull in and then we end up in a precarious situation. Yes. Because we've done there, done there. We've been there, done that. It wasn't fun. Hey buddy! What's up y'all? There's like a walkway right there so maybe do you want to just run down there and ask and then that way we kind of know where it is, how to get in there, without any sort of situations. Alright, I'll go check. Alright, sounds good. Okay, I found the dump station. You go in, pay ten bucks and you just go dump. So we're going to go ahead and give this a try. Okay, somebody's going to have to hold that with your foot. Or actually, I'm scared. I am too. Definitely a lot. Oh wow! Look at that! Look at all that teepee. Woo! Another one in. So that was really easy, obviously, I mean dumping tanks is not rocket science, but I was surprised and not surprised. So I was surprised that none of the water that came out had any really coloration to it which I think that just speaks to the fact that every dump treatment that we're using is working really, really well. But there was also some teepee that came out and I am surprised with that. So it definitely cleaned up stuff that was maybe stuck on the walls, sensors, all of that. So I feel good. We got that done. And then now, hopefully, to get to the campground before dark right now. We are on track to get there while it is still daylight. We got about 20 minutes post sunset that we're set to arrive. So wish us luck. Let's go! What the heck? Let's go. I already have congestion. Slight delay. 2020, I'm sorry. 2020. You good dog? Ready to go to the campground? Oh, yeah. The dog park? Oh, yes. Dog park. See all the animals? Oh. The girl dogs? Oh, yeah. That feels good. Yep. Right there. Lower. What a neat little, cute little town. Ice breaks. Ah, sand. It's kind of like crazy. Do you want to get this stuff? Um, yeah. Maybe we can get it. It cost a mile. Step on it, bro. So the springs is like right there. Look how cool that is. And there's your map. So 14. Number 14. Where are we? Right next to the resident volunteer. I have no clue. There's no we are here thing. Okay. Well, let's go figure it out. All right. Okay, now straighten up and come straight back. Little more to bring the butt end of the RV more to the driver's side. Back of the RV towards the driver's side. There you go. A little more. Okay. Now come straight back. Keep coming. Okay. Stop there. Stop. You're going to hit a tree. I turned the Levelmate Pro on and that's where we're at now. So I'm going to just kind of go forward and backwards to, you know, to see if I can get those numbers smaller. Better than, because what was it? Six or something? Yeah. It was like eight. Okay. So we're going to start in the back. What's for dinner tonight? Mac and cheese? Mac and cheese and salmon. I swear we're the most boring people when it comes to variety, but I do have some different stuff that's out of the grateful glam for ordinary for tomorrow that I will be showing you that we will be cooking up tomorrow on the Blackstone. But for tonight, this is what it is. But now here's the cool thing is that here at Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park, we are lucky we got to this thanks to RV. And we'll talk about that in a little bit too, because that's the only way we got this site or could have gotten this site. So only 30 amp in water. I've got the Instant Pot going. I had the induction cooktop going. We would not have been able to do that on just the 30 amp, but because of our lithium set up and the way we have our inverter set up, it actually like makes up for any power. So during the whole time that I was doing this, the batteries were kicking in with the extra power so I could power everything that I needed to power. And now the batteries are charging back up and I'll finish this up and we'll eat. So the list failed us. And I think I realize why. And that's because the list is kind of old and so there's too much on it and it's easy to just start sifting through and be like, yeah, yeah, yeah. We already like have all that in the RV, but in the mix of things, we forgot one important thing. What? He's sad. And that's dog food. What? So. Dog food. You forgot your dog food. Forgot dog food? We forgot. How? Yeah. We totally forgot dog food. Do I get bacon? We're going to have to give you bacon in the morning. Aww. So here's the good news. We're not that far from like civilization. So tomorrow we'll have to turn into town to pick up dog food. So tonight, this, okay, this never happens. Don't leave me a bunch of comments telling me about how bad of a pet parent I am. I get it. Right. But because of the fact that we didn't bring any dog food, Alaska is going to get table scraps tonight. Yes. So this never happens. How's it going? This is the best day ever. Table scraps. It is. Mac and cheese for everyone tonight. Including Alaska. Is it good? Oh yeah? So this trip would not have happened if it wasn't for a service that I have been using to book campgrounds called RV, which is the sponsor of this video. You see, it's still March here in Florida and now is the time of year when it's spring break plus all of the snowbirds are like still here in Florida. And that means campground reservations can be near impossible to get. However, I was able to auto book this spot using the sold out search feature within RV while I was actually driving down the road. All I had to do was choose where we wanted to go and choose to have RV book the reservation for me as soon as something became available. And since campground cancellations actually happen more often than you think, as soon as something did become available, RV sent me a text and an email letting me know that we got this spot. Oh, and there's also no booking fees when you use RV. So I paid the same amount for this spot as if I had booked it myself on the state park website. And since we love sharing about great resources we use ourselves, we've partnered with RV and you can give it a try for free at gratefulglamper.com forward slash RV. And since we love sharing about great resources we use ourselves, we've partnered with RV and you can give it a try for free at gratefulglamper.com forward slash RV. And if you decide you want RV to make those reservations for you, we've actually partnered with RV for a 10% discount off of their membership options. The details are all in the description below or visit gratefulglamper.com forward slash RV to learn more. And a huge thanks to RV for sponsoring this video. Yeah, take that as a yes. This is probably one of the most beautiful springs I've seen. It's about 846 in the morning. Just a couple people here. When I got here just 20 minutes ago, there was nobody here. This used to be privately owned and they used to have like a boardwalk right over here that people could walk along the spring and then like a metal walkway right over here. Then it was acquired by the state park and then they removed all that just to keep the natural habitat. But absolutely beautiful. The water is so warm. I would assume it's like 75 degrees. As soon as the kids get up, we're going to air up the paddle boards and paddle on down the way. That was absolutely beautiful. Was it? Gorgeous. Did you figure out where we need to put paddle boards in versus the camping area? Right there, right at the bottom of the spring. That is amazing because at some of the other state parks we've been out with, like springs, the camping area is nowhere near the actual spring. So that is really cool. Yeah, absolutely. All right. Well, I think I want to wait till it's a little bit warmer because like right now I looked and the temperature is 68. Hey, the water is 75. It's warmer. Yeah, but then it feels cold if you're like in the water and you get out. So the high today is supposed to be like 85. I was thinking we'd just wait till it warms up a little bit. But do you want to get out the Blackstone and we can make some breakfast? Oh yeah. All right, cool. Bacon and eggs? Uh, we could do that. I also have like protein pancakes, so. All right. Actually, that's all. That's a lot of protein. Bacon, eggs, protein pancakes. That's good. All right. I'll go get it out. Did you say bacon? It's like he's looking under your leg. That's funny. I know. You know, I think we really definitely want to get the camping rod to go because this state is very... It's windy. Yeah. So we should probably get that out, but do you want to do this or do you want to cook? How about I cook, you do this? I've got the camera, so I'm busy. Yeah. Uh huh. All right. I'm hungry. See? Roll it out. Roll out. Are you getting OCD? Well, just that now that we have the rug down, this should help today. That's why I keep this little Dollar Tree job. Right? Yeah. Okay. I'm going to go wash my hands. Okay. Look at that. Look at this. Blueberry pancake. Ooh. No, this is perfect because, see, I like my bacon very crispy and this is like a perfect crisp. Alaska's looking very forlornly over here. Should we give him a little piece? No, no, no. Let's give him a little piece. What did you say, bacon? Bacon? Yes. Is it good? Yes. Oh, yeah. You dirty dog. How'd I get here? What do we have here? Me. Obviously. Do we have a charger port back here? I think we do like right here. I literally noticed that just like right now. All right. So we've got one completely aired up and then now we've got three more. How you doing? Good. You excited? Yep. Wait till you see how beautiful this place is. Gorgeous. Grab goggles? Can I go run back and get them? So, we forgot. We forgot something at the RV. What did we forget? Goggles. Got to have goggles. And it's too pretty not to swim. It's so clear and pretty. So, you've got to have the goggles to see underwater. Let's go. All right. Let's go. This looks like really cool. So, I'm like anxious to get in. Snake? What? What kind of? I wonder. It's probably a water snake, huh? Wow. This is absolutely gorgeous. I don't want to wear a tank top. My tan line looks awful. So where are we at? We're at Turtle Island? No. What is it called? Rum Island. You've seen enough turtle joke. It must be called Turtle Island. It's got to be. I don't see any rum around here. So. Pirate walks in to the bar with a steering wheel in his pants. And the bartender says, do you know you have a steering wheel in your pants? And he goes, yes, and it's driving me nuts. Are you from Tennessee? No, I'm from Tennessee. What's your best wrist line? I'm going to bump into you. Maybe not. Can you tell me? Hang on. Here we go. What are you doing? Oh, my God. It's muddy and it feels good. Ew. Gross. It feels good. All right, Trinity and I are going to go and hit the bottom of the spring. We're going to go and see if we can touch the bottom. Oh. Oh, yeah. What felt like endless summers and countless adventures now feels precious, finite. It's a profound realization, understanding that we only have so many summers, so many weekends before our world completely changes forever. Before she steps into a bigger world where childhood and innocence give away growth and discovery. What are you looking for that guy? What? These are the moments we once took for granted. I'm beginning to understand these aren't just trips. They're lessons in love, in living fully, in holding on to the moments that all too soon become just memories. Here we go. Hey, good looking. What you got cooking? Oh, my God. Smelling good. Yeah, I swear. Sprouts for the win, right? I mean, I just feel like I don't have a lot of time to get all fancy with seasonings and stuff. So these like one pan meals from sprouts, not a sponsor yet. Kidding. Sort of. Anyway, so this is a garlic chicken with mushrooms. And then I've got some rice in the Instant Pot inside going. So I do this and then more paddle boarding. Hopefully we can get into Ginny Springs. Now, Ginny Springs, from where we are right here, like 10 minutes up the road. But here's the caveat there is that they do get pretty busy pretty fast. So we're going to have to just go up there and see if we can get in or not since it's a little bit later in the afternoon. Hopefully we can because it's another really epic Florida Springs. But if not, we come back here and we paddle blue some more. So either way, it's a win win. This is like one of those things where, again, I feel like we were unprepared for the idea of transporting because the roof racks were taken off the expedition. They have not been reinstalled. And that obviously is the ideal way. So we're going to have to see. Hopefully all four paddle boards will fit in the back with the window open. Thankfully, it's not far to drive to get there. So there's a little bit of an experiment. Hopefully it works. I don't think that's going to work. It won't work. Where there's a will, there's a way. We're RVers. We figure out things and we make it work. So what's your idea? I don't know. What do you think? And what we're going to have to do if we want to be able to make this work. I mean, they are inflatable and deflatable paddle boards, so we can deflate them. So that's what we're going to have to do. It's the only way that's going to work. And we're going to have to rent another paddle. It's a three paddle curse. This happened to us in the Keys where we were sans one paddle for whatever reason. And then now, evidently, one of them got left down there and it's long gone. Somebody probably ran off with it. So now we're back down to three paddles. I swear. Upper spring without a paddle. Two. Three. Four. I don't know if we're going to be able to get these doors shut. I'm paranoid about scratching something. Meh. It's a utility vehicle. It's too nice to be a utility vehicle. Is it going to work? Will it shut? And... No. Dang. Here. I think it's that right there. This one? Yeah. It's got to manhandle it sometimes. I feel good about this. Woohoo! High five. Alright. Everybody ready? Yep. We've got paddle boards. We've got three paddles. We've got water. We've got snacks. Some. Some snacks. AC's on for Alaska. Ah. I have an RV all to myself. My owner says I shouldn't be up here. But they aren't here, are they? What they don't know won't hurt them. I'll just call this my bed for now. We are good to go. Alright. Alright, got a paddle? Got a paddle. Okay, so you have to have the paddle back in two hours. So we've got to make sure that we're cognizant of the time. Yes. Okay. I've got sticky feet up in my seat there. No, we have the man-child back here now. Alright, let's go. Do me a favor and get on the other side of your board. Kind of maneuver around the other side. My caterpillar almost jumped onto me. Yeah? Okay, grab the handle now. And then just mosey on down. Yeah, push it all the way back down. Okay, there you go. You got it. Yay! Alright. Nice job. You did it. Without falling. It's like turning from green to brackish. That's crazy looking. See where it's bubbling up. And then like right here, the water's clear. And then of course when you go down the river, it's like fluffy. Wow. She wants to jump out and swim, but she doesn't want to do it alone. Okay. So you're elected. Yes. Oh. I'll come and paddle with you. I'm not going to swim yet. But in a little bit, on our way back, I think I'm going to do that rope swing. You are? Yeah. I'll do it with you. You'll do it with me? Alright. This is rough. I'm getting taxied by Dakota. Ah. I'll do it if you do it first. No, you do it first. Yeah, you go first. I'm not getting fully wet. Alright. You do it. Fine, I'll go. Alright. Here goes nothing. I don't know about this. One. Two. Be a man. Okay. Whoops. You okay? Need help? Wow, that's beautiful. The one thing about this lifestyle is you never know who you might meet when out and about. What's up, Jordan? How's it going, man? Good, man. How you doing? Doing good. Good. Doing good. Today, while on the river, we ran into Jordan from the YouTube channel Jigging With Jordan. I found an iPhone X. Oh. I returned it to the owner. Did you? Yeah, I did. Congrats. Thanks. Alright, you ready? You ready to bounce? Yeah. It was awesome for our son Dakota to meet one of his favorite YouTubers, IRL. And in case you're wondering, IRL is what the kids these days say for in real life. Beautiful. See you, Jordan. Be safe out there. I'm doing my best. No problem. Hey, one more. So if you ever see us out around the campground or on the road, please definitely come say hi. The one thing I do like about this paddle board. Ooh, sandy. This seat. I'm not a big fan of standing up. And what's interesting, too, is the more that Trinity with her pitching coach is learning about body, just biomechanics, some people have a lower center of gravity. And so for some people, sitting, like myself, actually is more comfortable and you have more power. And for some people, standing is better. It just depends upon your individual biomechanics. So for me, it's sitting. I'm dry. And I'm not snowing anymore. We have a crisis. What's up? We're 100%. Like, not even one square left on our toilet paper. Great. I know. I have extra paper towels. I have extra Kleenex. I have extra paper plates. Plastic forks. Spoons. But I evidently neglected to replenish the toilet paper stash. Whoops. Yeah. Good thing we're going into town. It is a good thing we're going into town. And we gotta add that to, like, the ASAP list. Yes. Alright. Toilet paper and ice cream. Here we come. Maybe you need toilet paper after you eat the ice cream. Ew. Zero degrees. And there's a little bit of a drive from the springs. But apparently, it's supposed to be good. It's supposed to be. Oh, look. They have boba. Yeah, you like boba tea. Boba. There you go. Something for everybody. I'm cooking. Oh, look. Wow. Bingo. What is that? Boba? Mm-hmm. That's boba. Hey, here. Wow. Boba. Almost. On that note, we should probably go get toilet paper. Yeah. No. Hoda. Woo. You did it. Man, just look at this view. I'm just out here drinking some coffee. This is by far one of my favorite springs, I would say. The water is so clear, you can just see right down through the spring. Did you wipe your feet, Alaska? Did you wipe off? You should just get out the leaf blower. What do you see? Wait a minute. We didn't cook any bacon. We can't be packing up without cooking bacon. We best be stopping by Cracker Barrel to get some bacon. All right, let's go. You guys have fun? Yeah. Good. We got to meet a YouTuber. Yep. So there you have it. We're not perfect. We run out of toilet paper, we feed our dog table scraps, and I'm sure the list goes on. But we choose to share these moments with you because we are real people making real mistakes. But like Ben said a little earlier in the video, we're our veers. And our veers push past mistakes and focus on making memories. And someday, we'll all be sitting around the Thanksgiving table laughing about the time we fed Alaska mac and cheese or ran out of toilet paper. So what are some of your best camping memories? Leave us a comment and share with the rest of the community as well. And until next time, I've got a video about another camping mistake that I know you're going to love right up here.