Then, we went to the nearby Bed Bath and Beyond store. We had received a package from Amazon the other day. We bought a new silk filled duvet for our bed. But now, we needed a duvet cover.
You would think Bed Bath and Beyond would have a good selection of duvet covers, but they do not.
They were located in a big mall, so we checked Sears, and a few other stores. Very limited selection and colors. Really wanted to see and feel the texture and material before buying, but I guess we'll have to buy one online unless we can find a specialty store somewhere before we cross in to Mexico.
A bit of a dreary day, heading west towards Lake Kincaid Recreation Area.
The campground was located about 7 miles off our route. At least the road in was paved, although not very well! I had read about this place and it sounded really nice.
We made it to the campground, and I walked into the primitive camping area, which was advertised at $10 USD ($13.20 CAD) per night. Not bad, but not great. There were certainly 3 or 4 primitive sites that Sherman would have fit into, and there was nobody else camping there. If they were free, we would have thought they were ideal.
But when we went to the serviced campground. we learned that the primitive area was overpriced.
For $15 USD ($19.80 CAD), you got 30 or 50 amp electric, water, a nicer site, and access to showers and flush toilets.
(A notice on the entrance board suggested that this was going up to $25 USD for 2018.)
Sherman, parked up at GPS 31.263598, -92.621418
We paid up at the self serve pay station, and went for a walk to explore the place. It's really pretty, with lots of hanging Spanish moss growing on the trees.
The day use area is closed for the season.
They have a nice beach.
I'm sure this place is really busy in the summer.
Us!
Day use picnic sites.
Blue heron.
White egret.
They have a really nice hiking trail that follows the coastline of the lake. Apparently it goes for about 9 miles (15 kms). We ended up doing about 3 miles (5 kms) yesterday, and we'll do another section today.
Interesting fungus growing on this downed tree.
This old boat reminded me of the one Steve McQeen's character bought in the movie Papillon.
That was a great movie!
Ruth, on the trail.
Back from the hike, I worked on a couple of issues that Sherman is having. He's developed a bad squeak in the suspension. I think I've got it narrowed down to one of the control arm bushings. I admit, that it's been a while since they were greased! I don't carry a grease gun with me, so I'll have to stop somewhere and get that done. It's annoying!
Also, the power steering belt has developed a squeal when he fires up on a cold morning. It needs to be tightened, but boy it's hard to get at! Maybe I'll get ambitious enough to have a look at that today.
And the oven burner is acting up. I took it apart once already, but there's an adjustment on the burner for the air/fuel mixture. You need to take everything apart each time to make the adjustment. A pain. We did use the oven last night, and it works, but it's not right. I'll take it apart again today. If that doesn't do it, I may need to order some parts.
One of the things I love about traveling in an RV is opening the curtains to get a different view every morning. Of course, we may not like the view so much if we overnighted at Walmarts or truck stops or RV parks, so we don't use those places very often!
Looking out our window this morning!
We've decided to stay here another night!
Yesterday's drive, 39 miles (63 kms).
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Nice Coleman LED lantern on sale today...
And in Canada...
I'm reminded of a time when, once upon a time, we were headed "Down East" in our motorhome, and somewhere in Upper New York State, I obviously missed a turn, and we were headed for Lake Placid. In my defence, it was dark (late) and the rain was just a poundin'. Anyway, not the right road. So, I had to find a place to turn around, and there was a cemetery. And I said, "Hey, it would be quiet here for the night." To which the reply was a resounding chorus of "NO!". "But, nobody will bother us" I tried to say.
ReplyDelete"NO!"
So fine, back we went. Tried a camp ground, but there were no signs of life, so we we ended up backing in next to a car lot, put the slide out and started dinner. I was just glad all I had to do was get up from my seat and go "aft", as opposed to getting out in the rain. Turns out, it was a nice spot. No traffic, and the dealership didn't open until after we had headed out again in the morning.
Back in our first year or RVing we pulled into a cemetery that was fairly remote and we were going to stay there the night but after we got parked up we went for a walk and found and even better spot by a very little used airport in northern Ontario so we went back to the motorhome and moved over to the airport. I was much happier at the airport to tell you the truth. Looks like you still found a place that worked for you that night.
DeleteYesterday I spoke with the couple I introduced you to before you started RVing and she couldn't believe that you still had Sherman!
ReplyDeleteYep, and he is still going strong! :-)
DeleteThis off-season RVing looks really inviting!
ReplyDeleteWe love being in places when it is off season, it is so much quieter. You just have to keep your eye on the weather though, you don't want to be "too" off season!
DeleteIkea is actually a great source for affordable duvet covers. We've had ours for years.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for the suggestion. We hadn't even thought about IKEA.
DeleteJust what I was going to suggest also. Best selection and price, but if you are like we are, and don't use a top sheet, there is a range in fabric quality. We use two twin duvets (learned that trick in Europe - no more rolling over and stealing the covers), and they are usually between $30 and $40 for the duvet cover and matching pillowcase set.
DeleteThey had a great selection but nothing that fit the colour scheme that we (I) are trying to get in Sherman. I think we found one that we both like on the Pottery Barn website so I think we will order it.
DeleteWe aren't a fan of the twin duvets. We have had lots of experience with them in Europe and we much prefer just the one larger duvet. It's not too often that either one of us "steals" the cover. ;-)
Ruth try Homegoods, they had a number of duvet covers, I’m looking for specific sheets and have been in a number of then over the last few days.
ReplyDeleteNot sure why but for some reason this comment ended up in our "Spam" and I only just noticed it today. Sorry about that!
DeleteThere unfortunately isn't a store near us and you can't shop online so it isn't going to work for us but thank you for mentioning it.
Don't you just love it when the view out the window changes whenever you want it too. It is a highlight of my blog. Hope we can make a quick connection before you head to Mexico.
ReplyDeleteYep, we totally love it!
DeleteWe will try. It looks like the weather down your way will be a bit better so we are probably heading down the way a little sooner that we expected.
That is the beauty of living in an Rv, always new scenery. Some mornings I wake up and have to look outside to see where we are, really gotta love it !
ReplyDeleteWe love it! It's definitely something that you can't do with a house. :-)
DeleteThe ever changing views is also my favourite part of RV travel. Enjoy your day and do not work too hard on Sherman. He has done you both good for his age. Travel safe!
ReplyDeleteSherman has done very well for us, however there is almost always something that needs to be looked and and either fixed or adjusted. Kevin tries to stay ahead of these things before they become a problem, so far it seems to have worked well.
DeleteWe had the same problem attempting to find a covers for our duvets, one for the RV's queen bed and one for a standard bed when we opened up the sofa. We improvised and went to a Super Walmart where we found a bunch of Martha Stewart sheets (never mind she went to jail, I love her and her stuff anyway!) with so many beautiful designs on the sheets and with varying thread counts. For us, the higher the thread count, the softer the cotton blend, and the sheets are already pre-shrunk for hot water. Also, the sheets are already finished off on the edges, and the dimensions are on the sheet packaging. We measured the duvet and bought two sheets (with a beautiful design) one size larger and sewed them together on three sides. The leftover material after sewing makes a nice partial skirting hanging over the mattress area. We did not cut anything!
ReplyDeleteYes, I have thought of doing something similar but it is hard when you don't have a sewing machine. I think we may have found something suitable at the Pottery Barn, which TakeToTheHighway below had suggested.
DeleteTry second hand stores for duvet cover...I see lots of nice one in these stores. To Dee Tillotson, Martha Stewart was scape goat for the bigger shady investment schemers i.e. she was small compared to the big ones who got and/or get away with it.
ReplyDeleteRita, X2.
DeleteI have also thought of that, but I really don't what to spend so much time going from one secondhand store to another. It takes up a lot of our time that we would rather use exploring and hiking.
DeleteMy squealing belt remedy:place a pencil eraser on the inside V of the belt while the engine is running. It will usually stop making noise then.
ReplyDeleteNot a lot of room for my hand in there John! It might be me squealing!
DeleteDidn´t even know what a duvet was until we met Canadians! Probably why you´re not having any luck!
ReplyDeleteDuvets are actually a big European thing but yes, they are quite popular in Canada as well.
DeleteSometimes it's hard to remember where we are parked even when we look out the window. Good luck with the repairs. Sounds like a short list now, the best time to get to it.
ReplyDeleteYep, we have that problem too! We wake up in bed and then have to think for a minute to remember where we are! ;-)
DeleteI too am a fan of the duvet cover. The only place I have found them is Pottery Barn. They can be expensive, but if you can find one of the discontinued patterns online, they are not too bad.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the suggestion. I was busy today checking out some of the different ones on IKEA, Pottery Barn and Amazon but I think we have decided on one from the Pottery Barn. And you can order online which is good because we aren't going to be passing by one that is close by.
DeleteLove your travels this trip because you are out enjoying nature. Enjoy your stay!
ReplyDeleteThank you Connie and Barry, we are trying to mix it up a bit between nature and a bit of urban stuff.
DeleteWhat is the big advantage of the silk-filled duvet, just that it is all natural fibers? It is quite expensive, so I am curious. Have you had this kind before?
ReplyDeleteThe duvet that we have right now is a down duvet and we have had it for years but I don't like the fact that the down moves all around, is a bit heavier than the silk and requires more cleaning. When we started looking around for a new duvet in Ottawa we were talking to an associate at a proper bedding place and she went through the different pros and cons of the various types of duvets from alternative down to down to silk and we eventually started leaning more to the silk. We went home and did the research and silk has many qualities that we really liked. It is naturally a healthier alternative, they are hypoallergenic, silk is a natural protein so it is far less hospitable to dust mites, it is more breathable and comfortable and it wicks moisture, it is overall lighter. We looked at all the the different types and even though silk is more expensive we decided that it should last us a good long time and over all need less care and maintenance than the one we have now which really needs to be replaced. I guess we will see over time whether is was the right choice or not. We think it will be.
DeleteThanks for the information, Ruth. It sounds very nice. Our motorhome came with a brand-new comforter (cotton on the outside and stuffed with synthetic poly fill, nothing fancy or pricey), so we're sticking with that for now. When the time comes to replace it, I'll have to keep silk in mind.
DeleteWe have had a duvet now for at least 15 or more years and I really love the duvet compared to the comforters but really the one we have had has out lived it's life. We are normally pretty frugal with our purchases but we decided to splurge on this, especially knowing how long it will last and all the other pluses that the silk is suppose to provide. We haven't even used it yet because I don't even want to put the old duvet cover on it! Can't wait to find a nice new one that we will both like.
DeleteI bought my down comforter and duvet cover at Ikea's, which has a large selection. I wonder if you can find an Ikea in Louisiana? (doubt it)
ReplyDeleteWe looked at IKEA's selection online and we didn't see one that we both liked in the colour combination that we want. We will continue our search!
Delete