Two steps forward, one step back!

We've been working really hard to get the campground ready, but we sure do notice the difference with May long weekend being so early this year. We had been pretty much on schedule for this coming Friday, but two days of strong winds really put us behind.

That made leaf cleanup very difficult, and it actually made some of the leaves blow back onto areas that we had already cleaned!

All I'm doing lately is trying not to get ripped off!

And if you don't stand up for yourself, they'll walk all over you.

First, it was our Canadian Tire story last week where they tried to rip us off for $22.77. Had I not went to the manager, we would have paid $22.77 more than we were supposed to. And I'm not done with them yet. I still think we paid $35 plus tax too much.

Then, Bell Mobility had charged us a $15 plus tax connection fee to activate our mi-fi internet. I saw later that they had a special on that the guy didn't know about and the activation fee was supposed to be waived. One phone call was all it took to fix that.

Mountain driving in an RV

We did a lot of mountain driving in our motorhome this past winter. I've heard that many people don't like mountain driving, however I don't have a problem with it at all. I wonder if a lot of people don't like it partly because they're unsure of how to do it properly. And therefore it makes them nervous that they're going to end up going too fast to make the next curve, or that their brakes are going to overheat or something like that.

Of course you want to have brakes that are in good condition, however the most important part of mountain driving is the correct use of your transmission.

Listen to our hour long interview...

Today is the day that our interview is available at the 2015 RV and Travel Summit. If you haven't done so already, you'll have to register first, and then you'll get an email that gives the link to today's interviews.

Actually, now that I check, it's only 43 minutes. We haven't listened to it ourselves yet. There's not a lot of editing that was done so I hope we didn't say anything too stupid! It's too bad, but the day that we did this, Ruth had a really raspy voice because she had a cold. So she doesn't say very much, which is rare for her. And I said a lot, which may not be a good thing. Anyhow, it should be interesting, and we're curious about your feedback.

Carefree RV Summer Camping in Ontario

There are 15 Carefree RV Resorts in Ontario. They're all located in the southwestern part of the province, and most are within a two hour drive of Toronto. Some of them are huge, and have a lot of amenities. We think they're mostly geared for families who want an "all in one" resort experience.

The first resort we're going to tell you about is called Sherkston Shores. It's located 90 minutes from the city of Toronto, and only a few minutes from the U.S. border at Buffalo, New York.

One week to go

Including today, we have one week to get the campground ready for opening day. We've already put in a solid eight days straight, and looking around, we think we're about half way there. So we should be okay.

It's feeling a little rushed because last year there were three of us. This year, we couldn't find a suitable replacement for our one full time summer student, and he has agreed to come back part time but he can't start until the 25th. So it's just Ruth and I, and the fact that the May long weekend here in Canada starts a week early this year.

Oh well...you do what you gotta do!

Canadian Tire Automotive - Never Again

Before we get to our story, I'll first give a little background because many of our American readers may not know about Canadian Tire. If you're from Canada, then obviously you do. Essentially, they're a big box store that sells everything...but mostly related to hardware, automotive, and sporting goods. Some of them even tried to get into groceries, but I don't know if that went over very well.

Canadian Tire stores have a weekly sales flier, very often with some great discounts. I've always said that if you buy something at Canadian Tire at regular price, you're crazy...because whatever it is it will come on sale at some point in the next month. So the stores themselves are great for getting some good deals.

But, each store also operates an automotive service center. This is where things go downhill.

Glad that's over with!

Yesterday was the first day that we start to take reservations here at the campground. It began at 8:00am, and the phone rang constantly. As soon as I finished with one person and hung up the phone, it would ring again instantly.

Although we have around 110 full hookup sites, 80 of them are taken up by seasonal campers. It's a popular park and there is also a waiting list to become a seasonal camper and there are around 35 names on the list.

So with only 30 sites available to the general public, it's no wonder the phone line never stopped.

2015 RV Summit starts today!

Don't forget to check into the 2015 RV and Travel Summit which starts today! You can listen to the stories of those who have done the type of travel that you may be interested in doing, and gain hundreds of tips from those who have already experienced it.

Plus, Travel with Kevin and Ruth are among the presenters!

The Ultimate Campground Project

Had an email from fellow bloggers Brian and Sue, telling us about a campground listing website that they use. And surprisingly enough, I had never heard about it!  So I figured that if I've never heard about it, some of you may have never heard about it either.

Brian says "I’m stunned – shocked – here I thought you were the king of all ways to save money."

Fresh air and exercise

We put in a hard days work yesterday. But it was another beautiful day, and it felt good to be outdoors and to get some exercise. Sure, we do a lot of hiking in the off season, and that's good for the leg muscles and aerobics, but our upper body muscles tend to get a little soft.

I expect that area will firm up a little over the next couple of weeks!

More pics of our Great Horned Owl Family

I spent the morning getting the office back into shape and the computer system online. We start taking reservations on Tuesday May 5th, and it's nice to know that everything is ready for that day. Meanwhile, Ruth began with the cleanup of our front yard. The grass needed cutting already, and the leaf blower doesn't work as well in the longer grass. But, it had to be done.

Oh...and our Great Horned Owl does have twins!

April Expenses

April was a travel month, so we expect our expenses to be higher during a travel month. And sure enough, they were higher.

But when you consider that we started the month in Ottawa, then went to Nova Scotia, then Las Vegas, then drove 1,500 miles (2,400 kms) and saw a whole pile of things along the way, the amount we spent for the month was pretty darn reasonable!

If yesterday was any indication, then this is going to be a great summer!

We spent most of the day cleaning the cobwebs out of our house trailer as it's been shut down and unoccupied for the winter. We also got the water turned back on for our trailer and the office canteen building, and that went very smoothly. Everything happened exactly as it was supposed to, with the exception of a minor leak in one of the toilet tanks.

Oh, and our great horned owl is back, and we think she's got two little ones this year!

Terrible road, and Sherman has an injury...

We crossed the border yesterday and have arrived at our summer job at Cabri Regional Park. We even brought some beautiful weather up here with us because it's the warmest we've been since we left Las Vegas two weeks ago!

But, the trip was not the smoothest...