RV Campground Review: Davis Bayous Gulf Islands National Seashore Park
Davis Bayou is one of two full service RV campgrounds that are part of the Gulf Islands National Park. The other campground is Fort Pickens on Santa Rosa Island near Pensacola Beach, Florida. The Fort Pickens Beach that stretches from the old fort east to the village of Pensacola Beach is regularly voted as Florida’s favorite beach so getting a reservation at the Fort Pickens campground can be more difficult than at Davis Bayou – which is one thing we like about Davis Bayou, we can actually get a camp site there! Another thing we like about Davis Bayou is the camp roads and the individual site parking pads are paved. The sites are also nicely spaced from one another and the mature live oaks and pine trees offer most sites at least some shade during parts of the day. All 52 sites offer water and electricity.
The Campendium camping and rv community rated Davis Bayou as one of the Top 10 Mississippi campgrounds.
52 nicely spaced campsites, all with water and electricity.
Sturdy picnic table in excellent condition on a paved pad. First class campsites.
The Park Visitor Center has some exhibits explaining the natural features in the park and suggestions on things to see and do. There is also a fishing pier adjacent to the center for anyone who possess a Mississippi State Saltwater Fishing License. The park also has a boat launch and pier for fishing and boating in the bayous or out in the Gulf itself.
Popular activities of campers are biking, bird watching, boating, fishing, hiking nature trails, and alligator watching. The popular tourist mecca of Biloxi is about 10 miles away with its sand beaches, casinos, restaurants, museums, golfing, and other entertainments.
Nature Hiking Trails – Slide Show
The entrance to Davis Bayou is off of Gulf Highway 90 that runs along the Gulf from Bay St. Louis to Pascagoula. Unfortunately there is no direct connection to the Florida Gulf Coast Scenic Drive highway without going away from the Gulf through Mobile to connect with Gulf Highway 98 that runs to Pensacola. An attractive alternative that greatly reduces the highway miles is to stay along the Gulf shore and drive out to Dauphin Island where you can take a ferry to Fort Morgan and Gulf Shores and then to Pensacola. Along this route is one of our other favorite campgrounds, Big Lagoon State Park, which borders Perdido Key.
Summary of Pros & Cons of Davis Bayou RV Campground
Pro: Top Notch Campsites, Easy Access from Highway, Decent Affordable Price, Good Roads for Biking, Close to Grocery Shopping, Less Competition for Reservations.
Cons: 10+ miles to decent beach and other visitor attractions, fewer & shorter hiking trails.
See our calendar of Best 2023 RV Shows this winter. See other show and RV links at the bottom of this page.
ChicagoLand RV Show
The 2023 Chicagoland RV and Camping Show will be held February 16 -February 19, 2023 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. (see links lower down this page)
Here’s an idea of what to expect from our attendance at previous shows. I particularly enjoyed touring a number of Retro Campers and Travel Trailers (pictures below).
The AirStream Sport 16 is the pinnacle of compact luxury RV Traveling
The Chicago RV-Camper Show is about 10 times larger than the Madison RV Show we attended a few years ago. Hundreds of pull-behind campers, travel trailers, fifth-wheel trailers, and motor homes from Class B to mammoth luxury coaches.
We scored some discount coupons online which saved us “seniors” $4 off the regular $12 show price. But we got clipped real good at the nearby parking – $15 and still had to walk almost two blocks to the Convention Center. A better deal for parking and only about a block more of walking is the CTA Blue Line Depot at 5801 N. River Road (2.5 blocks north of the Convention Center).
While the Donald E Stephens Convention Center is a large facility the exhibit space was quite odd-shaped so it was really easy to get turned around and lose your sense of direction. If I went again I’d want to bring a compass to help navigate. Many times we stood around trying to figure out if we’d been down this aisle or that one.
Some of the highlights for us. Getting a chance to tour some of these luxury Motor Coaches. We see them often during our travels but never have been in one before. Another unit we’ve admired from afar but have never seen up close and on the inside are the famous Airstream Travel Trailers. One dealer had several sizes from a compact 16 footer to the larger, more luxury models. We spent some time admiring the new Winnebago Fuse, built on a Ford Transit chassis. I think this one is going to be a winner for Winnebago. We also liked the Winnebago View 24J, a very classy and well-appointed compact Class C motorhome built on a Mercedes chassis.
TearDrop and Pod Trailers
We did some Pod & Teardrop Trailer profiles a few years ago in an earlier RV Show article. We saw a few new models at this show and some we were familiar with but now tricked out with more accessories and distinctive styling.
Pod or teardrop trailers like this Tab are offering stylish and compact camping alternatives to tents.
Vintage & Retro Travel Trailers & Pods.
Our favorite camping units at the show were the Retro & Vintage travel trailers that have become more popular recently. Love the shape and the moon hubcaps. One both Jo and Eileen thought was really neat was one made by Amish craftsmen, the SunRay Travel Trailers in Shipshewana, IN.
We loved this Sunray Retro Camper made by Amish Craftsmen
Touring the Madison, Wisconsin RV & Camping Trailer Show
The 2023 Madison RV Show will be held on Feb 3, 4 and 5, 2023
Pods, Tear Drop and Ultra Lite Campers were popular items at the Madison RV Show. (For more on these new trends in travel trailers, scroll down for photos, descriptions, and info links lower down this page)
Held at Madison’s Alliance Center, the Madison RV Show features hundreds of trailers and fifth wheel “homes”, many of them more suitable for parking at a campground for several months than weekend traveling or traveling around the country. Jo and I had hoped to see some motor homes but there were only a handful in attendance.
More RV Show & Review links near bottom of the page
RVing & Outdoor Lounging
We are seeing more and more of these fancy outdoor kitchens as a popular feature in the larger travel trailers and fifth wheel homes. Another accessory is an outside plug-in and a mount for a flat screen TV and a set of outdoor entertainment center speakers. All these features seem oriented to the camper who spends as much lounging outside of their rig as they do inside. Keeping with this theme, another relatively new feature we noticed were units that were equipped with an the additional outside entrance to the RV that led directly to the bathroom. So when you are outside and need to go “potty” you can go directly there instead having to walk through the main living room of the RV. Would also be handy for the younger generation who may be tenting or in a pop-up camper next to the grandparents bigger RV.
In addition to the regular kitchen, this model offers an outdoor kitchen complete with sink, stove, microwave, fridge, and the usual outdoor bbq grill
This one had, in addition to the outdoor kitchen and bbq grill, a second outside entrance to the bathroom convenient for outdoor living
Pod Trailers and Tear-Drop Campers
A popular style travel trailer that seems to get a lot of attention are these retro tear-drop shaped models that are aero-dynamic and light enough (under 2000 pounds) to be trailered by a smaller, more fuel efficient vehicle (i.e. SUV not needed). These units are a nice graduation from tent camping because they can fit on smaller camp sites, are easy to tow, easy to store at home, and yet offer a clear improvement in comfort and protection from the weather over tent camping. Two of the more popular of this type of unit are the T@b (aka Tab) and the R-Pod. They come in a variety of floor plans, including slide-outs, expandablesome of which include the outdoor kitchen to give more room inside for other amenities.
The largest and most completely outfitted of the compact pod trailers are those offered by Forest Rivers R-Pods Compact, but the unit even includes a separate bedroomThe convertible dinette and kitchen sink (stove is to the left out of view)Even some of the smaller units offered an outdoor kitchenThe dinette (converts to a bed) inside the Tab. The cabinets also serve as a pass-thru from the outside kitchen
Pictures & Links to some Ultra-Light & Pod Travel Trailers
Forest River R-Pod
Forest River’s Pod Campers offer the most conveniences but are heavier than most in this class, yet they still would be classified as light. forestriverinc.com/rpod/
The T@b or Tab Camper Trailer
The T@b also offers a number of extra features or conveniences but in a compact package.
So-Cal compact trailer
The So-Cal Teardrop trailers are light and compact but offer a few ingenious comfort and convenience options.
The Little Guy is the T@b’s little brother for the ultra-lite travler whose primary interests are a good warm dry bed ready to go in minutes if not seconds.
A Class B Motorhome is essentially a Custom Van built on an assembly line by a motorhome manufacturer. In the US the most popular van chassis as a base for the customization are the Mercedes Sprinter, the Ford Transit, and the Dodge Ram ProMaster. Some of the top Class B RV manufacturers are Airstream, Pleasure Way, Coachman, Winnebago, and Hymer-Road Trek.
What is the difference between a Class C and a Class B Motorhome?
What distinguishes a Class C motorhome from a Class B is that in the former case only the Cab section and underlying frame and running gear come from the vehicle manufacturer. Whereas in the Class B it is the entire vehicle. Inside a Class B and a Class C vehicle may look very similar; however the interior width of a Class B is limited by the basic width of the van chassis. So in general, for a given overall vehicle length, a Class C is more spacious because the coach section of the RV is wider than the cab.
The Winnebago Travato is the leader in Class B Motorhomes
The Thor Compass is a Class C motorhome
Advantages of a Class B RV
One advantage of Class B is price and value. For the motorhome manufacturer, it is less expensive to convert and customize the van chassis over having to build a coach section from the ground up. Another advantage is driving ease. Many Class Bs feel as easy to drive and park as an SUV or large pickup truck. Service is also a plus since just about 100% of the drive train, running gear, etc. are standard parts and service that are available from a Mercedes, Ford, Chevie or Dodge dealership.
There is also a broader array of interior design options because you aren’t limited to the major RV manufacturers models. A whole small industry has sprung up of small custom van shops that build a Class B or custom camper van based on a customer’s specifications. The most popular of this group of custom RV manufacturers is Sportsmobile. They have 3 manufacturing shops (Texas, California, and Indiana) and offer both standard models and custom design-your-own van or motorhome.
Lately there are also small van component manufacturers who offer do-it-yourself kits to convert the interior of a van into a completely furnished RV. The kits offer modular units that slide in place. Some are meant for permanent installations, but others are built in a way that you can easily remove them so you can use your van for general cargo carrying.
The Top Class B Motorhomes
While the custom-job and component shops offer many interesting options, our Class B review here focuses on what is available from the traditional RV manufacturer. We are also focusing on vans that are full-featured motorhomes in contrast to camper vans that may not have a bathroom or lack a furnace or air-conditioning unit.
The major disadvantage of the van-built RV is space, space both for interior comfort in the “coach” or living section of the unit and space for storage of clothes and gear. How a particular manufacturer and model handles these challenges is a major consideration in our ratings.
Some of the criteria we considered in narrowing the field:
Less than 23 feet long; too long affects ease of handling and parking
Luggage space – room enough for two golf club bags
Natural Lighting – this is particularly important due to the small living space
Dinette option that doesn’t require tearing down your bed
Seating and Seat Belts for at least 4 people
Convenience accessories and appliances equal to larger units
Cost – under $125,000, otherwise why not get a Class C
Using these criteria narrowed our options greatly. As we observed with our review of Class Cs, European RV manufacturers do a much better job than their American and Canadian counterparts in packing a huge amount of value and convenience in a small package.
One of the standards features you often find in Europe are the dinette set up front behind the cab that doesn’t require being broken down for the main bed, allowing the rear bed to remain made-up during the day if desired. A few American and Canadian Class Bs are employing that feature including all of our top rated units.
Post Update: The following reviews were the top 2020 Class Bs. Helpful if you are in the market for a used or pre-owned Class B.
European manufacturer Hymer is bringing their classic compact designs to their new manufacturing facility in Canada. Read our Hymer Aktiv 2.0 Review here.
The originator of the modern mass manufactured motor homes has 4 Class B models; we think the Travato is the best of them. Read our Travato Class B Van Review here.
Honorable Mentions:
If you only expect to transport two people or are a solo RVer, the compact RoadTrek 190 would be worth looking at. We also were impressed with the Canadian Manufacturer Safari Condo and their XL FLEX 22′ model. The one drawback we saw in this one was it appeared the dinette table had to be broken down during traveling. If off-roading, boondocking, and bringing your bikes or kayak with you fits your life style, the Winnie Revel is a clever compact 4×4 with just about all the amenities you’d need. Practical capacity would be 2 adults + one kid and you’d need about $150,000 to get set up right in this little guy.
In 2019 unfortunately 2 of the 3 recommended Class B Van Motorhomes featured in this article became discontinued and no longer in production. This was due to a major financial fiasco (including possible malfeasance by top executives) of Hymer North America, the Canadian manufacturer of both RoadTrek and Hymer brands of motorhomes (read more here).
That left the Winnebago Travato alone at the top of this market. Good for Winnebago, but not so good for choice of options by the consumer. One of the options is buying a basic Van and tricking out as a Custom Camper Van by using modular camping units that are being offered to the RV Market. Look for our article on this soon.
While the popular RoadTrek 210 model is no longer in production, this review will be helpful for those looking to purchase pre-owned compact motorhomes. And if you are NEW to RVing, buying an older unit might be the quickest way of entry into the lifestyle!
There are probably more Class Bs on the road by Road Trek. They began in 1974 as a custom van manufacturer creating the Home & Park brand from Dodge Vans. The first fuller-featured RoadTrek was introduced in 1980. They currently offer 10 models with a range of options within each model allowing customizing to your tastes and needs.
The 210 Popular Model is a very handsome unit with lots of nice amenities in a vehicle that is less than 22 feet long. It’s powered by a Chevie vortec 6.0 V8 gas engine and built on the Chevrolet Express chassis. It has pleasing aerodynamics, less than 9 feet tall (including AC unit) but the interior height will still allow a 6 foot 2″ person to stand tall.
The compact dinette up front means you don’t have to make up the bed in back to have a meal. There is a larger table in the back that can be set up for serving more than two people.
Generous counter top space and 5 cu ft fridge are two features we liked in the RoadTrek.
Some of the standard features I liked was a nice size 5.0 cu. ft refrigerator-freezer, the galley with more-than-average extra counter space, and the pull-out dining table for the front captains chairs. This last feature allows you to leave the rear couch-dinette-bed unit to be kept as a made-up bed during the day. A wardrobe or armoire is available as a replacement for one of the lounge seats.
RoadTrek has also extended the Chevie Van width to allow more external storage than you often find with Class Bs and a wee bit more interior room. This customization of the coach portion of the van makes it what some might call a B+ Class as it is wider and longer than the Chevie base van. Because they added length and width to the standard van, this added extra weight and probably accounts for the more modest 1000 towing capacity.
An option I’d recommend is the EkoTrek battery management system featuring lithium power module that greatly extends living off-the-grid or boondocking. It will run both 12 volt and 110 appliances and because of the battery technology and the unique underhood gen set, recharging the batteries is much quicker.
The seating in the rear converts to a king size bed.
The RoadTrek 210 MSRP is $128,952 pricing it similar to Mercedes/Sprinter model Class Bs. The trade-off is that instead of the Mercedes diesel power plant and Sprinter chassis you get easier and less expensive service with the Chevie Chassis and Powertrain and a bit more interior/exterior storage space than you’d get with a Sprinter model. Since the base price is on the high side, one disappointment was the number of features listed as optional that are standard in some competitive units that have a lower price tag. In our search for units for sale by dealers, we couldn’t find any offering the 210 model. Price point could be the problem. Buyers who can afford a $130,00o to $140,000 unit may not pay that for a Chevie but would for Mercedes. (These Mercedes buyers are likely to find that they pay a premium a second time whenever they need service!) Most dealers preferred to offer the RoadTrek models under a $100,000 MSRP. But those less expensive models didn’t meet enough of our criteria to qualify.
Important Feb 18, 2019 Update. Bad News. The venerable RoadTrek brand has just suffered a potentially fatal blow. Hymer North America which acquired the Ontario RV manufacturer a few years ago has just laid off its entire workforce and announced it is going into receivership. Apparently some malfeasance by members of the upper management were part of the problem. Read more about the Hymer Layoff here.
German motorhome manufacturer Hymer acquired RoadTrek to gain entry into the North American market. They are manufacturing a Hymer line of products in the RoadTrek factory in Ontario, Canada.
Unfortunately the Hymer Activ2.0 that we profiled in this article, and liked very much, is no longer being made due to the company discontinuing operations (see article referenced above if you want more details.)
We like the Aktiv 2.0 as it packs a lot of quality features in a compact package. It is built on a Dodge ProMaster chassis and comes in at less than 21 feet in length. The power plant is a 24 valve 3.6 liter gas engine that I’ve been told gets pretty decent gas mileage. A feature I particularly like is the dinette area is forward next to the cab, a setup often found in European compact motorhomes. There’s seating for four with a bench seat and the two cab seats that turn around. The foldup dinette table, however, is too small to handle four people, three max. This allows you to keep your rear bed made up during the daytime, a handy feature.
Dinette easily offers room for two and some tiny space for two more casual diners. Table can stay up while traveling for a passenger to use as a desk.
The Murphy Bed tilts up for access to the spacious storage compartments and provides an aisle to bring bikes, golf clubs, or other toys.
Another feature I like is the gen set is part of the basic Dodge engine, actually a second alternator that generates 110 power. Why this is a plus is because separate generators take special care and maintenance; if they aren’t regularly exercised the carb gets gummed up and as a separate engine it brings another set of maintenance chores. I suppose running your Dodge engine might burn a little more fuel than an independent gen set engine, but unless you use your gen set quite a lot, the difference is probably only a few dollars a year.
You can see the influence of German engineering in a number of the appointments in the interior. Quality materials and intelligent design. Spacious cabinets, good led lighting, and a decent amount of natural light through the windows and skylight. The rear area can either be a convertible power sofa that converts into a king bed or a murphy-style bed that folds up if you want a huge amount of cargo space for bikes, golf clubs, etc. Even in the down position, the murphy bed provides a goodly amount of extra storage underneath.
While shown sleeping front to back, sleepers less than 6′ could sleep side-side in the coach due to the slightly larger width of the ProMaster chassis.
The main drawback is the relatively tiny closet. It looks to be only about 12 inches wide, maybe even less. So not much space for hanging clothes. The refrigerator is also smaller than the Roadtrek, coming in a 3.1 cubic feet.
Like theRoadTrek 210, the Aktiv also offers the EkoTrek battery management system as an option that greatly extends your off-the-grid living and comfort. Unlike the RoadTrek, the Aktiv has a more hefty towing capacity – up to 3500 lbs. And it is considerably less expensive to buy.
Hymer Aktiv 2.0 MSRP starting at $102,427
Important Feb 18, 2019 Update. Our enthusiasm for the Hymer Aktiv 2.0 has been greatly dampened. The Ontario firm has just laid off its entire workforce and announced it is going into receivership. Apparently some malfeasance by members of the upper management were part of the problem. Read more about the Hymer Layoff here and their financial difficulties involving an estimated $300 million in liabilities.
While Hymer won’t be returning, the company buying the assets of the firm and the RoadTrek name has re-entered the US-Canadian motorhome market. See our December, 2020. Article onThe “New” 2021 RoadTrek
New RoadTrek Motorhome
Next Review: Winnebago Travato – employing many of the design features of the Aktiv with a few twists.
In this post oF Best Places to eat in Pensacola, we review: Triggers Seafood, The Ruby Slipper cafe, and Another Broken Egg Cafe. Following those reviews are links to four more Top Places to Eat in Pensacola.
When we are in Pensacola in our motor home, we generally spend some time staying at Big Lagoon State Park near Perdido Key. A few blocks west from the entrance to the park is Triggers Restaurant.
Viewed from the outside, Triggers isn’t going win any architectural awards. You wouldn’t guess it is one of the best restaurants in Pensacola. A plain-looking box that years ago was a convenience store and bait shop. But in 1987 Glenn and Carol Ard bought the building to house their dream of starting a seafood restaurant. Glenn and Carol, their daughter and son-in-law plus an array of other relatives have created a successful authentic seafood restaurant, with friendly staff and a comfortable dining atmosphere. The interior has a nautical theme with comfortable tables and chairs, adequately spaced from one another so your dinner conversations aren’t easily shared with neighboring tables.
Our most recent visit was in March of 2017. Jo had their Seafood Platter and I chose the Mahi-Mahi Taco basket. Your entre’ includes a choice of two sides. Our fish was served hot, moist, and was flakey – easily cut with your fork. The veggies were crunchy, not overly cooked. Portion sizes were generous. Overall rating: excellent service, top-notch food, comfortable seating. We are not alone in loving Triggers; they also get some good reviews on Urban Spoon and Google Plus. It would get stronger reviews on other lists of best restaurants if it weren’t so far off the beaten path.
Note March 11, 2020: After more than 30 years in business, the Ard family closed Triggers Restaurant and sold the building. The structure was bought by the owners of Wolf Bay Lodge, a family owned restaurant chain, and significantly remodeled and re-opened as Wolf Bay at Perdido in the same location as Triggers. Like Triggers, the menu features seafood. Recent reviews are generally favorable, but we’ll have to visit them to see if we would rank them among the top 10 places to eat in Pensacola.
Ruby’s is located next to the al Fresco outdoor cafe near the corner of Main Street and Palafox. The Cafe gets good reviews on Trip Advisor and it is convenient to the historic district and public parking areas. So during our visit in 2016 we thought it would be a good spot for a hearty breakfast out. When we are Rving, breakfast is usually something simple like cereal and fruit so we were looking forward to something more substantial like my favorite: eggs-over-easy, a slice of ham, whole wheat toast and hashbrown potatoes.
The Slipper’s breakfast menu featured a number of more exotic, fancy food dishes at prices we usually pay for dinner fare. But after a little searching, we did find some more traditional breakfast choices. Jo went with a build-your-own 3 egg omelete that offered a large number of alternative add-ons. Her choice was tomatoes, onions, and swiss cheese and a side of fruit. It also came with a large biscuit. She was happy with her meal. I should have followed her plan but I had my mouth fixed for eggs-over-easy with toast, ham and hashbrowns. The closest I could come to that was their Southern Fried Breakfast. Not a good choice. Chicken sausage, a heavily breaded deep-fried green tomato, grits, and a gooey biscuit just didn’t cut it with my eggs-over-easy . . . that were done a little too hard. And getting served lukewarm coffee didn’t help matters.
Our postage stamp sized table for two was crammed in very close to other diners and was in a very noisy part of the café, making conversation difficult. The tiny table with no spare space, noise, and being smack against our fellow diners plus average to below average attentiveness of our server lowered our review rating substantially. And compared to the price of our meal, we have to give the Ruby poor marks overall.
Based on our experience, we cannot verify Ruby Slippers best restaurant rating. In fairness, while other reviewers have also complained about the noise level, comfort, and less attentive service, many customers have found the more exotic menu and specialty drinks just what they wanted. However for our upper Midwestern palates, we are still searching for a decent place for breakfast in Pensacola.
Upon reading the above comment on our search for a decent breakfast spot in Pensacola, a manager at Another Broken Egg Cafe on Gregory Street who urged us to try them next time. We took her advice in March of 2017.
Lots of space and comfortable seating in 3 different dining areas.
We were not disappointed. Broken Egg has a very spacious interior with dining rooms, good spacing between tables, and large comfortable booths for those who prefer this kind of seating. Pleasant background music at the right volume level. Exceptional service from a team of wait staff each with different roles, although they also overlap to better serve the customer. The team included an order taker, a server, coffee and water servers, and two different managers or hosts who stopped by to check how we were doing. Water and coffee was refilled frequently and we had staff stop by five times to ask if we needed anything. We felt like visiting royalty.
We had scrambled eggs, hash browns, and toast with our coffee. You could tell the scrambled eggs were made fresh – not manufactured in large quantities and then reheated like you find in most motel breakfast offerings. The prices were reasonable and the menu offered a wide variety of breakfast options from all sorts of traditional to more exotic and heart healthy versions. Price was reasonable and portion sizes decent. (See pix, also do a TripAdvisor review)
Another Broken Egg Café is the #4 rated Best Pensacola Restaurant in Trip Advisor and we agree with their top rating, at least for breakfast but I imagine their top-notch service carries through to lunch and dinner.
Other Pensacola Restaurant Best Places to Eat in Pensacola.
We still have a number of Pensacola pubs and restaurants we need to sample and review. On Palafox Place Street on our to-visit list is Carmen’s Lunch Bar Restaurant (shown at the top of this page) It has attractive sidewalk dining and also dining indoors in the restaurant itself. As the name suggests its focus is on lunch (serving 11 am to 4 pm) but also offers a nighttime Tapas menu (as well as beer and wine) from 4 pm to 8 pm. Gets good reviews on Yelp, Urban Spoon, and other restaurant review websites, so it is another top-rated dining places in Pensacola we have to try.
Within the downtown and nearby historic districts, there are lots of other unique and interesting places to eat and entertain. We enjoyed the outdoor patio and craft brews at Pensacola Bay Brewery, however unfortunately they offer no food service.
We are among the RV motorhome owners who are frequently hassled by a slow leak in either or both the gray and black water holding tank valves.
In our case, it has been the persistent small leak in the gray tank valve. Sometimes it produces a small drip from the cap that covers the outlet to the sewage system. Because I know it is gray water, I’m not too bothered by it. But my wife is; she worries other people at the campground might see it leaking. Other times the cap doesn’t leak but when we are at a RV dump station and open the cap to install the sewage dump line and rush of gray water comes splashing out. That is an additional nuisance we both object to.
In my case I’ve tried various solutions like filling both gray and black tanks with vinegar and soap solutions to better flush out the drain lines. Sometimes bits of material get caught in the tank valve that prevent it from closing properly. When this didn’t provide a lasting solution, I broke down and ordered and installed a replacement gray valve. That solution didn’t last either.
On our unit, and I suspect many other RV layouts, the gray valve is actuated by a long cable. You push or pull on the handle on one end of the cable and the other end is attached to the gate valve. There seems to always be a bit of slop in the cable system; hard to “feel” that the valve is being entirely closed. I guess a final solution would be redirect the entire gray tank plumbing system so we have an separate outlet for the gray valve and can install a directly operated gate valve that doesn’t need a cable. Big job and it means the process of emptying the RV tanks will now be a two piece, two step system, hooking and unhooking the flexible sewer line two times to handle each of the tanks.
The Ultimate Solution to the Leaking RV Holding Tank
Well American innovation has finally come to solve our problem. It is a new product from Valterra RV Products. It is the T58 Twist-On Waste Valve. It is designed to replace your existing RV drain cap and it contains a secondary direct action waste valve. Your existing cap then twists on the open-end of the Twist-On-Waste Valve. The new valve gives you an effective second line of defense against the nagging leaky valve problem. What is nice about it is even if there is gray or black water built up behind the new valve, when you remove the cap to hook up your sewer line no water will come splashing out.
Installation is simple. Just unscrew and remove the outer dust cap from your present valve. Then screw on the Valterra Twist-on Valve in place of the cap you just removed. The valve handle component will rotate around to work at any angle. The place your old dust cap on the Valterra. That’s it. Now you have two lines of defense against that nasty dump valve leak.
Remove the dust cap from your present valve.
Twist on the Valterra valve and install your dust cap on the end.
*We earn a modest commission on Amazon sales, that is paid by Amazon and does not increase the price of the product.
RV Campground Review: Grant River Recreation Area – Potosi, Wisconsin
Grant River is one of our favorite Corps Parks. Located on the banks of the Mississippi River, it has nice mature trees offering lots of shade options for the camp sites. Modern full service washrooms with showers kept spotlessly clean. Lots of frontage along the river with benches every 100 feet or so offering a pleasant places to sit and watch the river roll by. There isn’t a lot of activity on the river itself, largely free of the sound of jet skis and power boats charging back and forth disturbing the tranquility. But there is an adjacent boat launch for fisherman and a large parking area for trailers.
Spacious, well-planned camp sites with shade at least part of the day.
The sites are level and concrete and the road throughout park is paved. The heavy, substantial picnic tables are well-maintained and stand on a well-drained gravel pad with a fire-ring and grill. The sites are electric-only with 20, 30, and 50 amp service. No water hydrants at each site, but several hydrants are sprinkled throughout the campground for convenient refilling. There is adequate spacing and green space between the camp sites. A few of the camp sites are dedicated for tent campers and provide very adequate spacing away from other camp sites.
This may be an original Shasta camper. Looks in good shape.
Just north of the campground is a day use area with a picnic pavilion, a boat ramp and dock, and lots of parking space.
Watching the sun go down at Grant River Corps park
Things to See and Do at Grant River Corps Park
Besides hanging out at the campsite, we enjoy hiking around the park, enjoying the scenic views of the river, and biking both around the park and to the Potosi Brewery for a brew or food (see our review). The National Brewery Museum is also located at the Brewery and is a fun and interesting look at the history of brewing with stories and pictures from former breweries in Wisconsin and across the nation.
For bikers, the rustic rural road that runs from Potosi’s main street to the park isn’t that busy with traffic and is a scenic bike ride over a mostly level terrain. More enthusiastic bikers can take the return trip along Brewery Hollow Road (a Wisconsin scenic rural road) back to the campground. And even more enthusiastic bikers can take the scenic River Road 20 miles north to Cassville and the Stonefield Village Historic Site.
When we have the grand kids or grand nephews/nieces with us they enjoy fishing from the banks of the river and the park playground that has slides, swings, climbing gym, volleyball court, and horse shoe courts.
Provisions like ice, beverages, and basic groceries are available at the Pine Point Store 4 miles away in downtown Potosi.
One Downside to RV Camping at Grant River
While we consider Grant River an A+ campground, some campers would downgrade that vote due to the fact of frequent trains running by. Seeing the trains is a neat experience for kids and train aficionados, but the noise of them passing can disrupt what are otherwise a very peaceful nighttime atmosphere.
All along the upper Mississippi River there are railroad tracks with active freight trains running day and night, so one downside of any campground near the Big River are the periodic trains that run overnight.
One of the favorite fall color drive loops along the Minnesota-Wisconsin Great River Road stretches from Wabasha to Winona on both sides of the river.
In the third week of October 2017 we started our trip on the Minnesota side going north. In general we found the colors on the Minnesota side more vibrant and varied. I think the difference may be in the sun exposure affecting the distribution of the species of trees and the progress of color change. The Minnesota side faces north-east, whereas the Wisconsin side faces south-west.
One of the many scenic overlooks along the Wisconsin-Minnesota Great River Road
Best week for Peak Color along the River Road
Because the predominate deciduous trees along the river bluffs (oaks, maples, basswood, birch, etc.) change color at different times “Peak Color” can be an impossible dream. If you are earlier in the season you’ll catch more maples, ash and walnut changing, with yellows, oranges and lime green. If you are later in the season you’ll catch more oaks with deep red hues and some yellows from birch trees. But usually when the oaks and birch are most outstanding, the leaves have fallen from the ash, maples, and walnuts.
So our recommendation is just go when you know there will be some color and nice weather. Enjoy whatever combination mother nature presents at the time.
The Ashes were turning along the Minnesota Great River Road between La Crescent and Winona.
Best Direction of Travel for Good Fall Color
We noticed in traveling both sides of the river from Southern Wisconsin that the view along the Wisconsin side traveling south was more colorful than the views traveling north along the Wisconsin Great River Road. So our recommended loop for the best color is going south on the Wisconsin side from Nelson, Wisconsin through Fountain City, Wisconsin and across the river from Winona, MN. For travelers going north we recommend the Minnesota side from Winona to Wabasha. Bridges cross the river at both Wabasha and Winona facilitating this loop.
Great River Road Fall Color Pictures
From Just south of Winona looking across the river at Wisconsin’s Perrot State Park and the Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge
In the background Brady Mountain, Perrot State Park.
Perrot State Park. In the background Trempealeau Mountain
Reick’s Lake Park is north of Alma, Wisconsin at the mouth of the Buffalo River as it enters the Mississippi. It has several nice RV sites along the shoreline and is on the migration route for Tundra Swans and White Pelicans.
Looking east from one of the RV sites at Reick’s Lake Park.
Those are white pelicans middle right in the photo.
Restaurant Review – Nelson Creamery, Nelson Wisconsin
People shopping for cheese, lining up at the ice cream counter, and placing their luncheon order.
About 50 cars filled the Nelson Creamery customer parking lot on a Thursday afternoon in little Nelson, Wisconsin on Hwy 35 – the Wisconsin Great River Road Scenic Byway. Same thing happened last year. We were through Nelson last year mid-week about the same time for our annual fall River Road Color tour and the parking lot was full then and in fact there was somewhat of a traffic jam in front of the Creamery as people were looking for street-side parking. Lots of people sitting on benches in front and walking around eating ice cream cones. So we figured the Nelson Creamery must have some terrific ice cream to get so many people to stop here. Last year stopping just wasn’t on our plans, plus it was really crowded. But we made a note of a must stop the next time we were passing through.
So October 19, 2017, on our fall color drive from Winona to Wabasha, we did stop, initially to get an ice cream cone but ended up getting lunch as well. Once inside the Creamery we discovered ice cream isn’t the only reason people stop there. They have a huge selection of Wisconsin cheeses, an extensive wine collection, a wine tasting room, and indoor and outdoor seating for dining. Great sandwiches, soup and pizza bring people here as much as the ice cream. There were two separate ordering lines, both quite full. One for ice cream, one for lunch food service. At the luncheon counter, you order your sandwich or pizza, pay for the food, leave your name and seating location (inside or out) and a server will bring you your order when ready.
On a sunny day the Creamery’s secluded patio offers a most pleasing dining experience.
It was a pleasant sunny day so we dined in their cozy outdoor patio. The food service was courteous and fast. The wait for our order wasn’t very long considering they were quite busy. Kudos to the management for good staffing levels and competent help. Our hot toasted Pita Veggie Sandwiches were jam-packed with garlic hummus, guacamole, kalamata olives, cucumber, red pepper, tomato, onion, sprouts & feta cheese. Super yummy. The sandwich menu is quite extensive and there are soups and salad too, plus their personal pizza offerings.
Good food, reasonable prices, fast service, nice ambiance inside and out. We can see why Nelson Creamery is a favorite among travelers on the Great River Road.
New Glarus Wisconsin – America’s Little Switzerland
Attending one of the several seasonal festivals in New Glarus, it is not unusual to hear people conversing in Schweizerdeutsch or hear English spoken with a decided German accent!
The Swiss culture traces back to 1845 when a Swiss community of 200 immigrants from the Canton of Glarus, Switzerland purchased 1200 acres of land for their new settlement. In succeeding years, immigrants from other Swiss cantons arrived to fuel the population growth of New Glarus as well as other areas in Green County. Learn more about the history of the settlement here.
Young and old(er) enjoying the annual Polka Fest held the second weekend in June.
While the town has become more ethnically diverse, it maintains its strong connection to its roots in its architecture, food and drink, festivals, and cheese. The historic (1853) New Glarus Hotel (pictured at the top of this page) anchors the downtown business and entertainment district. While no longer housing guest rooms, the hotel’s restaurant has a long history of authentic Swiss cuisine and Swiss hospitality. And on the weekends, the hotel treats you to another piece of Swiss culture – polka music and dancing.
In the lower level of the hotel, the Edelweiss Cheese Factory has its factory store offering a selection of their award-winning cheeses and a selection of excellent cheeses from other area producers and from Switzerland. While the shop is more modest in size and offerings it is not to missed by a cheese aficionado. Despite smaller size, in addition to the cheese are a selection of wines, sausages, local beers, crackers, and other gift items, plus a small sidewalk café where you can enjoy your deli purchase with glass of wine or stein of beer.
Across the street from the hotel is the Maple Leaf Cheese and Chocolate Haus that offers a broad array of cheese and other goodies (like Swiss chocolates and ice cream). Next door is the New Glarus Bakery (doing business here since 1910), known for its excellent Swiss and German pastries, breads, cookies, or dessert items. Further down the street is one of our favorite Swiss restaurants – The Glarner Stube. Nearby is another New Glarus favorite – Puempel’s Olde Tavern which dates back to 1893. Several other interesting shops, boutiques, pubs and restaurants are within walking distance of downtown. Like Monroe, the Swiss Heritage has been well preserved in its buildings and structures.
Slide Show: Walking around downtown New Glarus
The Swiss United Church of Christ was built in 1900. The congregation originated in 1850. A replica of the original log church is in the nearby Swiss Historical Village Museum.
Edelweiss Cheese Shop features the award-winning cheeses of the Edelweiss Creamery as well as cheeses from other local producers. Also offers sausages, crackers, wine, and beer which can be enjoyed on their outdoor patio.
The New Glarus Bakery offers Swiss and German pastries, breads and dessert items. We love their New Glarus Stollen, a popular Christmas gift.
Brendas Blumenladen Shop has an extensive collection of unique items for the home and garden, as well as gifts and fashion apparel.
The Glarner Stube is one of our favorite Swiss Restaurants in New Glarus
Another New Glarus fixture worth visiting is the New Glarus Brewery on the top of a hill south of town. It began life as a small craft brewery in 1993 and has grown in size and has attained a national recognition for quality brews. The brewery moved from its original location to an entirely new facility featuring state of the art brewing technology and automation. Both self-guided tours and guided tours are regularly available and its old world style beer garden offers an opportunity to taste several brews.
At the annual Music Fest, members of the Mannerchoir perform the Swiss National Anthem on Alphorns
Annual New Glarus Festivals
Popular annual events include The Polka Fest, Heidi Festival, the Volksfest, Wilhelm Tell Festival, and OktoberFest, sponsored by the New Glarus Brewery. Two weeks after OktoberFest, the annual Fall Harvest Fest is held at the Swiss Historical Village, a replica of an 1850s Swiss settlement with 14 artifact-filled shops and buildings from that era.
Jo enjoying a stein of Gandy Dancer Porter in the tap room.
Located in the southern end of the historic Potosi Brewery, the pub and restaurant is a blend of old and new with modern furnishings and an artisan-crafted bar walled by the old sandstone block foundation decorated with old Potosi Brewery signs. Up to 8 Potosi brews are on-tap, offering a variety of styles. We were pleased to see their Gandy Dancer Porter was among the featured on-tap brews.
The restaurant menu features sandwiches and wraps plus a few entres. Jo had the grilled chicken breast with walnut sauce and I had their Reuben sandwich. We both elected steamed broccoli as our side dish. The Reuben served on wonderful marbled rye bread with melted Wisconsin Swiss Cheese and sauerkraut on corned beef was served hot and delicious. Good thing the table setting included lots of extra napkins because the Reuben was finger-licken good! The broccoli side dish was perfect – crispy fresh florets served hot but not overcooked. Jo loved her chicken breast covered with walnut seasoning and served on a bed of rice, a combination she will want to try at home. Very large portion sizes, so Jo got to take home half her meal for a snack the next day. Her serving of broccoli was as perfect as mine. Price-wise the menu was reasonable as were the tap beers. Some brew-pub restaurants seem to charge a premium just for the experience of eating and drinking there. Potosi is the exception.
My tasty Reuben sandwich overflowing with mouth-watering goodness!
Had the day not been so hot (91 degrees) we would have enjoyed dining in the outdoor beer garden.
Service-wise, the bar and table service was above par. I think the staff enjoys the Potosi working environment and this shows in their service.
One tip for prospective diners. If you take the Brewery Museum tour prior to dining, you can get a chit for a free 12 ounce tap brew in the restaurant after your tour.
A mini-museum is part of the Great River Road Interpretive Center.
The Potosi Brewery located in the river town of Potosi began operations in 1852 and became one of Wisconsin’s largest breweries with a nationwide distribution. But due to the consolidation going on in the brewing industry had to close its doors in 1972. The building remained vacant for several years until revived in the 2008 following a $7.5 million restoration. The brewery is also home to the National Brewery Museum, the Great River Road Interpretive Center, a gift shop, and a brewpub, restaurant, and beer garden.
The brewery also offers guided brewery tours that include a guided tour through their state-of-the-art production facility, four 5-oz beer samples in the Brewery Tasting Room while watching an informational video, a Potosi pint glass from the gift shop and one pint of the Potosi tap beer of your choice from the Brewpub.
Located across the street in the old Potosi Bottling Plant is the the Whispering Bluffs Winery and tasting room, the Bottle House Gifts and Ice Cream Shop, and other artisan shops.
Potosi National Brewery Museum
The signs, bottles, and memorabilia abound, bringing back memories and an interesting history of American brewing.
The National Brewery Museum is located on the second and third floors of the brewery. There are several rooms of collections of brewery signs, photographs, cans and bottles and other memorabilia from breweries and former breweries across the country. Many of these collections are loaned to the museum by private collectors. There are also exhibits of antique brewing and bottling machines and several touch screen audio-visual stations with a variety of brewery and brewing programming.
A person could easily spend hours touring the various exhibits, reading the stories and looking at the photographs of various breweries that are now extinct. Some of these breweries that disappeared were quite large operations.
My wife Jo was surprised to learn that there was a brewery in her former hometown of Highland, Wisconsin. It ceased operations during World War II so it wasn’t around when she came into this world. But from photographs in the exhibit, the building itself was still around in 1960. So we are curious if it still exists today. (See pix).
At one point in the history of Wisconsin brewing it seemed like any town of a few thousand people had a brewery.
Being from Wisconsin, we were most interested in the history of Wisconsin breweries. It is amazing the huge number of them that existed in an earlier era. It seemed any village of even a modest size had a brewery. One reason for the large number of breweries is Wisconsin’s germanic ancestry; immigrants brought with them the taste and technology of their favorite adult beverage. Another reason was the lack of modern refrigeration. This meant a breweries service area was limited to about 15 miles from the brewery. This was especially true prior to advent of the automobile.
Like many industries, brewing went through a period of consolidation. Refrigeration and the automobile, plus improvements in bottling operations greatly expanded the potential geographic market for brews. Larger breweries bought out smaller operations or just put them out of business through the market-place competition. The prohibition era put economic stress on some operations; those that survived switched to brewing soft drinks or non-alcoholic beers. Shortages of materials during World War II and men engaged in war put more stress on marginal operations. Today, some historic brand names still exist, like Pabst and Schlitz, but they are no longer independently brewed. They are just labels on a can or bottle coming from a Miller Brewing facility.
Jo was surprised to learn her former home town of little Highland, Wisconsin had a brewery.
Going through the exhibits brought back memories of brands that were advertised when I was a kid and no longer around. Fox Deluxe is one I remember. Also memories of beers I drank as a young man that are no longer: Meister Brau, Gettleman’s, Old Style, Hamms (from the land of sky blue waters), to name a few. One I tried once and from the taste I recall it made sense this one disappeared: Chief Oshkosh. It came in unique value-priced eight pack cartons and was economy both in price and taste! My favorite beer from my youth was Leinenkugels as it was only available in Northern Wisconsin where we traveled for vacation each summer from Chicago. Leines still exists and is brewed in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. It is still run by the Leinenkugel family although Miller Brewing is now its parent company.
We would have stayed longer and especially I’d like to sit and watch more of the audio-visual productions. But we were two hours past our lunchtime and we were getting quite hungry.
While there is a small free museum on the first floor featuring the history of the Potosi Brewery, there is a fee for touring the National Brewery Museum. But it is a very good deal because it includes a chit for a brew from the pub after your tour. And they had a senior rate which made it an exceptional deal! See our Potosi Brewery Pub and Restaurant Review.
The Indian Pass Campground is at the very tip of the peninsula adjacent to a portion of the St. Vincent Wildlife Sanctuary and the Boat Ramp and Ferry Dock. There are 34 RV sites with electric, water, and basic cable, plus a handfull of tent sites. There is a bath and shower building, a laundry area, and a modest store in the campground office. Wi-Fi is available at the office and on the porch. The lagoon formed by the peninsula and the adjacent St. Vincent Sound (bordering St. Vincent Island) make the campground popular with kayakers and canoeists. The convenient boat ramp and the protected waters are also ideal for fishermen. While the campground has its own beach, the isolated sand beach bordering the wildlife refuge is a better alternative for sunbathing and swimming.
The beach across the street at the wildlife refuge.
The Indian Pass community is mostly homes with a few smaller condos with few commercial establishments so there’s not much traffic and being located at the end of the road, the campground is in a very peaceful setting and the extensive beach looking out towards St. Vincent Island is uncrowded and unspoiled.
The campsites in general are well-shaded and mostly level. The sites are arranged in a somewhat crazy-quilt manner oriented around the trees and terrain. I think this adds to the general attractiveness, although it means large units will have trouble accessing some of the sites. But some will easily accommodate larger RV units and some sites are pull-through.
Other Nearby Attractions. The nearest bar or restaurant is 3 miles away on Highway 30a at the entrance to Indian Pass. The closest general shopping is in Port St. Joe, 13 miles from the campground. The St. Joseph’s Bay Golf Course (see our review) is 10 miles away and for us a nice bonus as we enjoyed the course very much. Historic Apalachicola, with many notable seafood restaurants, raw bars, galleries and shopping boutiques is 21 miles from the campground.
