Boondocking Attempt in Florida Keys ~ Rude Awakening
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- čas přidán 20. 02. 2021
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My name is Eric and I travel with my cat, “Jax” in a 2012 Coachmen Mirada 32BH Class A Motorhome on a Ford Super Duty truck chassis. (V10 Triton) We travel about 35 miles a day chasing 70 degrees year-round since 2010. I travel with a 2009 Honda CMX 250 on the back of my RV on a Titan Ramp 600lb carrier. Bike goes 78mph and gets 70mpg. Here is my gear & some popular questions answered:
Gear: (UPDATED 2019)*
*Video: Panasonic Lumix G95
*Main Vlog Lens: 12-60mm Kit lens (100% manual focus)
*Stabilizer: Zhiyun Crane 2 (For B-Roll)
*Audio: (On Camera) Rode VideoMic Pro+ With Rycote VMP+ Deadcat
*GoPro 7 Black for water/action shots & Timewarps, Timelapses, & Starlapses
*GoPro Hero 6 Silver with Purple Panda Lavalier Lapel mic for Driving Narration
*GoPro Hero 4 Black for driving shots out the front window.
Time Lapses: 2 second intervals. Sped up 1200x, cropped 4K down to 1080 for panning
Night Lapses: Manual settings: 800 ISO, 30 second Shutter, 3000K WB, Protune On
Slow Motion: Shot 1080p 240fps. Reduced to 8% in Post Production
Additional Audio: Sony ICD-PX333
Editing Laptop: 2019 16” MacBook Pro 2.4GHz 8-Core i9 ~ 64GB Ram ~ 2TB SSD
Editing Software: Adobe Premiere Pro CC
Editing Encoder: Adobe Encoder - Presets: MP4 VBR H.264 16mbps
Aerial Drone Shots: DJI Mavic Air Shot in 2.7K Downscaled to 1080p
RV MPG: 7-8mpg depending on generator use.
Solar: 1280 Watts (320x4) Rec N-Peak Monocrystalline 120 cell panels on roof.
Charge Controller: Victron MPPT 150/85-TR
Inverter/Charger: Victron 3000 watt MultiPlus
Batteries: Battle Born Lithium 100ah x 5 = 500 amp hours.
Mobile Wifi: AT&T Unlimited Business Plan & Verizon Unlimited Cell Personal Line
Music: / audiolibrary & www.epdiemicsound.com
Jax is a MaineCoon/Ragdoll Tabby mix. Born April 21st 2010.
Tennessee Hayride by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Artist: audionautix.com/
a funny Pelican poem I learned in childhood...
A wonderful bird is the Pelican;
His beak can hold more than his belican.
He can hold in his beak
Enough food for a week,
But I'm durned if I know how the helican!
edit: the author was:
Dixon Lanier Merritt (1879-1972)
No Boon-docking in the Keys. Believe me I’ve tried in an overland vehicle. The best location to boondock is in the Cracker Barrel.
A hot cup of coffee & a great Eric & Jax video starts the day off on a happy note. Thanks 😊
Great Video, Eric !! Florida Keys, especially Key West, is tough even with my campervan....
I live here in south Florida and I can’t even take my camper out for the weekend. Everyone is here from the north and they do like you said, they reserve a year in advance over and over again. I can’t even get a spontaneous weekend away.
Same in California except You can only reserve 6 months in advance.
I feel your pain
Very frustrating 😕 😥 😠
That and it became cheaper to stay at a decent motel.
I loved driving till I was tired then finding the nearest campground. Now even those reserved sites may remain open so not available. Seems to me that in Florida it was 11 months in advance limit. HellI don't know if I'll be alive or where I'll be two months from now!
Michelle S California made the snow parks and many of the former boondocking spots no camping or overnight parking. The world had a few billing too many people and we are loosing freedoms by the day.
I stayed at John Pennecamp the first week in December. It took me almost a year to get a reservation at Key Largo for 9 days. It’s a lot of fun but the reservation stuff is difficult. Have fun and you and Jax be safe.
We eventually got into every Keys State park for various amounts of time. Some pets can't take the heat and some RV'er pack up and leave early. Just check with the rangers and wait. At Bahia Honda we had to move sites twice. But with a van it was easy.
Love your enthusiasm. Never a dull moment in your videos. Even when things go wrong you keep things light. There is so much that I miss about living in Florida. I guess friendly Floridians have become a thing of the past it seems. Looking forward to more of your adventures.
Kayaking in February? In the Key's? You are doing something right man, I love it!
in the keys they should just have a sign that says"if you ain't payin', you ain't stayin'
This time of year, you probably can't even get into one of the high priced private campgrounds.
Years ago I used to see tents along the highway on the way down to Key West, about thirty feet from the road.
@@ES-mc3cc remember the old Elvis movie where they just pulled over and claimed a spot and set up a business and built a home lol.
@@twatson6252 yes, it was called Follow That Dream I believe.
I really enjoyed the video Eric! Thanks for sharing! Hugs to you and Jax! Safe travels! 🙂🤗
Wow. Thanks for the great shout out. Sorry about not getting into Pennekamp but I’m glad you got to kayak.
It was great meeting you and playing with Jax.
Stay safe,
Alice and Larry
I almost got sick on the glass bottom boat one time there. Look away. look away!
👍 Great seeing you and Jax.
And So Great seeing the Florida Keys. Nice paddling in the 💧 water. Stay safe and God Bless wherever you're taking us to next.
Hello Eric & Jax! Wow....I am so glad my hubby and I decided not to invest in an RV after all. Sure it stinks knowing that we’re not going to be traveling all over like we wanted, but after seeing how often you seem to run up against all these “new rules” I think we’re going to stay in Texas, probably in a 55+ community and take small day trips/weekend excursions. I so wish both you and Jax all the best of luck on continuing your journeys. I feel very lucky to be able to travel with you. Thank you so much for taking me along! I have to say though that I keep going back to your old videos of you and Jax at Lyre River. That was such a magical place. I hope that someday you will find another special spot similar to it. May you enjoy all the Love, Light and Blessings both of your hearts can hold Eric. You are an amazing person and I hope you and Jax continue traveling and enjoying lots of wonderful adventures! Much love to you both! Stay healthy! Keep smiling! And please, please keep showing me all the beautiful places that I wish I could go. 💜💜💜
Your RV Rig is the size of a semi trailer. You need to downsize. A single person doesn't need a rig that big. Those huge RV's are really designed to go to Florida to stay for 1-2 months in an expensive RV Park.
I keep trying to tell Eric that he never had these kind of problems when he lived in a van. Minimize your life and enjoy much greater freedom in your travels. He's gone from a minimalist lifestyle to a crass materialistic one and it has become a burden.
I live fulltime in a 5 window short bus and sometimes often finding myself still wishing i had my old van
@@guyfrom8654 You simply cannot beat a stealth van for the ultimate bugout vehicle. But a short bus does give more space and allows for more creature comfort. Happy trails!
maybe he is ready for more... a lady and family?
Trailering the car would mean being able to back up and never having to disconnect.
Trailers weigh more and they more likely to have a blow out going down the road.
Use a ball hitch tow bar. Easy peasy.
Hmm, I don't boondock or "camp", but I did notice that my local WM here in Pensacola, FL has also started playing music over the outside loudspeakers. Heh-heh, maybe it's Walmart's passive-aggressive way of discouraging people from staying overnight...or at least, getting them up and out early? "Suuuuuure, you can stay overnight in our parking lots! We're just not going to make it easy or comfortable for you." Clever!
@@duelingfattiesgaming2130 Very few truckers stay in a Walmart lot. Not even Walmart truckers.
I didn't use the oven in my trailer for months, so dumb! When I finally used it, it baked SO incredibly well, with no stone!
Such beautiful scenery. Sad that the place is so crowded! Yep the state parks are the most affordable when there’s a vacancy. Have a fun week ahead!👍
Thank you for the video. Looks like pretty nice weather exploding the wind of course. So glad you had a good day of it. Safe travels. 😺
Hey Eric. If you are coming back up the west coast of FL feel free to stop here. You can feed the cows & pick blueberries in the morning and check out the manatees in the afternoon.
Sounds like a dream stop!
Nice person!
Yea, where we lived north of Chiefland we often had friends and new friends camp out for a few days. The cows were those long horncriters on the next street.
Manatees north and south of our place.
Great Florida videos. I absolutely love how you film and edit. Your 10 years of experience really shows. It feels like we are on the road with you. Thank you so much.
Right as you get into Key Largo there (or at least when we went a couple years ago) there was an old closed down gift shop on the right we crashed in for the night. There was a tractor-trailer there and signs posted no overnight parking, so we just winged it and stayed. The police came through once and then a road crew with police escort hung out there for almost an hour and nobody bothered us.
The kayaking through that area was so beautiful I bet it was just real Serene and relaxing and to see that Pelican so close was really neat so beautiful there with the Blue Sky and the turquoise water
It’s great see Jax helping with the driving!
That was so cool that John got that footage and shared it with you!
You might not know that The Keys has salt water gators and Crocodiles. The gators go from fresh water to brackish water and then keep going to the north Keys.
i like it when you're on the move. Thanks for the entertainment. Full time RVer since Thanksgiving 2020. Appalachian Monk
I really miss The Keys...I used to down there alot to go Saltwater Fly Fishing for Bonefish ,Tarpon and Permit....I grew up and lived in Miami and now I lived in Oregon for the past 4 years...I do go back to visit family and friends quite often. When I do I always go to The Keys
We loved Islamarada!
This is SO on my list for hubby later when we visit his Ft. Lauderdale family. Keys & Miami are so cool. THANK YOU for the preview.
Even worse than the music at Walmart are the Police boxes announcing the pandemic precautions! 🧟☣️🎭
A little Orwellian.
Eric I believe you're correct about no gators in salt water. But Florida has a population of Salt Water Crocodiles. Croc's of this type are typically bigger in general.
Salt water will blind and then kill alligators. This happened to many in Texas after the hurricanes had pushed salt water into areas that had never had it.
I lived here my entire life and have never seen a single crocodile in the wild. An alligator can go in salt water but would have to be desperate to do so. I have seen this only one time...
I'm pretty sure we saw Crocodiles while camped at Flamingo a few times. Don't really get close enough to tell but the heads were more slender and they smiled differently!
Great video! Loved the intro and time lapse! Thanks for taking us along on the kayaking trip! So fun! Jax is so adorable!
Jax looks so goood!!!! I’m so proud of you for getting his weight under control!!!!!! Hats off dude!!! Give Jax a snuggle for me😀
The fact he is putting that cats life at risk , everytime they hit the road, botjet
bothers me not one bit , ,
When I drove my 30 ft Forester to Key West. I stayed at “Boyd’s RV Park”. It was expensive but I had never been there before. It’s on the Key before Key West. It’s not luxury but it did have full hook ups
That's Big Coppitt Key
I totally have a similar type perforated pizza tray! Curtis Stone from HSN and I love baking / cooking in my RV. I also have a Camp Chef that I use to cook outside, too. I just got a really sweet little stainless steel hibachi grill. Very light weight and portable.
I’m sure it’s frustrating trying to find a place to park for the night or a few days in Florida right now but hey, look at the beauty your seeing😎🤗
That Cracker Barrel is not Homestead. That’s Florida City. Big difference actually.
Great video, Eric. You're doing the best you can and we love watching you and Jax.
Thk u for taking me back home. I miss my place I grow up in. The Keys are the best.
Great video Eric. Pretty impressed with how your mic did in the wind!
You would think there would be a lot of cancelations since you have to reserve a spot so far in advance. There must be something fishy going on.
This is your best video this year. Glad you went out and rented the kayak that made for some great footage.
I used to live in the Keys - 8 years. They used to make it tough on the RVers. In fact they used to have a joke. They would allow them to park in new town parking lots. (That's the area where you come in to Key West from Stock Island, before you go downtown or Old Town). The catch was: when they left in their RVs they had to take a homeless person and a rooster.
Anyway, enjoyed watching your footage - sure do miss the Keys!
At least with an enclosed trailer, you can back up fairly easy.
So much change in our world. Way to be flexible and enjoy your day. Very cool that you were able to get the extra footage. Mary 💕 Fred
We were down through the same areas back in June.. I did get a anti-RV feel. At the Homestead Walmart we stopped for groceries before going down to the Keys, security did 20 laps around our RV while we were setting there for 30 minutes. I made sure we had park reservations everywhere in south FL, but we didn't plan on moving around as much Eric does.
Many Walmarts shut down RV camping.
The keys are really tough in Monroe county, been down there for 20 years of winters. You could try Mangrove Mama's @ mile marker 20, owner has a large parking lot but you could only get in after the dinner rush, say after 8;00 pm which posses it's own problems. Go down during the afternoon and talk to the owner first. Then ditch the car there, take the bus stop out front and go back and get the rig. There is also a KOA across the street you may get lucky with @ $140 a night.
Great video Eric! We live between Central Fl and Daytona Beach. I ALWAYS watch for you while I'm driving around....have fun!
Ocala ? We ended up for 22 years north of Chiefland. Secluded with lots to do.
Hey Eric! I recently came across your videos and love them! The first one I saw was your New York City videos and one lead to another to another to....you get the point! My goal is to save up for a Class C Motorhome and drive down and do all the lower 48 (I live in Canada about 2-3 hrs north of the Montana Border). Keep up the good work! Loving the videos!
Hi Eric, that was great.. I’m glad to see you smiling!!
Nice to run into good people and be a support to eachother. Still catching up on the videos, can't wait to see old footage. Thats always interesting.
Eric is Paddling water in FL. and Im Scoopin snow here in NE. 2 inches..been scoopin snow for 2 weeks..was nice to see some warm weather...Enjoy it Eric and thanks so much for sharing.
Keep the videos a'comin cause there's millions of us who don't get to travel at all! Great pics on the canoe adventure too!!!
DOWNSIZING MAKES CENTS: Thank you for the additional footage!! 📷 🎥
Smaller is better when boondocking. We mostly only slept in the van.
Eric, head a little North of Gilbert's and try Pelican Cay RV and Marina 305 451 5223. Not pretty but cheap and people were nice. We used it as a base camp to explore the keys. Call first,it's tight. Not far from Pennekamp at all. Parking has really tightened up in the keys and it was mainly from day slobs going down and trashing everything, including leaving their human waste everywhere while they fished.
Been that way for years. Too many non-RV'er with fancy RV's who know nothing about camping.
That's a good tip about the oven rack and cooking evenly... Thanks.
Excellent. Loved the included kayak video by yt friends! That was fun!
Pizza stones are for home made pizzas, if it's frozen you do not need it.
Ha ha Eric: Dixon Lanier Merritt > Quotes > Quotable Quote
“A wonderful bird is the Pelican.
His beak can hold more than his belly can.
He can hold in his beak
Enough food for a week!
But I'll be darned if I know how the hellican?”
Thanks for sharing ………man that sand and warm water sounds so good
Great video Eric. I’m headed down there soon so I love seeing your things to do. That was amazing.
I know what you mean Eric. I live in FL and have a hard time booking sites in state parks during the winter months. In FL the state parks have a 11 month out reservation window for all. There is a pending bill to allow FL state residents the ability to reserve 12 months out. This will really help us in booking sites before the general public.
Ahhhh!!! You were in Avon Park! My back yard and I didn’t see you!
Got me thinking of a medium-sized truck camper w/slide out pulling a cargo trailer with a scooter, kayak, and supplies inside and roof covered in solar panels ;-)
if you go on air b&b, and adjust the filters to rv mobile homes and campsites, there are people who rent out their campsites down in the keys...fyi
Yeah, going with the flow is much better than rushing. Stay safe my friend!
Seems like everywhere you go lately is completely booked. It's wild!
Glad you got to enjoy yourself a little. Sry about the guy with the badge. I've stayed at Boyd's before, it's no frills, but safe. Definitely a little harder to find a place in the winter in Fl, snowbirds make plans early, fills up fast. Glad the weather has mostly been fair to you. Pets for Jax man. Be safe. 😊👍
Hey Eric just wanted to let you know that Emily from Nomad Internet helped me with an issue I was having with my service and she is the best. Thank you for sharing her info. They are truly a great company.
How fast is their service?
Those stoves are so small. I need to move the shelf to the highest part or it does mess with the pizza. Always burns the bottom without melting the top. But if it's like you showed and the rack is on the top shelf. It Cooks the pizza just fine. Maybe a little parchment paper under the pizza in-between the pizza pan. Can you believe I lived in this RV for about 2 and a half years before I figured this out. So many pizzas ruined. Lol 😜
Great tip on the oven! I thought the only way to bake something was with a pizza stone. Thanks and stay safe!
13:03 Yeah, in my travel trailer, I have the exact same Atwood stove/oven. I never had any problems with it. I've baked pies in there! I think the oven may be slightly better than my home oven! I don't know where people get these ideas from.
Eric, Your filming 📷, editing & music 🎶 selections are always spot on.👌 To set the camera 📷 4 a film segment coming and going is a LOT of WORK, but it makes a huge difference. Thank you 😃
We were trying to book the keys a year in advance and they wouldn’t even let us book at an RV park unless we were booking at least 3 months! We had to push it out to March instead of February. But we ended up canceling not too long ago, staying clear of Key West right now since we know we won’t be able to enjoy ourselves.
Seems like all the Walmarts are playing loud music now on speakers. Wonder if that's their way of saying "time for you to go"? It drives us nuts!😜
LOVE THOSE DECALS!
He should get one that reads "LOOK AT ME"
Enjoyed the video as usual. Florida is beautiful. Your microphone is awesome if those were 50mph gusts. The palm trees showed how windy it was. This video was just uploaded but during one advertising segment it showed a Christmas time ad. Weird!
Go, enjoy. We're vacationing vicariously through your videos! 🌴
Hi Eric I’m an RV newbie and enjoy your videos! I’m here in central Florida right now as well. A few days back you mentioned campgrounds. Check out Stage Stop in Winter Garden and maybe do a shoot at the West Orange Trail or Olde Town Winter Garden! Looking forward to your next adventure!
My RV oven works great also . It's a Magic Chef and so far ( six years now ) everything has came out great . Looks fun Eric . I live in Florida but not near that far South . LOL
Eric, just recently found your channel accidentally because I was looking for NASCAR stuff (as a marketer thats a hint to you). But I'm so glad I did. I'm catching up with previous vids and hope you keep them coming. BTW, IMO your 10 yr vid is one of the best I've ever seen.
Wow! Avon Park is just north of where we are. Too bad we missed you, but glad we got to meet you at Wilderness Lodge recently. The Kayak tour looks really cool.
Been camping in the Keys for 25 years , it's been like that every winter season
Hey Eric, great video bro. I live here in Florida just outside Central Florida area and vancamp very often. I was thinking about trying a boondock stealth down in the Keys. I have a minimal setup in a minivan so not sure if that would be easier to "blend in". Not sure your plans, but If you want to grab a burger sometime next time you swing down to Florida let me know bro. Until then enjoy the state and be safe!!!
I love your new intro. It looks beautiful where you were!
Boondock in homestead at the casino alow 5 days in back parking lot
Home depot and BJ's Florida city
@@jeffeisenbrei7128 Stop at the last bar on the mainland.
If you kayak from your core (I.e. twisting your torso) rather than from your arms/shoulders, you’ll be able to paddle farther with more power. You want to keep your frame (arms and shoulders) stable and use the twist of your torso to power your strokes.
I've been on the lookout for you here in the S.W. area of Florida. So many people ran for their lives here to escape extreme conditions north.
We loved Nipples and Ft Meyers Beach.
Great video! Thanks for sharing!
Hey Eric, check out the Oru kayak. Even would fit in the back of Tater Tot. I sure miss my electric Smart. People would laugh and ask me where the back half of my car was. But what fun to drive. And park. So glad you got one.
You are right, sometimes trying to make things happen it’s just not gonna work, stay safe
All in all you had a good time! Great video!
Others RV CZcamsrs are saying 'No Problem' making reservations...'Lucy...you got some esplaining to do'... Lol...Good lookin' pizza...way to work that paddle...I love Walmart loud speaker music, especially if it's 70's Rock...take care
Even Desi had trouble parking his long long trailer with the Mercury.
I loved that those people filmed you and shared it...very nice of them.
So cool! I love the keys! You parked at my local Walmart. Literally 10 minutes from my home in Frostproof. Wish I had made a run to the store and seen you guys! 😁 Were you here for the little cold front that came through? Down to 52° Saturday night... Y'all have a safe trip in this wind. I drive a school bus and it can really push you around.
Our RV waterhose froze in Frostproof several different years.
I’m a Florida Resident. Back. In the day we were able to go to a campground any time a have a space for a weekend. We’d pack the camper and head out on Friday night after work. Now a days to get a camping spot you have to book way in advance. You have people who book the same site’s years in advance. Week days are about the only time you might find a site in our state parks and even some county parks. Hey you were In my area.Stay safe out there. Happy Camping.
Yup! We must have grown up in the good ole days. No matter where we camped, we never called ahead. In fact, when we traveled I'd drive till we got tired and hungry then look for a campground.
Of course, we didn't need internet, TV hookups, water, electric, or a sewer spot either.
Our first house was smaller than these new RV's!
Smile, we'll leave the lite on fer ya!
Never a dull moment when you boondock in South Florida!
Tried to enter the rest area in Texas, parking lot is full of snow, water on the floor inside due to the broken water pipes. It's a disaster in Texas right now. ☢️
Its 68 and sunny here in Houston. Come on down;-)
All because of those damb wind turbines!!! Lol
@@asphaltadventurer
I was there two weeks ago, time to head back to Wisconsin. Thanks for the invitation! 🙋🌞☄️
Today in Dallas it was 75 with bright sunshine.
Key's always limited in space have to reserve a spot done that before just drive down can't find a spot lucky for us we were just using tents ended up in a hotel wasn't cheap still worth it.
The state parks are actually 11 months out. I tried this morning to get Sebastian Inlet SP at exactly 8:00 am when today's availability opened up for 11 months from now. There was one site. I clicked on it but before I could click book, it was gone. Its NUTS right now.
How nice of them to get a different viewpoint for you. Looked great too. You were paddeling against the stream and that is a workout for sure.