Building a small RV park.

[Jim]

And lastly, we bought a 4 seater RTV to use when running around the park. It's got the wrong kind of tires on it and it's way to noisy, but I hope I can fix these issues and make it a good park vehicle.

This thing turned out to be the biggest toad I ever bought, and I'm the king of toad purchases.

So a couple of weeks ago we asked Lowe's to come pick up La Todie. And last week we replaced it with this little gem. It's gas, it's quiet, it has the correct tires, it's more in keeping with the expected RV Park image, and it was $3K less than the goat roper machine we sent back to Lowe's.

 

[AuntieDodo]

My god

That’s what I say. It’s beautiful!

 

[AuntieDodo]

This thing turned out to be the biggest toad I ever bought, and I'm the king of toad purchases.

So a couple of weeks ago we asked Lowe's to come pick up La Todie. And last week we replaced it with this little gem. It's gas, it's quiet, it has the correct tires, it's more in keeping with the expected RV Park image, and it was $3K less than the goat roper machine we sent back to Lowe's.

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That’s a nice cart. What model is it? This is the one that my husband built last year but sold it. We will get another when we can get back out there. We currently cannot still cross border that is what we do!

 

[AuntieDodo]

This is what my husband surprised me with while we can’t get over the border rving. I am currently learning how to drive it though as it is manual. I’m doing good but man I’m mid 50’s and it would be sooo much easier to just hit the gas! On the flip side I LOVE the sound when downshifting so I’m into learning?

 

[Jim]

That’s a nice cart. What model is it? This is the one that my husband built last year but sold it. We will get another when we can get back out there. We currently cannot still cross border that is what we do!

I'll post the information that was in the advertisement.

"2014 YAMAHA drive g-29 gas golf cart with plowman kit!! 30+ mph top speeds!!!! IT ALSO COMES WITH HEAD AND TAIL LIGHTS, A WINDSHIELD, TURN SIGNALS, CUSTOM SEATS, CUSTOM WHEELS AND TIRES, A REAR VIEW MIRROR, AND A FLIP DOWN BACK SEAT!"

So far, I'm liking it just fine.

 

[Jim]

This is what my husband surprised me with while we can’t get over the border rving. I am currently learning how to drive it though as it is manual. I’m doing good but man I’m mid 50’s and it would be sooo much easier to just hit the gas! On the flip side I LOVE the sound when downshifting so I’m into learning?

Wow, that's a very nice "surprise".

 

[AuntieDodo]

Wow, that's a very nice "surprise".

It sure was. I love it but I’m beginning to think we need two. The instructor only takes me out once a week and I want to get out there without the instructor ?. He was always a Corvette guy but he likes this just too much for my liking. I want to get out there and when I miss the gear or pop the clutch I will learn I just don’t need to be reminded I’m not quite getting it. ?. Like really do you not think when I stall I don’t know what I did wrong ?

Tge funny thing is we do have a automatic on order but they just aren’t being delivered so our neighbour had this one on a test drive and he just didn’t want that kind of power so I said I wanted it. Hubs said No! The reason he said no us because it was standard. I pleaded that I could learn (second guessing that now) anyways he still said No! I was pouting just a bit?. Really just a bit.

Anyways it soon passed I got back to work and while doing so he snuck off and brought it home. Well he sure earned some brownie points that day! Well after a few lessons I am deducting a few of those brownie points!!! Like unlike him I have not driven a tractor since I was 3 years old and everyone has to learn. Like really should I not be expected to pop the clutch the odd time?. I’m stubborn and I am so glad it’s standard and I think the one on order can be had and we will have his and hers. I did tell him we need the stacker trailer though. Of course tge stacker trailer needs a bigger than a V10 to pull tge stacker, cars and cart $$$. He is shaking his head but my motto is “ you only live once” we have no children and who are we leaving it to. Ask me next year if we have tge pusher and stacker ?. Tge biggest issue is we need a bigger garage!

Apparently my fingers are fat and I can’t seem to type the “h” in the

 

[AuntieDodo]

I'll post the information that was in the advertisement.

"2014 YAMAHA drive g-29 gas golf cart with plowman kit!! 30+ mph top speeds!!!! IT ALSO COMES WITH HEAD AND TAIL LIGHTS, A WINDSHIELD, TURN SIGNALS, CUSTOM SEATS, CUSTOM WHEELS AND TIRES, A REAR VIEW MIRROR, AND A FLIP DOWN BACK SEAT!"

So far, I'm liking it just fine.

It is really nice. Great find Jim.

 

[AuntieDodo]

News just stated us Canadians won’t be crossing border until July 21st at earliest. This is getting ridiculous! I am fully vaccinated as of yesterday have a arm the size of a basketball as a result of shot but I just want to cross the border and get to your beautiful sanctuary! ??

 

[Neal]

This thing turned out to be the biggest toad I ever bought, and I'm the king of toad purchases.

So a couple of weeks ago we asked Lowe's to come pick up La Todie. And last week we replaced it with this little gem. It's gas, it's quiet, it has the correct tires, it's more in keeping with the expected RV Park image, and it was $3K less than the goat roper machine we sent back to Lowe's.

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Great base coat for some Deer Springs graphics

 

[NGC 613]

This thing turned out to be the biggest toad I ever bought, and I'm the king of toad purchases.

So a couple of weeks ago we asked Lowe's to come pick up La Todie. And last week we replaced it with this little gem. It's gas, it's quiet, it has the correct tires, it's more in keeping with the expected RV Park image, and it was $3K less than the goat roper machine we sent back to Lowe's.

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I see it has the TV mount rack in the back and I like that you have drink holders for my drinks while you drive us around the park, but get the TV installed before I get there. Dam It Jim !

 

[Jim]

With always something to do, today I spent some time putting another coat of Urethane on some of the counters. I think they're coming out pretty nice.

 

[J&JD]

Jim, stop it for crying out loud (as my dad would say). Enough already as your park is magnificent!

 

[Jim]

Jim, stop it for crying out loud (as my dad would say). Enough already as your park is magnificent!

Thank you so much @J&JD, that means a lot to me. I really want to do everything I can to insure a top-notch time for my visitors.

BTW, the check is in the mail. . .

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Dang, those counters are real purdy. @Jim! Time to kick back and enjoy a glass of wine or a good craft beer. You and Trish have done a magnificent job.

TJ

 

[Jabber Jaw]

Jim......Been on the road a while....BUT.....WOW!! Your place has turned out fantastic!

As I mentioned earlier, will be in Asheville with the "Caravan" group, at the Biltmore until the 13th. So, my plan is to come by & view your beautiful facility on the 14th. Probably visit for an hour or so.

Will that be ok?

 

[Jim]

Jim......Been on the road a while....BUT.....WOW!! Your place has turned out fantastic!

As I mentioned earlier, will be in Asheville with the "Caravan" group, at the Biltmore until the 13th. So, my plan is to come by & view your beautiful facility on the 14th. Probably visit for an hour or so.

Will that be ok?

Yep, you betcha! I've had you on the schedule every since you first mentioned it.

 

[Jim]

It looks like there will be a transition from “Building a Small RV Park” to “Running a Small RV Park”. ? The funny thing is, I got so involved in the build that I missed the part that I have never actually “run” an RV Park. And without any previous experience in that area, I don’t know what I don’t know. Turns out, there are some interesting things that happen, almost daily.

For instance, last week Trish and I returned from town to find an older, hard ridden Hurricane backed into one of the sites. We had no scheduled guests, so I walked over to see what was up. There was a large metal sunflower welded over the passenger front wheel opening, but I have to admit, it was very nicely painted. (The sunflower that is.) There was a house door, complete with a house screen door, installed on the entrance where the original door had once been. A nice lady came to the door and said that she hopes I don’t mind her backing in but there was no one to talk to and that she would move if I wanted her to.

We talked a bit, and it turns out she was a stage 4 cancer survivor. As she was beating the cancer, the drugs she was taking gave her a skin disease and she had to stay wrapped up when she is outside. She had been staying at the campground up the road, but the people there were mean to her and kept asking her to leave. I thought she was going to cry.

Long story short, we told her she could stay a few days and asked her to move into one of the sites that were not on the rent list yet. We dropped the normal fees and charged her enough to cover the power. I have to admit, the condition of the motor home had concerned me, and I kept wondering what I was going to do if the slides refused to come back in or the awning acted up. I have no experience with that kind of repair, and I had these images of the RV sitting there for a month while we looked for someone to fix it. But everything worked as it should, and on the agreed upon day, she thanked us and headed out.

Anyhow, it all ended well, and we feel we paid it forward a bit that day.

Remember the adage of “be careful what you ask for?” Well we have several ads running and we've been watching for new reservations, kind of like when you first invest in the stock market and spend every day watching to see what it does. There was an occasional booking, mostly in the distant future, but we were getting a bit discouraged that nothing was happening for the 4th. Trish had spent a bunch of time decorating the park with lots of 4 of July stuff but nobody was showing up to see it. Understandably, she was disappointed.

And then this morning, all hell broke loose. People who were hoping to find a campsite up the road found that everything was booked, and they showed up here. The phone started ringing and the booking gods started throwing reservations at us. We quickly realized we were not prepared as well as we thought, and we were scrambling. Case in point, one fellow called, and I booked him over the phone. I normally refer people to book online from our website, and let the booking software monitor the number of guests, children, pets, etc. But when this guy called, he was not able to get to the website, so I handled it over the phone.

I count on the website to qualify the guests and calculate the fees but doing it on phone I forgot to ask about the total number of guests, assuming it was just he and his wife. Nope, far from it. They have 8 kids as well. EIGHT! To late to change it now. They are nice enough people but I kind of feel he took advantage by not disclosing this little fact. It was humorous in a way, Trish went over to say Hi, and the kids started coming out, one at a time, until there was a small village standing around.

So yeah, building one and running one are two completely different animals.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Bless you, Brother @Jim; you and Trish are what we call “good folks.” I think it is normal to have a few glitches early on in any endeavor, though the two examples you cited were both interesting and humorous. You didn’t mention how Rex and Ryker are handling this new adventure, but they may be pretty worn out from chasing those 8 kids.

Keep up the good work!

TJ

 

[MapNerd]

Don’t be too hard on yourself @Jim. Your park in a half functional state is already better than most in their fully functional state and god bless you for putting values before business in the case of that unexpected guest. While I understand it, I’m not a fan of the 10-year rule. Being poor isn’t a crime and it doesn’t make someone a bad person. I don’t like to see those folks excluded from the wholesome and enriching environments that they often so desperately need.
In the future when you take a booking by phone, maybe just go to the website and book em yourself on their behalf. That should make sure all the right questions are asked and you get all the info you need.