Happy Vegan Campers

Day #27 of Our Epic Trip

11-28-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

It was really cold last night and we forgot to leave a faucet dripping. So at 3:30am, Daniel was outside with a space heater and a blow dryer to unfreeze our pipes. It’s a good thing we are leaving in a few days. Daniel said we’re supposed to be chasing good weather not running from bad weather. Soon enough that will be the case.

We started the day with laundry, a Walmart run, and a trip up to our property. We finally put stakes in the ground and marked out a 60×80 space. It’s a lot fun envisioning what the house will look like and how we’ll utilize the space. I’m already planning for the outdoor spaces. With the building staked out, Daniel was able to submit a request for septic approval.

Future site of passive house in Dunlap, Tennessee. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers.

Stats

Expenses:

Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $35.10
Camping Memberships: $3.73
Food: $0

Miles driven: 30.3 (13.6 kWh)

Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 0

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Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send us an email:
happyvegancampers@gmail.com

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#FrozenCamperPipes #FullTimeTraveling #FullTimeCamping #FullTimeRVing #TravelingtheUS #CamperLife

Day #26 of Our Epic Trip

11-27-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

Daniel took the board exam for lifestyle medicine today. He said it was harder than he thought it would be but he feels so good to be done with it. The American College of Lifestyle Medicine has great information for patients.

I stayed home to clean the camper and relax. We are leaving Dunlap in four days. We’re going south to spend the holidays in Florida with Daniel’s family.

Stats

Expenses:

Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $40.95
Camping Memberships: $3.73
Food: $0

Miles driven: 101.3 (34.7 kWh)

Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 0

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#LifestyleMedicine #ACLM #FullTimeTraveling #FullTimeCamping #FullTimeRVing #TravelingtheUS #CamperLife

Day #25 of Our Epic Trip

11-26-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

Like true morbid weirdos, we went to look at the house of the guy we bought our property from… the house where he recently killed his wife. It’s on the bluff just a couple miles from our property.

House where murder was committed. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers. — The living room

The house has a beautiful view and is reasonably priced although it is being sold “as is” in an auction. It has a lot of neat features including a trapdoor leading to space under the house in one of the bedrooms. Most of the belongings in the house are also being auctioned off. There are some beautiful tables made of slabs of wood which we think this guy made himself. There are also a lot of train memorabilia items. They grew grapes and made their own wine – the wine is actually being auctioned off. The property is just under 2 acres but they had a garden and golfing area. It looks like they were into homesteading with items for canning and making personal care items, although some sleuthing on her Facebook page revealed she sold the personal care products she made. And there were so many gas cans, enough to run a generator for a very long time.

We know what they did on our property – they grew vegetables and tried to homestead. We know where they planned on building a house – same area we plan on building a house. We heard that they seemed like the perfect couple, that they had the type of relationship you tried to emulate. It’s hard to fathom what happened but we can only assume this man’s murder of his wife was a crime of passion.

Stats

Expenses:

Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $40.95
Camping Memberships: $3.73
Food: $0

Miles driven: 24.6 (11.2 kWh)

Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 0

Campground Recommendations

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#MurderHouse #Tennessee #DunlapTN #DunlapTennessee #FullTimeTraveling #FullTimeCamping #FullTimeRVing #TravelingtheUS #CamperLife

Day #24 of Our Epic Trip

11-25-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

We decided to have a lazy day at the camper. We’re retired so any day can be a lazy day for us but for some reason we still appreciate weekends.

The boys, Peter and Marcel, are so stinkin’ cute! Marcel likes to cuddle up to Peter. In fact, Marcel is definitely the annoying little brother that Peter used to be to our other dogs who have since passed.

Peter and Marcel cuddling. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers. — Our cute boys!

The highlight of our day was getting 28 pounds of dried chickpeas at Walmart. I love making food from scratch and dried beans taste so much better than canned beans. Cooking dried beans is so easy too!

Stats

Expenses:

Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $35.10
Camping memberships: $3.73
Food: $108.82

Miles driven: 14.2 (4.2 kWh)

Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 0

Campground Recommendations

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#dogs #Tennessee #DunlapTN #DunlapTennessee #FullTimeTraveling #FullTimeCamping #FullTimeRVing #TravelingtheUS #CamperLife

Day #23 of Our Epic Trip

11-24-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

Today we went to Tennessee Tree Toppers Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club. We learned the Sequatchie Valley is the Hang Gliding and Paragliding Capital of the East. There is a coffee shop next door, Cloudbase Cafe, which does pour-over coffee – our favorite way to make coffee. We did not get coffee there as there was no one manning the counter.

We met a long time Tennessee Tree Toppers club member, Mark, who was very informative and so very nice. We felt very welcomed. Daniel used to hang glide and I could see his eyes light up as he talked with Mark about paragliding. Ultimately, Daniel probably won’t fly again as it is dangerous and he has moved on to other hobbies.

Daniel and Mark of Tennessee Tree Toppers in Dunlap, Tennessee. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers. — Daniel talking with Mark

Daniel at Tennessee Tree Toppers' hang gliding launch. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers. — Hang gliding ramp

Sequatchie Valley sign at Tennessee Tree Toppers in Dunlap, Tennessee. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers.

We did find out a little bit of gossip about the coffee shop next door to Tennessee Tree Toppers. It is a part of another paragliding group and there seems to be some bad blood between the two groups. Our experience was that the folks at Tennessee Tree Toppers were much more friendly than the other group.

We decided to explore a little and drove to Summer City, which wasn’t much of a city, and then to our property. We walked up to Yellow Cliff and met some locals, both Dunlap-born. They were very nice and offered us a ride in the back of their pick-up but we decided to walk.

View from Yellow Cliff in Dunlap, Tennessee. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers. — View from Yellow Cliff

Stats

Expenses:

Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $35.10
Camping Memberships: $3.73
Food: $0

Miles driven: 74.8 (22.7 kWh)

Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 1

Campground Recommendations

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#TennesseeTreeToppers #Paragliding #HangGliding #YellowCliff #DunlapTN #Tennessee #DunlapTennessee #SequatchieValley #FullTimeTraveling #FullTimeCamping #FullTimeRVing #TravelingtheUS #CamperLife

Day #22 of Our Epic Trip

11-23-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

It’s Thanksgiving and our first holiday on the road. We were lucky enough to share our meal with Tim, the owner of the campground. It was awesome to have Thanksgiving outside – something neither of us have ever experienced. Tim also showed us his house. It’s about 600 sf and he built it himself. His house is very nice (he even built a platform for his lazy-boy so he could see the campground better – it’s like a throne!). Tim is full of info and we enjoy spending time with him. We feel lucky to count him as a new friend.

Thanksgiving with friend at R and R RV Campground in Dunlap, Tennessee. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers. — Our Thanksgiving

We were blessed with a “moon-bow”, as Daniel refers to it, or lunar halo (the term I learned by googling).

Lunar halo at campsite at R and R RV Campground in Dunlap, Tennessee. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers. — Moon-bow

Stats

Expenses:

Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $35.10
Camping Memberships: $3.73
Food: $0

Miles driven: 0

Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 0

Campground Recommendations

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#VeganThanksgiving #NewFriends #Tennessee #DunlapTN #DunlapTennessee #FullTimeTraveling #FullTimeCamping #FullTimeRVing #TravelingtheUS #CamperLife

Day #21 of Our Epic Trip

11-22-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

Daniel and I planned our menu for Thanksgiving – nothing fancy since will be just the two of us.

We went to Tim’s brother’s house to have a tour of a barndominium. He designed and built most of the house himself. It was neat to be in a space similar to what we are planning but we both felt that the building might be too big for our needs.

Then we braved Walmart (“Walmarts” if you’re talking to Daniel) to get a few last minute items for Thanksgiving. It wasn’t as busy as we thought it would be.

We purchased a camping membership, Resort Parks International (RPI), which gives us a discount on camping at participating campgrounds. Since Thousand Trails mostly has campgrounds on the coasts, we needed options for less expensive camping in central states. RPI is purchased through campgrounds so Daniel called several and the prices ranged from $4000+ to the option we chose. We purchased our RPI through Big Buck Resort and Campground in Tennessee for $362.25.

We also purchased another camping membership, Passport America, which gives us half off the regular camping fee at participating campgrounds. It was only $22 with a Black Friday deal so it was a no brainer for us.

Stats

Expenses:

Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $35.10
Camping Memberships: $3.73
Food: $8.90

Miles driven: 42 (17.5 kWh)

Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 0

Campground Recommendations

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Day #20 of Our Epic Trip

11-21-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

It rained all last night so we made coffee and went up to our property. Daniel wanted to see how the road was draining and I wanted to see our waterfalls. Apparently, there has been a drought in this area for some time. A lot of the streams are seasonal but the one on our property continuously trickles. Our lower waterfall is still only trickling. It seems water from the upper waterfall disappears into the ground and doesn’t make it to the lower waterfall.

Sound on!

Peter and Marcel had so much fun running around in the rain and they got so dirty! I’m sure it was worth it but they did not like being bathed when we got back to the camper.

Peter dirty after playing in mud in Dunlap, Tennessee. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers. — Peter is covered in dirt.

Dan, an excavator, came to look at the house site to give us a quote on a septic field, site pad, fixing the road, etc. He’s a very nice guy and we look forward to potentially doing business with him.

We found out today that the man we purchased our property from recently shot and killed his wife. Motive is unknown at this point. This is shocking news to us because we spent several hours with him walking around the property before we bought it. Our impression was that he was aloof but we never suspected something like this. And… he pointed out the possible grave on our property. Hmmm… He said it was possible civil war era but now we’re wondering.

Stats

Expenses:

Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $35.10
Camping memberships: $2.68
Food: $0

Miles driven: 10.2 (4.3 kWh)

Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 0

Campground Recommendations

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#dogs #waterfalls #Tennessee #DunlapTN #DunlapTennessee #FullTimeTraveling #FullTimeCamping #FullTimeRVing #TravelingtheUS #CamperLife

Day #19 of Our Epic Trip

11-20-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

We like listening to podcasts and one of our favorites is Morbid. We follow Morbid on Amazon Music but you can listen wherever you access podcasts. The most recent episode we’ve listened to is pretty interesting but, spoiler alert, it’s probably a hoax.

Morbid Episode 182 “The Dybbuk Box”

We drove up some mountain roads including the road that the dog, Fredonia Fred, used to live on. There is a memorial for him. It looks like he was well loved by the community. Here’s an article about him: Fredonia Fred

Then we drove into Chattanooga. Daniel wanted to check on the location of his upcoming test. We stopped at Mellow Mushroom for vegan pizza. We don’t usually eat greasy foods but once in a while we’ll eat something like pizza. It was really good!

Tim, the campground owner, came to see us when we got home. He invited us to tour his brother’s house, a barndominium. We are excited to visit and “feel” the space.

Stats

Expenses:

Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $35.10
Camping memberships: $3.67
Food: $78.34

Miles driven: 142.4 (39.8 kWh)

Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 0

Campground Recommendations

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#MorbidPodcast #FullTimeTraveling #FullTimeCamping #FullTimeRVing #TravelingtheUS #CamperLife

Penne and Chickpeas with Spinach (vegan, WFPB)

Happy Vegan Campers recipe penne and chickpeas with spinach

This is an easy recipe and it tastes so good. It’s one of our new favorites.

Ingredients:

8 to 12 ounces uncooked penne

¼ cup water

5 garlic cloves, minced

9 to 12 ounces baby spinach, coarsely chopped

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ cup vegetable broth

3 cups cooked chickpeas or 2 (15.5-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

½ teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon ground fennel seeds (optional)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Cook the penne in a large pot of boiling water, stirring occasionally, until it is tender, about 10 minutes.

2. While the pasta is cooking, heat the water in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, spinach, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until the spinach is wilted, about 4 minutes. Add the broth, chickpeas, basil, fennel seeds (if using) and salt and pepper to taste, and cook for 2 minutes longer to blend the flavors. Keep warm over low heat.

3. Drain the cooked pasta and return it to the pot. Add the spinach mixture and toss to combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. Serve hot.

Tips: Use your favorite greens instead of spinach. Sprinkle with pine nuts or walnut pieces for extra flavor and a little crunch.

Adapted from One Dish Vegan by Robin Robertson

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11-28-2023R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

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11-21-2023R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

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11-20-2023R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

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11-28-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

11-27-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

11-26-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

11-25-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

11-24-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

11-23-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

11-22-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

11-21-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

11-20-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee