Happy Vegan Campers

Day #18 of Our Epic Trip

11-19-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

Daniel and I spent the day at the camper. We did some chores like laundry and cooking. When living in a camper, sometimes condensation can be an issue. I found some mildew on some of our drawers so Daniel wiped them down with bleach water. We also bought a small dehumidifier which seems to do a decent job. It’s quiet and doesn’t produce heat which is very important in an RV.

Tim, the campground owner, stopped by. He showed us pictures of how he built the campground and his house. He did almost all the work in one year! He built his house entirely by himself except for the concrete pad (his brother helped with that).

Tim also told us of a model train club on the mountain with train tracks which go for 6 miles. It’s privately owned but we hope we get to see that someday.

We enjoyed a beautiful sunset.

View from R and R RV Campground in Dunlap, Tennessee. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers. — Our view from the campground

Stats

Expenses:

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

Miles driven: 0

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:
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#FullTimeTraveling #FullTimeCamping #FullTimeRVing #TravelingtheUS #CamperLife #Tennessee #DunlapTN #DunlapTennessee #RandRRVCampground

Day #17 of Our Epic Trip

11-18-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

We took the boys for a hike on our property. They love being off-leash! We explored areas we haven’t been to yet. We found a couple more old, grown over roads which we plan on turning into trails. It seems humans leave evidence long after their presence because, wherever roads have been put in, no matter how long ago, that area becomes overgrown with thorny brambles like mother nature is holding a grudge.

Site of future passive house in Dunlap, Tennessee. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers. — Love this place

We went to Dunlap, TN and enjoyed music by Jacob Johnson at Sequatchie Valley Brewing Company. It was relaxing and we enjoyed seeing some familiar faces.

Daniel and Kristin enjoying music at Sequatchie Valley Brewing Co in Dunlap, Tennessee. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers. — At Sequatchie Valley Brewing Co

Jacob Johnson playing music at Sequatchie Valley Brewing Co in Dunlap, Tennessee. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers. — Jacob Johnson at Sequatchie Valley Brewing Co.

Dunlop’s downtown area is being developed into a quaint yet vibrant area for shopping and entertainment. We especially liked Dunlap Studio with its neon lights and giant guitar painted on the side of the building. We are so excited to start living here after Our Epic Trip and see and participate in the growth of this great community.

Studio Dunlap in downtown Dunlap, Tennessee. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers. — Downtown Dunlap, TN

Stats

Expenses:

Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $35.10
Camping memberships: $2.68
Food: $37.61

Miles driven: 33.7 (15.6 kWh)

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

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#SequatchieValleyBrewingCompany #DunlapStudio #Tennessee #DunlapTN #DunlapTennessee #FullTimeTraveling #FullTimeCamping #FullTimeRVing #TravelingtheUS #CamperLife

Day #16 of Our Epic Trip

11-17-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

When we bought our property, we were shown something that is suspected to be a civil war era grave. To us, this just made the property more intriguing. Today, we stopped by Historic Pope Cemetery in Dunlap, TN because we have driven by many times and have noticed unusual graves. These are the graves of interest:

Graves at Historic Pope Cemetery in Dunlap, Tennessee. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers. — Graves at Pope Cemetery

You can barely make out the markings on these graves. Nearby is a grave from someone born in 1786. There are also several headstones which look like rocks – just like the possible grave on our property.

Possible grave on private property in Dunlap, Tennessee. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers. — Possible grave on our property

Daniel is still hard at work doing a topographical map. The boys enjoyed helping him.

Daniel taking measurements for future passive house in Dunlap, Tennessee. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers. — Daniel taking measurements

Stats

Expenses:

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

Miles driven: 10.2 (4.4 kWh)

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

Campground Recommendations

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#HistoricPopeCemetery #Graves #Dogs #FullTimeTraveling #FullTimeCamping #FullTimeRVing #TravelingtheUS #CamperLife #WeirdGraves #OldGraves

Days #14-15 of Our Epic Trip

11-15-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

We had a virtual meeting with Mercy For Animals. They have asked Daniel to give presentations to corporations on the benefits of whole food plant based eating. Check out the good work Mercy for Animals is doing including their Transfarmation Project.

11-16-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

Today Daniel went up to the property to work on the topography survey. I stayed at the camper to relax and do laundry, cook, etc. Tim, the campground owner stopped by. I learned that a cool looking building in downtown Dunlap, TN is a recording studio. It’s owned by Cory McCarver, a country singer formerly in the band Confederate Railroad, and he has a song about Dunlap. The video is awesome and shows how beautiful Dunlap is.

Love this song about Dunlap, TN

We also decided to sign up for Thousand Trails which allows us to stay at campgrounds for free. We will update on our opinion of Thousand Trails as we learn more about it.

Stats

Expenses:

Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $70.20
Camping memberships: $2.68
Food: $0

Miles driven: 32.0 (11.4 kWh)

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

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#Tennessee #DunlapTN #DunlapTennessee #MercyForAnimals #CoryMcCarver #FullTimeTraveling #FullTimeCamping #FullTimeRVing #TravelingtheUS #CamperLife

Day #13 of Our Epic Trip

11-14-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

We went to our property but only spent about an hour there. We let both Marcel and Peter off-leash and Peter was so happy. He has a habit of wandering and not always coming when called. However, today he was awesome so he got to be off-leash the whole time.

Kristin, Peter, and Marcel in the mountains in Dunlap, Tennessee. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers. — Relaxing at our property

We also met our mailman, Scott, who called Daniel about a package he needed to deliver (he knew we were staying at Tim’s campground). Instead of putting it in our mailbox, he dropped it off at our campsite. I love small towns. It truly feels like a community here.

We drove to a Mennonite community so Daniel could ask about people looking for work. A man at a general store was not very friendly but did show Daniel a board full of business cards.

This morning, Daniel had talked to the only other camper at our campground, Steve. Steve is also in the process of building a house on property he recently bought. He recommended we check out Sequatchie Valley Brewing Company and talk to Teagen, whose husband has an excavating company. This cute little brewery has live music and fun events. Teagen was delightful and we learned a lot of interesting information about Dunlap. Based on our conversation with Teagen, I joined the facebook group “Dunlap Grapevine” and also learned of Fredonia Fred, a dog who lived in the crook of a switchback road for 13 years and was taken care of by the community. Unfortunately, Fred was hit and killed by a car this past June. I learned there are lots of stray dogs in the area but the county does not have an animal shelter. Overall, I’m excited to start living here because I think I can get involved in my community and make a difference.

Stats

Expenses:

Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $35.10
Food: $64.20

Miles driven: 127.4 (37.3kWh)

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

Campground Recommendations

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#SequatchieValleyBrewingCompany #dogs #FullTimeTraveling #FullTimeCamping #FullTimeRVing #TravelingtheUS #CamperLife

Vegan Cashew Cheese Dip

This is one of my favorite recipes to make for holiday gatherings or parties.

Ingredients:

1 cup raw cashews
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
Pinch of salt
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 cup minced chives or green onions

Directions:

1. Soak cashews in water overnight. Drain and rinse.

2. In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients. Blend until completely smooth. You will likely have to stop and scrape down the sides several times during blending. The goal is to add as little water as possible to aid in blending. The more water you add, the softer the cheese will be.

3. Transfer blended mixture into a bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow to firm up.

4. Serve with assorted crackers, veggies, and nuts.

Tips:

We use a Nutribullet to mix up this recipe.

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#Vegan #VeganCashewDip #CashewDip

Day #12 of Our Epic Trip

11-13-23
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

Daniel spent most of the day up on the property, clearing more brush. We are still trying to figure out the best plan for our house. We want to build an off-grid, passive house which will be net zero. We are talking about building a barndominium but we are having trouble figuring out the placement of it in relation to the driveway and well. We definitely want it on the cliff for the beautiful valley views.

We plan on staying in Dunlap through the end of November. Tim, the campground owner, has made our stay here enjoyable. He’s full of life, knows a lot of people, and can converse on many subjects.

Stats

Expenses:

Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campground: $35.10
Food: $0

Miles driven: 10.2 (4.7 kWh)

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

Campground Recommendations

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#PassiveHouse #Tennessee #DunlapTN #FullTimeTraveling #FullTimeCamping #FullTimeRVing #TravelingtheUS #CamperLife

Day #11 of Our Epic Trip

11-12-23
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

We had a lazy morning of doing laundry and some cooking. Marcel definitely needs some exercise to expend his puppy energy.

Marcel relaxing at R and R RV Campground in Dunlap, Tennessee. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers. — Marcel resting

We went to Walmart for some groceries and odds and ends. Walmart is the only major store in Dunlap besides a Walgreens. We just love interacting with the locals – people are so nice here.

We went up to our property and explored. We have 36.4 acres and have only explored a small part of it. The property has some history of coal mining and we suspect logging. There are some overgrown roads on the property, one of which will make for a nice trail down to a stream.

Tim, the campground owner, came up to our property with his weed whacker to clear some weeds so Daniel can make a topographical map of the area where we plan on building the house. It was nice to share our slice of heaven with someone else.

View from future passive house in Dunlap, Tennessee. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers. — View from our property

Marcel is so good about staying with us when he is off leash. It’s so fun to see him run around and enjoy his freedom.

Marcel having fun in Dunlap, Tennessee. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers. — Marcel enjoying exploring our property

Stats

Expenses:

Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $35.10
Food: $47.33

Miles driven: 27.9 (11 kWh)

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

Campground Recommendations

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

Day #10 of Our Epic Trip

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

Daniel went up to our property, threw some more rocks off of the road and started to measure and stake where we are going to build our house. I stayed at the camper to wash the bedding and finish some work on my computer. Our clothes washer is small so it took me several hours of washing one sheet or blanket at a time. It certainly would be quicker to go to a laundromat but I’ve come to realize I’m a little bit of a germophobe.

The campground has a cow pasture right next door. The campground owner, Tim, feeds the cows treats every morning so they are very friendly. I also meet the neighbor dog, Dreka, who stopped by to check us out. She was a little skittish with me and I found out she has a bad leg because she was hit by a car when she was younger.

Cute visitor at R and R RV Campground in Dunlap, Tennessee. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers. — Dreka, the neighbor dog

We have been playing Atlas Earth and have really enjoyed it. You can buy virtual property in the game so we bought some on our real life property. You actually earn “rent” on the properties you buy. Daniel and I haven’t spent any real money to buy virtual property because you can get free “Atlas Bucks” to buy virtual property by watching ads every 20 minutes. We have both cashed out $35 since we started playing in June 2023. We cash out with Amazon gift cards.

Stats

Expenses:

◦ Tow vehicle fuel: $0

◦ Campsite: $35.10

◦ Food: $0

Miles driven: 19.4 (8.2 kWh)

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

Campground Recommendations

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#Dogs #Tennessee #DunlapTN #FullTimeTraveling #FullTimeCamping #FullTimeRVing #TravelingtheUS #CamperLife

Days #8-9 of Our Epic Trip

11-9-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

Daniel went up the mountain to use the jack hammer on a few more of the big rocks on the road before we had to return the jack hammer to the equipment rental store. After returning it, we stopped at a super charger and then Petsmart. Peter hasn’t been eating well so I wanted to get him some canned food (Natural Balance Vegetarian is actually vegan). He’s very sensitive and tends to get upset easily so I think he’s just struggling with leaving Grandpa and Grandma’s house. He also isn’t fond of riding in the car so the drive to Tennessee was probably hard on him.

11-10-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

We both had to do some “work” stuff. I need to renew my audiology license and Daniel is reviewing material for the exam to become board certified in lifestyle medicine. While we are both retired from clinical practice, I will be doing some consulting work and Daniel wants to continue giving presentations on the benefits of a whole food, plant-based (WFPB) diet. He has been approached by a national group to discuss the benefits of WFPB with corporations.

We decided to end our day with a trip up to our property. I checked out our waterfalls since it rained last night. They are flowing better but they are still just trickling. Daniel checked the function of our well and ran the water for a while using the battery in the Tesla. Then we walked to Yellow Cliff where there is an excellent view of the valley. We plan on going to Yellow Cliff a lot when we live here since it’s just up the road from our property. We also finally got to see the valley after dark with the lights of Dunlap twinkling.

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

Stats

Expenses:

Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $70.20 (for 2 days)
Food: $0

Miles driven: 114.9 (37.3 kWh)

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

Campground Recommendations

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#Tennessee #DunlapTN #FullTimeTraveling #FullTimeCamping #FullTimeRVing #TravelingtheUS #CamperLife #VeganLife #RetiredLife #FIRELife

11-19-2023R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

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11-15-2023R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

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11-14-2023R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

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11-13-23R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

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11-12-23R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

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

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11-9-2023R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

11-10-2023R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

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11-19-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

11-18-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

11-17-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

11-15-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

11-16-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

11-14-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

11-13-23
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

11-12-23
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

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

11-9-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee

11-10-2023
R and R RV Campground, Dunlap, Tennessee