Noisy Neighbors...

[KRISTA STANLEY]

I'm going to keep writing while Maya naps! So, we left Disney on Wednesday and we are now parked in a town north of Atlanta called Braselton. Frank got a mini job to justify our Disney trip and he is working a "Drift" car race. I'll take some video later when the race actually starts. So, we are essentially parked on a race track, Road Atlanta, as a matter of fact, and the past couple of days they have been practicing Formula D cars, I believe. They appear to be much smaller than Formula 1 cars- but they are loud. Good thing our A/C is louder, as it completely drowns out the noise of the motors. It really hasn't been bad, most of the racing is done early and there is almost no noise after the sun goes down.
This has been our first taste of "boondocking" although it isn't really, we do have power and water available- we just don't have anywhere to dispose of our waste water. Which brings me to a subject I've been meaning to write about.
When we are at campgrounds, we have had full hook-ups, power, sewer, water, and everthing essentially works just like your house. You can wash dishes, shower and flush at will. But- when there is no sewer hook-up you become much more stingy in the amount of water you can use. Our fresh water tank holds roughly 60 gallons, black (toilet) about 18 gallons and I'm guessing our grey tank is the difference in those 42, maybe- that sounds high. I'll get to my point here in a minute. So, most of this trip there has been very little recycling available to us. What bothers me the most about what we're doing is how disposable we have had to become. I almost never buy paper plates, or single use items, but we have had to use them fairly often simply because the facilities aren't available to us, to do things a better way. I am almost ashamed to admit that I have had to throw away cans and bottles and it absolutely disgusts me. Actually, Fort Wilderness did pick up paper, plastic and aluminum so that was good. The only other thing we could do, is drive around with our recyclables until we find a place, but we have to be conscious of our vehicle weight as well, and let me tell you- stuff adds up quickly. And, frankly you can't just drive around with a 3o' trailer, the way I might in the MINI looking for a recycling center. It's just not an option. So, I am struggling with this. Anyway, my point is- we take a lot of things for granted and when you have to concern yourself with every drop of water, you start to think about things differently, and how you can be more efficient. So, if any of you reading this know something I don't, Please tell me!

[Rich Luhr]

We've encountered the same battle with recycling, and we do haul it around for short periods sometimes. Even if you have to toss some things, keep in mind that you are consuming and wasting much less than most people. Full-time RV'ing is amazingly "green" when you compare it to what it takes to maintain a house in terms of resources, and the wastefulness of typical household appliances and design. It's just that now you are more aware of what you use because there's no room for it to hide in the confines of a travel trailer.