Will I have to cancel my next camping trip??

What happens when you have to schedule some repair work for your RV or travel trailer? You might have to cancel or reschedule trips! That also means feeling bummed… which is past sad but not quite as far as devastated.

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That’s exactly what happened to me recently when I brought in my trailer for a slide-out repair. The idea of cancelling an upcoming trip was becoming more and more of a reality with every passing day. I mean, with the supply chain issues and yada, yada, yada, I was almost sure the trip was a bust. The story goes like this… I dropped off my trailer at a repair shop one day, a shop that shall go unnamed, and even though I had an appointment, it basically sat in their lot for two weeks! TWO WEEKS!!!

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They hadn’t even looked at it for 10 business days. So yeah, I was 62% upset and 79% disappointed. But then I found another repair shop, that shall be named (Southern RV Repair in Quincy, FL), that just felt right so I took a chance. Could my upcoming trip still happen??

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On the same day I picked up the trailer from shop #1, I dropped it off at shop #2, fingers crossed the work could be done in time for me to still go on the planned adventure. To spoil the story, I’ll just say it this way… Southern RV Repair is now shop #1 and that other shop isn’t even on my list anymore. Advice to anyone in this situation is very simple.

1. Pray

2. Find a reliable tech

Because of the miracle workers at Southern RV, I won’t have to cancel my trip after all!

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This is huge news because the next multi-day availability at this park was waaaayyyy into 2023. Sad day, right? But it’s NOT a sad day because I kept my reservation and now I’m pumped… which is past happy and teetering on the outskirts of cloud 9. 

Thanks for dropping in…

-Out of the Wilderness

10 Great Elvis Presley Songs You May Not Have Heard Before

I’m sure there are a million lists out there ranking the best Elvis Presley songs. We all know the truth, beauty is in the eye of the beholder… so my favorite (“An American Trilogy”) might not be yours (because you’re just crazy?). But for today’s post, I’ve put together a list of Elvis songs you may not have heard before. Well, maybe you HAVE heard them. If so, lucky you! I don’t remember them before I became a big Elvis fan over a decade ago. I guess I’d call them “lesser known songs” but they were probably just lesser known to me. Anyway, I became a fan and have since come to appreciate so much of his music. A lot of the exposure came by way of the Elvis Channel on SiriusXM, so obviously that’s my first preset station in my truck. Poor button is getting worn out! 😉

Take a listen, and enjoy these great songs… 

Love Letters…

Wooden Heart…

Crying in the Chapel…

Just Pretend…

Heart of Rome…

Trying to Get to You…

Are You Lonesome Tonight (Laughing version)…

Blue Eyes Crying In the Rain…

Blueberry Hill…

Long Black Limousine…

Thank ya, thank ya very much… for dropping in!

-Out of the Wilderness

The Unforgettable Movie Trailer – Smile

The previews have all played and the lights come down for the feature presentation. You probably know the excitement of that moment, right? For the next hour or two, we’ll be immersed in a story that makes us feel happy, sad, excited, scared, angry, or confused (Inception, anyone?). I remember one of these occasions and because I love getting to the theater early to watch the trailers, I saw every one of them. Then the auditorium got even a little darker and the movie started. The first scene was a bank robbery and I remember vividly thinking, “This is an interesting way to start the movie.” I think I was there to see a rom-com, to be honest. I was a little confused why they would start with a bank robbery but I was “all in” anyway. A few minutes into it, my mind was blown when Joker appeared on screen! What was happening??? Was I in the wrong theater!? Nope. Nope, I wasn’t. What I was watching was a very clever advertisement for the upcoming Batman film. Instead of a trailer, they just showed a scene from the movie. I’ll never forget that because of it’s simple originality. And you bet your Dusty buns I went to watch Batman when it came out a few months later!

Well, something similar happened again when I went to watch Top Gun: Maverick. Two movies in two days (the first was Elvis), so I saw a lot of movie previews. This time, I wasn’t tricked into thinking the featured movie was starting but the trailer was so odd, random, and mind-boggling that I rank it right up there with the Batman experience from a few years earlier. Soon after I got home I watched the full trailer because I just had to know what the movie was all about. The movie is called Smile and the trailer’s below. Who knew a smile could be so dang creepy? You can bet your hot dog buns I’ll be watching this movie.

Thanks for dropping in…

-Out of the Wilderness

Paddleboarding in the Ocean

I don’t know if I’m crazy or psycho. The truth is, there’s always a secret third option— nuts. That’s me and it definitely applies in this particular instance… paddleboarding. I prefer it over kayaking, although when I camp, I bring a kayak. During a recent family vacation, I asked my dad if I could return his boat to the marina and paddleboard back. He was on “board” so that’s what I did. Two miles doesn’t seem like a long way when you’re driving or walking or riding a bike and paddling that distance turned out to be quite a workout. But…

I LOVED IT.

I listened to music part of the way, till my phone got wet and the speaker started to sound like a Fisher Price toy music box. After that, it was just the sound of the birds, wind, and water splashing around me as I floated northwest. Perfect. Totaling 35 minutes from start to finish and although I was in the ocean where almost anything can happen, it was mostly safe. This bay is pretty well protected from wind and waves, and as far as sharks go, they DO swim here but it’s not common to have any issues with them. We see a lot more dolphins than sharks. 

Would I do it again? That’s like asking a president if he’s going to run for reelection. Of course!

Thanks for dropping in…

-Out of the Wilderness

Top Gun – I finally saw it! But who’s Penny?

My dad and I went to watch Top Gun recently and, unlike when we watched the Elvis movie, we had perfect seats! I’m not going to bore you with my opinion on how good it was because you already know it’s great. In fact, I haven’t heard any review in the weeks the movie’s been out that have said anything negative about it. Everyone loves it. We loved it, too. Our only question was this… who is Penny?

Played by Jennifer Connelly, the Penny character was a mystery to me (and yes, I’m now singing the Roy Orbison song), until we looked into it. According to this explanation, Penny was mentioned in the original Top Gun but was never seen on-screen. Here’s a scene…

If I had to pick one thing I didn’t like about Top Gun: Maverick, it’s the Penny character. Was a love interest needed? I don’t believe so. I believe she was included because the relationship she has with Maverick helps the story move along and go deeper. Without her, how would we find out more about Maverick’s relationship with Rooster? He had to tell someone the backstory so I guess a love interest is the best option. So they needed a love interest with some connection to the original movie, and Penny was the only choice. Well, unless they brought Charlie back. I bet they didn’t include her character because no one wants to see a couple who’s been married for 30 years. There’s no newness, no sparks flying. So Penny became a big part of this new movie.

I don’t love the choice, but I get it.

If I had to pick one scene I really liked, that’s really difficult. But one was the end of Maverick’s conversation with Iceman. Iceman asks him who’s still the best pilot. Maverick’s response was perfect.

Did you watch the movie? What stood out to you about the story or the characters? Chime in below!

-Out of the Wilderness