Hi there! Come along with me as I walk through the RV park here at Sunshine Key. I’ll show you around.
We have 400 campsites here! So there’s lots for us to ogle as we walk along the rows and imagine life in all these RVs.
The Fancy Ones
All RV parks in the Keys are expensive, oo it’s no surprise that there are more than the usual amount of very fancy RVs here. Heck, where we like to camp, the usual amount of fancy RVs is zero. Here, it seems as though everyone in the U.S. who owns a big one has come to the Keys for the winter.
These you can tell are especially fancy because of the double axles at the rear. That means they’re carrying weight, like, maybe a marble bathtub? I’m serious. And check out that the entire side of the one above slides out to create more room inside. For more marble!
Even the woman who checked us in commented how many $800,000 motor homes are here this year. It’s the thing.
And if you’ve got a fifth-wheel travel trailer that needs a tow vehicle, why not tow it with one of these? There are at least two of these tractor-trailer trucks here in the RV park. Young Elliot, whom I met one evening, said that his dad’s sleeps three in the back with bunk beds.
The Small Ones
I‘m guessing there are five small trailers in the park right now, out of 400 spots. I took a photo of the smallest.
This kind has an outdoor kitchen that folds down from the back side. It’s clever! Not as clever as the Nest, below, made by Airstream (briefly). It’s a space pod.
What’s noteworthy about this little Airstream Bambi, below, is the way they’ve used their oceanside campsite. There are huge Class A motor homes hemming it in on both sides, but this little Bambi eschewed the traditional “back into the site” route and instead somehow got pushed front-first right to the edge of the site so that their big front-view window looks out at the ocean.
I’m totally laughing at the fact that the rest of their site is taken up with several extensions of their sewer hose, since they parked the trailer so far from the dump valve. I’m sure their neighbors aren’t thrilled with that. But imagine the view from inside.
The Odd Ones
Note I crossed out the S above; there is only one odd RV here right now. It’s a converted bus, and it looks like it could be loads of fun.
The Rentals
Would you rather stay in a hotel suite or a rental RV? The prices look to be about the same here.
Would you find this exotic? Cramped? Fabulous because you can step right outside and walk to a beach? I’m seeing more and more campgrounds offering this option these days, as everyone wants to camp but RVs are in short supply.
The Built-in Deck
Here’s a model we’ve seen at other campgrounds, and I really admire it. This one is parked across from us so I can appreciate it up close: it has its own deck built in.
When it rains, they just lift up that deck to close up the fourth wall to the trailer, and when the sun comes out, back out comes the deck. Party time any time, even when you don’t have a enough land right around your trailer for a proper rug and chairs. There’s one parked at an oceanfront site (I didn’t get a picture), and those smart people don’t even have to step out of their trailer to sit and enjoy the ocean view and the breeze.
The Porches
You can carry your detached porch with you, too. As we’ve been walking around, maybe you’ve noticed the variety of pop-up tents, temporary porches, and tiki huts beside many trailers.
I’m partial to the ones with a portable bar in them.
This one looks permanent; the trailer just pulls up real close beside it, and they lower a gangplank across.
People decorate their yards with all kinds of flags, twirly spinning things, and signs. I love these fish made from coconuts.
I don’t love the enthusiastic signs. They’re all a variation on two themes:
- Carpe Diem:
One life. Live it.
Livin’ the Dream
Livin’ It Up
2. We love this place:
Welcome to Paradise
Paradise Found
Paradise is only a margarita away.
I’m with you, there, buddy. We are indeed alive in a tropical location. I don’t need to read it on a sign to know that, though.
The Classic
This beauty is the best in the park, don’t you agree?
It’s got three axles (one’s hidden by the electric post in this picture) so that means it was built by Airstream in the early 1980s and is maybe 34 feet long (the longest Airstream ever made). You can tell by the shine that this one’s in pristine shape.
Wait! What beautiful trailer might this be?
Why, it’s the famous Firefly, home of Tracy and Shelly!
Here we end our tour. Thanks for coming along!
This blog was so much fun! These are the classiest Rvs Ive seen thus far! I love the adorable tiny one. That is my size! It doesnt look too carmped to me. especially since the beach is so near by and simple to get to. Its worth the money.
I wish you were here to walk out to the beach with me!
I have never fully gotten past my dyslexia–thus the carmped comment!
Suddenly it seems we are getting somewhere…, RV park at Sunshine Key. I really love this blog entry as its brings the feeling about what campsites are all about, and the best part is that you are doing the most of it!
Love
-Li
Li, you might like this post that gives you another view on this lifestyle:
https://www.goingdowntheroadfeelinggrand.com/blog/2020/09/17/come-along-for-a-travel-day/
Shelly, I really enjoyed reading this entry. (Actually, I’ve enjoyed all of them, but I’m too lazy to respond often!) Larry and I went to an RV show in Richmond one time and had a ball looking at all the huge fancy RVs.
Several questions–Do all these wealthy RV owners have quiet, respectful children and grandchildren? Oh, and dogs?
Are there any political signs or banners?
I’m thinking a lot of the big RVs are older people without any family here. There are two RVs beside us that are related: one with the grandparents, and one with the parents (my age) and three young adult daughters. No dogs, amazingly.
The dogs here are mostly on leash due to restrictions, and the kids are in and out quickly, since they seem to come with the less expensive RVs that stay shorter periods.
And political signs and flags are all banned, thank goodness! You’re allowed only geographic flags and sports flags, just like at that 55+ RV park. That improves the vibe tremendously!
We’ve watched Stu and Caryl over the years upgrade their RVs. For many, these are now their new home, just as yours is. You and Tracy have been happy with yours, but many couples want more space to spread out. Hence the mansions!
I’d love to investigate the keys more. Drove down with my mom one year to Key West, and really enjoyed it. Wouldn’t want to be there from July-November! 😏
I guess we’re lucky we like to spend as much time as we can outside the RV, which makes the inside space less important.
I’m looking forward to coming back after the pandemic. Maybe we’ll meet you guys here!
Firefly…home of Tracy, Shelly AND Banjo! I do love that Gulf stream….
Those big ones must have so much space! I’ve gone through a few horse ones of that size and even with 3 horses at the back there is a huge amount of space for the people up front! One even had a small chandelier. No idea how much they are here, way more than there for sure. As my dad used to say “if you have to ask you can’t afford it”.
The same thing is happening with camper vans/camping here over summer. Usually a large proportion of the population is overseas travelling or living (5 million at home, 1 million overseas) and now that they’re stuck here and moving back in large numbers anything to do with getting out and about is way over subscribed! I had a hell of a time finding spare tent pegs and guy lines last week, I think 1/2 the country must be out camping.
I had no idea so many New Zealand went abroad! And how odd that the same exact thing is happening there. Bikes and kayaks, etc. are all dear here, too.
Yeah, it’s a bit of a traveller’s joke about there being at least one Australian wherever you go because they travel like Kiwis, there’s just more of them than of us. A big thing is what they call ‘the big OE’ which is an overseas experience. People leave in their early 20s, work in the U.K. for a year or two (pubs are traditional), travel to Europe, and then make their way back to NZ. Lots stay of course and often come back when they have kids, and some never come back like my parents! But with Covid and losing jobs and not feeling safe they are flooding back in, it’s quite a dramatic shift in population movement!
And is your government okay with them coming in now?
Here we call that your year abroad, although I think only rich kids take that?
What a cool tour of diverse and creative RV’s. As we don’t RV, we’d probably not see them in their natural habitats.