RV Resources - Chickery's Travels

Patrick AFB FamCamp (Cocoa Beach, Florida)

Manatee Cove, the Patrick AFB FamCamp, offers military veterans an unparalleled camping experience. This gem of a campground is in a prime location on the Banana River, just a hop and skip away from Atlantic Ocean beaches. Plus, there’s always something to do on the renowned Space Coast! So, let’s dive into the top reasons why military veterans should plan their next camping adventure at Manatee Cove.

Full Hook-Up Campsites

Manatee Cove offers 156 full-hookup sites (electricity, water, and sewer) and a wide range of amenities to cater to the diverse needs of its campers. There’s something for every kind of camper: RV sites or tent sites.

The nightly rate varies by season and they even have a monthly rate if you’d like to save money. You can even choose to pay a little extra for a site with an incredible view of the waterfront!

Right after the turn for the office, is the new section of the campground. The older sites are all gravel, but there are many paved sites in the new section when you pass the office. However, there is no shade and many of the neighboring sewer connections are extremely close to the adjacent patios.

Campground Amenities

When you camp at Manatee Cove, you’ll have access to the following facilities:

Clean restrooms and showers
Laundry facilities
Community Center with free Wi-Fi
Two dog runs

These modern and well-maintained facilities ensure an enjoyable and comfortable camping experience for all campers.

Waterfront Walking Paths, Dining Facility, and Outdoor Recreation

This spectacular campground is nestled along the serene Banana River, with an opportunity to marvel at some of the most beautiful sunsets you’ll ever see.

One of my favorite parts of the campground is its accessibility to two walking paths. Every morning I walked along the one at the edge of the camp. The other begins right after Chevron Park and is a paved path that leads to Dining Facility and Outdoor Recreation.

Retirees can eat at the Dining Facility and it has a screened veranda overlooking the water. We rode our bikes over to the Dining Facility a couple of days a week for a bargain-priced waterfront dinner.

Be sure to check out Outdoor Recreation while you’re at Patrick. They rent bicycles both regular and elliptical bikes, as well as boats, kayaks, fishing gear, and stand-up paddle boards. You can rent items by the hour, day, or weekend to use over at the FamCamp.

Base Marina and Beach House

Finally, in addition to all the usual amenities of an Air Force base, there are two that stand out. First is the Marina over by the south gate, which has live music every weekend. They also offer sailing lessons and boat rentals. Next, is the Beach House and base beach. Directly across A1A from the east gate, it has food, beach rental items, and live music to enjoy right on the beach.

Access to Atlantic Ocean Beaches

And speaking of beaches, drive north or south on A1A and you’ll have access to all the stunning beaches of the Atlantic Ocean just a short distance away. Explore the very best of Florida’s coastline by visiting Florida’s famed Cocoa Beach just 15 minutes north of the base. Take a dip in the blue waters, try your luck surfing the waves, soak up the sun on shore, cast a fishing line, or simply relax by the water’s edge. This famous surf spot is home to the impressive Ron Jon Surf Shop and the Florida Surf Museum. There’s something for everyone here, so make sure you take advantage of this amazing location!

Activities on Florida’s Space Coast

We absolutely love all the activities on Florida’s Space Coast! From out-of-this-world fun at the Kennedy Space Center to the Treetop Trek Aerial Adventures at the Brevard Zoo, you are bound to have a great time in the local area.

Reservations

They do not take reservations unless you are on active duty, but as you can see in the video above there are plenty of open spaces in the summertime. However, if you want to stay here for the winter, you need to arrive early in the season. You can stay for up to 179 days at a time, and then you have to leave for 48 hours before returning.

A Note About Arrivals

Before I tell you more about the base and campground amenities, let me explain about your arrival at the base. Patricks has the maze style entry and no size of RV can get through the main gates. Instead, you have to go to the commercial gate off of A1A. If you are coming from I-95, take the Pineda Causeway to A1A and turn left. You’ll see a sign on the right in front of some brown buildings that tells you the commercial gate is the next left. There is a turn lane that you can get into. This is important because the driveway to the gate is not very long and depending on the size of your RV, you may have to wait in this turning lane for someone to open the gate. If you are arriving outside of traditional Mon-Fri duty hours, you will need to call the law enforcement desk at 321-494-2008 to get someone to meet you at the gate.

No Check-ins After Dark

Once you get through the commercial gate, you’ll turn right and drive around the flight line to the FamCamp. There are signs along the way to direct you. If you are arriving at night, you will have to pull into Chevron Park for the night because the campground doesn’t allow check-in after dark.

Camp Host or Office

Continuing on past the park, you will approach the campground. Another important thing to know is that the campground office has very unusual hours. I’d recommend checking the website to verify, but at the time of this posting they were from 9am to 1pm 4 days per week. If you arrive outside that window, you will check with the camp host. When you enter the campground you will see a large area to pull over. The first spaces on either side of the road are camp hosts that rotate duty schedules. There will be a sign indicating which one is on duty. If the sign is not flipped up, you can proceed to the office, which is straight ahead.

Resources

A great source of information for the Patrick AFB campground and others is the website US Military Campgrounds and RV Parks. It provides a wealth of information including which gate to enter the installation, as well as reviews.

We plan to post reviews of all the campgrounds we stay at from now on, so please subscribe to get updates. To see a recent review of the MacDill AFB Campground in Tampa, FL click here.

The Patrick AFB Family Campground is a terrific military RV park for eligible patrons. Close to many activities on the Space Coast, it is a a great place for military families to plan their next camping adventure.

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11:47 am by Julie Chickery

RV Misery Can Be Overcome By The Generosity Of Others

Yesterday the fates collided and everything went wrong at the same time. I had to drive our 44′ fifth wheel for the first time, under less than ideal circumstances. Don’t feel sorry for me, though. This is a cautionary tale and much of this misadventure was my own making. In addition, I encountered some truly amazing people during my ordeal.

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A Series of Unfortunate Events

Procrastination

Yesterday I was rewarded for three years of procrastination while my husband was away on a business trip. You see, we have a 44’ long monster of a fifth wheel RV that we pull with a dually truck. Sean has always been the driver up to this point, with me watching and asking questions, but never doing it myself. I kept thinking I would try it on the next trip… So now that he is out of town, guess what happens?

Loss of Power

The night before last the power to the RV went out. We’re in Florida, and it is August, so it was hot. Luckily we have a generator. I was able to run it until 11pm per the campground rules. After that I was able to get a bit of a cross breeze between the two bedroom windows overnight.

I turned the generator back on in the morning and made it to the RV goods store when it opened in hopes that a new power cord would remedy the problem. It didn’t. Then the generator failed. To recap, we’re in Florida, in August.

And no, we didn’t have a surge protector or electrical management system. Dumb, I know. We do now. You see the damage was caused by a power surge.

No Mobile Repair Technicians

I quickly began calling (and leaving messages) for every mobile RV repair technician in the area. Guess what? Every single one was booked solid or unwilling to go through the security procedures to get onto the military base we’re staying.

This lead me to the realization that the only way this sucker was getting fixed was hitching it up and driving it myself. While terrified at the prospect, I really had no other option, so I began calling service centers to see who could do it. I learned that many could… next month!

The Kindness of Strangers

Finally, at about 3pm, I conveyed my predicament to the office manager of a locally owned RV repair shop who asked when I was looking to bring it in. She put me on the speaker phone with the owner, and at the end of my rope, I tearfully conveyed I was sitting in my truck with my cat and they were my last hope. John Mengler of A1 RV Repair in Malibar, Florida, and an angel in my book, said, “Come on down. I will wait for you.”

A1 RV Repair Business Card

Overcome with relief, I was determined to hook up the behemoth and get it down there pronto. I’ve assisted my husband with the breakdown of our site and hooking up the fifth wheel, but never done it all myself. Not wanting to keep John waiting any longer than necessary, I went to work like a bat out of hell. When it came time to hitch up and roll out, a kind neighbor came over and spotted me. And I was off—driving the beast for the first time!

I arrived at the shop at the time John would normally be locking up, but he went straight to work assessing the problem. Bobbie, the sweetest soul I’ve ever met, took me and my cat under her wing. She offered us both refreshment and helped soothe my frazzled nerves. She even offered me (and my little calico cat) a place to stay the night if John didn’t have the right part to fix our power supply’s transfer switch. However, the change in luck kept going, John did have the part. He stayed and fixed my RV that evening! While John was working on the RV, Bobbie allowed me to accompany her on some errands. We even fed her chickens! It was fun and took my mind off things.

I finally returned to the campground at twilight to attempt to negotiate back into my spot. Naturally, I was having difficulty when a lovely couple who had just arrived that day happened by. I was so grateful that they helped guide me in.

Lessons Learned

I should have learned to hitch up and drive the RV from the start. Instead I let fear, and the belief that my husband would always be around to do it, hold me back. That was a very bad choice on my part.
There are good people in this world! It was quitting time for John and Bobbie when I showed up on their proverbial door step and they both stayed to help a stranger in a bind. There are no words to convey how much their kindness means to me. It restores my faith in humanity at a time when it seems there is so much hate and vitriol around us. I will try to find ways that I can “Pay it Forward.”
Protect your electrical system. The problem was most likely due to a power surge, and we didn’t have a surge protector! We promptly went out and bought the one below and will never plug in without it again!

This is an affiliate link to the EMS unit we purchased and use all the time now. If you purchase using this link, we will get a small commission with no additional cost to you.

11:03 am by Julie Chickery

Dealing with my Biggest Full-Time Travel Struggle, Missing Family While Traveling

A major concern for full-time travelers is missing out on events and time with their extended family. In this article, I’ll share some personal experience with my biggest full-time travel struggle, missing family while traveling.

Extended Family

The extended family wasn’t as much of a factor is our decision to travel full-time because ours in not located in one main geographic location. Having moved a lot as children, then meeting in the military, my husband and I are from different states. Our parents are in Florida and Tennessee. Our siblings are in California, Georgia, North Carolina, and Washington. We figured as full-time travelers, we’d actually see them more than we currently do.

Children

I’m not going to lie to you, this is my greatest full-time struggle. I really miss my boys!

We started our full-time journey our first year as empty nesters. It was perfect timing because traveling saved me from wandering around our large four-bedroom house. It was a little tricky as we had a son in college, but he ended up enjoying visiting us in the RV during his breaks. We have a 44 1/2′ toy hauler, and the garage became his bedroom when he was visiting, complete with a television and bathroom. When our older son was ready to complete an internship, he spent the summer with extended family.

However, I was not fully prepared for how hard it would be not seeing them often. This is really more of an empty nest struggle, than a full-time travel struggle. Even living in the same city, as they began building their adult lives we didn’t see each other as often as I’d like. My oldest son and I even resorted to scheduling weekly hikes. Now we have to find other ways to keep our relationship strong.

Tips for Keeping in Touch

Phone

Obviously, the telephone is a simple way to stay in touch. Now you can use it to go beyond hearing each other’s voices.

Video Chat

We like to video chat with our family with the free iPhone app, FaceTime. If you don’t have iPhone or MacBook, you can also use the free video chat app, Skype. We are very fortunate that we have the technology today to “see” each other regularly.

Text

Texting is a simple way for us to keep up a conversation throughout the day. Anytime something strikes us, we can send a quick message or photo. Sometimes we even send audio chats back and forth.

Family Visits

In the last few months we’ve visited our oldest son in Virginia, Sean’s brother in North Carolina, my parents in Tennessee, and Sean’s parents in Florida. So traveling in the RV really has allowed us to see them more often than we were able to in our previous, busy lives.

We’ve ensured our itinerary over the next year will take us to Texas to see our two younger sons, as well as get us back to Virginia in time for our oldest son’s wedding!

We also include 2 plane tickets per year for each son to come to visit us at a place of their choosing. And when all else fails, I fly to see them!

What the Future Holds

I’m not sure what the future holds, but I don’t think I’ll want to continue full-timing once I have grandchildren. I want to develop close relationships with my grandchildren, so I think we’ll need to slow down our travel even more to spend increased time wherever they live.

2023 Update

Missing my kids never really got easier while we were traveling full-time, but we visited them and they came out to see us as often as possible. When our first grandchild arrived in 2020, we bought a home in near him. We still RV a lot and even bring him with us.

I’d love to hear your suggestions about how you stay close to your grandchildren while full-time traveling! Please let me know how you manage it in the comments below.