Camping at Walmart

ByDeborah Raney
16 Comments

Last time I told you about the beautiful sites and wonderful adventures we’ve had on our month-long tour of the New England states. This time, I’m going to share the not-so-fun parts of our trip—just so nobody thinks that traveling in a camper is always fun and games and joy, joy, joy.

I’ll start by telling you that we woke up in a Walmart parking lot on Saturday morning. Boondocking in a Walmart has been on our bucket list, but it was not on the schedule this time. I haven’t wanted to share our woes from this trip because: A. We really have had a wonderful time despite numerous camper issues. B. Given all the problems in the world, and especially dear friends who are dealing with the aftermath of the hurricanes, our problems are minor by comparison. C. Camper issues are boring compared to the beauty we’ve seen on our travels.

See us way off to the right-middle of the photo? 🙂

However, we’ve spent most of this trip showering in shower houses, flushing with a jug of water, washing dishes without running water, and wondering what will go wrong next. I started a list of the issues we’ve had and gave up at #11. Everything from waterline leaks to propane issues to a hook falling off the wall. And more! (Turns out nearly all of our issues were due to a bad install of our Aqua-Hot water heater and furnace. Well, not the hook falling off the wall. 😉 )

There were days we prayed, “Lord, are you trying to tell us to turn around and go home?” But we always felt He was saying, “No, keep going.” We were glad. We especially didn’t want to miss a meet-up with our friends, Wayne and Melanie, in New York that we hadn’t seen for three years!

We did get to see them and had a fantastic time. Wayne’s brother even fixed our leaky waterline and refused to let us pay him! But after we left NY, yet another issue reared its head and we spent a couple of chilly nights without heat (except for a little electric heater that kept us alive. 😊 )

Finally, Ken called a reputable RV repair guy in Pennsylvania who’d been highly recommended. Alas, he was totally booked. Ken asked if he’d please call if by chance he had a cancellation. Wonder of wonders, he did—and on just the right day that we could spend the night plugged in behind his shop, get the camper in the next morning, and not mess up the rest of our campground reservations! (Thank you, Jesus!)

A couple from Illinois just happened to be spending the night there too for the same reason. We visited around Mike and Diane’s little Solo stove in the parking lot that night and spent 12 hours in the waiting room with them on Friday. By the time we both left with working vans, we were friends.

Huge kudos to Nick and crew at Northeast RV in Beavertown, PA! They were awesome! Our next campground reservation was four hours away and we didn’t want to check in after dark, so we drove 30 miles, camped at Walmart, and by Saturday night, we were back on schedule—and showering in the camper.

Sunday morning we made hot drinks for the road and left Shenandoah National Park before sunrise. We drove the stunning Skyline Drive until the sun began to peek over the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Then we pulled in to an overlook, opened the doors of the camper, cooked oatmeal, toasted English muffins, and watched a breathtaking Sunday morning sunrise. Thank you again, Jesus! I think we’re back on track.

If I always had a view like this, I’d never complain about doing dishes!

Thanks for coming along on our travels, even when things aren’t going so well. 😉

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DEBORAH RANEY's first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title and launched Deb’s writing career. Forty books later, she's still creating stories that touch hearts and lives. Her novels have won RWA's RITA Award, the ACFW Carol Award, the National Readers Choice Award, and the HOLT Medallion. She is also a four-time Christy Award finalist. Deb is on faculty for several national writers’ conferences and served on the executive board of the 2,500-member American Christian Fiction Writers organization for 18 years before retiring in 2022. She is a recent transplant to Missouri, having moved with her husband, Ken Raney, from their native Kansas to be closer to kids and grandkids. They love road trips, e-biking, Friday garage sale dates, and breakfast on the screened porch overlooking their wooded backyard.

16 Comments

  1. So sorry you’ve had so many issues this trip, but so grateful you’ve shared the gorgeous blessings (and some frustrating woes) with us! What beauty you’ve seen. God’s glorious creation on display (cursed though it still is this side of Heaven—the beauty of Heaven that awaits is beyond imagining). Praying you guys back home!

    1. We covet those prayers. Thanks, Tammy! All these woes have done is make us trust more in our Heavenly Father’s provision for us. And we’ve met some lovely people in the process of getting things fixed. How’s that for a silver lining? 🙂

  2. While I’m sorry to hear of the issues you had on your trip, I’m glad you shared about them. There’s something about sharing “real life” that reminds us we’re not alone in those moments. And you’ve found the blessings in the midst of it all so there’s a lesson to be had as well. As always, I enjoy seeing the pictures from your adventures! Even if they’re of Walmart. HA! (I totally would have been going inside to purchase paper plates so I didn’t have to wash as many dishes without running water! LOL)

  4. Wes and I are hoping to invest in a travel trailer some time in the next 3-5 years, so I’m collecting all the wisdom I can from you, Deb. Good times and troublesome times. I love how you found reasons to smile and new friends along the way. 🙂

  5. So glad you were able to overcome your woes. I agree with the others that a taste of reality is good. I have never wanted to camp, and thank goodness my husband, a Marine for 20 years, said he’d had enough camping to last a lifetime. But I certainly enjoy camping vicariously with you.
    As a native Virginian, I’m glad you were able to experience some of our most beautiful spots – Sheanadoah Valley, Skyline Drive, and Blue Ridge Mountains. As a child, my family always drove to Skyline Drive every year and had a picnic lunch. As an adult who has been firmly ensconced in Virginia Beach for quite a while, I always enjoy a trip to the mountains to refresh. Fortunately, I can do that in a day. Wishing you safe travels home!

    1. Virginia and West Virginia were new states for Ken and me! What GORGEOUS places on God’s green earth! (We also added New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Maryland, and a little corner of Massachusetts…plus a new country, Canada!)

  6. Although I’m sorry to hear about the problems you had, it was also wonderful to hear about the little blessings (friends new and old, people willing to help) that God brought along the way! ♥️

  7. Thanks for “keeping it real”, Deb! I was encouraged reading this because of all the ways God provided for you despite the hardships–which is such an accurate picture of life in general. 🙂

  8. …but think of all those beautiful photos you two took! And what is a vacation without a few hiccups? (That’s what Mom would tell Dad when things went wrong.) It’s obvious that you and Ken had a wonderful trip in spite of it all! Thanks for sharing the good and bad of camper life!

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