March '25 Canlife Correspondence: Camping on the Carolina Capes, Crucial Apps, Cold Weather Batteries, & Clean Energy Credits!
Nearly 25 years ago, we spent our short honeymoon on Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, the southernmost inhabited island along what most people consider the "Outer Banks." Disembarking from the ferry, we were immediately welcomed by a wooden sign on Howard Street imploring us to "Drive Real, Real SLOW!" It seemed to capture both our vacation goals after the frenetic pace of our wedding week, and the essence of this village post Labor Day. We spent a few days with our rented 1-speed beach cruiser bikes (complete with handlebar basket) taking in what this small, sleepy island had to offer -- miles of undeveloped Atlantic beach, a few restaurants, the oldest lighthouse in North Carolina, an amazing coffee shop & bakery and the lowest of low-key vibes anywhere between Cape Cod and Biscayne Bay. It was perfect.
With short-term rental houses outnumbering the full-timers at least 2 to 1, it's all too easy to guess what this place looks like in July - August. "Imagine Disney World," is how one local businessperson put it when our talk turned to summer crowds. The high-season income must be welcomed as the lifeblood of the community, but oh how the locals must relish the off-season and its even slower pace of life.
As we ride into town along the wide bike path, we measure the island's expansion and contraction in the little spurts of traffic along the single highway. When a ferry arrives, or is soon to depart, there is a tiny "rush-hour" of 10-12 vehicles that pass like a set of waves from the Gulf-stream upon the shore. Ice cream cones in hand is not required, but highly encouraged.
We've made the most of our "shoulder season" visit. In truth, it's the only time we could ever imagine coming here. The town is gradually waking up from its winter hibernation with businesses, and restaurants opening up and runs of the refrigerated sea food trucks up and down the highway grow more frequent. We were delighted to return to Howard's Pub, a local landmark for nearly 40 years, which opened its doors for the season during our time here. They simply serve the best hushpuppies we've ever tasted, worth the ferry ride alone. The lovely and quiet National Park Service campground experienced less than a quarter of its sites occupied on the busiest weekends during our two weeks. Again, absolutely perfect!
National parks are the BEST idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than at our worst. ~ Wallace Stegner
One of the reasons this place remains, is because most of the island is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, run by the National Park Service. There is only so much expansion that can happen here, so it can remain this way for another 25 years, at the least. It's important that this place not grow beyond its holding capacity, not only for the human inhabitants and visitors, but for the millions of other creatures who visit this place of natural abundance -- from sea turtles, marine mammals, and other sea life to hundreds of species of birds who include this corner of the world in their annual migration. On just one afternoon's paddle trip we identified over 15 species of birds, and the calls of grackles, mockingbirds, sparrows, starlings, and others were the soundtrack of the campground.
If you've paid any attention to the news, you've likely seen the current administration's attack on National Parks and public lands through the intentional firing of federal employees in the NPS, USFS, and BLM. While we've intentionally shied away from political comments in this newsletter, we feel compelled to raise the issue here now.
These lands are our lands, our grandchildren's lands, their grandchildren's; and what happens on our watch is vital to that legacy. We have been strong advocates, seasonal volunteers, and employees in our National Parks, and our seminars on Tips & Tricks for Exploring America’s National Parks at RV Shows across the country are often our most popular. Americans care about these places, and we urge you to express your feelings on the matter as well. Read on to learn more about how you can get involved in fight to save them!
Tips for Enjoying a Low Cost, Low Key Island Vacation on the Outer Banks
Island vacations can be expensive, but over the past 12 years on the road, we've discovered that they don't have to be. We have found ways to enjoy islands all around the North American continent by camping in off-grid locations and exploring as many of the free/low cost attractions as well as several human powered adventures like walking, cycling, and kayaking. Sure, we drop some money at some local restaurants and grocery stores along the way, but we can easily keep our overall costs down to about 1/4 of what they would cost if we made different choices.
- Instead
of paying upwards of $75 per night at an RV park along these beautiful
barrier islands, the off-grid NPS campsites are less than half the
price. Powering your rig with solar is an easy way to cut your
camping costs in half, or stay twice as long! NPS campgrounds along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore include
Oregon Inlet Campground near Nags Head, Frisco Campground west of the Cape
Hatteras Lighthouse, Cape Point southwest of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse,
and Ocracoke Campground on Ocracoke Island.
Many sites are tucked into the dunes vegetation so blowing sand is really reduced. While all of these campgrounds take reservations via recreation.gov, we recommend just getting there and then making your reservation. There are so few people there in the shoulder season that you can find the perfect spot for your rig, then reserve it from the campground itself with your smartphone. - Camp
in the shoulder season to beat the extreme heat, avoid crowds and bugs, as
well as get some special pre-season deals. Be prepared for wind and
some unsettled weather in the spring and of course hurricane activity in
the late fall. Don't bother with an easy up or awning -- or take
special care to watch the changing wind conditions with the Windy app (see
below).
- Enjoy the numerous free and low-cost things to do in the area, including a whole host of state parks, NPS memorials, historical sites and landmarks spanning 120 miles of coastline along the Outer Banks, including 1 free ferry between Hatteras and Ocracoke which can accommodate RV's of any size.
These two apps are our go-to apps for real-time wind and weather conditions, as well as future storm predictions. We've been using them quite a bit while out on the Outer Banks this late winter / early spring. When you are traveling with a bigger rig during seasons with unsettled weather (which feels like all the time now), we use these nearly every day to make "stay or go" decisions, as well as to plan our daily outdoor activities.
Windy (free): While we use this app to plan our sea kayaking and cycling adventures, we also use it to see how the wind may affect our RV travel plans. We can't stress enough how important it is to stay put if the winds are strong when you are traveling with a bigger rig. Two years ago, while traveling through South Dakota in the early spring, we looked ahead and saw that some big, nasty weather was coming our way. We left our sweet boondocking spot up on The Wall in the Badlands and hunkered down at the famous Wall Drug Store for a couple of nights until the weather settled, then carried on toward Rapid City. Between Wall and Rapid City, we counted 13 overturned RV's, semi-trucks, and tractor trailers carrying new RV's along I-90. YES...thirteen rigs in a 55 mile span of highway that had been destroyed in the winds and slippery conditions the previous day! Be careful y'all -- always check the wind conditions and know how much is too much for your rig.
My Radar (free): This is like having the local weatherperson in your back pocket as it shows you hyperlocal detail about weather events that will affect your safety and comfort, including severe thunderstorms, flooding, wildfires, air quality, high and low pressure, wind, snow and ice storms, etc. If you want the hurricane tracker feature, you need to pay for a subscription, but we find the free version extremely helpful.
It's Tax Season Y'all -- Take Advantage of those Solar Tax Credits NOW!
Solar sales are going through the roof right now! Pun absolutely intended! If you've been to any of our RV Solar 101 seminars either in person or online, you probably remember us talking about how we've saved over $200K in camping fees by going solar in 2012. You may also remember us talking about solar tax credits (aka Clean Energy Credits) as a way to save a whopping 30% on the total cost of your equipment and installation (including labor costs if you hire someone to install it for you). It's for reals, y'all!
The Department of Energy has recently made some major changes to the information on their website, making things a bit harder to find if you don't know exactly what to search for. If you hate reading pages and pages of IRS instructions and would prefer to cut to the chase, here's the nutshell version and the links that'll lead you there:
Who can take the credits and what type of home qualifies? Yes, RVs and boats qualify!
Does this have to be my main home? Nope!
What types of clean energy equipment qualify?
- Solar Panels (including solar panels and solar roof tiles / shingles)
- Battery Storage (the 3 kilowatt hour minimum is equivalent to 3 x 100Ah LiFePO4 batteries or a single 300Ah 12V LiFePO4 battery)
- Note: Quite a few other types of clean energy devices such as solar hot water heaters, geothermal heat pumps, wind energy, etc. are included in these credits as well.
Which form do I use to take this credit on my taxes? In case this link moves in the future, it's Form 5695.
How do I size a system that meets my needs? Great question! Download our free Solar System Sizing Worksheet and begin planning for camping season...and NEXT tax season!
Video of the Month: DuoHeat Mini Core 100Ah Self-Heating LiFePO4 Battery
We put this self-heating battery through a series of freeze-thaw tests to see how well and how fast the self-heating function works, and have integrated this battery into our system while we've been traveling through ice storms and snow storms that have been plaguing the southeast all winter -- which might be the best test of all. Spoiler Alert! This new addition has greatly reduced our “winter battery worries." Small with a high capacity, the DuoHeat Mini Core 100Ah LiFePO4 Battery heats quickly, charges faster, and has even more safety features to make it stronger and last longer. Check out our review of this little dynamo and be sure to use promo code CANLIFE at checkout to save even more money at renogy.com.
Have you ever had to haul your drinking water from any place other than the tap in your kitchen? Many women and children around the world have to walk up to 3 miles a day while carrying their family's clean water. When we volunteered in Africa and India, we saw this daily walk that so many of us have never known.
This past weekend we participated in the "Walk for Water" in Charleston, SC. This is the major fundraiser for the non-profit organization Water Mission. Their main purpose is to help developing communities establish sustainable, safe water resources and also to respond to natural disasters and war torn areas all over the globe. In fact, while visiting their facility, we chatted with staff member who had just been notified that he was heading to Myanmar immediately. You may remember us sharing their response in Asheville, NC last fall just after Hurricane Helene wiped out much of the NC high country's water infrastructure.
Renogy Solar generously donated equipment to Water Mission so that they can power their systems with more sustainable solar power (rather than gas generators which constantly need gasoline) in these remote locations around the world. Water Mission even hired one of Hutch's former university students (Zach Sprau) to lead the solar change over. Two of Renogy's silent LYCAN PRO 5000 solar generators ran the water filtration system during the event, pumping more than 16 gallons of safe drinking water per minute collectively. Additionally, two live bands entertained walkers along the route, all powered by Renogy Solar!
Interested in Rolling Vintage?!?
They just don't make 'em like they used to... right Hamlet?!? After taking us over 200K miles, including some of the most remote places on this continent that a travel trailer can possibly go, our 68-year-old camper is "living proof" that there is some truth in this statement. It's also a great way to have a unique RV that allows you to live more sustainably, save a ton of money, and make a lot of friends -- we've always said that Hamlet is faster at making friends than we are! : )
For those interested in going vintage, here's a good place to start. This 3-part series of articles was recently published in RV Trader Magazine:
Before You Decide to Restore a Vintage Camper
Finding Your Vintage Camper Style
Vintage RV Restoration: Some Expert Do's & Don'ts
In addition to these helpful articles, we have an entire section of our website dedicated to those who are in love with these
blasts from the past!
Where can you find vintage parts and accessories? We want to give a BIG SHOUT OUT to Vintage Trailer Supply where you can get many of the things you need to restore one of your own oldies. They know vintage parts and accessories like no other!
Our America's National Park Series
We've added a couple more parks to our series this past month -- which couldn't be more different from each other: Everglades National Park (one of the wettest in Florida) & Death Valley National Park (definitely the driest in California)! Each month, we offer information about some of our favorite activities to do in each park, as well as some tips and seasonal weather advice when visiting each of America's National Parks. Grab your favorite bevie and start planning your next RV road trip!
Advocate for OUR National Parks & Public Lands!
Earlier this month we visited the Wright Brothers National Memorial, in Kill Devil Hills, NC. We joined a crowded tour led by a young AmeriCorp Volunteer who literally brought the facility to life with her engaging retelling of the experiments and flight testing that the two brothers from Ohio conducted on the Outer Banks.
At the precise moment when our docent spoke about the fabrication of the 12 horsepower motor that powered the Wright Flyer, an American fighter jet from a nearby base screamed northward along the beach front. It was almost like she'd planned it, because as we all gazed up at the speeding jet, I swear that I saw the jet dip it's wing in our direction, like a nod to where it all began.
Neither of us are prone to getting choked up by such powerful displays of burning fossil fuels, but there we were with lumps in our throats and water coming to our eyes. Could there be a better exclamation point to the Wright Brothers story than the latest evolution of their flyer?
It was a cool moment...cue Kenny Loggins! And this is what National Parks do, and why they're so important to our collective story.
If you've been following us for awhile, you know that educating and inspiring others to enjoy and learn about the natural world, living and traveling more sustainably, sharing our own story about making a huge life change, and bringing joy to others through visual imagery and storytelling are what keeps Freedom in a Can rolling down the road.
We try to keep negative news out of our posts as there is so much of that in other places. But, after the abuse of federal power that's been ravaging our democracy for the past couple of months AND flying in the face of nearly everything we stand for and value, we simply had to speak out about the random acts of reckless UN-kindness that are happening across our country right now!
Here are a variety of ways to get involved! YOUR voice matters.
Parting Shots: Lighthouses along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore
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