We were looking for a great way to kick off our 6 month Border to Border “Mega RV Surfing Trip” that was going to take us all the way up the West Coast. The Thousand Trails Pio Pico RV Resort in Jamul, CA put us right near the California/Mexican border. In fact there was nothing between the back deck on our Road Warrior and Mexico.

It was a forced decision to stay at Pio Pico. We planned on staying at the Thousand Trails Oakzanita RV Resort which is a beautiful place to stay outside of San Diego. In around a year of having the 44 ft Road Warrior, we have never had an issue getting a campground that fit. So when I pulled into Oakzanita we didn’t think we’d have any issues.

It turns out that we didn’t fit and we actually had to winch a tree back to get us free. To get out of the campground we had to hit 2 trees! 

In all it ended up being 3 weeks worth of repairs. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE GOOD RV INSURANCE! It makes life a lot easier. The entire time we kept a smile on our faces and just laughed it off. It ended up being a great learning lesson and we made the best of it. Our best friends live in San Diego, Bill & Leighanna Richards. So we gave them a call and within a few hours they were coming to meet us at the RV Repair Shop.

Before I could get it there I had to head to town with the truck and get a ladder and duct tape because my awning was loose and wouldn’t make the trip to town. Once I tightened up a few loose ends (literally) on the 5th wheel we zipped over to San Diego RV Center to drop it off so they could fix my mess.

RV Lesson #248, Call the Campground to see if we fit with our Toy Hauler

We spent a few days with the Richards and even got to enjoy their sons first Bday Party! The rest of the repair time we decided to fly out to Maryland to visit Danielle’s family. It ended up being a great excuse to spend time with friends and family!

The Cross-Over

When we finally got back on the road we arrived at Pio Pico. When the park is busy the
sections that most people want to be in become filled up quickly. Each morning they have a Cross-Over drawing where you get to pick your spot in order of the drawing. 

From what we read online, section E has the best Verizon Cell Service which is what we use most often for our internet. When we got there E was filled so we waited in another section for the night before going through the Cross-Over the next morning. Make sure you get there early because if you’re late you will miss prime campsites. I was able to snag the one we wanted so we headed on in to set up camp.

Staying Connected on the Road

One of the ways that helps us work efficiently in areas where the cell service is low is using our Wilson Booster. We originally bought one with a cradle that you put your phone/device you want boosted into, awhile ago we realized if we’re going to work from the road we’re going to get serious about our mobile technology. We now have the Wireless Wilson Booster which boosts the cell service of all the devices in the RV. I just head up to the roof to put the antenna. I installed double sided Velcro to connect the roof with the antenna.

We have AT&T for our cell phones and Verizon AND Sprint for our Internet. We have 20 gigs a month with Verizon and are on an unlimited business plan with Sprint. Our phones are also unlimited plans that we’re grandfathered into.

It was funny to see so many people who kept coming to where this tower is and they would post up for a few hours to boost their signal. It was mainly teenagers who were probably going nuts over not being connected. Someone even brought up a chair for people to sit comfortably on.

RVing with a Baby

So far it’s been great. It took
a little while to dial in the RV and find a schedule/routine that worked best for all of us.

Danielle struggled the first few sleep deprived months because she kept trying to keep everything as clean as we use to and realized at times she just needs to rest when the baby rests (everyone tells you but we were stubborn).

I struggled with being flexible in the day in allowing distractions while I’m working. We own a Social Media Marketing Company. Our main clients are in the RV Industry (Dealerships, Campgrounds, Etc) and I take the work that we do for our clients VERY serious. Letting work pile up wasn’t an option so I did what any good Entrepreneur would do, I started to GRIND HARD! 

• 8am – 6pm Flexible Work
  • I’m working and focused but as things come up with Danielle (helping with Ella, eating Lunch together, bringing in groceries, etc) I’m flexible. We also use this time to do a lot of our exploring and adventures which is also a large part of our work.
• 6pm – 9pm Quality Family Time
  • All work is turned off and we do something fun together.
• 9pm – 11pm Quality Husband/Wife Time
• 11pm – 3/4am Focused Work (the grind)
  • At least 3/4 nights a week once Danielle falls asleep or
    is tucked in for a movie in bed I get up, have a cup of coffee and get to work. A few hours of uninterrupted work can be a career changer for many people.

The Hiking/Biking 

This area has AMAZING hiking and biking trails. The RV Park alone has countless trails branching out along the mountains. There’s 2 trails that really stand out.

The Otay Mountain Truck Trail is one of the best trails in the area. It’s a steady hike up that will take you up to a great view of Mexico from the Mountain.

The other is a hidden gem of Southern California. It’s to the Jamul Kiln which is ancient ruins from the 19th century. I heard about it from one of the rangers and after doing some online research I quickly realized what a great find this was. The next day we headed out on foot to visit this unique spot. Another day I headed out with my bike.

If you want to stay within the RV Park there’s a big scenic loop that’s fun to do for an easy stroll. Danielle would take Ella for walks in the day.

The Border Patrol

There’s a lot of controversy over what the Border Patrol is allowed to do and how the Borders are being handled. Regardless of your political view it’s incredible to see the constant work that is being done by the Border Patrol to protect our citizens.

The intensity of the Border Patrol in this area is strong. Historically this was once the #1 spot for illegal immigrants coming into the USA. Now it’s still one of the biggest hot spots for the Border Patrol.

Everyday I would sit out back on the deck working with my laptop and the Border Patrol would fly in via helicopter and SUVs would head through the campground to get runners. I ended up speaking to 6 Border Patrol. They catch around 150 people per day and said the majority of people they are catching are non-Mexican. They said our gov’t is giving them free transportation, food and housing whereas the Mexicans crossing will be sent back.

Danielle got FIRED!

Many years ago I read a book by John Maxwell and he said that he could tell how successful someone was by their daily agenda. The way we spend your time is one of the most important things we can do to control our quality of life.

There’s a ton of great working opportunities on the road but we chose the path of Entrepreneurship. I control my schedule 1o0%. This flexibility is more important than ever because we had to Fire Danielle from our Marketing Company so she can be a Full Time Stay in Travel Mom (she says she quit)!

Danielle has always wanted to be a stay at home mom so she’s been enjoying the process of getting the RV ready and dialed in with the baby.

Meetups with other RV Bloggers

It’s always great to meetup with like minded travelers. We visit so many of our old friends while traveling we haven’t intentionally branched out into the RV World that we live in so it was fantastic to meetup with two other great traveling families! Make sure to check out their blog and give them a follow to see their adventures!

By chance we ended up being at the same Thousand Trails Pio Pico RV Resort as Our One Chance and we had a chance to hang out.

While we stayed here we also met up at the beach with fellow travel bloggers His n Hers Alaska!