As part of our plans to move south for the winter, we stayed for a month at Jacque’s Rolling Wheels DIY, outside of Hartville, Missouri.
Jacque’s Rolling Wheels DIY is the first place we ever paid to camp. As a campground, it’s minimal; just a field. You pay for the networking experience of the other nomads and full-timers as you work on your rig. Most campgrounds do not allow this!
We planned to stop here for an event with a notable “celebrity” and expert in the nomad/full-time community. The event was about maintaining our rigs, nomad/full-time culture, dos and don’ts of travel, and solar power systems. In addition to these workshops, we had some repairs we needed to make and some upgrades that had been in the pipe for a while.
Most notable was replacing the glass on one of the panels of our door. The glass was first damaged early on launch day on our way to Leavenworth, but It was pretty minor. The real trouble came when we stopped at a rest area in South Dakota. There were some high winds that day, that unfortunately tore the door right out of the hand of The Girl with enough force to not only crack the pane but also cracked the frame sufficiently to cause the door to come off! Lucky for our journey, I was able to re-mount the door at the rest stop, but we definitely needed a better fix.
What you can expect at Jacque’s Rolling Wheels
While the campground was just a field, it wasn’t completely without amenities. One of the buses owned by the park was recently upgraded with shower facilities. While we carried a lot of water with us, we did run out at one point. We were able to fill up again from the property’s water source. The owner even made arrangements for us to empty our grey tanks! During the last week of our stay, the owners had just finished installing a limited number of electrical hookups. Their use was metered so you’ll be expected to pay for the power you use.
When we first arrived, the weather was beautiful – we were so happy to be warm again! However, the last week we were there – the week of the event! – got really, really cold. At first, we tried to tough it out, but we finally admitted defeat and gratefully accepted their offer of using their electrical hookups. Considering how much of a difference it made to our comfort, it was well worth the added cost.
At the end of the day, this was a great experience. A great place if you’re in the Ozarks and you need a place to park your rig and work on it. Bring your own tools. But as long as you’re cordial, the owners and other rig owners should be more than happy to lend a hand or at least some advice.
