Shakedown Cruise, Part 1

Camping Trip 1

Cold Water, Open Flames, and Blocked Arteries

I love the way my husband writes and so I’ve asked him to share some of our camping adventures. This is from my old camping bog.

The concept of blogging (is that a word?) sets me on edge as I feel it will eventually be the downfall of printed books in general. I have a Ph.D. in English, and I have old fashioned ideas about the fact that I think the written word should be just that or, at least, printed. Regardless, my wife asked me to work cooperatively with her on this electronic brainchild, and I plan to jump in with both feet, or a mouse and keyboard as the case may be.

So, on with motley…

As our blog indicates, we decided to play it safe by taking our new pop-up camper for a shakedown cruise to a local campground with which we were very familiar and which was within an easy driving range of our home. Our goal was to gain the experience of a weekend of camping with the safety net of familiar surroundings. I am extremely glad we made that choice.

At the outset, everything was going according to plan. The hook up of the camper to the truck went well, although it was touch and go for our marriage for a while as we tried to decide who would do the “backing up” and who would do the “directing.” Eventually, our love for each other won out, and I let her drive as I am horrible at taking directions. We hooked up, after a surprisingly small amount of trial and error, and drove to the campground with our excitement riding high.

The campground was no disappointment either. We were assigned a great spot by the showers and playground, and the kids could play while we set up. Then, as we pulled into the spot, and the truck listed to one side, the first complication hit. The ground was not level.

Now, you might think that such a thing would be obvious, and I had prepared for some unevenness, but this was truly mountainous in proportion to the very level yard we had at home. Also, I sort of misunderstood the concept of the stabilizer feet on the camper, and we ended up using them as the means by which to level and support the camper… which brought us to

NEW CAMPER
LESSON #1 – Bring Leveling Boards!

Yep… I did not bring a single leveling board. Despite the fact that I watched my father-in-law unload his leveling boards on repeated occasions, it never occurred to me to pack my own. I literally thought that the stabilizing feet were for leveling the camper and supporting its weight. Thank God that no permanent damage to the camper was done and that it supported itself throughout the weekend. Now, we take a number of boards with us, and I constructed wooden shoes for the stabilizing feet. They no longer take the weight of the camper as supports but function correctly as stabilizers.

End of Lesson

Continue reading here.

John blogs sporadically at The Crabby Wizard.

Camping, Florida Style

We went camping between Christmas and New Year’s – our first time camping since we moved to Florida and our first time to camp during the winter. We’re searching for our new favorite campground. Myakka River State Park just might fit the bill. In PA, our favorite campground had to have a pool and playground. Here in FL, we’re more likely to camp in the cooler months, so we’re looking for things to do – hiking, geocaching, maybe a playground, probably not a pool. While this camping trip was nothing like we had planned, it was still good to get away.

I spent the weeks leading up to our trip stalking the website waiting for a campsite to open up. I was sure that someone would cancel and I would be able to snag a full hook-up site. Sure enough, one opened up the week before and I pounced on it! Everyone was thrilled to finally be going camping again (it’s been over a year!). Because we don’t have room on our property to store our camper, it lives at my parent’s house (so greatful we don’t have to pay to store it!). We had almost totally emptied it before closing it up over a year ago. So, we loaded everything into the van and then unloaded it into the camper. We managed to remember everything that we had to have, but we forgot our marshmallow roasters (they were in our shed…as soon as we got home I took them over to the camper!). We made do and still roasted marshmallows (can’t camp without s’mores!).

As glad as we were to be camping again, it was nothing like we had planned! Our three kids took turns being sick. I’ve never done wash on a weekend trip – this time I did two loads! I was very thankful that the bath house wasn’t far away and for kids that try to make it to the garbage can! There was no geocaching or hiking and we didn’t even get to check out the playground. I think it rained a little each day too. But, we were camping and it was relaxing and we were mostly media free (no wi-fi at the sites). We did decide that we need to be better prepared for the unexpected – I had medicine for the kids, but we had very limited things to entertain them in the camper.

It couldn’t have been too bad – we’re planning to go again (even the kids can’t wait)! What about you? Ever have a trip that just doesn’t go as planned?

Our Former Favorite Campground

Once upon a time, we lived in Pennsylvania. OK, it’s only been about five months since we moved to Florida, but it seems like a lifetime ago! We found a campground that we loved and it became one of our favorites – far enough away that we need to clear our schedules, but close enough that we can leave Friday after work and get there in time to swim. They have a pond where you can fish without a license (catch & release only), they have a nice playground with a jumping pillow (although I’m not sure they still do – it ripped and would need to be replaced), and a pool. They also have all kinds of activities for kids. We could easily just stay at the campground and no one would be bored! Friday evening, the kids would enjoy the jumping pillow (me too!) and John would fish. The kids have their own poles with practice weights on the end so they can cast, but don’t actually catch anything. They run back and forth between the jumping pillow and the pond. Friday nights, the campground has an ice cream social – $1/scoop plus they have several toppings. Saturdays they have a tie die station, then some kids games in the afternoon, bingo in the evening, and a flashlight candy hunt at night. Sunday morning they have all you can eat pancakes plus sausage and drinks a la carte. Besides all the activities, the campground itself is nice – the restrooms & showers are clean and in good repair. The campsites are gravel and pretty level. It’s just off the main road, but still relatively quiet. It’s close enough to the city if we want to drive in for more entertainment. Mostly though, it’s a nice place to just relax for a weekend.

Now, we’re searching for a new favorite campground. Do you have a favorite campground?

Myakka River State Park

We recently took a day trip to Myakka River State Park in Florida. Funny story – We thought it was about 10 minutes away. Imagine our suprise when google maps told us it was forty minutes! No matter, we already had sunscreen on, the kids loaded, and we were ready to roll, so even though it was early afternoon and it’s getting darker earlier, we went anyway. It’s the rainy season here and we knew that things would be mushy, but we were really hoping to get to the canopy walk. Sadly, the path was more than just a little wet!

See the white sign in the middle left of the picture? That’s the path! I don’t know how close we were, but we had been walking on palm branches to get through some of the mushy stuff. We opted to take the nature trail for a little bit and then headed back to the car to do the drive through the park.

We were happy to find out that there are several campgrounds there (they also have cabins). Camping is very reasonable – $26/night for water & electric. They also have primitive camping if that’s more your style – we’re talking back country primitive – hike in with your stuff, don’t get eaten by the wildlife kind of primitive. In my mind primitive means no hookups. Hah! So, while I like hiking, I also like being in something a little more substantial than a tent! Plus primitive & three young kids just don’t mix! So, we’ll be going back to check out the full facility campgrounds, after the rainy season ends.

Cost of Camping

When my parents first started camping, they had to have a rough idea of what it was going to cost them so they could have the cash ready. Those were the days before credit cards and EZ Pass (that is one of the best inventions ever!!). Some places took personal checks and some didn’t, so having cash to cover everything was the best plan. They used AAA tour books and campground guides (Trailer Life or Woodalls) to help them determine how much they would need. The cost of camping has gone up since my parents started camping in 1979. Then they could get a primitive campsite just over the dunes from the ocean for $2.50/night. That same site costs at least $20/night now.

Obviously the most expensive part is actually buying a camper. One of the reasons we went with a pop-up was that it wasn’t nearly as expensive as say a fifth wheel or a class A (you could easily spend $1 million on one and it’s more like a second home than a camper). Of course there’s a lot less space too, but for us, we just needed a place to sleep, prepare meals, and stay dry when it’s raining. We already had a tow vehicle so that wasn’t an issue. I’m sure that it does a number on the gas mileage, but I haven’t figured that out yet (note to self – figure out gas mileage while towing this summer).

Campsite prices vary, but we’ve been able to keep most of our nights at aroundÂ $50/night. Much like other things, location plays a role in how much a site will cost. Also name brand campgrounds (KOA, Good Sam, Jellystone) will cost more than other campgrounds. Since we don’t have facilities in our pop up, we want places that have decent showers and bathrooms (ever try to convince a kid to go in a spidery stall? OK, even I have issues with sharing stalls with spiders!).

One of the biggest savings with camping is food. Staying in a hotel means eating out a lot! Even with the mini fridge in our pop up we can keep enough food for a long weekend. Having a small stove means I can cook meals as long as I plan carefully so I don’t need more than two burners. Of course cooking over the campfire is a possibility too.

Camping may or may not be cheaper than staying in a hotel or renting a house, but it’s definitely a worthwhile expense! Hearing my kids ask when we’re going camping again makes it all worth it. Spending time with family is what it’s about.