8/6/2018

ATV time!  Four of our families rented ATV’s from a place called On the Trail in Grand Lake.  Alan and Nancy rented a u-haul trailer to bring their Razor to join up with us.  So much fun!!  We changed seats and drivers a million times between all of the vehicles.  Most of the time 3 or 4 out of the 5 managed to stay together as a group, but we always managed to find each other again.  Highlight of the ride – MOOSE!!  One went right in front of us as we were stopped looking at his friends.  I can’t get over how big they are!!    Nolan got to ride with Jason who blasted through mud puddles & spun donuts.  Our ATV ride was a little more cautious – safety first!!  (Elizabeth called me a grandma . . . but I thought I was pretty dare-devilish!) By the end, we managed to get just as muddy as the rest of the gang.   Briggs and I named the toughest trail “Rocky Road – It went seemingly straight up with nothing but rocks to navigate, jostling us to no end.  A real gut buster!

We made Alan lead the way

Me taking a picture of Nancy taking a picture

Figuring out the map – or not . . .

So muddy!

After Shot

After “mud unibrow”

We were on a tight schedule because our family had to get the Y for a 3:00 rehearsal.  We all had lunch together at Sloopy’s in Grand Lake.  It was the perfect place for a group our size.  Great burgers and fries that we ordered up at the counter and they passed it out through the side window.  We all ate outside at tables with umbrellas.  The weather, again, was perfect!

Our family headed over to the Y and met up with Mimi, Earl, Sean (the Pastor) and Alayna (the wedding coordinators from the Y).  We tested out the sound, determined who was walking together and where everyone was going to sit and stand.  Chewy didn’t make it to the rehearsal so he was going to have to wing it 🙂

Now it was time to race back to the cabin so we could get set up for the I Do BBQ that we pushed to 6:00.  What a great night!  Although it started off with Chewy getting loose (that part was not so great).  He wasn’t tied up and took advantage of a door left open.  I was standing on the deck and saw him galloping around the house and under the patio.  Cameron managed to catch him – emergency distinguished!!  I had thoughts in my head of him never coming back and the wedding was going to be ruined and I’d never sleep again worrying about him . . .lol!  As this was all happening, Katie walked in holding a tray of 50 of the most beautiful wedding cake shaped cookies that they hand made and decorated – Amazing!!  Thank you Katie!!

The decorations turned out so cute.  We had a red bandana/BBQ theme.  Chewy and Rory even dressed up for the occasion with coordinating bandanas.  The food was great!  Our menu was:  pulled pork, brats and hotdogs (thank you Megan for grilling), Gretchen’s potatoes (thank you Donna for bringing those), Hawaiian rolls, chips, white trash dip, baked beans, pickle tray, cherry crisp, sweet tea, lemonade, beer and wine.

HB4116

Instead of a “guest book” we had a “guest corn hole board”.  I had everyone sign one of them, so every time we use them, we’ll remember this special day.  We played darts, ping pong, hula-hoop and hung out on the deck and chatted.  We had the standard things going on at family parties: kids were running around with sharpies, launching the darts in every direction and going in and out and in and out of the sliding screen door on the deck, most of the time forgetting to shut it.  This is a notable offense because just a couple of weeks ago, a chipmunk got inside and lived in the couch for 3 days.  Mom and Earl had to carry the couch outside and scare the little guy out!

Elizabeth made the decals for our boards!

Nolan & Wyatt ended up hiking to this formation – with out permission, of course

Brian won – BARELY!!!!

Go mom with the hula hoop!

Photo recreation 12 years later

Sean (our pastor) joined us as well.  He’s a great guy and fit right in.  Everyone thought he was part of the family.  We were introduced by Cindy Fiala, a pastor/friend at my church in Frisco that I was close with over several years.  She moved to Denver, so I asked her if she could perform our ceremony. Unfortunately she was going to be out of town and introduced us to Sean.  We had 6 one hour sessions (over the internet camera) of pre-marital counseling sessions together where he got to know us.

Mom kicked everyone out around 9:00 so we could wind down and go to bed at a decent hour for our big day tomorrow.  This girl needs some beauty rest!

8/5/2018

This morning we headed over to Winter Park base with the Schadeggs/Burtons.  Rode the gondola down to the base. Kevin and I watched them all do one run on the Alpine Slide (I had to get in my yearly chairlift and slide pictures).

Kevin and I left the crew there so we could pick up Megan from the bus stop/Mobil station/Uhaul rental/beef jerky sale place in Granby. She said the trip went well, short of the creepy guy that sat right next her (when there were several rows open) and leaned into her on the middle arm rest.  She moved when he got up to go to the bathroom.  Mom joined us for lunch at Azteca’s, a surprisingly good Mexican restaurant, where we sat on the patio to soak up the weather and views. After lunch we went to City Market to meet with the florist and grocery shopped for the I Do BBQ.

Nolan and Shannon’s family headed over the to Y to do zip lining and Tubing Hill, while Cameron and Ashley headed back to the cabin for a rest and some more puzzle time.

The Ericksons and Neales arrived this afternoon. We all met for dinner (party of 19) at Hernando’s Pizza – one of our favorite pizza places with yummy cheesy bread (although one came out with a baked fly in it), family salad (with garbanzo beans!) and the best ranch dressing (Rob, my ranch snob buddy, agreed!).

We checked out their condo after dinner which was literally in the same parking lot.  Such a cute place with a hot tub and balcony that overlooked a pond so the boys could skip rocks and walk around the trail.

8/4/2018

6:00am a text chimed in from Ashley saying she was on her way.  She and Megan had flown into Denver last night around 9:30pm.  Megan was staying in Denver with a friend for a couple of days to visit. Instead of Ashley doing the drive by herself late at night, in the rent car, she found a hostel for $50/night.  Kevin said it sounded like she was staying at a “brothel” – lol!  I always think of hostels in Europe, not here in the U.S.  She said it was great!  You should check out the pictures of this 9000 sqft mansion with private walk-in rain showers and a 20 person hot tub by the outdoor fire pit – who knew?   http://www.emberhostels.com

She made it to the cabin with no issues around 8:30am.  We had coffee on the deck, soaking in the views, chipmunks, humming birds and the 41 degree temperature. Chewy loves to hang out on the deck where the chipmunks tease him by staying just out of reach. Most mornings the clouds settle below us in the valley and cover up the trees, so it almost looks like a lake.  Many times we’ll see hot air balloons coming up out of those clouds – absolutely breathtaking and never gets old. Pictures just don’t do this justice.

We headed over to Pete and Nancy’s new vacation home they just bought in Winter Park. It’s beautiful and has 5 levels that can sleep 26 people and gorgeous mountain views in all directions plus a hot tub!  The kids had fun playing Hide and Seek. Although when we were leaving, poor Nolan was still hiding and no one was looking for him.  I guess they ended the game with out telling him.

Shannon and her family arrived late morning, so we met at Subway to grab sandwiches for a picnic at Poppy’s Pavilion.   Columbine Point (our wedding venue) overlooks this spot. The Taylors and Gran (Nancy Carruth) donated the pavilion for visitors and guests to have a shady picnic area by the lake and trail heads. They dedicated it to my dad after he passed away.  There’s a rock there with a plaque on it in remembrance of him.  Such a special place to me!  Then we explored the gold miner’s cave at the Y where all of them made it to the very back.

Cameron, Ashley and I organized an assembly line to put together the gift bags for our out of town guests. They also got in some good puzzle time.

Alan, Nancy, Duke and Roxy arrived late afternoon and got a fabulous RV sight with gorgeous mountain views right off the back of the their drop down deck on their fifth wheel toy hauler.  Unfortunately the Y doesn’t allow riding the ATV he brought on the grounds, so he’s renting a trailer to ride it off site. They joined us for a taco salad dinner at the cabin with the Sellecks and Donna too.

8/3/2018

Woke up bright and early and headed down to the, as advertised, “Super Start Breakfast” which consisted of stale cereal, hard boiled eggs in a crockpot and thawed out frozen waffles.  No thanks!  So we hopped the fence to the Burger King next door (our view out our hotel window was the drive-thru) where they informed us they were out of biscuits for the day (it was 7:30 am!). So we settled on chicken sandwiches and a breakfast platter.

Both kids actually fell asleep on the drive, which is very unusual for them, but so peaceful and quiet for us.  No snow this year at the top of Berthoud Pass – that was disappointing because the kids and Chewy were looking forward to playing in it again. We were greeted at the cabin with home made cookies by Earl, fresh flowers for each of our rooms and a bouquet from Mary Maroney with a card that read “For my flower girl”. When I was 5 yrs old, I was her flower girl in their wedding – so sweet! The cabin looked like wedding central with decoration stations set up for the I Do BBQ, chapel pew decorations, center pieces for the reception and welcome bag assembly line for the out-of-towners.

We left the kids with Mimi so they could help her put things together and Kevin and I headed to get our marriage license in Hot Sulfur Springs before they closed.  We forgot our $30 cash (although I read it twice on the website and was reminded by Sean and Mimi right before I walked out the door — wedding brain I guess!) so Kevin hit the ATM down the road. This is starting to feel so real! Yay!

We swung by the YMCA to check out Columbine Point (our outdoor wedding chapel) in person.  There was a rehearsal in progress so we couldn’t get too close, but we could tell it was the perfect location.  We checked out the RV campground to see what sites might be available for Alan and Nancy.  This was the first time I had been to this area after coming here for 37 years.

We finished up the night with Pete, Nancy and Aunt Dolly joining us at the cabin for a pork chop dinner prepared by mom and a competitive, cut throat game of Farkle. I won! (Sorry Pete).

8/2/2018

I can’t believe this day is finally here.  Colorado here we come!  Targeted departure time:  8:00 AM sharp! Actual departure time: 9:15 …not too bad for us.  Thankfully, my mom and Earl hauled a lot of our wedding things up with them.  We were jammed packed with 3 totes and a suitcase on the cargo carrier.  In the car, we stuffed the cornhole boards (home made by Kevin – stressfully finished after overcoming a near decal tragedy), all of our wedding clothes, pillows, blankets, coolers, snacks and on and on, leaving just enough room for Chewy to have a spot to lay down in the far back.  Off we go!

Now, fast forward to Decatur, just 30 minutes into the trip, and Cameron was laying (illegally) in Chewy’s “said” spot in the back, when Kevin sees police lights in the rear view mirror and announces “we’re getting pulled over – Cameron, get back in your seat!”.  She scurried over piles of coolers and bags, and slid in next to Chewy in her seat just in time.  We got clocked at 78mph, in a construction zone that had just dropped to 50 mph.  He was “kind” and marked that we were in a 60 mph zone or it would have been double the fine and no probation.  Great way to start off the trip! Guess Kevin will be looking forward to defensive driving when we get home.

Nothing too eventful on the rest of the drive that day. Lunch at Dairy Queen, a couple of rest stops, including one at Toot and Totum, a popular chain of gas stations in that part of Texas -What a name! We saw countless windmills and herds of antelope grazing in the boring, flat fields that skirt the sides of the highways for most of the day.  It’s always so exciting to see the first glimpses of the mountains/hills/plateaus/volcanoes (whatever they are) that are just before the border of Colorado.  Little in comparison to the beauty of the mountains to come, but exciting, never the less.  Next year I’d like to stop and see Mount Capulin (an inactive volcano), but we were all getting hungry for dinner and wanted to get to the hotel to unload our stuff and go eat.

Speaking of the hotel…… We have titled it the “Not So Great Super 8”.  The clerk, whose smile revealed only upper teeth, graciously stubbed out her cigarette to lead us into the lobby, so we could check in.  After signing a mountain of paperwork (no pun intended), which included the “Acknowledgement of No Marijuana Use on the Property Policy” and the “Do Not Leave Your Pet Alone in the Room Unattended Policy” – NO EXCEPTIONS!! We unloaded the car, put Chewy in the room (unattended) and headed out to dinner.  We tried a local place in downtown Trinidad called Double D’s – food was NOT good (although, Nolan loved his pancakes) and the sweet tea was not brewed, but out of a drink machine (we should have known better).  After sending my rubbery grilled chicken back, I ate half of Cameron’s chicken strips and a microwaved potato, served plain, with a container of butter and a half empty squeeze bag of Daisy sour cream.  Double D’s was located between two dispensaries – it’s a common thing to see these “pot stores” on every corner here in Colorado. And, no, we did not get any special desert gummies or cookies from either, but headed back to the hotel to hit the hay, so we could get any early start.

Trip Dates:  7/19-7/22/2018

Location:  Lake Ray Roberts State Park – Isle Du Bois (Site 48)

The 5 day forecast ranges from 105-110 degrees (record breaking temps worthy of news stories and social media posts) . . . so let’s have a birthday party and go camping!  I told Cameron the s’mores are going to make themselves – no campfire needed.

I had to work on Thursday, so Kevin and the kids went early to set up camp.  They pulled in around 3 pm (did I mention it was 110 degrees!), chose a sight with the most shade possible that also had an open spot on either side, giving us the best chance for our friends, The Crowders, to get a site right next ours.  Turns out site #48 had it challenges – squeezing Shasta in there (that’s what we’ve named our new fifth wheel – just so happens she has a giant sticker on the front that reads “Shasta” — yes, we are very creative).  With inches to spare between the slides and trees, and a slope that required 4 blocks on one side to level it out, he and the kids plugged her in then sat in the truck with Chewy enjoying the cold A/C and wi-fi while the A/C tried it’s hardest to cool this RV down.

Meanwhile, Alan met me after work to do a “quick” hook up of the boat to my car, so I could head out to meet the family.  Well, of course it couldn’t be that easy.  . .  Just one break light, 3 tires in need of air, an adapter for the lights and a spark plug change, then I was on my way.  (Did I mention it was 110 degrees!) Thank you Alan!!

I made it there just after 7:00 and The Prairie House was calling our name for dinner, followed by a grocery/birthday cake trip to Walmart.  We loaded up on Icee-Pops, Drumsticks & Blue Bell cups.  The reason this is noteworthy is we finally have a freezer that works!!  (Thanks to Kevin for installing our new 3 door residential stainless steel fridge – yes, we really rough it).  Then back to the camper where the A/C was finally getting things cooled down.

One of the things I love about this park is there are deer EVERYWHERE!  Nearly every time we drove around, there they were, right beside the road, grazing away.  Chewy and I ran into one on a morning walk, not 20 feet in front of us, just standing there, not afraid of us in the least.  There was also a cute little pair of road runners that made several appearances crossing the road right by our camper. Someone took a picture of them, but I can’t seem to find it.

Friday morning, the alarm sounded at 6:30 am, so we could head out to Anne’s farm (Valhalla) to get in some horsey time before the temperatures got into the triple digits. We had a blast helping feed the horses, leading 2 in from the pasture behind the golf cart, bathing a mare, rescuing a drowning mouse from Cabalito’s bucket, taking turns driving the golf cart (pretty sure Nolan and Cameron could have done that for 48 hours straight) and watching Macy school Glory.  I tell Kevin and the kiddos if I can pet a horse at least once a month, then I’m a happy girl.  Mission accomplished!

Mindy, Joe, Brooke and Lila arrived when we got back and were able to get the spot right next to us (20% shaded site according to the “book” at the check in office – what a great idea to have pictures and stats on all of the sites!)  We got to eat lunch at Ernestos (a Mexican restaurant we frequented when living in Pilot Point).  Ernesto lived a couple of houses down from us on Twin Creeks.  We took a little trip down memory lane and drove by our old house and my parent’s old house too.  Part of me really misses it.  Maybe one day we’ll go back to living the country life.

The rest of the day was spent trying to stay cool.  If you sat very still, and had the fan blowing directly on you, it was tolerable at most.  ChewyWe waited until about 7:30 to fire up the grill and had chicken, corn, mashed potatoes and salad – yum!

The Pollones, Avery and Cade (Nolan got to bring a friend so he could stay out of the girls’ way) all arrived Saturday morning around 9:30 to kick off Cameron’s Beach Birthday Bash, trying to get swim time in before we melted.  We reserved a covered picnic table early and set up a canopy down by the beach.  Kevin grilled chili dogs and brats.  We manage to stay out there until 3:00 before we called “uncle”.  Instead of sitting still in the camper for the next 4 hours we decided to move the party to our house, where we could enjoy the air conditioning, cook hamburgers and have the cake, then back to Ray Roberts to “camp” for the evening.  Unfortunately Presley wasn’t feeling well, so she stayed behind.  Nolan and Cade had enough and ended up staying to sleepover at Cade’s house.

The girls hunkered down in the Living room on the pullout sofa and we turned on a movie for them. The next morning we had Cameron’s favorite breakfast (Sister Shubert’s Sausage Rolls).  Avery needed to be back by 2:00, and we still had to break down camp, so we decided to squeeze in a boat ride for an hour.  After all, we didn’t want Alan’s efforts to go without cause.   If we haul the boat, we’re going to use the boat! Also, Brooke wasn’t able to get in the lake yesterday since she had foot surgery, so this was something she could enjoy.

Heading out, Kevin managed to back the RV (like threading a needle) out of the tight spot that had rail road ties place too close at just the wrong angles. We hooked the boat to my car (no incidences this time), loaded the girls and headed back to Highland Village. Kevin stayed behind to take Shasta to the dump station (did I mention it was 110!).  All in all it was a good trip, even though it was Hotter than Hates. Camping in the end of July in Texas may not be a tradition to continue. This is the second year we’ve done Cameron’s birthday here.  I’m thinking we might try ice skating next year?

Date:  June 21-24, 2018

Location:  Daingerfield State Park    Site: 8    Who camped with us:  Just us!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this park!!  It’s on the smaller side with a clear lake and new restrooms that had A/C and big showers.  We loved our site too!  Beautiful lake views sitting on a bed of pine needles & towering pine trees offered tons of shade.  Another really cool thing was the amount of lily pads on the lake – I’ve never seen them like that.

I think he likes this spot?

There was a great 2.5 mile hike around the lake that we all enjoyed, including Chewy, of course.  It was SUPER humid and the horse flies were the size of horses themselves, but we managed. Nolan thought he struck gold when he found a cool turtle shell.  Chewy enjoyed drinking from the people water fountain.

Turtle shell

Chewy needed a drink from the water fountain too!

The kids rented paddle boards, something they both love, while Kevin and I got a John boat to follow them around and do a little fishing.  Does anyone else get heart palpitations at the thought of getting on and off those tipsy things? I am always certain I’m going to tump, but managed to get on and off without incident this time.

There was a nice swimming area with a floating dock that provided for hours of entertainment.

As for the wildlife, there was the cutest little family of ducks.  Well, I say “cute”, but they were actually quite ugly – white with large bubble red faces, but they can’t help it.  We also came across a dead snake on the road that fascinated us.  Lots of deer, including the one in the parking lot when we checked in.

Gross!!

This trip was the maiden voyage with our new RESIDENTIAL SIZE FRIDGE!  The RV fridge Shasta came with took nearly 48 hours to cool (and even at that, only down to 55 degrees – granted, we were camping in 100 degree temps, but that’s not going to cut it for milk and meat).  We got several recommendations to replace it with a standard residential fridge, which are must less expensive (because they operate only on electric instead of propane/electric). We got it from Home Depot and the RV repair guy never showed up, so Kevin took it upon himself to remove the old one and install the one.  He had to get creative with pool noodles and hooks/clamps to secure it to keep from bouncing around when we’re on the road.  So impressed!  And it worked – we have ice AND it only takes a couple of hours to cool down!!  Cross our fingers it keeps on ticking.

Other indoor activities included watching 2 movies (Yes Man & Hot Pursuit).  We baked cookies in the oven for the first time and ate them with ice cream – from our NEW FREEZER – can you tell  I’m excited?!  :-). One thing we’ll never forget is Cameron setting her phone alarm every couple of hours, so she could stop everything and “bake her brownies”- EMERGENCY! She’d race out to Kevin’s truck, he’d fire it up so the wifi would turn on, because she did not want disappoint her customers with burnt treats!  This is a “fun” little game app on her phone called “Bakery Rush”.  You know, really becoming one with nature . . .

We tried out a local Mexican restaurant, Don Juan’s,  which was not great. Bad service, brought the wrong order and sub-par food. Don’t think we’ll be going back to this one.

The Park:  small park, clear lake (no wake), large new bathrooms, friendly employees, huge pine trees

Things to remember for next time?  Not much around . . . Walmart in Mt Pleasant was 20 miles away.

Ideal sites: 8 (ours – beautiful lake view, we loved it!)

Oh Nellie, what a great first camper you were!  We outgrew you and up-sized to Shasta, but you will always be fondly remembered as our beloved first “Recreational Vehicle”!

It all started when we borrowed Art and Reda’s Winnebago for a weekend camping trip with Billy and Marisa at Lake Tawakoni State Park.  We were hooked and decided to “just start looking” at campers for fun.  Well, I think it took all of a week or two before we were handing over a check to purchase Nellie.  The sweet family that owned her needed to sell in order to buy a home.  She was officially ours.  That was in April 2017.

Why do we call her Nellie?  From the first time we towed her, we couldn’t believe the “bucking bronco” action that went on over every bump and turn.  We’d say “Whoa, Nellie”.  We’d pull up to our destinations and doors were shaken loose off the hinges, things had flown from the front to the back,  everything was bounced around and out of place.  You never knew what to expect when you opened the door.

Her Specs:

• 2011 Flagstaff by Forest River Super Lite 831RKSS (although we found out later this was the wrong sticker – it should have a BH in it standing for Bunk House – we’re now professionals on the lingo)
• 33ft long, 6,094 lbs dry weight (the top of what Kevin’s maroon truck could pull – sooooooo, of course he had to upgrade to a higher towing capacity, hence the black DuraMax he now owns)
• 30 AMP service (only one air conditioner, which made it so much easier to reserve a spot at the state parks since there are always more 30 AMP sites than 50 AMP)

The Floorplan:

• U-shaped dinette (which turns into a bed) with large storage drawers under the seats

• Couch pulls out into a queen bed with an electric inflater for the mattress (I would not call it comfortable, plus it was a pain when the bed was out, because the foot of the bed touched the kitchen, so you couldn’t squeeze by, but had to crawl over it (and person laying there) to get to the bathroom (first world problems . . .lol).

Nap time!

• Kitchen had a built-in microwave, gas oven/stove, RV size fridge (in other words, “very small”) and a pass through under the upper cabinets, which I found super convenient to hand stuff to people at the front door to take outside without having to climb the stairs  (Yes, that’s lazy . . ..)  Doing dishes in the sink (using tiny amounts of water, so we wouldn’t fill up the gray tank too fast) was a back breaker!  The counter height was scaled for those 5ft and under, and the  upper cabinets just enough in the way, that I had to stand with a stoop – wore my back out!   The oven had never been used by the previous owner and didn’t work most of the time we owned it until Kevin figured out there was a factory defect and replaced the part.

• Master Bedroom had 2 pocket doors on either side that could be closed off (A MUST HAVE for our sanity).  The regular Queen size mattress was an upgrade from the RV Queen mattress which is about a foot short of a real Queen.  It’s actually super comfy! The end hung over the frame, but it worked fine.  As a matter of fact, when we traded Nellie for Shasta, we traded out the mattresses too.  My favorite part of the room was that we had 2 “night stands” under the cabinets for us to put phones, drinks, etc.  I call them “arm holes” because I like to sleep with my arm under my pillow and jetting off the side of the bed.  This was one of my “must-have” criteria in search for our new camper so I didn’t feel claustrophobic.  Unfortunately I had to sacrafice and forgo the arm holes – Man I miss those! We also had a mounted TV that I’m pretty sure we only used once, because we could never get any channels to come in on the antenna.  We did add a mounted DVD player, but I’m not sure we ever used it.  Afterall, camping is NOT for watching TV, but it’s nice to have it if you want it.

• Entertainment center with a mounted TV, stereo, DVD player and built-in interior and exterior speakers.  Chewy has his own form of entertainment watching his “TV shows” out the windows.  That’s the best kind – real nature!

Chewy’s favorite spot to sit and “watch tv” as we like to call it when he looks out the window

• Bunk room with a pocket door and 3 beds.  The bed on the left was a good size (that was Cameron’s), but the bunks on the right were super narrow – like 30 inches wide.    Nolan likes a tight space to sleep in, but it was getting to the point where he couldn’t even straighten his legs out.  This is what sparked our thoughts on upgrading to a new fifth wheel – the kids were outgrowing their beds. There was an emergency exit (or party door) that opened from the bottom bunk, so we could store stuff like chairs, tubs, canopy and whatever else we could jam in there.

• Bathroom had a toilet, large sink & shower/tub combo (that probably got used 3 times total).  It was tiny, and as goes for most RV showers, the water pressure was barely strong enough to do anything but run down the shower head instead of spraying out from it. We used the bath houses at the state parks to take showers.  Some were nice and some were not so nice . . .

Exterior Features:

• The outdoor Kitchen was one of our favorite features!  Sink, gas burner, mini fridge and a 2nd microwave that got used way more than the inside one.  So nice to cook all of the bacon and sausage outside where it didn’t stink up and heat up the whole camper.

• There was an electric awning that rolled out where we’d always put a table under to hold our crockpot, automatic ice maker  (since it took so long to make ice in the teeny tiny ice trays in the teeny tiny fridge) and, of course we had to have our Keurig plugged in for coffee in the mornings.  Really roughing it, I know!  This is why I like “glamping” so much.  Still have all of the comfort of A/C, a good bed and 2 Kitchens, all surrounded by nature and the outdoors.  Best of both worlds!

Inches to spare with the awning out

Cleaning the debris off the slides before we put the in

Hanging our cute white lights

Good times at the dump station

The trip to the dump station at the end of each trip is not so glamorous, but that’s what boys are for 🙂

Walmart! Taking up lots of spaces!

One of many stops at Buc-ees

Nellie gave us a year of good memories and she was the PERFECT first camper for us.  Hope the new family that gets her treats her nice, and likes her as much as we did.  Now we’ve moved on to the bigger and better “Shasta” and look forward to making many more happy memories. Bye Nellie – Happy Trails!

7/23/2018

I’m super excited to start this blog, though I have absolutely NO experience, or talent for that matter, in writing one of these and sooooo much extra time on my hands to take on a new project (hahaha).  But hey, I’ve got to find some place to document my 10,000 pictures (literally — just from 2017 and 2018) that just sit in “the cloud”.  Not to mention, all of these amazing trips we take start to run together!  I want to look back and re-live each and every one of these memories.  Plus, what a great way to make use of the hours of driving (or should I say “passenger-ing” while Kevin drives) to and from our adventures.  So I’m just going to dive right in and do this “blog” thing!  And maybe when I get some extra time, I’ll recount our previous travel tales. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves and just take this one step at a time.

This will be by new “Work Station” with the peanut gallery in tow, helping me create these literary masterpieces.  Next stop – Cameron’s Birthday Beach Bash at Lake Ray Roberts – Isle Du Bois.  Y’all stay tuned! Yay!