Get out and CAMP! Who's chillaxin' this weekend?

[NEWFISHER]

Have to put in a few hours at work Saturday morning then headed out to one of our favorite boondockin sites next to the river to unwwind and enjoy our little egg and some R n R.

Where are you headed? It's Thursday night, are you packed yet?

[reeves99]

Oh I wish!!! I won't be going out for another couple of weeks. It's still a bit cool here in Quebec
I can hardly wait. I've been pacing the apartment like a caged animal. Driving my partner nuts.

Beautiful truck BTW!

[Nate R]

Packed up last night. Going out tonight for the weekend, doing a mountain bike race on Sunday, so staying near there.

[keekers]

Headed out next tuesday morning for the first time this year.

[NEWFISHER]

I almost towed it to work today just to camp in the parking lot as I work tomorrow and leave from there lol

[frank_a]

We're getting our new-to-us ParkLiner ready to roll 2 weeks from tomorrow on a trip to NC. Can't wait!

Frank

[RogerDat]

Hoping for the weather that will let me get out and get things ready, been a few nice weekends but always other things on the to-do list with greater urgency.

Want that egg ready to go when the mood strikes!

[Bobbie Mayer]

Headed to the King City Rally as soon as I can get going but not in a big hurry since it is supposed to be HOT there today. Figure to pull in around 5 PM. Still have to finish packing and loading up the trailer. Hotter here- the cooler whether has started to roll in over there so the weekend should be nice.

I didn't get finished with finishing my pop top canvas, so I have pieces to install! I'm going to play around with it this weekend and decide how the final thing should look. (I needed to put windows in and have one window almost done and then did about 3 feet of mesh screening that I can also use.

[NEWFISHER]

^^^^ I try to bring little projects to keep me busy camping. Always think I will get bored and run out of "watching the campfire". I unwind, relax and watch either the flames or the back of my eyelids in a camp chair most of the time and never get around to getting those projects done while I am there.

[Melanie B in NC]

On Monday we are taking our Lil Snoozy (Marigold) to Hatteras Island, NC to stay until Friday. I am a bit nervous as we only got this thing last October and took it on only 2 trips in the Fall. Still new to this camping (or actually campground) activity. We will be staying at the Camp Hatteras Campground next to the beach. Owing an RV is so foreign to my previous life and something I always said we would never do (so much for predicting the turns life will take). Well - we are into it now - too late to turn back. As usual my husband is optimistic and excited about new adventures. I take care of the worrying in the family!

[NEWFISHER]

Melanie, enjoy your time! Everyone in the campground has been in your shoes and is always a door knock or a campfire away to help with an awning or lend a can opener. I am fortunate to have 4 camping vehicles/RV's and have each one fully stocked and ready to go ( I am a planner too) at a moments notice. Thinking I had everything I needed on the Burro's first run last weekend, the can opener I brought would not open a can to save my life. Time was running short on prepping food for the potluck gathering at the rally and I was panicked. I grabbed the sharpest knife and started beating the top of the can, then realized " Hey, I am not boondocking and in a campground surrounded by some new friends" so I popped over next door and asked to use a can opener--whalla! Met some great folks and got that can opened in no time , no mess.

Campgrounds are usually away from all the hussle of the day to day minutia and are full of fresh air. Take a deep breath and enjoy the beauty of the great outdoors!

[D Davis]

Melanie B in NC Would love to be at the beach in NC. Enjoy! You must live close, I bet.
Jon, I am so excited for your enthusiasm, Chillaxin is great! Kick back for me, take some pictures for us you guys!

[Melanie B in NC]

Thanks, Diane. Yes, we live near Raleigh (middle of the state). It is 227 miles to Hatteras. We will be driving very conservatively with the Lil Snooze trundling along.

Jon - you have FOUR RVs? What kinds (I assume they are not all alike). It is like an RV herd! You must have a large shelter to protect them (or do they live out in a pasture like other herd animals)?

[NEWFISHER]

^^^ I purchased my first one in 1996, still own it and was the first "NEW" big purchase I had ever made. It's a 1996 Silverado 11 foot camper slid into a 1997 1 ton 4x4 extra cab dually Chevrolet. It mostly see's trips to the coast being driven by my wife on her " girl" trips and serves as the base camp for them to cook from. It's former tour of duty was a 30,000 mile a year road trip machine hauling a 28 foot enclosed trailer and 3 watercraft that I raced semi-professionally from Canada to SanDiego and trips to World Finals at Lake Havasu AZ.

The second is our 1960 Avion full polished and mostly all original 20 foot trailer. A boondockers paradise. Air pressure water system, 4x6 1/4 wall boxed frame construction for off road camping, 1" steel water pipes and electrical panels, fuses etc you would find in your house, all factory. They were built like tanks, but really beautifull. They said back in the 60's that the Airstreams were the Cadillac's of trailers and the Avion's were the Rolls Royce's.

The 4th and maybe 5th are 1987 Toyota turned rock crawler that has the rear end compartmented for extended camping and is like a mini RV that will clime a cliff. heated leather seats , A/C, power everything, 12v ports, on-board heated shower, on-board air, on-board water tank etc and was great to escape in for me and the dog. Now that I am married, we purchased a roof top tent www.rooftoptents.com and now keep the pooches down below while we enjoy the balcony views from above.

And last but not least, the 80 Burro. Recently remodeled, upgraded and our newest escape pod.

We LOVE to camp. It's now more like "we love to be outside cooking, walking, bicycling, skateboarding etc and away from traffic, noise and just breathe some fresh air every chance we get". last year we camped 29 weekends and 19 of them consecutively. The roof top tent attaches to multiple vehicles depending on what our weekend holds for us. The rock crawler, the 1950 suburban for the distant car shows/cruises or one of the newer rigs for a quicker ( 70 mph vs. 55 mph ) trip to the sunshine. We live in the rainy NW but escape to the high desert or northern Calif. for a blast of vitamin D when needed after a long work week.

[Melanie B in NC]

Wow - ask a question and you get an answer! Such freedom!! The different units sound great and I see why you have kept them all.

I am afraid that when I was your age (you sound young), we were involved in work and children (4 sons) and many, many pets. We tried a little tent camping, but personally I thought it was a lot of work with small children and I really preferred to stay home (we have a little property out in the woods, so were not in an urban situation). Now it is just the two of us and a Toy Fox Terrier dog (5 lbs) who is sweet and loving at home, but gets ballistic when he sees cars and other vehicles, any other dogs, and strangers. I am afraid he is going to spend a lot of time in the camper while we do our thing. But that is better for him than a kennel. Maybe over the summer exposure to the sights and sounds of a campground will help him mellow a bit. Fortunately he does not bark when we leave him - just sleeps.

The high desert sounds wonderful - we have traveled a bit out west on business trips and would like to take a camping trip out there. It would have to be a rather long trip, I suppose. No flying out and renting a car as we have done in the past. We would have to plan out an itinerary and it will definitely tax my compulsive obsession personality to be gone so long from home (I love my garden and greenhouse). But it is time to branch out. Maybe we will see some of your folks on the road somewhere.

[NEWFISHER]

Thanks Melanie but 47 isn't too young! Sounds like you have your own private camp area at home. Maybe a fgrv rally in your back yard?

Camp trip after work got delayed...ring gear in the truck has stripped teeth. Starter just zings so I had AAA bring it home. Looks like a floor jack and sliding the tranny back tomorrow for me. The lifestyle of driving 50 year old vehicles

Who else camped this weekend?

[Carol H]

Well I just got back on Wednesday from my first trip of the year - a week in Oregon which included attending 3 days at the Northern Oregon meet. Had a few heavy rain days but also got in some sunshine. Good news was it was in the high 70's on return to Vancouver, so washing the trailer was not a problem. On return got word that US Airways will this week be bringing me from Pennsylvania, a 10 week old service puppy in training, I am going to be raising for a year so will not be heading out next week-end either. Pup needs a few days to get use to his new digs and me before heading to his first fiberglas trailer meet in 2 weeks time. :-) Should be a great opportunity for him to socialize! LOL He is one of the black boys in this pile.....

[Ms. Gayle]

I left Friday afternoon for my first trip of the year. I am leaving Tupelo, MS today and will be spending the week in Grayton Beach State Park and St Andrew State Park in Florida....

[papa-t]

Originally Posted by frank_a

We're getting our new-to-us ParkLiner ready to roll 2 weeks from tomorrow on a trip to NC. Can't wait!

Frank

Where are you heading to in N.C. ??

[frank_a]

Originally Posted by papa-t

Where are you heading to in N.C. ??

Gibsonville to the ParkLiner factory for up to a week of warranty repair or modifications or whatever. While 006 is back home, we rented a 1st floor condo over on the Outer Banks. Great huh? First time out, and off to the factory, then a condo. We are looking forward to the trip though, and particularly coming home with it all fixed up! Plus we have 3 leisurely days to drag it home over the Memorial Day weekend.

Frank