FIRST REAL CAMPOUT IN THE CAMPER VAN

FIRST REAL CAMPOUT IN THE CAMPER VAN

Okay, okay, so this isn't really camping, this is RV'ing.  However, I feel the RV industry is kind of gerrymandered  towards people with money and time, and not so much to us regular folk.  However, with our secondhand camper van and a little work and determination, we are breaking into a lifestyle that I hope will give us more time to enjoy our little journeys.  So, in order to test our theory and to work out the flaws in our plan, we decided it wise to take our little camper out on a few test campouts before we take it out a million miles from home.  Finally, the stars aligned, and we were able to do an overnight at Smithville Lake. 

 Sunday, July 13, 2014 19:08:22

 Sunday, July 13, 2014 19:37:18

 Sunday, July 13, 2014 19:38:46

 Sunday, July 13, 2014 19:39:50

- 2014/07/13 Sunday 19:54

My Location:
Platte, MO
USA
N 39°23'54.45", W 94°31'41.30"

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=loc:39.39846%2C-94.52814

After some arguing and confusion, we parked at our electric campsite. 

I was going to say that this shakedown campout was to work the bugs out of our plan, however, one of the bugs in our plan, was, well… bugs!  They were aplenty.  However, they were not the annoying blood sucking kind.  Once we got used to their presence, they weren't a bother at all, as they seemed to swarm only in the afternoon sunlight.

Suyen and the doggies are settling into our cookout.  I found that using the stove heats up the camper really well.  On a hot, humid summer day, that type of heat is unbearable.  So outdoor cooking is the best thing and is really enjoyable.

Stella has decided that the top of a picnic table is her perch.

Tima is impatient for dinner.  She doesn't understand the cooking part when raw works perfectly well for her. 

A lovely setup….

…a lovely view...

What??? No cable??????  Where's the wifi????

Sun setting on Stella...

Almost ready.. Tima can't wait!

A little play time before dinner...

 Cucumbers from our garden

Dinner is served!

 This little birdie is very friendly.  It almost eats from your hand.  I think it is a camp beggar!

 THIS is the way to picnic

 Complete with fake candles...

I look like I could use a ten mile hike before eating another bite...

 Ready for Zzzzzz…..

All in all, cleanup was a snap.  Having the camper really helps and makes everything more comfortable.  It is like a portable version of home.  It is nice to have something familiar to come home to on our journeys.  In the middle of the night, an argument indued over the toilet situation.  Suyen was scared to walk to the outdoor privy at 02:30.  I had to escort her.  We have never really tested the RV terlet, so I hesitate to use it unless completely necessary.  With a perfectly good terlet across the road, why dirty your in house terlet, which you have to live with and clean.  It is best to use an RV latrine when all other options are gone.

Postscript:  Today we made the plunge further, and got a portable quiet generator.
My friend tells me to play this song….

The next day, we walked around the paved paths for exercise with the doggies.  We had a sandwich for lunch, and camp cleanup was easy.  As we were leaving, the predicted weather started coming in with rain and wind.

 Family portraits with Melba...

We went to get some cawfee, which turned out to be weak and old.  I was hoping for some sort of refrigerator magnet, but nothing of the sort was here.

 We went through downtown Smithville, Missouri.  I was toying with the idea of trying a restaurant here, which was voted as one of the metro area's 10 best…
http://www.drugstorerestaurant.com/justus.php?id=1
It wasn't open when we passed by.