We sure enjoyed ourselves! I still havent figured out how camping seems to be relaxing even though it is still so much work! :) Maybe it is trading internet/cell phones for the sounds/smells of nature... well we had a neighbor with a loud generator at our campground, but when it was off you could hear the nature part. ;)
The trip there (pulling the landcruiser) was a little stressful. The motorhome seemed to have just enough power to pull it, I'm sure it would be better if we had a lighter trailer, or possibly hauled the land cruiser with a dolly behind the motorhome...
I think everything would have been a little more relaxing if: 1) Jaydon had driven the motorhome more times... BEFORE pulling a heavy trailer. 2) There wasnt SO much road construction with abrupt edges and cones that seemed waay to close together! 3) We werent traveling the magority of our trip in the dark with our high beams.. we keep forgetting we have a headlight out until we're traveling and the sun is setting!! lol. This means you cant flash people with you're high beams if they're lights are on high... and they're BLINDING you to the point of nearly running off the road. 4) Better Mirrors. If we're to tow this trailer again, we NEED better mirrors for towing.
Okay, I feel better now that I have that documented. ;) The trip there was so stressful that I actually (you better be sitting for this) suggested we sell the motorhome and upgrade to something a little newer. There I said it. It was painful, and I feel like hitting my head against a wall... but I said it.
Of course, once we got there everything was near perfect and I LOVED everything about our vintage motorhome. So cozy and unique... I cooked in it for the first time.... can you guess what i made?
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Vanilla Creme Pie and Biscuits and Gravy. Yep! If you read my other post about possibly attempting to bribe Jaydon to install the dinged hood vent... well it WORKED! :)
He is so handy, and so sweet.... and the key to his motivation is food... always works like a charm. Jaydon if you happen to read this, please know that I mean everything I say in the sweetest way possible.
Cooking in the motorhome for the first time was really fun, and the motorhome smelled like homeade vanilla pudding. YUM I had pre-measured the ingrediants ahead of time so it was quite a bit easier putting it together... and the crust, well that just may have been a rolled pillsbury pie crust... I'm not completely admitting, just suggesting it could have been...
this picture shows the side of the hood vent that has a little damage....
not too terribly noticeable though... right? If you say yes I will definitely NOT tell Jaydon. ;) I'm in a really weird mood this morning... thank you for bearing through it with me!;)
I'm still not 100% sure we are going to sell, if we camped without needing to tow the landcruiser then everything would be fine. Or even if we were towing something lighter like a quad... but, we take the cruiser with us 9 out of 10 times, and I think it is just a bit too much for the motorhome. I love the vintage character of an older motorhome/trailer, but I'm not sure I'm willing to sacrafice the charm for reliability and peace of mind. Why cant I have both? I'm thinking maybe a late 80's would be old enough to satisfy my vintage/retro charm but possibly have more power and better towing capabilities? I will definitely keep you guys updated.
Journey: Friday morning
The very first morning and Trinity wasted no time getting on her camping face. Dirty forehead and all! ;)
I just love this picture of my little Journey Girl. :) She looks so sweet and INNOCENT. Have to capture those rare experssions you know? Do you think she is outgrowing that striped sweater? She wore it last year when we went camping... I LOVE it to pieces.
The girls picked wild flowers and weeds, and laid them here on this picnic table.
Oh- Can I show you this REALLY really neat camping gadget? I have to show/demonstrate it everytime we go camping. I'm nice enough to let my mom borrow it, she likes to pretend its hers. Well she hasn't openly admitted it... but I'm pretty sure of it:
Did ya see it? The handy dandy collapsible dish drainer? I found it online, cant remember where for sure... but I found it available here in case anyone wants to take a closer look. It saves so much space, and as a bonus you can impress your friends/family with it! :)
Anyhow, moving back to the pictures of the kiddos getting dirty...
Trinity and my sisters daughter Jada. Did ya know my sister has a blog too? She is just starting out, and at that point where feedback and comments are SUPER appreciated! :) Truth be told, she has always been a really really great writer, so I have no doubt that she'll find her place in the blogging community. :) I have an official post coming up soon... she opened an etsy shop for her kid themed art! :)
My brother and Shaela showed up suuper late Friday night. He pulled a trailer with his landcruiser for the first time on a 7 hour trip! I was so impressed. :)
I love how he stenciled above the tire....
Also loved the HUGE star on his hood... and according to Shaela it was no small feat making that big stencil.
It turned out awesome though! :) Anyhow Friday morning Jono and heather (my sister) showed up... but not without a story that topped our stressful drive by a mile... I'm sure she will be blogging the story soon.... It definitely needs documented. lol Anyhow, Friday was the day we made our trip to the moonrocks. Just like last year it was suuuper dusty. But not NEARLY as cold. In fact it was actually really nice weather. We did have a soft top (minus the back window) this year which helped shade and protect the girls from the elements, but I think it acted like a funnel for the wind/dust! :)
As you can tell, we took routine stops along the way...
and Journey fell asleep, and just like last year we were amazed and had NO idea how... it was a super bumpy road...
I'm totally overloading you guys on pictures of un-interesting vehicles, and dirty faces... so I'll break it up into a couple different posts to give you guys a break! :)
