Once upon a time, we were in a state of repetition: parents at work and kids at school, weekends at swim meets or catching up on chores, summers at summer camp (while parents continue to work). Day in and day out, rarely veering off course. Then, March 13, 2020, life went into a tailspin and came to a screaming halt…for the entire world. COVID made us reconsider what was important to us. What kinds of memories are we building with our family? It also made us think outside of the box. How can we take our four kids on adventures while staying safe and healthy? First, we bought a pick-up truck…. “Just think of all we can do with a pick-up,” we told ourselves. Discovering bike trails, planning kayaking excursions, and, of course, camping trips.
When I was 7, my parents, my grandma, my brothers and I camped across the country and back…in a tent. Every summer new adventures popped up, and many of them included the oh-so heavy canvas tent. I always considered myself a tent camper. Fast forward 30 years. Soon after we brought home our new pick-up, we made camping reservations at a nearby state park. Packing up, the back of the truck looked like a finished jigsaw puzzle; we filled every nook and cranny. And there’s only one right order, so don’t forget what went where! The camping was amazing; the set-up and tear-down took forever. Then, once we got home, we pitched tent again so it could dry/air out. This part of camping had eluded my fond childhood memories. Next, we became the happy owners of a 2021 Keystone Passport 239ML travel trailer.
Camping, Elevated.
Tent camping is always a fun experience, but I LOVE our travel trailer. We chose simple over extravagant. Our camper, “Bessie,” is 25 feet long, 8 feet wide, with no slides. She can sleep 6 comfortably, or 8 packed in like sardines. Up front, the sofa folds flat so a queen murphy bed can fold down; double-over-double bunks in the rear. And a dinette that folds flat into a single bed. Under part to the bunks, there is a storage space that perfectly fits a sleeping mat; we’ve converted this into one more sleeping spot. It gives our son a space away from his three sisters! The dinette seats four, and a small folding table in front of the sofa completes the mealtime seating if we can’t eat outdoors. The kitchen has all of the necessary creature comforts – sink, range, oven, microwave, refrigerator, and freezer. A fully functional bath, and an outdoor stove/mini fridge round out her basic features.
We’ve made some updates and modifications to our camper along the way, but we’ll save those for another day. Our ultimate goal in buying a camper was to have a home away from home that was more comfortable and faster to pack/unpack than a tent. Success! We can set-up and tear-down camp in about 15 minutes. Back in, level, unhitch, plug in (if we have hook-ups), sit back and enjoy a cold beverage.
Making Memories, Family-Style.
Two years later, and our passion for adventuring and making memories has only strengthened. While not all of our adventures include hitting the road with the camper, our first few adventures were indeed with camper in tow. Presently, our focus has been getting outside and seeing the wonders of the United States. There are beautiful and amazing places all over the globe, but we wanted to start our crusade in our own backyard. We want our children to appreciate the beauty and diversity in our own country. Besides, at the beginning of our adventuring days, the pandemic closed many travel options for us. As the world has opened up post-COVID pandemic, we’ve been able to branch out a bit: still US focused for now, just spreading our wings a bit more.
Planning, and then taking, adventures with 4 kids in tow definitely includes some missteps and some pivoting. We’re here to share it all – what worked and what didn’t. We hope that our experiences fuel the adventurer in you. If camping is not your thing, have no fear. Our exploits are definitely not camper dependent. BUT, if the thought of camping puts a smile on your face, pull up a chair ‘round our campfire because we have even more to share with you! Whether you’re a party of one or a party of 10, let’s get out there and make some memories!
