The Great Camping Adventure

We have only had minimal beach time so far, but when we made it to the shore, it was the best!

Some trips required jackets and were quite short.

But even a chilly, brisk walk on the beach is uplifting to the soul.

The dogs agree.

And so did Dewdrop.  She and her dad drove down from North Carolina to see us, and get a bit of Florida sunshine.

Uhm, at least that was the plan…

Our camper is TINY.

Or should I say tiny?

We have two adults, two big dogs and one little Twinkle living in it.  Add a cold, relentless rain and two more people? Since one was a little fairy with a bad cough, it simply wouldn’t work.

The solution? We found the only hotel with an indoor pool that had a single room left (it was Daytona 500 weekend, and not only were the hotels full, they were doubled in price).

And we could check in at 9am so we had a place to get the kiddo out of the rain and take advantage of the free breakfast that morning as well as check out day. (Two free breakfasts that I didn’t have to make in the camper took away some of the ouchiness of paying twice the cost of a room that night.)

Did I mention how teensy weensy the camper is? 

A meal outdoors is nice, but indoors, impossible. it was even nicer after Guncle Randy gave me a box of lace curtains from an estate sale, and our “dining room” had a bit of privacy.

I have never done anything interesting to the interior of the camper, it is not only on the  extra small side, it is dark and gloomy too.

If we decide to do more of this, I see a makeover coming.

And do I think I want to do this again?

Yes, I think I do…

Camping is a affordable way to travel with our dogs.  Bad weather complicates things, but that can happen on any trip.  You just have to adjust and make the most of it, and I feel like we have made this work. 

After being here almost two weeks, I’ve got lots of ideas on how to do it better next time.

Such as not bringing as many clothes with me.  Traveling with dogs means hitting the washer and dryer a lot, so I shouldn’t need to bring that much along and take up valuable packing space.

I was doing laundry quite often.  (Thanks, Guncles! They live near by and welcomed the whole crew, dogs, laundry and all.)

And feeding us royally!

While the kids were here, we stayed in Guncleland a few days and helped rebuild their deck.

The family bonded over hard labor, good food, laughter and togetherness.  
And it was a welcome break from what I was calling, “The Crappy Camper”

So was exploring old town St Augustine.

It hasn’t been a perfect trip, but there have been moments of perfection.  

Yes, I’d do it again.