"Hello World. I'm a Campaholic."
There, I said it, it's out. I basically cannot get enough and spend much of my summer in the Uintas feeding my habit. Lucky for me I have a very supportive husband, who is willing, whenever I get the urge, to haul me, my 2 girls, my dog and my camper up Parley's Canyon, through Park City and Kamas, all the way to Woodland. There, I'll park the camper and basically veg for weeks, while he has to get up extra early every day to commute into work. He says he doesn't mind, and he's happy I like to camp, but sometimes I'm sure he's gotta be either lying or out of his mind!
I'm not sure when it all started. I've camped off and on through-out my life. Always in a tent and mostly just a weekend here and there. When Kevin and I first got married, we tent camped quite a bit and really loved it. I guess the obsession probably started with our first camper. Round about the time our oldest daughter was born, back in 2003, we inherited Kevin's Grandparent’s camper. It was a 1974 Comfort Trailer, about 19 feet long, and super-filthy. It had been used as a tool storage shed for a while and when we got it, it was a mess, and I confess, I DID NOT want it. It was just too gross. But Kev had a vision, and within a month it was very clean, the cushions had been reupholstered and I'd made cute red and white checked curtains, and we were off on our first outing up Hobble Creek Canyon. And low and behold, we had HOT WATER!! Right inside the camper. It flowed right through the pipes and emptied into the sink, and I could do dishes without having to boil water on the stove. It also had LIGHTS!! Right in the ceiling. Flip a switch and they came right on. No flashlights, no lanterns. I was amazed. . .and hooked! Camper camping was the only way to go. I could store everything right in the camper, and when it came time to camp, just loaded up the food and some clothes and away we went.
Well, that camper (which will receive it’s own blog post in the near future) and I carried on a love affair for 5 glorious summers, each year camping more and more. Until the fall of 2008 when Kev decided he was tired of replacing pipes each spring, and dealing with all the problems that a 35 year old camper inevitably has. He wanted an upgrade. I did NOT support that decision, and parting with my beloved camper was a most unpleasant experience. Our new(er) camper turned out to be a 1991 Sprinter. Our bed was smaller, but we had our very own bedroom with a closing door AND a lock. The girls had bunkbeds with a dividing curtain, so we could tuck them away at night and still play games at the kitchen table and such. It even had a working bathroom, which our old camper did not. I confess it didn't take long for me to fall in love again. By now, we had purchased a Camperworld membership, and in July of 2009, I had a brilliant idea. What if I went up to the Camperworld in Woodland and stayed for a whole week, while Kevin commuted back and forth to work, which was about 45 minutes away. The girls and I could bike ride and swim at the pool and just hang out all day. And so it began. Each summer I do it more and more and I'm convinced there will come a time when I will never return home. That is my dream and one day it may be realized.
Kevin suggested that I start this blog to chronicle my experiences. It's really just a way for me to journal the sometimes exciting, sometimes boring day in/day out camping that we do every year. Feel free to read along and take a peek into this very simple, but fortunate life I lead.
There, I said it, it's out. I basically cannot get enough and spend much of my summer in the Uintas feeding my habit. Lucky for me I have a very supportive husband, who is willing, whenever I get the urge, to haul me, my 2 girls, my dog and my camper up Parley's Canyon, through Park City and Kamas, all the way to Woodland. There, I'll park the camper and basically veg for weeks, while he has to get up extra early every day to commute into work. He says he doesn't mind, and he's happy I like to camp, but sometimes I'm sure he's gotta be either lying or out of his mind!
I'm not sure when it all started. I've camped off and on through-out my life. Always in a tent and mostly just a weekend here and there. When Kevin and I first got married, we tent camped quite a bit and really loved it. I guess the obsession probably started with our first camper. Round about the time our oldest daughter was born, back in 2003, we inherited Kevin's Grandparent’s camper. It was a 1974 Comfort Trailer, about 19 feet long, and super-filthy. It had been used as a tool storage shed for a while and when we got it, it was a mess, and I confess, I DID NOT want it. It was just too gross. But Kev had a vision, and within a month it was very clean, the cushions had been reupholstered and I'd made cute red and white checked curtains, and we were off on our first outing up Hobble Creek Canyon. And low and behold, we had HOT WATER!! Right inside the camper. It flowed right through the pipes and emptied into the sink, and I could do dishes without having to boil water on the stove. It also had LIGHTS!! Right in the ceiling. Flip a switch and they came right on. No flashlights, no lanterns. I was amazed. . .and hooked! Camper camping was the only way to go. I could store everything right in the camper, and when it came time to camp, just loaded up the food and some clothes and away we went.
Well, that camper (which will receive it’s own blog post in the near future) and I carried on a love affair for 5 glorious summers, each year camping more and more. Until the fall of 2008 when Kev decided he was tired of replacing pipes each spring, and dealing with all the problems that a 35 year old camper inevitably has. He wanted an upgrade. I did NOT support that decision, and parting with my beloved camper was a most unpleasant experience. Our new(er) camper turned out to be a 1991 Sprinter. Our bed was smaller, but we had our very own bedroom with a closing door AND a lock. The girls had bunkbeds with a dividing curtain, so we could tuck them away at night and still play games at the kitchen table and such. It even had a working bathroom, which our old camper did not. I confess it didn't take long for me to fall in love again. By now, we had purchased a Camperworld membership, and in July of 2009, I had a brilliant idea. What if I went up to the Camperworld in Woodland and stayed for a whole week, while Kevin commuted back and forth to work, which was about 45 minutes away. The girls and I could bike ride and swim at the pool and just hang out all day. And so it began. Each summer I do it more and more and I'm convinced there will come a time when I will never return home. That is my dream and one day it may be realized.
Kevin suggested that I start this blog to chronicle my experiences. It's really just a way for me to journal the sometimes exciting, sometimes boring day in/day out camping that we do every year. Feel free to read along and take a peek into this very simple, but fortunate life I lead.
I think it's awesome and wish I had started it when the kids were younger. Now it seems there is so much going on in the summer, we can't get away for weeks at a time. Even if you have to curtail it when the kids are older, you'll still have these awesome days of now to warm you and your kid's hearts. Yae for you! And, I think a camping blog is a great idea. You can also discuss the merits of where you are camping.
ReplyDeleteYipeee!! I am so excited to be reading a blog from YOU!! I have wanted you to start a blog FOREVER! Since I cannot seem to keep up with you when we are in the same city.. maybe this way I can at least read where you are every time I try calling :) he he he... Cannot wait to ready more! LOVE IT.
ReplyDeleteI have also officially linked your blog to mine.. Yipeee!
ReplyDeleteLove it, Tiff! So funny! I always forget it's YOU and the girls, not Kevin -- he's at work!! Have you ever thought of being a camp host? I mentioned that to Evan and he said, we should just go on a mission. I said, isn't that like a mission, and it's only for a few months... :)
ReplyDeleteLove your picture header, too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the comments and words of encouragement. It's been fun so far, but time consuming. I need a better laptop, better connection, and better knowledge of Blogspot. : ) Trial and Error.
ReplyDeleteAms - you'll definitely make the blog, especially if you do something STUPID!! That means Emilee will too. : )
And Emily - Thanks for loving my picture header. I woke up this morning and my friend in Boston had sent me an email with this attached. He said he just "took a few minutes" and whipped that up for me. How great it that?! And no way to the camp host. That would take all the fun out of it.