Lists, Lists, and More Lists

I thought that up-grading to a travel trailer would be pretty seamless, seeing that we already had outfitted the Pop-up and would just transfer all our camping gear over to the bigger rig.  What I didn't think about, is all the 'additional stuff' we'd need to get ourselves comfortably moved into our new space.

 

So, the following list(s) are by no means exhaustive - but they sure where exhausting!  And hopefully will be a point of reference for you if you make the move to the Darkside.  (P.S. - I'll probably add to this as time goes by, so check back occasionally!)

Stuff you already have, but  you're gonna need another set of if you still have your pop-up in the garage:
-Chocks
-Blocks/Bricks
-Tongue Lock


Water/Sewer Equipment- we never used the water in the Pop-up, so a lot of this was new to us:
-Dedicated White Water (drinking water safe) Hose
-Water Filter (connects between city water and trailer)
-Water Pressure Regulator (connects between city water and filter)
-Brass "Y" Faucet connector (so you can have water white and an additional hose simultaneously)
-Water Hose Gaskets
-Heavy Duty Gloves
-Sewer Pipe/hose (ours came with one - but I've heard horror stories about pin-hole leaks)
-Clear Black Tank Elbow
-Sewer Pipe/hose Nozzle
-Sewer Pipe/hose Off the Ground Holder
-HEAVY DUTY GLOVES
-Back Flow Preventer Valve
-RV Safe Toilet Paper
-Rid X (or other enzyme - liquid is preferable)
-Did I mention Heavy Duty Gloves?


Kitchen/Bath Stuff - a good bit is personal preference here, but these were things I 'needed':
-Tiny Dish Rack (it's cheaper at Wally World than Camping World, FYI)
-Cutlery Caddy (the drawers in the RV are too small for an in-drawer one)
-Tiny Baking/Cookie Sheets (I have an oven! wee!)
-Tinny Cookie Spatula (The cookie sheets are small)
-Bathmat (now that we have a shower, we'll be using it!)
-Shower Water Shut-off Valve (helps to save on water usage - Goggle: "Navy Shower")
-Tiny Trash Cans
-Wall Clock (because now I have walls!!)


Misc Stuff - again, optional:
-WD40 (you'd be surprised how much a squeaky bathroom door can annoy you)
-Drill (if you don't want to hand-crack down the stabilizers)
-Walkie Talkies
-Spare Keys (one set to stay in the truck, one set that lives with my car keys)
-DVDs (now that we have a TV!) for those rainy days
-Bedding and Pillows (those will permenantly live in the camper)
-Hangers (Closets! I have closet space!)

"It's Nice Outside...."

Meet "Honey" - our new 2010 Spree LX, 28' Travel Trailer.  Teehee!

Clyde and Honey

Yep, we're very happy Glampers!

RDB and I picked up our new travel trailer Saturday and spent the day at Huntsville State Park.  I gotta tell ya (and I will, more blog post to come) there is a lot of stuff that comes along with a new camper!  And that's before we've cleared out the Pop-up.

 

Not much to report in this first trip - the weather cooperated, we had a wonderful full-hook-up spot (#4) and went out to eat.  What? I didn't have my cooking utensils!  I did, however, attempt chocolate chip cookies in my new OVEN.  Only took 3 tries to figure out how not to burn the bottom and still have them raw on top (tip: flip the cookies over half way thru the cooking time.  Another tip: get a small(er) spatula to match your super small cookie pan - or just eat smushed cookies - those were good, too)

 

So, how did we get to the point where I'm now burning baking cookies in an oven in a travel trailer at Huntsville SP? 

 

I blame the Internet.  Specifically, PPL.  It's our favorite place to browse and dream about that 'someday when' we'd get a new camper... go to the Darkside... get a pop-UP grade.... 

 

 

 

 

We were talking about it again a few weekends ago, and I jumped out to the site to see what was available.  As a consignment dealer, their inventory turns over often- and that's part of what makes it fun to head out there.  They also do an incredible job of being straightforward with the pricing, have great photos and floor plans online, and are extremely no-pressure when you come out on site.  And I mean, totally no pressure - you check in with Ms. Ann at the desk, let her know you're heading out to the lot - every camper is unlocked and free for the looking thru for as long as you like (they'll even take a ladder out for you to climb on the roof if you want - not that I'd now anything about that).  Come back in when you're ready to buy, and you get pared with a sales guy (Peter was great!) and he'll make the offer-counter-offer-offer-accepted with the owner for you, and that's it - I bought a camper!

 

Who knew 'someday when' would be so close?

 

 

 

./` A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes.... ./`

Guess we've been dreaming BIG!

We're going camping!!

Long Time No Posts!

It's been a busy few months...

With work...

... travel ...

... visiting family...

... going on adventures ...



and more work!

But don't fret - I've got camping on the brain

and have a few trips already planned for the fall.

It just can't get here fast enough!!

Photo Friday

Bastrop State Park

Photo Friday

Two Tank Ranch, Huntsville, TX

Camp Cooking #8: Overnight Oatmeal

Not everyone aspires to be a camp-fire chef.  Not everyone enjoys being on KP after every meal.  For those of you who are looking for something wholesome, quick, and easy to clean up after - look elsewhere.

No, just kidding!

 

I fall into both of those categories - not wanting to cook and not wanting to clean - I can't tell you how many times we just pack up the dirty dishes and throw them in the back of the truck to wash when we get home.  I'd rather spend my last few moments enjoying the sunrise and fresh air.

 

With that in mind, I started looking for creative ways to 'cook' the morning's breakfast without having massive amount of dishes left to do (and I know, cereal and milk and plastic ware would solve this, but come on! It's camping!) I use my crockpot a good bit at home, and didn't really want to lug it along camping - but I've found that I love it just as much at the campsite as in my full kitchen at the house.  I've since pulled a few recipes off of Pinterest, and have been working on adapting them for our camping needs.

 

So, you're gonna need a crockpot. And I'd highly recommend the crockpot liners, too - that's part of the appeal to this breakfast, that you don't have to scrub a bunch of pans - but if you forget the liner - you're gonna be scrubbing till the cows come home.

Gather your ingredients: AT HOME.  Yep, there's a bit of pre-work, but it's another part of what makes this dish so easy at camp:

Dry Ingredients:

1 Heaping cup Steel-Cut Oats

2 Tbsp Brown Sugar

1/2 tsp Cinnamon (or more, if you want a stronger flavor)

1 Tbsp Ground Flaxseed

1/4 tsp Salt

Combine all of these in a bowl with a lid and give a good shake.

 

Wet Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup Milk

1 cup Apple Cider (or apple juice)

1/2 cup water

3-4 Apples

 

Combine the liquid ingredients in a jar and shake well.  The apples you'll want to wash but keep whole - they'll get prepped in the next few steps.

 

You might like to take along a few toppings - we love chopped pecans, fresh cut apples - you might like cream over the top once it's cooked - that's entirely up to you.  I think you'll find, though, the oatmeal itself has plenty of flavor and taste all on its own.

 

Here's how it'll play out the night before:

 

Chop (the apples),

 

 combine (wet +dry),

 

 

 stir (everything),

 

 

 cover and cook. 

 

 



 

That's it!  Set it on low for about 7 hours and you've got a hearty, healthy ready to eat breakfast without having to do a lot of work in the morning.  You've already done most all of the work at home ahead of time.  And clean up should be a snap!

 

I've really fallen in love with this one and I'm not normally a big fan of oatmeal.  We've done it several times with just apples, but I'm thinking on the next few trips out I'll branch into other fruits - blackberries, peaches, etc - and see how they hold up to the overnight treatment.

 

Enjoy!

PS - since this has become a staple for us, and I'm all about making the prep work easy... check this out:  a small yogurt contain has become my dry ingredients holder (with a copy of the recipe on the lid)

and my empty peanut butter jar (Remember Camp Pudding? It's the same jar I use for that recipe) for all my liquid ingredients.