Last year we picked up a used pop up camper for a song. It’s in pretty decent shape for being nearly 25 years old. The roof was rebuilt and one corner doesn’t lift any more so it takes two people to raise it, but other than that its great, especially for what we paid for it.

 We took the camper a whopping 25 minutes east to a campground with a lake and stuff with some friends. Overall it was a blast, and we’ll be doing it again! It turned out to be a really fun weekend. The kids slept well, and it was borderline comfortable enough for us to sleep ok too. I added some things to my list for the next time we go, but it was still super fun.
(Still not what I consider Camping, no tent, sleeping on the ground, hiking in a few miles with everything on your back…)

The funniest, man-I’m-lucky moment happened at 4:15am Sunday.

I forgot the trash bag hanging from the picnic table. I woke up to the sound of crinkling and rummaging, look out the screen to see a silhouette of what I swore was a dog. First thought was Zorro, our four month old puppy, had somehow gotten out of his crate and the camper, I was dead asleep, you know, weird thoughts, so anyway, I figured it was a dog digging in my garbage.

I get up, grab a 2.5′ piece of 2×2 that we have holding up a cabinet in the camper, tip toe out so I don’t wake the kids. I figured I’d give the dog a good scare to chase it off then throw the trash up higher.
Tip toe tip toe, I get within arms reach of the bag, the dog hasn’t noticed I’m there and its on the other side of the bag, so I couldn’t see it. I tap the wood on the ground and was whispering “hey buddy”.
Remember, I am close enough to touch the bag…
It starts turning as the dog is trying to get some particularly good morsel.
The dog comes with it, head still buried in the bag.

I see it now,

A low low critter with a brilliant flash of white along its back.

OH NO!!!*

I’ve never ever moved that fast back to the camper, inside, close the door jump up on the bed and watch, heart hammering. I took my flashlight out and shined it for a second so my wife could see too.
This time I was smart enough to realize if I ticked it off by shining it, the little bit of mesh and canvas of our camper isn’t going to help very much…

It finished up and trundled away, tail in the air never to be seen again.

I can’t believe how stupid I was to go out in the first place, and how LUCKY I was not to get sprayed!

I go a few years without camping and all common sense smart things just fly out the window. I suppose if you don’t use it, you lose it!

Peace,
Tony

*slightly edited