Campground cooking, camper storage and our third trip out

I had some hospital appointments in Portland at the end of June. Since it was just before the 4th of July, I was afraid we would end up parked at Cabela's. I was so happy to see that they still had three nights open at Wild Duck, in Scarborough, Maine. That is where we stayed at the beginning of June, and we really liked the peacefulness there, so we reserved a campsite for all three nights. The last time, we were in #27, and it was a really nice site, but this time, we had #28, and it was even larger better! We were also right across from some friends we had made there on our previous trip.

We had our friends over for shish kabob on the first night. I had originally planned on three different kinds of shish kabobs. One with lemon and shrimp, another with shrimp, kielbasa, veggies and cajun marinade, and a third with veggies and lemon. As I was par boiling the potatoes, I decided that it would be more fun to have a shish kabob buffet, and let everyone customize their own. I put the shrimp into one bowl, chunked up the kielbasa into another one, and cut up potatoes, summer squash, zucchini, mushrooms and vidalia onions, and put all of these into their own bowls. Then I made up the marinades in separate bowls. The shish kabobs were great, and we had so much fun talking and cooking! You can't see the grill in this photo, because it was behind the picnic table.

The next day was the day of my appointments, and it was rainy, so we decided to go to a local fishing co-op, and have dinner there after we got back from Portland.

On the third day, we were planning on sauteeing up the leftovers from the first night. I was going to grill some chicken to go with it, but our friends came over and said they had lots of leftovers too, so we did a leftover buffet with them instead. I had put all the leftover veggies and things into a bowl along with the marinades, after we ate on the first night, so I fried up some bacon and added all the leftovers to that and sauteed them up in my outside kitchen. (There are two skillets, because one of them doesn't eat meat). Then we brought them over to our friend's camper, and stuck them on the warming shelf inside their smoker/grill while their leftovers were cooking. There was a nice smokey taste to everything, and we had another great meal!

The worst part about camping, is having to leave. I have always been envious whenever we stopped anywhere and saw a camper on the back of a vehicle, so when we stopped for gas on our way home, I had to get out and take a picture of my Sonic behind my Sierra! Yeah, those are dents on the side of my Sierra. We went for years without ever getting a scratch on our vehicles, but Portland Maine parking lots, including the one at the hospital are like meat grinders. Someone is always running into your vehicle while it's parked, and not leaving a note. I think next time, my husband will listen to me about taking Uber. This happened to us twice.

We were storing our camper at the dealership, two hours away. I hated not being able to go in and do things in there when we were at home, and it was a pain to have to drive al the way to Glenburn, Maine, and make an appointment to pick her up every time we wanted to use her. We finally found a spot in Stonington, right across the street from were my mother and I have our gift shops. I sure wish we had hookups, because it would be a beautiful camping spot! I love being able to go into it whenever I want.

On the various camper groups I belong to, people who don't have covers for their slides are always asking if it's worth it. I would definitely say it is. When you are packing up in the rain, you don't have to get up there with a ladder and sweep it off. All I have to do is to stand on the tailgate of the truck, and look to make sure there isn't anything big or sharp up there. Just open your slide when you get home to dry the cover off. It's also great when the trees above you are "raining" down seed pods and things. Remember, anything on top of your slide is going to fall down into your camper on the way home, if you don't have a cover. The angle of this photo makes the cover look a little weird, but it doesn't look that way in person.

This is the view out the door where we are storing our camper.

This is the view out the kitchen window. You can see part of the old clam factory where we have our shops, as well as some of the beach and cove.

Wild Duck Campground, Scarborough, Maine

For our second outing, we decided to go to Scarborough, Maine. I had never been to Old Orchard Beach before, and I knew I would prefer going before the crowds got there. Because of my cancer, I have a feeding tube, as well as a trach, so I can't go swimming. Rather than choose a resort type place, where I wouldn't be able to use the amenities I would be paying for, we decided to go to Wild Duck. This is an adult, quiet campground, and the perfect place to relax after busy days in Old Orchard and Portland. It is right out in the Scarborough (salt) Marsh, and was really peaceful and nice. The owners were great, and so were the seasonals and regulars there. We decided on a back in site so we would be against the marsh, even though my husband had never backed in before. The regulars there were very helpful directing him!

Old Orchard was really fun in early June before the crowds got there. I was surprised to see how many trains go right through the town every day.

We walked on the pier, which has been there since 1898, then sat on the beach for hours. Another couple came over and sat with us, and we had a great time talking to them and watching the young people playing games and even swimming in the icy water!

All over town there are outside cafes and takeout places. We almost lost our lunch at this one. This seagull was relentless. He kept charging across the table at us trying to steal our lunch. It was really funny!

The next day we went in to Commercial Street in Portland. A dear friend of ours, Cap'n Bill Linnell built this little replica of a tugboat, and sells lobster rolls down there. It was really fun having lobster, and since it was way early in the season, it wasn't too busy. I also went into a lot of the shops down there, and got a wonderful mandolin at a cooking store. I've wanted one of those for a long time, and it made slicing up the vegetables for the foil packets I made that night so much easier!

A few of the days we were there, we just chilled at the campsite, and visited with friends we made there. We also went up the road to a wonderful ice cream takeout place less than a mile from the campground, and drove down to a few of the nearby beaches and fishing wharves, as well as a trip to Cabela's. On another day, we went to one of the towns, my ancestors settled in the 1700's, Buxton, Maine. I have always wanted to go there, and it was very close to the campground. I know that some of the first ancestors to settle there were buried on family property, and their graves are unmarked, but I did see some of the newer, (1740's and later), graves in this churchyard in Bar mills. It was so nice to finally get to see it for myself!

We were only planning on being there for 3 nights, but it was so nice that we stayed for 6 nights instead. This is one of the evenings in front of the campfire.

Our first camping trip!

Since this blog is really supposed to be about camping, I will resume posts of our trip south later on.

We picked up our camper and took our first trip on Tuesday, May 1. We decided to go to Christies Campground. It was only 22 miles from where the camper was, and we wouldn't need to go through congested areas, or onto the interstate to get there. They technically don't open until May 15th, but when I called, they said to come on down anywyay! They didn't have the showers or bathrooms open yet, but that didn't matter since we have all those things in our camper anyway. We loved the campground, and it is right on Sebasticook Lake, in Newport, Maine. It's a small, family owned campground, and is very friendly and laid back. Just the way we like it!

In this photo, they are showing my husband how to hook up the Blue Ox WDH and sway control.

The other side of the Sonic and Sierra. It towed very well!

This is when we first unhooked the camper. My husband is checking out the outdoor kitchen.

This is a view with things partially set up inside. It's looking a lot more homey now! I used command hooks to hang the small cutting board on the side of the entertainment cabinet. It is within easy reach, and if the command hook lets go, it won't fall into the stove! The pot holders are on another command hook on the outside of the cupboard in front of the sink, and add a spot of color there. You can see one scenic calendar hanging on command hooks over one side of the slide. I have another one on the other side. I'll probably replace one of them with photos of us with the kids and grandkids later on, but for now, these add pretty pictures!

This is taken looking toward the bathroom. You can see where I am hanging a flashight, umbrella and a narrow basket. It worked great, because it was easy to reach from the doorway. The clock is hanging above the entertainment cabinet, and I hung a dish wiping cloth on a command hook there as well, because I still haven't bought an over the door towel rack for it.

This is our couch with a pretty throw my sister-in-law bought for me over the back. It matches my rug! The three drawer Sterlite cabinet things work really well on either side of the couch. They make great storage areas, plus they work well as end tables. I'm really glad I bought them. They also come in a wicker look, rather than white and clear, but when I bought the first one to try it, our Walmart was out of the "wicker" ones.

This is my first photo of our Murphy bed, all made up and ready for the night. You don't have to make and unmake the bed morning and night, but it works better if I put the pillows into the wardrobes when I fold it up. I'm really glad our camper came with the Murphy option! A lot of people put foam mattress toppers on their Murphy beds, but we were perfectly comfortable in ours without one.

This shows what I did under the kitchen sink. It is command hooks, with Dollar Tree baskets. They work great for storing sponges and things. I'm using hospital pans for dish pans, because that sink is really tiny. The hospital pans just fit. I can see why so many people have changed to a single bowl stainless steel sink, because as much as I love my camper, the sink is ridiculous!!!

Inside the end cabinet next to the door, is where I have hung the dustpan and little broom, plus the fly swatter.It's a great place for them, and they are easy to grab from outside. You can see the cover that goes over the sink in that cabinet as well. The Sonic 220 VRB actually has a decent amount of counter space for such a small camper, and I found it much easier to just leave the sink open, rather than having to move the cover every time I use a faucet.

The second day was really warm there, and we got a chance to have a campfire, and use the grill. There was a lot of really gusty strong wind, so we didn't leave the awning up.

All in all, it was a great trip. The camper towed well, the weather wasn't too cold the first day, and it was quite warm the second day. The third day, even though it rained, we were cozy and comfortable in the camper. We learned how to use a lot of the features, and I got to make it more homey.

For dinners, I had made a big baked spaghetti thing at home the night before we left, because I wasn't sure what time we would get to the campground, and how long it would take us to set it up. This way, all I had to do was heat it up in the microwave. For the second night, we made foil packets over the grill. We used chicken, onions, potatoes and carrots. My husband wanted his marinated in Italian dressing, and I marinated mine in BBQ sauce. They were yummy! The third night was a bonus. We hadn't planned on staying for three nights, but we weren't ready to come home yet. Fortunately, we had lots of leftovers!

Tybee Island, Georgia

We decided to stay on Tybee Island while we were visiting Savannah because we wanted to be able to get away from the crowds at night. We also didn't know that St. Patrick's Day is a big deal in Savannah, so every where was crowded! We stayed at a hotel called Sky Suites. I guess we were lucky, because at least our room was reasonably clean, we had hot water, and the woman at the front desk was nice to us. Some of the other guests there weren't so lucky. Our room was on the ground floor, and looked out at a blank wall that supported an outdoor staircase. The room next to ours had an adjoining door, and the people next door were talking loudly, and playing loud music all night long on both nights. The hotel is right on the main street, and right across the road from a beach access, so that was one good thing about it.

The first night we decided to see which restaurants were within walking distance, and found Stingrays first. Stingrays would be great for the spring break crowd. We had to eat outdoors, and it was freezing. They also seated us directly in front of some very loud speakers, so it was impossible to hold a conversation. We asked if we could move, but they weren't interested. We had a very uncomfortable meal, and I really don't remember if we enjoyed it at all, because all we wanted to do was get back to the hotel, and get warm and quiet. Like I said, it would be a great place for young people, but not so much for people in their 60's with health problems! (I was trying very hard to enjoy myself and not feel like an old fart, but it was difficult)!!!

The first afternoon we decided to visit the lighthouse and fort Screven. The lighthouse and buildings were beautiful, but the lighthouse tower was closed, so we couldn't go up.

The fort is included with the tickets to the light. The fort was closed in 1947. By the 1950s many of the fort’s buildings had been converted for use by private owners. In 1961,part of the fort became the museum that exists today.

The second day of our visit was spent in the beautiful city of Savannah. More on that in the next blog post. The above photo was taken on the beach at Tybee Island. We hadn't gotten a chance to check the beach out because we were so busy seeing the sites. After we checked out of the hotel, we asked the lady at the front desk if we could leave our truck in the parking lot long enough to check the beach out for a few minutes, and she said it was fine. The beach was beautiful, and we were the only ones on it!

McClellanville, SC

One of our unexpected side trips was to McClellanville, SC to visit a former neighbor, who we hadn't seen in quite a few years. It wasn't a sightseeing trip, it was a visit, but we did go down and see the Deerhead Oak and the shrimp boats while we were there.

The plaque under the oak.

The shrimp boats.

Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina

When I was little, I was fascinated by a picture of a tree draped with Spanish Moss in a book I saw. Finally, at the age of 59, I got to see my first moss draped live oak, and my truck was actually parked under it in front of my hotel room. This is a different truck, but it's the same hotel room and live oak. We loved staying at the Waterway Lodge so much in Wrightsville Beach, NC in 2012, that we decided to stay there again this year.

One of the reasons we loved the room, besides the live oak, was because we had our own little parking spot and seating area, away from all the other rooms. I was really excited when the same room was available this year!

The room was the same inside as it was last time, except the bedspread was green instead of yellow.

Another good thing about this hotel is that it is on the inland waterway, rather than on the beach. Sometimes I would rather be on the beach, but sometimes it is also nice to be in a quieter area. The road by the hotel isn't terribly busy, and it is a really pretty walk, with lots of live oaks and beautiful houses.

There are also three restaurants within walking distance. The last time, we went to the Dockside Restaurant and enjoyed our meal, so we went there again this year. They were able to make a meal I could eat on my pureed diet, so I didn't have to make a meal of Ensure, and the view was beautiful!

The last time I was here, we didn't go to see the beach. The girl at the hotel told us they weren't charging for parking yet, so we went down. It was very cold and windy, and the beach was deserted, so we only took a couple of photos and returned to the truck. Unfortunately, they had apparently started charging for parking within the last day or two. We then went toward some stores, and paid for parking again, so I could go into a store for some souvenirs. The store we went into didn't have a good selection, but I bought a t-shirt.

I wanted to get things for the kids, so we walked a ways looking for another shop that was open. Almost everything close by was closed, and it was really cold, so we didn't pay for more parking in another location. I don't mind the idea of having to pay for parking, but when everything is still closed and the streets are deserted because it is really cold out, I would think it would make more sense to have free parking so people would buy things in the shops that are open.

Anyway, we really enjoyed our second visit to Wrightsville Beach. It was quiet and relaxing, and I hope we get to go again sometime!

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, and the Outer Banks

After leaving Rehoboth Beach, we went across the CBBT. We have been across this bridge a few times, and always really like crossing it. They are now working on making the new set of tunnels, rather than having two way traffic in them, and the restaurant and gift shop are closed, and so is the fish pier. I feel really lucky that I got a chance to visit them back when they were open. It was a unique experience!

The photo above is of two very large ships, which had gone over the top of one of the tunnels just before we went through it. The picture doesn't look nearly as interesting as the ships looked in real life.

We were really lucky with the weather while we were gone. The temperatures were way below average the whole time, but the only rain we had was the day we drove between the Delmarva Penninsula and the Outer Banks, a few times at night, and when we drove to New York. The days when we wanted to be outside were generally sunny.

We drove from the CBBT to Kill Devil Hills to spend the night. It didn't matter too much that it was pouring rain, because we have been to the OBX a few times, so we didn't plan on sight seeing there. We spent the night just because we love it there.

This time, we spent the night in a motel we had never stayed at before. The Outer Banks Inn. Unfortunately, when we got there, even though the room was all paid for, they charged us another $60 before we could even check in. It was pouring so hard, and the parking lot was a swamp. If we hadn't paid the extra $60, we would have lost the payment we had already made, so we ended up paying more for this place than we paid at the beautiful hotel on Rehoboth Beach. The hallway to the rooms was a nightmare, and the rooms weren't great. I must say that the workers were very nice, and it wasn't their fault about the extra charges, but I definitely would never stay there again.

The next morning it was cold and extremely windy. We drove to a beach access place and watched the surf for a while. It was pretty neat, because we had never been there during stormy weather before. The photo above doesn't really show just how rough it was.

Sturbridge, Mass and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

We had planned on taking our Sonic Travel Trailer south with us, but since my husband had never towed anything before, we decided to make the trip without the camper.

It was sad because we were so anxious to use it for the first time, as well as it would have been nice to have a place of our own, but it was also kind of scary thinking of towing it so far from home for the first time. If we had brought it, we probably would have stayed on I95 the whole way south, with no spur of the moment side trips and visits to see friends we hadn't seen in years, but the trip itself would have been more relaxing.

This camper, as well as the trip are bucket list things for me. I have stage four cancer, and have to go back to the hospital on 5 April. I don't know what I will find out, so after spending all of last summer and fall in the hospital, and all winter in the house, we decided to enjoy ourselves for one month before I go back to the hospital. Even though we didn't take the camper, I decided to put our trip on the blog, and talk about some of the places we really liked, as well as what we were disappointed in.

The first leg of most of our trips is almost always as far as Sturbridge, Mass. I was born and raised there, and it is about seven hours from where we live now. Up until a few years ago, my mother still lived there, so we stayed with her. Now, we normally stay at the Super 8. We like the rooms with the balconies over Cedar Lake, and it isn't far from the Sturbridge common where I grew up, so we always go and either drive, or walk around the common to see what changes there are in the old neighborhood. We also love the Host, and it has lots of memories for us, since my father was the electrician there for years. The reason we stay at the Super 8 instead, is because of the continental breakfast. The same goes for the Publick House. My mother, brother, grandfather, an uncle and I have all worked there at various times, and it is right in the same neighborhood as where I grew up, but the breakfasts at the Super 8 are better and easier. The trip to Sturbridge was uneventful, and the next morning, we traveled to New York state, and across the new Tappan Zee Bridge, and over to the Delmarva Penninsula.

One of the interesting things about traveling without the camper, is we randomly pick a place to look for a room for the night. This time, we decided to try Rehoboth, Beach, Delaware. We got down there, and looked at the hotels, and parked at the easiest one. It turned out that we got really lucky, it was the Boardwalk Plaza, and it was wonderful!

The hotel is a representation of the Victorian beach front hotels from the old days, and the rates were off season rates. I also am on a pureed diet, so there are many places where I can't eat. In Victoria's Restaurant at the hotel, they made a nice pureed crab stew for me, and a wonderful smoothie for breakfast. The above photo is of the hotel from the beautiful sand beach.

This is the front desk of the hotel. The minute I went inside, I knew I wanted to stay here, so I was really excited when they told me the off season prices!

The beachfront rooms weren't much more expensive than the side balcony rooms, and now I sort of wish we had gotten one of those, but the side balconies with the partial water view were wonderful as well. It was really cold down there, so we didn't spend much time outside anyway.

This is one of the photos inside the room. It was really beautiful, with lots of extras. The only thing it was missing, that is usually in hotel rooms now is a refrigerator. With my health problems, I really need a refrigerator, but since the weather was cold, we kept my food stuff on the balcony in the cooler, and it was fine.

This is the spa area in the hotel. It is just beautiful, and is an indoor/outdoor pool. I hope so much that sometime I will be able to have my feeding tube and tracheostomy tube removed so we can go back there and I can try it out!

This is the dining room. It is on more than one level, and also has an outside section for when the weather is good. The dining room, (Victoria's), as well as the whole hotel has a lot of Queen Victoria memorabilia. I loved staying here, and would really like to go back again sometime!

We just got home from our trip, and I see that The hotel charged us for taking liquor from the liquor cabinet thing, which we did NOT! I don't even drink, and hate those liquor cabinet things in my room. The same thing happened to us the only other time we had a room with a liquor cabinet thing in it. Now I will have to call them and argue with them, but it will probably be like the last time, and we will have no way of proving that we didn't touch it. I would be really interested in hearing from other people to see if hotels have wrongfully charged them for booze.

Camper Orientation Today

Today we went for our orientation. We loaded up the truck with all the things we have bought for the camper so far, plus our clothes and things for our trip to Savannah and St. Augustine.

My husband has never towed anything, and we are supposed to get another storm this weekend, so he is really nervous about taking the camper on such a long journey. At the last minute, we decided not to take the camper, but to make it a road trip by truck instead. I have cancer, and have an appointment at the hospital on April 5. We don't know what we will find out, and we keep putting off our trip for various reasons. (Last year, I spent all summer and fall in the hospital). It just seemed like if we don't do it now, camper or not, we may not get the chance. Plus, in April, we will owe the IRS lots of money because I didn't qualify for Obama Care, and I decided to see the doctor instead of sending money we didn't have to rich insurance companies. (Last year, I missed four months of drs appointments because of not being able to afford Obama Care, and I might have been better off if I had seen the doctors instead of sending the money to the IRS). We still can keep making hospital payments and camper payments, but we really shouldn't be spending money on taking a trip. Anyway, This may be our last trip together, and IRS or not, and camper or not, we are going to do this. We just hope we will be able to use the camper together at some point this summer.

Anyway, this photo is our camper together with our Sierra. It's the first time they have met each other! You can see the Furrion Observation Camera installed up there next to the lights!

Here are the Sonic and the Sierra from the other side. Today I found out the dealership has upgraded us to a Blue Ox WDH for no extra money!

After the orientation, we put all our new things into the camper. I didn't get everything organized the way I wanted to, because it was pretty cold in there, but at least I got to spend time in the camper, and I loved it. I hated leaving her!

This is the first time I got to take a picture of our outdoor kitchen. It's small by most standards, but it actually was much larger than I remembered it as being!

Getting ready for our trip!

Yesterday we went to Dollar Tree and Walmart to pick up the rest of what we needed. I didn't take photos of the tools, black tank stuff, slide conditioner, a few plastic dishes and glasses, fly swatter, zip lock bags, toilet paper and stuff like that, just the more interesting things. Today I will have to go downtown and register the camper. That's going to be scary, because we live on an island, and registrations and taxes are terrible here.

We have a cap on our truck, so I am leaving the things in the first photo in the truck, and will be loading everything else in during the week. Our camper has a Murphy bed that raises up and there is a couch there when it's up. Those three drawer things at Walmart fit on either side of the bed/couch, and will provide storage, as well as acting like night stands/side tables. They have to be pulled out a bit to open the cupboard, but that won't be a big deal. Our Walmart only had the white ones, and not the "wicker" ones, but I figured I'd buy one white one, just to see how we like it. If we do, we will get two "wicker" ones, (one for each side of the bed), and I'll use the white one at home for crafts.

Next is my pretty outdoor plastic rug. I am really happy to get that, since it will keep my floor much cleaner. (I know my husband will try to sneak in and out without taking his shoes off)!!! I really like the blue one, since there is already so much brown in and on the camper, even though the brown ones probably would have looked new longer.

Then there is my water hose. Not much choice there, only drinkable ones, and different lengths, so I got the longest one. We will be carrying bottled water to drink, at least on our first trip.

Then there is charcoal for our el-cheapo BBQ grill!

You can see part of two bathroom towel bars in the picture. I'm still not sure whether or not I will use these. For one thing, there were only four towel holders for sale in the whole of Ellsworth, Maine, and they only sell one style at Walmart, so there wasn't much choice. It seems like most people don't like putting screws in their camper walls, but I got some really pretty turquoise towels, and I want to display them. I just don't want to be without towel bars, and there is a great big blank wall for them, so I will be using at least some kind of towel bars!

You can also see part of two folding chairs. We've had those forever, and leave them in the truck all the time so we can have tail gate picnics whenever we want!

This is my clearance sale at Walmart BBQ grill. We may like it and we may not. We do have an outdoor kitchen, and most camp sites have either a fireplace or a fire ring, so I'm not worried about it. There were more important things to spend money on at the beginning, like the observation camera, WDH/sway bars, and things like that. I can always upgrade the grill later, if this one doesn't work out.

All of these came from Dollar Tree. The basket on the top left looks like it will be handy for plastic silverware and paper plates. I can carry it in and out easily using the handle!

My four Dollar Tree coffee mugs will make our morning coffee taste much better than plastic, and if I break a cup, it won't be a big deal!

The over the door rack is about 17" long. I think it will work well on the bathroom door, and will be a great place to hang our clothes quickly while in the shower or changing.

Here is my pretty Walmart rug. It is about 20" x 30", and it will be in front of our couch, as you come in the door. It will help make the camper more cozy, and will be easy to shake outside when it needs it.

The big clock came from Walmart too.

The two racks will work in the cupboards over the sink. We want to put adjustable shelves in there eventually, but these will work for our first trip.

The little turquoise oval is my plastic Dollar Tree soap dish. It matches my bathroom towels!

Keep your fingers crossed for us that the weather is okay for us to leave on Friday. Now it looks like we may get a storm with lots of snow through Thursday night, and the weather doesn't look wonderful for the weekend further south of us.