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!

Linens I have so far

I didn't photograph the bed pillows I got, those don't look very interesting. I also have two throws at home, that I will probably put into the camper. I use them in the house in the winter, but won't need them here during the summer.

I should have bought the blankets at Walmart, they were the same blankets, at about the same price as the salvage store, but they had more colors at Walmart. I only got one, but may get another if they still have them next time I go in. The grey thing in the middle is a fleece sleeping bag. We have two of those, and have had them for years. If we have a rainy day, those might be really nice to wrap up in on the couch, with a good book! They also are part of the reason I didn't worry about another blanket. Those will work as extra blankets, since they open flat when unzipped. On the right, is a 400 count queen sized sheet set, that I got for a steal at the salvage store. Yeah, I know, our bed is a short queen, but the price on these was unbeatable!

I also got four really beautiful fluffy turquoise bath towels at the salvage store for $2.39 each. I love those! I got two ordinary blue bath towels for $1.39 each at the salvage store too. The ordinary towels will go to the pool or beach with us for drying off. The fluffy nice ones are for showers! I also got a set of those cheap wash cloths at Walmart. My husband grabs wash cloths for everything, including washing the truck. He grabs the nicest ones first, before the cheap ones, because he says they do a better job. In 47 years of marriage, I still can't get him to stop doing that, so I gave up on nice wash cloths years ago.

I have a train case with duplicates of all of my shower stuff that I take with me whenever I go anywhere. I just replenish the stuff in there as needed. My husband does the same with his personal stuff, so we don't have to buy those. It will be easy to keep our separate cases in the linen closet. We still need first aid supplies for the camper though.

The couch and Murphy bed

This is looking at the couch in our camper. We added the Sterlite drawers for more storage, and to act as end tables. They work really well. I may change them out for the fake wicker ones at some point.

Anyway, this is looking from the kitchen toward the couch. It will be nice to have another place to sit besides at the dinette! I want to get some of those ottomans that have storage inside to put in front of the couch. Those will make it more comfortable, as well as being useful for storage.

It's very easy to flatten the couch out, and pull the Murphy bed down. You also don't have to unmake the bed to fold it up. This was a huge factor for me, since I'm not sure I would have wanted a Murphy bed if I had to make and unmake it every morning and night. I love how cozy it looks at night!

There is a curtain you can pull across to separate the bedroom from the rest of the camper when you have company. I love that there is room to walk on both sides of the bed. That was another deal breaker for me. The two long cupboards don't have shelves, just a very narrow clothes rod. That doesn't concern me too much, because we have a much nicer clothes rod in the bathroom closet, and I will probably only be hanging our jackets and a few shirts for my husband anyway. Everything else can be folded and put on shelves. I know we can get those soft hanging shelves to put in there, but I would rather measure the closets and make thin plywood shelves. Our socks and underwear will be put into baskets in the little upper cabinets over the bed. The extra sheets will be in the linen closet in the bathroom.

Above the bed are some nice LED lights, and little shelves with charging ports for your phone. Also, there is an outlet in the base under each closet, which will be handy for using the laptop while on the couch, or in bed.

This is a photo I took today of one of the closets next to the bed when it is open. I'm glad I have the bigger clothes rod in the bathroom closet, because I think shelves will be much more useful in these closets!

This photo was taken by our dealer inside our camper before we bought it. It's not on their website any more, but I'm glad I saved it so I can look at the pictures until the weather warms, and we can take the camper out on it's maiden voyage. The photo shows how much room there is between the couch and the kitchen cabinets, as you come in the door. I also see a nice place next to the door on the end of the cabinet on the left, for some command hooks or a basket or two to hold a flashlight, a collapsible umbrella, truck keys, hats, and a few other things that we may need to reach easily from outside!