How it all got started.
Two summers ago, we bought our first travel trailer. We had never owned one before and had JUST gone camping for the first time as a family. That first experience is one for the books. Our 9-yr old daughter (at the time), Kira, had somehow gotten it in her head that we should buy a trailer. I remember saying, "Me?!?! YOUR mother?!?! Can you really see ME in a trailer?!?!" Everyone knows me as a particular-kind of girl, a little high strung about dirt and germs and very uncomfortable with dirty clothes. 5-star resorts with room service and laundry service are my thing. However, Kira kept talking about it - nagging really. So, we had some extra time off that summer and we thought we'd try this camping thing and rent an RV. I will post snippets of that experience in later posts. Suffice it to say, that RV was a filthy, broken down piece of crap and I hated every moment in it. But I LOVED every moment OUT of it. To my surprise, I enjoyed the campfire, cooking outdoors, the long walks in nature and the quality time we spent together. So in our typical impulsive headlong fashion, Dave, my husband and I, traded in our Flex for a new, Ford F150 pickup and we purchased a brand-new, beautiful, everything-we-thought-we-needed, 33.5 ft travel trailer. Dave did his research and found us a smokin' deal from a wholesaler in Ohio. We paid what most people pay for a pop-up. He watched videos on how to drive a travel trailer and practiced backing up with Kira's Lego. Then, he armed himself with Pepto Bismol and drove to Montana one summer day to pickup our condo on wheels. We took it out two times that summer and loved every moment of it.
2014 was our first full year, and we got out nine times. We made many mistakes, but we kept lists of what we forgot and what we had to do different next time. Dave researched, researched, researched, and I spent many hours pinning ideas on Pinterest. By the middle of the summer, we were really efficient and "experienced" - lol. Our longest trip last year was to Osoyoos, BC. Nine hours there, 12 hours back (holiday traffic and construction!) and six days in what they call, the Arizona of Canada, with healthcare. Hot sun, cactuses and beaches. We had a great time. Our favourite sites quickly became Mt. Kidd, Kananaskis and Canyon Creek, Radium.
I should say, for the record, that for half the season last year, our now 7-yr old son Max insisted that he didn't like camping and never wanted a trailer. His idea of a relaxing time is splashing in the ocean in Hawaii. We had been to Oahu that spring in 2013 and again in 2014, so he expected we'd go back every year. I'm happy to say that he loves it now and looks forward to every time we get out.
Kira credits herself for bringing this trailer into our lives. She frequently says that her nagging is what prompted us to rent a trailer that first summer, and so is what led us to buying one and making a permanent commitment. She loves the coziness of our second home and she has brought her BFF Jaylene with us a few times and plans to do more this year. To be sure, we never would have considered this lifestyle had it not been for her.
In typical Dave-style, my husband did his research and bought every gadget, tool, doohickey and whatchamacallit known to man in order to make camping easier for him and more enjoyable for me. Our trailer is outfitted with the latest and greatest. In some ways, it is better stocked that our own home! Dave loves it and can dump the sewer tank and hitch up the truck with the best of them.
Me? Well, I have my moments. Camping was difficult for me last year to say the least. I had pneumonia for three months, I broke my nose (not while camping), and I felt horrible for most of the season not really understanding why. I was later diagnosed with severe food intolerances and sensitivities, which is the reason I often coughed my guts out and had trouble breathing if I exerted myself too much. And yes, the dirt and the germs got to me at times. But I'm doing this for my kids. I want them to look back on their childhood and have fond memories of vacations and family time. We didn't take vacations when I was a kid and my parents divorced when I was 13 after many, many unhappy years together. I know there are other factors in a happy childhood, but vacations and trips were not part of mine. So I desperately want to give that to my kids.
This will be our second year out. Friends of ours who have enjoyed my Facebook posts from adventures last year, encouraged me to start a blog. Kira reminded me often last year. Since I still can't join the family when they go bike riding, I thought I'd used the time to write. You know, if I'm not disinfecting something in the trailer.
Hope you enjoy!
2014 was our first full year, and we got out nine times. We made many mistakes, but we kept lists of what we forgot and what we had to do different next time. Dave researched, researched, researched, and I spent many hours pinning ideas on Pinterest. By the middle of the summer, we were really efficient and "experienced" - lol. Our longest trip last year was to Osoyoos, BC. Nine hours there, 12 hours back (holiday traffic and construction!) and six days in what they call, the Arizona of Canada, with healthcare. Hot sun, cactuses and beaches. We had a great time. Our favourite sites quickly became Mt. Kidd, Kananaskis and Canyon Creek, Radium.
I should say, for the record, that for half the season last year, our now 7-yr old son Max insisted that he didn't like camping and never wanted a trailer. His idea of a relaxing time is splashing in the ocean in Hawaii. We had been to Oahu that spring in 2013 and again in 2014, so he expected we'd go back every year. I'm happy to say that he loves it now and looks forward to every time we get out.
Kira credits herself for bringing this trailer into our lives. She frequently says that her nagging is what prompted us to rent a trailer that first summer, and so is what led us to buying one and making a permanent commitment. She loves the coziness of our second home and she has brought her BFF Jaylene with us a few times and plans to do more this year. To be sure, we never would have considered this lifestyle had it not been for her.
In typical Dave-style, my husband did his research and bought every gadget, tool, doohickey and whatchamacallit known to man in order to make camping easier for him and more enjoyable for me. Our trailer is outfitted with the latest and greatest. In some ways, it is better stocked that our own home! Dave loves it and can dump the sewer tank and hitch up the truck with the best of them.
Me? Well, I have my moments. Camping was difficult for me last year to say the least. I had pneumonia for three months, I broke my nose (not while camping), and I felt horrible for most of the season not really understanding why. I was later diagnosed with severe food intolerances and sensitivities, which is the reason I often coughed my guts out and had trouble breathing if I exerted myself too much. And yes, the dirt and the germs got to me at times. But I'm doing this for my kids. I want them to look back on their childhood and have fond memories of vacations and family time. We didn't take vacations when I was a kid and my parents divorced when I was 13 after many, many unhappy years together. I know there are other factors in a happy childhood, but vacations and trips were not part of mine. So I desperately want to give that to my kids.
This will be our second year out. Friends of ours who have enjoyed my Facebook posts from adventures last year, encouraged me to start a blog. Kira reminded me often last year. Since I still can't join the family when they go bike riding, I thought I'd used the time to write. You know, if I'm not disinfecting something in the trailer.
Hope you enjoy!
The Giesen's, pre-camping days.
Picture credit - Carmen Solis, Perfect Journey Photography.
Our idea of relaxing was sitting on a beach in Hawaii. Well, it still is.
We just enjoy camping too.
We just enjoy camping too.
Our condo-on-wheels the day Dave drove her home from Montana.
We christened her, Enterprise.
We christened her, Enterprise.
And the truck we bought to haul her.
Her name is Knuckles.
You are I are a lot a like! I never camped when I was growing up and my moms idea of roughing it was a 3 star hotel!! When I met Chris and his family, I quickly realized I better get used to the idea of camping as it was a BIG part of their lives!! Once we started taking the kids, I quickly realized how much they (and I) LOVED all the adventures we were having! Of course, the trailer helped...equipped with all the comforts of home!! Can't wait to camp with you in July!!!
ReplyDeleteVery cool, Heather! I think we'll get along great when we go camping together. Are you interested in writing a post for my blog? A funny incident or a recap of a cool trip? LMK.
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