It was a year and a half ago that we purchased that camper for way more than we should have, but ultimately I think it was worth every penny. I learned so much with it. We learned how to tow and that we probably shouldn't tow with a Durango! We replaced the defective toilet (what a pain). I built a rack for my fishing poles. We took the kids on their first fishing trip. Aaron and I installed multi-color LED lights. Steph even had her 11th birthday slumber party in it. I could go on and on.
I'm sure there will be multiple new stories to tell in the new 5er, but here are a couple of my more memorable ones that I want to record before they slip away:
The mattress incident
After the very first night sleeping on the mattress that came with the trailer, Karen and I woke up with ridiculous back and neck pain. It was honestly one of the worst nights sleep of my life. I woke up, got dressed, grabbed that mattress and hauled it across the campground to the dumpster. We then spent the rest of the day trying to find a mattress that was the right size and of decent quality. Eventually we found an Avena at a camping world about an hour away...and that's how we ended up with a nicer mattress on our camper than in our house. Funny how things just work out sometimes.
A stranger to the rescue
My favorite memory is of the first time I tried to back in. We drove into Tomoka State Park (which I highly recommend) and pulled around the loop. Up to this point we had only stayed at wide open pull throughs...so I was already a bit on edge knowing I had to back it in. Imagine my surprise when the loop road was so narrow two cars couldn't pass without trading paint... Karen hopped out and did her best to guide me, but I just didn't have a clue.
Low and behold...another camper pulled up behind me and offered to back it in. Being a nervous wreck, I hopped right out and let him have at it. He pulled forward to undo whatever mess I had put myself in, then backed it right in like he'd been doing it since birth. He hopped out, said 'have a great stay' and took off. That was it...no pat on the back...no "you'll get em next time"... Just left...
Now, although I was a bit disappointed that he didn't show me how or offer any words of encouragement, it was still a turning point for my camping career. I now understood that it could be done, and I knew that with experience I'd be able to do it too. I also learned the camping code of helping your neighbor. I think that's one of the things we are loosing in brick and mortar society today, but it's alive and well in the campgrounds of America....that's for sure...
So, although tomorrow marks the end of this adventure, I'm trying to keep in mind that it's also the beginning of a new one. There will be new learnings and new memories, but my little TBUD camper will always have a special place in my heart.
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