Caution, this one is sort of long, and you've now had adequate opportunity to bail...
So, Debbie and I somehow got on the subject of camping the other evening, and discovered that the mutual desire to resume such a "rustic" activity is still alive.
Without the kids this time.
Like we used to do before the kids showed up.
Where back in the days of tossing the tent and camp stove, plus fishing gear and sleeping bags into the van or truck, and heading up to mountains only took a couple hours of preparation, with great times were had beside a stream or creek, just relaxing was our idea of a weekend well spent.
Then munchkins took over.
Took them tent camping a couple of times, but it didin't seem to work as smoothly.
Ever had a five year old puke all over your sleeping bag at 02:00 in the morning?
Out in the wilderness.
Where it's really dark out untill you find your flashlight.
And your pawing around in a panic to "get the lights on" finds your hands extra warm and slippery?
Thought so.
From that point on, I would stare in envy at the folks who had self contained units (trailers, campers, tent trailers), and vowed that someday we'd have such nice accomodations.
Well, we eventually got a big (9.5') cab over camper that we'd all fit in (Debbie & I in the queen sized bed over the cab, Jessica on the dinette bed, and DJ in the overhead cupboard - seriously, it was designed for a kid...) and it had everything except a dishwasher, microwave, and stereo.
It was big and bulky, required a truck that would pass anything but a gas station (1 ton truck extended cab with 454 cu. in. engine), and when you stick two (ot three if a frind came along for the trip) restless kids in the back seat of the truck for more than 2 hours, you wished that they had better reading skills (or iPods, which hadn't been invented yet).
As all things must pass, we eventuially sold the camper, and the kids found other interests (other than spending long weekends under the watchful eyes of their overly suspicious parents).
And since they're both pretty much grown up now, I shouldn't be subjected to such discussions like, "If we had a pool. and the pool burned down, would insurance pay for it?" (i swear to God, that one really did come up. you can't effectively argue with an eight year old...), road trips have not appeared quite so daunting.
However, along with the growing up of the kids, so has the aging process effected our own bodies, and as such, I was treated to a stark revelation from my wonderful wife.
While she would still enjoy camping out in the wilderness, and fishing, and campfires under the wide open skies, and watching the skunks parade through the campgrounds at night, she has absotively no interest in sleeping on, or in close proximity to, the ground ever again. Ever...
Hence, I am on the lookout for a tent trailer (no more camper. camper = pain in the buttocks), which has a reasonable pedigree of reliability, retention of value, and is properly appointed in creature comforts.
Key to those comforts in El Spouso's mind is a self contained sand box. I also concurr.
I'm ill prepared to spend upwards of $17,000 for such a contraption, so I'm gonna need some tips, tricks, or well grounded advice on what you may have found that worked well for you, or things to stay away from...
Thanks in advance for you help, and if you've read this far, thanks for hanging in there...
