The Maiden Voyage

Christmas was over and the weather was freezing...but we were itching to take the camper out for a trial run.  When we purchased it from the couple in Menlo, GA, it was winterized - and we weren't able to check all of the systems.  During the week before Christmas we made several trips over to the storage place to clean it and get organized, but we were ready to see how it really lived!

So we packed up and headed off to Cheaha State Park in Alabama - the highest point in the state - on Tuesday, December 29th.  The campground has full hook-ups, a highly-desirable feature now that we have a reason to use them.  And, it was close to the Oxford/Anniston area where we could find a Camping World, Wal-mart, and other big-box stores for organizing and supplying.

It didn't take long for me to discover that having hot water to wash dishes and an oven (mmm... cookies) inside the camper is FABULOUS!!  I don't know that I can go back to no hot water again.  The hot shower wasn't too shabby either.  :-) 

We spent most of our day in town on Wednesday - getting things to organize and supply the camper.  We also had to refill our propane tanks to keep the heat going (brrr...).  But once we got things situated, we had a wonderful evening playing Quirkle and enjoying cookies warm from the oven. 

While Matt and I were organizing and checking systems, the kids were getting situated in their bunk room - complete with their own couch, storage areas, and new bedding ensembles received as a Christmas gift from Dinny & Poppy.  They had a blast taking pictures of their new digs and playing on their new DS systems (also a Christmas gift).  Here are a few shots of the inside...

We stayed late on Thursday and just enjoyed hanging out and spending time together on New Year's Eve - not leaving the campground until about 3:30pm, which put us back to Atlanta after dark.  Matt and I both still need some practice at backing the trailer into the storage space, but darkness and the cold made things even more challenging.  Practice makes perfect, right?  All in all we had a great maiden voyage and look forward to many more test trips between now and the big send-off in June 2010.

Tracy