She’s Good To Go: Camping … together

Magic Doug and I took a couple of days off last week, crossed the state line and did something neither one of us have much experience in. (Oh, your thoughts are running amuck!) We went camping.

Growing up the ever practical farmer’s daughter, sleeping on the ground wasn’t my family’s idea of fun. Even my poor college years’ vacations and being the mother of a son gave me less than a dozen nights in a tent. Husband? His use of Coleman fuel was the years he ate fire in the circus. (not kidding).

We are the proud owners of a tiny teardrop trailer, named Joshua. (everyone names their campers) It’s not old, but ‘retro,’ meaning it looks old, but we have modern comforts like heat and air, and indoor plumbing.

It’s so darn cute, it’s like a little playhouse. You can visit us anytime the “Vintage Trailers by the Creek” are set up around Grove and the lake. The other trailers sell crafts and treasures and I sell travel and travel related items. (It’s Good to Go on the road!)

Our plan is to use this “rolling office”, not only for our business, but when we go out to entertain and speak to groups. But we knew we needed to practice the whole RV set-up, camping load in/load out experience to see if we could even survive.

That’s why we went across the state line, in case we needed to use “big people words,” no one would know us. We also promised that we were going to stay in that camper until we learned how to camp, or one of us walked home or we had a honeymoon. All three almost happened.

I printed out a dozen “things you need while camping” lists. As I began the sorting, storage, and hauling to the trailer, I tried to remind myself that there was going to be a Wal-Mart in Arkansas, and it’s kinda like packing a suitcase, I didn’t need to take everything.

However, I like the personal challenge of being prepared. (I would have been a good Boy Scout) I dragged dishes and food and utensils into my tiny abode and I could hear my mother’s words from the past regarding camping and picnics, “Why would we want to eat outside when we’ve got a perfectly good kitchen table right here?”

After about 20 trips back and forth with bedding, bug spray and band-aids, I began to see her rationale.

It’s not like we were really roughing it, Joshua has a queen size bed and a water hook up. Heck, we even have a flat screen TV! (we didn’t watch TV….we didn’t learn how to hook it up).

We reached out to new friends with a camper like ours, promised them dinner NOT cooked over a campfire (hotdogs is about all I got at this point) and took advantage of their coaching. They helped us settle in, and two days later, we sat in our yard chairs with towels hanging off the awning, smoke curling out of the campfire looking like old pros.

The best moment wasn’t really ours. It was the family that had their tents pitched down the way from us. Grandpa, Dad and three children. We watched them roll up sleeping bags (together), prepare breakfast (together), and sit around their campfire, totally unplugged/no electronics, talking (together).

It was so simple. Just the pleasure of being outdoors, together. No tickets to buy, no expensive toys for entertainment, just being there, together. Magic Doug and I looked at each other and realized, once again, it’s not the “stuff”, it’s the “substance.” It’s being together.

Patti Beth Anderson has more than 20 years of experience in the group travel industry taking people all over the world. Her motto is “I return with the same number of people I left with… not necessarily the same people, but the same number nevertheless. So no ‘crankpots’ allowed” She may be reached at 918-786-3318 or pb@goodtogowithpb.com.