As we are in a 2nd marriage, Kay escaped backpacking and the early days of tent camping and camping in the pop-up camper. However, near the time we got married almost 20 years ago, she spent her first night ever in a tent. She tolerated it. And then, Dad “gave” us the 5th wheel trailer he and mom used the last few years of her life, and we spent a few weekends enjoying it before he retracted and sold it. All of our camping photos from this time period were lost several years ago when a lightning strike took out our hard drive, and, of course, we had no backup.

That was not the end of of our camping, however. After a couple years of marriage, we began what was to become an annual canoeing, tent camping, and fishing trip to Quetico Wilderness in Ontario, Canada, with Harry and Mary Lambirth, a superb husband/wife guide team, finally ending the 10-year tradition in 2010.

Though we had decided not to RV again and took a 5-year hiatus, we purchased a travel trailer in 2007—big mistake! This is captured in the blog, late summer 2007.

Upon our return from Glacier NP, after only having the travel trailer for a few months, we traded it for a 29′ Jayco Melbourne B+, a great motorhome. In the four years we had it, we traveled extensively, including short trips in Arkansas, one to Arizona, a couple to south Texas, one to New Mexico, and an extended trip to Henry’s Lake, Idaho. We also took it on a fabulous, unforgettable 81-day journey to Alaska! Actually, they are all unforgettable. Those were our most fun years of camping/RVing.

Apologies in advance; this post has been broken into three parts. This is Part 1.

Not sure what to expect from Hurricane Laura, we patiently awaited its arrival and northward track towards us. On Wednesday, pre-hurricane winds and light rain prevented picture making as the butterflies and dragonflies laid low, out of harm’s way. Kay’s old iPhone 6+ lacked enough memory to support its apps and the photos she wanted to retain. So, it was off to the Verizon store to shop, and purchase a new phone for her. Wow, they are expensive! She ended up with an iPhone 11 Pro with 128 gigs; that should last a couple of years.

The last few weeks of rain, etc. have provided plenty of time to reminisce about former camping trips. I have always enjoyed camping, and have evolved through most of the stages: backpacking, tent, pop-up camper, travel trailer, 5th wheel, Class C motorhome, and now Class A motorhome.

At 71 years of age, I have only a few years left to enjoy physical activities I really like—including primitive camping. Thus, after purchasing Kay’s iPhone, we returned home and I began amassing and inventorying old camping gear to ascertain the feasibility and viability to camp a few times in wild places.