Camping Journal Page Two

SELECTION OF A CAMPER

There were several factors I took into account when looking for a camper. Some of them were; price, ease of use, weight and availability. I did research on the Internet. There were many forums available on which I could ask questions. During this process I ran across a trailer called Aliner. I also found one called Chalet. They were very similar. I then found a dealer in my home town that handled the Aliner. After looking at them I knew this was the camper I wanted. Being able to set them up in 30 sec. was a big attention getter. I knew this would be great during bad weather and at night. They are light weight and this was key in my selection. On June 5th, 2004 I purchased my Aliner. I spent every free moment stocking it and configuring it for my needs. I was having a ball!!!

Roaring River State Park, Missouri

FIRST CAMPING TRIP WITH ALINER

I was so excited to take my Aliner on it's first journey. I decided to stay closer to home the first time out. I had never pulled a trailer before. I practiced backing up and hitching up before the trip.

Our destination was Roaring River State Park near Cassville Missouri. It has a fish hatchery and several hiking trails. We arrived about 2:00 PM and started setting up. We had an audience. The park was almost full. We had arrived on Saturday and most people usually go down on Friday. It didn't take me long to have the camper leveled, stabilizers down and hooked up to electricity. On this trip I had filled the water tank at home so I didn't need to hook up or fill up with water. I will never do this again. It adds too much weight to the trailer.

I set up my canopy and put Annie's fence up. I catch my grey water in a 5 gallon collapsible container. I have two of these if I need them. After doing all of this the curious fellow campers started dropping by. I actually had people lined up to see it. They were just curious. Some had seen them at a distance but had never looked in them. They were surprised how roomy it was and with all the options it had. I met some very nice people and this is one of the great rewards of camping.

Annie and I went for a walk before dark. We said hi to everyone we saw and enjoyed seeing all the other dogs. There were several Yorkies like Annie. Annie loves to walk but she is tiny and gets tired quickly. So I picked her up and we headed back to the camper for dinner. I had a sandwich for dinner and then read for a while. Lights went out at 11:00 PM and boy we slept good. It was quiet and the weather was perfect. A very good day came to an end.

The second day a new friend came to visit. We had never met but had been communicating in a camping forum on the Internet. Judy was very familiar with Roaring River so she took me on a tour. We went for a short hike. Boy I knew I was out of shape but it was proven when we headed up the trail. I love hiking and have done a lot of it but not recently. We had a great time. Judy brought the fixings to toast my Aliner for its maiden voyage. It was very sweet of her and I certainly appreciated it. We took our picture and said our goodbyes.

I went for another short hike after Judy left. I also took several pictures. You can see those in the photo gallery.

The neighbors invited me over for a fish dinner. I took a nap after the hike and I overslept. So I ended up having spaghetti for dinner. It tasted so good. After another walk with Annie and a movie it was bed time.

It's Monday and it's time to pack up and go home. I don't want to leave. A lot of people left the day before so there weren't very many of us left. Breaking camp didn't take very long. Putting down the four sides of the camper was so quick. One of my neighbors with a canvas popup commented on how easy it looked. He was still working on his.

We headed out for home and thankfully arrived safely. Then it was time for unloading the food and laundry. The rest of it I could leave in the camper. That's what's great about having a camper compared to tent camping.

On this first trip I used the microwave, the stove, refrigerator, water pump, porta potti and the fantastic fan. I didn't need the air conditioning or furnace. Everything worked great. I didn't have any problems hitching up or backing it up into my yard when I got home. All in all this was a great trip. I'm already dreaming of the next one.

To visit photo gallery of my Aliner click here.