New tags

I took the trailer to the DMV today to get Oregon tags for it.

This is one of those activities of life that sounds a lot more simple than it actually was! At first I didn't bring the trailer with me, only the Washington tags. Turns out the Oregon DMV does a VIN inspection on all out of state title transfers. So, I had to head home (fortunately with a same-day return pass from the nice guy at the DMV) and bring the trailer back with me.

The pop-up has a wheel on the front that would be theoretically helpful if I wanted to rotate the camper in a campsite. In actuality, it is a bit of a pain to remove because of the low height of our trailer hitch. After trying to lift the trailer and remove the wheel, I remembered that I'm smarter than I am strong and I rigged up a temporary jack with the blocks we use to chock the wheels while the trailer is parked.

After I arrived at the DMV, I realized there was an important part of hitching that I had forgotten - the safety pin that keeps the mount on the ball. Fortunately the ride there was smooth and the hitch stayed put! Instead of using the safety pin, I put the hitch lock back in place. This has the added benefit of peace of mind so that someone couldn't steal the trailer off the back of my car while I am away. Yes, I am that paranoid thoughtful and prepared!

Because I am a big fan of not re-inventing things, I decided to go looking for a hitch video on YouTube so that I can be reminded of the steps to safely hitching the pop-up in the future. I found a pretty good video from a manufacturer of cargo trailers. It covers all the relevant points for campers too.

PS - Someone want to tell me how to embed videos in blogger?

She needs a name

New car and camper

Our modes of transport have been established for the trip. Last week I took possession of a new-to-me 2012 Ford Escape in a lovely shade of blue. Yesterday I brought home a cute little pop up camper that tows very easily behind the car (and matches with its blue stripes and interior decor!). It is a light little camper with small pull outs, a great indoor/outdoor propane stove and an awning.

We're still in the brainstorming phase of the trip planning - adding ideas for stops and learning about amazing places we can visit. Clearly this is a trip that a family can make more than once! Soon there will be hard decisions to make about how long we're willing to drive in a day, where we're going to go and what places will have to stay on the To Do list.

The first weekend in June we'll be taking the new car & pop up to Northern California to visit family and see one of our fantastic nieces graduate from high school. We're going to skip the busy Memorial Day camping weekend so we can organize and stock up the camper.

Also of note: I need to figure out how to update blogger on a mobile device. This interface leaves something to be desired on my ipad and I want to post a picture of the new car!

Tentative Schedule

Night One: Farewell Bend State Park, Huntington, OR

6 hour drive

Night Two: Craters of the Moon national monument, Carey, ID

4 hour drive

Night Three: Grand Teton National Park

5 hour drive

Work out where to stay later – there are lodges but camping options aren’t immediately obvious

here is a list of campsites in NW Wyoming, near Yellowstone:

http://www.wyomingtourism.org/placestostay/listings/Campgrounds-and-RV-Parks/1349652?Region=31165&City=31502

Night Four: Yellowstone National Park

3 hour drive

Night Five: Sheridan, WY

NOTE:

Cody, WY is 1 hour 45 minutes from the center of Yellowstone, 2 hours and 40 minutes West of Sheridan, WY.

Sheridan, WY is 4.5 hours from the center of Yellowstone.

Night Six: Keystone, SD

4 hour drive

Crazy Horse Memorial is 30 minutes from Keystone, passing through Mt. Rushmore

Night Seven: De Smet, SD

5.5 hour drive

Probably stay in a hotel, no close campsites

I lied, actually you can camp here for $30 (trailer)

http://www.ingallshomestead.com/camping.html

Night Eight: St. Joseph, MO

6 hours

Camping, for $22 (trailer) with electricity

http://aokcamping.com/

Night Nine: St.Louis, MO

4.5 hours

A blog for what exactly?

I've never been much of a blogger, that is an undisputed fact. However, I like blogs and think they can be a really handy way to keep in touch with people or to share something interesting. I think I'll have more success with a blog if it is a finite project with a marked beginning and end.

This summer I'm taking my kids and my mom on a road trip. We're heading from my place in Portland, OR to a family reunion in Springfield, MO. My kids are 11 and 9 (really nearly 12 and 10 but they don't like it when I round up) and my mom is...older than that but she's spry and loves her grandkids (because they are the best of all, you know). My kids are at a magical age where they are capable of helping to run our household, good at entertaining themselves, and still think the idea of being in a car for 3 weeks with Mom and Grandma is a great way to spend a summer.

I'm just starting to work out the details of the trip, so I'll be sharing some of that process as we lead up to our planned departure, which will probably be Monday, July 15th.

Cheers!