It's a Long Trip Alone....

I ventured out with our camper for the first time on Wednesday. It was perfect, in thought. We needed some time away. We can travel mid-week. My sister lives about 115 miles south. Easy, right?

We left in the rain, after we had waited in the driveway of the farm for an hour so Roger could show me the fuse that was blown. This fuse was imperative as we otherwise wouldn't have running lights on the trailer and didn't know what kind of weather we were heading into. I went through every fuse under the steering column to have my husband saunter up and say it was under the hood. All this time it was raining just enough that the kids could not get out of the pickup. By the time we got started, we needed a break!

Arriving at the Coloma/St. Joseph KOA 1hr and 45min later, the sun came out with almost 100% humidity to make setting up an absolute sauna. We gave up and played to retain that last ounce of sanity! When Christy arrived for supper, she helped watch the kids while I re-leveled the trailer and finished setting up.

This particular campground does not allow campers to bring firewood. Therefore, we bought wood from the camp store. After finding out that the hatchet was terribly dull and the large pieces we'd bought were damp, we complained, and they brought us enough extra (dry) wood to roast our brats, hot dogs and marshmallows.

Thursday morning met us at about 50 degrees, breezy, and heavily overcast. The kids didn't even stay out very long riding bikes and playing. We ended up watching part of a movie until it was time to leave for lunch.

Aunt Christy was able to have the afternoon off to spend with us. We met her at Silver Beach Pizza on the St. Joseph Shoreline. The kids did very well, and we enjoyed a nice meal together. Afterwards, we walked up the bluff to the Curious Kids Museum downtown. It was the best place we could have picked for a drizzly, grey afternoon. The kids loved the hands-on exhibits, and even Christy and I got to play.

I made a quick stop at Ivelise' Yarn Shop before joining Christy and the kids at her house for 'rest time'. Ha! I think the adults needed more rest than the kids. We had a great Broccoli/Chicken meal and headed on back to the campground.

The other campers must have thought I was crazy! I started handing out bedtime orders at 7:30. Even though, it was after 9 before the kids were all in bed and after 10 before they calmed down to sleep.

This morning was beautiful!!! We rode bikes, played at the playground, and packed up the camper in moderate temperatures and sunshine. Too bad we couldn't have stayed another day.

Even though this trip had its bumps, I'll tack it up as a learning experience and remember the good. A BIG thanks goes out to Aunt Christy for taking time to visit with us during a very busy time of year. We were glad to see her and tour her beloved St. Joe.