Our FIrst Trip Ever! Thankful on Thanksgiving Day.

You know you have great friends when they are willing to de-winterize their trailers for only a weekend just to go with you on your first camping trip. Such was the case with us when we purchased our Airstream. When we finally brought our trailer home, we simply did not have the time to get out in it right away. After nearly a month of looking at this shiny aluminum egg in our driveway I finally came to my “Popeye” moment. “It’s all I can stands and I can’t stands no more!!” I had to take her out and see how she would behave in public. I picked up the phone and made a call, “Hey, we’re thinking about taking the Airstream out this weekend, where would be cool place to go to?” This was all it took...one little phone conversation. Unbeknownst to me, the voice on the other end began calling other friends that also own trailers...”Hey, Moses wants to take the wife and kiddies camping in their new trailer this weekend, wanna join them?” Before I knew it there were three other families “de-winterizing” their trailers just to come and hang with us for our inaugural trip. How cool is that! What amazing friends we have.

Now that the trailer is registered and insured, it was time to load it up and get the heck out of Dodge, even if just for a long weekend and only 50 km (30 miles for you Yanks) away. (Did I tell you that when I brought the Airstream to get it registered the office girls asked to come see the trailer?) We had purchased a bunch of new items specifically to remain in the trailer. Bedding, pillows, towels, pots, pans, dishes, glasses, dish soap, Scotch. I had googled “RV Checklists” and downloaded many versions of the same list, then cross referenced them and determined what was a must have and what was sheer insanity. (I do not need an outdoor propane shower capable of producing enough hot water to fill a public bath house in 30 seconds or less, nor do I need a generator capable of powering a city the size of Walla Walla.) As an aside, it’s fun to say “Walla Walla”. Ok back to business......Trailer loaded? Check. Everything hooked up and safely secured? Check. House locked, alarm set? Check. Passports in hand? Check. Alright then, let’s go! Kids, you got your seat belts on? Kids? Oh shit, we forgot the kids. 

I start the vehicle and in moments we begin our first adventure as we cruise by our neighbours homes with the Aluminegg in tow. I couldn’t help but feel like Wally was smiling down on us. Yes, good old Wally Byam, the inventor of the Airstream trailer and the man who dreamt that one day, families such as mine all over the world would embark on these adventures and create memories that would last forever. I have no doubt Wally was smiling this day, but I was soon to learn the source of his smile may well have been coming from a dark place deep within his soul. He knew full well that camping with children was not the Utopia I had envisioned.