RE: OUR FIRST POP-UP EXCURSION-PICTURES AND EVERYTHING

[JemJen24]

 
Ok ok...first and foremost THANK GOD I read this forum and took all of your advice before going.  EVERYTHING you suggested was either needed or came in handy frequently!!!
 
 That being said...here s a quick recap of our first pop up excursion...
 
 TARGET: DAINGERFIELD STATE PARK, TX
 LEAVE: Friday morning 5:00 a.m.
 RETURN: Saturday afternoon 6:00 p.m. (hubby had to work Sunday...wahhh)
 
 Thursday night...
 Get everything loaded and ready to go.  Can hardly sleep due to excitement...FINALLY...we get to take the pop up out!!!
 
 Friday morning...
 wake up at 4:00 a.m. from pure exitement.  Shower, wake hubby, grab one dog (other has a pet sitter...at 14 she s too old and arthritic to hike, camp, etc) and head out.  Try to stop at Whataburger and McDonalds for breakfast, but they re all still closed!  Except for drive through, but can t take pop up through drive through....oohhhh, the torture!!!  [:@]Finally try again at 7:00, find McDonalds that s open and get breakfast to go.
 
 Arrive at Daingerfield State Park.  Walk in and greet Lisa (the receptionist).  Also say " Hi"  to Kim the Park Ranger and give him greetings from Chuck and Terry.  He laughs and is surprised.  We all chatter, laugh, and since we already knew which site we wanted [](Thanks Chuck), we were off.
 
 Set up camp....pop up set up went extremely smoothly and easily.  We re VERY proud of ourselves at this point.  Walk, fish, eat, and night-time approaches.  
 
 Temps are in the high 30 s [: (]and we decide to turn the heater off since it s an OLD loaner from a friend and we don t quiet " Trust it"  while we sleep (our new one will be here by Tuesday, thank God!).  Willard takes one side of the camper, and Pharaoh and I the other.  I have a blanket and an electric blanket, so I m nice and toasty.  Willard has a blanket and a thick sleeping bag.
 
 First lesson....YES, you CAN feel a bit of chill coming through the bed camper side edges of the material. BRRRRRR.  Snuggle deeper into cover and FACE AWAY from edge.  
 
 Second lesson....Doggie is cold and will keep you up ALL night if not properly covered by YOUR electrical blanket!  Then he snuggles closer which pushes you into the side of the sleeper and he winds up with all the blankets.  Push him over, cover him up, and repeat listed steps about 5 times before daybreak.  HATE husband for sleeping snuggly and missing out on the action.[:@]
 
 Third lesson....no one told me to get some flip flops for the bathrooms!!!  Those floors were COLD after taking a shower!  Brrrrrr.
 
 Fourth lesson....a handy vac REALLY saves the day.  Vaccumed all those pesky doggy hairs up from the sheets! []
 
 Fifth lesson....Do NOT run the electric skillet, heater, lights, charger, and coffee maker at the same time.  You will overuse the system and it WILL kick off.  [8D]
 
 Sixth lesson.....Armadillos can jump approx. 3 feet in distance.  Stay AWAY from the Armadillos!
 
 Seventh lesson.....NEVER have the dog up with you when it s cold again!  Bring doggy bed and lotsa blankets next time!
 
 Eight lesson...After hearing your husand ask you why Levelers and Chocks are really necessary, and then seing him use them first chance he gets, you reserve the God given right to gloat!!!  []
 
 Ninth lesson....when a Pop Up Times member tells you to bring a funnel along, and you do it yet still question  WHY you would need one, remember this while pouring boiling water into a thermus for tea.  After nearly burning my fingers off, I got the whole funnel thing....no questions asked.  []
 
 Final lesson....Thank all the PUTIMES board members for all their suggestions and advice!  Without them, your first trip may have not been so cozy!!!  So THANK YOU!!!!!!  []
 
 Ok...last but not least, I have updated our Website with NEW PICTURES of our trip.  Check it out at    www.geocities.com/jemjen24 and let me know what you think!!!
 
 Jennifer  

[Ab Diver]

 JemJen24
Jennifer, how proud you must feel! A maiden voyage is always an adventure. Glad you had a good time. Was that a built-in metal lightstand at your campsite just for lanterns? I ve never seen that before. Cool!

[JemJen24]

 JemJen24
Yep, it was, they REALLY came in handy  

[C. Hains]

 JemJen24
Jennifer,
 Gald you had a great time.
 I couldn t get onto your web site -- message said I should try back in an hour.  I will do that or else try again tomorrow.  One of the reasons I like this board so much is because I almost feel like I know some of the people who post here and I always look forward to your posts -- I feel your excitement and you make me laugh!!  Who was it that said - laughter is good medicine?!!  LOL!
 We learned the lesson about the beds being cold around the edges in the Grand Tetons National Park last August -- I m told it was 23 degrees the first night we spent there -- I kid you not!  I didn t see a temp guage but it felt like 23 degrees or worse!  We didn t have a heater either -- we had just bought our camper and noone had heaters available in July!  Oh, well, we survived, had WONDERFUL time and my grandkids want to go back again next summer so it wasn t a deterrent.
 I ll look forward to more tales about your camping trips.
 Carole

[Gamecock Camper]

 JemJen24
Jennifer, It looks like you had  a great trip.  I saw your website and noticed that you had a heater....... was that not enough for the camper to keep at a reasonable temperature?  What was the weather like on your trip?  (And by the way...... your dogs are soooooo cute.)

[CathyAnn]

 JemJen24
Hello Jennifer
 Sounds like you guys had a wonderful Maiden Voyage!!!
 
 My name is Cathy and we live north of Dallas.  Are you guys planning on coming to Inks Lake in a few weeks with NTPUCA?  If so,  my family and I will look forward to meeting you both.
 
 Here s the link from our maiden voyage last November.
 
 http://community.webshots.com/album/55999866ngCJic
 
 Take care-
 CathyAnn

[Bearnkat]

 JemJen24
Hi Jennifer,
 
 What a first adventure you had with your new popup! By the sound of it, it looks like you ve got it all down like ole pros! Very impressive, a 15-minute setup the first time. We still can t do that beacuse of all of our " stuff"  we have to get setup. Why in the world do bring outdoor seating for 8 when there is just 2 of us? Three cheers for your first trip out!
 
 Thanks for saying HI to Kim for us. He s a very special friend and a runs one of the top parks in Texas. By looking at the pictures, it looks like you were in #11. Its the best site in the park. When all of the flora is in bloom, the park is really incredible. You ll have to make a return trip. Before we got our popup, we used to tent camp there all the time in #22. At that time, #11 didn t have electricity.
 
 The PUT s message board is an invaluable resouce for the new and experienced popup camper! Everyone is so helpful and the information, tips, etc. are the best!
 
 Where are you going next? Any trips planned?
 
 Chuck & Terry

[Wayfarer]

 JemJen24
Jennifer:
 
 Congratulations on your first popup camping experience.  Sounds like all of you had a great time.  And thanks for sharing the photos.  We just returned from a bad experience when we were caught in the ice storm that hit San Antonio just as we arrived on Monday evening and kinda put a damper on our trip.  More on this in a post in the next day or two.  
 
 A couple of suggestions:
 
 1.    Go to Walmart and get a heavy duty outside extension cord and one of those multiple power outlets with a breaker.  You can plug this in to the camp power box in addition to your RV cord, run it in under the canvas on one of the bunk ends and use it for some of those electric appliances, etc., which were tripping your camper circuit.  We use the additional line for one of our two ceramic heaters and for the microwave and plug the electric blanket and other extra stuff to the regular camper outlets.  You?ll need the extra cord for lots of stuff all year so it will be a good investment.
 
 2.    As for those cooold mattresses, we put a blanket on top of the mattress to lay on and then cover with the electric blanket.  Works great!  Also, we put some extra pillows or whatever around the edge of the mattress, standing on edge between the mattress and the canvas, to cut down some on the cold radiating through.  The extra ?padding? plus the electric blanket and knit caps on our heads makes for some cozy sleeping.
 
 You?ll find that the more you camp and the more you read the PUT forum you will discover many ways to make your popup camping more enjoyable.
 
 Have fun, and Happy Trails!
 

[JemJen24]

 JemJen24
Carole.....23 degrees!!!!  WOW!!! And I thought I was crazy! ha!!!!  
 
 Stopher....yes, it was a heater we borrowed from a friend.  I actually ordered an oscalating heater on Overstock.com, but it won t be here until Tuesday, so we had to borrow a make shift one.  I can tell you this, it was sooooo old, that we turned it off when we slept or couldn t watch it, but it rappidly warmed up the camper when it was in use and kept it warm in there.  The oscalating heater I just purchased at Overstock.com was on sale for less than half the original price and they are offering a $1.00 (normally $2.95) shipping special right now on ANYTHING you order from them.  They have anything for the house, garden, kids, clothes, camping, etc...it s a neat site!  I recommend getting a heater.  Make sure it has a trip switch (so it shuts off if it gets knocked over or overheats), that it s oscalating (fan operated that blows air from side to side), and that it has a temperature setting so it shuts off once it; s warm enough in the camper.
 
 Cathy Ann....LOVED your pictures!!!! What kind of camper is that?  Better yet...what kind of pupster is that?! Looksl ike a terrier mix or some sort.  What s her/his name?  Your children are adorable and you and your hubby make a nice couple.    YES, we are " TRYING"  to go to Inks Lake, but we re on the waiting list and not sure if we ll even get to go (sniff sniff).  I acutally emailed Mike today about signing us up for the Cedar Hill State Park trip in April and also the Daingerfield trip in June (hey, we GOTTA go back! ha!).  Hopefully hubby won t get called out on business last minute, but even if he does, I m truckin  it on my own!  (God help me..lol).  I hope the Inks Lake Park has more cancellations soon...I think there s two couples ahead of us on the waiting list tho , so , who knows.  If we don t make this one, are you guys going to the Cedar Hill one?
 
 Thanks for the comments on my fur babies.  The oldest doesn t go camping with us much (very rarely) because she s 14, snores, is going deaf, and has bad arthritis.  Pharaoh (the Boxer) does and he LOVES kids, people, and little dogs (just not the big  uns).  Above all tho , he simply ADORES kids.  Even went to our local elementary school a couple of times for show n tell.  []
 
 Okie dokie...hubby s conked out in the bedroom...think I ll go join him.
 
 Nitey Nite
 
 Jennifer []
 
 Jennifer

[JemJen24]

 JemJen24
Ok, I lied, just saw Chucks and Wayfare s posts...had to respond...
 
 Chuck...can t thank you enough for recommending Daingerfield.  Hope you enjoyed the pics.  We re planning on taking the PU back out this coming weekend...any suggestions on a place within 2-3 hours of the DFW area that is quaint, quiet, and nice (besides Daingerfield...LOL).  YES, we WERE in lot 11 but I was trying to keep that hush hush (wink).  Lot 17 had been taken the night before (DANG IT) and I was sooooo looking forward to rubbing it in ya ll faces. (evil chuckle).  kidding  []
 
 Wayfare....
 
 thanks for the suggestions on the pillows and cord.  My husband works in the electrical industry and is a breaker technician for an electrical company.  Needless to say, he thought of this very thing the moment it happened.  He also tried explaining it, but all I heard was, "  Blah blah blah..yada yada yada....Breaker....blah extention cord....yada blah blah yada. "   Sorry, but after listening to this kinda stuff for 4 years, I involuntarily tune it out. LOL LOL  Luckily your post was much more " user friendly"  and easy to understand so I actually understood what he was trying to tell me earlier as well. ha!!!  
 
 The pillow suggestion is also a great idea.  We re gonna get some kind of padding too, cuz that mattress was STIFF!  Thank goodness I had my electric blanket.  Laying on top of it is a great idea! I ll just use my sleeping bag as a cover along with my blanket.
 
 Thanks a bunch!
 
 Jennifer

[tlhdoc]

 Ab Diver
Jen I am glad you had a good trip.  I love your dogs.
 
 
 

ORIGINAL:  Ab Diver
 
 Was that a built-in metal lightstand at your campsite just for lanterns? I ve never seen that before. Cool!
 

 At the state park near where I live they have the lantern post too.  Ours are painted black and they work good for hanging a bag of trash up if you are too tired to take it out to the dumpster.  In this park the dumpster is out across from the entrance to the campground.

[Campntime]

 JemJen24
Site for pictures was down at time I looked, but loved your story!  Nothing like  camping fever  when it hits.  Great story...enjoy a great camping season.

[got woody?]

 JemJen24
First off, thanks for joining this board.  Your posts are fun and full of enthusiasm and we are at about the same point in our popup madness so it s great to have someone on the same wavelength.
 
 Congrats on the first trip!  And thanks for the tip about the Armadillos.  I m filing that one away for future use![8D]
 
 Keep us up to date,

[JemJen24]

 JemJen24
Yes, BEWARE the Armadillo!!!!  LOL [8D]
 
 i haven t had any problems getting on my website..hmmm....if you get an error message, try hitting REFRESH....that should work.
 
 J.

[GaryWT]

 JemJen24
Congrat on a good first trip.  When we first started out we had a lot of electric appliacnces as well and had the same problems as you.  After awhile we thought about what we were doing, camping but bringing all of home with us.  What we did was replace the coffee maker with a camp pot for the stove and the electric fry pan with a griddle on the 2 burner stove.  These work great for us.