Leaving on 1st trip in PUP

[AZsix]

I'll be leaving in a couple of hours for our first trip in our new (well new to us) PUP. We are going to Black Canyon City KOA just north of Phoenix, AZ. I am taking my three sons 10, 5 and 5. DW and DD are staying home as my girl has an event with her Brownie troop.

I want to thank everyone on this forum for all the helpful tips and for the encouragement. I almost feel as though I've stumbled upon some kind of secret society.   I'll be taking pictures and posting an account of the trip along with a review of the campground. Should be fun. They have a pool and hot tub and they also have mineral and fossil panning which the kids are really looking forward to. The weather is supposed to be 100/75. For those not familiar with AZ, 100 isn't really that hot. It can actually feel pretty comfortable.

After this trip I'll feel like a member of the forum and not just an onlooker.

Happy Camping!

[Kristenamber]

Enjoy your trip!  I just took my three boys, (much younger though) camping by myself and enjoyed myself thoroughly!  Can't wait to see some pictures!

[AZsix]

Enjoy your trip!  I just took my three boys, (much younger though) camping by myself and enjoyed myself thoroughly!  Can't wait to see some pictures!

Well I am back from the maiden voyage of our PUP.

First let me tell you about the Black Canyon City, AZ KOA. Now keep in mind thatI haven't been to a lot of campgrounds. It's in the high desert so it's not the most picturesque place but the owners were friendly and very helpful. I thought it was a little pricey ($43) considering it wasn't peak time for them. They are doing some remodeling so there was some work going on. The bathrooms were clean and the showers were free. The pool was great! We had it mostly to ourselves during the day. They did have a hot tub but rules state that kids must be 14 yrs old to use which dissapointed my kids. They don't allow campfires which again dissapointed my kids. It is only about 1/2 mile from the highway so you could hear some highway noise but it wasn't that loud. They did have gem and fossil mining (panning actually) which my kids loved. Overall it was a enjoyable stay.

Now for the trip itself.......

Being new I try to remember everything that needs to be done. The setup went easily without injury to myself or any of my sons so that was good. For those that saw my post about needing a hose for the grey water I ended up taking a three inch line and putting a clamp around it. It stayed on and seemed to be working so I was pretty happy about that. It was pretty warm during the day but we spent the majority of it in the pool so that was ok. We had hamburgers and hotdogs for lunch and then spaghetti for dinner. After dinner we had to roast marshmellows over the grill since we couldn't have a campfire. The kids didn't seem to mind as they got their desired results. My twin boy told me he wanted to take a shower in our PUP's shower. I removed the wooden cover and much to my surprise the shower was full of water! You guessed it, I forgot to open the drain valve on the outside which caused the water to back up. I opened the valve and that's when I discovered that my three inch hose didn't really work. As soon as I opened the valve it came flying off. I did manage to get it back on and without the sudden rush of a few gallons of water it did an ok job the rest of the time. I'm glad my son wanted to shower otherwise I never would have opened it and the water would have been sloshing around the whole way home soaking the inside. Sleeping was ok. It had cooled off some when the sun went down and we did bring a small fan from home whiched helped a lot. I also had a fan/light combo hanging in one end which help also. I did feel a little rocking when the kids rolled over but it wasn't too bad. I had to get up to use the facilities at 3:20 this morning and my twin boy was up saying he had to go to. We spent a little time outside looking up at the stars and talking. He and I seemed to do a little bonding this weekend which made the trip worthwhile. With four kids and my crazy scedule it's hard to devote all the time I want to each kid. It was nice being away from all the distractions of home.

This morning my oldest woke up with a bad headache. (My wife gets migraines and he seems to inherited that from her) I gave him some medicine and he rested a little before he and his brothers headed to the playground. He and his brother spend some time on the see-saw before we headed off to the showers. My oldest went into the shower but soon came out not looking so good. He ended up getting being nauseas. He went back to the trailer to rest a littlle before we packed up and left. That tear down was uneventful and yes, I did remember to close the valve on the drain before I left. I did take some pictures but I haven't been able to get them attached so I will open an online gallery as many of you have. I hope to do that this week.

Thanks to all that gave me advice and support. My inauguration into the world of PUP camping was a fun one and I look forward to many more. Our next trip is scheduled Oct 10-13 during the kids fall break. We are going to Tucson and Wilcox, AZ for some apple picking. I also look forward to hearing about other members adventures as well.

[BuddyBear]

Congrats on your maiden journey.
Sounds like a great time was had by all.
We are heading out Oct. 8 thru 12  to Mingu CG (7000ft) or Lynx Lake (6300).
I've only been in the Prescott area about 4 years, born and raised in Phx.
but anything over 100* makes me go OUCH!!  
 :S:S:S:S
There are some great Campgrounds not to much
farther up I 17 in the Prescott National Forest, although most of them will be closing late Oct. for the winter. The Verde Valley, Cottonwood and Oak Creek Canyon areas are real nice in the winter (warm days,cool nights) and the crowds are gone.
POPin UP all year long is great..
Enjoy your PUP
BB

[austinado16]

That sounds like a pretty decent first trip! Good for you guys.  If it stays simple and fun, the kids will really love being out with you.  Hope the next one is even more fun and now that you've been out in it, you know what you want to do to make the PUP function more to your likings.