Hi Folks,
After driving around the neighborhood with Mike, practicing reversing & hitching/unhitching, I felt a little more ready to tackle The Trip! We loaded up the Airstream with everything we could think of, picked up the kids from school and headed out for our first camping expedition! We chose a park near Mt. Rainier & Mt. St. Helens- 2.5 hrs. away – so we could get some good hands on driving experience in the real world. Turned out the road to Randle was narrow and winding, and with a definite rise in elevation! Mike drove the first half, and I the second half, which put me squarely in the winding twisting road section! Mike sat in the passenger seat with an eagle eye on the rear view mirrors, which I had to check every few seconds as well, and he gave me stern warnings about veering across the white line on the side of the road. The lane was so narrow!! But luckily did not encounter anyone walking along the road or any cars parked there, it being a mountainside, and so we made it safely to the campsite, which to my great relief did not require any backing in. It was a pull-through site, and I pulled in and we left it at that! No fine-tuning. Good enough! And thus began our wonderful adventure…emphasis on the adventure!~

We first luxuriated in the indoor heated pool and hot tub at the site…(this is one of those membership camping spots) and then turned our attention to food! We had bought a portable propane grill which could hook up to the trailer’s tanks…but it turned out the hose that came with the Airstream did not fit our grill, so…we cooked hot dogs indoors, in a frying pan! We then turned our attention to showers and discovered no hot water! An unsuccessful hour later we called our troubleshooting number (another membership thing) and we were guided into a valve turn on the water heater and voila! hot water. Then the water pressure was too low, and that had to be figured out, as well as how to set the furnace (because yes it was getting cold and of course rainy!) And then, finally, about 10 pm, all systems were GO and we were warm and dry. Had a lot of fun learning to hook up the electrical systems, the black water hose (sewer) and the fresh water hose, then purging the whole system and packing it all up upon departure. It did rain a lot, but that was OK, because we did what we came for—we drove, we learned all the operating systems within (the hard way!)

, and then, having not quite conquered the beast, but at least succeeding in jumping on its back, we packed up and headed back home. Two days felt like a week, but in a good way.

Moral of the story: I need more training! Mike has been driving big rigs for years, but I am still a neophyte. I was strongly urged by him to get some lessons–one has GOT to be able to maneuver this thing in tricky situations, and also MUST be able to reverse into small spaces! Our storage is nearby, which is great, but until I can back it into its stall, it might as well be a million miles away. So I hope to get 2 days of driving instruction this week, before I leave Seattle area! I also need a camera mounted on the rear of the Airstream so I can see behind me. But, lest I forget to emphasize the really important thing: this is fabulous!!! I love the feeling of having the means of comfortable existence right behind you, going wherever your heart desires!

To be continued! Check out our photos! (somehow I got this messed up, and photos are up there. Oh, well. Aloha, everyone! Will let you know how the driving lessons go!

Vicki