Our First Camping Trip with Our "New" Camper

Photo taken by B at Bong Recreation Area

Since Wisconsin State Parks opened the campgrounds back up in June, we decided to take our camper to two different state parks that are relatively close to us (within an hour or so) for her maiden voyage. 

This was our first official trip with her so we knew there would be a learning curve as far as getting used to hitching her up to the Atlas, backing into the camping sites, putting down the leveling boards, and filling/emptying the water tanks. Add in that it was our first camping trip with both dogs and we had our work cut out for us.

Are you ready for camping bro? I'm so ready for camping, bro!

Our first two nights we stayed at Kettle Moraine Southern Unit's campground at Ottawa Lake. We were able to snag a site with electrical hookups that was relatively close to the lake, mostly so we could go through how to use all the electrical equipment in the camper (air conditioning, stove, microwave, oven, TV, etc.) We do have a fridge/freezer but those run on propane.

Our campsite at KMS was set up a little oddly - the fire pit was really far away from the picnic table and where we were able to back the camper in, so we didn't really sit around the fire at all. The mosquitos were also pretty bad so after fogging twice, we sat outside for brief periods during the day but went inside at night to eat and relax. Having air conditioning when it's hot and humid is a GAME CHANGER, especially at night. I have a really hard time sleeping when I'm hot because I need at least a lightweight blanket on me, so that was wonderful to get a decent night's sleep while camping. The white noise from the A/C unit also drowned out the outside noise for the dogs so that they weren't up barking all night at every little thing. 

Doggo ice cream for well-behaved doggos.

The initial set-up when we arrived actually didn't take that long. The fill station is right at the entrance to the park so we filled our water tanks and headed right to our campsite. I got out and directed B back into the parking area of the camp site. Since the site was relatively large, it only took one try to back the camper into it. 

Camping with the doggos: my happy place.

Since we had the fridge available, we brought some foods that we wouldn't normally bring camping - bacon wrapped filets (because why not?), iced tea I made at home, eggs, tons of fresh fruits and veggies - because normally we don't have that much space in the cooler. The cooler was reserved for alcohol, soda, and my Pamplemousse La Croix :) And I do have to say the freezer was nice to have as well. We took ice from our ice maker at home and put them into gallon-sized freezer bags to store in there and had ice the whole weekend. We also got some ice cream sandwiches that totally hit the spot after a long day in the sun.

Enjoying a Moscow Mule with our steaks for dinner.

I'm still toying with what I want to do decor-wise inside. I really want to paint the whole inside white and gray, but B wants to wait to do any sort of significant inside overhaul until the fall when we are done using it for the year.

Doggos in the water.

The lake at the campground, Ottawa Lake, has a dog beach so of course we had to take the doggos over there for some good swim time. We went twice during our stay, first on Thursday evening and it was VERY busy.

Having a swim.

Then we went again on Friday morning and we were the only people there which was great. We were able to do a lot of retrieving with the dogs and we even got Frank to jump off the dock!

Frank's life jacket is the Float Coat from Ruffwear and he wears a small.

 

Bro, did you have a fun time camping?  Bro, I had so much fun camping!

Friday afternoon we headed to Bong Recreation Area for another two nights of camping with some friends. This used to be an old jet fighter/interceptor base so lots of big open areas, marsh, and hiking/biking trails. We booked a double campsite and because we had a lot of rain that week, it was VERY buggy. More buggy than SE WI normally is, lol. We did have a lot of rain on Saturday but Sunday was beautiful (isn't it always like that the day you go home?)

All in all, I think it was a successful first camping trip with the camper. Having the A/C the first few nights was nice, especially with the dogs because it drowned out any outside noise (because cattle dogs are very barky!) and it made for nice sleeping conditions. I prefer to be cold when I sleep - having B and two dogs in the bed means a lot of beings generating heat. It was also nice to have running water and my own toilet - I'm not about the whole walking to the outhouse life. 

We have another trip coming up next week so let's hope this one goes as well as the first one!