Misty Mountain Camp Resort is less than 5 miles from home, and sometimes staying so close has advantages: we can pack lightly, come home to get things we inevitably forget (cell phone chargers…), and also take care of our kitties without having to arrange for a pet sitter. And each time we go somewhere in our Scamp, we learn things that will make the next trip even easier/better, plus it helps us think of some day using this as a true “travel trailer”–when time and circumstances allow.
This was our first camping trip with the Kia Sorento as our tow vehicle. We recently learned that the trailer weighs just 1680 pounds, and the Kia is rated to tow up to 5000 pounds, so we knew we should be good. It did fine on a test run last weekend, and of course this was also a short hop with no mountains. But even with the extreme heat, the car did well, and it seems that using “sport mode” will be the way to go; plenty of power going up the steep hill to site #57.
But heat? OH, yes–about 95 degrees when we left home, and closer to 100 late in the afternoon. At least we had a bit of shade–for a while–at our campsite.
After we got set up, Wayne sliced chunks of cold watermelon, which was a most excellent idea!
We’d turned on the air conditioner in the trailer and closed the curtains, but the sun was shining directly on the back of the camper. I got a sun shade out of the car and put it in the back window, and it seemed to help. This gave me the idea of making custom sun screens for the trailer windows using Reflectix. With a couple of pieces of Velcro on them, we’d be able to attach them to the marine hull liner inside. I’ll add this project to the “to do” list….
It was “Christmas in July” weekend at the campground and some folks really went all out with huge inflatables, Christmas trees, etc. We kept it simple and just strung some lights around the belly band and the door. (Oh, do you see the sheen on the front of the trailer? It looks so much better since we “Zepped” it! Before, the finish was completely dull and chalky.)
As we lost our shady spot and the day became even hotter and muggier (how was that even possible?), we drove down the hill to the pool. Even though a lot of people had the same idea, it felt GREAT to get in the water.
Aw, he likes me. 🙂
From swimming pool to playing pool–another fun thing to do at Misty Mountain.
After a couple of games, we went back to our campsite to start dinner. The previous night we’d gotten Chinese food, and we brought the leftovers with us in the cooler. Wayne used our propane stove to heat it up for a quick, easy dinner.
Just after we finished eating and had cleaned up, we had visitors–several visitors, actually. The owner of a 13 ft Trillium trailer came by (he was from Illinois, traveling with his wife and daughter), and several people from the lower level of the campground (in a vintage Airstream and in a Jayco Kiwei hybrid) also stopped at our campsite. They were all very curious about Scamp trailers, in general, and also interested to see what we’d done inside, once we told them we’d started with an empty shell. Earlier in the day, Wayne and I had talked about how everyone in a campground is part of a unique, temporary community, so it was fun to meet fellow campers and to show them our trailer. 🙂
We made a quick trip home after that to get my cell phone charger and to feed the cats, then we went back to the campground.
There were activities in the community hall (karaoke and some other contests), but we enjoyed simply sitting outside by our festively-lit trailer. We thought about building a campfire, but decided it was still way too hot to really enjoy it!
I was fascinated by the moving laser lights that another camper had set up under a canopy of trees….
Like thousands of fireflies twinkling on the leaves, the effect was absolutely magical, especially with a chorus of katydids supplying the soundtrack.
We noticed a lot of “heat lightning,” but then realized we were hearing thunder–uh oh…. We weren’t really surprised that we’d get a storm (given the day’s heat), but when a weather app on my phone flashed an alert about a severe thunder storm warning, we got moving. We put the chairs, camp stove, and Wayne’s guitar in the car, and ducked into the trailer just as the rain started. It poured for a while, and I actually enjoyed hearing the pounding rain on the roof of the trailer because it reminded me of some of the camping adventures I’d had with my parents when I was a kid. I think that’s a lot of the appeal of camping for me now–while Wayne and I are creating new memories, it also helps me remember simple–but special–times with my parents….
Fortunately, the storm didn’t last too long and it wasn’t severe in our area (other parts of the state weren’t so lucky…), but there was still some vivid lightning, and a few rumbles of thunder shook our little house on wheels. But good news: everything stayed completely dry inside. We’re hopeful that the sealant we recently put on the roof closed up any tiny, essentially invisible pinholes that had caused a persistent leak near the front of the trailer. I guess we’ll need a sustained rain to know for sure.
As usual, I slept soundly in the Scamp. This was the first time we’d ever left the A/C on all night, and I’m sure that helped immensely. Another storm may have moved through at some point (I’d looked at weather radar before turning out the light), but if it did, I didn’t hear it.
In the morning, we ate a quick breakfast of coffee and bagels out on the still-damp picnic table. We had time to go feed our cats (as well as the feral kitties that I care for) before the noon checkout time.
On our way out to run these errands, we stopped by the lower camping area to see some of the folks who’d visited us the night before. Again, there was this sense of “community” as we talked with a private school administrator, a French teacher, and with the Airstream owner who showed us some of the modifications he’d made on his trailer. Good people, one and all….
When we got back, a lot of campers were on the move–heading home or heading out to continue their vacation travels–and it was time for us to pack up, too. We thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity to be a part of this special “neighborhood” at Misty Mountain, even if it was for only one night. 🙂