Our First Big Trip

     The Smokey Mountains 

    There is a quote that is now stuck in my head from Keep Your Daydreams:

            "The trip starts once you get in the truck, don't rush to get there."

                                                                                        -Marc

    So this trip started poorly because we were not in the truck on time and so early in the morning with limited coffee in my body was not good. But from that we have learned. Don't try packing up in the morning, stay up and pack the night before. There will be a lot less broken things if you pack early and better to start tired than start mad. Luckily we made breakfast the day before. It was nice.

<Blueberry Pastry that I did not look up a recipe>

    The drive was not that bad. It took us a little bit to get used to not having to stop for snacks and drinks at a gas station because they were already in the camper. It was awesome stopping at a Loves gas station and not having to buy anything. There was even one time I had to go to the bathroom and it was filthy. I walked out of the gas station and was just going to go to another one and then remember that we brought one with us. 

<First View Of the Smokey Mountains>

    Backing into our camp spot turned out to be a bit of an ordeal. At that time I did not know that my power steering had started going out and I was not able to back into the spot as pretty and straight as everyone else. We tried over and over and each time it got worse. I knew my anger was going to start coming out because I was getting over whelmed. So I did like I would at home. I pulled up and turned as hard as I could and drove across the grass just to make the turn. Now this was the nicest campground that I had ever been to and it felt a bit out of place for me to do it that way but I had no other option.

    At this campground is where I learned that there are many different RVers. There are the two weekend a year people, the live in a large 5th wheel people, the Vanlifers and the retirment homes on wheels and each one does stuff differently. Some bring there own fire pit, some try to use a torch on a whole log( which that will not ever work) or there are people like me that have grown up camping that make their kindling and start a fire with a match. (Thank you Mum & Dad for making me go through boy scouts and all of the family camping trips.) And there is nothing wrong with any of these differences. Well, except the guy that tried to start a log with a torch. Just stop.

<First Night's Meal>

    That first day of the first long trip we had learned a lot and we were excited to see what the next nine days would hold for us. And we were not going to let anything stop us from enjoying this trip.

Griffin