A pop-up camper was a memorable step toward our imminent RV ownership. Our hotel-based road trip to DC visiting National Parks inspired us to want a pop-up camper. Janet’s family had owned one when she was growing up. We liked the idea because it would be low maintenance, we would be able to store it in our garage, and we did not need a new vehicle to tow it. We enjoyed several amazing trips. it enabled a different type of road trip vacation while being very affordable. The main downside was that we needed to tow it and Janet was uncomfortable towing. Another downside was that it took 1-2 hours to set up on arrival at a campground, so was less suited to the quick overnight stay on the way to a further destination. However, once set up, it was roomy and comfortable.
After returning from DC in July 2013, a work colleague and former boss, Tom Rebler, very kindly offered to lend us his pop-up camper. We took it to a county park on the coast in Quintana, south of Houston, and had a great weekend. So, we bought our own! While we did not use the pop-up a lot, we had fantastic, unique trips to the Grand Canyon and to the Dakotas/Chicago.
Quintana Park in December 2013 and New Year 2015
Sites with hookups at State Parks get booked up quickly at popular times. We found a county park on the gulf coast south of Houston at Quintana which was largely under the radar. As well as being able to get reservations, it was quiet. Having checked out the Reblers’ pop-up at this park, we returned a couple of times with our own pop-up, and rented a couple of their cottages for Bailey and her friends to celebrate her 12th birthday. The main downside was the mosquitoes, but they are very difficult to avoid on the Texas coast. It was special fun bringing in 2015 as the kids got to fire a canon!
The Grand Canyon in March 2014
After a successful shakedown trip to Quintana, we planned a 3000 mile trip to the Grand Canyon over spring break 2014. The trip included fun stops on the way at Carlsbad Caverns, Roswell, White Sands, the Gila Cliff Dwellings. The Grand Canyon was truly grand and did not disappoint. We returned via the Petrified Forest National Park and ended up on their website, and are still there!
The Dakotas and Chicago in June 2014
A work conference for Peter in Chicago presented another road trip opportunity. It was another full itinerary with visits to the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Badlands National Park, the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore, Jewel and Wind Caves, Devil’s Tower, Theodore Roosevelt National Park (where Peter was fascinated by a dung beetle), and the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. We were able to park our car and pop-up in a truck parking lot on the edge of Chicago that was perfect, and we enjoyed visiting that city a lot too. We captured our memories in a photobook shown below.
The Adventures of the Cajunlimeys 