As happens with most trips, our last few days were dedicated to driving a straight line (as much as mountains permit) directly towards Virginia, with that magnetic force of the our home growing stronger with every mile. So there isn’t much to report of interest during those last days other than that the Interstates worked fine, our rig held up beautifully throughout, it was relatively smoke free and we arrived home safely on Monday afternoon, September 21, very aware and appreciative of the clear blue skies above us.

That said, I spent much of those last days pondering everything we’d learned on this trip, which had been a unique adventure for us in that we had an entirely new camping set-up to learn. By the end of the trip we had settled somewhat comfortably into our respective jobs. Surprisingly one of mine ended up being cranking up the top of the tent which at first was quite a daunting task. It takes 48 rotations to get it all the way up; I managed to get up to about 30 before needing to take a break. Great exercise! Roger handled all of the taking down and putting up of the tent and also putting down the stabilizer feet on each of the four corners, as well as the connection to the hitch. On the last day we never disconnected the tent from the car and learned that all we really needed was the cooler by the door to the tent.

We also learned how much stuff we brought that we didn’t need. Along the way we downloaded, among other things, a folding table, a collapsible water bucket, extra silverware, a set of mixing bowls, and an outdoor privacy tent. I had packed nearly all the camping gear we’ve collected over the years, and at least we’ve weeded out the stuff that’s no longer useful, but that first leg of the trip was a real exercise in frustration with an over-stuffed car. Never again!

One of the best lessons I learned was to carry in a place easily accessible both in the car or in the tent what we called Carol’s Kitchen. This is something I’m going to take on every trip I take going forward because it proved to be so handy. This is what it looks like:

It contains in one fairly light bag every utensil needed to make a cup of tea or coffee, breakfast oatmeal, soup or sandwich, to open cans, or slice fruit or cheese. I usually tucked in a package of crackers and a small jar of peanut butter, but there is plenty of room for more small portions of snacks. With the food carried in a cooler, we could manage just about every meal, and I could always have a “cuppa” whenever I needed one. (I also carried hot water in thermos that stayed hot until the end of the day which was always there for a second cup, or for just washing hands with.) We also learned that carrying a plastic jug of water with some foam soap in the back of the car was a big help for a quick wash-up.

We’re not sure just when our next adventure will take place, but clearly it will be next year after we’ve gotten through the winter. Thanks for joining us on this one!