The beginning of six years with the Scamp and still enjoying every bit of it.  Our first outing of the year for 2014 was the second weekend of April.  After a long and cold winter, we were not sure when our first outing would be.  We had a wonderful time at Dolliver Memorial State Park in Iowa, and the weather was great.

The only problems we had with de-winterizing so far this year was the water pump.  RV antifreeze was run through the system this year, but turns out that the extreme cold weather did take its toll on the pump.  I ordered a different type this year and will post our experiences with it.

Also, it's always a good idea, regardless of what camper you have, to check all screws, fasteners, seals, etc for wear and or leakage.  The only other thing I would recommend is to check the inflation on all of your wheels, including the spare, and if you really feel ambitious, rotate the trailer tires to even out the wear pattern.  This will help them last longer and get better performance out of them.

Our second outing of the year was down to Lake McBride State Park in Iowa.  Turned out to be a beautiful weekend with only a touch of rain during the night.  While our car still did a wonderful job pulling the trailer for five years, I am really liking the truck for the towing job.  It is easier to maneuver the trailer into the sites, easier to see around when backing the Scamp in, and a much easier pull in all driving conditions.  Just a note about the first picture; the trailer really is level.  For some reason the camera was tipped just a bit.

Second weekend of May, we were back at Dolliver Memorial State Park in Iowa.  Most of the weekend was pretty nice weather, but we did get rained on off and on.  The photos are of the last day when we had the most rain.  That is why the photos looked a little gray.  The first three I tried to clean up with software, but the panoramics are untouched.  I am going to start experimenting with an anti-fog solution for the windows in the Scamp and will post the results here.  I do not mind sitting in the Scamp during the rain, but it would be nice to see out the windows without having to crack them open; however, I will say that the awning type windows do work really nice for ventilation during inclement weather.

Believe it or not, this is still May.  I was hoping that the leaves would have popped out a bit more, but with the cold winder, nature is a little slow in responding.  Thankfully it was not too hot and we had a nice breeze.  The solar panels did a great job keeping the trailer battery charged as well.

I took the photo above as a friendly reminder about Camping Etiquette.  The campsite above is of one in a free county park.  While the rules about occupying a campsite for more that two weeks still applied, there is a bit of an unfortunate loophole in the camping rules, especially when it comes to free campgrounds.  This tent was set up for more than a week and a half in a prime campsite and the only time it was occupied was for two nights.  It sat empty for a whole weekend which prevented anyone else from using it.  I know that it can be difficult to get a campsite sometimes, but it is not really fair to claim a site for such a length of time and not use it.  If you are going to set up a tent, or other camping equipment, it is best to occupy it while it is there.  Not only for the safety of the equipment, but as a courtesy to other campers.

We were back at our usual site for Memorial Day weekend.  We did camp at a different site this year from the past years, but it worked out really well.  The open field allowed the solar panels to keep the battery fully charged, and despite the lack of shade for the camper, we managed to stay fairly cool.  Just something to point out, the tunnel looking feature in the right of the second picture is part of the dog coursing that Lisa is setting up for Sammy.

We took our first major trip of the year to the South Shore of Lake Superior during the second week of June.  The photos above are of Copper Falls State Park in Wisconsin.  We did not stay long, hence the barren looking site, but the Scamp proved to be of good use here.  We arrived late at night or early in the morning, whichever way you look at 2:30 AM, and it was a damp situation.  It was nice hot having to worry about too much set up.  When we left a few days later, we had to get going early in the morning and it was easy to pack up and get on the road.

The third leg of our trip took us to Jay Cooke State Park in Minnesota.  The photos above continue to show how versatile setup can be.  The site we stayed in was laid out so that the door of the camper was on the opposite site of the main living portion of the site.  I was able to maneuver the trailer with the truck on the site to make the best use of it.  We did have to use quite a few leveling blocks on the front of the trailer, and we needed the bigger chocks on the trailer to keep it from rolling down hill, but it worked nicely.

The two pictures above are a couple of fun ones.  The first is of us pulling the Scamp down some back roads trying to avoid a detour.  (The photo was taken by others in the group that we were camping with.)  That was an interesting drive to say the least.  The second is of a Scamp that passed us while we were stopped along the North Shore of Lake Superior.  It was a sixteen foot Scamp, without the air conditioning unit, being pulled by a vehicle like our station wagon.  Scamps continue to be one of the few light weight campers that can be pulled by smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles.  (The popup and truck on the side of the road belongs to the other group we were camping with.)  

This series of photos is from Temperance River State Park in Minnesota.  This was the third campground that we stay in this trip.  We were here in the fall of 2013 and thought it would be a good site to use since we were traveling in a group this year.  The sites were close enough that we could go back and forth easily enough, but far enough to give each other a little space. 

I would like to take time to mention, that when we were here the previous fall, we did have a bit of an issue trying to keep the battery charged.  This time was a bit easier since it was a shorter stay, the sun was out and the solar panels managed to charge the battery better, and we had a full set of LED bulbs for the interior lights.  Depending on your electrical load, Scamps are great for using non-electrical sites.  I have shown a little of this in the past, but I will be doing a post that will be dedicated to camping off grid in the future.

For the last campground of the trip, we returned to Jay Cooke State Park.  Once again, the size of the Scamp really helped us this time.  I had decided to go ahead to the next campground while the rest of the group did some touring of local sites.  (I was dog sitting since Sammy was not allowed in the places the rest of the group were visiting.)  We had two campsite reserve, one for us and one for the other party in our group.  When I got on site, someone was still camping, from the night before, in the site we were going to use.  The other one was available, so I set up there instead.  I noticed, after I got setup, that there was not a lot of room and the other camper would not have fit in this site too well.  You can tell by how I have the truck parked in the first and last picture.  The other site was a bit larger and fit the other group better.  For this site, the Scamp fit perfectly though, so it worked out for the better.  

We spent the Fourth of July at Wyalusing State Park in Wisconsin this year.  It was a little unusual for us to be here at that time of the camping season.  We usually do not hit Wyalusing until late fall, as the early winter storm pictures from last year will show.  We usually try to reserve campsites with electricity for the Fourth of July, as well as most of July and August, since this time of year it is pretty warm.  This year we were fortunate enough that the weather was very comfortable and did not require the use of the air conditioner; however, we still needed to use the screen tent for the small bugs and for a bit of shade.  I have been thinking about the awnings that come with the Scamp, and from time to time I do regret not having one.  I would suggest that if you are on the fence about getting an awning, just do it and you will not be disappointed.  I still may have them put on on, or order it myself and put it on.

Also, something else we will be adding is a receiver hitch for our bike rack.  If you have your Scamp at the manufactures, have them install it while it is there.  While we are capable of doing it ourselves, it would have been simpler to just have them install it.  I will show photos of that project as it is completed.

You may have noticed that I took a few more panoramic shots of this site than previous sites.  To explain why, I first need to say that from time to time, we like to stop and look at some of the larger campers at various RV dealers.  We are always awed by the size, the comfort they provide, as well as the windows for enjoying the various environments you may choose to camp.  However, we also realize that in order to take full advantage of all of the features provided with the larger units, you tend to have to camp in places that are more accommodating to them, and may not get to enjoy the wonderful view out of the larger windows.  The campground we stayed in for this trip, while is useable for larger campers, it is more difficult to maneuver them around on the smaller winding and rolling roads, harder to back them into the campsites, and you may not have enough room at the site to fit some of the slide-outs, and still have room to enjoy the outside.  

With the Scamp, we are fortunate enough to fit into some of these smaller, yet scenic sites.  It is also easier to pull the Scamp down some of the narrow winding roads.  And as you can see in the photos above, we had quite a bit of room outside the Scamp, had a bit more privacy, and truly enjoyed the wonderful outdoors that nature provided.  

I have not posted any pictures of the interior for a while, but not a lot has changed since the last ones.  What I thought about doing was taking some larger photos using the panoramic software that I have been using.  While the pictures above came out pretty well, I am still struggling with capturing larger pictures of the interior.  I tried to do a 360 degree shot as well, but I did not have the proper tripod to get those images.  I have a plan to try to get it done, but that will have to be done at a later date.

I do want to take a little time and point out a couple of things.  First, the reason I was took a couple of the sleeping area is because the view out the window was really nice.  I tried to capture that in the photos, but the difference in the interior and exterior lighting was making it difficult.  The end result did show a little of what I wanted, and gives you a good idea of what the sleeping area would be like.  In the last of the two pictures, you will notice that the floor covering we have been using has changed.  We went with a long runner carpet and two pieces of rubber: one larger piece of rubber for the front door and a shorter one for the kitchen area.  The rubber helps to keep the water away from the rest of the floor, and the carpeted runner is easier to dry and shake out, and it adheres to the floor better and does not slip.

This was our first venture into Missouri's State Park System.  Weston Bend State Park, just north of Kansas City, and a little east of Leavenworth, Kansas, is a nice little park along the Missouri river.  As you can see, the Scamp fit in nicely amongst the woods of North West Missouri.  The size of the trailer left plenty of space around the campsite, though we did not get to utilize the site as much as I would have liked.  While it was not necessarily as warm as I am used to, when visiting Missouri in the summer time, it was a bit clammy one day, and it was nice to have the AC to take the humidity out of the air.

The picture above is of a little fun that I like to have when camping.  I have shown pictures of the flag setup in the past, but I have decided to add an additional flag to our site.  When we are camping out of state, I will fly the US Flag, our state flag of Iowa, as well as the flag of the state we are visiting.  The state flag of Missouri, on the right, is the first to be flown.  I will add pictures of the other state flags as I fly them.

Just a note about the order of precedence, the US Flag is in the middle because that is the highest point in the holder.  Flag precedence states that the US Flag will be to the left of the presenter, or in this case the camper, and/or the highest position on the left of the presenter.  The Iowa flag is the second in line of precedence so it is flown to the left of the US Flag and just a little below, while the third in precedence is the guest flag, Missouri, is flown to the right of the US flag and at the same height as the Iowa Flag.

This was our trip out west to Yellowstone this fall.  It was a wonderful drive through the mountains to Madison Campground in Yellowstone, and a nice place to stay.  One thing I really liked about the campground was the variety of RVs and trailers that passed through the park.  We even saw a Scamp or two as well.

This was the second camping trip that I got to use another state flag.  This one was Wyoming and the symbol of the Bison was very relevant for the state's flag.  I should mention that something that we saw very little of were people enhancing, or decorating, their campsites this trip.  That really surprised us.

Camping in Yellowstone gave us the opportunity to see a quite a few more camping rigs that usual.  While there were normal RVs, 5th wheels, and travel trailers, this campground also hosted a large number of lightweight, small trailers as well.  I do not think I recall a campground where I saw so many Casitas, Scamps, Escapes, and Tear Drop style campers.

Stopping by the Norris Geyser Basin on the way out, we discovered another Scamp in the parking lot.  I could not resist the photo op.

The photos above are from our trip out of Yellowstone.  We left by way of the North East Gate, since we were on our way to Hardin, Montana.  It was a wonderful drive and we were extremely, but pleasantly, surprised by the road and the pass through the mountains.  Nearly 11,000 feet in elevation by the time we headed down.

Our second, and last, campground of the trip, was Grand View Campground in Hardin, Montana.  The unusual part of this campsite was that while in Yellowstone, we did use the furnace a couple of times in the morning to take the chill off.  But by the time we got set up here, we actually had to use the air conditioner during the day as the temperature reached ninety-five degrees.  Not what we expected for late September, early October weather in Montana.  But still a very nice stay.

I would like to take an opportunity to plug some of the national RV rental businesses.  While we have not used them, or looked into the process of renting one, I still feel they are a wonderful way to introduce people to RV camping, traveling, and exploring.  We do see quite a few of these rigs on the road, and in the last few years, it seems as if the number has grown.  Although the ones you see pictured here are RVs, there are companies that do rent camping units from pop-up tent campers all the way to full size travel trailers and RVs.  So if you are considering some form of camping RV or trailer and are uncertain about the whole assortment of features, this could be a good place to start. 

So far, this is our last camping trip of the year at Dolliver State Park in Iowa.  If at all possible, I would love to try and get one more in for the year, but with the snow falling, as well as the temperature, that may not be possible.  One thing I would like to point out in the photos is the patio mat.  Using one of those in the fall makes raking the leaves out of the campsite much easier.