An extremely early start for the year, but a good one.  Especially after not traveling or camping much last year.  We are still being cautious about COVID-19, washing hands, social distancing, and definitely mask wearing. 

This trip was a bit harsh at first with the wind and the cold, but by Saturday the winds had dissipated and the temp warmed up nicely.  Sunday was an even warmer day, but the wind began to cause problems when it was time to pack up.  Still had a great time though and it felt good to sit in the sun again.

The second outing fort the year was back to a primitive campground that we used to camp at quite a bit.  This year, we were gathering with our SCA friends since the event we usually attended this time of year was postponed to the fall. 

Since we were going to be there for a whole week, boondocking, I thought it was time to upgrade our solar panel recharging system.  Our old panels were nearing twenty years old, and could not produce enough power to supply our needs.  So I found a Renogy system online that was the complete package.  It was two 50 WATT solar panels that combined would put out 100 WATTS of charging power.  That is equivalent to around 8 to 10 AMPs of charge in direct sunlight.  That was a huge improvement over the three panels with a combine total wattage of 32 in direct sunlight.  They take up less space, produce more power, and fold up into a nice little protective case that I can keep with us in the Scamp at all times.  they come with battery clamps to connect directly to the battery, or any battery for that matter, but I did order a pigtail that I could hard wire to the battery.  That way when we need to hook up the solar panels, all I have to do is to plug them into the pigtail for a solid connection.  I also purchased a twenty foot, two wire extension cable so I have a larger reach when we are camping.  You can see the new setup in pictures 3 - 5.

Our new little camping buddy, Charlie, seems to be taking to camping very well.  He even handled using a harness and a leash.  Although at first, he though the harness to be a very heavy burden.  He soon got over that.  Of course, in the last picture of Charlie, he seems to be having a very rough time...not.

The last picture shows the permanent fix to our screen teen door zipper problem.  The tent is roughly sixteen years old, but has held up very well, and I like the way the screen walls are constructed.  I tried using just a piece of screen netting to keep the door closed, so we decided to ditch that.  Instead, we were inspired, by another one of our camping friends, to use the magnetic screen door that you can install in a house.  We pinned it to the opening of the tent and now it is really easy to come and go without fusing around with the zipper.

We were nestled back into the ridge at Wyalusing State Park for the July 4th Holiday again.  It's a great place to get a way to, especially if you have pets who don't like fireworks.  From here, you can see the fireworks in the distance, but they don't have the loud booms associated with them that can terrify pets. 

I also added yet another device to our camping kit.  It is a 30 AMP surge protector for the camper.  It gives you readings about the outlet you are using like if it is shorted out, reversed polarity, etc. before you plug your camper in.  It also will protect you from surges and jolts.  It is designed NOT to be a resetable surge protector.  It is designed to fry before the electronics do in the camper.  It is a $90 insurance policy that protects the thousands of dollars of appliances and electronics in the camper.  Just a disclaimer, I am not insuring your camper against damage if you use one and you have damage.  That is up the company that you bought it from.  I'm just suggesting it's a good idea to have yet another layer of protection.    

Back to Pilot Knob State Park for the Labor Day weekend.  We had a slightly different spot than in past years, but we made the Scamp work.  It was a little more hilly that I would have liked, especially since a few days prior I had an accident and messed up my leg.  With a walking stick and a knee brace, I managed through the weekend though. 

For our September trip, we decided to head back up to Bear Head Lake State Park.  The weather was really nice this time of year and we got to enjoy a bit of the fall colors.  Another reason we really love the Scamp is be cause of his compact size, we can fit nearly all campsites and it is quick and easy to set up.

We had not been back to Merrick State Park in Wisconsin for a few years and decided to take the opportunity of a bit longer weekend by going early on Friday morning.  Charlie also seems to be adapting well to the camper and does not mind hanging out with us.  The trip, however, he is starting to get a bit fussy about making and we are learning that he does not like the sound of traffic on the highways and interstates.

We had not been camping in November for quite some time, so we decided to give it a try again at Wyalusing State Park in Wisconsin.  The weather this time of year is really hit or miss, but we took along an electric space heater which really made things very comfortable this year during the snow storms.