Hey fellow travelers! It’s Sara, your Road Adventures enthusiast/ D.O.O. I wanted to share with you about a quick camping trip I took over this past weekend. To begin, my boyfriend and I chose the absolute hottest weekend to camp of the year (95+ degrees outside), but we made the most of it!
We went to Buckeye Lake KOA, which is a quick 45 minute drive from our office. I rented our Winnebago Micro Minnie 2306BHS. We got to the campground office around 6pm, with plenty of time to set up camp while it was still light out! We got a pull-through, electric and water site which was clutch. Last time I camped, I didn’t get a water hook up and let me tell you, it makes all the difference! Not having to run to the monitor panel every time I did dishes to see how much water I used was definitely a luxury. Also, it was such a peace of mind knowing I had a pull-through site and didn’t have to try to maneuver into my site. (hint, hint, advice #1!)
We set up camp super quick- my boyfriend and I are pro’s by now! Here’s our steps:
- Make sure you are close enough to connect 30 amp power cord to the outlet and water hose to spicket
- Chock wheels
- Put stabilizer blocks under jack and unhitch
- Extend stabilizer legs- once it touches the ground, crank ½ turn more. Remember- these are not leveling jacks!
- Extend awning and steps. Done!
My second piece of advice is: don’t plan to cook dinner when you arrive at your campsite. We always grab KFC on our way down so that we have a meal waiting on us- plus who doesn’t love cold fried chicken?!
After setting up camp and chowing down some chicken, we took a walk around the campground. It is always good to know where your dumpster, camp store, and other amenities are. Then due to the heat, we headed back to our camper to set up the inside. We took the kitchenware out of the provisional bucket and unpacked it in the kitchen. Advice # 3– take a picture of the contents of the provisional bucket prior to unpacking it, so you know how to pack it up once you are done camping. We stored the bucket in our truck for the weekend so it wasn’t taking up precious space in our trailer. Then, we just relaxed in our camper and watched a movie.
We woke up Saturday morning and made breakfast. We brought a griddle and my boyfriend cooked the bacon on the griddle outside, while I cooked the eggs on the stove inside. Bacon and eggs- quick, easy, yummy meal! Advice #4– crack the eggs at your house and pour them into a plastic water bottle for travel!
After breakfast, we ran to the store to grab a few items. We bought a colander, hand soap, and a sharp knife, as these items are not included in our provisional kit. We then went to Buckeye Lake Winery and tried some sweet white wine.
It was nice and refreshing! My dog, Blake, loved being outside (it was nice and shaded due to the umbrellas on the patio).
After the winery, we went back to the camper to prepare lunch. It was too hot for a campfire meal, so we made mac and cheese and hot dogs inside the camper. Then, we enjoyed the pool for a while. There were other amenities such as a playground, game room, shuffleboard, and life size chess.
Once returning from the pool, it was time to shower. Advise #5– turn the water off while rinsing in the shower! This conserves water to avoid filling your grey tank (we didn’t have a sewer connection at our campsite). After two showers, we still were only at 1/3 grey tank. There is limited space for hanging towels/ swim suits- so utilize your awning arms for drying racks!
We then prepped for dinner. We made the following recipe:
Jambalaya Foil Packets
Ingredients:
- 1 pound Jennie-O andouille sausage sliced
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 2 ribs of celery diced
- 3 teaspoons cajun seasoning
- 1 cup instant rice
- 1 cup chicken broth
Instructions:
1. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
2. Place five square pieces of foil on the counter and spray the centers with cooking spray. Divide the mixture among them. Fold up two sides of the foil and fold over. Then curl both ends in to make a seal packet. Place directly on the grill.
3. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until the rice is soft. Turn over half way through grilling.
This is my favorite recipe for campfire cooking. It’s super simple to make, and it tastes amazing! Reduce or add more Cajun seasoning depending on how spicy you want it. Please note: you may need to bring a campfire ring so you are able to cook over the campfire. Also, you will have to bring heavy duty aluminum foil and metal tongs for flipping the packets. We sat outside to eat (bolding the heat for a bit) but it was pretty buggy. We forgot our citronella candle and bug spray- but they sure would have come in handy!
After dinner, we went to Buckeye Lake State Park and found a great restaurant on the water. It was called Island House. The waitress was super friendly and gave us a lot of information about Buckeye Lake. They also were dog friendly, so we sat on the patio and watched the sunset with Blake by our side.
In the morning, we used the leftover bacon from the previous breakfast to make omelets. This also was a quick, yummy, easy meal!
Then, we tore down camp and headed to the dreaded dump station. Advice #6– make sure you have a tight connection between your sewer hose and your sewer connection prior to opening the valve! I wish I wasn’t speaking from a bad experience, but I definitely am.. But I digress. Dumping really isn’t all that bad. Just open your black tank valve, then close it and open your grey tank valve. Once you stop hearing material flow, wring out your hose one time to get the excess fluid out. Then pack up your hose and you’re done! Remember to use the gloves we provide for you in the kitchen bucket, then the hand sanitizer!
I had a great experience with my Road Adventures rental! I hope you do as well! Please call us if you have any questions at 844-357-1879!
–Sara Haydocy
7/23/2019
