It’s January. The weatherman is calling for really nasty weather this weekend. All I can think about is, “When is it going to warm up so that I can go to tractor shows and go camping?”
My stepdad’s idea of camping is usually referred to as the Super 8 hotel chain. A bathroom, a bed, with Jake curled up asleep next to him. Not to mention a TV for him to fall asleep in front of while the coffee pot on the desk is still half full. Go figure!
I do admit, I like to have access to a shower when I go camping. I’ve been lucky enough to camp at places that have public showers and restrooms. Once in a blue moon, when I find myself at a spot where there’s nothing more than port-a-potties, I’ve made do. Up goes my portable, 10×10, pop-up tent. Then I attach a few blankets around the side for privacy, and out comes the 5-gallon “water bladder” with attached hose that I picked up from the camping section of Wal-Mart and a package of disposable washcloths that I can order from campingsurvival.com. Good enough for me to get through a couple of nights.
Outside of the shower issue, I’ll camp in the back of the van, truck with a topper, tent, or a camper trailer. A twin-size inflatable bed will do, provided that I can remember to put a blanket over it so that Jake’s claws don’t deflate it. I think for this year I may invest in a cot so that I don’t wake up in the middle of the night on a deflated piece of plastic.
As for the TV? Well, I can make do without the TV for a couple of days. I’ve made do without the internet for several days and it hasn’t killed me yet, so no TV for awhile won’t hurt me either. I’ve thought about getting a portable TV just for the heck of it. Then again, watching my stepdad be without TV or a day or two can be pretty amusing at times.
