Going from this to that

As Dino insists on reminding me, it is time that I tell you about the camping trip we took to Michigan’s U.P. the first week in August.

Oh, shoot, I suppose first I should tell you how we went from this

To this

The middle of July, in anticipation of our camping trip two weeks later, we started to set up the old Coleman popup. My sister and I had bought it used in 1997 and though it did fine for many trips, it has started showing its age the last few years. Each time we put it up, Hubby and I think that it will be the last time. It creaks and groans as he cranks it up and the canvas always has a new hole in it. This time however, it was more than a hole. Not only one or two mice got into it over the past year, but I believe it was an entire village.

In addition to the rodents, somehow water got inside, that or the critters had been proficient at peeing, as places inside were more than a little damp and had begun to mold.

These discoveries were made around eleven on a Saturday morning. I ran in the house and jumped on-line. King’s campers, about 40 miles down the road, had two used popups for sale and I also found one on Craig’s list which showed promise.

Hubby came in the house and I asked if he wanted to run to Wausau to look at the ones at King’s. Sure, he answered, do I have time to take a shower? They close at one, I told him, so make it a quick one.

That was our first mistake. Well, actually our only mistake. The remaining events were beyond our control.

When we got to King’s, the cheaper of the two popups was perfect for us. We started looking around for a salesperson, just as one appeared who was being dragged over by another couple who had already looked at the camper. We want it, they announced.

Drat it, Hubby, if only you hadn’t taken that shower.

               

The other one they had for sale was more expensive, smaller and not in very good shape, or that was our opinion. We quickly crossed it off the list.

We jumped in the car and headed home, as I grabbed my phone and messaged the guy on Craig’s list who had a popup for sale down by Curtis.

He got right back to me and said we could come over yet that afternoon. We were already on the way home, so instead of turning around and driving over there, we asked if we could come on Sunday. OK, I guess we did make another mistake.

A short time later, he messaged me back and said the camper was sold, but his neighbor was selling his as well and it was a comparable price and condition. I didn’t know. Sounded shady at that point, so I never got back to him.

Instead I found yet another one on Craig’s list, this one in Marshfield. It was the right size, decent price, looked pretty clean and was a 2003, so fairly new. I messaged him, saying we’d love to come look at it the next day.

That night we went for a pontoon boat ride with our son, and I was nervous I would miss this new guy getting back to me and it would be too late when we got home. He did message me around eight and I answered him around nine, thinking it was definitely too late by then. Low and behold he got back to me yet that night and we set up a time for Sunday.

We found his house with no trouble and the trailer was perfect. The couple was selling it as they had previously owned a fifth wheel, but downsized when they bought a new house which didn’t have room in the yard for the larger trailer. Well, the wife was not happy with the popup – too much work, too small, too inconvenient. Which I all totally get, having gone camping in my parents’ fifth wheel when I was in high school. For us though, right now, a popup camper is totally the best option.

After showing us everything on the camper, the man said, think about it, and he walked away to let us talk about it. We both wanted it, and even though the price wasn’t bad, we’d like to get it down a bit.

Ok, he was asking $2400, so I told Hubby that if he came down to $2200 we would take it.

The guy came back out and Hubby asked if 2400 was the bottom line and if he would come down a couple hundred. When he said he’d take $2200, tears sprung into my eyes. It was really going to happen! We were going to get a new, used camper.

We gave him $500 down and went back the following Friday with the Blazer and the rest of the money.

A week later, Hubby and I took it for a ride up some big hills to make sure the antique Chevrolet could pull it. The Blazer did fine.

We got home, set it up and even though it was pretty much spotless already, I vacuumed, swept and washed everything inside. Then we stocked it, closed it down and waited impatiently to take it camping a few days later.