Deception Pass State Park and lunch at Lake Sylvia (Trial trip part 1)

We started off our trial trip by crossing at the Peace Arch Border crossing and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy the crossing was. We have crossed the border with the truck camper in the past with no difficulty at all but I assumed the trailer would warrant further inspections. Other then the normal where are you from, where are you going questions they wanted to know about was prescription medications and food. Since it was our trial trip we basically left with minimal food from home and said we were going to buy food once we crossed and we went right through…they didn't even ask to open up the trailer??? I’m not complaining I was just surprised.

We headed to Haggens, stocked up the fridge and pantry. We parked near the back as to not take up the busy parking area as our 2 trailers were a bit of a space hog!

Then we were off to Deception Pass. We camped at Deception Pass with the truck camper in the fall for one night and really liked it so we thought we’d start on familiar ground, and just like the first time, it rained most of the time there but we still had a great time.

Since our trailers are 35 feet we had limited space available to us and had to be a couple campsites apart for the first night. Our neighbours were super nice and let us hook into their electric and water the first night and when they left the next day, our friends moved in and we got electric and water again…sweet since we weren’t expecting it! We have a Power House PH3100Ri Digital Inverter Generator which is pretty quiet, and without hook ups would have had to use it a bit in the cold damp weather here this time of the year.

Our site amoung the forest (for more campground pictures see campground reviews coming in the next day or two)

our site in the tall fir trees and the view looking up

We enjoyed morning walks in search of birds and mud puddles and other signs of spring.

Sierra looking for birds while enjoying a ride on daddy's shoulders

a little Robin...a sure sign of Spring, and Aayla jumping in mud puddles...another sure sign of Spring!

Pussy willows and Wild Currant flowers

After the wind subsided, we had a lot of fun playing on the beach, discovering abandoned forts, and winbreaks that were immediately turned into magical boats perfect for the adventures of 3 and 4 year olds

The beach was a bit windy at first

Sierra having fun in an abandoned fort

Only a short easterly walk from the main beach through the woods and past this view

Ian, Sierra, Aayla and me in front of the bridge

you then pass the amphitheater and arrive at north beach which unlike the main beach with all the sand, this beach is full of beautiful smooth rocks of all shapes and sizes which were all perfect for an afternoon of throwing.

And of course it’s not camping until the campfire is lit. The kidos all were busy collecting pine cones to feed the fire as they waiting for marshmallow time!

Ania and Max roasting marshmellows

After packing up which was pretty fast and easy we headed out on the road for Cape disappointment State Park. It’s a long drive, especially with little ones that have to stop for the washroom all at different times, or stopping to feed their baby we planned a stop at Sylvia Lake State Park for a late lunch break. We knew nothing about this park before arriving and got lucky that we could find a spot for both our trailers to fit. We didn’t stay long or take a good look around as there wasn't all that much of room for us.

Aayla of course found all the mud puddles and was in heaven jumping in them all...at one point she even sat down. That girl sure loves to get messy!

Sierra on the other hand doesn't like to get dirty so she’s looking a little grumpy.

A few photos from around the park

trial trip Part 2...our time at Cape Disappointment coming soon

packing up for our trial run....

We have patiently been waiting for our Friends new trailer to arrive. They bought the same trailer we did but there was only one on the lot so they had to wait for theirs to arrive. Well theirs just arrived yesterday so we are busy packing up and getting ready to hit the road. We are heading down to Washington State and will visit Deception Pass State Park and Cape Disappointment.

Hopefully we will remember to bring most everything we need for this trial trip before our maiden voyage in April. I will be sure to post all the details when we return on Thursday.

Until Have a great week! Welcome Diane and also to Erik of ERIK's RV Blog. Thanks for folowing along on our journey.

Happy St Patrick's day!

Wishing everyone a Happy St Patrick's Day! And wishing I get all our book work done from our businesses we sold last fall so we can head out in the trailer on a trial trip this weekend to a couple Washington State Parks before our Maiden Voyage in April!

Welcome wishes to Felicia of Higgins Pod and to Sue of Big Dawg and Freeway Thanks for following and may you enjoy the ride :)

photography...

I say I like photography but really I like taking pictures. I know little or rather nothing about the capabilities of my camera or how to use many of the features, but rather focus on the content and the composition, and let editing do the rest!

What I like about photography is the hunt...

having that Eagle fly above you at just the right moment

the abilty to see animals in their natural habitats,

Capturing a special moment between sisters

looking for the little details.

Do you go the extra mile to get a good shot? My weakness is bears...I love them and living in British Columbia we see them every so often on our trips.

My first time we saw a bear on the trail was when we were camping near Harrison Lake in 1998. We had friends with us and he said, "I wish we would see a bear". I said, "goodluck...in all my trips I have never seen one". We literally drove around a corner and there in the middle of the road was a bear! I swear this to be the truth. It was the first time I saw a bear and I was amazed at seeing the bear, and at the whole situation.

This was before my digital days began so sorry no shot to upload and even if it were on digital there wouldn't be much to see as it quickly ran off the road and into the safety of the woods...and what do I do? Yup...I jump out of the truck to try to get a better pictures, but no luck he was gone in a flash. However from this a bad habit emerged...that's right...much to my husbands annoyance I am always jumping out of the truck and carefully getting as close as I can...all in the name of a decent picture :)

My next bear was while we were driving home from Penticton in 2001 I think and he was grazing on the side of the road. Again not during my digital days, but I did jump out again to try to get closer.

We saw a few more throughout the years, next was while we were on a bus tour in Alaska in May 2007. The bus stopped and we were so close to a young bear eating the new shoots on the bushes at the side of the road. I tried to jump out but the bus driver wouldn't let me. I was heart broken...instead I got a few crummy shots through the glass...oh they could have been amazing!

My last bear sighting was in August 2009 on a drive to Tofino. This guy was sauntering along, grabbing a bite to eat every few paces. As close as I got I am not terribly thrilled with the images I captured, but the memory will last a lifetime!

Now as we are getting prepared for our trip this summer it is time to buy a new lens. Not to capture bears probably but I am sure there will be lots of wildlife and the scenery... oh I can barely wait for the scenery!

I have one of the first Canon Rebel Digital SLR's with an 18-55mm lens I rarely use as I hate switching lens so I use my point and shoot for close up macro pictures. The lens I use most of the time is my 55-200mm but it just doesn't quite cut it. I need an all around, do all lens with a much greater zoom. Afterall we will be having some amazing travels this summer through the Grand Canyon, and the Everglades and so much more...I can't wait to start clicking away :)

What camera do you use? Do you like it? Recommend it? Do you use it to it's fullest capabilities? No matter what you have, it doesn't do you any good in your pocket or your purse so pull it out and put it to use. I hope to take a gazillion pictures this summer...thank oodness for digital as I have a habit of clicking off 600-700 pictures on a long weekend camping trip so imagine what a trip of 140 nights could add up to!!

Welcome to Livin our dash! Our newest follower. She just won a stylish blogger award :) Make sure to stop by her blog...and enjoy!

Camping or RVing???

Tonight I was reading a post on the Forest River Owners Forum about what we call it...camping or RVing and it got me thinking...

Now that we have a travel trailer are we now RVing or are we camping still? Perhaps they are the same things, just worded differently? Maybe you are RVing when you are in a motor-home? but what if you are on BLM land in the US or a Forest Service Road in Canada? Are you still RVing because you are in a motor-home or are you camping because you are off the grid? Is it what you are in, where you park or whether or not you use electricity, solar or a generator? Is there a difference or just a preference?

As a child I tented with my family. As an adult I started off tenting but then traded in the tent for a camper, and have now traded in the camper for a trailer, but I still call our trailer "the camper".

We used to think people in trailers weren't really camping and now find ourselves in one.

Will what we "do"really change? I don't think so.

We are still going to enjoy being out in Nature, going on walks and hikes,

searching for wildlife and taking photos,

catching dinner

roasting marshmellows..(yes a campfire is a BIG part of camping for us and during fire-bans the propane fire works but it really isn't the same),

looking up at the stars on a pitch black night...does it really matter if we sleep in a tent, or a camper or a trailer, or a motor-home?

Or even in daddies arms after an exhausting day full of fun?

I don't think so. For us...we are still camping, in a trailer we call a camper, and being as close to nature as we can even if we have all the features of home in our home on wheels. (I can admit I don't miss packing up a drenched tent, with soaking, crying kids, and yes we will still be plugged in at times to DVD players and iphones and computers)

BUT we will be LIVING LIFE,

ENJOYING LIFE

and not letting it pass us by!

We will be having fun

exploring,

discovering,

enjoying our natural surroundings

learning and expanding our knowledge as we soak in as many natural wonders as we can.

What do you think? Are you RVing in a trailer or camping? No right or wrong, just opinions and I am curious as to what you think.

Welcome wishes going out to Marty! Thanks for following us on our journey... and may you enjoy your journey along the way!