1984 Skamper 072S

[85_Ranger4x4]

I think your pizza needs more cheese.

It always does.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Weekend two of Skamper camping is in the books... and with that we are done camping for the year. Most places will be shutting down the bathrooms this weekend or next weekend.

Rolled in last Thursday and got it set up.







It was getting cool and dark so we ate our pork chops in the camper.



After everyone else went to bed I went back out and did some photoshop by the campfire. Really relaxing, makes me wish wood burning fireplaces were more practical.



@Poppa_R came down to tent camp with us Friday. He also brought his canoe which unfortunately we did not secure the correct life jackets until after it was too late to go out.



Surf n turf for Supper



We keep getting this butter braid things for fundraisers for Oliver's daycare... so I had the brainy idea about trying one in a dutch oven. So I broke it half Friday night, put it in the oven and threw the whole works on the floorboard of the Ranger to proof over night.



And finished the night with another fireside photoshop.



Saturday's breakfast proofed nicely overnight.







Just a little too much heat on the bottom, adding to the list for camp breakfast ideas though.

Getting the Halloween Decore set up.



Then they had a chili contest for lunch. You go around and dish it in your cup and put money in the cup of our favorite. How much? Until it feels right. Money goes to improving the park, it is a state park but they help with improvements. Like now they are putting in a new playground etc.



Then we went for a hike around the lake, we only did like a fourth of the trail but it got kinda warm and little legs got kinda tired.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Probably a couple reasons but trick or treating in the daylight seems kind of weird.









[

I decided to call the guy in the outhouse "Gump", No reason in particular, just feels right.



Then after dark we went around and looked at everything again.

































Finished off last night with more editing.



Today was just pack up and get home, not much for pictures.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

The Apache is down until the new road cover gets delivered... but the camping season must go on.



I wouldn't mind taking it out a couple times and our big car show is coming up, it would be fun to take it to that as well.

I don't know why, it really bothers me the clearance lights don't work. I have new LED assemblies to replace them, I might just do that while it is out too. Not super hard to do, just drill out a bunch of rivets and but connector them in. But I don't think I have ever driven the truck with the camper in the dark...

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Snagged a step for it at Harbor Freight. Works great but depending on how the truck sits it could almost use another step below it.



Off to wash it up after 1.5 years in the barn (under a tarp)



Car club cruise night...



Test fit the new to us bike rack



The swingout option is slick to still allow access into the camper.



Hauled firewood up from one of the many trees we have lost so far in this years storms and loaded it into the support truck.



Walking out of the house I notice that the bike tires totally block the left tail lamp and depending on how you squint partially blocks the right. So I snagged a set of magnetic trailer lights thinking I was smart... but the wires between them are not long enough to across the camper lol.



Full on tourist vibe going on strong as I pick up my oldest minion from daycare...

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

The only two truck campers in the campground...



It was a constant heavy mist/sprinkle pretty much all day. It was supposed to quit early morning but just hung in there and annoyed us all day. We got the camp set up before mom got off work



Campground was doing a Christmas in July thing. I grabbed some decorations from my parents just so we had something.





Had a awesome steak grilled over a wood fire with fried potatoes



Messed around and did a little night wheeling around the campsite



It started misting again so I headed into the tent to hang out for awhile before calling it a day.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

And so we greet day #2



New idea I had for eggs in a bag while digging hash browns out of the freezer for the potatoes the night before...





Worked out pretty good



One of these things is not like the others...



Did some more table top wheeling



Did some canoeing hoping to find a breeze, kinda sorta did. Engine #2 (my son) was too warm and didn't want to paddle so me doing all the work didn't get enough of a breeze to really feel any cooler than if we stayed at camp.

Had to cut out for a wedding reception for supper that night. And while there I noticed a worrying trend... as the sun was going down the feel like temps were not.



Did a regroup, decided my wife and baby would just go home for the night (like 7 miles away) and my son and I would rough it out. Mainly get things packed up so we could get out of there quick in the morning.

For a little context, we haven't had rain in forever, temps have been high but it wasn't super bad. I was baling hay on a open station tractor before we left and it was 95*, it was warm but tolerable. I think all the misty rainly crap on Friday did was set us up for a super humid Saturday. Sunday was forecast was crowding 100 all along so the thought to get out of camp ASAP Sunday wasn't a new concept.

Cool thoughts?



Actually one campsite for the decorations had a snow machine, I was tempted to go roll it the snow but by then it had either ran out of ice or they were tired of people rolling around in the street in front of their camper and had taken in down.

It just hung in there... 11:00 and the heat index was still 96*.



We did win $25 of free firewood for the best "Small" Christmas display... with all the trees we have lost this year that was a nice touch.

I finally got my son to go to bed around 11, I have no idea how he slept with jeans on. With the fans going it was pretty decent sleeping weather once you got cooled off.

My Coleman lantern with an amber globe as I was tearing camp down in the dark backlit my truck nicely.



[

Got the last of it packed up early Sunday morning



And we are ready to it the road



Rolled in the drive way at 9am and it was cranking back up again...

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

We opted for one last hurrah before I put the Skamper away for the year.

Got her packed up again...





One thing about this thing, especially when in the top bunk, the view out the back can be really nice since you are up so high and it has windows all around the sides and rear



It was a pretty light crowd which was strange because the weather was really nice



However we did fit in very well...



Someone wants to go in the canoe so bad...



Sweet corn and steaks for supper!



Cooked 12 ears, cut the extra off the cob and threw it in a ziploc in the freezer for this winter. Its hard to beat "real" corn in the winter.

Lake was like glass.



We did go up into that canal of the lake after supper, saw two blue herons and almost grounded it in the mud. Got it out and back to camp for bed.

Next morning we broke out the oven for breakfast...



Homemade peach cinnamon rolls!



Oliver was fussy, there wasn't many kids there for him to run around with and needed something to do. So I got his fishing rig set up and after him catching a tree several times I casted it for him and told him to watch the bobber as I set it in his chair. He is freaking out the bobber was moving and I was like yeah yeah, I just set your pole down. Nope, it was really moving...



So needless to say that kept him occupied while I cooked breakfast...



Breakfast was awesome



After that we ran home. Oliver went to go terrorize my parents and Lily really needed a nap... and I blew the clothes dryer apart and replaced the belt. Lots of fun there...

Anyway we regrouped back at the camp and Oliver and I canoed over to meet everyone else at a picnic shelter for a back to school cookout with my family... and Oliver resumed his quest for fish.



And back at camp he was trying for a catfish but didn't have any luck.



Moon was out though...



I also hit the stage of "we brought too much wood" so I stayed up late getting rid of it so I didn't have to haul it back home again.









The life of a RV isn't always glamorous...



Had a real heavy dew so we took the canoe out again while things dried out.





We went to the other end of the lake, where people can rent slips to keep their pontoons. My wife met us there with the truck so we loaded the canoe up there and ran it back to the house.

There were a ton of what looked like baby bass playing in the boat ramp which was cool.





And from there it was just tear everything down, pack everything up and head home.

Yet again we were the oldest camper there. There was a current gen Ranger there with a Skamp which was kind of funny both of us being there at the same time. Only other slide in was in a Super Duty, he must have been on the move. He rolled in right before dark and was gone before I got up.