An awesome post! We stumbled upon the art of camping in March 2020 (yup, great timing!) when my photographer husband picked up an 18-month-long commission to shoot a book.... and came home one day with a campervan. I'm more a hotel kind of gal and was utterly HORRIFIED.
Three and a half years on I feel I was born to it. And I hate to admit that! We're two six-foot-plus-ers in a tiny van in which we - for days on end - live, work, eat, sleep, read, write and drive, and we couldn't be happier about it! 😁
Sounds like an ideal experience! Was the photo book released? My Hubby is an amateur photographer-- always interested in what the pros are doing. We are great admirers of "real" photographers.:)
It was wonderful! We spent a year and a half (not all at once - it was a series of trips) travelling the British Isles photographing meadows and experts on meadows. It was a wonderful adventure, with highlights including our awning blowing away on South Uist (one of the islands in the Outer Hebrides), scything the meadow at Highgrove (Prince Charles' - as was - country house) and having a late-evening picnic - and wine - in the middle of a coronation meadow in a beautiful botanical garden after all the visitors had gone home!
The book is 'Meadow' by Iain Parkinson and Jim Holden - here's a link to it on the publisher's website: https://shop.kew.org/meadow
Thank you so much - I'll pass your feedback to Jim!
And thank you too for asking that question. 😊 In fact I haven't written about the book project itself, but mentions of parts of it do make it into a couple of posts.
I only started dabbling in writing the month after Jim's book was published, but if I could possibly rewind time I would have written my way through that entire project!
The thing about not being envious of Fb posts is so real! Behind all the smiling photos there was usually a fight or some crying or some kind of disaster 🤣 glad you all made it home safe though!
I laughed at this. At least you enjoyed yourself. Be grateful you didn't have to bring out the ol' 'Honey Bucket.' It would've put a whole new slant on things. But what a blast. Maybe next time make your way up this way? Whistler is open in the summer time as well.
This was such a great read, sorry that is was at your expense, though hopefully the insurance will cover it. What an adventure! I love love camping since going with my family as a young kid. My husband and I finally upgraded from a tent to a scamp camper last year. First trip, we took it from North Carolina mountains to the Florida Keys. Also quite the adventure.
Your storytelling is so fun and relatable. Keep up the great work!
I so wish I could post a picture of it for you. We just camped in it a couple weeks ago.
It is a 1991 Scamp camper fiberglass shell camper. It's 16ft long and cute as a freakin' button! We have remote camped with it but I prefer to reserve sites at state parks for showers and toilets. Electric is a plus if I can find it and a must if camping in the summer at any lakes around here.
Thank you for sharing the reality of your adventure. Having access to good toilet facilities is something we seldom think about until we're in a situation where things are less than ideal. Unless you're like me and find sewage treatment interesting...
Although your trip sounded stressful, it looks like a beautiful landscape.
Thx for reading and commenting! Love that you find sewage treatment interesting. The places we visited were stunning. There will be a photo album with fond memories. 😃
Well, I learnt more than I ever wished to know about dumping stations etc 😁 I'm afraid that my idea of camping is staying in a Travel Lodge. Hilarious, thank you. And great pics!
I've done tons of camping so your perspective as a newbie was awesome! Good on you guys for trying something new and not easy. I haven't had a chance to read every comment so it's likely already been said that it gets much easier the more you do it. You get into a routine, you know what you need, how to maneuver the rig around...all the things. Just in case you give it another go!
It will be equally beautiful on your next trip to Vancouver and the Island, your eyeballs will be popping out of your head and your heart and soul will expand!
I loved this whole post and the questions at the end were the icing on the cake! Also, I think you'll need to let us know if you get your damage deposit back😂
That sucks they found a scratch that wasn't from you, I hope it gets worked out. Makes me pause a little because we were going to do one of those RV rent from owner gigs too. Now that that's all over be proud of yourself for showing up, not too many people take on a brand new undertaking that big. On to the next thing, I hope it's more fun:)
Thx sweetie. I am very happy we tried. Please don’t let our experience dissuade you. So many people love this type of travel. The next thing we want to try is a boat. Do we dare?
Wonderfully funny post of all the reasons I dislike camping and RV's.
Love my before-bed baths and a good mattress. Besides, husband snores , so a room with a door is necessary.
Don't mind long drives as long as we stop frequently to stretch back and walk dog. I also use the heated back of the seat, even during summer to ease any aches.
Happy to do trips to great day-walks where we can retire to a 4-5 star AirB'n B at the end of a day.
We're off on a weekend of same tomorrow. Two hours to the accomodation (very nice), off-grid completely, no other houses around on 200 acres, and many suitable hikes in the adjacent National Park. Perfection we hope...
Thx for reading and commenting! An English major? You’ve probably noticed my mistakes. Ugh. I’m actually thankful for one subscriber who emails me my misspellings. Maybe he could be a proofreader. Hehe.
That was a looooong time ago. I still make mistakes and find it horribly embarrassing on here with 'real' writers! I realize now that's crazy thinking. We're all writers and everyone makes mistakes...especially if you don't have proofreaders. lol.
I laughed out loud so many times throughout this post.. I officially 'stan' (I think that's the word the youngin's use) your relationship. You are both so brave to attempt such a journey, lol... And WHY ISN'T there a DUMPER App since that seems a core deficit of the RVing experience??? 😂
Great essay! Yes, I've read Shakespeare but it's better when you read it with someone who knows the secret language (like a professor). I also had to take a test before Rich and I married. He's a sports fanatic and our wedding day was purposefully planned after Laker season. My test included questions like "what's a rebound," and "who won the 1977 Super Bowl." Lots of studying! But, he claims that even had I failed the test, we still would've gotten married.
I love road trips, and I keep thinking it would be fun to rent a camper van . . . until I remember the one time I did that when my oldest son was 4 (he's now 40). And then I think about how many lovely B&Bs we can stay at for the same $ as camper rental . . . Thanks for the reminder!
My first “adult” camping trip, without my parents, resulted in getting my car jammed on the fire ring due to sliding too far down into the site. And a terrifying period of lying in the tent while a “bear” crashed around outside of it. When dawn came, the bear was revealed to be a deer--
However fortunately we weren’t deterred, and a lifetime of truly lovely camping experiences followed.
An awesome post! We stumbled upon the art of camping in March 2020 (yup, great timing!) when my photographer husband picked up an 18-month-long commission to shoot a book.... and came home one day with a campervan. I'm more a hotel kind of gal and was utterly HORRIFIED.
Three and a half years on I feel I was born to it. And I hate to admit that! We're two six-foot-plus-ers in a tiny van in which we - for days on end - live, work, eat, sleep, read, write and drive, and we couldn't be happier about it! 😁
Sounds like an ideal experience! Was the photo book released? My Hubby is an amateur photographer-- always interested in what the pros are doing. We are great admirers of "real" photographers.:)
It was wonderful! We spent a year and a half (not all at once - it was a series of trips) travelling the British Isles photographing meadows and experts on meadows. It was a wonderful adventure, with highlights including our awning blowing away on South Uist (one of the islands in the Outer Hebrides), scything the meadow at Highgrove (Prince Charles' - as was - country house) and having a late-evening picnic - and wine - in the middle of a coronation meadow in a beautiful botanical garden after all the visitors had gone home!
The book is 'Meadow' by Iain Parkinson and Jim Holden - here's a link to it on the publisher's website: https://shop.kew.org/meadow
(We're begging to do a sequel!)
So romantic! The book looks stunning. Have you written any essays about this experience?
Thank you so much - I'll pass your feedback to Jim!
And thank you too for asking that question. 😊 In fact I haven't written about the book project itself, but mentions of parts of it do make it into a couple of posts.
In this one, on our trip to the Scottish islands to photograph the machair, we had been delighted to find some free range eggs to buy at a farm gate - https://rebeccaholden.substack.com/p/87-old-gold-a-gift-of-some-eggs - and in this one I found myself reminiscing about the project while snapping some meadow plants during a much later walk - https://rebeccaholden.substack.com/p/80-lucky-litter
I only started dabbling in writing the month after Jim's book was published, but if I could possibly rewind time I would have written my way through that entire project!
The thing about not being envious of Fb posts is so real! Behind all the smiling photos there was usually a fight or some crying or some kind of disaster 🤣 glad you all made it home safe though!
Thx for reading and commenting! So true.
I laughed at this. At least you enjoyed yourself. Be grateful you didn't have to bring out the ol' 'Honey Bucket.' It would've put a whole new slant on things. But what a blast. Maybe next time make your way up this way? Whistler is open in the summer time as well.
Haha. Thx for reading and commenting! Would love to visit Whistler. Canada is gorgeous.
Yes. I love it up here.
This was such a great read, sorry that is was at your expense, though hopefully the insurance will cover it. What an adventure! I love love camping since going with my family as a young kid. My husband and I finally upgraded from a tent to a scamp camper last year. First trip, we took it from North Carolina mountains to the Florida Keys. Also quite the adventure.
Your storytelling is so fun and relatable. Keep up the great work!
Thx for reading and commenting! What’s a scamp camper? Still learning about all the ways to see nature comfortably.
I so wish I could post a picture of it for you. We just camped in it a couple weeks ago.
It is a 1991 Scamp camper fiberglass shell camper. It's 16ft long and cute as a freakin' button! We have remote camped with it but I prefer to reserve sites at state parks for showers and toilets. Electric is a plus if I can find it and a must if camping in the summer at any lakes around here.
Just googled it. So cute!
Thank you for sharing the reality of your adventure. Having access to good toilet facilities is something we seldom think about until we're in a situation where things are less than ideal. Unless you're like me and find sewage treatment interesting...
Although your trip sounded stressful, it looks like a beautiful landscape.
Thx for reading and commenting! Love that you find sewage treatment interesting. The places we visited were stunning. There will be a photo album with fond memories. 😃
Well, I learnt more than I ever wished to know about dumping stations etc 😁 I'm afraid that my idea of camping is staying in a Travel Lodge. Hilarious, thank you. And great pics!
Thx for reading and commenting! Toilets are underestimated. 😃
I've done tons of camping so your perspective as a newbie was awesome! Good on you guys for trying something new and not easy. I haven't had a chance to read every comment so it's likely already been said that it gets much easier the more you do it. You get into a routine, you know what you need, how to maneuver the rig around...all the things. Just in case you give it another go!
It will be equally beautiful on your next trip to Vancouver and the Island, your eyeballs will be popping out of your head and your heart and soul will expand!
I loved this whole post and the questions at the end were the icing on the cake! Also, I think you'll need to let us know if you get your damage deposit back😂
Thx for reading and commenting!
We should have asked The Donna for camping advice beforehand. I’m not sure I’m open to a second go.
The gals who own the sleeper van found a scratch on the awning that we never used. Hoping insurance covers the repairs.
That sucks they found a scratch that wasn't from you, I hope it gets worked out. Makes me pause a little because we were going to do one of those RV rent from owner gigs too. Now that that's all over be proud of yourself for showing up, not too many people take on a brand new undertaking that big. On to the next thing, I hope it's more fun:)
Thx sweetie. I am very happy we tried. Please don’t let our experience dissuade you. So many people love this type of travel. The next thing we want to try is a boat. Do we dare?
@sandyrock wanna be my proofreader?
Wonderfully funny post of all the reasons I dislike camping and RV's.
Love my before-bed baths and a good mattress. Besides, husband snores , so a room with a door is necessary.
Don't mind long drives as long as we stop frequently to stretch back and walk dog. I also use the heated back of the seat, even during summer to ease any aches.
Happy to do trips to great day-walks where we can retire to a 4-5 star AirB'n B at the end of a day.
We're off on a weekend of same tomorrow. Two hours to the accomodation (very nice), off-grid completely, no other houses around on 200 acres, and many suitable hikes in the adjacent National Park. Perfection we hope...
I’m with you. All the above sounds lovely. Maybe this weekends getaway will inspire another post?
-Used to like camping with hubby before kids. Camping days are now long gone. For same reason you state “I don’t want to have to work on my vacation.”
-Long road trips are ok. With a good audiobook in particular.
-Shakespeare-yes. I was an English major.
-I forgot the last question. Or maybe that was the last question.
Enjoyed the story.
Thx for reading and commenting! An English major? You’ve probably noticed my mistakes. Ugh. I’m actually thankful for one subscriber who emails me my misspellings. Maybe he could be a proofreader. Hehe.
That was a looooong time ago. I still make mistakes and find it horribly embarrassing on here with 'real' writers! I realize now that's crazy thinking. We're all writers and everyone makes mistakes...especially if you don't have proofreaders. lol.
I laughed out loud so many times throughout this post.. I officially 'stan' (I think that's the word the youngin's use) your relationship. You are both so brave to attempt such a journey, lol... And WHY ISN'T there a DUMPER App since that seems a core deficit of the RVing experience??? 😂
Thx for reading and commenting! Stan is a new one to me. Sheesh. I can’t keep up.
What does it mean? I’m confused.
it's fan-girling but extra!
There must be an app. There used to be a website that listed every dump station in the US with a downloadable spreadsheet…
We could not find it. But I agree— there must be an app.
Okay, found it. As a public service: https://www.allstays.com/apps/rvdumps.htm
Haha. Professional surfer. I guess one has to sign up for this app. It didn’t offer specific areas of dumping when I was browsing the app.
Great essay! Yes, I've read Shakespeare but it's better when you read it with someone who knows the secret language (like a professor). I also had to take a test before Rich and I married. He's a sports fanatic and our wedding day was purposefully planned after Laker season. My test included questions like "what's a rebound," and "who won the 1977 Super Bowl." Lots of studying! But, he claims that even had I failed the test, we still would've gotten married.
Haha. I never knew that. Thx for reading and commenting!
Lil and I lived in an RV for almost two years while I was traveling for work. Finding dump stations was the least of it.
An RV memoir. Does Kerouac have a TM for the title On the Road?
Yeah, Jack died in ‘69 but he owns it in perpetuity. I wouldn’t dare.
Even with all the mishaps, there is something special being at one with nature. loved the serene pics!
Thx for reading and commenting! Nothing like nature. WA state is stunnning.
I love road trips, and I keep thinking it would be fun to rent a camper van . . . until I remember the one time I did that when my oldest son was 4 (he's now 40). And then I think about how many lovely B&Bs we can stay at for the same $ as camper rental . . . Thanks for the reminder!
Exactly! Airbnb next time.
My first “adult” camping trip, without my parents, resulted in getting my car jammed on the fire ring due to sliding too far down into the site. And a terrifying period of lying in the tent while a “bear” crashed around outside of it. When dawn came, the bear was revealed to be a deer--
However fortunately we weren’t deterred, and a lifetime of truly lovely camping experiences followed.
Thx for reading and commenting!
Great news! Thx for reading and commenting.