The FIRST camping trip of 2022

I was reminded today by Angie that I am not "about to go" on our first camp trip, it already happened!!! For shame!!! MOOSE, this is a tribute to you friend!!!

Itch-Kep-Pe Park. A Gem in Columbus, Montana.

Well, this was our first camping trip. April 8th-10th. It actually ended up being extremely helpful because a lot of things went wrong. I know, you are asking yourself..."how can that be a good thing???" Well, because we learned lots of things about our new camper and truck. So, let't talk about it.

Our Camper and off to the right is Chris "The Legends" camper.

First things first. We work with some really great people and one of them was all gun-ho about going early spring camping. I was too so we decided to go out somewhere close that could allow my 31 ft camper. We ended up in Itch-Kep-Pe park in Columbus, Montana. If you live near Billings and the surrounding area you probably know where this is. Just slightly west of Billings and a few minutes south of Columbus... Ill be honest I don't even think you are technically out of Columbus. Either way, to Columbus we went to camp for 2022!!!

The weather on this first night was amazing. It was the typical Montana tease of 60+ degrees, no wind and clear skies. We stayed up, set up the campfire and had a great time talking. The doggies got along and hung out while we looked up at some stars. I am a huge star gazer since I am always waiting for that one UFO to just come down and tell me "you don't belong here, come with us" :) If you didn't know, I would totally go. Regardless, it was a great time and we had tons of fun. The best line of the evening was once we got settled, Chris aka "The Moose" said "well, this is about the time my parents will say that the camp is set up...now lets head into town for dinner!" So into town we went.

Day 2

Moving onto the second day... not so great. It was extremely windy. We got lucky and Chris made us breakfast... which almost blew away. The coffee was great but got cold within minutes. Once again, Montana will throw you that curve ball. "Ohh, you LOVE this weather??? Well here is what I love... SURPRISE!!!". My son had a soccer game so we ended up going back into town. Ill say it... we took a shower and got food. Im not ashamed, it is what it is peeps. Did what we had to do :P

WHERE DID YOU GO???

On this particular excursion we decided to head south towards Fishtail. Chris was on the hunt for more camp grounds and let us know that somewhere here, in his memory... from years ago... after all the football hits at Carrol College... he went up into the mountains and did some sweet camping and riding. Highly suspect? Absolutely. So of course we let him navigate!!! We ended up going to Fishtail, then heading to Dean and Nye, and eventually to Woodbine campground. My sister is a HUGE fan of Woodbine, and it is a very beautiful area.

After that we started looking for random campgrounds and found several going through Stillwater Road. How large of a camper can you have at these sites that are free you might ask. Well, 20 feet is that answer. So I can't go there, but darn it if I'm not trying to convince Angie we need a second camper for these more remote sites!!! So towards the end of this day we headed back and found the most amazing place to eat. I would go there even if I wasn't camping and plan to do so.

WILD FLOWER KITCHEN

Just outside of Absarokee as you are heading to Fishtail... the skies open up and the wind calls you to a place called Wild Flower Kitchen. We had a long day of trekking and I had just made the left turn and passed it when I said "I am hangry, and I think you all want to eat. Im down with making food at camp but that place looks interesting". Angie backed up my vote and oh my did that place deliver. I had "arroz conn pollo" and it was amazing. I am Latin American so to me, if you can make our food and make it well that's amazing. This place reminded me of my family recipes. It had a slight hint of citrus and grilled to perfection. The rice was perfectly cooked and not soggy or hard. This place was a gem. If you can make it there... do it!!! I give it a 5/5. I love to travel and eat so that is high marks from me.

I also want to mention that the menu changes. One of my favorite things about a restaurant! To me, if you change it up all the time that means you are always growing! Check it out! Totally worth it,

THE ISSUES

Once we got back and settled we prepared ourselves for the evening and went to sleep. For us in our new camper, we had issues with the heater. After a LONG night of troubleshooting and trying to figure out what was wrong, I found out that I had made a mistake when I bought our camper.

When we got this camper we only received one battery. Since I knew that I decided to keep one battery from our previous camper and then hook them in series. All good right??? WRONG! Batteries that are not the same drain at different levels. So instead of our heater draining the batteries across 12 hours as expected, it drained them at 4 hours! Long story short, I ended up having to restart the heater every 4 hours after waking up to 45 degree weather inside the camper. Not as fun as it sounds, but a lesson learned. Make sure you have matching batteries on your camper!!!

Another positive of the trip was finding out things that didn't work in the camper. Some trim was coming apart in the bathroom roof. A window in the master bedroom would not open. The hose for the outdoor kitchen gas line was too small. This is why its important to try out your new camper as soon as you can. Things happen, they shake out. Things won't work once you leave the dealer lot. They aren't scamming you, its just how campers are. We have bought 2 brand new campers and both of them had issues after a few nights out. All the vibration and movement will shake things apart, you have to roll with those punches and be ready for them.

I ended up taking the camper to Pierce RV to get our warranty work done since it is who we bought the camper from. Some parts still aren't in which is how things are now with the supply shortage, but not their fault. They have been great in getting things done as they can. We are waiting to hear back on some parts we need fixed but out of 6 issues, only 2 are left.

WHAT ABOUT THE OL' F1 FITTY???

Well, the F150 also is having issues. I literally just dropped a ton of money getting it maintenanced. I had all the fluids done at 65k for the front, rear differentials and the transfer case. I had the transmission and filter done. New water pump. Returned the front suspension back to stock with new struts and springs in the rear. Then out of no where I got a code for an issue with my intake manifold. If you know what that is, well it helps your vehicle take in air and make power. Luckily, on my truck it is stuck open so I can still drive it and tow. At the same time, I have tried buying the part for 2 months now and there is a supply shortage. Id love to buy something new but since I don't have a bajillion dollars I think I will wait till the part is available. Its around $400 and I can install it myself in about 4 hours. Anyhow, make sure your vehicle is up to spec before towing. You don't want to have major issues down the road so if you do run into something check the forums for your ride and make sure it can still do the job. If not, get it into a shop as soon as you can or DIY the fix if you can.

SUMMARY OF THE FIRST CAMP

At the end of the day we had a great time out. Camping is all bout getting out there and having a good time. Sure, things aren't going to go great. But that's the point. Get out there, be out there. Get away from that blasted TV and technology and go life your life. As a person who has barely ever camped compared to others, I find it peaceful. We are in the moment, and no matter what is going on around us the situation at hand is what he have to deal with. Its simple, its awesome, and you learn a lot about yourself doing it. No matter if you tent, trailer or RV, you will still run into situations you are not ready for and you will still come out better on the other side. So get out there and do some camping!!!