Fluffy Fostering at Grade Lodge: Camping Again

Scott and I have been talking for a while about changing our camping style. Right now we've got a pop-up that is several years old and some of the mattresses need replacing and the ceiling is kind of water stained but it gets the job done and keeps us out of the rain.

With everyone going "green" and prices getting higher, we've started thinking about better gas mileage, etc., etc., etc. We've decided to take a different turn and downsize our camper to a little something new, which, actually, truth be told, is something old.

Huh? And how does this relate to your Fluffy Dog you might ask. Hang on, I'll get there.

We are going to be selling our pop-up and going with a camper that came on the scene in the 40's. It's called a teardrop trailer. They are a little tow behind camper that can be pulled with a car as small as a Mini-Cooper. The original ones were hand crafted with wood, as there was no plastic or other assorted man made polymers around and they are gorgeous!

We first saw them on some Cable channel a few years ago before this whole gas/economy thing started going south. Fascinating. The interior holds a bed and has a door on either side. You can dress it up with cabinets or a mini-entertainment center or even, gasp, nothing at all! I've seen pictures of some with a shelf for a child to sleep on instead of having cabinets. The back end opens up for your galley - Think Pinto hatchback.

Again, you can get as elaborate as you like, or not. Sink, cabinets, lights, they sky is the limit.

The man we are working with creates his out of his workshop in Chippewa Falls. Wanna see some pics of these awesome little campers? http://www.bigwoodycampers.com/ - click here to go directly to the photos. I've also added a link in the links column so you can go back anytime.

Sooo, getting back to how this relates to our pal Chase.... We thought we would take our tent instead of our camper as it was just a little overnight trip. Chase and Te'a had been camping before and I figured they would do fine in the tent. As Mocha usually sleeps with us, and I didn't want an extra 80# on the airmattress, we packed all three dog beds and Mocha slept there. The puppies, I think, when they slept, slept either with the kids or Te'a slept with us. But mostly, I think they were awake all night and occasionally they would bark ferociously at whatever leaf or Ranger was going by. Which made for a very long night or short night depending on your perspective.

No matter, a couple more trips in tent and he (an Te'a) will do just fine.

He did great in the car - four hours each way gets long for everybody - but he laid down on the dog beds that lined the floor of the van and got comfy.

I do have a small confession to make about this dog and I know that I will most likely be receiving several "I told you so" emails in the ol' inbox but it's getting harder and harder to keep in mind that this is a foster dog. He is soo sweet and so cuddly - He's smart and well behaved and... and .... and the list goes on and he listens better than my labs - That alone should be worth something.

He had his first marshmallow this weekend. It was dusk-ish when I took the pix so most didn't turn out but he seemed to enjoy it but at first he didn't know whether to eat it or roll on it. Which oddly enough, is what he does with all new treats that we give him. Weird.

Oh, and as the saying goes... "When in Rome..." We also did a little touristy stuff while in Chippewa Falls. Normally, I'm a glass half full kind of person, but in this case, sadly, glass half empty.