Look what followed us home!

I’ve been vacillating for weeks regarding my big camper. Honestly…the only time I camp in it is at home. My truck isn’t powerful enough to pull it up hills, let alone mountains. Mr. FixIt and I love to camp together. But he doesn’t quite see the point in sleeping in the camper at home like I do. So…if I want to get him to camp with me, it’s going to have to be in a camper more suitable A) to the size of my truck, and B) to suit us at our age. 

I still want the basics: a bed out of the rain, a sink and running water, a microwave, a cooktop, air conditioning and a furnace for chilly nights. I like the idea of solid walls. I don’t want the canvas tent feel of a regular popup but, I DO love the low profile and lightweight, easy towing they provide. I’ve been around campers for several years now and I’ve been to the biggest RV show there is. I’ve learned from the best of the best, Janine Pettit and Gail Bable…my Girl Campers Extraordinaire and partners in all things camping.

A couple of years ago, Gail and I met Janine at the Country Living Fair in Columbus, OH to help her man the booth for Girl Camper. We had three camping trailers there and the one that I just loved was Gail’s A-Liner. It was so tiny yet when you popped it up, it looked like a little Swiss A-frame. Her neighbor painted sunflowers on it. It was cute as a bug.

Once I started looking for smaller campers this spring, I realized Covid caused a huge boost in camper sales. They are hard to find new…especially the smaller ones. People selling their campers have discovered they can jack up their prices and desperate people will be willing to pay top dollar for a safe vacation. Camping is enjoying a resurgence of immense popularity.

I can’t tell you how many sellers I’ve contacted, inquiring if they still have the camper. One was exactly like my first camper and I was really interested in it, however…within an hour of posting the camper for sale, he already had three people lined up to come see it and four more people as back up. This happened over and over.

Then, earlier this week, I saw an A-farm camper…much like Gail’s only bigger. Roomier. Newer. 

Oooooooooh. 

I texted and asked if it was still available…two days after it posted. Yes, it was. I looked and thought and then decided against it. The idea of having to pop the top was bugging me. I wrote back and said thanks for your time but I think we’ll pass. Another day went by. I couldn’t get that A-frame out of my head. So, I prayed. 

“Lord, if you want me to have this, make it easy and effortless.”

I texted yesterday and said, “On second thought, I’d like to come see the camper. Is it still available?” I was absolutely certain it wasn’t or that she had six people lined up to come see it. After all, it was Friday now.

“Yes, it’s still available.” No one was coming to see it. She told me at least two dozen said they were interested and she would wait and wait and wait and no one showed up to actually look at it. She was a little frustrated by that…as I can imagine. I made arrangements with her, came home from having lunch with some friends from high school, and asked Mr. FixIt if her remembered that cute little A-frame camper and did he want to go look at it with me?

He did…and we hopped in the truck to drive over two hours to check it out. The moment I saw it, I knew…she was ours! She was just waiting for us. And, Susan…the owner was just as sweet as can be. It turned out, we have so much in common. She is also a widow. She and her late husband used to camp in tents, but they were aging and she was over all that packing and hauling, setting up and breaking down. She wanted a bed. Period. In came the A-frame. But, when her husband died, she didn’t have the proper vehicle to tow and she had never towed the camper before. Now, she is thinking if she can find a camper van that she can just drive places and sleep in, that’s what she’d rather have.

I encouraged her to check out Girl Campers and explore the idea of a camper van and, who knows? We might end up sharing a campfire one of these days!

We completed our transaction and they showed us how everything worked. I am able to set it up and take it down all by myself, which is necessary if I go off camping with my girlfriends. The camper was purchased from my good friend, Lynn Butler…owner of Setzer’s World of Camping. It had recently been in the shop to have a skylight replaced. The other two skylights and the Fantastic Fan had been recaulked. It had a new air conditioner put in it in 2018 and had only been camped in once since then as her husband became ill a couple of years ago.

In other words…the perfect camper was dropped in our lap. The perfect size, the perfect weight, the perfect amenities, and at the perfect price. She doesn’t have a bathroom, but there are these cute little popup tents you can buy that work as a bathroom outside at the end of your camper. You put a little portapotty in there and it works great for overnight trips to the loo.

I towed her home and…I am not kidding…I had to remind myself it was actually back there. It pulls so smooth and easy. It didn’t change my gas mileage at all. We just kept feeling like someone should pinch us because it was truly effortless.

Thank you, God…for always being the provider and bringing the things we need in our lives. This will be the perfect addition to our family’s adventures. We can get back to camping. We can sell the big camper and get the money back that we paid for the new one…plus enough to pay for camping for a good while. We were positively giddy all the way home. We already have our first camping trip scheduled for next weekend!!!

Now…for the most important part.

Her name. 

What shall we name her???

?

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

James 1:17 ESV

#Gifts, #Camper, #Blessings