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Anyone have fun plans for Labor Day?

We have to be out of town for a family celebration of life (funeral) on the holiday weekend so we are planning to keep it sort of low key.
We have invited some people for heavy appetizers which is my usual thing. I grew up in the land of cheese and honey (WI) in an ethnic group that loves to eat. So there WILL be food and lots of it. Weirdly I don’t drink beer. Or really much alcohol at all. We will see who decides to celebrate with us. Generally someone shows up.

The next weekend we are planning to go to a veteran fundraiser in the mountains where you learn how to kayak. My now fiancé who is retired military (4 continents, at least 3 war zones and yes he is a real person I have known for around 5 years—not an internet love scammer haha) is taking care of the costs and logistics of us getting there with his busy schedule etc. So I am going to relax and enjoy my camping passenger princess experience haha.

To be fair, I told him I was not big on camping when we started dating. But he has lots of good memories growing up camping with his family. It should be a fun weekend for a good cause to fund outdoor opportunities for veterans and their families.

Suggestions in what to bring, packe etc are welcome. I am packing sunscreen and clothes to keep me from getting burnt in the water (been there done that kayaking once before). We are car camping and have a tent and air mattress. I am hoping we can get the inverter accessory for the flex hookup in the bed of his new truck so I can at least boil water to make coffee. Maybe someone knows a livable instant or micronized camping coffee? Coffee is my only non negotiable

What’s everyone else got planned?

No plans yet but have been searching campsites that we can book for our RV and 2 German Shepherds.

I have to laugh at saying you're not big on camping. I used to think I loved it. Reality has mellowed me a tad. I reckon the Fiance is gently running a test here, hehehe. You might as well realize camping is always full of (often unwelcome) extra little clean up details, and the work load often falls on whomever needs to have a cleaner campsite. With 2 dogs and a big ole' farm boy here, you can guess who that might be, on our journeys.

Honestly, if you go prepared for it but nothing stressful happens, you'll enjoy it better. I always over-prepare for every situation. Still, every trip find my lists (plural) getting longer for the next time!

Example: if you go to the Virginia shore in the winter months and bring a dog, better pack pliers so you can pull the sand burrs out of dog paws and your sneakers, too. They're wicked sharp. Stuff like that! :)

And extra towels. Always pack extra towels. Camps can have funky water or no hot water. The last state park we visited in Virginia had concrete shower stalls with no hand held wands and I'd forgotten to pack flip flops (it was an item on a list I didn't think I'd need.) Standing in the shower stall in bare feet, after my 80 pound puppy had surprised me by yanking me into the River at a boat launch, causing me to slip and land on my butt and survive with only muddy pants and shoes. That dog plunged out into the big river and started swimming for the Bay. We had no idea he'd do that! What a mess. We have an outdoor shower on the RV so the pup got a bath. Good thing I'd packed extra clothes. And towels. If you're OCD like me, budget a minimum 4-5 hours to pack!

I could bore y'all with more... but go for it!

Superesse feel free to "bore" me.

So far I have the flip flops already packed!!

Now camping in an rv is a bit different than a tent and it’s probably more the tent thing I am not a huge fan of. It always has rained when I went camping lol

With the camper I keep it packed and ready. Clothes for myself spouse and dog towels.peolle.towels etc. This summer added a new challenge all things Geandson related. A 2 yo requires a ton of stuff. Outside stuff, chalk, bubbles, scoot scoot, inside stuff small and relatively quiet toys, crayons, paper. Toddler food. Toddler drinks. Jammies, pull ups, wipes, Binks......on and on.
This labor day we are going sns little man and I'm gonna get to actually fish for the first time this year. Keeping an active boy entertained in the boat is a whole new set of challenges. Last weekend his favorite boat thing was freeing the minnows and counting the crappie. I love that little guy more than anything in the world but man he is he exhausting.

Aww Tush that sounds like fun although I do remember how energetic littles can be.

We are going to shake out the tent camping plan this weekend close to civilization (mile or so from a McDonald’s).

For any one who has a smart bed truck it’s worth checking into what can actually be done
As opposed to the hype. I found out that the designers of the bed-connect inverter for the truck designed it for 40 watts. I verified it on a forum for the truck to get people’s experiences with the inverters. They too are not impressed with whoever made that design decision. Maybe you can charge a drill battery with it. Or run some led lights for a short while with the dc plug.
Guess it’s room temp micronized coffee for me (no one wants to see shehawk in a coffee deprived state lol)…

The camping pile is growing and we will likely have to get a bed cover since I think it’s outgrowing the back seat

Who knew you had to work so hard to relax!

Shehawk, excellent camping idea to do a dry run camp trip 1 mile from a McDonalds! You will get important data from this trip to better prepare for the wilderness trip.

Until I started going on long trips, I never appreciated the appeal of a consistent, predictable food or beverage item like hot coffee that you know will taste just the way you want (I don't drink coffee but all my friends do and they all have different preferences). YAY for the golden arches!

I've been looking at renting an AirBnB versus taking the RV on another trip. It would cost more money. But perhaps it could give a more relaxed experience than the set up and hook up fun we go through with our RV. Last trip was okay, as it gets somewhat automatic to do all the steps to change a coach from just a big trailer to one's home base (back it or drive it into the site, locate it near shore power and water hookups - without hitting any - and then level it up and disconnect it from the tow vehicle. Hit the button to electrically open all the sliding pushout rooms, unfold the metal steps, swing out the safety handrail, crank out an awning if we need it, put out a patio rug and a broom...)

And Tush would also need to set out the toys for the boy; in our case, it's leashes and water bowls for the fur babies!

I think the REAL test of RV camping trips is when you leave the site and need to dump your waste water, or just need to disconnect the sewer pipe from a "full hook up" site. Rubber gloves are stored in a tote underneath the rig that contains an expandable plastic drainpipe, pipe caps, a pipe elbow to connect the flexible pipe to the site's ground pipe for the sewage, and you need access to a water line to help clean up any leaks or spills and wash your stinky gloves. This last time, we had a few drips from the rig's discharge pipe as the flex pipe was removed. And no matter how well the job gets done, nothing helps with the sewage odor. Especially on a hot, humid summer day...

In 2000, back when the world was supposed to come to an end due to computers not being designed to roll over to a new millenium, we booked an oceanfront campsite at Myrtle Beach for NYE. Well, sunrise saw 5 hardy campers all wake up on the oceanfront sand to a beautiful new day. Yet the first thing H and 3 other guys did was: don their rubber gloves and start draining sewer lines in preparation for departure!

Next to our Ford Econoline van camper (Class B, no wider than a regular window van), was a guy who had a big box-type camper (Class C, dual rear wheels with a box behind a regular van cab) wearing the same gloves and doing the same pipe draining thing. Further down the mostly empty beach camp, I noticed a man with a tow-behind travel trailer likewise doing the job. What most amazed me was seeing an elderly man outside his quarter-million-dollar (Class A) bus struggling to stay clean while dumping his waste!! He'd spent all that money, but still had to do the same nasty job!!

The only camper who actually had time to sit and appreciate the beauty of the sunrise that New Year's morning was sitting on the sand just outside his pup tent!! So those aspects of camping needs to be discussed.

(What about AirBnB's can you tell me?)

I have gone from one extreme to the other regarding camping. As a young man I was into extreme hikes and mountaineering where you carried everything on your back, so I would weigh everything to minimize the load. Each meal calculated for maximum nutrition with total disregard to taste, and one pair of underwear might have to last a week...
Now I have my camper in my driveway, constantly connected to shore-power so the beer is always cold and ice-cubes ready for the cocktails. Clothes, bedding, fishing-tackle... everything ready so all I need to do is stop for some groceries...
A couple of years ago the wife and I did a 19-night road-trip where we honestly didn’t have a clue where we would end up that evening. One of the best trips of my life. It was so great to come back home and not feel the slightest ache in my back despite having "roughed" it in the camper.
Never going back to weekly undies!

Weekly Undies!!! Oh Bigger....that is a new one....

As far as Air B&B I have had much better luck with VRBO. We did a 5 bedroom house in Perdido a few years ago for the whole fam-family for a week. On the inside bay so brought the boat, and it had a pool.
Beautiful home dog friendly and had a fantastic time.
We also had the camper in Navarre for hurricane Sally. That was quite the experience.

Dumping a camper isn't that bad once you have the hang of the order and how to do it. No big deal. Prior to having a camper we tent camped forever. When the kids got bigger they stayed in a tent and we had a Tahoe so we'd flip the seats down and use those thin foam pool mats, we slept in there. That worked well unless it was really hot.

We just did a trip to CO a 12 hour drive. Stayed in a Residence Inn on points. Easier than dragging the camper. Plus much better mileage. Great trip 2 concerts, hot air balloon ride at the base of Garden of the Gods, a tour through there, a drive up to Pikes Peak, next day we did a short white water rafting trip through the Royal Gorge valley. That was a blast. I'm exhausted today but we sure did have a great time.

You guys sure know how to have fun! There is a song about that right? "Joe sure knows how to live. "

You guys are going to give me camper envy!

"and one pair of underwear might have to last a week..."

Noping right out of this. Fiancé knows better than to suggest this! Haha

Well here comes the holiday weekend, and here we are having a foggy and cool morning. It reminds me Shehawk, that you're getting ready for your adventure. So pack what you need for 10 degrees colder nights and days than whatever the weather is forecasting. You can always take off a layer, but damp weather feels way colder than the air temps, and you wouldn't want to feel chilly. 🙂🙂

Everyone talking about camping brings back a lot of good memories for me. I am 56 now. Every year between 12-30 I would go camping 1 weekend every month and for an entire week during the summer. I miss those days.
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This Topic being "Plans for the holiday". Now that I've been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), my body does not tolerate heat. I will be staying home in the AC and watching Hellraiser 1-8.

"So pack what you need for 10 degrees colder nights and days than whatever the weather is forecasting. You can always take off a layer, but damp weather feels way colder than the air temps, and you wouldn't want to feel chilly. 🙂🙂"

Superesse this is so true. Thanks for the reminder. The coldest I have ever been I think was canoeing on the 4th of July week in the Midwest and getting rained on and having no dry warm gear…

We had a glitch in our plans come up that will be postponing camping for us this week.

We may have to plan kayaking in the icw near Daytona later this year instead :) I have done that before but now that I think of it, I bet I really don’t want to know what was in that water…

Time2grow
The weird thing is that it has been a bit of a chilly weekend on and off where we ended up having to be. We got drenched with rain one day and it was actually a bit chilly

Had a birthday party for my great-niece this weekend with the Labor Day BBQ. I got her a Polly Pocket because I would get them for my niece. Three of the moms there (including my niece) wanted one.

The fun was seeing the great-niece enjoying the present and the nostalgia for the moms.

ETA: The food was good. I took heirloom tomatoes and cucumbers from our local farmer's market.

[This message edited by leafields at 6:02 AM, Wednesday, September 4th]

We had an excellent weekend camping and fishing although it was slow we came home with 2 large bags of filets. I'm exhausted honestly it's been go go go for a month. My stupid RA is definitely letting me know I need to rest up.
So staying home this weekend and of course gonna get my boy for at least part of it and probably do a fish fry for the kids on Sunday.

Tushnurse will be giving their GS memories for his lifetime! My grandfather liked to fish on Lake Michigan and he'd come walking back the few blocks home, carrying a bucket full of lake perch, which he immediately dredged and fried on a grill in the back yard. In my long life since then, I have never tasted better fried fish than what he made the summer I was a kid staying there! (Unfortunately, salt water eels had already invaded the lake after the Saint Lawrence Seaway was opened, and the perch had no defense. It was a mess on the shore, seeing so many dead fish.)

But since then, I've never been around fishing, so I always wonder how one can handle the messy part, gutting and scaling the fish, then clean everything up enough to carry the filets home without, for example, smelling up one's hands, clothes or vehicle.

We have a friend who has gone salmon fishing in Alaska, but the boat they go out on has a cleaning station and a quick freezer on board. He has his catch vacuum packed on board and frozen so he can fly home with it. Delicious!

But how do you enjoy fishing on a small scale, I've often wondered. Talk me into a new sport!

The fish ee get are crappie which are not dissimilar to those perch. They are very simple to clean honestly and we use an electric knife to do it with. Most places we fish have cleaning stations on the COE lakes in MO. Makes it quick and easy to clean 2 limits in under 15 min. He filets, I cut the ribs flush the yuck off and bag.
My H already purchased a rod for our grand to practice with in the winter so he is ready to go next year.

But but but....Tush, do you wear rubber gloves when you're doing that job? And what kind of detergent do you prefer to use to remove fishy after-effects from everything? (Most likely Dawn, with the Duck on it, right? I like Dial Gold but I'm old fashioned.)

It's just these little questions which have deterred me from going camping AND THEN TRYING TO FISH!
The boating, sounds like such fun. Our dogs LOVE the adventure and the water and I'm betting would go NUTS for a live flapper! But I'd have to do all the dirty work and if it's anything like chopping off chicken heads, I'd lose my appetite for the fish for a week... (But I love fried whole Tilapia, even though it sits on the plate and looks at you...)

The smell is very mild. Hand soap does the job. I love dial gold. Haven't had it for a while, but just saying it I can smell it.
No gloves needed.