My family has been camping for many years.  Each summer, we pack our vehicle to the gills and head into the woods for some much needed relaxation.  The first trip of the season is always eventful.  We discover what equipment didn’t get packed properly for the winter.  Something always needs to be replaced.  A few things are usually missing.  I am usually pretty stressed because I am the list maker, the bag packer, and the worry wort of the family.

I spend days, if not weeks, before our first trip of the season writing out lists of things to pack, recipes to make, groceries to buy…… Then a few days before we leave I actually start packing.  I unbury the totes of camping equipment that have been stored for the winter.  I unpack them, and take stock (more lists!) of what is there.  I clean everything from being in storage for months.  I figure out what needs to be replaced or refilled.  The day before we leave, I pile all the things out in the driveway for the hubby to pack into our rig.

This year’s first camping trip was special for several reasons.

First off, we scheduled our trip for much earlier in the spring.  Normally, we have to wait until the weather allows for tent camping.  I’m not particularly fond of tent camping in the rain.  That means our trips usually are scheduled well into our pacific northwest summer.   This year we have Bessie!  With a travel trailer, I didn’t stress about the weather.  I was just excited to get out and camp!  In fact, we scheduled our first  trip so early, the campground wasn’t completely open for the season yet.  We were the only seasonal campers there.  Other than the camp hosts and one other trailer that was a long term resident, we had the entire campground to ourselves!

Second, we were missing a couple of people.  The eldest had to work, and middle spent the night with a friend.  We made up for the missing people by taking all three large dogs with us.

Third, the weather was not your perfect camping weather.  It poured.  It stormed.  It blew.  There was standing water outside Bessie.  All of us, including the three dogs, were stuck inside the trailer for the whole night.

Fourth, we camped really close to home.  We wanted to camp close to home for our first trip with the travel trailer in case of any issues.  Because we were close to home, we decided to go visit hubby’s mother for dinner.  That means the only “meal” we had was breakfast.  By breakfast, I mean I made coffee and we ate cereal.

The next morning it did clear just enough for us to have a short walk around the park.

Campground: Bruceport County Park, just south of South Bend, WA.

Cost: Full Hook Up $25 per night

Review: Bruceport was a lovely little campground.  It has a nice easy trail to walk along the beach.  All the campsites are located on the cliff above the bay.  The full hook up sites are pretty close to each other in the center of the camping area.  There are several non-hook up sites with beautiful views of the bay around the outside of the camping area.  Park restrooms were clean, and there was a coin operated shower available.  The park has a lovely large field to play outside games with a group.  There is also a covered area if you wanted to have a group event.

Website: Bruceport RV Park

Follow our camping adventures over on Instagram with the hashtag #inamedherbessie