In college, we took camping trips to visit beautiful destinations in the midwest. We tent camped because it was easy, affordable and a great way to experience nature. We took a trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan one summer that lead us to some seriously amazing destinations, but it also tested our communication and problem-solving skills. I learned very quickly that if you can camp with someone and not lose it, you are pretty compatible!
In our travels through the U.P. our GPS unit took us on a logging road in between Tahquemenon Falls and Grand Marais. We were as far off the beaten path as you can imagine and our 4-Runner was leading us through the woods like a champion! We eventually came upon a downed tree that was blocking our passage. Colton busted out the saw and axe and got to work! There we were, in the middle of no where, chopping a tree to get by and continue our travels. My 20-year-old type-A self was very nervous and unsure. There could be a bear! Or woods folk! The mosquitos were eating me alive and I was ready to move on. Colton calmly kept chopping and sawing and saved the day. This small bump in the road (literally!) was a good test of the balance that we find in our relationship.
At the end of our college career, we studied abroad in Sevilla, Spain. I cannot recommend it enough for anyone considering traveling to Europe- Sevilla is full of culture, good eats and kind people. Following our studies, we backpacked through five European countries. We made sure to do some camping along the way, which turned out to be a great success! There were times of struggle though, including a “camping” experience on a beach in Monaco, France. If you aren’t familiar with Monaco, it is an amazing destination, but it paints a picture of “the lifestyles of the rich and the famous”. Super bougee hotels, multi-million dollar yachts and us with our 40 lb backpacks and little green tent! We arrived and couldn’t locate a campsite, or even a hostel or hotel that was not booked up that night. We chanced it and posted up on a beautiful beach for the night. At about 3:00 A.M. we were awakened with greetings from French police officers asking us our background, if we have jobs and what our country of residence was. Luckily, they were nice enough and simply let us know that there was no sleeping overnight on the beaches.
When we were living in the Raleigh, NC area we found ourselves spending countless weekends making the haul to camp in the Asheville, NC mountains. We could bike, hike, fish and explore and the trails were our favorite places to be. Not to mention Dolly’s Ice Cream- a staple in Brevard.
After moving to Colorado, we found ourselves wanting to camp almost every weekend. Tent camping is awesome- but not ideal when you have bikes or a dog that can’t be left without being nervous. We started doing homework and found our first upgrade from tent camping: the 1990 Northstar! It was a pop-up style trucked camper that fit perfectly in Colton’s truckbed. And so it began!
We soon learned that the truckbed camper needed some love. We spent the winter of 2016 working on the interior to make it a little more appealing and put our own touches on it.
The following spring, summer and fall meant we were on the go a ton! We enjoyed our little casita on wheels and found that the camper life was something we loved dearly. It was a great introduction to camping off-ground, but we were lacking a few things. We didn’t have a bathroom in the truckbed camper, which isn’t a huge deal for some. For us, after hours of being outside, we really missed freshening up before bed. Don’t get me wrong- we had our share of creek baths, but there’s nothing like sitting on a toilet when you need go.
We ended up saying goodbye to the Northstar in search of an upgrade. Welcome to the family, Catalina!
If you have experience with RVs of any kind, you know that there are some scary things that come along. For example: What is inside the black tank? Oh, theres a grey tank too? Wait, which one has the toilet stuff? Do we need gloves? Hold on, does the fridge run on propane? Did we close the blinds before hitting the road? Do we have enough in the fresh tank to boondock? All of these questions plus more became part of our regular conversations when camping. At first it was a LOT to take in, but after practicing and our division of duties, we had it down!
The Catalina was our new tiny home on wheels that offered so many things that we loved: a rear window that allowed for amazing views, a comfy queen-sized bed with enough room for Sailor girl, and a luxurious bathroom! What more could we ask for! We visited countless destinations in this bad boy, and found some of our favorite “off the beaten path” camping spots as well.
We love the camper lifestyle so much that we again found ourselves asking: what else could we want on the road? We would love some more storage space for longer trips, and we would also love a slide out to expand the living area. That back window- I don’t want to give it up! After a few months of back and forth, we put the Catalina up for sale. As summer of 2019 wrapped up, we said goodbye to the Catalina with a bit of sadness. Had we not wanted to spend a significant amount of time in a camper, we think we could’ve kept the Catalina for years and years.
In the fall of 2019, we did our homework and looked at larger travel trailers. We saw new, VERY used and a variety of sizes and shapes. Eventually, we found a camper that checked all of our boxes. Welcome to the family, Cougar!
The previous owners kept the Cougar in such great shape that we walked in and felt like we were touring a brand new camper. After one visit, we set a time to see it again the next day and did a complete systems check. A few small repairs needed to be made, but overall it was in amazing shape!
28 feet offers a LOT of living space! We have a slideout which makes it feel even larger. We love the amount of storage that we have to feel like we’re really living in it. What an upgrade from our original 1990 Northstar!
After about a month of waiting on repairs and title transfers, we finally had the Cougar in our possession and we took our first adventure for Thanksgiving. We took off heading south to visit Colton’s grandparents in Green Valley, Arizona! Along our travels we learned a lot about having a larger camper and the ins and outs of our new rig.
We stayed at the DeAnza RV Resort just south of Green Valley and had an amazing view of the mountains all week. We got to enjoy some local biking and hiking trails, while also spending some time with family. Sailor girl was still getting settled and finding her favorite spots to snuggle in. Lauren’s favorite feature so far is the rear window (same as the Catalina!) and Colton has enjoyed the variety of seating in the living area!
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Unlocking Freedom: 30 for 30 with the Lock Family 