Shakedown Trip - San Clemente State Beach

We've made our plans for our shakedown trip! We're going to San Clemente State Beach (http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=646).We have never been there before, but its on a bluff over the beach and has full hook ups, so it seems perfect. I still really want to go to Rincon, but I guess we'll save that for the next time since it has no hook ups.
So now we've got to stock the trailer. The master bedroom is almost done, with a new memory foam mattress topper, memory foam pillows and a new down comforter. We have not decided what to do with the bunks... whether or not to make them up with sheets and blankets or just use sleeping bags. For next weekend, sleeping bags seem ok, but for our Road Trip, 32 days seems too long to sleep in a sleeping bag. Then there is the kitchen. We have some stuff from the old trailer, pots and pans and dinner ware; some pantry staples. Its all a matter of putting things where they go and seeing what we still need. I love every minute of it!

More Reservations!

From Map

  Well, I made 3 more reservations today!  It's so exciting to be making real plans!  I have decided not to make reservations in our stop over places, just the destinations.  That way, we can be a little more flexible in between.  I made reservations today for Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro AR, American Heritage Park in Williamsburg, Va, and Cherry Hill in College Park, MD (for DC).  Here is a new picture of our final route.  We'll skip Oklahoma on the way east, instead staying in north Texas.  It seems easier to get to the Crater of Diamonds this way.  Also in our final itinerary, we've opted to drive hard the days we need to travel, starting early in the morning.  This makes for long days of driving, but gives us more time at our destinations.

  Closer to home... we are planning our maiden voyage in our trailer, in about a week.  I want to go to the beach, not sure what campground yet, or whether or not to try and find hook-ups.  I really like Rincon Parkway, maybe there will be hook up sites available at Hobson or Faria (doubt it!).  The whales should be heading south, would be cool to see a pod!

  And lastly... I'm off to put the new memory foam topper on the queen bed in the trailer... woo hooooooo!

Our Trailer is Home!

DH and I went through a 3 hour PDI yesterday morning and brought our baby home! We diligently filmed most of the inspection so that when it comes time to remember whether or not we need the dehumidifier on the refrigerator we'll know the answer! We LOVE it! Some of my favorite features are the outside shower (no more sand in the trailer!) and the garage door storage in the bunk room. The fridge is huge! It comes with a range cover and sink covers. The interior design is called wine.
It is 32 ft (34 including the hitch assembly) but fits in our driveway. We had a sway control installed, and also a Prodigy brake control.
Over all we're very pleased with it, and with our dealer. Anyone need a referral?

I Made Our First Reservation!

  We know DH's schedule now for the next couple of months and it perfectly coincides with our vacation, so we will actually be leaving on March 15th! 

  I made our first reservation tonight, at the Grand Canyon Railway Rv Park in Williams, AZ.  I also booked train tickets!  We'll take the train up to the Grand Canyon, have a look around and then take the train back.  Everything I have read says this is the thing to do when visiting with kids.  The parks near the Grand Canyon either don't fit our rig or have really bad reviews, so I'm excited about staying in Williams and taking the train.  The girls are going to love it!  Here's the link to the Grand Canyon Railway:   http://www.thetrain.com/home.cfm

  Because we have an extra 5 days with DH's RDO's, we are adding the Diamond Mine back in our plans and the girls are really excited.  We're also adding a day in Indianapolis to see a Pioneer farm/living museum.

 

TRAILER UPDATE

 

  We have an appt at 9am on Friday to pick up our trailer!!!  Its been at the dealership since last Friday, and I can't wait to see it.  We will be doing our PDI (Pre Delivery Inspection) and having our Suburban fitted with the correct wiring and we are having a brake controller installed.  We hope to make our maiden voyage the first full weekend in January!