So we finally get to take the new camper out and since Pastor Mark was preaching down in Tuscaloosa, AL this weekend, we decided to pull the camper to Lake Lurleen State Park in Coker, AL.
Mark grew up going to this park as a kid. This trip was very nostalgic for him, expect this time it included a camper. OUR CAMPER! We are so excited for this trip. We headed out on a Thursday and won’t be back till Sunday night. Mark is speaking to the NYI (teens) for the South Alabama NYI Convention on Friday night and Saturday morning bringing a devotional. On Sunday he will address his childhood home church Holten Heights Church of the Nazarene in Holt, AL and they have a meal for everyone involved in helping with the weekend and I LOVE that churches cooking! Who doesn’t love a good ole southern church dinner right?
Transporting the camper:
Let’s just say when we pulled the camper into our driveway, it stressed me out a little and scrubbed the road some… I was NOT looking forward to backing it out of the drive way. I oiled up a LOT before this process!! Surprisingly it wasn’t that bad.
Now driving down the interstate was a little more than I had expected. The truck differently drove different than it does when we aren’t hauling the camper and that shocked me how different it felt. I kept feeling like something was wrong. But this view in the side window made it a little worse… that is a BIG camper on a small road. I oiled up again to get me through it!
Now the construction in Birmingham didn’t help with my anxiety on this trip but we made it to camp just fine.
Stopping to get groceries:
I don’t know why we can’t stop at Walmart and spend less than $100! Every Single Time!!! But we got what we needed to make some meals, get some snacks, and pick up a few things we needed for the camper… like a fan, I can’t sleep without the noise of a fan!
Meals we planned to make are:
Grilled Chicken, Grilled Veggies (in foil pack) and Ramen Noodles for Thursday night dinner
Sausage Balls & Eggs for breakfast on Friday
LUNCH at Taco Casa on Friday!
Hot Dogs and Chips for Lunch on Saturday with the extended family (perfect camping lunch)
DINNER on Saturday Night at a friend’s house and I had the BEST steak and salad that I’ve had in a while! YUM!
The first dinner in the camper and it was a good one!
The first breakfast on the camper too! YUM YUM!
Choosing the right site:
Man this was a hard one.
Lake Lurleen offers 91 modern campsites with water and electric hook-up; 35 sites have sewage drain connections. Modern bathhouses are conveniently located throughout the park for the campers.
The site I wanted was backwards from the way we were “supposed” to pull in, so we were rebels and pulled in the wrong way (I don’t really think that there was a “right” way) and set up camp! Mark wanted right on the water but as a worry wart and having young kiddos, I wanted a little further off the water! This site was number “38” and it was also right next to one of the playgrounds. PREFECT!
Setting up camp:
It took us 40 mins from the time we pulled in to complete setup. I actually thought it would take longer than that but was so happy that it didn’t!
What we did while we were camping:
The first night we had a visitor come over after dinner and we got to play a game of Phase 10, we LOVE that game! Nana also brought the kiddos snacks, as if we hadn’t already spent too much at Walmart getting food, but we got more! She even brought sour gummy worms … my FAVE!!!
We even had our first accident in the camper that night… JL got into the bag of cereal. Many pieces fell into the air vent and Mark had to remove it to get all of the pieces out.
Friday morning I got to do a little Bible Journaling and here is the result… view more of it here.
On Friday we took a family walk to explore the park. This view makes me happy!
and a LOT of this happened …
Good thing I had an oil for that! And we used it a LOT this trip because Livy learned how to ride her bike without training wheels!!! AAAHHH!!! #memories
This was BY FAR the most used oil on this trip!
Oh don’t worry, The camper is stocked with it’s very own Young Living’s Premium Starter Kit & Bamboo Diffuser!
Over all we had a good time at Lake Lurleen. The girls favorite part was the Beach… they have a sand beach where you can pay, lay out in the sun (wear sunscreen), play volleyball and swim right next to the beach area. The girls loves the playground too. OH IMPORTANT information about this camp is that we didn’t have Cell Phone service… I couldn’t make a call or text until we got back to Hwy 82. It was wonderful and inconvenient all at the same time! We can’t wait to go back when it gets a little warmer and less rainy, it was rainy the entire time we were there until we were leaving and the sun came out, go figure! They have pebble boats you can rent and that would be fun to take out on the lake!
We are so excited to have a camper to call our own, to make a million of memories (they have already started) and spend more family time together!
I wonder where our next trip will be?
Until our next grand adventure!
– Happy Camper Ashley
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