Diary of a First-Time Camper

Our story goes something like this:

1. WE PACKED

I see all these fabulous photos of adorable glamping stagings online, and I immediately imagine myself setup in similar fashion at a remote, scenic location. As a result, I am determined to glamp on a beach, by a lake, in a valley, and in lots of other great places, but, I need to tell you, glamping is not all glamour. It involves some grit, as well. If you actually plan on doing the camping part of glamping, you have to pack all those charming accessories and sweet little accent pieces away safely before you hit the highway and head to your campsite. And let me tell you, trailers bump around like nobody's business when you're on the road so you have to be super careful about the way you pack your stuff. As my husband reminds me every time we're at a yard sale, the more great things you find to display at a campsite, the more stuff you have to pack away safely when you travel. To be practical, I have made a conscious decision to avoid glass accents and other breakable decorative items for the camper. It's taking me longer to find the right display pieces for Wanda, but I am determined to find items that will withstand the hardships of life on the open road. I'm even trying to be creative with the work I hang on the little wall space I have in the camper. I want things that are lightweight and do not have to be removed from the walls when we are on the road. This was the latest decorative accent I added to the camper before we left on our inaugural trip. I love it for three reasons. It suits my personality and matches Wanda's decor, it cost me about $5.00, and it can stay up on the wall when we travel.

Placemat from Pier One Imports ($3.95) and Print from Wishful Printing on Etsy ($1.50)

                                           

2. WE TRAVELED

Each time we hook up the camper it gets a little easier, but we are still in that phase where we drive with an irrational fear that the trailer is going to break away from the van at any given moment. We are dedicated right lane drivers who are married to the speed limit. Changing lanes still provides an adrenaline rush comparable to sky diving at this point, but we are gradually gaining confidence. I am looking forward to the day when we hitch up the trailer and drive off without a worry in the world. I'm sure the day will be here soon, in the meantime it's right lane riding for us.

3. WE ARRIVED

For our first camping stay, we decided to stay close to home. We traveled a little over an hour to Long Beach Carefree RV Resort on Route 72 in Barnegat, New Jersey. Thankfully, we picked a winner for our first camping experience. The staff at Long Beach is friendly. Our site was flat and well-shaded. Our neighbors were hospitable and knowledgeable. The bathrooms and showers were clean.  And we were able to get to Long Beach Island without much hassle. I would definitely recommend this campground. In my opinion, the very best part of staying at Long Beach RV Resort was meeting Kathy, Ed and their miniature pinscher, Trixie. Kathy and Ed greeted us with warm smiles when we pulled up to site 234, helped Andy back the trailer into our site, and provided us with tons of helpful information about trailer hitches, sewage lines, and other camping hacks. It was comforting to know we had experienced campers next door for our first camping stay.

LONG BEACH RV RESORT HIGHLIGHTS

Every campground needs one of these jumping blobs. This one kept tons of kids occupied for hours.

Yurts are new to me. If you don't already know, yurts are these super cool tents on steroids with hardwood floors, futons, and electricity. Perfect for the camper who wants to be off the dirt.

Nice clean bathrooms. We actually ran into the cleaning staff on Sunday AND Monday morning, and they had lots of bleach in their carts.

Pool table and some video games in the game room which looked new and well maintained.

Great pool.

Sweet little cabins with two sets of bunk beds, hardwood floors, a TV, and a microwave. Adorable!

4. WE SET UP

For me, this is where the fun began. Once everything was plugged in, hooked up, and set out, we could finally let our breath out and relax. There were bigger campers, newer campers, and pimped out campers all around us, but it didn't matter. Every time I walked up or pulled up to our site, I couldn't suppress my smile. Wanda is just too cute! I may have mentioned before that I have a thing for bistro lights. I just can't help it. I really love them. Having cool lighting at your site makes everything that much better. The lights I have pictured here have glass bulbs. Every time I hang them or take them down, I am a nervous wreck that they are going to shatter. When we were camping I told my husband I wished the bulbs were plastic and guess what I found when we were yard saling the next Saturday. That's right! I now have a set of plastic bistro lights for our upcoming excursion to Maryland. I do love living in the favor of the thrifting gods.

One of my favorite shots of the weekend. I call it "Straight Outta 234".

5. WE RELAXED

Does your family have a go-to game? Ours is Scrabble and this is my favorite board. It cost me $3.00 at a yard sale a couple years ago, and I love it because it rotates so each player can have the proper view of the board on their turn. Our first night at the campground, we played Scrabble, drank some Redd's Apple Ale, played some albums on the record player, and listened to the crickets when the music stopped. If you're like me and you need to break out of the fast-paced, nerve wracking, chest crushing grind you've managed to turn your life into, I highly recommend a camping weekend. You can almost feel your blood pressure lowering as the realization settles in that you have nothing to do but take care of your basic needs and create whatever kind of enjoyment you wish to have. It truly is a beautiful thing!

6. WE ATE

I am happy to report that our kitchen makeover solution appears to be working out fine for us. The Nu-Wave induction cooker served us well on our first outing. You just have to make sure your pots and pans are metal, and you're in business. The great thing about using an induction heat source for cooking in a small space like a camper is that the food gets hot, but the burner does not create ambient heat. We had a hot breakfast every morning of our trip and ate dinner at the camper twice. The mini-microwave also worked out well for us. It heated out tomato soup from Panera perfectly. That and some grilled ham and cheese sandwiches made for a perfect rustic dinner.

7. WE SHOPPED

Long Beach Island, or LBI as its affectionately called by locals, is known for being laid-back and family friendly. It boasts of beautiful beaches, a safe, family environment, abundant cultural, shopping, and dining attractions and loads of water sports and outdoor activities. The aptly named island is 18 miles long and ranges from 1/2 mile wide at its widest point in Ship Bottom to 1/5 of a mile wide at its narrowest point in Harvey Cedars. Route 72, which crosses over the Manahawkin Bay, is the only road into and out of LBI. Once you cross the bay into LBI, you can turn south and head toward Holgate, or you can turn north and travel toward Barnegat Light. When we wanted to go shopping, we turned off of Route 72 and headed south toward Beach Haven. We drove for awhile before we happened upon Bay Village and Schooner's Wharf at 9th and Bay Avenue, but it was worth the ride. This quaint little shopping district is home to over 50 unique shops and eateries. I had a nice time window shopping in t-shirt shops, women's boutiques, candy stores, and shore decor outlets until I stumbled upon "The Best Gift Idea Ever" - the actual name of the store where I purchased the really cool "WANDA" sign pictured above. Lining the walls of this shop are hundreds of different letter art options to choose from, and you can spell anything you want. At the Beach Haven location, you can get the letters a la carte for $4/each, $5/each if you want them matted, or $15/each matted and framed. If you are interested in getting some funky letter art for yourself check out The Best Gift Idea Ever online  at https://bestgiftideaever.com/, or better yet stop by The Best Gift Idea Ever at Schooner's Wharf in Beach Haven.

Schooner's Wharf: There's a cute little nautical gift shop in the hull of that ship.

                                    

Bay Village: Get there early. Everybody was shuttering their shops at 10:00 on a Saturday night.

                                                

Fantasy Island Amusement Park: It's right next door. 

                                              

If you are looking for old-fashioned fun, LBI is worth a visit.

8. WE PLAYED

We had an unexpected day of labor on Saturday when I discovered a leak in the camper. It took the entire afternoon and four trips to Home Depot before my husband was able to get the situation resolved and repair the leaky sink, so we were both ready for some fun on Sunday. We headed back to Beach Haven and visited the Sea Shell Resort and Beach Club. First, we ate at the Palm Grill, a great spot for casual poolside dining. The service was friendly and the food was great. I am a nacho lover and theirs were some of the best. My husband and I also loved their sirloin sliders. After we were done eating, we moved to the lounge chairs on a section of private beach with cocktail service. We hung out under the palm trees there and waited for the band to come on. I was really glad we hung around, because Shorty Long and the Jersey Horns put on a quite a show. If you are in New York, Philadelphia, New Jersey area and you have a chance to see them, do it. If you're in search of a Caribbean Island-inspired experience without leaving the US mainland, give the Sea Shell Resort and Beach Club in LBI a try.

He worked hard on the leaky sink on Saturday and deserved some rest.

Private beach with waitress service. Not too shabby.

Shorty Long draws an awesome crowd.

Not a bad venue.

                                             

9. WE EXPLORED

Since we spent most of Saturday afternoon under the sink in the camper, we decided to do late check out on Monday to recoup the missed the afternoon. When I was a very little girl, my Granny and Pop took me on day trips to Barnegat Light. Although I don't remember too many details from those trips because I was really young, I couldn't wait to visit Barnegat and see it through adult eyes. We drove to the Barnegat Lighthouse, walked along the jetty there, and then toured the rest of the town on our bikes. This section of the LBI is narrow. You can see the beach and the bay simultaneously from the main drive. The houses are impressive, especially the ones on the water. The few shops and restaurants we saw were quaint and old-fashioned in the very best way. My favorite spot on the island was the Barnegat Light Beach Patrol Lifeguard House. It's the first official lifeguard house I've ever seen in any of the beach towns I visited.

I loved the small town vibe in Barnegat.

You can't get more "beachy" than an official lifeguard house.

Good eats at Kelly's Old Barney Restaurant

10. WE DID IT!

Thanks for following our progress with Wanda and our vintage mobile sales adventure. I hope you learn something useful, and enjoy hearing about our experiences. Please subscribe to this blog to hear about all the amazing vintage resale venues we plan to visit, all the cool spots we intend to camp at, and all the important business (life) lessons we are sure to learn along the way. I hope you enjoyed the highlights from Wanda's first camping excursion. Next time, it's Assateague Island in Maryland.