Queenies Little Kingdom

So, we took our new camper out for a “trial run” camping trip this week. As usual, I scoured the news for weather just to make sure what we were up against should we have a rain or snow event. According to the news, snow was heading smack for us on Wednesday. I raced with my phone evidence to show my hubby and I laid down the law:

I’m not going anywhere pulling that big camper in a snow storm! If we don’t leave on Tuesday to beat the pounding snow, I ain’t going!

He agreed. We planned our trip for Tuesday, right after our dog Ms Lizzy finished up at the doggy parlor. We got up early and started a few important ‘get ready’ chores and dropped Ms L off at the dog salon. Hubby had ordered parts and whatever to change the brake fluid on our car. Great idea, only it took a bit of time to get the job complete.

The whole morning was dark, wettish and very coooooold.

Tick-tock, still waiting for the dog to get finished and the new brake fluid job. I ran around packing up, thinking of everything we might need for a short cold camping trip. I hauled stuff out to the camper, looked for ways to make us comfortable and not to weigh us down too much. We still have no idea how heavy our full load will be when we take off to cross America on our HEALING TOUR! That’s what we’re calling our journey out west. After all these months of what felt like the biggest struggle of our lives, we need some healing & restoration.

So, I loaded….lightly. A few pairs of pants, undies, socks and the minimum bath items we might need. I chose our down jackets and filled the fridge with good meal choices. Pillows, blankets and the last thing I grabbed was a snow shovel.

I really had no idea if we would even use it – so, I asked hubby….DO WE NEED THIS SHOVEL? He moved his head around and I yelled it again. Finally, I could see he was shaking his head YES! By this time, snow flakes are swirling all around us and we are still at home. Not even hooked up to go yet.

It’s so cold out, the dog is still at the salon and we are looking at late afternoon leaving. We don’t have dishes for the camper and need to stop at Target in town to pick up a set that I found online. I’m not really nervous but I am getting a little concerned.

Have I mentioned all my fears of pulling the camper yet?

Well, I’m a big chicken. Blame it on the last year plus of experiences. If it can go wrong (Murphy’s law)….

I’ve imagined us slipping and sliding all over the highway. Crashing, twisting and wrecking our home on wheels over the slightest roadway incident. I mean, come on. Pulling a heavy camper is dangerous! And I have a degree in WORRYING!

Finally, brakes are done, Lizzy is ready and we are hooked to go! It’s snowing. It’s freezing cold, darkish out and off we go!

Imogene pulls like a sweetheart. Everything feels good and safe. I’m riding high feeling good! Hubby’s driving us along as if we’ve been pulling this baby all year. In the busyness of the day, I had not eaten a thing. My stomach was starting to growl and I knew if we stopped we’d be pulling into the campground in the dark.

So, I kept quiet and rode along all the way into Brown County knowing I could cook in just a bit if I sat tight!

Within the 30 minutes it took us to arrive at the state park, the snow was falling hard and fast. As we pulled into the park the winding roads were covered, the trees along the side of the roads were blanketed down with heavy snow. We made it to the campground area and it was solid white. Nothing looked like a camping spot. We could see a few campers here and there but otherwise it was desolate.

My heart started to race, my mind went to work playing an imaginary trip over one of the many hills and us crashing our IMOGENE to her death and my hubby just kept going.

Once we reached a high point….we started sliding down the hill which of course made a sharp left turn at the bottom and we skidded to a very ugly stop. P A N I C time for me! I did everything to keep myself in check but inside I was riding on over the edge with the camper twisted in a horrible mess behind me.

Because HE’S NOT LIKE ME (thank you Jesus), he braked hard and thought it out.

I prayed to Jesus for help.

There was no one there to help us but God. No big trucks. The few campers we had passed didn’t even seem to be at their sites. Then, hubby remembered the snow shovel. There was no way we were going to get up the big hill without some serious shoveling. He tried and Imogene just slithered all over the place and back down the hill.

I admit, I cried a little. Mainly because I had woken up sick that morning with a sinus cold and my right eye running like a faucet. So, it was primed for the tears really.

He jumped back in and hit the gas…. up the hill we went. Slippy slidey!

Then, we see THE BIGGEST HILL OF ALL!

Again, we slide hard to the right and nothing could push us up that hill. The snow is falling so hard we can barely see what the heck we are doing. More shoveling. Just as fast as he throws snow it falls right back down on this untreated drive. I can’t take it anymore and jump out too.

Standing there in the silent snowfall, I cry out to God for help. I recognize how powerless my hubby must feel and how he doesn’t want to wreck our new rig either. So, I pray for him too.

He shovels and shovels and hops back in and pushes that girl on up the biggest hill in all of Brown County state park.

By the time he makes it to the T O P…. I run after them and hope in too. We still cannot tell where or what are the camp sites. The snow is falling so hard it’s blinding us. He pulls forward to the flattest area he can find and just stops. He gets out and begins shoveling a place to pull into. I get out and start videoing the area and as I turn to the left, I see the road makes a turn there right in front of another camp site.

I say, “Hey….why not pull into this spot (beside the one he just shoveled)?” All he had to do was turn right into the lane and back straight back up into the camp site. He looked it over and agreed, it was perfect!

So, I grabbed the shovel and started clearing the spot for him to back her in!

It worked like a charm! We were backed in, hooked up and settling in — in minutes.

By the time I started dinner, we were in full snow storm mode. It fell hard and heavy but we were warm and safe. Not a scratch on Imogene and not a tow truck call to be had!

We lived to tell. Imogene was warm & cozy. Two good nights of a trial run and I feel much better about the future trekking across America!

We snapped a WE DID IT shot before leaving BC state park…

Because, guys!!!! WE DID IT!!