The new Muddscape machine made its debut on March 24 at Lake Ki RV Resort near Arlington, Washington (www.lakekiresort.com). We wanted to take a short trip, very local, to shake down all the systems in the new rig, a 2018 Venture SportTrek 252VRD, before we undertook longer and farther trips. We will shortly update the banner picture above to reflect that we SOLD the boat, and “traded up” to the trailer!

The ability to test the shore power and water hookups in real time (extension cord – check; water hose – check; wheel chocks – check; leveling blocks – check), as well as all the “boondocking” gear like battery power, onboard water supply (water – check), and propane heater (propane – check), seemed like a good idea, especially since we would be camped just a few miles from Halterman’s RV, where we bought it. It also seemed smart to make sure we at least had the essentials for setting up and camping. When we sold our last rig, the one we lived in for a couple of years, neither Wendy or I could remember what we gave away with it and what we kept, so we didn’t know what to hunt for in the garage.

The shakedown cruise setup went super. Thanks to some late hour digging in the archives of old camping stuff, Amazon Prime, and a Lowe’s Hardware just down the street, we had everything we needed to set up and get camping. That certainly doesn’t mean we won’t be dipping back into the Amazon pool for more stuff, just that we had at least the bare essentials. I already have a pretty extensive list of new “essentials”, like a WiFi Signal Booster and a Backup Camera! As we requisition and install these future goodies, we promise to report back here!

We couldn’t resist inviting a few family members out to visit on Sunday, since they were all so close. When we first set up, there were 2 Canadian families camped next to us. On Sunday morning, they got up early and started a nice campfire, but it burned too long into the day, so they “gifted” it to us when they pulled out before lunch. We kept stoking all the extra firewood they had left into it, getting it to last until all the kiddos arrived. I’ve never met a small child that didn’t just love a campfire.

We ended up with 5 grandkids and 3 more adults, for a total of 10 of us. That gave us a good test for human capacity in the rig, and with the 2 opposing slide-outs we had plenty of room for all to chomp down a hearty burrito dinner.

If anyone gets interested in visiting Lake Ki, the “little sister” to Lake Goodwin, I highly recommend Lake Ki RV Resort. It has mostly a long-term residential populace, but maintains several nice transient sites right down near the lake, with a great dock for fishing, a play structure for the kids, and a nice beach with a float you can swim out to. The trout fishing is reported to be quite good, especially in spring and very early summer. My favorite site is P16, easy to back into and right next to a large open area; P15 is a good next choice. Both sites include 30 amp shore power, a reasonably level pad, and a sewer hookup, for about $40/night.

Next trip, 3 days at Deception Pass State Park over Easter!

And last, but not least, Tippy returns!