Scamping Dreams Come True

After an 18-month wait, the Scamp delivery day finally arrived!

We drove to Backus, MN on Thursday and did a shakedown camp that night 3 three miles away at Ruttgers Pine Mountain Camping Resort. Highly recommend doing this if you’re picking up from the factory so you can check everything out.

Our Clam screen room was amazing…super easy to put up (1 minute) and take down (3 minutes). Forgot to unplug the camera for the back of the Scamp and came out to a dead battery on the Explorer this morning (oopsie🤪). Thankfully Ruttgers gave us a jump and we were on our way back to the factory to fix a screen door issue.

All around, pretty stress-free, and we’re looking forward to our next Scamping adventure!!

One-Month Retirement Retrospective

It’s hard to believe it’s been a month since I retired. Weirdly, I feel as if I’ve lived a year already.

I’ve been able to spend quality time with family and friends, I’ve enjoyed seeing my poetry made into art, and Parkher, my 2019 Ford Explorer, and I have traveled more than 5,000 miles. We’ve seen sunsets and storms, sunrises and sprinkles…and a lot of beautiful country between Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota.

It still feels a little like I’m on an extended vacation, but I’m embracing the change. I even took an afternoon nap a few days ago, something I could never do before.

Like a migrating bird, I’ll start traveling south in the next month just as my retired parents did. I am my father’s daughter in so many ways, and I feel his presence on this nomad journey…”Be sure to log your mileage and the cost of gas. And how many miles to the gallon you get.”

On it Pa!

My Scamping Dreams

I caught the travel bug when I took a road trip to Seattle with my parents when I was about 10 years old. Life on the road seemed adventurous and exciting.

In January I had reached out to a manufacturer as research for my dream of adventuring around the country when I retire from my day job. Then on February 12th, I attended a local Sport Show to see, feel, and experience campers up close and personal.

The show was underwhelming with no travel trailers under 21 feet. Since there are very few small campers on the resale market, I thought back to the Minnesota manufacturer I called. I pulled up the email, checked the layout and specifications, dialed up the helpful salesperson, and ordered a Scamp.

Every time I’ve seen an SUV pulling a Scamp on the road, I’ve been intrigued. Their small, egg-like fiberglass shell looks cozy and manageable. Produced by Evaland, Inc., the family-owned business that produces each travel trailer to customer requirements. The company built just 480 Scamps last year, and this year they’re shooting for 500.

The delivery date for my fully loaded 16 foot Scamp is August 2022. Turns out a year and a half wait is not unusual for small travel trailers during the pandemic, but it seems like an eternity to me. The $500 deposit I paid is fully refundable until about 90 days prior to production, which gives me time to check out other options in the event I find something I like better.

In the meantime, I’m researching, dreaming, and planning my scamping future. Whether I go full-time or just enjoy weekends in nature, I’m excited by the three season adventure possibilities.