Lots of things to remember when breaking camp.

It actually starts the evening before I’m going to leave.  I take the awning down.  Not hard at all, but time consuming for one person.  The last step is to wrap the 3 velcro straps around it after it’s closed, as a safety measure against wind opening it while traveling.  I need the ladder for this but don’t want to dig it out of the back of the truck.  Instead I use a step-stool which is only one step and I really need two.  I use a ‘reacher’ to grab the velcro strip from behind the awning after I insert it between the awning and WS.  I secure three of these strips around the awning.

I fill 6 empty one gallon water jugs and my water tank with the hose, then disconnect it and put it away.

In the morning I’m up well before the sunrise.  Shiloh wants to go out and be guard dog in this pre-dawn time.  He lies in front of WS’s door, alert, listening to every sound in the darkness.  There is plenty to listen to this morning….coyotes howling and yipping from all directions!

I make coffee and get back in bed to drink it.  I love to start the day this way!

At dawn I make breakfast for Joy and Shiloh and then we have our morning walk.  We get some exercise and  watch the sun rise at the same time.  The coyotes are still singing…it’s  a darn eery sound.  This is a state park and dogs are not allowed on the trails, but they are allowed on roads and paths and there are plenty of those here.  There is plenty of air sniffing going on and we meet some other dogs and their humans this morning.

Back home I make myself a bowl of Grape Nuts with soy milk for breakfast.  Next I do up the few dishes and start putting things away in their secure places.  A few items go in the microwave.  The tea kettle and other odds and ends go in the dish pan which sits in the sink.  I pack towels around those things.  I put things that might roll between pillows and around the edge of the mattress.  My current one gallon jug of water gets tucked between pillows and the wall.  By this time I have a routine and usually remember where I put things.  That wasn’t true when I started out.  It seemed like I spent 50% of my time trying to find things!

Continuing inside, I secure all the cupboards and doors and the one drawer.  There are a few items I bring inside, and they live in the dog bed when we travel….the afore mentioned step, dog food bowls, and a plastic container of dog toys and brushes.

Outside, I don vinyl gloves and dump the tanks into the sewer hook up.  I clean up and pack up that equipment and it goes into the truck bed.  I put my lawn chair into the back of the truck also, and sweep off the patio mat before  I fold it up and fasten it with a bungie cord  It goes in the truck bed as well.

I make sure the stove vent is latched.  Now it’s time to hook up WS to JR.  Joy and Shiloh usually like to watch this event from outside so I leave them tied out for now.  I unlock the hitch lock and raise the latch.  I have a red and white fishing bobber that I attach to the latch, which a kind man gave me in Oregon once.  The bobber is easier to see in my rear view camera than the dark colored….ball holder.  (Sorry don’t know what it’s called!  🙂 ) Now I just need to get the hitch ball directly under the bobber, and just a little farther back, and I’ll be in the right spot to hook up.  Once I did it in one try, but usually I average about 10 tries…jumping in and out of JR after each adjustment until it’s in the perfect spot.  Today it takes me 4 tries.

I wind down the jack, lower the latch, and make sure the latch is secure by raising it a tad and making sure it holds.  Lowering the jack all the way now, I lower the latch and replace the hitch lock.  I attach the sway bar.  (Hi Reine!  🙂  )  I remove the jack from the Jack E Up and place it in the Jack E Hand and fasten it in.  I hook the chains and the trailer break to the back of JR.  I remove any chocks that I can and raise the back stabilizing jacks.  I close and lock WS’s doors and raise the step.  Last I unplug my electric hookup, and push the cord into it’s storage compartment and lock the little door.  I fasten the pigtail to WS.  Finally I do a walk around and make sure I’ve actually done all the things I’ve just mentioned.

I use the ramp to get Joy and Shiloh into their crew cab and then place the ramp on the passenger seat floor.  I get in and drive forward a few feet, get out and put  the remaining leveling boards and chocks into their storage compartment and lock that. I look around camp to make sure I didn’t leave anything behind!

OK!  We are ready to roll!!!