PJ good for you! I won a prize for archery too! But it was my 2nd year trying it - I remember that like I remember beginning this sentence...no really. I remember because my first year, I had absolutely the lowest score of all the boys, and I cried like a baby. The next year, I must have had a counselor who was a better coach. Or maybe God just gave me a steadier hand a year later, because I practically split the rear ends of my earlier arrows shot into the bull's eye with my later shots! (My big disappointment that 2nd year was looking and looking around among the boys, and not seeing another one crying like I did the year before! I knew there were a few that 2nd year who shot as poorly or worse than I did my 1st year. So I was mad that they either didn't care as much as I did, or they were better at hiding their pain. Those are the sorts of things that go through boys' minds, that cause them to grow while at camp.) Of course I was totally kidding around about camps not being for girls. But still! A "love smitten teenage boy trailing after you (instructor)"??!!! That's STALKING! I wouldn't send my girl to camp to learn how to handle THAT. Not even if I knew that boy and his parents beforehand and we had pre-arranged for him and my daughter to marry! I'd make sure she was a black belt in Tae Kwon Do before we sent her there. And I'd insist that she sleep wearing night vision goggles and a Bowie knife or a Taser (or two) strapped on. The only thing I can say, PJ, if you're gonna tell DW on me, is, she knows it ain't gonna do no good to make me sleep out in the heat, because I AM THE HEAT! I AM THE DEVIL, HAHAAAAAAAA!!!

We have a member of our fly fishing group that uses an old time canvas wall tent (I think he's just about worn it out ... who knows how old the thing is!) - AND, he tows everything around in a little utility trailer. Really does it with some kind of military efficiency; a place for everything and everything in it's place when he's traveling. Plus he gets on me about my popup tent camper - he says that at least when his utility trailer is not being used for camping that it can be also used for other things, like hauling his yard work bric-a-brac and debris, maybe even hauling a wash machine or refrigerator for somebody - in other words he says his utility trailer "earns it's keep" by using it for many other things besides camping. Says my tent trailer's only purpose in life is camping ... and he has a big point! My friend uses these large plastic bins to carry a lot of the camping gear (keeps it water tight) in the trailer; and has also made some wooden storage/carrying boxes for things like the axe, tent stakes and poles. Also has made a table with folding legs that just fits the bottom of trailer. When he gets everything loaded aboard, then has a plastic tarp he secures over the load - also uses this same plastic tarp as a canopy over his table & cooking area. Bottom line, he has an efficient system for setting up a most comfortable camp. Awhile back I told my utility trailer friend that at least I could carry my canoe on top of the closed popup camper for traveling down the road rather than having to carry it on the roof of the tow vehicle and partically obstructing some of the driver's vision, like he had to do with his utility trailer. Darned if when I saw him the last time that he had not made a removeable carrying rack for toting his canoe around that just fit the trailer! Dale

I wish I'd seen this thread before posting mine! Yes, you can use a pressure cooker on the propane stove. I had a pressure cooker in my RV (and plan to put it in the camping equipment for this summer's trip). I have also used it on the white-gas stove (older Coleman model), when we were renovating the kitchen at home. We looked at those 12-volt refrigerators. My husband was annoyed that he got rid of his after leaving the trucking industry. Well, how could we know! Thanks for the tips on the newer ones. As far as camping reservations go: from experience, the national park campgrounds fill fast. Many of them are on the reservation system, and others (like in Arches) will require you to start trolling through the CG at daybreak, looking for departing campers. Our trip is about the same length as yours, though we are staying in motels and with friends and family instead of tent-camping. From experience with long trip tent camping, though, you'll want to get a motel room or find a truck stop with reasonably priced showers (bring shower shoes) every 3-4 days. Your trip sounds like a lot of fun -- we're heading from CA to ME via Orlando, FL, and back through MO (daughter, son-IL and new granddaughter live there). So we're going opposite of you, grin. I've placed a link to a great resource for road-trip planners. It's one of my favorite Internet sites. Donna Here is a link that might be useful: Road Trip America

Check out this website about camping. North Padre Corpus Christi We were right on the beach where it meets the dunes. We did the primitive camping although I believe there are regular camp sites some place. We drove about ten miles down the beach on the packed sand. There were RV's. Our pop up camper needs a repair so we didn't bring it. It was easier to tent camp for this trip. I have to get ready for homecoming in a few minutes so I can't post pictures. It was beautiful. We picked a period of wind. If it's not windy and there is no red tide, it should be really nice.