cbamos
New Member
[SIZE=10.5pt]I'm posting this trip report with the goal of contributing a little something back to the site that 1) allowed us to find our used FWC, 2) serves as a daily dose of information / distraction when thinking about the next adventure.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]Another goal of this post is to offer some insight into traveling with young kids in a pop-up camper. We have a toddler and an infant, and admittedly the dream of family summer road trips was a big source of inspiration toward finding a camper. Bottom line - traveling with young kids is still a ton of work, but the camper definitely helps. Also, we determined that spending three nights in one spot is ideal as far as the efficiency of setup and breakdown goes.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]In any case, the basic route of our trip was from Bellingham -> Whistler -> Manning Park (via the northern loop and Duffey Lakes Rd) -> Winthrop, WA -> Hwy 20 home. We spent a week on the trip, trying not to drive more than ~4 hrs in one go (nap time!), and Mom and I traded off mountain biking / running during our days in camp.[/SIZE]
Trailside views in Whistler (Comfortably Numb!):
View from the Duffey Lakes Rd:
Looking for lunkers in Lightning Lake (Manning Park, BC):
My wife rode up to the fire lookout on Windy Joe:
Camp at Lightning Lake:
We each took turns riding the Buck Mtn. Loop in Winthrop:
Camp views at Pearrygin Lake SP (next time we'll need a bigger RV):
All in all, it was a great trip, and my wife and I felt fairly accomplished having survived with an infant and toddler in tow.
Some side notes about the trip and camping in a FWC with little ones:
1. It is much easier for mom and baby to nurse when they sleep on the rollover couch down low. There's not enough height to sit up comfortably in the upper bunk. So, me and the boy were bunkmates up top, and the girls were down low.
2. I never imagined using the Thetford portapotty when we got the camper, but that thing made all the difference with a toilet-training toddler. It saved many trips back and forth to campground bathrooms. Don't worry, we mostly peed in the bushes...
3. We ate only a few odd meals out during the week (when on the road) and did the trip on ~2.5 tanks of gas. While the campgrounds were fairly pricey, the showers and dish washing stations in the provincial parks were great. All in all, it was a fairly cheap vacation.
[SIZE=10.5pt]Another goal of this post is to offer some insight into traveling with young kids in a pop-up camper. We have a toddler and an infant, and admittedly the dream of family summer road trips was a big source of inspiration toward finding a camper. Bottom line - traveling with young kids is still a ton of work, but the camper definitely helps. Also, we determined that spending three nights in one spot is ideal as far as the efficiency of setup and breakdown goes.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]In any case, the basic route of our trip was from Bellingham -> Whistler -> Manning Park (via the northern loop and Duffey Lakes Rd) -> Winthrop, WA -> Hwy 20 home. We spent a week on the trip, trying not to drive more than ~4 hrs in one go (nap time!), and Mom and I traded off mountain biking / running during our days in camp.[/SIZE]
Trailside views in Whistler (Comfortably Numb!):
View from the Duffey Lakes Rd:
Looking for lunkers in Lightning Lake (Manning Park, BC):
My wife rode up to the fire lookout on Windy Joe:
Camp at Lightning Lake:
We each took turns riding the Buck Mtn. Loop in Winthrop:
Camp views at Pearrygin Lake SP (next time we'll need a bigger RV):
All in all, it was a great trip, and my wife and I felt fairly accomplished having survived with an infant and toddler in tow.
Some side notes about the trip and camping in a FWC with little ones:
1. It is much easier for mom and baby to nurse when they sleep on the rollover couch down low. There's not enough height to sit up comfortably in the upper bunk. So, me and the boy were bunkmates up top, and the girls were down low.
2. I never imagined using the Thetford portapotty when we got the camper, but that thing made all the difference with a toilet-training toddler. It saved many trips back and forth to campground bathrooms. Don't worry, we mostly peed in the bushes...
3. We ate only a few odd meals out during the week (when on the road) and did the trip on ~2.5 tanks of gas. While the campgrounds were fairly pricey, the showers and dish washing stations in the provincial parks were great. All in all, it was a fairly cheap vacation.
