"Elenore, gee, I think you're swell ..."

When I was growing up, camping was not on the menu.  Family vacations always happened in hotels, and my sister and I had a serious affinity for the Embassy Suites chain - which, in the 80s and 90s, was a glorified palace of glass elevators, pools, buffet pancake breakfasts and a nightly "manager's reception" (er, happy hour) in the bar for the adults.  My sister and I spent countless evenings swimming and running around the atrium, where there was always a little stream with real koi fish, shimmering amongst the pennies we would toss in, one for each wish.

So enamored were we with the suite-style hotel concept, that once, upon entering a modest Motel 6 room in Rapids City, South Dakota during a Badlands road trip, my pint-sized sister turned to my parents, dumbfounded, and asked, "where the refigerator? Where the microwave?"

Fast-forward to 2015, where it's been decades since I've languished in hotel pools, and I've married a man who willingly (happily!) spends weeks at a time sleeping on the ground and not using a real live toilet.  He wants our small son to grow up with the same beloved camping memories.  Thus, friends, I must learn to camp.

Don't be mistaken, I love being outdoors - I spent the better part of my northern Wisconsin childhood building forts in the woods and swimming in lakes, pulling ticks out of my hair and scratching mosquito bites.  But of course, sleeping in all of that is another matter.  Luckily, Elenore happens to be a good compromise.

After pining away over vintage travel trailers for several years, we found her on a total whim, just 40-ish miles away in Lake Mills, WI.  She was tucked back in the corner of a clean, quiet garage, lovingly cared for by a Shasta collector.  (Shasta basically being the gold standard brand of vintage trailers - jackpot!)

Since she was a 1968 Shasta Compact, we christened her Elenore, after the Turtles' hit song, released in that same year. 

Despite some minor water damage to the main wooden frame, she's in remarkably good condition for a 47 year-old.  The interior is a bit dark, but the customization possibilities are endless!  And I have to admit, I'm in love with that avocado stove.  So 60s.

We definitely have our work cut out for us!  Stay tuned.  ☺️