We made it!

After 8 hours of driving we're here!! We've got everything set up and Jackson is in heaven. How does he not get cold lying in the rain? I know other dogs that would be whimpering to come inside, but there he is, basking in the glory of his wet hill, looking down at his people.

Our 4 hour trip turned into an 8 hour adventure. With a 100% chance of rain in the forecast, we decided to fore-go our original plans of Jones Gap. You got it, we wimped out. 

Yup, and here we are at the Lake House in Spring City, Tennessee instead of Cleveland, South Carolina . The closer we got, the more we realized that sitting in 100% chance of rain for two days was not our imagined camping experience. However, we didn't want to totally waste the opportunity to try out our stuff, so we decided to set up our camping gear outside the house to test out what it would be like. Which turned out ideal, because it's windy, cold, and raining excessively. We can go in the house to warm up, drink hot chocolate all day, and still poop on a toilet. 

What would you do in the rain for two days if you were camping outside with no real shelter?? I'm sure it will happen eventually!!

Our First Camping Trip

Left the house at 7am to embark on our first expedition. We loaded up the cargo carrier, put the bikes on the back, fit the cooler inside along with Jacksons bed.

We're headed to Jones Gap State Park. We packed extra stuff to see how much would fit when we're driving cross country and we wanted to practice packing it up before we set out for multiple months. 

Within the first 45 minutes we had to make a quick stop to fix the bikes which were bouncing around on the trunk. 

We picked a nice camping spot along side a river and although it might rain for the whole time were there, it will be great practice of equipment and patience for later. 

So far we have figured out that we each need our own tasks while packing in order to actually get things done. We like to look over each other's shoulders and chime in even when it's unwanted (I think I get that from my dad). 

The rain has already started and were not even past Columbia. 2.5 hours of driving to go.

Leaping Into The Unknown

As we get closer to our departure date lots of things start to go through my mind. Should we sell one of our cars? What else do we need to buy? Do we have enough money saved up? How can we make or save money while traveling? Is this even realistic for us to do?...
If we are not careful these thoughts will start to consume us (more me than Anna, as I tend to be the more anxious one).

A Surprise Lake House Visit

Charleston was flooded. They predicted a category 4 hurricane would blast us from the ocean, but luckily it diverted itself back out to the East. However, the rain could not contain itself.