So I had this trailer...

This trailer meant a lot to me.  It was built in 1992 and I bought it used in 2002.  I just brought it home.  I didn't consult the husband.  I just did it.  The kids and I enjoyed our trailer for the next 8 (or so) years.  We camped out in it in the back yard.  We hauled it to BattleGround lake on a regular basis.  We took it to the coast.  We dragged friends along for the good times.  We huddled in it playing games during rainy icky camping trips.  

This trailer represented so many good things and so many good times.  I brought it to Lynden in 2011.  It has sat in the barn for the last three years being used as storage.  Peter and I never took it out.  Never used it.  

It was time to let it go.  I considered selling it but I couldn't.  How could I sell it?  Not only is a 22 year old trailer worth almost nothing, I was emotionally attached to the stupid thing.  I'm weird I know.  I will always have the memories no matter what happens to the trailer.

Fortunately my son offered to take it off my hands.  Now that he has a baby, camping in a trailer will be way better than a tent.  THIS I thought was the perfect solution.

We tried to take the trailer to him in February but an unexpected snow storm hit the morning we were to leave and I refused to take it out in the storm.  This weekend was snow and ice free and off we went.  But first the freighbor gifted me with an old mattress we could use to build a "real bed" in the trailer - instead of sleeping on a lumpy, bumpy, poor excuse for a bed that trailer manufacturer's think fits two people.

The plan was to get one last trip in, on our way to Kyle's house, stay in the trailer for the weekend and then leave it with him.  On Thursday we set out for Lincoln City.  The rain poured, the wind buffeted us about. It was awful weather but we made it safely to our destination.

The weather was still awful when we got to the campground.  Despite the wet, we parked the trailer and quickly hooked it up to the utilities.  

I plugged in the water hose, turned it on and water poured out the side of the trailer.  Mmm.. that wasn't supposed to happen.  Not wanting to spend more time in the downpour than necessary I quickly decided to just fill the reserve water tank and use it, instead of the direct feed.  Water poured out everywhere.  Obviously something very bad had happened.  We were going to have to bring in water in containers for this trip it seemed and figure out the leak under dryer circumstances.

We finally got inside the trailer only to find the driving rain had been driven into the trailer and soaked our bed.  Completely saturating it in one corner.  All the bedding was wet.  The mattress was wet.    Perhaps three years in the barn had caused seams and joints to dry out.  

We should turn on the heater!  I stripped the bed and hung up the sheets so they could dry. oh wait.  It seemed we were out of propane.

No water, no bed, no heat.  Oh well - Low tide is quickly approaching and agates are calling to Peter.  We could take care of these other issues later, tides don't care.  I just wasn't up to agate hunting in pouring rain so Peter geared up and went without me while I poked around a few shops, drank some wine and enjoyed the beauty of the Oregon coast.  He eventually sent me a text message that said he was on his way back and safely over the dangerous part of the rocks.  When I picked him up he confessed that he wasn't ENTIRELY over the dangerous part when he sent the text and, in fact, had fallen just after hitting the send button.  He was very banged up, but nothing was broken.

Things weren't going too well.  Perhaps giving away the trailer wasn't going to be so hard after all.

Heat issues addressed, we covered the wet mattress with a plastic table cloth, pulled out a couple sleeping bags and settled in for the night.  The first problem was that the mattress was squished into the space at the end by our feet, and flopping down off the edge on the other end.  Peter slept on the inside and I on the outside, propping myself up against the kitchen wall to keep from sliding out of bed.  Peter was restless because of his injuries (possibly a torn rotator cuff or some other pinched nerve, torn muscle issue) which caused us to look at the clock every 20 minutes it seemed.  About 3:00 in the morning I propped a suitcase under the edge of the mattress which gave me the luxury of not sliding out of bed. Unfortunately, it made me roll toward Peter - who wasn't in the mood to be touched or jostled in any way.  The second problem was that water continued to drip.  Mostly on Peter.  It was a very long night.  By morning I was ready for a cup of coffee. Oh. Wait.  Forgot to pack the coffee.

Friday we abandoned our plans to linger on the coast and took the trailer to Kyle's house.  We parked it and tarped it.  We had dinner with friends, we bought coffee.  We started the night with the suitcase under the bed.  The night was better, it was dry and warm.  Saturday Peter went off to his seminar and I spent the day with my son and grandson.

Then Saturday night happened.  Peter's injuries had reached the apex of discomfort. Swelling was maximized, soreness and pain had grown.  Getting comfortable in a 19 foot trailer wasn't possible.  He was up.  He was down.  He tried to sleep in the car.  He walked the neighborhood.  He was down.  He was up.  Back to the car.  Back to wandering the neighborhood.  He did not sleep.  I got the bed mostly to myself.  That bed was very comfortable!   

It was finally morning and we were able to be on our way.  I packed up our things and said farewell to my trailer.  

Despite the very rocky trip and miserable three nights we had just spent in it, despite the leaking and the water problems and the bed issues, despite the fact that it was not being sold to a stranger but given to my son I could not help but shed a tear.