Metris Getaway Adventures

   Last Saturday, the husband installed a brake controller on the Metris.  He had to cut a hole in the dash to do so, and I must admit to having heart palpitations at the thought. That's why he did it while I was at work, and it turned out fine! He placed it on the left side of the steering wheel by the lights control box. Because of the steering wheel, he is not able to see it as well as he would like, but he can reach it in a pinch.  This meant we could now tow our camper with the Metris. So Saturday afternoon, after work,  I packed some food, an overnight bag and off we went for a test tow!   We pulled our pop up trailer to Comalar Park at Lake Evergreen outside of Bloomington, IL. This is about 40 miles from home, and involved both highway and country roads.  The Metris did a great job towing. It had the strength to power up the river bluffs without hesitation.  We picked a spot, leveled and popped the camper.  Ah - two king beds, a couch...

  We took three days and shot up to Wisconsin last weekend.  Here is what we learned on this trip: Downsizing means you can pack the cooler the night before and put the entire thing in the 'fridge.   We have a very large fridge.  But the cooler is very small.  We like to cook when we camp, so this small cooler was definitely a challenge. The small kitchen, in general, was a challenge. So far, the cooking had only been breakfasts. They are easy. A half batch of homemade buttermilk pancakes is plenty for two people.  This time, we did suppers and generally speaking, they require more equipment.  I found some cute (tiny) items to help.  I have also ordered sample size spice packets from Penzey's. They should make camp life more flavorful! Set the bed up before you leave . This worked out great! It's just the two of us and we wouldn't be using the bench seat anyway. When we got there at 10:30p, all we had to do was swivel the seats, but the food on th...