We went back and forth about going to Bishop this year.  After our Joe’s Valley trip we felt psyched to get back on the rocks, but we had so much to do to prepare for the trip and such little time to do it in, we just became overwhelmed and lost focus and motivation. Tommy’s truck suspension was on the fritz as well, so he wanted to stay home and get that fixed and I was just honestly dreading the crowds that always amass in Bishop every Thanksgiving. We actually cancelled the trip and then I felt so awful about it and convinced Tommy that we had to go. Our only stipulation was that we weren’t allowed to go anywhere that we’d already been. The repetition of going back to the same stuff was getting old and it was either new or die.

So, we set out with a list of new places and new projects and WE HAD AN ABSOLUTE BALL! And we didn’t hit any crowds! Woo hoo! I’m not anti-social or anything but the crowds are too much for me now. We’ve gotten spoiled by our woody and the solitude it provides. Tsk Tsk. What have you done to me Tommy? We also decided to make our Thanksgiving dinner using our crockpot and making instant everything else. It was delectable! After a week, our skin was trashed and we felt good leaving it all on the rocks. We left a lot of projects undone and are anxious for next year. Here’s to hoping we stay injury free this year and can crush some problems next November!

One of the things that had us overwhelmed before the trip was our pop-up trailer. It’s only getting smaller as the boys get bigger and we were desperate for more room. We debated on whether to just sell it and upgrade but unfortunately the decision wasn’t so easy. The bigger you go, the heavier you get and our 4runner can only haul a certain weight. So, with a new trailer, we’d need a new truck, and after much consideration we decided we weren’t willing to do that. We are really enjoying being debt free so we decided to try and come up with a way to add more space to the trailer. Somehow.

During our trip to Joe’s Valley, one of the main zippers on the entrance flap broke and we couldn’t close it. Our two options were to either have me fix it with my industrial machine, or buy a completely new tent cover which would have cost thousands of dollars. We chose the former and a week before our trip, we tore it off the bars and dragged it into the garage to try and fix it. I will tell you that it was one of the hardest projects I’ve ever had to do. Just the logistics made it nearly impossible. It weighed about 50 pounds and trying to maneuver the pile of vinyl into place gave us about a thousand calorie workout. It took me roughly 8 hours from start to finish and Tommy was there the whole way. I also had to enlist the help of my poor brother who had come over for a short visit. Nevertheless, we did it and even though there were a few spots that weren’t straight and some original holes that I missed filling, I was VERY happy with the result. The zippers are SUPER beefy and aluminum instead of plastic so they’ll last till the end of time.

After brainstorming  a while, I threw out the idea of trying to add a bunk bed to give the boys more room and ultimately give us more storage space. This would have been much easier to conceive in a hard sided trailer but with a pop up you’re limited to a certain space when everything collapses. However, I knew that Tommy would come up with something – he always does. So a couple weeks before the trip, he went out and bought materials and started creating a bunk bed system. It was amazing and the boys absolutely loved it! We also added a big storage bin in the place of one of the benches and that was nice as well. Eventually we want to add in a permanent fridge and heater. That’s for this year though. We can’t have a trip where we aren’t scrambling to get something done. It just wouldn’t be the same! Hahaha!

*ps – if you click on the pics, you’ll see a larger version. This blog is retarded and makes everything small. Lame, I say.

Here’s a little compilation of some of the videos we took there: