Jillian and I took that Jayco pop-up camper out for it's maiden voyage last weekend. Our main goals were to make sure Stella Blue (Jillian's dog) would be comfortable sleeping in the camper and to make notes of possible camper improvements. It just so happens that there is a state park roughly an hour outside of Mobile, in Uriah. Little River Park turned out to be a nice little place. the camping spots were roomy (even more so because, apart from a couple people who seemed to be semi-permanent residents, we were the only ones there) and there was a small lake nearby with rental canoes available.
We didn't bring much cash with us, having the mindset that primitive camp sites are inexpensive (so why not camper sites), and I ended up writing a $20 check for one night of power and water. After parking and setting up the camper, I learned very quickly that the cord for the power hook-up extended only about half a foot from the trailer; not nearly enough to plug in to the camp-site power box. Luckily, I happened to run into the on-site maintenance guy and he had recently purchased an extra 30 amp extension cord, which he was kind enough to let me borrow. I didn't realize at the time how huge a blessing that was b/c there were no hardware stores open in town that sold them.
A couple hours after having arrived, we had the camp site all set up, included a pretty sweet fire pit. We took a short trip to a nearby dollar general for some miscellaneous items and made it back just in time grab some wood from the grounds and get a fire going before the sun went down. Campfire hotdogs and s'mores were the only things on the menu and turned out perfect (b/c it's really difficult to screw those two things up). It didn't take long after the sun completely set for the temperature to drop into the low 40s, and lacking an infinite amount of firewood, took the party inside the camper.
Back to the extension cord. As it turns out, the camper's heater, that runs off propane, has an electric pilot with no way to manually ignite with a lighter. I also had nothing for warmth but a hoodie, a sheet and a comforter so the heater was an absolute must. If you've never been in a popup camper I will let you know that vinyl walls do not do the best job of containing heat, so even though the camper would heat up very quickly, it would turn into an icebox in an equal amount of time. I wouldn't categorize the night at my best or worst night of camping. I slept when the heater was on, and spent the rest of the time awake and praying for the heater to kick back on.
Over all, it was a great trip. Stella Blue didn't cry or bark during the night, even when the deer started showing up around the campsite. We also figured out a lot of things that we had not previously thought of. If anyone cares, I would definitely recommend Little River State Park to anyone looking to get out of town for a night or two. Great place to get away from it all without driving too far.
