As I write this, we’re just days away from picking up van 3.0, a 2022 Pleasure-Way Tofino. And If you’re familiar with different RV models. you might be scratching your head a little bit. After all, did we really trade in our Winnebago Travato, which had more space, a plumbed bathroom, A/C, and hot water, for a shorter vehicle, with no A/C, no hot water, and no bathroom? HELLS YES! And we couldn’t be happier.

Spring in New England is, well, unpredictable—to say the least. So when G and I spied one of those summer-like weekends ahead in the forecast in early APRIL (yep, I’m a few weeks behind in posting), we jumped at the chance to take Tedda (our Winnebago Travato) out and camp at Pawtuckaway State Park in Nottingham, New Hampshire. G and I were a little bit ashamed that we had never visited Pawtuckaway after all these years living in New Hampshire and having this gem of a park so close. In fact, from everywhere we’ve ever lived in the state, Pawtuckaway SP has never been more than 25 miles away. And yet, we had never visited.

If you follow this blog, you know that Maine is our absolute favorite place; when G and I first started dating back in 1995, we often spent our weekends driving to Maine and visiting the small towns dotting the coast. We fell in love with the coast and with Maine itself; 26 years later, we’re still making those coastal drives, and Maine still has our heart. One of these days, maybe we’ll hop the border and even make our home in “Vacationland.” While we love Maine year-round, there’s something especially beautiful about the coast in winter—the quiet, the stillness, the solitude (all the more appreciated these days!).

Our Thanksgiving getaway to Acadia National Park was a short one, but the two days away gave us a little escape from our routines and our four walls. Being in the Travato allows us a way to travel without really interacting with anyone else or with any public spaces, and our first experience boondocking with Boondockers Welcome was a success; the site, while really just a parking spot in a business lot, was perfect for our needs and offered a convenient base for us for our two nights in the area.

If you like camping, you’ll find no shortage of options. You can camp in tents, hammocks, full-size RVs, vans, and even regular cars. Sure, each comes with varying degrees of comfort, but there are certainly plenty of options. With regard to where one chooses to camp, again, options galore. Up until just a few weeks ago, G and I had mostly camped these past two years in established state, national (Canada), or municipal, or independently owned campgrounds. Now, however, we can add “boondocking” to our list of adventures.

I have a list of blog post ideas to come, but I figured now might be a good time to show folks the inside of Tedda, our Travato. And what better timing, as this week marks the birthdays of both my Aunt Tedda (after whom our Travato is named) and my grandmother, her sister. I wrote about Nonnie and Aunt Tedda in this post, if you haven’t yet had the chance to “meet” them. Aunt Tedda, born Nov. 23, would be 112 if she were still alive and Nonnie 110. What I would’t give to hear their take on the world we live in today—I can only imagine what they’d both say! Of this I’m sure: Aunt Tedda would have totally rocked quarantine cooking, and Nonnie, a homebody already, would have been content with staying at home and watching her soap operas, following her “numbers,” playing solitaire, and eating ice cream. So in honor of them both, and Aunt Tedda in particular, here’s a peek inside Tedda our Travato!

Mid-November. For me, mid-November is one of New England’s “shoulder season” months. Long after the gorgeous foliage has peaked and before the beauty (and novelty) of the season’s first snowfalls is November. Cold weather. Gray skies. Short Days. Less sunlight. Nevertheless, committed to making every weekend count and to get as much use out of the Travato as possible, G and I opted for a return visit to Pillsbury State Park in Washington, NH, to take advantage of its last open weekend of the season.