Solo trip

I took the camper out by myself this weekend.  Meaning, without David or Miles. 

I wasn't by myself once I got there. 

I went to Montana Summer BOW, held near Missoula this year.  BOW (which stands for "Becoming and Outdoor Woman," which sounds dated but is Super Cool) is a program run by Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks.  It's pretty much summer camp for adult women. You have a chance to learn various outdoor skills like shooting, archery, boating, fishing, natural history, in a supportive mostly women environment. 

 Here's the Toaster next to a 1959 Hiawatha.

And here is a cute little pop-up style camper.  It had large skylights for star watching. 

I enjoyed seeing others' campers. A mini-taste of how a vintage camper rally would go down? 

Most women were in tents or little cabins, but the campers got some love and we all gave some tours. 

I've done several of the Montana BOW workshops and they are always fun and educational.  I learned how to shoot a gun at BOW several years ago, and learned how to talk about the various calibers and what not.  This time I took  butterfly id, fly tying and birding. Lots of states and Canadian provinces offer BOW workshops and I suggest you visit the International BOW webpage and register for one near you.  If you are woman and you enjoy the outdoors, at least.

I had a good time at BOW, and relevant to this blog, I am really glad that I learned how to hitch up, drive, back up, and set up the camper on my own.  I feel lame when I have to rely on David for all those things, and fortunately for me, he is very willing to teach me how to operate and tow the Toaster. 

I didn't think I'd ever be able to hitch up the trailer, let alone without someone there to give me hand signals.  But allow me to show you my first ever attempt at solo backing up:

I KNOW.  Not too shabby. 

But a little off so I did it again. 

And then again until it was perfect.

It is taking practice and it's a bit frustrating.. But after a few lessons I feel pretty confident.  I didn't hurt the camper, and no one got hurt or killed. I'm glad I could this, and I think it's appropriate my first solo outing was to BOW, a program of women's empowerment. 

Thanks David for teaching me to do this! 

Oh and here's some flies I tied at "summer camp."