Prepping For Rolex

Our tickets came!!!!!  I'm so excited!!  :D  It's getting closer and closer.  So we bought a tent (our old one dry rotted) on sale before Christmas.  It is an Ozark Trail tent that came as a bundle deal with an air up queen mattress, two sleeping bags and four folding chairs.  The tent is huge!  It's way bigger than I thought it would be.  We've been meaning to set it up since we got it, but due to the weather we haven't had a chance to (too cold or rainy).  Until this weekend that is!!!

Looking in the window.  That is a queen sized mattress.  You could put three in there!

 Zoomed out from the window.

 One of the doors.  There is another on the opposite corner.

 From the side.  The other side looks like this too.

Also those are two of the chairs and a fold up table mom is letting us borrow.

Here is a video that I found on Youtube where someone did a walkthrough of theirs.  It's really cool.

If you can't see embedded videos, click here.

It was actually really easy to set up.  All the poles just unfold and snap together and everything is color coded.  We learned a few things about setting it up (read the directions folks!) that will make it much easier than it was today.  Really the hardest part is just hammering in the ground stakes and that's only hard because you're bending over or squatting haha. I really like it!  So as part of our prep work we're going to sleep in it tonight in the yard.  :D

One of the really neat things about it, that I don't think they showed on the video is the bottom, sides and top are all one piece that hangs suspended from the pole framework, then that blue rain sheet goes over the top of the poles.  The roof of the actual tent is screen for air flow or you could leave the rain sheet off and be able to see the stars from your sleeping bag!!!  I'll have to get pictures or video of us disassembling it tomorrow so you can see it.  It's hard to describe, but it's so cool.

Other than that I've decided not to take Jackal.  I think taking him out of state for his first camping trip is just asking for problems.  It's a really long drive too and having to stop for potty breaks would have us getting there after dark.  The other thing is not being able to take him into restaurants or the shopping area at KHP.  They have a humane society dog sitting booth, but I'm too scared to leave him with a bunch of strange dogs.  I have NEVER left him anywhere and he would be an anxious, barking, crying mess if I left him.  I want camping to be fun for him, not stressful.  So as much as I want to take him I don't think it's fair to him.  They also require a current Rabies, DHLPP and Bordetella (kennel cough) vaccine.  I don't believe in over vaccinating.  He is current on rabies, but I'm not giving him the other two at his age.  He's never had a kennel cough vaccine and I don't want to give him one.  That also makes me paranoid about leaving him around a bunch of other dogs I don't know (remember he's never been boarded or anything, he stays with my parents if I'm gone).  He also hasn't lost all of the extra weight yet and I'm afraid he'll get too hot or too tired being gone all day.  Once we are in the KHP we can't leave because the tickets do not allow reentry!  So anyway that probably just sounds like a bunch of excuses, but in my gut I know it's the right thing to do.  I know my personality and Jackal's personality and we just won't do well getting separated in a place like that.  Neither one of us would be happy or having fun.

Now my last question is for all of you who have met fellow bloggers before.  How did you meet up?  Did you exchange cell phone numbers and call when you got there? Did you set up a prearranged time and place to meet?  Did you just wander aimlessly around through hundreds of people and hope you recognized someone you've only ever seen in a photo?  I appreciate any help!  I'm looking forward to meeting all of you who are going to Rolex!!!!