Since our trip to Florida to pick up our “new” motorhome, winter weather came back in force and we had quite a few days of freezing weather – and what seemed like non-stop weekends of stormy, wet weather too.

Finally, at the end of January, we caught a break and took our first trip out together.  Meaning – all 4 of us plus our fur family.  Rocket, our Boykin Spaniel has grown used to camping, but how about our two young cats?  We will see…

Rocket has always been nervous riding in the truck.  So we were pleasantly surprised to see him settle down after about 30 minutes in the motorhome next to his very own window.  I’m so glad Tiffin makes these motorhomes with the “doggie window!”

Our cats on the other hand obviously didn’t like the carrier all that much.  With them being unpredictable, I didn’t want them crawling all over the dash at just the wrong moment.  So we were treated to various levels of howling for the hour drive to the campground.

We arrived late afternoon and setup was quick.  The auto-level jacks will spoil you!  We didn’t bring a dinghy (haven’t been able to set up the Subaru yet) so all I had to do was back in and press a few buttons.  Speedy setup is a welcome change from pulling a trailer!

Thankfully, the cats settled in without complaint.  Smart tip from a fellow RV’er – bring their “home” blankets and litter box too.  Rocket assumed his normal couch spot…

That Saturday morning we went for a small hike / walk near the campground and witnessed the equestrian side of Croft.  Lots of horse trailers and trucks filled the day use area as we watched these magnificent beasts and their riders pass by.

I’ve always liked horses, but I figure I could either afford a motorhome or a horse, but not both!

We walked along the shores of Lake Craig before returning for lunch.  In warmer weather, this would be a great place for paddling and dropping a line hoping to catch the big one (or maybe just dinner).  Next time, maybe we’ll rent one of the boats.

After lunch I hopped on the mountain bike for some much-missed trail riding.  Spending so much time on the road, training for century rides in the “season” makes me miss what first got me into bicycling – mountain biking sweet singletrack.

Croft did not disappoint, but it wasn’t easy either.  I had a much better experience than my first time here (on a rigid mountain bike, about 20 years ago) but as always my technical skills had atrophied.  I rode the entire Southside loop, plus a short detour on High and Dry.  I’d describe the trails as a mix of fun and not so technical single track, interrupted by some rather technical climbs and wet, muddy lowland type trails.

Generally, along Fairforest Creek you’ll need to expect some mud – seems this area takes quite awhile to dry out.  Expect climbs where you leave the river and head to the “uplands.”  Learn from my mistake – don’t ride “up” the Idaho trail.  Looks like that one was designed with gravity in mind.  A better approach is to ride up Outlaw and back down Idaho (if you dare!).  Otherwise treat yourself to some fast single track (double in sections) and just keep an eye out for the random eroded section.

I had a great two hour ride, and wore myself out.  Time for dinner!

We had a simple dinner (using the convection oven – wow that cooks fast) and for the first time in months enjoyed a big campfire together.

Sunday morning, before heading home, we tried to find a geocache in the park near the bridge over Fairforest.  We must be rusty with our geocache skills – despite looking “everywhere” we came up empty handed.  We’ll have to try again!

On the short drive home, the cats revolted.  Well just one – our larger longhair “Fuzz” apparently had enough of being stuck in the carrier with Bitz and there were some fighting words exchanged.  We let Bitz out and she retreated to the back of the motorhome and stayed there until we got home.

Next time we’ll experiment with separate carriers!