Anniversary Camping - Central City KOA

Last week for a little treat Jenna and I got to go out with camper sans kiddos in order to celebrate our anniversary.  Big Thanks to my parents for hanging with them.

We took the camper up to Central City where we got to enjoy the wonders of full hookups including cable tv.  We borrowed a little tv and enjoyed some lazy afternoon and night time television.  I've yet to tackle the water system in our camper - this trip gave me the motivation to get going on that.

Other things we got to enjoy around the campground were sitting out, enjoying campfires, Hot tub, nice hot showers and some spectacular views.

We also to enjoy some breakfast in town and some penny slots.  We went for a hike in Golden Gate Canyon State Park and also walked around town.

It was super fun to hang out just the two of us in the camper and enjoy a few days away together with the Frolic! 

Our Campground

Jenna caught some great pictures on our hike

Echo Lake

This past weekend we went out to Echo Lake Campground in Grand County.  It was a great trip and we were joined by some extra family which made it even more special.  We got to enjoy all the normal camping stuff - , hiking, fire time, relaxing, good conversation and great food incl. s'mores, fire pies, burritos and two delish breakfasts.  I made a breakfast casserole in the camper oven which came out pretty good.

The Campground

The campground was great was about 20 ish sites and 5 of them being first come first serve.  There were a ton of trees which made for a beautiful site.  It seemed like this are had not been as badly affected by mountain pine beetle like so many other campgrounds and areas have been.  Echo lake is just a couple of minutes walk from the campground and there's plenty of hiking right out of the grounds as well.  Would definitely go back!

The Camper

This was the campers first mountain trip and it went really well.  It towed great up and down the mountain.  It was a peaceful place for afternoon naps and a warm place to eat breakfast all together on a chilly Saturday morning.  I put a lower hitch (3 1/4" drop) on the car this time to try and level out the trailer but it still sits too high in front - will try even lower next time.

We also realized that we need some sharp knives and a cutting surface to help with food prep. 

First Trip Out!

Last Friday we took our first trip out of the back yard in the camper.  We've had some sleepovers, meals, naps and used it as an office.  For our first trip we decided we wanted to go close so we headed to Cherry Creek State Park.

Firstly, getting the camper in and out of the backyard.  The first time it showed up it took almost 6 hrs to successfully navigate it around a corner in our tight alley and then into the backyard.  It got stuck several times and wasn't much fun.  After a lot of planning and some additional tools/resources it came out and in very succesfully.

Our camping trip was amazing!  The girls had a TON of fun!  They got to hike, bike, play, enjoy smores, campfire and some singing!  It was really cool to feel so isolated in a beautiful place that is smack in the middle of the city!

The camper worked brilliantly.  It towed successfully and hosted for rainy day play time, meal time and sleep time.

We're super pumped for camping season this year with all our girls and our 'new' super fun camper!  What a blessing!

All hitched up and ready to go!

The Outside

The outside of the camper was definitely a very rewarding part of the project and perhaps my favorite.  I really like how it looks and loved finding some original Frolic logo decals as well as putting out little families initials on the bumper.

Outside projects included . . .
Repair and seal some seams
Reseal some windows (a little water was coming inside!)
Scrape rust off of frame
Grease and pack axle bearings (only one side so far -  the other side the nuts are rusted stuck, so will need to take it some big guns to get them off.)
Paint roof, body and frame
new tail and clearance lights for the back end plus a little trailer wiring magic!

Enjoy the pics!

One of the faded original Frolic Logos

New shiny logo!!

One of my fav pics!

The Inside

Looking at such a massive project it was hard to know where to start.  This camper had one owner from the early 70s through 2010 then it was traded in for the upgrade.  Then someone bought it from the RV dealer and started the process.  They were able to replace the roof, do a lot of the demo on the inside and start putting it back together again.  It was a big project and they were ready to part with it.  So that's when we purchased it.  Seeing as the inside was already underway it seemed like a good place to start.  The pictures tell the best story but some of the things from the inside include . . . .

A TON of cleaning, scrubbing, vacuuming, and scraping
New panels on wall & ceiling
New insulation in walls and ceiling
Prime and paint wall & ceiling
Rewire 110 and 12 V systems
New laminate hardwood floor
Maintenance and minor repairs to cupboards and benches
New curtains and seat covers (thanks to my fav. mother in law, Donna! )
Light fixtures
Manufacture window screens and frames
Get appliances up to speed with some cleaning and minor repairs (fridge, stove/oven, heater)
Added 12V converter to charge battery and run 12V while camper is plugged into 110V
Put in stereo (very important!)

With all that I think we have a super nice to place to hang out, sleep and eat.  Check out the pics

This is the original!

Dining area with wall panels in

Back corner missing some things

A few more things added

Getting there!

Kitchen in process

Almost there!

New light fixture

Finished back end

Finished dining area

We got a camper!

At some point in 2010 we decided it would be a great idea to own a camper. We also thought it would be great to get something a little older and more vintage. So we got a 1971 17' Frolic Camper.

Our little camper blog will document the things we've done to restore it and most importantly all the fun things our family will do in it and with it!

With camping season almost here, it's almost time to roll it out for the very first time. I'll post some before and after pics real soon.

We're pumped to share our little project and all the fun.