üCamp23

What an amazing experience once again. We’ve been participating in this annual event sponsored by nüCamp RV in Sugarcreek, Ohio since it’s inception in 2017 and every time it exceeds our expectations. As is our habit, we arrived early and enjoyed hobnobbing with other early arrivals here at Winklepleck Grove Campground.

Then for next nine days we gloried in being surrounded by people who share our passion for tiny travel. We got to not only hang out with old friends, deepening our relationships but to establish new friendships continuing to build our network of friends all across the country.

üCamp is spread out throughout Winklepleck and across the road at the Glenhaven campus where most events are scheduled. Though we could easily have walked everywhere and scored lots of steps, we often opted to catch a ride on one of the many golf cart shuttles just for the joy of spending time with other üCampers.

At every üCamp we learn new things as well as share some of the wisdom we’ve gleaned from our fourteen years of teardrop travel. We attended presentations and learned more about Battle Born Batteries, the Alde System, the history of nüCamp, and the Amish lifestyle. And we participated in presenting talks on Full-Time RV travel, Gadget Show & Tell, Tire Safety, Batteries, and Hitching & Unhitching.

We toured the nüCamp RV Service Center including some of the training areas. In the background is Sc@rlett, the red/black/silver 2018 T@B 400 that is now a training tool but which once traveled with us on several cross country adventures.

And we helped friends connect with the Service Center team to learn how to address their concerns and potentially set up an appointment for service.

One cannot forget about the food at üCamp, the legendary Amish donuts, the Steak & Shrimp grilled dinner, the Pot-Luck, the Amish Breakfast, the Amish Wedding Dinner, and more.

And then there was Thursday night. After dinner we headed back to our site and with the help of a few friends, we set up the sweet All Pro Adventures awning that we’d just won then set up a propane fire pit and as a few of us sat around and chatted we also were watching the lightning to our north and watching our weather apps. The storm was promising to stay to the north then suddenly took a turn to head straight toward us with a line of severe weather. We hopped to to get the awning down and stowed, folks headed to their own campers, then we headed through a light rain to a friend’s to help him prepare when the hail hit. Yes, we were out of doors and a few hundred feet from home when hail started pelting. We arrived home and were starting to dress Steve’s scalp wound from a huge chunk of hail when the severe weather alarm sounded and a text alert came through advising us to seek shelter. We joined a long line of vehicles snaking from the campground to the service center. As soon as we walked in with Steve still holding the compress to his head, he was tended to by a EMT and checked on often by by a series of nurses – and yes he’s recovered nicely. One of our friends had the foresight to bring his guitar and lead a modified campfire sing-a-long which helped promote a sense of calm and community. One of our lessons in this was to make sure that AccuWeather Alerts (the weather app we use most) and üCamp Text Alerts are permitted even when our phones are on Do Not Disturb during the night.

On Saturday morning as the majority of our fellow üCampers packed up and rolled out we lingered spending time with lots of different folks. Then as the afternoon wore on some of us instigated a run to Park Street Pizza in Sugarcreek for a bunch of pizzas, spread out a tablecloth as others showed up with snacks and beverages, and we enjoyed the 2023 Leftovers Party (leftover campers, not leftover food) while watching a beautiful sunset and gamboling calves on the elk farm behind Winklepleck. Yes! It’s been a fabulous time.

For more information or to sign up for alerts for next year’s event, click here.