Well, we did it….Bambi is gone and we are now the proud owners of a new Airstream International Signature 25fb. We were sad to give up the Bambi. We’d taken it on 70 wonderful trips and enjoyed RVing far more than we had ever expected to. We learned a lot the last few years about our own camping preferences…first and foremost that we don’t like summer crowds. We actually prefer off season camping, when the parks are quiet and there are far fewer people around. Given the choice, we usually choose small federal campgrounds over state parks with hook ups – we knew that having larger batteries and bigger holding tanks would a be a real bonus.

Farewell Bambi….

Farewell Bambi….

When we bought our little 16ft trailer we expected we’d use it until we retired someday and were ready for long road trips. After a battle with breast cancer and the experience of how quickly life can be taken away, we decided to move forward with our plan of upgrading to a larger trailer. Although we’re both working still and long road trips aren’t in our foreseeable future, the extra space to move around during the fall, winter and spring months (all rainy!) in Oregon,  really drove our decision to purchase a larger one. After much thought and a lot of research we decided to go with the 25 foot front bedroom style. It’s considered the “big of the small and the small of the big” and it seemed like the right compromise for us.

One final consideration….when we bought our Bambi four years ago, we didn’t yet have a granddaughter. Sometimes my daughter and son-in-law bring along a tent and join us on the weekends. We now have plenty of room for all of us to be inside, and sweet Molly has her own bed!

Our favorite camping accessory :)

Our favorite camping accessory 🙂

We traded our little Bambi in at Airstream Adventures NW (wonderful company to work with) and two weeks later we left for three days at Mt. Rainier National Park.  For our first trip, we opted for a little RV Resort with full hook ups as we wanted to try out all the new amenities. Such fun!

First thoughts….space, space, space. We couldn’t get over it! It was wonderful! The ability to walk around in the front dining area and kitchen was exciting! Most of the storage is still empty…I can’t even imagine what I’ll use it all for!

A queen size bed that fit regular bedding was also exciting. The queen beds in the 25 foot models are a short version, so I purchased a bed extender which gives us an extra five inches. Not a problem for me being barely over five feet tall, but for my 6’3 husband, it made sleeping a much more comfortable experience.  Also, the bathroom and shower were so much easier to use than our little wet bath in the Bambi.

Another bonus…oh the light we have…windows, more windows and skylights make me happy!

Thought I’d share a few first photos…lots more to come as we have lots of fun trips planned for the remainder of our summer!

Click on the photo for a better view:

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Still small enough (we hope) to get into some nice, private sites!

Ford F-150 does the job nicely

Still small enough to get onto some nice, private sites (we hope!)

Still small enough to get onto some nice, private sites (we hope!)

A real bedroom!

A real bedroom!

Look at all those windows!

Look at all those windows!

Bathroom and shower

Bathroom and shower

Ready to continue on our adventures (appreciating the wind on a hot afternoon hike!)

Ready to continue on our adventures (appreciating the wind on a hot afternoon hike!)

Still playing with decorations today..but wow…would you look at those windows!

Still playing with decorations today..but wow…would you look at those windows!