Our first camping trip in the 2016 Airstream Interstate Grand Tour EXT Twin starts the last Sunday afternoon in June. We head northwest on I-96 to Lansing, south on Lansing Rd, then west on Vermontville Hwy. We continue to Hastings, then follow directions to Yankee Springs State Recreation Area.

Our camping site is 143, fairly close to Gun Lake. It has 30A electrical service and a picnic table. Our outdoor furniture is our two REI camp chairs and GCI folding table.

The weather is warm, so we are inside part of the time with air conditioning running. We take walks to the lake front and beach and around the camping area.

Our camper is out of fresh water Monday morning. I pack up the camper, which is quickly folding and stowing the table and chairs and stowing the electrical cable. I fill the fresh water tank, we check out some of the places around the park and return for lunch.

Tuesday, our grey waste tank registers full, so we are again careful with water. After lunch I empty the waste tanks, refill the fresh water tank, and drive all the way around Gun Lake and further. I suspect the water had been inadvertently left running in the kitchen sink while the cover was closed. I had heard gurgling while we ate outside. And after that, we were out of the fresh water. We will be more careful with our water supply and will continue carrying an extra water container.

The campers next to us on the lake side move out Tuesday, so we enjoy even better lake views and many hours outdoors. The next day, Wednesday, is our last day at the campground.

I break camp after lunch. It is a relative breeze with this camper. I like our newer camper so far. We sleep well in it. It is much easier to drive. It is cozy, yet we can have most items we like to carry. Important for 2020 is traveling with a self-contained unit with our own eating, sleeping, and restroom facilities.

I choose to travel a different route home. We explore parts of Grand Ledge on the way, electing to stay in our vehicle due to the very hot afternoon. We are both refreshed and relaxed by our trip, while fulfilling our goal of using our camper for a few nights to learn how to best use it.

The Michigan lockdown had been lifted. Eager to travel, I drove with my wife to explore nearby state park and recreation areas. I soon realized our exploration would be cut short if we did not want to use public restroom facilities.

The next realization was we would need a self contained traveling unit in order to travel most safely more than a few tens of miles.

The ideal travel unit is small on the outside, yet big on the inside. The real world requires compromise. A class B RV, also known as a camper van, looks like the best compromise for the two of us. The dealer has a 22-foot Coachmen in stock that looks perfect after many hours of research. We meet our salesperson outside the building, use masks, and practice social distancing.

We soon see the RV. The outside is attractive. The inside feels smaller than shown in advertising pictures. The front seats are comfortable, but there is not enough room between my seat and the center console for me to get my legs around it to get to the rest of the van. The main point of getting a camper van for us is being self contained and being able to freely move about. The RV will not work for us. Disappointing.

Our salesperson asks if we would consider a used RV. Yes. She drives a 2016 Airstream Interstate Grand Tour to us. It is built with a Mercedes Sprinter chassis. The outside is attractive. The inside is attractive. There is much more space inside. It has nice features. It is relatively easy to get from the front seats to the rest of the coach. This one could work.

We check out other class Bs. The selection is limited during this part of 2020, so it only takes a few minutes. We take literature home and study our options for a few days.

Ultimately we trade in my Sierra 1500 and our 2015 Coachmen Freedom Express 246RKS for the Airstream. It is easier to drive than the two older vehicles together. It is much easier to back into camping spaces. Setting up camp can be as simple as plugging into electrical power. It looks good for us.