The Hickman's Trailer Trash American Tour: Stevie it is!

Our trip is in high gear and we are rolling! Thanks to Matt's Sister, Courtney, and her Genius, the camper has a name: Stevie!

We ended up officially leaving McKinney on Friday around 1pm. Our aim was 10, so I think we did pretty well. Leaving was harder than expected. Of course, the moment of getting on the road and realizing we're doing this, brings on the emotions and tears of having to say goodbye. Megan's amazing brother had to throw in a picture album of loved ones complete with a sentimental message (sorry Colchild but we had to mention it) which threw us both of the handle.

Fast Forward to Sherman, Texas: we were completely focused on the fun we were about to have,(meaning our emotions were tucked inside both our heads and no longer out loud) spending time with Matt's Sister, Brother-n-law and nieces camping along the Buffalo River in NW Arkansas.

We arrived in Fayetteville around 5:30 and met up with Courtney, Eddie and the girls at a Walmart to stock up on food for the weekend. After Walmart, we drove for about 3 hours to our campsite. Of course we arrived and it was dark so we set up camp, put the girls to bed and had some adult time by the campfire. Relaxing... but very enjoyable.

To be honest, the set up was a bit rough in the beginning. Our camper, which we fully inspected several times before taking it on the road, decided to turn on us and see just how much we could handle. The outside lights stopped working on the way there which resulted in people driving behind us and relying on our speed to stop instead of break lights. Once we arrived and were set up, Megan turned on the water. Picture a sprinkler on steroids coming out of a drawer. Yes, it was the great flood of 2009 and yes, we need some pipe tape to fix up a fantastic leak under our sink. We will deal for now.

We stayed at Buffalo Point until Sunday and had an amazing time. What a beautiful spot it was. We got to fish, float, and relax. We loved every minute of it. When it was time to say goodbye to Buffalo River, our fantastic camper decided to stay up and refuse to leave. Finally, after several hours passed, loads of different tools had been gone through, camper parts were strewn on the ground and beat up by Matt and incompetent park rangers had stopped saying "just shake it", the crank latched on and the camper descended. Applause all around and a huge sigh of relief. We decided: another problem solved, let's hope that doesn't happen again.

We drove to Memphis on Sunday and were not really sure where we should stay. A camping neighbor at Buffalo Point had told us about Meeman-Shelby State Park and repeatedly told us it was amazing. We knew we wanted to see the sights, so we debated on getting a hotel room, staying in Graceland RV park or camping at the State Park. Don't ask us why... but the State Park won.

It was gorgeous, filled with trees and on the Mississippi River. Driving around the park, we found a campsite (once again, it was dark) and immediately started setting up. 2 seconds outside at our campsite, resulted in at least 7 mosquito bites. Matt and Megan's mood= NOT GOOD. Frustration, itching, sweating, exhaustion and still in shock at the fact that there were more churches than gas stations on the drive to Memphis, we both sat down, looked at each other and burst out laughing. We both could not believe the amount of bugs that existed in that forest!

This morning we decided to pack up and leave; as beautiful as it was, we are both nail biters and are both unable to scratch a mosquito bite appropriately.

Today was Memphis Day! We drove to the city and found a pet friendly hotel. After dropping off Daisy, we ate at the Commissary. SO GOOD! We shared a plate of Barbecue that we will forever crave. After lunch we made it to Graceland. The place was pretty empty so we didn't have to wait in any lines. What a house! We have decided to use Elvis' vision as our guide to decorating our first home. The evening ended with a visit to Beale Street and more BBQ at BB Kings. Memphis is an amazing city. We are exhausted! Daisy is sitting here snoring next to us.

We are leaving tomorrow to head towards Washington D.C. We aren't 100% or even 50% sure what the plan is tomorrow, but we now know we need to be in D.C. by Wed. night. I guess we shall see...

We are having a blast! We love you all so much and everyone crosses our minds everyday!

Matt, Megan, Courtney, Eddie, Isabel and Sophia