I took this photo on one of our last trips away in Ripley. Ahhhh the serenity.

Kelly and I were reflecting today (with a little sadness) on some of the fantastic times we had in her. No doubt if we still had her, we would be on the road right about now. Probably one of our spur-of-the-moment lost-and-found trips.

Today (in here and now time) was a lovely crisp sunny afternoon, which back in the Ripster time would have been the perfect excuse to pull over, put the kettle on and then flop down on the bed for slow coffee …perchance a nap with a view.

Don’t get me wrong, our tiny teardrop camper (named Flea) has been a lot of fun, but she is a little more reluctant to travel in the winter months. She has no heating, and on really cold nights her internal walls are awash with beaded, dripping condensation.

Yes, if it’s wet and cold for any length of time we are kinda trapped in a confined space.

With all our winter jumpers and coats and other kit in the back….well you remember that scene in the first Star Wars where Luke, Leia, Chewbacca and Han are all trapped in the trash compactor and the walls start moving in?

And then there is the inevitable 2am walk to the bathroom1.

Sleepy and half dressed (because getting dressed at 2am inside Flea when Kelly and Juno are asleep is a mix of blind Hatha yoga and full contact ju-jitsu)…and by the time I get back, wide awake and freezing cold.

Synopsis: The Flea is fun, but Ripley was rad!

I think I am feeling that self-contained, off-grid, home-away-from-home, micro-adventure, winter-time travel bug blues again².