“I don’t feel good, I need to poo. I need water. Can we download Minions? I get car sick. Are we getting close? I am bored!”
That was all in the first hour of a five-hour trip with our grandkids to Escalante, Utah and I was scared! Don’t get me wrong, I love my grandkids, ages 9 and 6. I love it when they come over but I also love it when we wave goodbye after a sleepover or a nice visit. This was going to be different. This was going to be our first trip alone with them and it was going to be camping. What are we going to do, where are we going to stay and how long is it going to last?
We knew for sure it was not going to be Overlanding on some iconic trail. I can hear it now, “Are we just driving, I feel sick and have to throw up, this is boring”. Sure, we could find a fantastic campsite closer to Salt Lake City on the BeanThere camping app but what were we going to do for activities? Hike? That works well for my 9-year-old but not as well for my 6-year-old, “My legs are tired.” Explore with them in our UTV? I already terrified my granddaughter in that, so that was out.
Yonder Escalante
One of the reasons Cindy and I love Bean is because of its ability to get way off the beaten path and nowhere near an RV Park. In fact, the only time we had ever stayed in an RV park was in Baja at Kikis RV because it was getting dark, and we needed to find a place. However, we have been intrigued by one RV park and that is Yonder Escalante in Escalante, Utah. Yonder is more glamping than camping. It is not like any RV park I have ever seen with its vintage rental Airstreams, cabins and impeccable RV sites, spa-like bathrooms, and responsive staff. Their swimming pool/hot tub, clubhouse with fire pits, and coffee/hot chocolate/snacks seemed like a good option to spend some quality time with our grandkids.
So it was decided, we would book a vintage Airstream and an RV site for a Bean Trailer and spend the weekend together. Why the Airstream rental? Just in case grandpa needed an escape Bean. Deep breathing exercises Mark! You can do this!
If you are going to glamp surrounded by the midcentury sheik, there is no better trailer to fit the part than Classic Bean with its beautifully sculpted body and fenders. I know I am biased, but Classic was the star of the park. The positive comments from bypassers about our setup was endless as many of you Bean owners have probably experienced.
The vintage Airstream was nice but very poorly insulated. Oven hot in the day and freezing at night without the HVAC system on. The cabins would have been a better option but sold out. Interestingly the grandkids did not want to spend time in the Airstream, they wanted to hang out at the Bean during the day. It was the ultimate clubhouse and every drawer, cabinet, window, and door got extensive testing over a two-day period.
Cindy and I broke out all the grandparent tricks; games, Jiffy Pop, Toastites, smores, visits to the general store and lots of time at the swimming pool. The outdoor showers were so nice that my grandkids wanted to shower, twice!
We finished it all off with a short hike in Escalante Petrified Forest State Park and lunch out of the back of Bean.
It was a great experience and brought me closer to my grandkids. Yes, we did download Minions. Yonder Escalante is a great place to stay and is perfectly positioned as the gateway to Escalante. It is on the BeanThere App.
Cindy and I love mountain biking and wanted a small trailer we could take to our favorite trails. After searching, we determined we could design and build a better trailer than anything on the market. Now we have the pleasure of enjoying Bean on multiple adventures from short weekend excursions to epic trips ranging from Canada to Baja, Mexico.
