The Happy Kampers are a husband and wife cinematography team from Dayton, Ohio. Their business, in their words, is: “to handcraft story-driven, creative wedding films locally and internationally.” But in their free time? They travel the country with their Keystone camper. Here are their 5 top stops the epic RV Tour of the U.S. they took earlier this year. All of the photos are theirs…as is the adorable boy you see in the shots (that’s Croix). Underneath each photo, Mike Kamper’s description of what was happening when the photo was taken.
1. Galveston, Texas
A city meant to be a pass through on our trip turned out to be a really fun surprise. We extended our stay for an extra day just so we could explore more. The Boys of Summer by Don Henley flashed through my mind as we walked on an empty beach. Although the streets and shops were empty and the rides on the seaside amusement park sat motionless, you could feel the remnants of summer lingering.
2. Panacea, Florida
Headed west we found this little campground that sat on the Ochlockonee bay near Panacea, FL. It’s a small town on the forgotten coast with a way of life surrounded by–and supported by–the sea. We were drawn to explore here. We felt like we needed to be on the water here. As we recall those conversations we had around the campfire with our new friends, they make us smile.
3. Ginnie Springs, Florida
Our child reminded us daily that this trip was about the journey, not the destination. He helped us to slow down and enjoy the experiences we were having as we crisscrossed the country. We were hours from the coast, yet you could still see just how important the outdoors and being near the water was to the residents of Florida. If it wasn’t for the crystal clear blue water from the natural springs it would have looked and felt as if we were camping in our home state of Ohio.
3. Big Bend, Texas
2300 miles into our journey we arrived at Big Bend National Park. We had less than a full day to explore this amazing and enormous national park and decided to head to the Santa Elena Canyon on the border of Mexico. As we watched the sun set, the light poured through the canyon walls onto the Rio Grande. This place was so majestic that even a five-year-new was content to just sit and watch.
5.Point Mugu, California
One of our greatest surprises was Point Mugu just outside of Malibu. We were headed North up the PCH after staying a few nights near LA. We drove past this campground but something tnew us to turn around and go back. We felt free and connected here and after three days of dry camping on the beach, we left with our batteries empty and our souls recharged.
By The Happy Kampers
Mike, Alison & Croix
