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Over the years, spending time in the outdoors has become a passion for me. As a former columnist for Vamoose (https://vamooseutah.com), I’m looking forward to sharing the outdoor adventures that I experience with my husband, Martin, and our border collie/co-pilot, Kihei, as we explore Utah and the West. My hope is that you’ll find our travelogue helpful as you plan your own journeys.

I honestly never thought I’d love “glamping” as much as I do. For readers who only know me as a (recently retired) state legislator, bumping into my alter-ego—the traveler, lover of pine and lake, and roasted-marshmallow connoisseur (they’re delicious dipped in Bailey’s Irish Cream)—might come as a surprise.

My husband loves camping, but he likes “real” camping: backpacking for miles on end to set up a tent in the middle of the Uintas and fly fish there to his heart’s content.

When our kids were little, we’d car camp with a large six-person tent and a bunch of storage bins filled with juice boxes, graham crackers and camping supplies. But that experience got old as I—and my back, knees, and hips—also got older.

Truth be told, warmth, beds that aren’t on the ground and flushing toilets are much more my style. So, in 2012, we embraced a new form of “camping,” in a 24-foot, Class C Winnebago View. While traveling the open road, we often learn things we wish we would have known about ahead of time. I began to keep notes and started my blog, Roam With a View, (RoamWithAView.tumblr.com/) to share tips with other campers.

I invite those of you who make campgrounds your home away from home to check out the blog or “Roam with a View” monthly column in Vamoose.