Trail TaterFriends made along the way
Two bulldogs from the campsite next door at Lake Compounce Campground

October 10–12, 2025 • Bristol, Connecticut

Where Trail Tater began.

A close-to-home autumn shakedown weekend that became a collection of firsts: the first RV campsite, the first decal, the first magnet and the first state filled on the travel map.

Read the storySee the firsts
Campground Lake Compounce Campground Dates October 10–12, 2025 Site Pull-through RV site Hookups Water and electric

Every camper needs a first trip. Trail Tater’s began with a fall weekend in Connecticut, a front-row campsite, a Halloween event and two neighboring bulldogs who stole the only surviving photograph.

The first weekend

The trip included Ken, Lisa, Billie and Billie’s boyfriend. It was a practical shakedown weekend—close enough to home to learn the new camper without turning every forgotten item into a crisis, but still a real family getaway.

Lake Compounce gave Trail Tater its first chance to become more than a camper sitting in the driveway. Over the course of the weekend, the family learned how the space worked, where things belonged and what would make future trips easier.

Front row and easy access

The pull-through RV site had water and electric and sat in the front row near the campground office, store, bathrooms and showers. For a first outing, that convenient location made setup and campground life pleasantly simple.

Our first Trail Tater campsite

Pull-through, water and electric

  • Front row near the office and camp store
  • Close to bathrooms and showers
  • Easy pull-through setup for a shakedown trip
  • A comfortable home base for an October weekend

Phantom Fall Fest

Billie and her boyfriend headed into Lake Compounce for Phantom Fall Fest, the park’s Halloween event, while Ken and Lisa had time back at the campground. It gave the weekend a perfect October personality—part first camping trip, part fall getaway and part spooky-season adventure.

The owners of the campsite next door

The most memorable photograph from the whole weekend was not of the camper or the amusement park. It was of the two bulldogs next door, one standing proudly on the picnic table while the other watched from below.

Two bulldogs at the neighboring campsite, one standing on a picnic table
Our first campground neighbors. October 11, 2025, at 8:51 a.m.—the unofficial owners of the campsite next door.

Trail Tater history

The weekend of firsts

🚐First RV tripThe first overnight adventure with the new Trail Tater.
🗺️First map stateConnecticut became the first state filled on the U.S. travel map.
🧲First campground decalThe first campground memory added to the camper itself.
🥔First magnetThe beginning of the collection on Trail Tater’s valance.
🎃First park eventBillie and her boyfriend experienced Phantom Fall Fest.
🐶First camp neighborsTwo bulldogs made sure the first trip had a story worth keeping.
Lake Compounce was not the biggest Trail Tater adventure. It was the one that made every later adventure possible.