Are you those people who get stuck traveling behind a camper in single lane traffic and complain? That used to be us, now the shoe is on the other foot, so we are going to play a game this summer. When we hit a passing lane, we are going to see how many cars pass us (since we can't really see the back up until they start to pass). This trip, the highest count was 4. We'll see the highest number hit by the end of the summer.
About 3 minutes before landing at our destination my husband sighed and realized he forgot the plug converter. We didn't know if we would need one, but wanted to have it anyway.
As we were parking in our spot, a gentleman was watching us as we seemed to look confused about being in the right spot or not, so not being shy, I asked him. He was very obliging and told us where to park. We asked him his name and low and behold, turns out he only lives a few blocks from us and is the father of a classmate of ours............one we are hoping to visit in Nfld next summer. Talk about a small world!! During our chat, we went around to the back of the camper. We witnessed a miracle. I said to my husband, 'is that the converter you were talking about?'. Sure enough, he didn't forget the converter. It sat very comfortably on the back bumper during the full hour long ride through town streets, turning left and right, up mountains and down mountains, on paved roads and gravel roads. We're still in shock over that one.
As my husband was still setting up, my daughter and I decided to walk around and check out the facilities on site. Like a bionic eye, my daughter discovered the playground and nothing else mattered. She had a total of 6 or 7 visits there during our 1.5 day stay. The people who owned the park also happened to be the parents of a young intern that just finished his term at my work place. Again, small world. They treated us very well. Whether it was because of the connection or the fact that they are genuinely nice people we were very happy with the service.
My daughter also ran into a classmate and one of her dance production dancers. I believe my social life is now over as my 6 yr old runs into more people she knows than I do. We had a great evening, had the pit fire going and of course roasting marshmallows. My sister-in-law and her family were traveling to Cape Breton from Halifax and popped in on their way. All she knew to look for was a big black truck!! Hello, you're in camping world that's full of big black trucks. She found us. They stayed for a nice visit, had a drink and roasted some marshmallows.
The next morning after breakfast, we decided to go fishing. Actually that means hubby and daughter go fishing while I take the pictures. The campground had a nature trail to a river, so we went on an adventure. It was a little overcast but warm. Never think about fly dope and sunscreen unless I actually see the bugs or sun. Mistake. Must remember to put both on regardless of weather. They did a bit of fishing in the river, but the fish were too smart. They ate the bait. We couldn't complete the trail as fallen trees over time wiped out the rest of the trail so we had to back track.
We then went to the big Red Barn which was only a couple of minutes up the road. We bought a few things at the souvenir shop (I know, I only live an hour a way and still bought souvenirs). The we played a round of mini-golf and headed back to camp for a late lunch.
A big-rig was pulling into the site next to us. My husband and I were sitting in our gravity chairs (oh yeah!!) and were enjoying the process. We were pretty sure that everything was automatic and it sure was. The big-rig pushed some button and it's like the big-rig deflated and then the auto levelers appeared underneath. Even the awning was automatic. When the man got out and manually pulled a mini-awning out, we said to him, 'don't you have a button for that one?' He said he had to keep his arm active (as in his drinking arm!). He was very nice and he and his wife were traveling from South Carolina with their 2 dogs. FINALLY we met someone that wasn't from the Northside.
My daughter met another girl around her age and that was pretty much the last we saw of her until bed time. I was happy that she found someone her age to play with because I'm sure playing with your parents all the time can get pretty boring. We had another pit fire and marshmallows that evening. We were the only ones who seemed to do that.
Things we noticed about camp. Very quiet and a lot of people just hang out in their campers. Especially the big-riggers. I think I would too, if you could see the inside of those things. Nicer than my house.
Things to add to our list as must-haves for next trip. Rubber boots, for traveling in the woods to go fishing.
We left extra early the next morning before people woke up. We had planned on having our showers before leaving as we had a previous engagement and wanted to be ready when we got home. My husband could not figure out how to get the hot water working in the shower, even though he read the manual over and over again. Another thing on the must-do list. Convert the hot water from propane to electric. Hopefully will have that done by the next trip.
You know when you buy a vehicle and you pass another just like it and you give a little wave, as if it was a secret club? We thought that was the same with campers, so we would wave as we passed them but they never waved back!! Then we thought maybe we are only allowed to wave to 5th wheelers. We waved to one on the way home but because it was damp and foggy we don't know if they waved back. That is something I will change before the end of the summer. Dang it, I'm gonna make them wave back!!!
When we got home we discovered a rather large crack on the rim of the trailer (which would lead into the closet of the main bedroom). Will also have to fix that before the next trip.
All in all, we count this as a very successful weekend and can't wait for the next adventure.....with rubber boots, hot water and a repaired wall!!
Sounds like an awesome first time for real camping trip :)
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