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The Good, the Bad, and the Scary

5/17/2020

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I usually write these posts while camping but for some reason Lake Darling State Park is a Black Hole for Verizon. We asked a young Verizon employee in nearby Washington once why that was the case and he insisted it was because it contained a "body of water." I assume that means if you live on the coast or a river or have a birdbath, you can't get Verizon service. Whatever.

Anyway, as I explained yesterday, this was my first solo adventure with my new (to me) camper. It was a mixed experience. First of all, you have the Covid restrictions. You are supposed to practice social distancing and most people did. We had decided ahead of time that we would not do our usual shared meals. We had one group campfire. We took walks in pairs or threes. We wore masks when out. The four chairs pictured above in my campsite were never used by anyone other than me.

The good news was that the weather forecast was not completely right. Wednesday and Thursday--our two full days there--were supposed to be very rainy. Wednesday was cool but lovely and Thursday only produced one small shower during the day. Wednesday, I went for a walk first by myself and then later in the morning on a mushroom hunt with Letha. We didn't find anything but enjoyed the spring greenery and flowers. We spotted red trillium several times.

However, on my early walk, I received a text (texting was the only outside communication I had) that my very close friend of 40 years had lost her fight with Alzheimers and pneumonia. The next day, I got notice that I had a message from a cousin but was unable to open it. Her mother--my mother's youngest sister--was not well and I suspected the worst. That was confirmed when I got home and was able to get to the message. Carol Dean (I called her Aunt Deanie) was more like a big sister when I was little, since she was only eleven years older than me. Two huge losses.

There were the usual glitches when one travels in a new rig, minor in comparison. I had loaded the coach in such a short time that I couldn't find anything without an extensive search. The outside compartments are in need of major reorganization. For example, the power cords and hoses are on the opposite sides that they should be. But those things can be easily remedied. There is the more serious battery issue to be addressed.

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Meanwhile, back on the weather front. Wednesday night late, we had a loud and fast moving storm that woke us all up. However there was no wind to speak of. Thursday night was a different story. A deluge moved in after supper with 70mph wind gusts and several inches of rain. And it went on for hours. In normal times, the shower house would have been available as a storm shelter but it is locked up due to Covid 19. I rocked and rolled with the camper but she kept her footing and had no leaks.

The next morning the lake level was up at least 6 inches. Picnic tables on the lakeshore had become islands and docks were inaccessible. Packing up for the trip home required drying chairs and rugs out first. But all in all it was a welcome respite and I weathered--literally--my first trip.


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It Takes a Village...

5/15/2020

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...to get an old lady out camping by herself.  I bought a 2014 Thor Vegas--a small motor home--a week ago, and did not have to drive it two-and-a-half hours home for my first foray. Brother-in-law Ken did the honors, as well as prompting me on good questions to ask. When the Iowa Campgrounds opened the next day, I couldn't resist an impromptu trip with our old camping group. We planning for social distancing, no communal meals, and masks.

I cleaned the rig, disinfecting surfaces, and stocked it with much (but not everything!) that I had taken out of the travel trailer before selling it. By noon Tuesday, I thought  I was ready to go. The battery was deader than a door nail. Ken came and tried to jump it with no luck. A call to a local repair shop produced successful results, and by 4:00 I was ready to hit the road. Now, I should point out that I have no experience driving something that size (25 ft), although I have driven a Suburban (20 ft.) I relied on the backup camera, side view cameras, and mirrors a lot.

Neighbor Joy came over the help direct my back up to avoid destroying the neighbor's fence across the alley or the light pole by our drive. I made it out of the alley and through town. I had mapped out a route in my head to avoid any four lanes. I should have used a map.

The route I envisioned took me over the four lane on paved roads to Highway One, a nice smooth highway with much less traffic. That route does exist but about 7 or 8 miles further south. The one I took changes into a winding, hilly, twisty gravel road a couple of miles beyond the four lane. I finally made it before dark, but was so stressed that Ken agreed to park it for me. He also helped with some other first-time glitches. Vince and Ken helped me tune the TV in so I could get weather warnings of the severe storm that moved in later in the stay.

So I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself but obviously can't take all of the credit. Even my first supper was leftover meatloaf (a recipe from Joy) on homemade bread from another neighbor Colleen. I did roast the beets that I had as a side dish myself. The evening finished with a lovely sunset.


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