In one of the three books I have in progress that don't seem to be getting anywhere? Nope. But with the help of our friends, we decided to try one more camping trip this fall. Saturday was our anniversary so it was perfect timing. Six couples are spending a few days at West Overlook campground on the Coralville Reservoir. It has the special quality of being about half an hour from our house, so yesterday afternoon, brother-in-law Ken ferried our trailer up here before going back to get his own. Despite beautiful weather and emerging color on the trees, it was an afternoon fraught with mishaps and difficulties one would not expect with experienced campers.
First, we put water in the wrong tank, as did another couple in our group. That necessitated more time to fill the right tank as well as time to dump the wrong. We got to our spot and parking was achieved fairly painlessly, but another couple in the group were in the wrong spot and had to move. Ken and Harriet left to get their camper while we continued our set-up. Things were pretty well done inside, and I was retrieving the lawn chairs from the back of the truck when I heard my husband yell. The water on the toilet stuck on and water was running all over the camper. Turning off the water pump stopped the flow and three-fourths of our towel supply mopped up the flood but now what to do?
It's always a good idea to camp with a farmer. They can fix anything with anything, Ron "happened to have" a couple of fittings that he cobbled together to shut off the water to the toilet. Flushing will be accomplished with a jug of water and we can have the water back on in the sinks and the shower. Things settled down for awhile and I began to piece together a simple supper when Ken and Harriet returned. Harriet was holding her arm in pain. She had fallen and jammed her elbow. Butch tried to tune in the TV with no luck and forgot to bring his Kindle so he didn't have a book to read. (This is a situation I cannot comprehend. Under no circumstances do I forget a book.) And as the evening chilled, we turned on the furnace only to find it not working. Fortunately, we have a space heater as well. I mean, what kind of camping do you think we do? Roughing it? Ha!
So a good night's sleep was welcome. Even the crashing thunder and lightning in the middle of the night couldn't steal that. We shall see what today brings. The menus for the rest of the stay are a definite plus. Tonight we are having a soup potluck: ham and bean, chicken noodle, potato and cheese, and autumn vegetable, plus bread and dessert. Tomorrow, Ken is smoking a couple of roasts and the rest will provide sides. With hashed brown casserole, green bean casserole, salads, and desserts, it will be the ultimate in comfort food. Camp on!
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