Day One…a nice, sunny day and not too busy on the freeway.
..went to pick up the rental car and found out that they wanted a $200 deposit,
so we decided we didn’t need a car that bad after all…but, found the perfect
woodsy campsite a short distance from the pool/lodge/store within the Chehalis
Thousand Trails park…had a problem with the camp electricity vs. our house
batteries…the two batteries need to be replaced like our main one did on the
last camping trip we had a few months ago…we just disconnected them for now and
everything worked fine…the medieval weekend that was planned in this park was also cancelled, so that was
somewhat disappointing, but we found our own source of entertainment…typical
Mercury retrograde…cell phones only worked on roaming, our rooftop satellite TV didn’t work, nor
could I receive the radio stations I usually listen to…but chirping birds, the rustle of leaves in the
trees and the crackling of a toasty campfire work very well as substitutes...thus,
I think I slept better than I have in
years within this quiet.
Day Two…the stubborn clouds did not part to let the
determined sun come through until late
afternoon….no matter, while walking the dog I found teeny tiny pinecones and enjoyed identifying plants and delicate
flowers along the way…we roasted Twinkies over the evening’s campfire…first
tried them last summer and now they have become a tradition…nevertheless, I could detect that there was a slight change
in the air and, sure enough, it rained during the night.
Day Three…very cloudy and cool all day…we even turned the
heater on and wore long pants (at the end of July, no less)…it was the kind of
day that we indulged in the park ice cream social to lift our spirits and
made paprika beef/potato/gravy slow cook
in the crockpot all day (which we later ate before the night’s campfire,
accompanied by some great wine)…the 2012 Olympics in London started today but
we were busy going through items within the storage cabinets in the motorhome
that desperately needed to be ‘weeded out’…probably will be returning home quite a few pounds lighter… it was
entertaining to watch all the new arrivals on Friday night after about 6 pm
that were anxious for a weekend of camping with their respective families…I
like to watch how people set up their camps or walk their dogs, and sometimes, cats!
Day Four…again, cloudier and even cooler, the sun only
peeking through merely a minute or two…but that didn’t stop the flow of
youthful humanity heading towards the pool, store or hayrides…it just meant the
ritual campfires started earlier in the afternoon…however, some families need
to learn a bit of “camp etiquette” when
it comes to making noise…i.e. it’s not necessary to scream at the top of your
lungs in order to speak with your mother who is walking right next to you…nor
is it necessary to roll up your squeaky awning at 6 am on Saturday morning
waking up all those trying to get some relaxation within nature…most of all
those who have the audacity to use a bullhorn at their campsite and think it’s
funny should be shot at sunset…nevertheless I tended my mesmerizing campfire
until late and still didn’t use up all the wood we brought…and yes I had to have that delectable concoction of old…s’mores.
Day Five…alas we had to go home…no more peace and quiet and
serenity during the night..and of course, the sun comes out in all it’s glory
when we could have used it earlier in the week…back to the hustle & bustle and the
daily grind…(sigh)...but, we stopped at Lucky Eagle Casino on the way back in Grand Mound, WA. What a nice place THAT is...and you can actually win some money on slots there, imagine that! I wanted some Indian fry bread, but alas there was none...the staff is great, though, and we got a free camping site from them, good for a year...I'll definitely be back for a weekend!
©2012 Debbie Ballard (Text & Photo)
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