Yes, today is the first official day of Autumn. It is bittersweet on the Sod Farm. The pool guy is closing the pool tomorrow and the leaves on our sycamore trees are already starting to fall. The oaks are dropping acorns for the squirrels and the soybean field behind our house is turning a lovely golden color.
If you have not figured it out yet, fall is my favorite time of year. High school football games on Friday night. College football on Saturday. Tailgate parties with my fraternity buddies. Basball playoffs and the World Series. Sunday afternoon Eagles games and a pot roast in the crock pot. Mmmmm..... Picking pumpkins, planting mums, decorating the house with corn stalks and hay bales, making jack-o-lanterns, etc. I love fall for so many reasons.
Perhaps one of the top reasons is that Fall is a great time for camping. I am fortunate enough to be heading out in October for a few days at Ives Run. Come home for two days and the go back out for a camping and fly fishing trip with my brother. Come home for 2 weeks and then off to Algonquin Provincial Park for my annual "guys only" trip. Life is good.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Our first camping trip - blow by blow
1) Take your time getting your brand new pop up camper packed so you can arrive at the campground when it is dark.
2) Drive under 50mph on the PA Turnpike because you did not take the dealers advice and buy and anti-sway device. Make sure your brand new camper slides all over the highway due to sway and the driving rain. It makes driving more challenging!
3) Since this is your first trip, bring your two kids AND three hyperactive nephews - two of whom are ADD/HD poster children. Throw in a hyperactive 70lb puppy for added excitement.
4) Since you are new to trailering and backing up, do it about 50 billion times til you get the camper in just the right spot. Then unhook the camper. At this point, you are in the dark and in pouring rain.
5) Yell at the kids to stay out of the mud.
6) Hook up the camper becuase you forgot to level it side to side.
7) Unhook the now level camper. Level it front to back and pull out the power cord.
8) Remind yourself that darkness, water and electricity are a recipe for excitement. Hmmm... the cord it too short.
9) Re-hitch the camper and move it closer to the electrical box. In the dark and in the rain.
10) Level the camper, once again, side to side and front to back. Unhook the camper and start to crank up the roof with a wet and muddy dog barking for your attention and jumping all over you. Scream at your whining kids to get the dog out of your hair. Enjoy being in the dark and in the rain.
11) Crank down the roof and hitch it up again. The door is on the wrong side and you are in the wrong campsite. Enjoy the torrential downpour, whining children and barking dog. Even more, enjoy the stares and sneers from your neigbors who are trying to enjoy the "quiet" and you keep starting your truck, flashing headlights, hitching and unhitching. Afterall, camping is supposed to be a relaxing activity!
12) Drive around the entire campground becuase you do not know how to turn around or make a 3 point turn with a trailer behind you. Get to the correct site, back up 50 billion times and FINALLY get the camper in the right spot, near the electrical box with the door on the correct side. In the dark and in the rain.
13)Try to level the camper and realize that the level was on the roof when you drove around the campground in the dark and in the rain.
14)Thank the Good Lord that the level was STILL on the roof.
15) Now that the camper is finally set up, in the right place, level front and back and side to side, try to light the water heater. With matches. In the dark and in the rain.
16) Explain to your kids that the words daddy is yelling should not be repeated. Thank your mildly amused brother-in-law for sharing his long stem lighter. He is camping in an $80 tent that was set up hours ago and is nice a dry on the inside.
17) After 30 minutes, remeber what the nice man at the RV store told you, "Ya gotta purge the gas line before you try to light the pilot - otherwise, you will be at it all day".
18) Observe the vein throbbing on your forehead as the kids run into the brand new camper, with muddy shoes and a wet, muddy dog.
19) Try to deploy the awning, only to realize that you need to stand on a 5 gallon bucket to reach it becuase you forgot to unzip the awning bag when the roof was down.
20) Seriously contemplate the Holiday Inn and a refund on the camper that just ate up your bonus.
21) At 8:00 a.m. wake up to the sound of a babbling brook, your daughter snuggling next to you, birds chirping and NO RAIN. Eliminate step 20.
2) Drive under 50mph on the PA Turnpike because you did not take the dealers advice and buy and anti-sway device. Make sure your brand new camper slides all over the highway due to sway and the driving rain. It makes driving more challenging!
3) Since this is your first trip, bring your two kids AND three hyperactive nephews - two of whom are ADD/HD poster children. Throw in a hyperactive 70lb puppy for added excitement.
4) Since you are new to trailering and backing up, do it about 50 billion times til you get the camper in just the right spot. Then unhook the camper. At this point, you are in the dark and in pouring rain.
5) Yell at the kids to stay out of the mud.
6) Hook up the camper becuase you forgot to level it side to side.
7) Unhook the now level camper. Level it front to back and pull out the power cord.
8) Remind yourself that darkness, water and electricity are a recipe for excitement. Hmmm... the cord it too short.
9) Re-hitch the camper and move it closer to the electrical box. In the dark and in the rain.
10) Level the camper, once again, side to side and front to back. Unhook the camper and start to crank up the roof with a wet and muddy dog barking for your attention and jumping all over you. Scream at your whining kids to get the dog out of your hair. Enjoy being in the dark and in the rain.
11) Crank down the roof and hitch it up again. The door is on the wrong side and you are in the wrong campsite. Enjoy the torrential downpour, whining children and barking dog. Even more, enjoy the stares and sneers from your neigbors who are trying to enjoy the "quiet" and you keep starting your truck, flashing headlights, hitching and unhitching. Afterall, camping is supposed to be a relaxing activity!
12) Drive around the entire campground becuase you do not know how to turn around or make a 3 point turn with a trailer behind you. Get to the correct site, back up 50 billion times and FINALLY get the camper in the right spot, near the electrical box with the door on the correct side. In the dark and in the rain.
13)Try to level the camper and realize that the level was on the roof when you drove around the campground in the dark and in the rain.
14)Thank the Good Lord that the level was STILL on the roof.
15) Now that the camper is finally set up, in the right place, level front and back and side to side, try to light the water heater. With matches. In the dark and in the rain.
16) Explain to your kids that the words daddy is yelling should not be repeated. Thank your mildly amused brother-in-law for sharing his long stem lighter. He is camping in an $80 tent that was set up hours ago and is nice a dry on the inside.
17) After 30 minutes, remeber what the nice man at the RV store told you, "Ya gotta purge the gas line before you try to light the pilot - otherwise, you will be at it all day".
18) Observe the vein throbbing on your forehead as the kids run into the brand new camper, with muddy shoes and a wet, muddy dog.
19) Try to deploy the awning, only to realize that you need to stand on a 5 gallon bucket to reach it becuase you forgot to unzip the awning bag when the roof was down.
20) Seriously contemplate the Holiday Inn and a refund on the camper that just ate up your bonus.
21) At 8:00 a.m. wake up to the sound of a babbling brook, your daughter snuggling next to you, birds chirping and NO RAIN. Eliminate step 20.
Friday, January 13, 2006
First Post!
Hello world! Just created this blog when I should be working on a presentation due on Monday. Nice diversion for 10 minutes.
GTG!
GTG!
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