Weekend of 20-Sep-13 through 22-Sep-13 – Adventures in Camping
Friday, 20-Sep-13
- Got home from work Friday night and started packing up for the weekend! Plans had fluctuated a lot over the week, but the current path was to drive out to a campground that I’d stayed at before, hang out Friday night and Saturday morning, and then link up with Daniel and Co. at Crow Hill for a day of climbing.
- Instead of packing and leaving though… I fell asleep. It was a good sleep… though rather concerningly strange dreams were had.
- Once I got mobile again I checked in with the campground to give them a heads-up that I’d be late, packed the car up, and hit the road.
- After a quick stop at the grocery to grab food for the weekend, I was on my way down Route 2, with the top down and the music cranked. It was a glorious drive – not a cloud in the sky, and it was just cold enough that I turned the heat on.
- Arrived at the campground, and shot the breeze with the owner for a while. He’s an interesting guy, who collects small mechanical devices in a gallery in the back of the office. It’s huge, and has tons of very interesting little machines.
- Don’t even bother setting up my tent, and instead just have a quick dinner around the fire. Again – glorious.
- Sleep out on the ground in my sleeping pad, directly under the stars.
Saturday, 21-Sep-13
- Get rolling, pack up my gear, and head out to meet everyone at the climbing spot.
- They’re running late… so I’m in no rush. Good. Means that I can explore for a bit. Which I do –
- I find a cool little coffee shop and get a breakfast snack, along with a pumpkin-spice chai latte. Yep. Typical fall in New England.
- Eat breakfast under a small little bridge that I find. It’s calm and nice, though I guess it’s near a hiking trail, because I got “found” by a random dog running around in the woods.
- From there I moved on, just driving around the back country roads. It’s beautiful, and I was quite happy to drive slow and enjoy the relaxation.
- I found out that one of the towns nearby was having its annual “yard-sale day”… every few houses there was a massive multi-family yard-sale… so I stopped in and picked up a few odds and ends that were missing from the house.
- Everyone finally arrives, so we start with the climbing
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- Time passes!
- After climbing and dinner, head back to the campsite and sit down with the owners again. Chat for a while, hearing about when he used to run a trucking company and telling him about my trips in New Zealand.
- Head back to the campsite – the firewood I didn’t use last night is still there, waiting for me! Woo! Start up that fire!
- As the fire’s burning, I head to the car and set up the tent this time – it’s been looking like rain all day, so I’m thinking this is a good idea.
- Relax by the fire, have a drink, and zone out for an hour or two
- Head to bed under the stars again.
- And… I’m glad I set up the tent. At some point it starts drizzling… and by the time I’m in the tent it’s full-on downpouring. Continues through the night in epic fashion, and I learn the hard way that my tent isn’t completely waterproof… unfortunately. Fortunately it’s only a small leak, so I sleep through it with only a sort-of wet sleeping bag to show
Sunday, 22-Sep-13
- Up and at ‘em, say my goodbyes to the owners, and get on the road!
- Nothing really to be said here – packing away a wet tent and sleeping bag is never fun, but sometimes it’s what needs to happen :/
- Grab a “skillet breakfast” at a diner outside of town. It’s excellent – potatoes, eggs, bacon and sausage with cheese melted over it. Definitely something I’ll make again at home.
- From there, move on to the Kayaking place, and then home for a relaxing Sunday evening