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
• • 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