This time Drew actually packed the car last night so that when I get out of work we can take off and not have to spin our wheels figuring out what to take and how to cram it all into my tiny Malibu! Since Roberts so generously lets us out at 3:30 on Fridays (nice bonus time), we should arrive in the daylight! Yeah!
Of course, that is never how it works in reality. I actually left work at noon since it was so quiet, thinking I could run a couple of necessary errands before taking off. Which I did, but then I was hungry, so took time to eat lunch. Then finally got around to packing my small overnight bag - I have learned the art of taking only the essentials - and tucked a few things in that Drew had not thought of. So we did manage to leave in the afternoon but no where as early as I had hoped. Still, we should be able to set up camp in the day light!
The fly in the ointment was the GPS. We calculated directions from the NY State Park website link and for reasons unbeknownst to me, it took us all the way to the south end of the park to an entrance labeled "Parade Ground." Total misnomer. The road kept getting worse and worse. I was pretty sure this was not the right thing, but there was some traffic - mostly pick 'em up trucks, so we kept going. At 2 miles an hour over potholes and no shoulders down to one lane. Yikes!
Finally, grace of God, we encountered a park ranger in his car and flagged him down. When we told him we were trying to locate the camp ground, he had all he could do to stifle his amazed laughter. I give him credit, he just smiled widely without commenting on the stupidity of the American public. He gave us good directions, then told us if the check-in station was closed by the time we got there to just go to the site anyway. Sigh. My heart was in my throat as Drew maneuvered to turn the car around on that tiny non-road with the huge drop off on one side and the ditch on the other. Then all the way back out the windy road at 2 mph until we got to the main road, then zip around the end of the park to another entrance. After that, a 12 mile drive up the main road through the park (actually an excellent road though the speed limit was 40) and at long long last, by 8 pm, we had reached our final destination!
We were met by a huge sign that if registration was closed you were not to enter the park. Fortunately, the office was open until 9. We registered. At least, I think we did. The girl behind the desk was on the phone chatting with a friend, picking at her garish green nail polish on her short stubby little nails and yes, chewing gum. Her hair stuck out at all kinds of odd angles. She just kept doing what she was doing and stuck her hand out for my paperwork. She clicked on the computer, jotted stuff on my registration, handed me the paperwork without ever looking me in the face and waved me through. Wow. Not exactly welcoming!
Still, we managed to locate our site, set up our tent and screen house and spray adequate amounts of insect repellent all before 10 pm! And then Drew's lack of dinner kicked in and we headed off to the nearest McDonald's for our evening meal since the idea of building a campfire and waiting for food to cook just wasn't cutting it. Again with the GPS thing. It could not figure out the Park deal, and took us all over Robinhood's forest trying to get us to a place not 6 miles down the road. We saw more countryside and nothingness than I have encountered in some long while. While that might have been enjoyable in the daylight, at night it was nothing short of scary.
I think I have had enough character building experiences for one day. I am exhausted and more than ready to fall into my camp cot and sleep. It only took me an hour of coughing and tossing to get there. Not bad. Sometimes I wonder what on earth possesses me to do these crazy things. But then, in the quiet of the tent, as my body was unwinding, I heard the soft call of owls, the rustle of the wind in the trees, saw the dull orange of a low hanging cloud shrouded moon watching over us through the screen mesh of the tent window, smelled the pine trees and heard twigs snapping as some critter meandered past. Yes, this is why. To be surrounded by the good earth God created, to draw near to all the primal elements I have missed of late, to remind myself that I am drawn from the earth and to it I shall return one day. It behooves me to get to know it better. I don't get this from my apartment no matter how much green space there is. Sigh. Perhaps it is worth all the hassle and distress in getting here. Perhaps I should do this more often.
Of course, that is never how it works in reality. I actually left work at noon since it was so quiet, thinking I could run a couple of necessary errands before taking off. Which I did, but then I was hungry, so took time to eat lunch. Then finally got around to packing my small overnight bag - I have learned the art of taking only the essentials - and tucked a few things in that Drew had not thought of. So we did manage to leave in the afternoon but no where as early as I had hoped. Still, we should be able to set up camp in the day light!
The fly in the ointment was the GPS. We calculated directions from the NY State Park website link and for reasons unbeknownst to me, it took us all the way to the south end of the park to an entrance labeled "Parade Ground." Total misnomer. The road kept getting worse and worse. I was pretty sure this was not the right thing, but there was some traffic - mostly pick 'em up trucks, so we kept going. At 2 miles an hour over potholes and no shoulders down to one lane. Yikes!
Finally, grace of God, we encountered a park ranger in his car and flagged him down. When we told him we were trying to locate the camp ground, he had all he could do to stifle his amazed laughter. I give him credit, he just smiled widely without commenting on the stupidity of the American public. He gave us good directions, then told us if the check-in station was closed by the time we got there to just go to the site anyway. Sigh. My heart was in my throat as Drew maneuvered to turn the car around on that tiny non-road with the huge drop off on one side and the ditch on the other. Then all the way back out the windy road at 2 mph until we got to the main road, then zip around the end of the park to another entrance. After that, a 12 mile drive up the main road through the park (actually an excellent road though the speed limit was 40) and at long long last, by 8 pm, we had reached our final destination!
We were met by a huge sign that if registration was closed you were not to enter the park. Fortunately, the office was open until 9. We registered. At least, I think we did. The girl behind the desk was on the phone chatting with a friend, picking at her garish green nail polish on her short stubby little nails and yes, chewing gum. Her hair stuck out at all kinds of odd angles. She just kept doing what she was doing and stuck her hand out for my paperwork. She clicked on the computer, jotted stuff on my registration, handed me the paperwork without ever looking me in the face and waved me through. Wow. Not exactly welcoming!
Still, we managed to locate our site, set up our tent and screen house and spray adequate amounts of insect repellent all before 10 pm! And then Drew's lack of dinner kicked in and we headed off to the nearest McDonald's for our evening meal since the idea of building a campfire and waiting for food to cook just wasn't cutting it. Again with the GPS thing. It could not figure out the Park deal, and took us all over Robinhood's forest trying to get us to a place not 6 miles down the road. We saw more countryside and nothingness than I have encountered in some long while. While that might have been enjoyable in the daylight, at night it was nothing short of scary.
I think I have had enough character building experiences for one day. I am exhausted and more than ready to fall into my camp cot and sleep. It only took me an hour of coughing and tossing to get there. Not bad. Sometimes I wonder what on earth possesses me to do these crazy things. But then, in the quiet of the tent, as my body was unwinding, I heard the soft call of owls, the rustle of the wind in the trees, saw the dull orange of a low hanging cloud shrouded moon watching over us through the screen mesh of the tent window, smelled the pine trees and heard twigs snapping as some critter meandered past. Yes, this is why. To be surrounded by the good earth God created, to draw near to all the primal elements I have missed of late, to remind myself that I am drawn from the earth and to it I shall return one day. It behooves me to get to know it better. I don't get this from my apartment no matter how much green space there is. Sigh. Perhaps it is worth all the hassle and distress in getting here. Perhaps I should do this more often.
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