I’m sure we provided good entertainment as we arrived at Hanging Rock SP. We were one of the few camper-campers (as in, not tent-campers) at the park, not to mention a 35-foot camper. As we circled around to scope out our spot, we found that in order to get into it we would have to come from the opposite direction on the one-way loop. We had reserved two spots (one for us and the other for Richard’s sister and her family). We tried several times to make it work from the correct direction, but the angles were just wrong. So, as I said, there was much staring and curious looks from the tent-campers around us as Richard sought to finagle the camper into place as I tried to direct him over the phone. I love being stared at (said no one. ever.). We flagged down a park ranger and he blocked traffic so we could back it in from the wrong direction.
Richard’s sister Ruthie, brother-in-law, and three of our nieces and nephews arrived soon afterward. How wonderful to have some family time!! We hiked to some waterfalls where we spotted newts, dogwoods, and deer. Saturday evening we enjoyed a campfire, made s’mores, and had a fun singalong led by Ruthie, who brought her guitar. Weeks later, my kids are still singing the songs they learned! Annalise eventually fell asleep on her cousin.
Side note: We always have to be careful to stow things properly in the camper before “take-off.” It was around this time that we had a few mishaps with cabinets opening up as we bumped along on some not-so-great roads. Nothing too bad has occurred but this one was a bummer: we bought a set of melamine plates that look like the traditional paper plates. We each have our own designated color (in hopes that it will be obvious when someone doesn’t wash their own bowl or plate–aren’t we clever?). Well, unfortunately, Richard’s plate was the first victim of the bumpy ride. As our Buffalo Mountain host said…”In a camper, ‘shift’ happens!” Yes, it does! Now we have bungees on those cabinets, which we make sure to secure before each departure.
