Tag Archives: Ohio

Weekly Photo Challenge: Foreshadowing

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We arrived home today after a camping trip for several days in Indian Lake, Ohio.  While the weather didn’t always cooperate (rainy several times), we enjoyed seeing the boats on the water, kayaking, and biking in the State Park. When I returned home to see the weekly photo challenge – foreshadowing-I knew just the picture.  There were several rather large-sized squirrels in the campground and one in particular, that I named Rusty, was very friendly.  I think if I had really tried I could have had him eating from my hand.  Despite the abundance of nuts falling from the trees he didn’t seem too interested.  I snapped several pictures like this one of Rusty just chilling on the branch.  At one point he was actually sleeping.  I don’t recall ever seeing a squirrel sleep before.  They are always busily scurrying around and jumping from branch to branch.  So what is ‘ol Rusty foretelling?  A mild winter of course….why else would he be catching some Z’s instead of gathering food for the winter?  At least that is what I am banking on! 🙂

Rusty Squirrel

Back-in or a Pull-Thru?

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Your heart begins to beat a little faster….small beads of sweat trickle down your face…a light headache begins in the back of your head and moves its way towards what feels like a migraine…you notice you’re gripping the steering wheel with a firmer grip….you begin wondering if this time will be the “big fight” between you and your spouse! What’s all the anxiety about???? It’s the ten minutes before you get to the campground (or the place where you store your camper)…it’s time to back in the camper.   😦

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If you are like me, then patience is not a word in your vocabulary. Camping is supposed to be about rest and relaxation, but the thought of having to back in the camper triggers anxiety for me almost as badly as public speaking. Why can it be so damn difficult to back in a camper, especially a pop-up? Just when I think I have the technique down, the camper jackknifes and I am ready to blow another gasket! I am sure my neighbors get a big kick out of watching me back the pop-up into the garage. There have been a few times when I had to drive out and pull back in ten times before I finally get the camper inside. But this weekend I found out it’s not just me. We spent Memorial Day weekend at Camp Toodik in the Mohican region of Ohio. We loved the campground, however, the road our site was on was incredibly tight. Amy and I watched campers with rigs ranging from small pop-ups to 5th-wheelers try to squeeze into their sites. I knew the look on their faces all too well.  The frustration of backing in! Although I hated to smile, it was SO good to know it’s not just me 😉

It all boils down to this question: Is it worth the stress?  I love back-in spots because you usually have trees/vegetation behind you – which offers more privacy and more sense of nature. On the other hand, I could roll up to the pull-thru and have the entire pop up and campsite set up in less time than it would take to back the camper in. Ok, that’s an exaggeration but I think you get my point. When Amy and I visited Nashville we stayed at a Jellystone campground which mainly consisted of pull-thrus, so we tried one.  It was convenient but I would have preferred the seclusion of a back-in. Nine times out of ten we choose a back-in spot when we camp. I guess for now I will keep practicing the art of backing in the camper and dealing with the stress. Maybe some day I will master it. Or maybe I will learn to like pull-thrus. What are your thoughts on the matter?