First Day of Camping

I arrived here at Laura Lake campground first, a kind of scouting party. Gary followed two hours later hauling his big camper. I was to make sure there was a campsite big enough and to check out the roads for problems. It was smooth sailing except for Wozniak Road west of Armstrong Creek which was undergoing construction. The gravel had turned into washboard consistency. I called Gary and told him to take Wall Road instead.

I found site 24 empty as was most of the campground. With thunderstorms threatening the area and dire warnings about mosquitoes and wood ticks, not too many brave souls wanted to brave the north woods, just foolhardy souls like us. Of the forty-two campsites only three were taken and the tent camper was pulling up stakes.

I drove into site 24, opened the car door, and mosquitoes swarmed in. I slammed the door and did some serious mosquito carnage. Then I sat back and realized I would have to wait for Gary in a very hot car. Thoughts of suffocating dogs and babies came to mind.

Earlier I had told Gary to bring repellant but he pooh-poohed that. We haven't had a mosquito problem in years...but those were drought years. The north woods had so much snow cover this past year, there was a two week delay in opening the campgrounds. It was what our national forests needed, lots of moisture. There will be fewer forest fires but a lot more flying annoyances.

I left a few things on the picnic table to hold our spot though I doubted we would have any competition for it and drove the seven miles to Armstrong Creek and the Corner Store. I came back with my repellant, sprayed myself top to bottom and settled down with a book. At that moment a wind came up blowing away the mosquitoes.

Gary arrived, set up the camper. I set up my office while he put away his clothes. We were storing ` canned goods in the cupboards when we heard the first ominous rumblings. The sky grew dark. Gary found the weather alert radio and found out there was a tornado watch.

When things get dicey, I do the most sensible thing I can think of...I take a nap. When I awoke, the storm was over. Then it was mosquitoes again, followed by another storm. When Gary drove to the water pump he found that trees were down on the roadway.  He called the ranger station but it was the Goodman Fire Department that came to work on the trees.

Tonight we are in our camper working on our computers, reading e-books and watching television. Not what I consider real camping, but in this case, I can live with it. Tomorrow is another day.

At least my office is set up now.