On Sunday, Gary began to take down our Lake Ottawa campsite by packing up the cook tent.
On Monday morning, he took down anything in the camper that might move around in transit. By noon, we had left Lake Ottawa and about an hour and a half later we were at Laura Lake on site 38. There, he set up the camper on blocks to level it. Friends from Illinois stopped by for a chat.
On Tuesday morning, he set up the cook tent. Again, it meant putting up a walk in tent over a picnic table he moved to the optimal part of the site. I helped a bit by holding up poles, but then I took off to the bog to enjoy the fall colors while he put out the cook stove, got water, and set up two dishwashing tubs. One is for washing and a second for rinsing with a few drops of bleach as disinfectant.
When I got back we sat in our chairs admiring the lake and soaking in the sun ... for two hours. That is when Ranger Rick arrived to tell us that because of the government shut down, we would have to leave the next day.
Gary got up immediately and started taking down the cook tent he had just erected. While I went to get takeout, he put away cooking gear, removed clotheslines, and began to store away food and clothes we had just taken out.
First thing this morning, he finished by packing everything else up. We left Laura Lake at 10:30 a.m.
In four days, Gary had put our campsite up twice, taken it down twice. During those four days, he had little chance to enjoy the fall colors.
I asked him if he was getting sick of so much stuff. He said maybe he just had to get faster at setting up and taking down, but doesn't admit he is a packrat. I expect this winter he will be buying even more gadgets. Me, I am a minimalist camper who uses only a tent, a sleeping bag and mat, and enough cooking gear for one person. I have only a spoon and a knife. I avoid getting involved in his busy equipment moving.
Tonight, he is taking it easy. Tomorrow, he takes the gear to the storage units. Then it is just reading camping magazines to find figure out what he wants to buy for next season.
On Monday morning, he took down anything in the camper that might move around in transit. By noon, we had left Lake Ottawa and about an hour and a half later we were at Laura Lake on site 38. There, he set up the camper on blocks to level it. Friends from Illinois stopped by for a chat.
On Tuesday morning, he set up the cook tent. Again, it meant putting up a walk in tent over a picnic table he moved to the optimal part of the site. I helped a bit by holding up poles, but then I took off to the bog to enjoy the fall colors while he put out the cook stove, got water, and set up two dishwashing tubs. One is for washing and a second for rinsing with a few drops of bleach as disinfectant.
When I got back we sat in our chairs admiring the lake and soaking in the sun ... for two hours. That is when Ranger Rick arrived to tell us that because of the government shut down, we would have to leave the next day.
Gary got up immediately and started taking down the cook tent he had just erected. While I went to get takeout, he put away cooking gear, removed clotheslines, and began to store away food and clothes we had just taken out.
First thing this morning, he finished by packing everything else up. We left Laura Lake at 10:30 a.m.
In four days, Gary had put our campsite up twice, taken it down twice. During those four days, he had little chance to enjoy the fall colors.
I asked him if he was getting sick of so much stuff. He said maybe he just had to get faster at setting up and taking down, but doesn't admit he is a packrat. I expect this winter he will be buying even more gadgets. Me, I am a minimalist camper who uses only a tent, a sleeping bag and mat, and enough cooking gear for one person. I have only a spoon and a knife. I avoid getting involved in his busy equipment moving.
Tonight, he is taking it easy. Tomorrow, he takes the gear to the storage units. Then it is just reading camping magazines to find figure out what he wants to buy for next season.
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