HARD WORK
So much hard work! First, it was mostly mental but then the physical work started. After being up all night finishing packing everything into their sections and double-checking my lists, the day started with a few morning errands then me finally starting to load up my rented pickup truck at noon. As it turns out, my “over the top” camping setup takes FIVE FULL HOURS to pack into a truck. Mostly because it’s a lot of stuff, but also because as I would soon learn, it doesn’t exactly quite fit. Whoops.
I made the 2-hour trip to Lake Whitney on a wing and prayer that the 8 grommets on the tarp I had over it all would hold. With every square inch of the truck filled to capacity, there was barely any room for me and my belongings in the front seat. In my pre-trip planning, I bought a particularly awesome cooler that would keep frozen things frozen and cold things cold for the entirety of our trip. It also happened to come in the perfect shade of yellow and has a bevy of optional accessories. I bought the “medium” size after seeing comparable options in the store but didn’t realize that the back door to the rented pickup truck didn’t open as far as a regular door and there was no room in the bed of the truck. Needless to say, the cooler was one of the “cool kids” got to ride upfront on the way down.
I did NOT take a picture as I did NOT want that potential catastrophe documented.
There are no secrets to success.
It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.
Colin Powell
There are no secrets to success.
It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.
Colin Powell
A full two hours behind my own schedule and trying to outrun the sun, I arrived at lake Whitney at sunset. Just enough time to see where things should go before, I started setting up in the dark. Rule #1 of camping is you don’t want to set up in the dark! Good thing I come equipped with headlamps, standing lights, plug-in lights, lanterns, Christmas lights, and a portable electric generator.
The good news is that for the most part the other campers were also running a little behind, not as much as I was but they only beat me by a half hour or so. So, we all got busy getting the campsites set up and preparing for our first dinner. I even created little “welcome home” sections in front of everyone’s tents.
I ended up reserving 2 Lakeview campsites so that we would have space to spread out and so if we got too chatty or energetic at night, we would have less of a chance of disturbing our neighbors. As we were preparing for dinner, we were serenaded with old-school R&B hits from our most immediate neighbors. We came all this way to listen to a rousing rendition of “midnight love” by the lake.
Dinner for the first night was steak, potatoes, and asparagus. I’m glad we ate up because we were in for a very cold night! The first night the temperatures dipped into the 40s which was much colder than the 55 degrees the weatherman predicted.
I of course was snug as a bug and almost hot in my queen above ground airbed/cot. I added flannel sheets and quilt along with my regular comforter. I had my heater on for a while but I felt bad for my peeps and passed it along to a less fortunate, more frigid camper. (I also had flannel pj’s that could’ve started a fire rubbing against the flannel sheets.)
But nevertheless, we survived and woke up to a beautiful Lakeview sunset, and a breakfast snack of quiche, muffins, and mimosas. I hate mornings and I knew the “early birds” would be up and hungry. This way they can snack, and I sleep in.
Eventually, after we were awake enough to use fire, we got to our real breakfast of pancakes in a jar! (Not to be confused with my pancakes in a can. RIP Batter Blaster) So of us then hung out and chatted in the “living room” others went fishing, and finally met our campsite neighbors. It was only a matter of time before the masseuse arrived for the lakeside massages courtesy of the one and only Shannon Cooper of “ReCooperating Touch”. I told you we were “fancy!”
We settled in for the night for our BBQ of Chicken, Pork Chops, Baked Beans, and Fire Roasted Corn. It was also Halloween, so I mixed up an extra spooky punch that has since been dubbed “Sticky Green.”
The temperatures that night stayed in the 60s. Between the good food and the great temperatures, we all slept well that night.
The Sticky Green may have helped a bit as well!
Part Three: Learning – Coming Soon.
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