Camping Adventures

We are camping with the Cardinal Gulfstreamers this weekend at Pier-Lon Campground in Medina , Ohio. It is the annual Spring/Summer Rally and this one was only about an hour drive for us. As often happens, unexpected events are part of the camping process. When we got to the campground, about 3:30 on Thursday, there was a nice available site that was a "back-in". As I pulled into a grassy area across from the spot, stopped and attempted to back up, the rear dual wheels just spun in the mud. The clay soil was softer than it looked due to rains on Wednesday. Under the 11 plus tons of the bus, the clay turned to butter and would give no traction. I tried putting some wood planks that I carry with me behind the wheels, but still didn't have enough traction to get the rear tires up on the boards.

We have RV coverage as part of our AAA road service, so at 4:30, we made a call. They came in less than an hour. I think they underestimated the size of our vehicle, because they didn't send one of their really big tow trucks. Attempts to winch the bus out onto the road just started to pull the tow truck sideways. The next plan was to reposition the truck and try pulling straight out. No luck there either. Finally, two separate cables were hooked to the motorhome to pull in two slightly different directions and reduce the tension on each cable. There were concerns about snapping the cable if we only used one. That did the trick. We were finally able to get the rear wheels onto the solid road bed and after that we were in great shape. By 6:30, we were parked in our site and went to the pavilion for our picnic supper.

Cheeseburgers, hot dogs, kielbasa and all the fixins. There are two other barbershoppers in this club, a bass and a lead. With my baritone, we sang a few numbers. All we needed was a tenor. (Mike??) After food and singing, we were recharged to go back to our site and finishing getting everything hooked up and organized.

Then we went back to the pavilion for a campfire. I had been asked to bring my acoustic guitar, so I played a few numbers and we enjoyed the fire until the mosquitoes arrived and chased us indoors.

Today we had breakfast together and then went to Medina to visit the A.I. Root candle factory and store. As group president, I had an officers meeting this afternoon. Then we played some card games and ladder golf. At 4:30,(hey we're old), we went to the Coppertop restaurant at the Cherokee Hills Golf Club for dinner. Not exactly roughing it, huh?

The turmoil of the "Bus in the Mud" incident is a distant memory now and we are looking forward to more fun tomorrow.