This past weekend was the first camping trip of the year. I packed up everything I thought we would need (food, sleeping bags, tent, cooking utensils, etc) and loaded it all and Pacen up in our reliable 1990 Ford Ranger. My boyfriend, Kurtis, was very worried about us, thinking we would get stuck in the mud or that something else might happen. The fact that we were going to be about an hour from any kind of cell phone signal didn't help. Finally after telling him a million times that things would be OK and helping settle his nerves by taking his tow rope, we were on our way. We stopped along the way to pick up Pacen's friend, Teagan, and then continued be-bopping down the road towards LaBonte Canyon southwest of Douglas.
On the way to LaBonte Canyon you have to drive on about 20 miles or so of dirt roads. Well, as worried as Kurtis had been I kept imagining that the road would be deep, thick mud and that I'd have to drive most of the way in 4-wheel drive. Well, the worst that we saw were a couple of "rivers" (from all the rain we'd gotten the 3 days before) flowing across the road, until we got to the entrance of the LaBonte Canyon Campground. There actually was mud at the entrance and, yes, it was deep and thick, but we made it through just fine. Not once did I have to turn on the 4-wheel drive.
We cruised the campground looking for my cousin, Joel, his wife, Sara, and their friend, Aaron. We didn't see them and my pickup was starting to smoke and make weird noises so we found a good spot to set up camp. My pickup died just as we pulled in and the smoke really started rolling. The boys ran off to play and I decided I had better check under the hood. Well, a PVC tee that was installed on a rubber hose had cracked and broke into three pieces. I figured there wasn't much I could do about it at that moment so I decided to set up the tent. A few hours later we started a fire and the boys started roasting hot dogs on sticks. Shortly after that Joel, Sara, and Aaron showed up. Apparently it had taken them so long because the way they came was extremely muddy and Aaron had gotten his pickup stuck. After trying and trying to get his pickup unstuck they ended up loading most of his stuff into Joel and Sara's pickup and leaving his in the middle of nowhere. I was just glad the made it. We spent the rest of the evening grilling hot dogs, roasting marshmallows, and sitting around the campfire enjoying a few beers.
Sunday we woke up to a sunny, windy day. After eating breakfast and enjoying a friendly game of horseshoes we decided to work on my pickup. We managed to fix the hose and then we filled some part of the pickup with water (since we didn't have antifreeze). When it came time to start the pickup it wouldn't start. Silly me...I had left the lights on the day before so the battery was dead. We jumped it and decided to take it for a test drive to make sure the hose would stay together. Everything ran smooth and when we got back to camp I left it running so the battery would finish charging. Teagan, Aaron, and Joel decided to play some football so Sara, Pacen, and I decided to walk up the road and check out a waterfall we had seen (caused by the rain). Our little jaunt turned into a full fledged hike. Unfortunately I didn't take my camera on the hike and I missed some awesome photo opportunities. :( While on our hike we think we saw bear poo and maybe mountain lion poo. We also saw many signs of Elk. We didn't ever see any kind of animal, not even a chipmunk.
When we got back to camp Joel informed me that while we were gone water started spraying out the front of the engine! We put more water in it and the boys and I packed up to head home. The pickup started fine, but then it wouldn't move. We tried to fix it again, but to no avail. Finally we decided the best thing to do would be to drive until I had a signal on my phone so I could call Kurtis. Joel and I drove and drove and finally got a signal about 5-10 miles from Douglas! I called Kurtis and asked him if he would be willing to come get us the next day (he was at a wedding). Luckily he was willing. When we got back I set the tent back up and then enjoyed some nice Hobo Pie that Sara and Joel had made. After the boys went to bed us adults spent the rest of the evening sitting around the campfire, listening to Aaron play his guitar and Joel play the harmonica, singing, and getting drunk. It was a good time.
Monday morning (Memorial Day) we woke up to a drizzly, cold, foggy day. The fog kinda made everything look pretty, but I still could've done without it. I managed to get the tent down and get everything packed up (again). An hour or two later Kurtis showed up with a trailer and we got my pickup loaded. We said our goodbyes and headed home. I was so glad to get home and take a nice hot shower (I spent 3 days in the same grungy clothes and I stunk)! Also, I am very glad that my Knight in shining armor saved me!
"The fire is the main comfort of camp, whether in summer or winter, and is about as ample at one season as at another. It is as well for cheerfulness as for warmth and dryness." ~ Henry David Thoreau
