Camping tripped
Jun. 3rd, 2007 09:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
greatbearWe're back from a nice, relaxed weekend way out in the western panhandle of Maryland. Despite a little bit of rain, the 370-some mile trip went off without a hitch. In fact, aside from a little incident of bumping a tree while backing the trailer into place, the whole thing went off almost too well. Kodi was remarkably well behaved; this trip being one of the longest he's been on and only needing one break in each direction. The old truck handled the mountain climbing with aplomb, snarling it's way up the worst of the roads in the 90+ degree heat without blowing it's cool. My transmission project from '03 helping to handle the load. By the top of the 3-5 mile runs at over 6% grade, the temp gauge was on the high side, but the downhill runs cooled everything off in no time and got things ready for the next climb. Not bad for an 18 year old truck. To top it off, I figure I got about 12mpg in the process.
We had arrived at Deep Creek State Park and a nice sized space with electric hookup. Setup was a breeze. Chipmunks were everywhere. It was a quiet weekend, the Memorial Day prior apparently was pretty much filled. We had friendly neighbors, which is almost always the case when camping. The three of us had some nice hiking time along the lake as well as a nice drive around the area.
There is another reason aside from the scenery and facilities as to why this my choice for the 'maiden voyage'. You see, this was the place where I learned to love camping, thanks to Mom.
Mom and I went camping here for the first time in the late 60s and again in the very early 70s. Early on, I loved being outside and living in nature. I still enjoy this today. One year a nasty thunderstorm blew through in the middle of the night that toppled a huge tree only a few feet from the tent. It smashed the picnic table and made a general mess, scared the crap out of Mom, and I slept through everything. I can still sleep through just about anything short of the middle of a busy runway.
The Deep Creek State Park campground has not changed much in the 35+ years since I last camped there. In fact, the trip was significant for the space we were not using. This is the spot from all those years past, albeit modernized a bit:
Seeing this spot brought back a huge flood of memories, and sent me off the deep end for more than a few minutes. I remember so much from all those years past. Somewhere in this house, there are pictures from back then. I must find them.
This is our lot for the weekend. This picture was taken as we were packing up:
Oops:
Bears are regular visitors to the park and campgrounds:
The lake is every bit as serene as the pictures convey:
Mom and I came back to Deep Creek Lake for just a visit in the late 80s. The playgrounds by the lakeside beach had been fitted with these very cool play areas a year or two prior. Of course, these were not here way back when. Very cool geometric designs:
Floating dock at the new Discovery Center:
Kodi has learned to 'walk himself' when he knows where he's going. If he knows he's going home, he'll either pick up the leash like this, or take the end closest to him and walk us home. His brother would do the same:
Tired hikers:
We will return someday to Deep Creek Lake. It's less than 4 hours away, in beautiful countryside, and the park is staffed with incredibly nice people. Kodi obviously loved it, as did Jeff, who never camped at a state park before.
With this trip being an unequivocal success, both of us cannot wait for our next combined outings next month. First will be a weekend at Hillside, from there will be a whole week in Provincetown for Bear Week. Warning signs not required, but should be. P-Town has some terrific food.
We had arrived at Deep Creek State Park and a nice sized space with electric hookup. Setup was a breeze. Chipmunks were everywhere. It was a quiet weekend, the Memorial Day prior apparently was pretty much filled. We had friendly neighbors, which is almost always the case when camping. The three of us had some nice hiking time along the lake as well as a nice drive around the area.
There is another reason aside from the scenery and facilities as to why this my choice for the 'maiden voyage'. You see, this was the place where I learned to love camping, thanks to Mom.
Mom and I went camping here for the first time in the late 60s and again in the very early 70s. Early on, I loved being outside and living in nature. I still enjoy this today. One year a nasty thunderstorm blew through in the middle of the night that toppled a huge tree only a few feet from the tent. It smashed the picnic table and made a general mess, scared the crap out of Mom, and I slept through everything. I can still sleep through just about anything short of the middle of a busy runway.
The Deep Creek State Park campground has not changed much in the 35+ years since I last camped there. In fact, the trip was significant for the space we were not using. This is the spot from all those years past, albeit modernized a bit:
Seeing this spot brought back a huge flood of memories, and sent me off the deep end for more than a few minutes. I remember so much from all those years past. Somewhere in this house, there are pictures from back then. I must find them.
This is our lot for the weekend. This picture was taken as we were packing up:
Oops:
Bears are regular visitors to the park and campgrounds:
The lake is every bit as serene as the pictures convey:
Mom and I came back to Deep Creek Lake for just a visit in the late 80s. The playgrounds by the lakeside beach had been fitted with these very cool play areas a year or two prior. Of course, these were not here way back when. Very cool geometric designs:
Floating dock at the new Discovery Center:
Kodi has learned to 'walk himself' when he knows where he's going. If he knows he's going home, he'll either pick up the leash like this, or take the end closest to him and walk us home. His brother would do the same:
Tired hikers:
We will return someday to Deep Creek Lake. It's less than 4 hours away, in beautiful countryside, and the park is staffed with incredibly nice people. Kodi obviously loved it, as did Jeff, who never camped at a state park before.
With this trip being an unequivocal success, both of us cannot wait for our next combined outings next month. First will be a weekend at Hillside, from there will be a whole week in Provincetown for Bear Week. Warning signs not required, but should be. P-Town has some terrific food.
