Crunchy Granola, and Other Things
We arrived in Randolph Center, VT around noon on Saturday, July 1st, having just missed a drenching downpour (to the tune of about 4.49 inches of rain). So much rain that, shortly after we made our way up I-89, part of the northbound lane between exits 1 and 2 gave way, opening up a huge sinkhole. Thank heavens we missed that!
When Tim went to check in, it seems that the reservation system had a bit of a hiccup and showed us arriving on the 10th, not the 1st. This is not the kind of thing you want to see on a holiday weekend. The campground owners could not have been more apologetic, and they were able to park us on an unoccupied seasonal site temporarily (the campers had not yet arrived for the season, but were expected in on the 5th). So, we drove onto our temporary site...........and promptly sunk into the over-saturated ground! The center jacks on the rig were below ground level - and they had not been deployed. That meant we couldn't pull forward. The truck was perched on an incline of soggy grass, and when Tim attempted to back up, he had zero traction, even with dual rear wheels in 4 wheel drive. We now had ruts on both sides of the 5er, and torn up grass under the truck wheels. We were STUCK with a capital UCK!!!
Fortunately, the campground owner came with a front-end loader full of gravel, and between Tim, the owner, and another camper, enough gravel was laid down under and behind the truck tires so that Tim could get the traction needed to move the rig back enough to get it somewhat level. The jack pads (the orange Lego-like things in one of the pictures), each of which is 1 inch thick, give a bit of perspective on just how deep the ruts were. (And the bottom pads were embedded deeply into the muck. A claw hammer was required to pry them out of the mud when we moved to our reserved site on the 5th).
After we set up camp, we took off for Montpelier to visit with Tim Jr., Katy, Lucy, and Abe, as well as Lauren and Penny, who drove up from western MA to meet the newest member of our family. Lauren and Penny followed us back to the campground, and they had the inaugural sleepover in Gigi and Peep's "magic bed" that appeared from the ceiling. Of course, Penny thinks that we live in a bus now, so that's a riot!
The next morning, The Montpelier Favorites arrived at the campground to see our new digs, and the little girls got to have a wonderful morning playing together, followed up with a lunch at our picnic table. Everyone left shortly after that, and we finally were able to have a bit of a chance to get everything else unpacked and set up. We had a quiet day, after a grocery trip, and enjoyed a nice evening.
We changed campsites, per the agreement with the office, on Wednesday 7/5, and we're settled in here now until 8/5, when we'll have to move to yet another campsite. It's a chore, but alas, it's the best we could arrange having made our reservations so late into the Spring.
We're on a wait-list for a seasonal site for next year, but no guarantees. We may need to do the same Texas Two-Step next year if we don't make the cut. And that is the fate we accept as nomads now. Life is an adventure!
When Tim went to check in, it seems that the reservation system had a bit of a hiccup and showed us arriving on the 10th, not the 1st. This is not the kind of thing you want to see on a holiday weekend. The campground owners could not have been more apologetic, and they were able to park us on an unoccupied seasonal site temporarily (the campers had not yet arrived for the season, but were expected in on the 5th). So, we drove onto our temporary site...........and promptly sunk into the over-saturated ground! The center jacks on the rig were below ground level - and they had not been deployed. That meant we couldn't pull forward. The truck was perched on an incline of soggy grass, and when Tim attempted to back up, he had zero traction, even with dual rear wheels in 4 wheel drive. We now had ruts on both sides of the 5er, and torn up grass under the truck wheels. We were STUCK with a capital UCK!!!
Fortunately, the campground owner came with a front-end loader full of gravel, and between Tim, the owner, and another camper, enough gravel was laid down under and behind the truck tires so that Tim could get the traction needed to move the rig back enough to get it somewhat level. The jack pads (the orange Lego-like things in one of the pictures), each of which is 1 inch thick, give a bit of perspective on just how deep the ruts were. (And the bottom pads were embedded deeply into the muck. A claw hammer was required to pry them out of the mud when we moved to our reserved site on the 5th).
After we set up camp, we took off for Montpelier to visit with Tim Jr., Katy, Lucy, and Abe, as well as Lauren and Penny, who drove up from western MA to meet the newest member of our family. Lauren and Penny followed us back to the campground, and they had the inaugural sleepover in Gigi and Peep's "magic bed" that appeared from the ceiling. Of course, Penny thinks that we live in a bus now, so that's a riot!
The next morning, The Montpelier Favorites arrived at the campground to see our new digs, and the little girls got to have a wonderful morning playing together, followed up with a lunch at our picnic table. Everyone left shortly after that, and we finally were able to have a bit of a chance to get everything else unpacked and set up. We had a quiet day, after a grocery trip, and enjoyed a nice evening.
We changed campsites, per the agreement with the office, on Wednesday 7/5, and we're settled in here now until 8/5, when we'll have to move to yet another campsite. It's a chore, but alas, it's the best we could arrange having made our reservations so late into the Spring.
We're on a wait-list for a seasonal site for next year, but no guarantees. We may need to do the same Texas Two-Step next year if we don't make the cut. And that is the fate we accept as nomads now. Life is an adventure!
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