Well I have just gotten back from camping at Lilly dale. Man it has been hot. I actually missed most of the day yesterday as I had to work. I did manage to leave work only to have my motorcycle to start blowing fuses like they were candy. Luckily I broke down in front of Thompsons Yamaha and Suzuki Power sports store. Thanx God. Anyway, after I bought $5 in fuses and incorporated the help of the mechanics at the store, the fuses quit blowing. Why did they quit blowing you ask. I don’t know. They just did. Thankfully I have not had any more problems since. Thanx again God.
Anyway, I made my TWO hour ride to the campgrounds and met up with my wife, daughters, and in laws who went before me. We had a good time in spite of the heat. There was fishing, swimming, and a lot of talking around a campfire (built only for aesthetic scenery, nobody sat too close to that thing). While I was there, I began to think upon my past camping trips of my youth which never involved the luxury with which we camp today. Now we go to a designated campground, pre-leveled out, pavement leads the way, bath houses are available, and many (including us, thanks to the generosity of my father and mother-in-law) stay in a camper. Gone are the days of hiking in, finding a worthy site, preparing the site, warding off the wildlife, setting up the tent, and sweating in heavy heat conditions.
Some will argue that this new camping takes away from the communing with nature. I can see that point. But man, nature is HOT! I have easily become accustomed to this new lap of luxury. I can remember hiking for miles just to get out of the woods, all the while carrying as many as four garbage bags of clothes (dirty usually) and sleeping supplies. Sometimes this trek required multiple journeys in order to retrieve all of our “gear”. Many times the heat and fatigue caused me to lay down on a nearby rock, only to get up and see my little “sweat angel” left upon its surface. Yep, really liked that air conditioner last night.
I do miss, sometimes, the isolation of the old way of camping. The peace, the lack of interruption, the random wildlife all bring fond memories to me. For some, however, the people around us (and their misadventures) are just as interesting as the scenery. The only hitch we had this whole trip was when Becky went to take a shower with my daughter. She came back after a while looking very upset. I instantly began thinking, “What did I do?” She then went on to tell us that some man was in the women’s bathhouse with some woman. She got tag numbers off the vehicle and some description as best she could. I breathed a sigh of relief as I was not in trouble, but then we went to tell the persons over the site. What will be done? I don’t know. But I feel this behavior is quite unacceptable in a “family campground”, which is what Lilly dale is advertised to be. For the most part the grounds are kept nice and have a good surrounding and atmosphere. It is a shame that some people don’t have enough consideration to follow good moral behavior in this environment. Shame on you.
All in all, a good trip. The kids all had fun, the adults caught fish and talked, and we all sweat profusely. Glad I went. I am even more glad that I will be showering in my own house today too though.