I called Block to see how he was progressing on his journey to the camp ground. He informed me that he had about 40 minutes left of driving left but he still needed to stop at the camp store to get a few things. I decided that I would start a fire and have it ready to cook hot dogs on when he arrived.
About 30 minutes or so after I started the fire, the camp host arrived to get my campsite fee. Before he collected it, he informsed me that there was a fire ban in effect due to the lack of rain in the area. I had a really good fire going and was not about to put it out unless I absolutely had to. The host told me I could just let it burn out and I told him that I would not add any more fuel to the fire. He then told me that the grills were okay to use and I thought that was pretty stupid since a fire is a fire, so I started one in hte grill, which by the way was four feet off the ground and closer to the trees. I also did not have a sand/rock/concrete ring around it like the fire pit did.
Block showed up just as I was finishing the conversation with the camp host and we unloaded his car of the few things he brought. I put him to work cooking the hot dogs while I got the rest of the stuff together for dinner. The weather was clearing up and I decided to pitch the new tent. Block and I could have slept in the van, but it is cramped for two people and to be honest, Block and I are not that close :-)
After a dinner of hot dogs, chips, and soda, we put up the tent (in the dark). We got it up quickly and decided we would have plenty of room. We loaded our sleeping bags and the mattress pad I brought and then roasted some marshmallows. It had been years since I roasted marshmallows...the memories of past camping trips came flooding back and I felt like a kid again.
Block and I talked about various things until I could not stay up any longer. I told him I was going to bed. He thought about it for a while and decided he would get some sleep as well.
The night was comfortable for me until about 4:00 AM. I started to get chilled (I was on top of the sleeping bag) so I decided to climb inside. Block on the other hand was hot all night.
Sometime during the night it started raining again, but we stayed dry in th tent. The only time it got wet inside the tent was when broke camp and took the tent down. Of course we had to pack it all away wet, but I hope that I can air it out Sunday if the weather is nice.
After breaking down camp and getting a shower, Block and I said our goodbyes and went on our own separate ways...Block back to Memphis and me onward to WV.
I left camp about an hour later than I normally do so I knew that I was going to have to cut down my stops. Block had noticed I had a low tire so my first stop was for gas and to see if all the tire needed was air. Once I checked the tire, it looked like air was all I needed. After a brief delay, I was back on the road.
I stopped to use the toilet at a rest stop. While there, I checked the tire and it still looked good, so I continued driving. The drive was pretty uneventful and I even was able to utilize two short cuts along the way. My total trip time was 10 hours...I arrived at mom's house at 7:00 local time (which is one hour ahead of my normal time zone).
I have a bit of a headache and I am kinda tired. I know I will go to bed early tonight and most likely sleep well.
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