A restless night for me after an evening of grumbling from Molly the pup, which awoke me at various times throughout the night. That and being overdressed for bed made for a sleepless night. Woke with Am around 6:15a or so, and took a walk around the circle of campsites we are in. Most of the sites here are empty. Only the sites with electric have campers in them, and those designated as “Pet” sites seemingly are sold out. Our circle is away from the central part of the campground, but backs up to the major Route through here – Rt 534. Other issue is this part only has pit toilets, not the modern flush and shower house combo the rest of the park has. Still, it’s quiet back here, with only a line of several neighbors, in anything from pup tents, fifth-wheel, to Diesel Class A with Slideouts.
While on our walk, Am and I picked up some water for morning coffee and tea. (Being a state park, the only hookup we have is electricity) We’re saving the water in the tank for flushing and dishes.
Am made a great breakfast of Egg and cheese sandwiches on toasted English muffins, along with some really delicious strawberries as well.
We headed out at about 9am for Boulder Field. A Periglacial field created at the edge of a glacier millions of years ago, was quite amazing to the girls. The road gravel road there was quite improved and widened since I remember being there some 15-20 years ago. While the girls enjoyed hopping across the rocks, I took Molly on an explore of the road and a bit into the woods. I’ve heard that pigs are used to find truffles, and if my walk with Molly is any indication, Molly has a talent for finding the “leavings” of other animals. Yep, no matter if its deer, rabbit, bear, or other unknown scat – if it’s poop – she’ll find it. She seems to think it’s quite tasty too. I constantly had to make sure her nose wasn’t “leading” her to trouble.
After Boulder Field, we headed to Sandy Spring Lake. The beach is much improved, and looks like they just are putting the finishing touches on new concessions, showers, and restrooms. All along the newly paved paths one could find white and lavender violets as well.
At exiting Boulder Field, we turned right on Rt. 534 and headed toward a scenic overlook listed on the map. We seemed to miss it, and ended up doubling back. We decided to see if we could find something interesting at Leigh Gorge, but the entrance we wanted was further down the highway than expected. We headed back to Road Abode.
Molly seemed to enjoy the freedom of walking on trails, not confined to “heel” all the time – as on the sidewalks at home – and took in all the smells of the woods. She seems to need more “socialization time” with other dogs, and the few encounters we had in the park went well.
Back at RoadAbode, We all had snacks, and did a bit of reading.
I’ve started with the Book “River Horse”, by William Least Heat-Moon. I’ve finished reading “Blue
Highways”, enjoying his perspective traveling around the United States in a Van – equipped with basic needs – using mostly the back roads, visiting lost towns, and meeting interesting people. In “River Horse”, he does a similar trek, only using waterways to zigzag his way across the U.S. from the Atlantic to the Pacific, chronicling the adventure along the way.
After reading a bit, Amy and I decided to get showers to ready ourselves for a dinner out. While the girls watched a DVD, we hopped in to RoadToad and drove over to the “more civilized” part of the campground. Being smart (so we thought) we picked a shower house in a part of the campground that was less populated, so that we could have uninterrupted and more private showers. Though that was the case, we found it also had disadvantages. Since no one was using this shower house, the water in the pipes was cold – very cold. It took quite a while for the water to warm up. Not one to waste either water or time, I started to wash my hair, hoping the temp would “catch up”. Just as it seemed to get closer to a regular shower temp, I wet myself down and started to soap up. But when it was time to rinse – I was back to ice water! Perplexed, but with determination I waited a bit – now wet and getting cold. I just finished up – rinsed quickly and dressed – and was glad to exit the building into the warm sun. Am was not without her perils in the shower either. Though she was able to get hot water (probably all mine) she found she was sharing her stall with a large water bug. Afraid of not seeing where it ran to – she showered with glasses on to keep an eye on him. The perils of Camp showers! =p
After showers, we came, read some more, and then were visited by our neighbor. He was putting some things into his Storage bays and came to say hello to Molly. The lucky gent is semi-retired – and was camping only about 30 minutes or so from his business. He stays out camping and traveling two weeks at a time – sometimes more. Was nice to chat and find info on PA campgrounds (including COE Parks) from a fellow RVer.
After our chat we got ready and headed out to dinner, at the intersection of 476, 80, and 940. Am has Tilapia, I salmon and the girls burger and chicken. We finished up with a dessert of Rootbeer floats. Really an enjoyable meal!
Back to RoadAbode, and Am and I went out with Molly for a walk. The intent purpose was to settle dinner, and tire out Molly so we had a more restful night. We walked down to the fishing pier at the C.C.C Dam, at the bottom most point of the campground. The walk took a little over an hour. (As I write this – seems it worked – both Am and Molly are sound asleep) we keep Molly hydrated and rested along the way, and where safe, gave her a long lead. She seemed to be quite a happy pup.
More Movies, reading and snacking completed the evening. I enjoyed reading outside, until it became dusk. The winds have picked up and are rocking RoadAbode a bit this evening and the rushing wind thru the trees is quite noisy.
Pictures from today :
While on our walk, Am and I picked up some water for morning coffee and tea. (Being a state park, the only hookup we have is electricity) We’re saving the water in the tank for flushing and dishes.
Am made a great breakfast of Egg and cheese sandwiches on toasted English muffins, along with some really delicious strawberries as well.
We headed out at about 9am for Boulder Field. A Periglacial field created at the edge of a glacier millions of years ago, was quite amazing to the girls. The road gravel road there was quite improved and widened since I remember being there some 15-20 years ago. While the girls enjoyed hopping across the rocks, I took Molly on an explore of the road and a bit into the woods. I’ve heard that pigs are used to find truffles, and if my walk with Molly is any indication, Molly has a talent for finding the “leavings” of other animals. Yep, no matter if its deer, rabbit, bear, or other unknown scat – if it’s poop – she’ll find it. She seems to think it’s quite tasty too. I constantly had to make sure her nose wasn’t “leading” her to trouble.
After Boulder Field, we headed to Sandy Spring Lake. The beach is much improved, and looks like they just are putting the finishing touches on new concessions, showers, and restrooms. All along the newly paved paths one could find white and lavender violets as well.
At exiting Boulder Field, we turned right on Rt. 534 and headed toward a scenic overlook listed on the map. We seemed to miss it, and ended up doubling back. We decided to see if we could find something interesting at Leigh Gorge, but the entrance we wanted was further down the highway than expected. We headed back to Road Abode.
Molly seemed to enjoy the freedom of walking on trails, not confined to “heel” all the time – as on the sidewalks at home – and took in all the smells of the woods. She seems to need more “socialization time” with other dogs, and the few encounters we had in the park went well.
Back at RoadAbode, We all had snacks, and did a bit of reading.
I’ve started with the Book “River Horse”, by William Least Heat-Moon. I’ve finished reading “Blue
Highways”, enjoying his perspective traveling around the United States in a Van – equipped with basic needs – using mostly the back roads, visiting lost towns, and meeting interesting people. In “River Horse”, he does a similar trek, only using waterways to zigzag his way across the U.S. from the Atlantic to the Pacific, chronicling the adventure along the way.
After reading a bit, Amy and I decided to get showers to ready ourselves for a dinner out. While the girls watched a DVD, we hopped in to RoadToad and drove over to the “more civilized” part of the campground. Being smart (so we thought) we picked a shower house in a part of the campground that was less populated, so that we could have uninterrupted and more private showers. Though that was the case, we found it also had disadvantages. Since no one was using this shower house, the water in the pipes was cold – very cold. It took quite a while for the water to warm up. Not one to waste either water or time, I started to wash my hair, hoping the temp would “catch up”. Just as it seemed to get closer to a regular shower temp, I wet myself down and started to soap up. But when it was time to rinse – I was back to ice water! Perplexed, but with determination I waited a bit – now wet and getting cold. I just finished up – rinsed quickly and dressed – and was glad to exit the building into the warm sun. Am was not without her perils in the shower either. Though she was able to get hot water (probably all mine) she found she was sharing her stall with a large water bug. Afraid of not seeing where it ran to – she showered with glasses on to keep an eye on him. The perils of Camp showers! =p
After showers, we came, read some more, and then were visited by our neighbor. He was putting some things into his Storage bays and came to say hello to Molly. The lucky gent is semi-retired – and was camping only about 30 minutes or so from his business. He stays out camping and traveling two weeks at a time – sometimes more. Was nice to chat and find info on PA campgrounds (including COE Parks) from a fellow RVer.
After our chat we got ready and headed out to dinner, at the intersection of 476, 80, and 940. Am has Tilapia, I salmon and the girls burger and chicken. We finished up with a dessert of Rootbeer floats. Really an enjoyable meal!
Back to RoadAbode, and Am and I went out with Molly for a walk. The intent purpose was to settle dinner, and tire out Molly so we had a more restful night. We walked down to the fishing pier at the C.C.C Dam, at the bottom most point of the campground. The walk took a little over an hour. (As I write this – seems it worked – both Am and Molly are sound asleep) we keep Molly hydrated and rested along the way, and where safe, gave her a long lead. She seemed to be quite a happy pup.
More Movies, reading and snacking completed the evening. I enjoyed reading outside, until it became dusk. The winds have picked up and are rocking RoadAbode a bit this evening and the rushing wind thru the trees is quite noisy.
Pictures from today :
Girls at Boulder Feild and the Plaque listing it as a National Landmark.
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