Unicoi State Park Day Four

Breakfast burritos for breakfast! Yum! With real bacon…which I can’t cook. Oh, well, they were good anyway.

Papa took BroBear and BooBoo to the camp store to pick out Audubon plush birds (they make bird calls appropriate to the species when you squeeze them). T-Bear had picked out one the day before, and I guess that meant all of us had to have one. It was decided (I’m not sure by whom) that the bird best suited to me was the Loon. No comment necessary. Really. The guys also picked up some local patches and a sticker which BroBear affixed to Popper.

After breakfast we cleaned up and broke camp. Papa and I working together (with his bum hand) managed to have us completely packed up and ready to pull out within about 2 hours. Not bad. During pack-up the kids pretty much ran around and played, and BroBear (again) helped out by watching Baby Man (he earned $10 for services rendered during the trip). BooBoo kept our heart rates elevated by racing a scooter down the hill at break-neck speeds.

Once home, it only took about 30 minutes for us to unload Popper, clean her up (including the fridge), and closer her up.

Lessons from Day Four:

• If you bruise easily (as I do), you will be covered in bruises after camping.
• If you have a weak lower back, you will need a back brace. Bending, stooping, lifting, etc. takes its toll pretty quickly.
• Have a permanent kitchen table set up near the stove with all your cooking stuff set out. Getting it in and out of the camper, especially if it’s stowed, is a pain. Same as above.
• Keep the pantry in the back of the truck in plastic bins, not stowed in the camper. Same as above.
• Dish soap can get weird when its cold.
• Don’t take a guitar camping (BroBear’s idea). It’s a pain to keep it protected from the elements, and find a permanent space to keep it protected in general.
• The little hook thingies on the roof of the camper are great for hanging the bathroom bag on. It only took me three days to figure that out, standing there thinking “I wonder what those hooks are for?” at the same time I’m holding the bathroom bag thinking “Where the hell can I put this thing so it’s accessible and out of the way?”
• No matter how much laundry you do in preparation for camping, there’s always much, much more to do when you get back. Even if you only allow minimal clothing for each family member. And Sol-U-Mel works great to get the smoke smell out of everyone’s clothing.
• Camping poops out dogs. This is a good thing, especially if you have a spastic ADHD dog like we do. (There’s a reason why Jenny’s nickname is Dory Dork-Fish Dog).
  

So, that was the Maiden Voyage of Popper. Everyone had a ball, and we're rarin’ to go again soon. You can check out Kit’s blog for a far more eloquent and lovely wrap-up of events. Be sure to check out the tent video…it’s priceless!

Unicoi State Park Day Three

After a cold and windy night, I got up early enough to grab a shower at the comfort station (fancy word for bathroom), just after noticing raccoons had gotten into the trash we forgot to secure the night before. Thanks, my dear, spoiled dogs, for alerting us to the critters rustling round under the camper in the middle of the night.

Jenny: "I'm just not sure about this lying down in the dirt thing. Where's my orthopedic dog bed? I think I'll just sit here for a while."

Jasmin: "I did not hear raccoons in the night. I have absolutely no responsibility whatsoever in this matter. And, laying in the dirt isn't really all that bad."

After breakfast we packed up a lunch and drove to the trailhead for a hike up to Anna Ruby Falls.

BooBoo at the trail head.


T-Bear demonstrating the Water Cycle and Mountain Stream Ecology.


The Whole Crew at Anna Ruby Falls (courtesy of a very nice gentleman who volunteered to take our collective picture).

It was a perfect length for the kids, beautiful scenery, and the falls were spectacular.

Anna Ruby Falls in all Her glory.

After a bit of a lunch/snack, Kit, Billy, Papa, BroBear and Jenny all continued on the long way back to the camp (another 4 miles).

Jenny: "Why you sittin' down?!?"
Papa: "Cause I'm tired!"
(Photo courtesy of Kit)


BroBear takin' the lead.
(Photo courtesy of Kit)

Meanwhile, I went back down the short way with the rest of the kids (that’d be four boys) and Jasmin. Back at camp, T-Bear needed a little carb stoking - one of those times when a snack just won’t do – so I whipped up some Mac & Cheese. The rest of the crew showed up a couple of hours later, tired but satisfied. BroBear did great, took lead for part of the hike, and didn’t complain during the tough parts. As he said, “I was whining on the inside.”

By the time dinner rolled around, the campground was filling up fast. I was kind of assuming there wouldn’t be many campers out at this time of year, but they were arriving frequently enough I kept the kids at our campsite. Some of the RV’s arriving were monsterously big, and I wasn’t entirely certain all of the drivers knew exactly what they were doing.

Some time around dinner came Injury Number Two. Papa Bear sliced a good chunk of skin off the pad of this thumb with a hatchet, pretty much down to the muscle. He was cutting off kindling, it was kind of dark, and he couldn’t see properly. He insisted it wasn’t bad enough to go to the clinic, so after dinner I cleaned and dressed it as best I could.

Lessons from Day Three:

• Dogs who are comfortably sleeping inside the camper will not alert you to the raccoon(s) digging through the trash less than a foot away. They know you’ll make them go outside and chase the critter away if they wake you up, so “mum’s the word” as far as the dogs are concerned.
• Trim finger and toe nails before you head off to camp. Long-ish finger nails get sore when you’re using your hands so much for grabbing, pulling, etc., especially in the cold. And, you don’t want long toenails in hiking boots. Especially with an ingrown toenail. Ouch.
• Don’t wear TIVAs while hiking (courtesy of Papa Bear). Good boots are worth the price.
• A good, well-made backpack is also worth the price. Mine is less than a year old, the inner lining has torn, and it doesn’t hold the weight close enough to my body to keep from killing my shoulders (as I’m walking down a steep path holding a dog/leash in one hand and a small child’s hand in the other). Investing in a GOOD backpack with appropriate weight balancing is no longer an option at my age.
• Type 1 doesn’t have to take the front seat on any outings. Plan ahead, allow for unforeseen events, be flexible, and keep an eye BS. And always take snacks.
• Never underestimate the power of Mac & Cheese as comfort food. And, Kirkland (Costco) brand Mac & Cheese doesn't have The Forbidden Three Ingredients.
• Fire starter bricks are probably safer than trying to make kindling in the dark.
• We need a better First Aid kit, and don’t count on the little camp store having anything more than Band Aids and peroxide.
  

And, on to Day Four!

Unicoi State Park Day Two

We all slept well (even me), got up to a chilly morning, and Brother Bear took charge of cooking up a pancake breakfast for everyone. Shortly after breakfast came Injury Number One. While building a dam with rocks in the stream, there was an incident involving a rock slipping out of someone’s hand onto someone else’s hand and deeply cutting a finger. The latter someone was taken to the emergency room (about ½ hour away) for eight stitches and some goofy juice. But, I’ll let Kit tell you all about that.

In the meantime, back at camp, it rained. Kit and Billy, being the expert campers they are, had brought along and set up appropriate coverage over the picnic table areas. It was a nice excuse to hang out at camp and relax. Also, Papa Bear took the Cubs down to the camp store and got them hiking sticks.

For dinner we combined forces for a Low Country Boil. It was a first time for us. Yummy and fun food.

Lessons from Day Two:
• We need a better First Aid kit, and don’t count on the little camp store having anything more than Band Aids and peroxide.
• Try using pearl onions for the Low Country Boil.

Stay tuned for Day Three...

Unicoi State Park Day One

Overall, our first campout with Popper was a complete success. A great big Thank You to Kit and Billy for laying the groundwork and helping us make our first big camping adventure so great. I would have been WAAAAAAY stressed out if you had not been there.

It took some doing to get Popper loaded up, mostly because I was still fretting over exactly where everything must be perfectly placed, despite two weeks (or more) of intensive planning. But, we did get her loaded up, and Brother Bear and I got her collapsed and ready to roll while Papa finished up some work stuff. I’m pretty sure our next packing effort will be much smoother.

After about a 1.5 hour drive (not counting a quick trip through the drive-through for carb loading), we made it to Unicoi State Park near Helen, GA. If you’ve never been to (or through) Helen, it’s worth a look-see. One of the cutest little contrived Alpine villages I’ve been to in the U.S., and I’ve been to a few. It actually reminded me of Big Bear Village in CA, sort of blended with Solvang up near Lompoc, CA. Cute. Very, very touristy, but with enough artisan shops you’d be able to find some real treasures if you looked around a bit.

Anyway, we met up with Kit and family at our “buddy” site (accommodates two families at one site). They’d been there a bit and had already unpacked and set up camp. We backed Popper into our side of the RV space, and had Popper and our camp set up within about 30 minutes. Not bad for a first run. And, there was power and water, so we were sittin’ pretty. There were also bugs (ain’t they all supposed to be DEAD at this time of year?!?). But, it was the remains of a lovely, warm (not too warm) day, just enough for me to question whether I should have packed more shorts for everyone. But, the temperature dropped with the sun, and it was definitely jacket weather by the time we gathered around the campfire.

Lessons From Day One:

• There are always bugs, no matter when or where you are camping. As a former neighbor of ours used to say, “Here in Georgia, we’re all about the bugs.” Take heed and pack accordingly.
• Tiki oil works really well for starting fires when you don’t have enough kindling. Don’t ask why we brought Tiki oil even though we had no tiki torches. But it worked out pretty good, so who am I to question the Fire Gods.
• Unicoi State Park has cell service, but no internet connection, even with an air card. This is a good thing.
• You have to open the gas valve on the propane tank for the heater to work.
• If you have a precocious child (or two) you will be told that Unicoi means "one Oriental fish." No, I can't keep up with them, either.
  

Stay tuned for Day Two.