Our camping weekend was off to a terribly rocky start. Wait. I mean sandy. Allow me to back up - 4 years ago - we booked a campsite at a campground where some friends were staying nearby so we could go boating with them on their new, big, boat. It was going to be a fun weekend - until we arrived at a campground that was super hilly. With the camper we had at the time, a tow behind, the hitch part/thingy - whatever, kept grinding on the ground because it was just too low for the terrain. We finally got hooked up and found out it was only a 120 volt campsite and it was super hot! We couldn't run the A/C. So, we went to another campground in the area, that kind of turned out to be a trailer park. We decided we were a little too uncomfortable staying there (and the people were kind of rude) so we decided to just leave and head home - upon doing so we hit a deer. It was a bad trip. Unable to recall the name of the campground we originally pulled in to I wound up booking us a camping trip - at the SAME place! I was mortified when we pulled in. However, the owner said they upgraded to 30 amp. Awesome! So we drive down to our site and - remember how I said it was hilly - we got stuck - STUCK! It's a sandy campground and our camper (14,000 pounds) and the 2wd dually sunk in about 5" of sand. It was a tight fit and down right scary. We finally got backed out and back to the top of the hill, took a different turn into the horseshoe our site was located in and got all unhooked - only to find - it was not, in fact, a 30 amp circuit! Apparently, the electrician told the owner it was - but it was not (I can only imagine it was a family member or family friend and not a real electrician). Anyway, we could've done without the A/C although we were concerned for how long we'd have to leave the dog in her crate in the camper with no air. Ultimately, we were too concerned about getting out of the sand pit once others blocked us in. So, we hooked back up and Sky had to maneuver the camper through 5 - yes, FIVE, campsites (4 of which were empty). Plus, it was totally a party campground. The owner told us she was worried about us being bothered with the crowds that were already there and that quiet time was 2:30 am. Wow! Information I wish was posted on their website. Other info they could share on their website is that you have to drive 45 minutes to their outpost to gear up for rafting and then take a 10 minute bus ride to get into the water. I sought this campground out because I was looking for - and my internet search went something like this .... - campgrounds AND whitewater rafting. Hello???? What if we'd been in an RV and didn't have a vehicle? I had no idea we had to drive to get to the 'outpost.' Anyway, the owner (who was very nice) was able to refund us for the camping and called around to get us hooked up with Peshtigo River Campground. As we were pulling out of Thornton's - it was too dark and we were very upset. I had my mom call the guy at Peshtigo and tell him not to wait on us we were just going to head home and he told her to tell us, "for a relaxing experience come see us in the future." So, I guess it's a locally known fact Thornton's is a party campground. (Heck, when we arrived at around 6:30 there were groups of folks visibly and vocally already wasted.)
So, I wanted this weekend to be a 'boys' weekend and for my kids and Sky to experience something 'cool.' It would've been easy to cancel the whole darn thing but no, we left at 10:30 from home the next morning and drove all the way up to Niagra - but we were early so we went into Michigan and ate at a really good Chinese buffet - the kind I miss from home in GA. (There are no - NO - decent Chinese buffet, or sit and be served Chinese restaurants, in Green Bay.) We finally made it to the outpost and I was so worried about my size and the life jackets (and once it was on and I couldn't breathe) and being able to bend and move like that. As I experienced the trip my fears were alleviated. Yes, I couldn't maneuver as well as I would've liked but I did fine and managed to really enjoy myself. Everyone else enjoyed themselves, too. See.....
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