[dr. camplove or: how i learned to stop worrying and love the dumpsterfire]

i should have known at about noon on friday that this weekend might be a "wash". the rain was pounding hard as we made some final purchases before our first camping trip of 2017. i was excited. it's my favorite family activity. but the rain was putting some anxiety in my heart. not to worry--it only lasted about an hour. by the time we got home and were really ready to roll the radar was lookin' good!

with a newly cleared up sky we packed up and headed out. full of anticipation and ready to roll, we approached the storage lot. i put in the code and head to the back where our camper was just waiting, nay dreaming, of the moment we'd hook 'er up and haul 'er out. after so many weeks of idle time we turn the corner, and there she was. it took me abooooout .25 seconds to notice that something was wrong as we approached. the propane take cover was sitting cockeyed. like so cockeyed it would be impossible for there to be actual tanks under the cover. indeed there were not. surprise! someone has stolen both of your propane tanks. damn. we were discouraged but not totally shocked. we've had a battery stolen before (lesson learned), but hadn't been so careful with the gas tanks (new lesson learned). so we started our third season as RV owners with that pricey bummer. ok. well. it could be a lot worse. no need to panic. let's hook up and move on.

we did just that. hitched up beautifully, and headed to lake jacomo. all is calm. all is serene. we arrived at the campground and were checked in by a friendly former-texan who chats us up and offers that familiar "campground courtesy" that's always refreshing to find. while there are exceptions to every rule, in general, the campground crowd is chock full of friendly folk who are willing to do a lot to help their fellow campers.

as we took the 10 mile per hour "campground cruise" to our spot we waved and nodded to the folks around. the park was about half full. we slid right into our glorious pull-thru-full-hookup-easy-peasy spot. we've arrived! this is the start of our third season with this camper and we're pretty efficient getting set up. leveled and unhooked, tires chocked, power on, water connected, awning out, fridge cooling: all of that can happen in 15 minutes or so. beautiful! in a matter of minutes we were talking about hikes, and campfires, and smores and on and on.

"have you turned on the water yet, babe?" kelly innocently asks. ah! hooked it up, but hadn't turn on the spigot (or specket depending on where you're from) yet. i'm on it!

what? oh that? that's just a moment of silence for what happened next. little did i know that as i dutifully went outside and around and turned on the water we would be in for bummer #2 of this little sojourn. HOUSTON: WE HAVE A PROBLEM. LEAK. FLOOD. turns out i did not check e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g before we turned on the water and we had a broken piece from over the off season. of course we turned off the water and cleaned up the mess. (i did mention this is FRIDAY evening still, right?) spotting the part that needs replaced, we hopped into the truck and ran to the rv dealer in grain valley. they very kindly told us they do not keep that part in stock. crap on a cracker. 

ok. so. no propane at the moment and now no water. well i mean who wanted to use the grill or the stove or the toilet or the shower or either sink or the... wait. ME. I DID. I WANTED TO USE ALL OF THESE THINGS. we headed back to the campsite down but not out. we had plans to do a grown folks easter egg hunt with our friends which we did on Friday evening. I ended my whole 30 after 33.5 days by drinking a sixer and eating something called "mudhole tots". hanging with your best friends is always a win so by the end of friday evening the score was:

bummers: 2

not bummers: 1

 we got up saturday morning ready to tackle the world. jumped in the shower, made a pot of coffee and headed out for an adventure. oh--ya--kind of forgot to mention: we slept at home friday night. i mean it was so late when we got back from the adult egg thing. and the bummers were up 2 to 1. don't judge. 

we headed back to the camper: mom made a flexible egg-in-the-microwave breakfast, we loaded up our hydration packs, grabbed the hiking sticks, and set off. we found an fun trail and hiked for a nice long time. it was awesome. peaceful, pretty, and good family time. favorite moment was when kelly grabbed the back of ryan's pack as he slid on the side of an embankment. he jumped up, looked very genuinely at kelly and said in 100% seriousness, "MOM YOU SAVED ME!" you should have heard how it came of out his mouth. we rested up some after the hike and then visited the bison and elk at flemming park. ryan fed them some apples and had a good time. 

 

the score was now:

bummers: 2

not bummers: 3

we went back to rest for a while. ryan watched "the cat in the hat" (the funny mike myers one) and mom and dad played phase 10 and did crosswords. all camper traditions. good stuff. later we busted out the george forman grill and made chicken kabobs for dinner. our friends tom/lauren/caden came out for the campfire and we had a great time. things were really looking up. the campfire fun meant:

bummers: 2

not bummers: 4

the time got late, the firewood thin, and our friends left. i doused the coals and we headed to bed. things were really looking up. we can be flexible. these bummers are clearly no match for us. we're cool as a cucumber. no sweat. however, as that damn cat says during the cupcake scene in the movie:

we didn't know it at the time, but the bummers were not done with us just yet. you'll have to stay tuned for the exciting conclusion of the world's most dismal weekend camping adventure. in part II i'll finish the harrowing tale and tell you why in the end the bummers will never win. ever!