First camping trip of 2011

[surmisez]

Well, we got back from our first camping trip of 2011 on Thursday. We spent six days at Lake Dennison State Park, Winchendon, MA. The weather was a mixed bag of pouring rain and blistering sunshine. The nights were really, really cold. I'm not sure what the elevation is, but I'm guessing that that had something to do with that.

On two separate nights, we had to spend a couple hours in the car due to extreme thunderstorms. We played Yahtzee on my phone to pass the time.

On the sunny days, we got in a bit of hiking and swimming. We also played a lot of board games while it poured cats and dogs. My husband had to trench around our screen house due to the downpours to prevent flooding -- did I mention we were under flood warnings a couple of times while we were out? LOL!

Within an hour or so of arriving at our campsite, a huge thunderstorm was headed our way. Luckily a couple of our camp neighbors came over to help us hurry up and set up our largest tarp over the screen house. Here are a few pics.

[surmisez]

Re: First camping trip of 2011

Many folks had water issues with all the downpours (they were not using tarps), but we did not. Tarps are an necessity when camping.



Here is our first camp fire later that evening, when the storm passed. We were lovin the heat from that fire!



This is where we spent most of our time during the storms, playing board games. It was also a great place to escape the heat of the sun during the day (tarps keep out the rain and shade you from the sun), and the out-of-control mosquitoes at night -- which were brutal from all the rain we got.



We also spent a bit of time in here as I enjoy cooking. The following was on the menu:

• scrambled eggs and breakfast meat every morning, along with brewed coffee
• pub style chicken with homemade mashed potatoes
• chicken with balsamic fig sauce
• blackened salmon with pineapple salsa
• grilled chicken with sesame honey butter

For lunch we had sandwiches -- sometimes leftovers -- and trail mix and energy bars for snacking.

[surmisez]

Re: First camping trip of 2011

This was the view of Lake Dennison from our screen house. It was beautiful!



This was the view when you looked down the hill to the Lake.

[surmisez]

Re: First camping trip of 2011

This is the turtle that we saw on one of our jaunts. And the other pic is of his home. He didn't care for me getting so close to him and went partway into his shell.

[surmisez]

Re: First camping trip of 2011

sumirsez what model of screenhouse is that?

Nice pics by the way, looks like a fun place to camp.

It is the cheapo Ozark Trail from Wally World. This is our second year with it. The quality is not the greatest, but the price couldn't be beat for that size... $82+tax. There are seams that will not last the test of time due to sloppy workmanship.

We take care when putting it up or taking it down. I read the reviews before buying it, which were all negative, but figured it was better than nothing. I figure it should last a couple more years or so, at least that's what I'm hoping for.

We really like this model because of it's size and shape.

[GlitterHiker]

Re: First camping trip of 2011

Surmisez - yaay! that you finally got out. Even with the extreme weather swings, looks like you had a wonderful outing. Great view from your site - must've been very relaxing. Thank you for the pics, as well as the menu ideas

[SilverMaggie]

Re: First camping trip of 2011

Great pics! Glad you had a nice adventure!

[surmisez]

Re: First camping trip of 2011

Thanks, we did have a great time with a fabulous view, and were very relaxed -- didn't want to leave, even with all the rain.

I posted all the pics here if anyone wants to check them out. They are not in order, for some reason this system downloads them and orders them randomly: http://www.campingforums.com/forum/album.php?albumid=96 :cool:

All my pics were taken with my camera phone as I have no idea where my "real" camera is. In fact, I cannot even remember the last time I saw it, or took a picture with it.

[SilverMaggie]

Re: First camping trip of 2011

Looking through all your pictures makes me want to go camping even more!

Waitin' on the money...

[surmisez]

Re: First camping trip of 2011

Waitin' on the money...

That is why you'll probably never see us camping at a private campground -- we cannot afford those fees.

The state parks in Taxachusetts charge $12.00 per night, that fits our budget and still leaves us money for a dinner out and an ice cream trip. :D