Dora, our fifth wheel, was waiting for parts in the repair shop for over two months. While on our trip home from California, we hit some huge potholes in Texas, which probably caused the damage. A broken leaf spring and damage to one of the slideouts were the results, and we were temporarily grounded.
Good things come to those who wait, and our patience was rewarded when we received a call last week that the repairs were finished and Dora was ready to hit the road again. Helen and I decided to release some pent-up frustration and take a short trip to our favorite campground in Cherokee, NC. Helen called Happy Holiday Campground to see if our favorite campsite was available. It wasn’t, so we reserved the one next to it, a spot on the creek and almost as good.
The weather forecast wasn’t ideal, but we figured we could handle anything for three days, so we loaded up a few food items, Helen’s puzzle, my camera, Mortimer, our English Bulldog, and drove east. We managed to stay ahead of the rain all the way to the campground…then the sky opened up. I had to put my truck into four-wheel drive to back into the campsite—a first.
We decided to visit Cherokee Casino for Happy Hour in the late afternoon with no letup in the rain. The Casino is operated by the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation to benefit tribal members. The Casino is enormous and is as nice as any casino we have visited in Las Vegas or elsewhere. Casino gambling is not for everyone, but we consider it fun entertainment and budget about the same amount of money as we would for a nice dinner.
After Happy Hour, we returned to the campground to watch our Tennessee Baseball Vols play LSU in the College World Series and enjoy a hot dog for dinner. The hot dogs were a suitable substitute for an expensive dinner, but baseball could have been better. Oh well, we’ll get them tomorrow.
The following morning, Helen’s sister told us that Knoxville received over two inches of rain with more on the way. That news received little sympathy as we stared out our trailer door at a deluge. We added more time to our morning coffee break and canceled our plans to go hiking. Mortimer seemed pleased with that decision.
The heavy rain allowed us time to relax, read books, puzzle, and do some cleaning after Dora spent two months in the shop. We stretched this routine until Happy Hour at the casino late that afternoon, then drove through the rain back home for Helen’s Ham Tetrazzini dinner and more baseball. Dinner was terrific, but our Vols lost again, ending their World Series run. Nevertheless, they enjoyed a great season; we’re proud of them.
By day three, our reading, puzzling, and music listening had us pretty laid-back but a bit restless nonetheless. The rain showers had diminished to a light but very steady drizzle. I had to get out and stretch my legs with a walk around the campground. No one else was out at the time except for the ducks that populate Happy Holiday. A short distance from our trailer was a large pile of wood chips that remained from a fallen tree. I walked around it and spotted a Mama Duck sitting on her nest. She had burrowed herself into the pile to avoid the worst rain. Mama sat quietly and hardly gave me a second glance.
Further down the campground path, a lone Rhododendron stood proudly as the last one on the property. The blooming season is over, but the spring bloom was good if there were more like this one.
Soaked by now, I splashed my way back to the trailer where Mortimer was eager to show me his new trick—standing atop his crate instead of sleeping in it. I guess he was a little restless himself.
We had rain on our camping trip…but I can’t remember when I was more relaxed.
We’re Easin’ Along.