Yesterday, (Thursday), we drove from Staunton, VA to Cuddebackville, NY (I came to fondly call it Paddywhackville) in the Catskills. Yes, it's really nowheresville.
The day had started with a bit a of spitting rain, but it was dry as we packed up for the drive north. Unfortunately, we ran into the main rainstorm, and traveled for about 4 hours in rain. By the end of the driving day, skies had cleared, and we were definitely in colder northern climes. Somewhere in PA, a doe darted in front of the truck on the highway, and gave both of us some MAJOR palpitations, especially since a large buck was starting across about 50 feet ahead of us as well. Fortunately, the doe retreated, and the buck froze as she did. All this happened in the blink of an eye.
We planned on staying at the KOA in Paddywhackville, and figured if we just showed up there would be no problem getting a spot for the night. Unfortunately, we had opted to follow the directions given by the KOA guidebook, instead of those provided by the GPS, based on the address. The KOA book had indicated that the more direct roads were steep and snaky, and could be a problem for RVs, and offered an alternative route that took us about 40 minutes out of our way. Those 40 minutes proved to be important later on when darkness became a major hindrance.
About an hour and a half ahead of our expected arrival, I called the KOA to confirm not only that we would be coming and that they had a space, but also that they were open. (Many campgrounds in the area close by mid-October.) I got an answering machine. Hmmmmmmmmm. Not good. I left a message asking them to call me back. (Maybe the desk person had stepped out to the rest room.) Tick tock, tick tock. No call. The KOA website had indicated that this campground was open all year, so we rolled the dice and headed to the KOA. Meanwhile, the sun was setting, and the cold settling in. By the time we reached the campground, it wasn't late--maybe 5:00, but it was dark. There was no one in the office, and the office was locked. There were instructions on the whiteboard outside, that latecomers could take one of 2 spots they had set aside. So, we headed for that area of the campground. Of course, the spots were not pull-throughs. Of course, the ground was wet and soggy. Of course, the angle of approach was difficult to put the trailer in the spot. Of course the utilities (water and electric) were spaced weirdly. After about 10-15 minutes of wrangling, car headlights pierced the darkness. A KOA staff member greeted us, and subsequently told us that the site into which we were trying to situate ourselves had had the water turned off, and that the campground staff had neglected to alter the latecomer spot numbers. At any rate, he led us to a nice pull through spot in which we spent the night. Let me just say that setting up in the cold really bites (just about as much as waking up to snow on the camper--see Kansas blog entry). (One side note--the camp store at Paddywhackville sold these--YUM)
Tomorrow I will post some tidbits that did not make it into our daily blog.
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