rainbowkinect

Who new National and State Parks are often bereft of full hook-ups? For people, like me, who are not in the know, “dry” camping means the lack of a continuous water hook-up. Without this continuous water-hook-up, a subscribed amount of water has to be added to an RVs fresh water tank.

 
Filling up the RVs fresh water tank may provide a modicum of relief for some, but activities requiring larger amounts of water like showering, and some bathroom functions often require the use of the campground’s communal facilities. Now, communal facilities may be a viable alternative for many “naturalists” because it still provides an opportunity to commune with nature but for me, a card-carrying communal bathroom-aphobic, who cannot fully evacuate in public, the mere thought of dry camping makes me want to cut bait and run.

 
Up until this point of reckoning, I was pleasantly surprised by how well my husband handled pulling his brand new travel trailer during our seven hour trip to Letchworth Village State Park. We made it safe and sound with no discernible mishaps or backseat driving exclamations. As we pulled into our campsite, or let me say “tried” to back into our campsite, we learned how phenomenal and giving fellow RVers are. Out of nowhere, men and women alike, quickly came to our rescue, and adeptly guided my husband as he backed into our site and provided answers to questions we didn’t know we had. We couldn’t believe all of the kindness and support we received from strangers and friends alike.

 
After we successfully pulled into the campsite, the beauty and tranquility of the park enveloped me. Plugging in the electric was easy enough, but as we began to search for the water hook-up, I could feel my pulse quicken at the very thought of there being none. One of our new camping friends showed us the location of the water spigot and thankfully, my husband had a hose long enough to attach, so we could fill up our fresh water tank. Now, I won’t bore you with the water hook-up mishaps that occurred until we were finally able to get it right, but suffice to say the “Griswolds” do not disappoint!!

 
In a very brief moment, I had a choice to make. My inner child wanted to totally disintegrate when I discovered that the water hook-up was non-existent because in all honesty, the ability to shower and have our own bathroom was the main reason I agreed to go camping, OR I could be a grown-up and decide to go with the flow, have a good time, enjoy the tranquility of nature and more importantly enjoy the camaraderie of people I care about. I could feel my husband’s anxiety as he waited for my reaction, he was uncertain how I would respond, because he knows me all to well. He wanted this camping trip to be a wonderful experience for me as he saw this trip as the first of many. I chose to be a grown-up.

 
We finally settled in, met up with friends who were camping in the next loop, shared meals and met new life long friends; the chemistry was that instant. My husband and friends, are planning more road trips this summer. Don’t get me wrong, my idea of camping is still the Hilton, although believe it or not, this experience has filled me with excitement and anticipation of more RVing trips to come, but next time, water hook-ups please!!