And Away We Go

Hello World, Welcome back! Or at least, that's what people would be saying to me this week, after my return from adventures in Vacation Land, where I lived to tell the tale, and that is not to be taken for granted, believe me. Anyone in the local area can tell you there was a record-breaking heat wave during my vacation week, but it was still better to be out in the wilderness to frolic in the surf and sand at a time like that, rather than going to work - where I found out later, things got so bad that the hospital actually lost their electricity and had to send the non-clinical staff home. At least in my campsite, there's no electricity to lose in the first place, which is one of the advantages of leaving civilization behind, along with all your cares and woe, blackbird. Alert readers may recall that after the ill-fated renovation project on the beach last year, plus ferocious off-season storms in between, we were anxious for assurances that things would be back to normal this time around, and found the meager information about it to be spotty, contradictory and confusing. So we made a special trip out there in early May to check it out for ourselves, and were encouraged at the progress of the project, with the building and boardwalk looking intact, and even the lights were turned on, to provide more positive indications that we would be enjoying the new and improved fruits of their labors in July, and looking forward to it. Not so fast! Unfortunately, it turned out that our optimism was sadly misplaced, and instead we were faced with the glum prospect of a second year in a row with no concession stand, no bathrooms, and no gift shop at the beach, which was as unwelcome a discovery as it was unexpected. Unlike last year, at least the boardwalk was open, so you could get from one side to the other, but they eliminated the snack tent where you could buy soda and chips on the weekend, so it couldn't be considered any real improvement over last year, especially after our high hopes in May, alas. It all started on Saturday, with middling traffic along the way, and weather that was a study in contrasts everywhere we went. We made pretty good time and even checked in early, only to find ourselves setting up in a persistent drizzle - which at least had the advantage that we got a lot more done than we usually do on the first day, when we rush in and toss up 2 tents, then drop everything and hurry to the beach for the rest of the afternoon. We finally gave up on waiting for it to clear up, and just decided to go to the beach anyway, and this was the first inkling we had that the slip-shod boardwalk project was still unfinished, thanks not, after two long years and apparently no end in sight. This unwanted revelation dampened our enthusiasm somewhat, but after a long drive and hard work, we were resolved to make the best of it, in spite of overcast skies and frigid water with what would be considered big waves by Wildwood standards. It was a long and discouraging hike back up the hill from the beach with no cheese fries to sustain us, I can tell you that. Next, we made our way back to Coram to check in for the night at our home away from home, and glad for a reviving shower and clean clothes. We had found out on our trip in May that it's not The Gaslight any longer, but has joined up with America's Roadside Motor Inn chain, with very different decor all over the place, and all of the rooms have been freshly painted. Of course, Denny's is always a treat, and it was certainly a bonus to relax in a clean and cool room in the midst of a heat wave that had gripped the region in its sweltering embrace. We realized on Sunday that since there was no food to be had at the beach, rather than carry our own snacks with us and eat in our laps, we could go to the nearby Wendy's, which is a place that we haven't been in years, and savor their signature cheesy baked potatoes and delicious chocolate Frosty for lunch instead. It turned out to be a lovely day at the beach later, with plenty of sun, and smooth, clear water that would have proved irresistible to even the staunchest land-lubber, me bucko. Then it was off to dinner at Friendly's, where their Ultimate Grilled Cheese certainly lived up to its name, and the waffle fries did not disappoint. On Monday, we enjoyed bagels for lunch before going to beach, and were surprised to bump into the contractor for rolling gates at the end of the bathhouse - which area turns out to be some sort of shelter that accepts 49 occupants only, according to the signs. This may be a recent innovation in boardwalk amenities, but we honestly have no idea what any of that means. On the way back up, we had a serendipitous meeting with Jack from Bub Daddy, the company that operates the park concessions at the beach, picnic area, Camp Store and vending machines throughout the campground, and there were plenty of complaints about the 2-year-old beach boondoggle that has cut his business by 2/3, and left the rest of us high and dry in the bargain - in fact, I would go so far as to say that outrage would not be too strong a term under the circumstances, and I am unanimous in that. The time had come when Bill had no choice but go back home to hold down the fort, while I spent the rest of the week in the woods, and looking forward to some peace and quiet, surrounded by the bounties of nature in all its glory. Not so fast! In fact, the drawbacks became apparent almost immediately, when I was all set to head to the beach on Tuesday, but accidentally activated the car alarm on the Aveo, and couldn't get it to shut off, no matter what I did - and which was about as unpopular with the other campers as you might imagine. I couldn't even drive it to someplace more secluded, or even give up and go home, because once the alarm is going off, all of the other functions are disabled, so you're just stuck with no other options but to shut the car down and keep your distance. This is no doubt a handy feature if some nefarious individual is trying to steal your precious new piston-pusher, but quickly loses its appeal when you can't get into your own car, and there seems to be no escape from the double-edged sword that is modern technology run amok. I found that the owner's manual was less than no help at all, and even the cell phone I brought with me for emergencies, ironically enough, was stone dead, thanks not. Eventually I must have inadvertently performed the correct combination of steps to get things back to normal, and just about in the nick of time, because the other campers had banded together with the intent of storming my campsite with pitchforks and torches, and I can't say that I blame them one bit. Overall, it seemed to be a rather odd week at the park, possibly because it was a whole week later, so that I wouldn't miss the Scottish games like last year. On my usual week, the PARK FILLED TO CAPACITY sign is always out front when I arrive on Saturday, and again on the following Friday, but this time, I never saw it at any point during my stay. Mostly everyone seems to check out on Sunday and Monday, so by Tuesday the place is a ghost town, and start slowly filling back in on Thursday night and Friday - but this year, they were still coming in on Monday, Tuesday and even Wednesday, and started leaving on Thursday and Friday. I didn't spend as much time around the park as usual, since I took the lazy way out and drove to the picnic area, so I would have a shorter walk to the beach, and I never did spot any spy sites, like there usually are, and are generally too obvious to miss, even if you're not looking for them. I also brought my own drinks, rather than tramping around and fighting with the recalcitrant vending machines on every side, so that also cut down on my ramblings. There are no chipmunks in the campsites any longer, and I only saw 2 squirrels, plus it took until Thursday to see a single crow. My schedule was too erratic for the usual 6:30 deer, although people in D Section, where deer regularly congregate, said there hadn't been any. I never set eyes on a hawk, or heard any raccoons, which is even more peculiar than the complete absence of spies. I mean, what the heck kind of a campground are they running here anyway? Speaking of peculiar, Friday started out beautiful, just like every other day, when suddenly the mother and father of all thunder and lightning storms exploded out of a clear blue sky, and had me running for cover. My plan was to wait it out under the rain fly overhang outside the tent, but after a while, I moved inside the tent and had some juice and crackers to pass the time. The lightning was so close and so fierce that I finally ran to the car, and when it became even worse (like I have never seen it, in 50 years of camping there) I totally freaked out and drove right out of the park as fast as I could, heading for daylight farther inland where it was just sprinkling, and leaving the pyrotechnics behind me. I found out later that towns just below and to the sides of the park had no rain at all, and if I had known that then, I would have just driven completely out of the storm and called it a day. It finally let up enough that I went back to the park, and figured that I might as well go to the beach since I was wet anyway, and even if it didn't stop completely, after all, swimming in the rain is a time-honored tradition at Wildwood, and I ought to know. So I walked all the way down the hill with all of my beach paraphernalia, only to find that they didn't allow people to swim after the storm, and you can only imagine how popular that was with me and everyone else who already walked all the way down the hill, by golly. I tried to drum up a mob to come back with pitchforks and torches, but that was too many trips up and down the hill even for me. The only good part about Friday was that Bill came back after work, in spite of the terrible traffic, especially after a long day on the job - but still better than getting up early on Saturday morning to drive all the way down, and then have to break down 2 campsites in a hurry, not to mention, 90+ degrees. After Friday's drenching, we turned up a frog under the spare tent, and I don't know which of us was more surprised, but it was certainly a first in my camping experiences. After checking out, we drove to the picnic area, where the concession stand was closed, even on Saturday, so we broke out our own crackers and drinks before heading to the beach one last time. It turned out to be the best day all week, and we had a lovely time in the sun and sand, and especially the water, which was clear and smooth and delightfully refreshing. Even better, we were there to see the grand re-opening of the long-shuttered gift shop (HOORAY!!!) where we treated ourselves to some ice cream in honor of the occasion - and once again, bumped into Jack from Bub Daddy, who accepted our congratulations and hopes for a speedy return to business-as-usual all around. All too soon, it was time to bid a fond farewell for good, with another stop at Denny's to console us, and we arrived home without incident, although in the dark - which was probably just as well, because we didn't feel like unpacking the cars anyway, and elected to save that for Sunday. So far, I've already made good progress on my vacation laundry, and I also had a plan to put all of my camp gear away somewhere else besides the attic, so the furry varmints wouldn't chew on it. They may think their tiny angry mob with pitchforks and torches is going to sway my decision, but I wouldn't count on it. Elle