Camping: Jellystone

Our Halloween camping started off as an adventure when we our camper jack wasn't working, even after being plugged in overnight. Then we learned from Kim, who arrived first, that the spot we'd reserved now had a soft-sided cabin on it. We especially liked that spot because it was close to the Caldwells, was flat, spacious, and away from all the traffic. It made me a bit nervous to see where they'd place us instead, especially since we'd paid the "lock" fee to ensure we had that spot. We arrived to find our new spot slightly angled and rather awkward with the campfire ring placement. After getting set, we came to find that our "fixed" window had popped out of its caulk in two corners and was, in no way, going to be water safe in the sprinkling rain at the time. Thankfully we'd purchased a large tarp after having leaking issues in July, then just used that for the weekend. In talking with the people next to us, they had the same issue with their A-frame and ended up just removing both skylight windows and placing plexiglass over the entire side. 

Here's the original caulking:

 Here's the replacement caulking before the corner popped out:

After we got food in everyone's bellies, we were doing fine for the rest of the weekend (I think the Christmas lights that Chris put up really helped for me!!). The Caldwells had a great corner spot and we had s'mores with them Friday night, then enjoyed lots of games on Saturday. We checked out nearby Cave Mountain Lake which had a few trails that we enjoyed. The fall colors were definitely at or near peak, which I loved. We played more games and had hamburgers with Barry and Loretta before heading out to trick-or-treat. Willow, Kim, and I had matching skeleton pajamas (next time we'll "charge" them in the sun for a while first). Owen was a ninja, Hannah was a cat, and Hunter had an inflatable suit that made it look like he was riding a dinosaur. His suit proved to be cumbersome and it was decided that inflatable suits aren't best for 2.5 miles of trick-or-treating. He said, "Any way the wind blows, my dinosaur goes!" and "My legs cannot keep up with my dinosaur face!" I think COVID year was the peak for number of campers. This year had fewer campers and more bowls upside-down (aka empty) than in the past. The same amount of walking for not as much reward. We saw kids on hover boards and commented on what a good idea that was! They still ended up with a good amount and kept good attitudes. Chris said he had the most trick-or-treaters he's ever had, though we've always been in a cul-de-sac off the beaten path. I think we've been found out!!

Here's my next favorite fall view! My camping-themed classroom when the trees are bright red outside my windows!