January trip

[Jim K in PA]

Jim I hope you are not sleeping in the same room as the boys!  It is against BSA rules for an adult to sleep in the same room/tent as a boy scout, unless the scout is their child.

No worries Tracy.  I/we are all well aware of the BSA policies and rules.  The cabins have a bunk room (for the boys - sleeps 6) and a seperate front Kitchen room.  The adults stay in the front room.  I am bringing my cot!  At least there is a wood stove in the kitchen.

I wish I would have read this earlier.  I am going to try and make it up there this weekend.  It may not be until Saturday.  I really need to camp.

We are heading up tonight (Friday) and will be leaving Sunday AM after breakfast.  That is about all we can handle!  :eyecrazy:

[Jim K in PA]

Tracy - it was great to see you again at W.E.S.P.  It was sad to see just your lonely PUP there in the RV CG.  We saved a steak for you Saturday night, but you never came over . . .     Did you get to Eaglesmere?

 I am definately going back there with the family.  What a great little park, and so much hiking around to do.  The cabins were nice to be in this AM when it was -5 degrees F!!!!

Hope you made it home safely.

[tlhdoc]

Hi Jim,
 
 I did drive over by the cabins just before it got dark.  I didn't see anyone outside so I guessed you were eating, so I didn't want to intrude.  A steak would have been nice.  It was also nice to get to talk to you in person.  Don't feel bad for me being the only one in the campground.  It was just what I needed.  It was -7 degrees F this morning in the campground at 0430.  I didn't leave until 1400.  I would have left earlier, but I had a few problems.
 
 New things on this trip.  I have never camped in subzero weather before (that is 0 F).  I never had to use 4 wheel drive to back into a campsite before.  I had to back the camper in over the hump where they had plowed the road.  It was a frozen ridge of ice.  Today when I stated to pack up I had a frozen sink drain.  I did pour some antifreeze down the drain last night, but it must not have been soon enough.  I poured boiling water down the drain and that did not clear the ice.  From the outside the drain was open.  I put one of the cube heaters in the cupboard where the drain hose goes and poured more boiling water down the drain.  Finally I hooked the short hose for the blue holding tank to the drain and poured boiling water into the drain from the outside opening.  I did that a few times and then poured boiling water into my water heater clean out nozzle (it has a fitting for a hose on one end and it is a small flexible tube to stick into the water heater).  That finally did the trick and all of the warm water in the sink drained out.  I poured more hot water down the drain and then poured a good dose of antifreeze down the drain.  I could not get one corner of the roof all the way down to latch it.  I had to get my step ladder out of the camper and put my weight on the roof to close the camper.  Then a nice trip home in the snow.

[Jim K in PA]

   So sorry you did not stop in.  Intrusion?  Heck, this is Scouting!  Just come on in!  I did say we had cabins 11 and 12, right?  We were preparing dinner over at cabin 11 just around 5PM, probably as you went past.  I was trying to keep an eye out for you and keep the boys focused, so I must have missed you passing by.  It was not only steak, but shrimp ka-bobs, freshly baked bread, mashed potatoes, broccoli, and salad.

Sorry you had so much trouble popping dow.  We were on the road by 08:30 (which is when I saw the -5 temp).  I was leading a caravan of 4 vehicles, so did not have the freedom to swing by and see how you made out overnight.

My hat is off to you, Tracy, for being the most hard core pop-up camper I know!    I WILL camp in sub-zero weather someday, just so I can be as tough as you!

[tlhdoc]

Jim if you had invited me for dinner I would have come, but I could not show up at dinner time.  Other than the shrimp I would have enjoyed the meal greatly.  LOL Jim I am not tough.  I hope you do camp in subzero and that I am camping on that trip too.

[Spinnikerman]

My wife, Michelle, and I have just purchased a 2007 Coleman Santa Fe and take delivery on 7 Fed.  Although we are seasoned tent campers, we are greenhorns to the Pop-Up experience.

We are very keen to try our new baby out and would like to join in on any plans you may have for the weekend 14 Feb (do believe this is Valentines Day so remember that special one in your life)

Please let us know what, where and how etc, etc

[Jim K in PA]

Spinnikerman - welcome to PUT!

You may want to post a new thread in the general forum and/or the COTOC main forum.  Your post may get missed here, and we dont want you to feel ignored!

We wont' be camping that weekend, but wish we were  

[Spinnikerman]

Hi Jim

Thanx for the friendly welcome and heads-up.  Want to take it easy to start out and this looked like the best place to be for now, don't think I am going to get missed ......... you found me and thats a good start Promise I wont take a slow response to my post for "ignored"

So looking forward to meeting up with good folks, plus cabin fever is rapidly becoming a reality :eyecrazy: , sorry you will not be around on this trip but and the is always a "but" we will meet soon.

Besides with the mess call of "steak, shrimp ka-bobs, freshly baked bread, mashed potatoes, broccoli, and salad" I would seriously consider AWOL and jump ship to your campfire.

[tlhdoc]

My wife, Michelle, and I have just purchased a 2007 Coleman Santa Fe and take delivery on 7 Fed.  Although we are seasoned tent campers, we are greenhorns to the Pop-Up experience.
 
 We are very keen to try our new baby out and would like to join in on any plans you may have for the weekend 14 Feb (do believe this is Valentines Day so remember that special one in your life)
 
 Please let us know what, where and how etc, etc

Welcome to PUT and to COTOC!  Sorry it took me so long to respond.  I haven't been on the site for a few days.  If you are interested in camping with the group for a longer trip, check out the "2009 Eastern PU Rally", here at PUT.  Now for camping on the weekend of the 13th, I may not be able to go.   You don't know how hard it is for me to say no to camping.  All of the winter trips are sort of "spur of the moment".  The weather needs to be just right for a winter camping trip.  Just right means dry, at least for me.  I don't have anywhere to dry out a wet PU.  Are you availabe to camp any other weekends in February?  There will also be a March trip planned.  Again welcome and feel free to post away.

[Spinnikerman]

Thank you for the warm welcome, do not worry about the delayed response, we all have other lives and things to do other than camping ........ where did we go wrong and get our priorities mixed up, should be camping first then everthing else? LOL
 
No stress on the weekend of 14th, we are like kids with a new game and want to play.  Realize that there is a HUGE weather issue and I had not considered the "wet" thing, guess the greenhorn has a learning curve coming.
 
Do not worry about the weekend as we relize it is short notice, and because it is our first outing it maybe wise to be closer to home, Annapolis MD. Probably look at at Harpers Ferry KOA and we know Harpers which is not to bad a place to stopover.
 
Defenitaly available for camping most weekends and March is good. Definately will look at the "2009 Eastern PU Rally" but it mayconflict with work issues in July.
 
Michael

[tlhdoc]

Michael the trip is not looking good for me.  I would love to be camping with you on the long weekend, but I have some other stuff I HAVE TO DO, and I can't do it this weekend, sorry.