I’ve always promised my family and friends that I wouldn’t reveal where I am while I am actually there, especially if I am traveling alone. Even though Mr. FixIt joined me for part of this trip, I still adhere to that basic rule of safety. Beaver Creek State Park is one of my all time favorite camping destinations. Part of that is the surroundings. Part is the relatively close proximity to my home. I love the drive up Ohio Route 7 as it meanders along the beautiful Ohio River. And…if you’re on the Ohio side, you are looking at the rolling hills and dense woodlands of West Virginia beyond the smooth water.

The best part of a Girl Camping trip is, of course, the friends you know and meet when you get there. These are friends for life and there’s a lot of love and laughter and encouragement that grows from those interactions. As I drove home yesterday, my heart was full.

Mavis, my GPS, tells me it takes two hours and fifty-seven minutes to drive to Beaver Creek State Park. I left there at 11:00 and got home at 5:00. Granted, there was one rest area stop. But there were several places where the road was down to one lane due to land slides and we had to take turns. Then there was my LEAST favorite part of camping…dumping the black and grey water tanks. There is a really good dump station at the West Virginia Welcome Center in Williamstown that I always stop at. It takes me a good forty-five minutes to clean my tanks, but it’s necessary to do a good job.

I had a few things going on with the camper this trip. One is, a leak has developed. Mr. FixIt got the ladder out for me and I think I found where the problem is. A seal on the top front edge of the camper is aging and cracked. The seals are only good for a few years and they need to be replaced so I guess it’s that time. When I was pumping up my tires before I left yesterday morning, I noticed the outside edge of one of them is shredding slightly. I need to check into that. Also, when I got home, I placed my hand on each hub and one was too hot to comfortably rest my hand on it. I need to tear into that and probably repack the bearings. There is a kind of hub you can get that has a valve on it and you can top off the grease before you travel just to make sure it is well lubricated. The downside of trailer ownership…constant maintenance.

So, I’m home. The baby birds in the cypress tree out front are feathering out and they had their little beaks aimed high waiting for mama. The rabbits have eaten all but four bean plants in the garden, but the tomatoes are looking great. My pink dogwood is thriving. The irises and peonies are in full bloom. There is standing water around the yard from all the heavy rains in the last week. And, as I write this, I can hear the whip-poor-will in the hedgerow along the creek on the far side of the field. I’m sore all over from lugging and toting and hooking up and driving the camper so I’m calling it a night. When you read this, we’ll be mowing out at the farm and doing laundry. What a wonderful trip it has been. ❤️

“May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭90:17‬ ‭NIV‬‬