Wednesday August 8^th – Back in the truck

Slept in until 9:00 this morning. The goal was to be on the road by 11:00. We almost made it. We didn’t have to check out until 1:00, but we wanted to take the scenic route and maybe go for a hike in the White Mountains. Guylaine and Katrina poped into the store at Bailey’s for some last minute shopping then it was on the road.

I was a little nervous when the GPS kept us off the main road, but we stuck to it and after a few hours it had brought us the quickest way through to Conway on the 302 just south east of Crawford’s Notch – exactly where we wanted to be. We passed a Camping World and I asked Guylaine if she would mind if I stopped to pick up a shorter sewer hose. It was like Christmas. I wanted everything in the store. It`s my new favorite place on earth. I grabbed a flyer and was on my way. When I got to the truck, a guy with a huge triple axle fifth wheel was blocking the exit. I backed up with the trailer, turned around and headed around the builing and out the other exit. Between my new gear and my new found driving ability I was feeling like ``Joe Camper`` and I couldn`t wait to get to the campsite and set up.

We were back on the road to the next stop – WalMart in North Conway. While Guylaine and Katrina went in, I made sandwiches for everybody, then sat down to look over my flyer. I circled my `must haves`in the flyer and showed Guylaine. She was so impressed with some of the stuff that she suggested we head back while we were still close. This time we all went in. Guylaine was as enthused as I was. Luckily, we walked out having only spent another $100, but I have a list of what I`ll be ordering online for next year.

Everyone used the facilities in the trailer, then it was back on the road.

We drove through North Conway. What a beautiful town. It is built around the ski industry, but looks incredible for summer as well. We`re thinking of coming back either in the fall or in the spring. Shrtly past that was Crawford Notch State Park. We had planned to do some hiking, but it was late and super hot outside. We mostly wanted to see the amazing waterfalls here, but all the dried up riverbeds along the side of the highway lead us to believe the view would be anything but spectacular, so onward we pressed.

Small lineup at the border. I was over on my booze by about a case, but the guy said because I was honest about it, he`d let me go without charging me the duty. (None of the customs officers believe that we have 5 kids, that they are all ours, and that we travel with them. And that we all fit in that trailer. It`s the same story everytime we cross the border)

We got to the campsite just after 7:30. The site is nice enough, although our neighbor behind us has a deck, so we kind of feel like we`re intruding. We have a nice big site with shade. I backed in without too much issue. Getting better. Of course, light makes it a little easier.

Setup went fast. Guylaine helped me while the kids ran around and played tag. Everything was going good until I tried to hook up the water. I had a leak somewhere and couldn`t figure out where it was coming from. I thought maybe it was the new washers I bought for the regulator and filter (it was a bit) but Alex discovered with the flashlight that the water was coming out from the hose coupling. I had an extra hose, so we fixed that in a hurry. I hooked up the new sewer pipe (to be christened later). It`s perfect. The other one was so long it would just coil on the ground. This one is just the right length to stretch it and keep it elevated for better flow. I`ll let you figure out why that`s better for me. Guylaine made us a nice supper while I did the finishing touches outside and lit a fire for the kids. Rain chased them in around 10:00. Guylaine and I stayed up and finished getting ready and finalizing our plans for tomorrow. The internet here rocks, so the blog is up to date, finally, and I should be able to get to the email a little easier now.

Guylaine commented today how it felt like we had been gone for more then a week. It`s amazing how much we can squeeze into a week. And the kids, in spite of how noisy they get sometimes are really patient. I guess they`ve come to trust that we have good stuff planned, even if we end up stuck in the car for a while every few days. It was a really good day today. Of course, I`m still on my Camping World high.