Humorous camping adventures: The Pastor and the Bear

by Lenora Moore guest author

[Editor's note - Lenora is a teacher, mom, pet owner, and writer at Helium.com]

Pastor Larry loved to camp.  For a needed rest, he and five other men from the small town church drove to the campsite in his pickup truck with a cab over camper.  They all loved to sleep out of doors, so they set up tents and used the camper for dry food storage and refrigeration.  The campfire was the cook stove.  They were all experienced campers and hunters, but this trip was the town joke for many years.

Pastor Larry was an easy going outdoorsman with a good sense of humor.  He had one character flaw the campers could not understand; he could not tolerate dogs.  One of the five men brought along Duke, his big black Labrador retriever.  Generally they always brought along one dog for safety in the back country, but this dog especially aggravated Pastor Larry.  For some unknown reason, Duke had taken a shining to the old preacher.

When it was time to go fishing, you would think Duke would follow his master. No, he raced ahead of Pastor Larry to the fishing hole and jumped in to take a swim!  Well that fishing hole was spoiled for the day.  Pastor Larry shook his head and looked for another deep hole.  Duke happily trotted along with him, pausing only long enough to shake water all over his companion.  When the breakfast trout were caught, Pastor Larry joined the others around the campfire to fry up the morning's catch.  The smell of food, the crackling, cheerful fire, and the men’s good natured kidding lightened the atmosphere.  So Pastor Larry decided to forget about Duke’s early morning swim.  One dog would not spoil this trip! 

Read the rest of Lenora's true camping story... 

Reprinted by permission from Lenora Moore, copyright 2010. Read Lenora's profile at Helium.com
Photo by ajruck at Flicker.com
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Does Duke ruin the Pastor's camping outing? Be sure to read the rest of Lenora's story to find out.

See this true camping story as it appears on Helium.com

How about you? Do you have a true camping adventure you'd like to share? You can reach me via Comments or by using the link at the top of this page.

What's YOUR first sign of spring? For us, it's the arrival of summer!

[Back on March 1st, I heralded the arrival of spring with a post about the Camping World 300. At the time, we had just finished suffering our last blizzard of 2010. Since then, we've had a snow-free March (first ever) and broken two decades-old high-temp records with new highs near 90 degrees. ]

With the early arrival of summer in Upstate NY, what signs did we have that spring was here?

Before spring began, right after our big snow, I asked my Facebook friends what they saw as "first signs of spring." Julie Sawyer Helms offered, "crocus!" and Becca Badgett added "...Helleborus budding and daffodils pushing through the soil!"

Suzanne Ormond mentioned the ever-popular robin. Doreen Martel saw some blue jays. Carroll Jean Yorgey went out for a walk and didn't want to come back. Glory Lennon and Janet Collinge lent observations and discussion. Tracy McKay brought in her cat, shedding hair all over the place. Donna Carroll Batton claims that "Dairy Queen opening" brings spring for her. Teresa Depoy agreed that the sound of baby birds was a sure sign of spring.

As I'd noted earlier, the arrival of NASCAR's Nationwide and Sprint Cup races puts me in the springtime mood. Even better, however, is the end of the snow and the beginning of truly warm days. Some years, I've watched the Masters Tournament (PGA), feeling wildly jealous of the brilliant shades of green and the blossoming flowers. This year we've already had days correctly described as HOT; and everything here is blooming early.

Certainly, spring has arrived disguised as summer, here in western NY. Much earlier than usual, we've attacked both front and back gardens. The daffodils and tulips are surging skyward, already in bloom. It's time to mow the lawn. Last week we came this close to seeing our first couple of Perfect Camping Nights -- two degrees warmer overnight, and we'd have marked them down.

What's my one and only, "it's really spring now" sign of spring? The arrival of RV's on the road! I'm not sure where they're going, since the campgrounds aren't open yet, but for me that does it. Seeing a big old Class A motorhome rolling down the highway gets my camping blood pumping. The campers are OUT! That's when I know it's really spring.

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Is there one sure sign of the season, unique to your world? Robins or campers? NASCAR? Warm days? What works for you?

Caledonia RV Center holds spring open house

by Jim Bessey

Press release from Caledonia RV Center, south of Rochester NY

Caledonia RV

Attention all RV owners!  This Friday and Saturday (4/9 & 4/10) is Caledonia RV Center's Annual Spring Open House!  Get 20% off in-store merchandise and 10% off special orders--plus FREE information seminars to help you get your RV ready for Spring....all for FREE!!!  If you need customized work done on your RV, Brandon and the "RV Pros" can give you an on-the-spot FREE estimate!  Caledonia RV Service, Parts, and Accessories Center--Giving you the freedom to just go!  

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Caledonia RV, about 35 miles south of Rochester, is worth the drive. It's a big-town RV center with a small-town feel. They offer complete service for everything from pop-up campers to Class A motorhomes. In addition, you'll find a complete selection of parts, supplies and accessories. Of course, if you're looking for a new or used RV of any sort, they can help you with that, too.  ****Recommended

Our camper isn't going anywhere, anytime soon!

Friday's snowstorm hits upstate NY, and by Saturday our camper is snowbound!

The snowstorms that struck Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC missed us here. In fact, we were down to about one inch of snow. It all came back with a vengeance beginning on Thursday. The real snow arrived during the wee hours of Friday morning. Despite assurances to the contrary, the snowfall continued throughout the day Friday and on into Saturday morning.

We've used the snow-blower to clear the driveway at least four times, with clean-up by shovel needed each time to remove the heavy oatmeal-colored slush heaped by the road. Meanwhile, our camper sits quietly by my parking spot, next to the garage. We've had very little wind, so the accumulated snow sits nearly undisturbed on the camper's roof.

Undrifted snow all around the camper is now almost two feet deep. I'd have to shovel my way to the door to check for snow damage. Everything appears to be safe and snug, anyway.

I'm sure the local ski areas are running at capacity this weekend. Over the hill at the high school, there are probably no less than two dozen kids racing down the big hill. The snow continues to fall today, but the temperature hovers above freezing and the sun peeks out now and then.

Behind the house, our back deck (my summer "office") lies still under perfectly defined mounds of snow. It's beautiful, but none too hospitable.

There's no hint of spring in the air today; but it's not all that far off. Soon enough, our camper will shed it's insular blanket of heavy, wet snow. We'll open the windows and refill the water system, ready for another summer of camping. Not today, though, nor this week.

Photo reprints available on request.
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How about you? Do you any winter camping pictures you'd like to share?

"Camping" season opens today with the Camping World 300, Nationwide Series auto race

[Written just prior to the race, fingers flying over the keyboard. Sat, Feb 13 2010]

Daytona Beach FLA : While 49 of the 50 states have snow on the ground, the Camping Season begins for all of us who follow professional auto racing. Minutes from now, the Camping World 300 Nationwide Series race sends us the sure roar of spring.

The infield defined by Daytona International Speedway's two and a half-mile track overflows with RVs from all around the country. The stands are packed with NASCAR fanatics. The smell of high-octane racing fuel and hot dogs fills the air. This race runs 300 miles in 120 laps, bringing us the incomparable thunder of 43 stock cars at full throttle. The sounds and smells of Spring!

Temps are lower than normal for this famed Florida venue, and the wind may even be a factor. With a cooler track, cars should handle better. We'll see plenty of daring side-by-side racing. Six former Camping World 300 winners join the pack, along with eight previous Nationwide Series champions. Rising star newcomer, GoDaddy's darling Danica Patrick hopes to give 'em a run for their money.

From the warm comfort of an upstate NY living room, we'll be watching AFLAC's Carl Edwards (my wife's employer is AFLAC). Edwards finished a video-replay second last year in this race. Also in the spotlight: Dale Earnhardt Jr. (of course!), Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, and a slew of Wallaces.

The pre-race interviews are done, the anthem sung, the flyover a sleek and stunning symbol of freedom and speed.We humbly thank Camping World for bringing us this splendid harbinger of better weather and camping adventures.

"Ladies and gentlemen: Start your ENGINES!" makes it official. Let's go Racing -- and Camping, too! May the best man -- or woman -- win.

Reprints available on request.
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Did you attend the race? Love to hear from you if you did!