The Shake-Down
No! Not a fleecing by a dealer! Our first trip in our New Gulfstream Ameri-Lite 274qbh!
Sara worked some magic on the Reserve America booking tool and snagged a last minute RV Camping spot in Charlestown State Park in Charlestown, IN. Not just any spot, a full hook-up spot. Just the place for some newbie, city-slickers to “rough it” for the night. One small hitch in the giddy-up, the spot was only available for one day.
No problemo! RV Camping is all about taking it easy and enjoying the great outdoors. Booking it was a no-brainer! Off we trekked.
Did I mention this coveted site was available in October? No! What’s wrong with me?
Octoberfest!
RVer’s know how to party. Plan something for the kids so the grown ups can drink beer and hang-out. I’m not kidding, RV’s are basically rolling, mobile liquor stores that bring good times to life!
In all seriousness, October is a special place in the campground. Campsites are decked out to the nines in anxious anticipation of All Hallows Eve. Kids dress up. Candy is passed out. Haunted houses (campsites) appear out of thin air. It’s magical. And it happens every weekend during October. In the years since our first 2020 trip, we’ve come to appreciate how difficult reserving a site is during October.
But, this year, we were lucky and slid into site 159 at Charlestown State Park!
Our Journey
We printed off 10 different checklist to make sure we “did it by the book”. Oh boy, when the checklist conflicted each other, Sara and I debated which ultimate checklist was the best. Each with our bias to the ultimate list we procured. It’s a damn wonder we left the storage yard, but we did. The kids were probably starting to get ancy so we figured what’s the worst that could happen and we were off!
The drive over was bouncy. Mind you Charlestown State Park is about 25 miles from our home. So, pretty darn close! Meanwhile, I’m praying all the duct-tape on this adventure holds together and I make my right turns nice a wide. Check and check.
Park entry was a breeze and we proceeded to the campground which was about 1.5 miles past the park entrance. Driving along Jersey Road I felt as if I’d been transported to another world. The parklands were lush green and felt dense. Immediately, we could tell the park was very well maintained.
At the campground check-in we received final instructions. As a naive newbie I expected the park to be half full at best. Boy I was wrong. Campground was FULL! Our site 159 required a special kind of navigation to get to…following the signs. I was so nervous I was going to run into another camper, truck, or maybe kid, that I was very short tempered.
The Back-Up
We arrived at our site, 159, and we pulled forward in the swooping “S” that I’ve seen YouTubers make. The magic “S” helps align the rear end where we need to go. I put the truck in park, order everyone out, and we “scope” out our backing in path. Just like we’ve done 100’s of times.
Every camper experiences the glaring and beeding eyes upon you as you prepare for reserve maneuvers. My hands grew sweaty and my knees were weak. Then Sara called my cell phone to relay my exact coordinates 41.3 feet behind me and safely guide me into place. Slowly, I began the reversing. Little to the left. More to the right. No the other right! Okay back left. After, one try, two tries, and maybe more I self medicated with fine Kentucky bourbon that evening, we parked the beast!
Now the Real Work…Set-up
I equate set-up and tear-down like moving day. Have you ever moved an entire house and set it back up in 30 minutes? Yup me either at this point. Suddenly, everything I thought I ever knew vanished from my head and I made things up as I went along. The Octoberfest goblins magically smiled on me and our campsite was set up and ready to enjoy.
Time for Adventure
I follow the principle “A rolling stone gathers no moss” in everything I do. Sitting around waiting for life to happen feels pointless. With our temporary housing set-up, it was beyond time to explore the hiking trails.
Our first trail was Trail 5 (the names aren’t super creative) was awesome. In my mind’s eye this served as a great appetizer and warm-up for our hiking legs. The trail is rated moderate, I think because of slight uphill walk. The mid-point of the trail provides a sweeping view of 12 mile creek below. During early fall with all the leaves on the trees the view is partially obstructed. Nevertheless, the trail is well groomed and provides a lovely walk through the woods!
With our warm-up complete it was time for dinner. Back to our Rig, I sound official calling the RV a “Rig”, for some grub. I have no idea what fine camp fare we dined on that evening. Probably surf and turf.
With dinner nicely settling in our bellies it was time for the obligator smoke in your face no matter where you sit (aka “the campfire”). Again the Octoberfest goblins were on my side as I lit a fire the ancient cavemen would’ve been proud to sit around and discuss the latest saber-tooth tiger incident. After all embers were safely out, we retired for the evening.
Night One
How is it possible for a bed to be less comfortable than the floor? Not sure, but Ameri-Lite figured it out. No, the bed didn’t have nails in it or anything truly harmful. It just didn’t have an ounce of give. Couple that with a loud AC unit and a bladder the size of an ant and I slept like crap. TMI!?!
More than once I wondered “what in the hell did we just do?” and then I remembered “we blew the kids college fund on a depreciating asset”. Madeline and Jack, I’m only kidding.
But, morning came. The sun refreshed my body and mind. No time to waste Day 2 is here!
Check-Out Time Already?
Our one night stay meant we didn’t have to leave, but we couldn’t stay there for too long. Off we went for a morning hike. Trail 7 (Rose Island) caught our eye. We were super fortunate to meet a park ranger at 10AM, purely happenstance, who was leading a tour around Rose Island. He shared stories of days long passed where day trippers and vacationers visited Rose Island for relief from the bustle of the booming river town nearby (Louisville, KY). I enjoyed the stories and history. I saw people enjoying their days, laughing and making memories with friends and family as I closed my eyes. I’m struck that as much as the world changes, people remain largely the same. We seek enjoyment and time to create memories with our families and friends. That is what RV Camping was starting to do for our family.
We enjoyed our hike off Rose Island and our quick trip back to the “Rig” where sadly it was time to pack up.
Clean-up, Clean-up, Everybody Everywhere
This was pretty uneventful. After all, we had 13 checklists for packing up. Check, check, check, AND check. Our journey home was uneventful, but we all agreed we loved our first trip to Charlestown State Park. We were hooked!
We’ve visited Charlestown several times sense. While Sara and I enjoy visiting and getting away from the bustle of the city, the kids have grown tired of the park. Too bad, so sad because we get to make the rules…for now!
