Packing up day arrived, and it didn't speed us up any. We normally like to stay on the site right up until 2pm, which is the official check-out time, but this fine day we decided upon a slighter earlier departure. It was just as well we did, because this being the first of the season, things didn't go quite as smoothly as we'd hoped.
While the big storm had raged across the lake on the previous evening, Rondeau Park remained dry and entirely storm-free. This Thursday morning was clear and warm and I enjoyed my walk over to the comfort station for my shower. But what's this? All the showers occupied? Well, not exactly because one wasn't working and I couldn't bring myself to use the one for disabled peeps, or the ones designated for families. I did, though, stride off purposefully towards the comfort station over on the east side of the campground, the one that's in among all the tent camping sites. There were hardly any of those sites occupied, so the shower stalls there were much less likely to be occupied. I was right.
These showers were of a slightly older design, but still with the shower nozzle on the wrong wall. The water control was like you'd have at home with temperature control and the like, unlike the more modern stall where you simply press a button and the water runs for a pre-determined time at a pre-determined temperature, then you press it again. And again. The advantage of the single button is that you can't walk out and simply leave the water running, but clearly the Park's management felt I was to be trusted to turn the thing off myself today. An odd thing was that I heard someone pull on the locked door (it opens to the outside), then not ten seconds later another pull, then a further twenty seconds and a third pull. It was almost as if the person or persons doing the pulling couldn't quite believe that the stall was occupied. Ho hum.
Back at camp there was time for a quick breakfast, then on with the break-camp (did you see what I did there?). I had decided to put the new chairs back into their carrying bags, but was struggling with what should have been an easy concept. Long story short, I had to have DW help me, and even then we weren't sure we'd done it correctly. I think it may well have taken more time to break down the Pleasure Dome and the new chairs than it did to pack and hitch the trailer up.
We were still earlier than we would have been usually, but not by much.
The Airstream was covered in tree debris, it having been stationed under a handsome Burr Oak for three nights. The car was much the same because we hadn't used that during our stay. As we drove out of the campground I could see leaves and twigs flying off the roof of the trailer, which was nice.
At the dump station I chatted with a couple of other campers, and was delighted when one of them asked how the Toadmobile was coping with the trailer, and he said "they're great little tow vehicles, those minivans". Such a far cry from the usual dire warnings of it being illegal, an insurance liability, a mechanical disaster or a death trap, or, indeed, a combination of all of those things. Not everyone is blinded by Truckitis apparently.
Then it was time to head for home. Naturally the wind had sprung up again and we motored at 90kph into a fierce headwind. The Airstream was being buffeted about and the fuel consumption was looking awful, but a change of direction and all of a sudden things calmed right down and the consumption figure steadied. Even with the Airstream's curvy shape and the low front profile, headwinds can really make your car work very hard.
Back home, I put Towed Haul back on the driveway in one fluid movement, and did absolutely no backwarding and forwarding to get her straight, which is probably a first for me. Like hitching up, though, after this long I really ought to be able back the old girl up accurately.
So, that was the first trip of the year. The hitch receiver stood up to the test, the exhaust system failed to melt any plastic bags in the trunk, all the Airstream's systems functioned as they should, and we didn't experience anything out of the ordinary. Except, that is, that we ran out of fresh water on the morning of the last day. These things happen.
The weather was uncommonly warm for mid-May, too, which caught not just us on the hop, but all the plants and water sources in our yard at home. Still who's going to complain about sunshine?
Our next run out will be in June, although I think I might blog the non-Airstream trip next week, as a counterpoint to the usual. See you then.
