I started an Indiana camping adventure with a few friends today and it got off to a rocky start.
Bump 1: It took MuCH longer than the estimated 1 hr to get to our camping destination.
Bump 2: Our camping destination was full, as were most of the surrounding campgrounds. So we ended up following a fellow siteless camper to the next closest campground, which was ridiculously expensive for tent camping.
We managed to find a spot we liked and got all set up. Then it was time to explore! Unfortunately, since we were staying at a random camp ground we now had to drive to get to any hiking trails. We were directed by the woman at registration to check out the 'nice trails' at Coffee Creek. So we did. They were nice, but it wasn't really what any of us would have considered hiking. At least it was pretty.
Around 5pm we started to head back to embark upon the eating challenge we'd assigned ourselves when getting way too many hot dogs at the store. [You might be noticing a hot dog theme in many of my stories, it's quite strange. I think this year I've eaten more hot dogs than I have in the last 3 years combined!]
We got back, prepared to start our fire, then discovered some VERY unhelpful news.
Bump 3: There was no water. No sinks worked, water spigots, you name it - nothing. What the heck?! We didn't understand what was happening and just thought maybe it was some weird thing and it would come back a little later, so we started - and finished - our feast.
After some cards we decided to take a walk around the camp ground. As we walked past the bathroom closest to our site, we tried the doors.
Bump 4: LOCKED!!! What the heck?! No one mentioned to us that there was a closing time for the bathrooms! We walked back to the trail to carry on and I looked back at the bathrooms, surprised and chilled at what I saw. Through the narrow windows near the top of the roof of the building (remember, it's locked) I saw a man's face, peering out at us. It was SO CREEPY!!! We hurried away feeling very uncomfortable.
Before the end of our loop we met some other campers who informed us that there was no water because the well had dried up. 'That's weird,' we thought, 'it'd been raining an awful lot over the past week for the well to be dry.' We went to inquire with the lady at registration who confirmed this adding, 'there might not be water until Monday.' She also didn't seem too sorry about the inconvenience at all.
Ugh! This place sucks! - we were all thinking it. Thankfully we had plans to leave the following day and enough wipes and hand sanitizer to make it through the night.