When I made our reservations for White Tail Ridge, the long range weather forecast predicted a mix of cloudy and partly cloudy days with one thunderstormy day.

What we actually got were several thunderstorms, lots of drizzle, and one partly cloudy day — our last camping day!

We would have left early except that I was certain I would find mushrooms after all that rain. My payoff? One log with fatally poisonous mushrooms in the button stage!

The days were hot and steamy. One day (between rains) the real-feel temperature got up to 103. I had very reluctantly bought a portable air conditioner for my tiny van. Reluctantly, because it takes up a huge amount of room!

After the trip I decided it was definitely worth giving up that 14 x 18 inches! It was not the style I wanted, but it was the only one I could find to fit in the 23 inches between the table top and ceiling. The cab of my micro van is too small to put a unit in the front of the van.

I made a temporary holder for the exhaust hose in the passenger window, and ran the drain line out of the power cord hole in the floor. It worked beautifully! So I’ll make a permanent version for my next trip.

The nicest thing about the trip was a group of 7 families, all relatives and neighbors from a fairly local small town. The guys fished (not very successfully) but every single person was warm, welcoming and friendly. Even the teenagers were courteous and friendly to us. People like that go a long way toward restoring faith that there really are a lot of good people around, despite what you hear on the news!

We ate sandwiches and take-out mostly. Here, for posterity, is proof that I actually cooked for hubby — once!