Campground Fun

Sometimes there’s just fun stuff that happens in the campground, and we thought we’d share some of it with you from the past couple of months.

CRUISIN’

One afternoon about 8 vintage cars turned into the campground, but they evidently weren’t here to camp…just cruisin’ through for a good time.

ON THE SIDE

Speaking of vintage, a camper and his wife tooled around the park in this vintage Triumph motorcycle. He said he purchased it new about 40 years ago in the UK and rode it all over Europe. His dog, Charlie, likes to ride in the side car and notice the “Beware of Dog” sticker on the side!

WHATCHA’ DOIN’?

Russ was staining a sign one day, making it a look a little more presentable, when he suddenly had an audience. These four youngsters spoke no English but were enthralled with what Russ was doing.

ALL TIED UP

Occasionally family reunions are held here, and this one in particular was very organized and appeared to be lots of fun for all who attended. There were scheduled hikes, picnics, games, showing of the Disney movie Tangled on the side of an RV one night, and the making of tie-dyed t-shirts. One morning several of the older kids had bins lined up with water and bottles of colored paint, showed everyone how to “tie” the white shirts they were given with the name of the reunion, date, and location printed on it, placed the dyed shirts in individual plastic bags, and then let them sit in the sun while everyone took a day trip to Goblin Valley State Park. When they returned, it was time to hang the shirts up to dry, and what a sight it was! The results were quite varied, and there were so many that eventually they had to hang a second line. They had even invited kids from neighboring campsites to join in the fun…a very cool group of people.

CHERRY, CHERRY

The first fruit of the season was finally ready for picking but the amount this year was very limited. The cherry trees here in the Fruita District are some of the oldest fruit trees in Capitol Reef National Park and don’t produce much fruit. Therefore the park staff picks what they can before the birds get to them and sells sample bags at the Gifford House. They were only able to gather about 8 lbs. total this year, and each bag weighs about half a pound and sells for $1. They were a little on the tart side but we were happy to get some and enjoyed them just the same. Now we’re waiting for the apricots to ripen and hope they do so before we have to leave! Due to the cold, wet spring, everything is behind schedule.

ISS
One last thing I’ll mention (even though we have no photos) is that we’ve watched the International Space Station pass overhead three nights in a row! Each time has been for a duration of approximately 4 – 5 minutes, and it’s so very cool when you realize what you are looking at. If you’d like to try and see it yourself, here’s how you can find out when it will be in a neighborhood near you!

Click on the following link that will take you to the Space Station section on the NASA website (http://www.nasa.gov/topics/shuttle_station/index.html) and then on the righthand side near the top under “See the Station in the Sky”, click on Sightings Page. This will bring up another page where you can click on your country, your state, and the city (or even national park) where you will be, and up pops a listing of the days/times/elevation and duration of sightings that will occur in your area. Of course clear skies are best for optimal viewing, and if you’re in an area with a lot of light pollution, it may be nearly impossible to see. Otherwise look for the brightest “star” in the sky with no blinking lights that is moving rather quickly across the night sky. Hope you’re as lucky as we’ve been!