redwinelover's Journal, 20 March 2011

Back from camping! Actually we cut it short and got home yesterday in the evening. Wow, what a trip. Some good, some not. We packed up and left yesterday because the winds became gale force winds! I'd swear, anyway.

I just checked and they are issuing high wind warnings, especially along the I-40 corridor. We camped off a dirt road about 20 miles south of I-40 and YES, it was windy. Thought we'd lose our tents and canopy for sure. It was windy the entire time, but it kept picking up speed and got to the point where a campfire would be out of the question. When we got up yesterday in the morning, it was still windy from the night before. We decided we'd pack up and go home since it was doubtful the winds would die down.

Wow, it was difficult doing all that in the wind! Took a couple hours, maybe more, to get it all taken down and packed up. It would help if we didn't have to play Tetrus whenever we go camping - finding the right spot for every piece of equipment in my old little Jimmy. Even with a cargo carrier on the back, still pretty cramped in there. We're girls, we have to take everything for comfort! I love camping, out in the woods, not in campsites, but dispersed camping. BUT... we take air mattresses and pillows! lol... I love it, but I'm not stupid.

To make things even more interesting on this first camping trip of the season, we got a flat tire. On the dirt road, probably a good 15 or 20 miles from the highway. Just me, my daughter and her girlfriend. Fortunately, this happened once when my husband and I were camping, so I had an idea of what to do. And thank God, there was the instruction laminated sheet where the jack was. But it was still a challenge - had to take everything off the cargo carrier in the back and a few things from inside the truck to get to the jack. And the girls were the ones to crawl under the truck for the spare tire. The most difficult part of the whole thing? Putting the flat tire back into the spare tire spot. I have an old truck, think it's a '96? Anyway, it has one of those spare tire locks with a free-floating rod that has to go into a lug nut hole in the rim and then crank it back up. Guess that was a bitch getting that thing in the hole since it was free-floating. Anyway, I'd run over a wrench, apparently. These are new truck tires - not more than six months old, I'm sure. But the wrench went right between the tread. Hopefully covered with road hazard or something. Anyway, thank God there was air in the spare! The rest of the trip, all I could think of was, I sure hope we don't get another flat since I don't have a spare now.

Anyway, glad we went. The first trip of the season always seems difficult. This one was no exception! But hey, three women made it, so there~! lol Diet? hahahaha... didn't follow a diet while I was gone. Back to it tomorrow, though. Today is sort of a blah day. Need to get back into the swing of things. Still tired, I think.