Playing in the bay continued....

At low tide we could wade out for maybe 75-100 ft and still be at only knee deep.  We kept a long lead on Fargo because we were not sure if he would behave, and actually at one point a boat was passing by much farther out in the deeper water and Fargo started to swim out to it... If we go back to Cherrystone next year, bay ball will definitely be part of the planned activities!

Pepper & Fargo playing in the Bay

Garland instructing the kids on proper water safety

There is one thing I do not like about camping and that is the dogs are restricted to being on a leash or tethered. At home they are able to run free within the fenced yard.  Border collies tend to be high energy dogs and need plenty of exercise. This year Garland & I found a way to give the pups the opportunity to release some of their stored energy by playing ball with them in the bay.  We all really had a good time.  Unfortunately every time we walked by the water they thought it was ball time again.

they look more like river otters than border collies here

Pepper & Fargo go camping

Last year Fargo was only 3 months old when we took him camping to Cherrystone with us. Pepper was already a veteran having been on at least 2 previous trips. She knew the protocol.  So this year Fargo was all grown up (?) and  himself now having several trips under his collar he was ready for the adventure. The thing that bothers me that most is the fact that the dogs can not run around freely. They are border collies and need alot of exercise, so when we go camping they are required to be leashed at all times, ( however this year we did find a way to let them have fun & off their  leashes for a little while). Now I will have to say I get plenty of exercise walking them numerous times/day, which is really good for me, so I do not mind it one bit. I move into a routine very quickly, so 1st thing in am (usually 5:45 am) I get the dogs out for their first potty break. Than I come back to the camper, take a shower, have a cup of coffee and than we went for a 2 mile walk. That usually took us down to the hatchery and back.  We would visit the gentleman at the guardhouse every morning.

Camping 2012 Cheriton, VA

The family made their annual trek to Cherrystone Campgrounds in Cheriton, Va the 2nd week in June.  Garland, myself, sister-in-law Sandy, her boys Ryan & Brent, mother-in-law Ruby and of course Pepper & Fargo traveled the 4 hours on Rt 58 east, towards Virginia Beach, than across the Chesapeake Bay bridge tunnel ( not Sandy's favorite part of the trip) to the eastern shore of Virginia.  This is our 3rd trip to Cherrystone.  We like it because it is usually not too busy the week we go, there is plenty to do if we choose, or nothing to do (relax) if we choose. This year the weather was nice, more breezy than in past 2 years and we did have 1 evening of heavy rain that had our outdoor mat floating on about 4 inches of water.  We played card games, lawn games, went fishing, read a book, putt putt golf, walked with the dogs, had a tour of the clam/oyster hatchery, saw some tall ships in Cape Charles and got to spend a day in the local hospital (me).   Never did get into the pool this year however. But I do not think any of us minded that much. And Brent even caught a small shark off of pier #2.

I think this is my favorite picture, you can see the wind catching the edges of the umbrella. 

Camping Dogs

Camping has gone to the dogs...literally....

I think many dog owners like to camp because they can take their beloved pets with them on vacations ... I know that is one of the reasons Garland and I like camping. I tried to get some pictures of these pets without invading their privacy...

1st Camping trip of 2011

Our first camping trip of the season was back to

Cherrystone on the eastern shore of Virginia.

The campgrounds overlook the Chesapeake Bay.

I think every site is good. Most have shade.

The section we like has all pull throughs.

These are especially nice for larger RV's, 5th wheels and trailer campers.

This was the first trip for our new camper as well.

We did have a couple problems with the camper, nothing major but annoying..

1st, while Garland was getting us ready to leave, the front landing gear motor stopped so he had to crank the gear up by hand...later he found out that the wires were just loose.

2nd, on the last full day of camping while I was taking a shower the water was not emptying. The tank monitor said that grey tank #1 was full, but when we went to empty it, the level still registered full.. Garland spent 5 hours trying to figure out the problem...come to find out that the manufacturer labeled the tanks outside wrong. The waste water was actually grey...so we were pulling the wrong lever. Once we figured it out all went well, except Garland had to replace all the screws he took out under the camper when he was looking for the problem.

Tornado hits Staunton River State Park 04/16/11

Yesterday, 4/16/11 Garland was attending a SAR navigation course at the Staunton River State Park, Scottsburg, VA when a tornado ripped through the park missing Garland and others attending the class by 300 yards. The damage was significant. Garland said he heard the tornado and it sounded like a train. He said you could smell the pines where they had been snapped by the force of the winds.

Garland and several other men were actually sent out to look for 5 missing campers.

They were all accounted for thankfully.

The park has now been closed until early May, for the staff and volunteers to clean up. The guard building at the entrance of the park was totally destroyed.

We had reservations for Easter weekend to camp there with many friends, but that has been cancelled.