This past weekend I did a solo camping trip to an Ohio State Park called: Forked Run. Locals pronounce it For-ked Run. I chuckle. I set up camp in spot #30.
I had worked on the inside of the camper (a more detailed blog later). I added retro camper decorative lights! Thank you JP! Husband also installed AC for me and that was a joy to have.
The campground is rather smallish. The electric sites are kept within the first two loops. Easy to say, on a holiday weekend like it was, those sites were all sold out. I will go back to this location later in the year, maybe fall, and camp again. The kids next to me screamed, complained and cried ALL THE TIME. The location has a decent sized lake. I thought I would rent a kayak. Unfortunately, their single seat kayaks have been stolen and I did not feel comfortable being a novice, alone in a double. I opted to go on a drive on Saturday to see the nearby Civil War Battlefield. I wrote a blog about it: Buffington Island Battlefield. Funny thing, the road to the battlefield had been damaged some months ago and was still closed. Someone gave me directions to get around it. I owe Husband a truck wash! Along the way I found the boat access to the Ohio River. And to say that the parking lot loop would make a great walking spot, if I lived closer, is an understatement!
Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip….. Oh, hey Gilligan!
Pros for the campground: Built in corn hole slots. You just need to bring your own bean bags. I didn’t think to see if they had them at the office. What a sad sack sight that would have been, me playing alone in a field. They also have a disc golf course. I saw a number of people taking advantage of it. The public areas are kept neat and clean.
Now, before I left on my journey to Buffington, I prepped a baby crock pot with my lunch. When I returned a few hours later it was ready but the kids were obnoxious outside so I decided to relax in the new AC in the camper and watch a little Outlander with my meal. Ingredients: Kielbasa, 1 chicken breast, splash or two of balsamic vinaigrette, 1 tomatillo, 1/2 yellow squash, 1 large red potato, 1 clove of garlic, chives and two sprigs of rosemary. It was great!
Cons of the campground:
Spaces are rather small. Latrines, not flush toilets. The showers didn’t make me feel safe. And the kids in the next site. I took a couple of walks, napped a little in the hammock and enjoyed my AC a bit. I love the inside of my little camper and I will never camp without the hammock again!!
There was a pig roast Saturday evening at the front of the loop where I camped. I prepped my fire pit, determined to not let the annoying kids deter me from roasted marshmallows, then made my way up. I offered my “side” of potato chips and received a great plate of food, complete with vinegar cucumbers!
Right at dark, kids in full bloom, the most amazing thing happened. Some yahoo decided to left off loud fireworks in the general direction of the lake. The Clampets loaded up their seven cars, took their basketball team and left. This gave me a small window of opportunity for a quiet fire. I was on it like a madwoman!
I giggle at the size of the fire the I had. In my haste to thwart the fun-killing kid zone, I prepped a massive fire pit and it actually took very well and pretty much became an inferno. As the fire died down and the kids returned, I made my way back up to the camper and was pleased with how it looked in the night.
A couple more photos from around my campsite. I enjoyed trying to capture cool angles of mushrooms. I know, I’m a weirdo.
All-in-all, I enjoyed myself. The campsite could have been a little cleaner (small bits and pieces of trash from previous campers). I would have preferred flushing toilets in this kind of heat. But the food was great on Saturday evening, the campfire caught just right and I was able to rewatch a handful of eps from Season 1 Outlander. I will return to this location off-holiday because it is so close to the house. Next year I hope to have solar panels installed by fall. I can then camp in the nearly empty non-electric sites and avoid the bustle. For the low price of $24 per night, it is worth it.
Thoughts and Ponderances 
