#InTechRV – Chasing Sonshine

July 23, 2021

Deep in the Heart of Texas

The road was calling and we needed to chase some sunshine, so we headed for the Texas Hill Country. Our destination was Inks Lake State Park in Burnet. When we arrived at the camp, we learned that Texas State Parks require daily pass fees in addition to camping fees, along with extra vehicle fees for each motorcycle. Had we known about the extra fees before we arrived, we might have found a different campground. While these added fees aren’t much individually, they greatly increase the cost of camping in a Texas State Park. In fact, the fees doubled the nightly rate of our campsite. Oh well. We kept this lesson in mind when we planned our next stop in Texas.

In spite of the fees, Inks Lake was a great spot to camp. During the days, we explored the surrounding countryside, sometimes on our motorcycles and sometimes in the truck.

We rode around Lake Buchanan and to the nearby Longhorn Cavern State Park. In the 1930’s, the Civilian Conservation Corps developed this park, crafting unique limestone buildings and structures over the cave’s entrance. We just missed the last cave tour of the day but we enjoyed exploring the grounds.

Sometimes we explored on foot. There was great hiking at Inks Lake.

When we were riding, we did a double take as a castle rose above the scrubby Texas countryside. Castle Falkenstein, as we learned later, was built by a local Burnet businessman and his wife following a trip to Germany. The castle is available for weddings and special events and for nightly rentals through Airbnb.

We took the truck to Fredericksburg as we planned to stay for the Christmas lighting ceremony in Marktplatz (Market Square) which occurs every night during the Christmas season. The star of the show is a 26 foot tall German Christmas pyramid that features carved wooden figures illustrating the story of Jesus Christ’s birth. The pyramid is a nod to Fredericksburg’s German heritage. In addition to the Christmas pyramid, Fredericksburg’s German roots are evident in the many German restaurants, breweries, and wineries that dot the city’s main street.

As music played, the pyramid’s levels turned.

Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, a native of Fredericksburg, commanded the Pacific Fleet in World War II. The town wanted to honor its noble son with a museum of his military accomplishments but he refused the offer. He later agreed to a museum that honored all of the servicemen and women in the Pacific War. Thus the National Museum of the Pacific War came to be in Fredericksburg. Unfortunately, we were in town on the one day of the week the museum is closed, Tuesday.

Many of the little towns near Inks Lake have lovely Christmas light displays. We visited Llano and Marble Falls. It was refreshing to walk through the twinkling lights and not be freezing cold. We also appreciated that the lights presented the true meaning of Christmas along with the whimsical Santa, reindeer, and elves.

The Christmas lights were religious and patriotic, sometimes in a juxtaposition that made us smile.

After living in Texas in the mid 90’s, we know Texas pride is unique and often displayed, even in Christmas lights.

After Inks Lake, we moved northeast to Lofers Bend on Whitney Lake. Lofers Bend is an Army Corps of Engineers campground so we did not have any extra fees this time. Abundant deer roamed the campground. We saw them several times throughout our stay and our presence did not faze them, although they startled us a few times.

We saw the deer at all times of the day.

One evening we counted 10 deer grazing near the shoreline.

Waco is not far from Whitney Lake so we headed there to see the sights. We visited the Waco Mammoth National Monument. In 1978, wooly mammoth bones were found at the site. Since then, several fossils have been uncovered including multiple mammoths, a mammoth nursery, a dwarf antelope, an alligator, a giant tortoise, a saber-toothed tiger tooth, and a camel. Scientists believe these animals died in a flood or a series of floods. Hmm, perhaps they died in a world-wide flood? We found it interesting that a camel was discovered along with the now extinct creatures.

While some fossils have been removed, many others are still embedded where they were discovered.

We also visited the Dr. Pepper museum. Originally, the soda was sold as a health drink. “For health-energy and fun-in one”, Dr. Pepper was prescribed three times a day: at 10:00 am, 2:00 pm, and 4:00 pm. That seemed like a lot of soda to us!

Can one visit Waco without stopping at Magnolia, Chip and Joanna Gaines’s shopping mecca? To be honest, we spent about 15 minutes there and that was enough. The turf lawn in front of the repurposed silos was dotted with families and Jo want-to-be’s. The few items we looked at in the crowded shops were, wait for it, made in China. We are sure there were better quality American-made items available but we didn’t stick around long enough to discover them.

We did discover a small family owned shop a few blocks from Magnolia. Iron Willow specializes in metal art and signs. The dad and son cut the projects; the mother and daughter paint the items. We were happy to find some Christmas gifts at this unique small business.

In addition to some delicious Guess Family Barbecue, we tried some pho at Clay Pot. Since the day was chilly, the flavorful, warm soup was a satisfying lunch.

We left Texas and headed to Kansas. On our way, we stopped in Fort Worth to eat our favorite fried chicken at Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken. On our travels, we have eaten at Gus’s in Memphis, St. Louis, Southaven, MS, and (our favorite location) Kansas City, KS. As they say at Gus’s, “If you haven’t eaten at Gus’s, you haven’t eaten fried chicken.”

At the time, we didn’t realize this would be our last camping adventure for a while. We have continued to travel sporadically but that’s for the next blog post. We praise God for the opportunity we had to travel and experience our nation in ways we never imagined. Everywhere we went, we found interesting people, historic sights, and beautiful scenery. For now, we are still Chasing Sonshine but in a less nomadic way!

Lesson Learned: Research can be valuable. Had we read more, we would have known about the extra state park fees. We could have traveled to Fredericksburg on a different day in order to visit the National Museum of the Pacific War. Now we will have to return someday!

We continued to marvel at the local trees…

Deep in the Heart of Texas

June 25, 2021

Let’s Take the Long Way Home

After South Carolina, we decided to ramble our way back toward Kansas City at a rather leisurely pace. Our next stop was beautiful Lake Martin in Alabama. We camped at Wind Creek State Park, one of the largest state-owned campgrounds in the United States with 586 campsites. Since the campsites sprawl in nearly all directions, we camped in relative seclusion. Having a mostly private bathroom nearby was a nice perk.

Lake Martin is pristine and peaceful, most of the time. One morning we were awakened before dawn by loudspeaker mumbles while boat engines roared at regular intervals. At first, we thought boat races were commencing. However as we listened, Bill realized a fishing tournament was underway. We watched out the camper’s window as boat after boat raced off to favorite fishing spots. By mid-afternoon, we watched as the boats scrambled back to the check-in site to register their day’s bounty. Once the tournament was over, the lake returned to its quiet self.

Alabama has some great motorcycling. From Wind Creek, we rode north into the Talladega National Forest and enjoyed the twisty rural mountain roads. We toured Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, the sight in 1814 of the final battle in the Creek War. We also rode around Lake Martin and through the town of Kowaliga, AL. In the early 1950’s, Hank Williams was staying in a cabin at Kowaliga on Lake Martin when he penned his famous song, Kaw-Liga.

These baby trees grow into these towering giants!

Cy’s aunt and uncle live a couple hours from Lake Martin so we met them for dinner one evening. It was so good to catch up with them.

My spunky Aunt Jane and Uncle Wilbur. Please pray for Janey as she is facing some recent health challenges.

Our next stop was David Crockett State Park in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. In 1817, David Crockett moved to the area with his family. He established a powder mill, a grist mill, and a distillery on the land the park now occupies. Unfortunately, in 1821 a flood swept away Crockett’s industry and he moved his family to West Tennessee. In 1836, Crockett died defending the Alamo in Texas. At the museum, we learned that he disliked the nickname ‘Davy’ even though he has been immortalized as ‘Davy, Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier.’

In the 1830’s, the Federal Government forcibly removed thousands of American Indians from their homelands, marching them to reservations in Oklahoma. The Trail of Tears the Indians walked cut through this state park. The Trail remains as a sober reminder of the unjust treatment the Native Americans endured during that dark time in our nation’s history.

From this point, they still had over 500 miles to go.

From Tennessee, we went to Tombigbee State Park in Tupelo, Mississippi. While we camped in Tupelo, we were able to ride more of the Natchez Trace Parkway. The Trace totals 444 miles, stretching from Nashville, TN to Natchez, MS. Around Tupelo, the Trace has several historic markers, noting the Native Americans, the enslaved, and the early settlers in the area.

The city of Tupelo is best known as the birthplace of Elvis Presley. While the museum was closed due to Covid, the grounds were open so we wandered where young Elvis used to play. He learned to play guitar from Brother Frank Smith, the minister at the Assembly of God Church young Elvis attended. The original church was relocated and now stands on the museum grounds. The Presley family moved from Tupelo to Memphis in 1948 when Elvis was thirteen.

We continued our journey toward Kansas City with a stop outside of Little Rock, Arkansas. Maumelle Park on the Arkansas River was a scenic wooded campground. We awoke to dense fog blanketing the campground and the river.

The fog had started lifting by the time we snapped a photo.

After we packed up camp, we drove across Arkansas to Rogers, to see our daughter and son-in-law. Our daughter had told us about Hattie B’s Hot Chicken so we tried it when we were in Birmingham, Alabama. Delicious!

Hattie B’s was great but we still think Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken is the fried chicken to beat!

The next day, we drove the final leg back to Kansas City. We arrived at sunset, just in time to tour the land we had offered to purchase. We were very happy with the lay of the land so we decided to let our offer stand. Just a few days later, the owner finally decided to sign the sales contract. We scheduled a soil morphology test to make sure we could get a septic system installed. We also called the water department and other utilities to make sure they were available at the property. Everything was positive, so we continued the contract and (eventually) became land owners near Holt, Missouri.

The view from our future homesite, if the Lord is willing!

Lesson Learned: There is joy in the journey, especially when we patiently follow the Lord’s leading while Chasing Sonshine.

January 26, 2021

Okefenokee

You, Lord, are the only God. You created the heavens, the highest heavens with all their stars, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them and all the stars of heaven worship you. Nehemiah 9:6

We outran Hurricane Zeta by heading east. Our first stop was at Falling Waters State Park in Chipley, Florida. Falling Waters boasts Florida’s highest waterfall surrounded by tall trees and fern covered sinkholes.

Interesting tree fungus in the woods by the waterfall

As we hiked to the waterfall, we spied an unfamiliar animal. We later learned it was a fox squirrel. Larger than our Midwest squirrels, its bright white nose and ears were a stark contrast to its black furred face. At our approach, he quickly skittered off into the woods but not before we snapped a few photos.

These photos aren’t great, but they were the best we captured of the fox squirrel.

From Falling Waters, we went to Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park in Keystone Heights, Florida.

The sandy path between our campsite and the bathroom. On our first night, a long black snake slithered across the path in front of us. From then on, we treaded carefully at night!

Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park is about 50 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. We rode to the seashore for lunch and meandered our way north on the A1A coastal highway.

Two national parks were on our route. Unfortunately, Fort Matanzas National Monument south of St. Augustine was closed due to Covid. Castillo de San Marcos National Monument in St. Augustine was open and we briefly walked around the exterior.

On our honeymoon over 32 years ago, we drove to Florida. In addition to visiting Walt Disney World, Epcot, Cape Canaveral, and an alligator farm, we drove along the coast to Daytona Beach and St. Augustine. In St. Augustine, we drank from the Fountain of Youth. After all these years, we thought it was time for a ‘booster sip’ so we headed to the attraction.

Ponce de Leon visited this area in 1513 on his quest for new lands and healing waters.

Sadly we arrived at closing time so we didn’t get our second shot. However, we did get wet. As we rode back to camp, rain set in. We have rain gear, but of course, it was back at camp. Oh well. We arrived home safe but soggy.

Our next stop was Okefenokee Pastimes in Folkston, GA, located just outside the main entrance of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

Okefenokee is the largest blackwater swamp in North America, covering 438,000 acres or approximately 700 square miles.

Chesser Island Boardwalk winds into the swamp. Because of alligators, dogs are not allowed on the boardwalk. But people are? Hmm….

While the surface waters of the swamp are shiny black, the water actually looks like tea, tinted brown by decaying vegetation and peat.

We took a fantastic boat tour of the swamp. Although our guide was fairly young, he was from a multi-generation swamp dwelling family. He impressed us with his love for his native land and his vast knowledge of the swamp, the creatures who live there, and the people who made it their home.

In the late 1800’s the Chesser family settled this homestead on Chesser Island near the swamp. In addition to operating a sawmill, the family gardened and raised crops, primarily tobacco and sugar cane. They also raised cattle, pigs, and chickens.

This pigmy rattlesnake was coiled under the fence by the homestead. He didn’t seem bothered by anyone tromping past him.

As the days have gotten shorter and the nights are longer, we notice that we don’t meet as many of our fellow campers as we did in the summer months. People tend to hole up in their RV’s during the long dark evenings and we are guilty of that too. We have met some great camp hosts who take pride in keeping their facilities in good order and sparkling clean. We try to let them know how much we appreciate their efforts. Their hard work makes our Chasing Sonshine much more enjoyable!

Lesson Learned: Every geographic area has beauty and something interesting to explore.

On the surface, this swamp prairie doesn’t look much different than a Kansas prairie. Step foot in it and you’ll immediately know the difference!

A swamp song from Cy’s childhood

November 10, 2020

Nothing But the Blood of Jesus

Our search for sunshine led us to Buckhorn Campground at the Lake of the Arbuckles near Sulphur, Oklahoma.

It soon became apparent how Sulphur got its name. As we drove through the town’s valleys, our nostrils were assailed by that familiar rotten egg smell. It turns out that Sulphur has natural springs that are high in elemental sulfur. While public mineral water fountains are available in Sulphur, we didn’t try the water this time. Thankfully the noxious smell tended to hang in low spots and didn’t permeate the whole area.

While we were there, we explored nearby Chickasaw National Recreation Area.

As we hiked the trails, we watched armadillos snuffling through the woods. These little creatures buried their noses in the ground and bulldozed their way through the forest, eating dinner as they went.

He looked at us, scurried deeper into the woods, and continued his lunch.

Thankfully, we didn’t see any but they might have seen us!

After our time in Oklahoma, we went back to KC so we could vote absentee. We had planned to vote before our trip south, but we failed to remember that county offices would be closed on Columbus Day. Although the miles add up, we didn’t mind returning to KC to perform our civic duty.

When we are in Kansas City, we get to see some of our kids and we get to worship with our church family. When we are on the road, some Sunday mornings we watch our church’s online services and sometimes we find a local church to attend. It’s encouraging to meet fellow Christians throughout our country and it’s fun to experience how different churches worship the Lord. Upon arrival at one church we visited, we were each given a small paper lunch bag which contained our communion elements. In the churches we have attended, communion is celebrated with a small wafer and a sip of juice. However, this church gave us a generous wafer and an eight ounce can of grape juice. After the communion meditation and prayer, the sound of popping can tops echoed throughout the sanctuary. It took several swallows to drain the juice can. At first, the copious amount of juice made us chuckle but on reflection, isn’t that what Jesus offers? His blood was shed to cover all of our sins, not just a sip of them. He invites us to drink deeply and be filled with His love and His grace. An acronym for grace is God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. We left that service with a fresh reminder of God’s riches and Jesus’s abundant, overflowing love for us, thanks to an eight ounce can of Welch’s Grape Juice.

https://youtu.be/Ju-9_NBB1Yo

November 5, 2020

Splish Splash

We celebrated our birthdays in Arkansas. Our trailer needed a few final tweaks so we left it with the friendly folks at Mid-America RV in Carthage, MO and continued on our way to Hot Springs. Since we were without our ‘home’, we splurged on a hotel and enjoyed the luxury of a king-size bed.

Hot Springs is a fun town to explore. The main attraction is Hot Springs National Park which is on the city’s main street. Historic bathhouses line Central Avenue with the Grand Promenade behind the bathhouses at the base of the mountain. From the Grand Promenade, numerous hiking trails offer opportunities to explore the mountainside.

Because of Covid, only two bathhouses were open, the Buckstaff and the Quapaw. We enjoyed a relaxing soak in the healing mineral waters at the Quapaw. Both bathhouses use water collected by the National Park System from the mountain’s natural thermal springs. Each day, over 700,000 gallons of water flow from the springs. When the water emerges from the earth, it is a scalding 147 degrees. The mineral water is cooled for use in the bathhouses.

This former bathhouse now houses the only brewery in a national park. They make root beer and beer with the mineral water.

In addition to the baths, thermal spring fountains are available for drinking the water. We didn’t realize this until we watched a local resident fill about 20 jugs to take home. We followed her lead and filled our drinking cooler with the water. The water did not have a mineral taste and we enjoyed drinking it.

From the Grand Promenade, we hiked the Peak Trail to Hot Springs Mountain Tower. While the trail was short, just 1/2 a mile each way, the 12% grade made it seem longer. When we got to the tower, we decided to continue our workout and used the stairs up the 216 foot tower. The views of the city and the surrounding mountains were worth our efforts.

Hot Springs Mountain Tower. Stairs or elevator?

In addition to the national park, we explored the Garvan Woodland Gardens. The landscaped gardens cover 210 acres and include numerous waterfalls, bridges, trees, and flowers.

Several unique structures exist in the garden including the Anthony Chapel, The Anthony Family Trust Carillon, The Bob and Sunny Evans Tree House, and the Garvan Pavilion.

Lake Ouachita offers hiking as well. We did a section of the Caddo Bend Trail and encountered a fuzzy arachnid along the way.

Beautiful view of Lake Ouachita from the Caddo Bend Trail

EEKS! He would have filled the palm of Bill’s hand.

After relaxing in Hot Springs, we headed south to Dallas, TX to help our daughter and son-in-law move from there to the northwest Arkansas area. Kyle’s family helped clean their apartment and load the truck. Our son and daughter-in-law and Cy’s sister and nephew came to help unload the truck. Everyone’s assistance was greatly appreciated!

Upon leaving the Arkansas kids’ house, we picked up the trailer and drove to Kansas City. We spent the week at Smithville Lake. When the weekend arrived, we dropped the trailer at a friend’s home and went to Kansas to spend the weekend with our parents.

On the way to our parents, we planned a second look at some property outside of Manhattan, KS. When we were about 30 minutes from Manhattan, Bill opened his email to discover two properties of interest had popped up near Smithville. Since land has been selling so quickly, we detoured back to Smithville. Once we looked at the land, we decided it wasn’t for us so we headed west again. This time, we made a flying trip, hoping to see the sun set over the land. We were about 10 minutes past sunset. When the coyotes started howling, we ended our brief visit. The property has a stark beauty and we really like it; however, it has some usage restrictions that give us pause. Because of that, we continue to monitor the real estate listings in the KC Northland and in Manhattan. At some point, we know God will lead us to the property He has in store for us.

Lesson Learned: Until you experience something, you don’t know what you’ve missed.

September 15, 2020

Our House

When we tell people that we sold our house and are traveling, we often hear, “I’m jealous!” Well, the reality of living in a 60 square foot travel trailer isn’t as glamorous as it sounds. The truck and trailer get messy. Belongings become cluttered. Things get muddy. Bugs are constant companions. High humidity and pollen are impossible to escape. Campground bathrooms and showers range in cleanliness from a Mr. Clean commercial sparkling clean to an old convenience store ‘pee-key required’ dirty. Frustration happens. However, in spite of these inconveniences, we are enjoying our life on the road. While we could return to the KC area and rent an apartment anytime, we aren’t ready to quit yet. We feel God’s peace that we are supposed to be on this journey. We aren’t sure yet what He is teaching us or how He is using us to impact others, but we know He has set this season in motion. So until we find land and start the home building process, we are, for the most part, happily Chasing Sonshine.

Lesson Learned: One of our past daily Bible readings included this passage: You shall not build a house; you shall not sow seed; you shall not plant or have a vineyard; but you shall live in tents all your days, that you may live many days in the land where you sojourn. Jeremiah 35:7. HMM….Are we being led into exile and an extended time of wandering??!!!! In the meantime, we will wait upon the Lord!

A foggy day at Smithville Lake, Smithville, MO.

The Batwing awning by Rhino-Rack on a sunny day at Honey Creek State Park, IA.

The master bedroom. Our sleeping space is smaller than a full size bed but bigger than a twin bed. An Ikea twin duvet fits perfectly.

Our master closet. When we travel, these clothes tubs are in the truck’s backseat.

Our medicine & first aid cabinet, linen closet, ‘junk drawer’, and kitchen & dining essentials.

Our pantry and personal storage, along with an emergency toilet.

Slide out kitchen with a two burner stove and an electric cooler. The electric kettle has been essential. Besides making coffee and tea, we use the kettle to heat water for washing our hands and the dishes.

The tailgate is our dish washing station. We keep the large cooler filled with ice-cold drinking water.

September 11, 2020

Poison Ivy

In order to build a house, we need land. We would prefer to find land in the Kansas City Northland, anywhere from Kearney to Weston, so we can continue to attend our church, Liberty Christian Fellowship. Our real estate agent set up a MLS listing notification for us. Now we receive all the new land listings in the Northland.

While we were in Iowa, land that we were familiar with near Kearney popped up on MLS. Since we always thought that property would make a great building site, we made a quick dash from our campsite in Iowa to Kearney. As we were driving, we spoke with our agent. Unfortunately the land we initially liked was no longer available but other tracts in the same section were listed as well. We decided to continue our impromptu trip to Kearney and met the listing agent at the property. While the land was priced right and in a great location, we ultimately ruled it out because the view included large power lines. So the search continues. We know God will provide the right property for us in His perfect timing.

In the meantime, we have looked at two listings near Smithville, another one around Kearney, and one in Kansas City. None of them have been quite what we envision for our home. In our search, we have driven many miles and walked a lot of acres. For our efforts, all Bill received was a sweet case of poison ivy.

Lesson Learned: Jeans, boots, and bug spray keep legs happy.

A call to the doctor and a trip to the pharmacy took care of this mis-adventure. He’s all better now!

August 18, 2020

Candy Man

After our restless night with the raccoons, we were happy to have an event to attend. Our church had an ice cream social with Betty Rae’s ice cream truck serving the cool treats. As we caught up with our friends, we told them about our persistent visitors the night before and commented that we needed to be back before dark to secure camp. Well, it was so good to see our friends that we were a little late getting back to the trailer. When we opened the door, we were met with this:

Sure enough, our furry friends had returned! They had pushed through the window screen and munched on our chocolate. We also found holes in our new bag of Multigrain Cheerios. Most mysteriously, Bill’s Crunch bar had disappeared but Cy’s 100 Grand bar was still there. Thankfully, the raccoons were gone and the only mess they left behind was the spilled M&M’s. Praise God for that. Had we discovered raccoons in the trailer, our camping experience might have been over for good!

Lesson Learned: When leaving camp, close the window! The raccoons agree with Bill. The best candy bar is a Crunch.

Thankfully, the screen was not damaged. Bill repaired it the next day.

August 18, 2020August 18, 2020

Keep a Knockin’

When we called Mid-America RV to get an update on our trailer repairs, we learned that the dealership was waiting on parts. With the Covid-19 pandemic, RV parts were delayed considerably because the manufacturers were not running at full capacity. Since we needed a place to sleep at night, the dealer agreed to install a temporary strap to secure the kitchen. They added the strap. We picked up the trailer and we finally were off on our initial camping experience.

Just to clarify, we are not campers, nor have we ever been campers. The most camping experience we had was a week at Nationwide Youth Round-up in Colorado in 2006. Our friend and then-youth minister, Matt, needed adult chaperones for the church’s annual trip to NYR. We agreed to go. We spent a week in a tent on a mountainside, worshiping in rain and mud, showering with water drawn from the pond, and using port-a-potties. We survived, but that week solidified that we prefer the comfort of Comfort Suites over the naturalness of nature. For both of us to have peace about living for a season in a glorified tent could only come from the Lord, demonstrating His sense of humor.

For our first trip, we stayed close to ‘home’ at Watkins Mill State Park. The park is five miles from our former home and, more importantly, close by our storage units. We loaded the trailer and truck with everything we thought we might need: Pyrex dishes, cast iron skillets, pantry staples, cleaning supplies, bedding, and our clothes and toiletries. Our free standing tent became an extra room for sorting and storing overflow items. And we had a lot of overflow items! As we thinned and organized our belongings, our new living space started to come together. We made almost daily trips to Home Depot, Walmart, and our storage units. By the end of our week long stay, we were satisfied, more or less, with our new home.

To celebrate our first night in the trailer, we ordered dinner from our favorite Mexican restaurant, LaFuente. Our meal was delicious (as always) and it must have smelled delicious too as the empty take-out containers in our trailer’s garbage attracted a steady stream of nighttime visitors. Raccoons! When we arrived at Watkins Mill, the camp host warned us not to leave any food items or coolers outside of our vehicle or trailer. He didn’t warn us not to leave food scraps inside our trailer! During the night, we were awakened multiple times by the hungry creatures scratching on our window screen. The flashlight’s beam and our shouts frightened them away but the persistent animals were undeterred. They returned again and again and continued their unwanted visits until dawn. We kept them out of our trailer that first night, but the raccoons weren’t willing to go away empty-handed.

Lesson Learned: Everyone, including raccoons, loves LaFuente!