Tuesday, September 13 – Saturday, September 17
Our campsite at Luna Lake Campground, Alpine, eastern Arizona.
The summer season is over.
That means no reservations; sites are first come – first serve. Just how I like it!
Driving into Luna Lake Campground you pass by the camp hosts’ site. A sign says, “Pick a site and a host will contact you.”
This is a camper-convenient system.
Usually one drives around a new campground to choose a site, then has to drive one’s rig back to the self-pay station at the entrance to feed the iron ranger the pay envelope with site number marked on it.
I have a difficult time choosing a site.
They’re all good sites — large, well-spaced, and attractive with tall pine trees and clear under story of grass and flowers. I choose what I consider the best of the best!
A few hours after I’ve set up our camp, the hosts, a couple from Bullhead City, western Arizona, come by to register us and receive our camp fee.
During our conversation, they tell me they were camping at Luna Lake Campground in August when the camp host gave up the position. The concessionaire company asked them if they’d like to take over.
They had no camp hosting experience.
“How’s it going so far?” I ask.
“Well, we survived Labor Day Weekend. We figure if we can do that, we can do anything!”
Reggie finds treasure!
One late afternoon Bridget, Reggie, and I are on a stride-and-ride around the campground when we approach a site where a man sits reading a book. He looks up, shouts a greeting, and a chat begins.
While we talk, Bridget lies contentedly in her car and Reggie sniffs the grass alongside the road. A few minutes later the man and I conclude our conversation and I turn to push Bridget’s stroller.
“C’mon, Reg,” I say, glancing around.
“REGGIE! WHAT THE DEVIL ARE YOU EATING!”
He looks at me with eyes glazed over in blissful concentration. His jaws are working on the remaining two inches of a hot dog which sticks out of the side of his mouth like a cigar.
“Where did you get that?” I exclaim.
“He has a hot dog,” I call over to the man.
“Oh, that’s one of mine,” the man replies. “I left it out and a crow took it and dropped it.”
“You’ve eaten most of it already, Reg, so you might as well finish it. That’s quite a treasure!”
UPDATE: Everything came out all right.
After three days at camp, I want to go somewhere.
“Let’s take a drive into town. I could pick up a few groceries.”
It’s only three miles from Luna Lake Campground to the little town of Alpine.
The grocery store isn’t very big.
It’s crowded, mostly with men and women wearing camouflage outfits. People stand around chatting in the leisurely fashion of country folk. I buy a jar of peanut butter for $6.50 and 1.75-quarts of ice cream for $6.99.
What the heck. I need comfort food.
Out in the parking lot I notice a hunter getting into his truck.
He’s wearing a full camo ensemble of camo shirt, camo pants, camo hat, and coordinating boots. He also sports a neon orange hunter’s vest.
Dude. Either you want to be seen or you don’t want to be seen. You can’t do both.
Bridget rides in the front passenger seat.
I want to keep an eye on her and that’s hard to do when she’s on the bench seat. From now on Her Royal Highness rides in her doggie bed placed in the passenger seat next to Reggie in his bed on the floor between the seats.
On the return to camp we drive over to the boat ramp and tackle shop area.
Although we can see a bit of the lake from our campsite, it isn’t right next to the campground. There’s a path that goes from our site to the lake, probably made by people who fish. It’s too far for us to use.
“The lake is really blue today,” I remark to the crew.
Bridget sits up, interested in the view out the side window.
I bring the window down all the way and drive very slowly over the dirt road that takes us home. Bridget points her nose into the breeze coming through the window, obviously enjoying the coolness washing over her.
Bridget still does not want to eat.
I wish I could give you some comfort food, sweetheart. Enjoy the breeze . . . .
Thanks again to all who wrote kind words for Bridget, Reggie, and me.
Your support is appreciated. We’re doing fine, taking it one day at a time, pointing our noses to the breeze.
rvsue
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