Checking in camping stories...

We were almost sold out this weekend. And so when it's this busy, there's always a couple of campground stories to tell. Thankfully, none of them are bad. Yes, I still got up at 1:30am and went for a walk around the park to make sure nobody was out there being too stupid. But fortunately, things were pretty quiet, so I don't have any drunk people stories to tell.

But I do have a feel good story...

Friday afternoon and evening we had quite a few people checking in. I was busy with someone else, and Ruth had led one family to their site. Not one of our better sites, and the trailer would have been a bit tough to get in there. But like I said, we were pretty much sold out so people who book at the last minute know that they're not going to get a prime site. So it wasn't a big deal, and they were happy just to get a site.

As she was doing that, I made it back to the office just in time to catch the phone ringing. It was somebody calling to cancel at the last minute, and they had been reserved in one of our more popular sites. As soon as I hung up the phone, I hopped on the gator and drove over to the people who were just starting to get set up, hoping to get to them before they got themselves all unhitched.

And I did, so I offered them the better site that was now available. They were quite happy to take it!

They followed me over to the better site, where their new next door neighbor was just getting unhitched as well.

They got out to inspect the layout of the new site, and an exclamation of surprise rang out as they recognized their new neighbor. Turns out these two guys are good friends, and neither one knew that the other was going camping this weekend. Both families were so happy.

I love random moments like that. What are the odds that there would be a cancellation just at the right moment and then that they would end up being put right beside their friends? Too funny.

Oh, and another "checking in" story. Some people think that it's okay to simply pull into the park and head straight for their campsite without checking in. They get themselves all set up at their site, and then eventually make their way down to see the office. Most times, this is okay, but I'd still rather they do it the proper way. In this instance, it would have been to their benefit.

Turns out they bought a new trailer...about 10 feet longer than the old one! We can't figure why people buy such big rigs, but each to their own I suppose. These campgrounds were designed back in the 1970's when the biggest RV out there was probably not much more than 30 feet. Now, people are trying to squeeze these big three axle 5th wheels into these sites and it makes things pretty crowded at times. Anyhow, the site they had booked is really difficult to get into even with the rig that was 10 feet smaller. So apparently they had a bit of a tough time getting in, and I can well imagine.

But had they come and seen me first, I could have put them somewhere a little easier. I mentioned that to the lady when she did eventually come in, and she says "oh...don't tell my husband!" Anyhow, their loss because they didn't follow the correct procedure.

Our newly renovated washroom building is open for business. The construction guys finished up late last Friday afternoon, but I got the feeling that they rushed the last few days in order to meet the date. We have a list of things we want fixed before they get their final payment. But, at least it was operational and usable in time for the busy weekend.

A great deal on a neat item at Amazon.com. How about an inflatable hot tub?? This thing gets pretty good ratings for a fairly inexpensive hot tub and most reviews say that even though it's not a "real" hot tub, it's worth it for the money you pay. That means it's even more worth it today, because it's on sale today only. If you always wanted a hot tub, but could never afford one, here's your chance...

Bestway Lay-Z-Spa Palm Springs Inflatable Hot Tub

And, it's also available for shipping to Canada!

Oh, and (two deals for you today!) ...Garmin's new RV GPS unit isn't really "on sale" as such, however it is the lowest price it's ever been for U.S. shoppers...

Garmin RV 760LMT Portable GPS Navigator