Sequoya Caverns

The culmination of eight months of Airstream refurbishment was supposed to be a trip to Disneyworld to celebrate our tenth (or aluminum ) anniversary. Unfortunately, a hurricane was forecast to hit Florida during our stay. So while the Magic Kingdom gnomes were nailing plywood over windows, Kim was on the phone trying to find us a AAA approved, more-or-less local campsite for a couple of nights just so we could do something on Labor Day weekend She succeeded in locating Sequoya Caverns, an older, private campground in Alabama about two hours from our house.

Nice campground. It appeared to be a former KOA campground & was run by an older gentleman who was quite enthused about my Overlander. He stopped by our site later in the day to reminisce about a Tradewind he had once owned. He also advised me he had observed my air conditioner ‘bouncing’ on the rooftop. The campground loop was fairly rocky, and could have caused a loose unit to bounce, but a subsequent inspection found nothing loose top side. I wish I could have seen what he observed.

Parking was interesting. Although I know there are a lot of people much better at backing a trailer, I can get the job done & don’t sweat it. I figured we were covered on this aspect when we were escorted to our site by a man in a golf cart. Although new at this, I advised my wife that he would probably help us get backed in but that she should consider herself on standby if he simply waved goodbye after pointing out our site. Arriving at our site, Kim jumps out leaving the Boyz in their car seats.

The man in the golf cart pulled over & proceeded to get me lined up from the back when our neighbor pops out of his white box, and proceeds to direct me from the front. So there’s one set of directions from the back, one from the front, and a repeated request from the backseat, “Daddy, I want out!” Surprise, surprise – the two sets of parking directions started to contradict each other. I could see Kim standing there wondering who I was going to give directions to, and how pleasant it would be.

Deciding the campground rep was the best one to listen to at the moment, I ignored the neighbor & the Boyz. The Boyz got over it. The neighbor did not as he ignored me the rest of our visit. Thinking about it later, I believe I would do the same thing again. On a subsequent camping trip, I brought the subject up with a more seasoned camper. He inclined that he always follows the subtle hand directions given by his wife, and ignores everyone else. I’m open to more suggestions! J

We made camp by around six on Friday, and enjoyed hamburgers & hotdogs for supper. The weather was unusually pleasant (i.e. not hot), and we enjoyed sitting outside for a while after dinner. In fact, we slept both nights we were there with the roof vents open.

There was a bit too much rain Saturday morning to enjoy breakfast outside, so we enjoyed our first meal at the Overlander’s foldout table. The rain eventually turned to sunshine, and we took advantage of the campground’s swimming pool. Jared appeared to enjoy the deep water no matter which one of us was holding him.

Saturday’s steak & pan fried taters was a hit with everyone. Kim prepared her secret family recipe baked beans as a side dish. Between steak on the grill, beans in the oven, and onions sautéing on the cooktop, we had a full force aroma assault at our site!

Alabama played football Saturday evening, and Kim was hoping to monitor the game on radio. With all the hills around us, she was forced to sit in the Suburban to find the game on it’s digital radio. With Jared’s assistance, she was then able to tune the portable radio we keep in the Airstream to the right station. She was not, however, too thrilled about having to sit in the middle of a field to hear the game. I guess I need to accelerate my plans to buy a radio for the Airstream which hooks to the antenna I already have.

Sunday morning’s breakfast of sausage & pancakes was well received by the Boyz. With Jimmy Dean sausage being the delicacy it is, we have taught Daniel to take small bites, and fully contemplate the flavor before swallowing.

This was the first trip where we only had water & electrical hookups. A ’67 Airstream does not have a gray water tank, so we brought along a 25 gallon portable version. Emptying it was more of a challenge than I was expecting. Between the campground loop being rocky & washed out, and the dump station being located uphill, I towed the tank to the dump station. Kim & number 1 son sat on the tailgate to monitor the activity.

We enjoyed the campground immensely, and may go back there someday. It was a nice setting populated with friendly campers. Kim is checking on rebooking our Disneyworld trip. It could be as soon as next weekend – We’ll see!