We arrived fairly early for “Zero
Night”... the opening night before land grab of Pennsic 42. Our
goal was to get here in daylight so we could set upp a temporary
shelter and meet up with some of hthe rest of our block mates and try
to get negotiations started for block setup. Turned out that nobody
else from our block was arriving that night, but we decided to go and
have a look at the block ourselves.
We were very glad we did.
As soon as we stepped on the block, it felt off. We soon saw why... during the recent Jeep jamboree the Coopers had at the site, someone had put a Jeep trail right through the back of our block. The entire space inside the tree line... where most of us camp... was affected. Much of the ground had the topsoil stripped away, some of it exposing the tree roots. Our end had a mud pit (where our common area usually went) and a big pile of dirt (where my tent usually went). We were pissed.
I decided to take a walk down to Land office and see what was going on. I had taken a few photos with my phone, and showed Land 2 (Dagmar). She was surprised... the Coopers had mentioned a “project” in the B blocks, but not what the project was. Land had no idea the extent of the damage. She headed for the War Room to see what was being done, and I went back to the battlefield, where all the parking/camping is for Zero Night. Within a half hour, I had a promise of a backhoe on our block before land grab in the morning.
We were very glad we did.
As soon as we stepped on the block, it felt off. We soon saw why... during the recent Jeep jamboree the Coopers had at the site, someone had put a Jeep trail right through the back of our block. The entire space inside the tree line... where most of us camp... was affected. Much of the ground had the topsoil stripped away, some of it exposing the tree roots. Our end had a mud pit (where our common area usually went) and a big pile of dirt (where my tent usually went). We were pissed.
I decided to take a walk down to Land office and see what was going on. I had taken a few photos with my phone, and showed Land 2 (Dagmar). She was surprised... the Coopers had mentioned a “project” in the B blocks, but not what the project was. Land had no idea the extent of the damage. She headed for the War Room to see what was being done, and I went back to the battlefield, where all the parking/camping is for Zero Night. Within a half hour, I had a promise of a backhoe on our block before land grab in the morning.
There was a storm threatening... severe
looking thunderstorms... so we decided to forego the shelter and just
sleep in our vehicles. We slept on top of the trunks in the back of
the Jeep, which seemed like a good idea, but was not so comfortable
as we hoped initially. Needless to say, we did not sleep well. And of
course... the storms never arrived.
The next morning, I was out at the block first thing. By 0630, a backhoe was onsite, and began filling and smoothing. Our block mates began trickling in, and we started figuring out how we would deal with the situation. Basically... we just camped our normal places. By this point, they had brought out a roller, and some fill, and the land was looking smoother, though still mud covered. We shared the space we had last year with a relative newcomer to the block, Band Camp. There was a bit of drama there, but... oh well. We are at Pennsic, and we will have a good time if it kills me. Or anyone else, of that matter. ;)
The next morning, I was out at the block first thing. By 0630, a backhoe was onsite, and began filling and smoothing. Our block mates began trickling in, and we started figuring out how we would deal with the situation. Basically... we just camped our normal places. By this point, they had brought out a roller, and some fill, and the land was looking smoother, though still mud covered. We shared the space we had last year with a relative newcomer to the block, Band Camp. There was a bit of drama there, but... oh well. We are at Pennsic, and we will have a good time if it kills me. Or anyone else, of that matter. ;)
Being just the three of us, Camp was
set up very quickly, with the exception of the shower, which will go
in today. We walked to the new on demand hot water showers where the
old solar showers were on Low Road, and they are quite excellent.
Then we had dinner, played Game of the Goose for a while, and turned
in fairly early. It was so nice to be sleeping in our bed in our
second home. We went to sleep easily, smiling.
I am typing this Sunday morning, as I wait for Dalla at church in Slippery Rock. I hope to post it from the Giant Eagle when we stop on our way back to camp... I will need to see if they have propane camp stoves, as we forgot ours. If that's the worst thing we forgot, I will call it a win. :)
I am typing this Sunday morning, as I wait for Dalla at church in Slippery Rock. I hope to post it from the Giant Eagle when we stop on our way back to camp... I will need to see if they have propane camp stoves, as we forgot ours. If that's the worst thing we forgot, I will call it a win. :)
Explain's Dagmar's backhoe comment.
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