For Thursday, July 13, 2000 Drummer Column, Gibbs, 727 words
Ray and Rule 14 (part I)
Gotta get away. Can't get away. Gotta get away. Can't get away. That was the feeling we got during our July 4th camping trip to Crystal Basin, an elevated range of three huge lakes just this side of the mountainous ridge leading into the Tahoe Basin.
My wife and I, our daughter and son-in-law, and 20 friends intended to occupy a string of adjoining campsites at the Union Valley Reservoir for a week of relaxing, skiing, fishing, boating, and most of all, four-wheeling. What we hadn't counted on was Ray, the campground supervisor, and one overlooked, underpublicized campground rule.
Rule 14 states (in 12-point font on the bulletin board): You must occupy your campsite on the first night, and at least once every 24 hours.
Chad, my son-in-law, and I, both being teachers, had driven up to Crystal Basin on the Wednesday before the 4th of July to secure four campsites. The others would arrive Friday night, including my wife, who was buying supplies. It wasn't until we picked up our deposit envelopes that we noticed a long list of 20-something campground rules and came across rule #14. Gulp. Oh, what to do? The show must go on.
We dropped a total of $345 down the one-way green iron tube across four envelopes. I wrote two checks -- one in my handwriting, one in my wife's handwriting; Chad wrote a third check, and we put cash in the fourth envelope. Then we occupied four adjoining sites -- 81, 85, 86, 87. The odd numbers were on the inside of the loop, and site 86 was lakeside. We put up four tents and scattered equipment evenly across the four sites. We hung hammocks, draped sleeping bags across tree limbs, set up cook stoves, cluttered the tables, hung laundry ropes and laundry. The sites looked mighty occupied.
Still, one change of plan was made -- Chad had to work summer school Thursday and Friday and had intended to dump and run. Now he decided he would occupy a site for the night, get up at 5 a.m. and drive back to Rancho Cordova. so we went four-wheeling in my new truck (which deserves a whole story of its own, later) and collected firewood. We stacked it evenly across the four sites, parked our two vehicles in the two sites we didn't occupy, set our lawn chairs beside the lake at 86, cracked open a couple brews, got comfortable and watched the sunset. Other campers continued to pull in until the campground was full.
At sunset the campground supervisor's truck came creeping along. His experienced eyes surveyed each site. We nodded casually. He nodded back, and drove by. Whew! We did it. We fooled him. We tricked him. We hoodwinked him.
Now, we really relaxed. We built a fire and enjoyed another beverage. About 9 p.m. a huge motorhome pulling a speedboat drove by, looking in vain for a campsite. We remarked at what a beautiful boat he had. Chad said he thought he recognized it from last 4th of July.
Then we screwed up. We went for a walk, once around the loop before bed. Out on the road, near the green pipe, near rule 14 and the campground supervisor's trailer, sat the big motorhome and boat, engine running. The owner was standing in the road talking to supervisor Ray.
Chad remarked, "Hey, beautiful boat. Weren't you here last year?"
"Yes," said the owner. "But this year I can't find a site." We noticed his Oregon plates.
Chad elbowed me and jerked his head to the left, as in, "Let's vamoose."
"So," said Ray, campground supervisor, "what site are you guys in?"
"Us?" We spoke together. "Oh, well, we, eh, we're, eh, duh, um, we're in site eighty-six, and eighty-one…and, eh, eighty-five, and, um, eighty-seven. Yep. Well, gotta go."
"Where are the rest of your people?" asked Ray.
I looked at my watch. "Where are those women? Gosh, they are slow. They should have been here by now, must have hit traffic." We disappeared into the night.
I got on Chad's cellphone. "Honey, get your butt up here tomorrow, early!"
We took seats and tossed another log on the fire. The seconds ticked loudly by. Then, out of the darkness came a shadowy and mysterious figure. It was Supervisor Ray.
(to be continued…)