Mother's Day Weekend at the Gorge V 2008

“would anyone object to trixie-the-wonder-dog attending?
are dogs even allowed in this park??

BTW, i mapquested my proposed route....840km!! that's eight and a half hours of driving - and we're anticipating another 6 spent at the border.
gonna be a looooong day.”

“Holy cow! Where are you coming from?”

“Sweet Helinka bring her along (assuming they're aloud) it'd be great to see you and the boys again.”

“London, Ontariariario.

the border guards have me red-flagged for child abduction (that was my evil ex's way of getting revenge) so we're pretty sure there's gonna be a long delay at the crossing.
the boys are game though, and we're really looking forward to this trip.”

“That sucks that you are still having to deal with his crap, anyway to clear it up?”

“nope.
gonna haunt me for the rest of my life and the kids until they're adults.

i gotta vent a bit:
you have no idea how bitter i am regarding the whole situation. ex has one year prob. and then everything is erased. J has to live with the memories of what his dad did for the rest of his life. and every time we go to the US, we're gonna be reminded of what happened. why do the victims get punished so much more than the abuser?

k. i'm done now. had to get it off my chest. sorry.
and i'm sorry i mucked up the thread with my bytching.
last edited: 2/23/08 1:56:20 PM”

“helinka you have every right to be angry, its a #&%!$ty situation that has been put upon you.and dont worry about venting, you gotta do what you gotta do.”

“thanx birch.
i always feel better after a good bytch session.”

“That sucks, but we'll be glad to have you along!”

“Oh Helinka PLEASE bring Trixie the wonder dog! We still hear about how great Trixie is from Laurel!”

“don't worry mg, i don't #&%!$ nearly this much in person.
back to my original question re: dogs?
i couldn't find anything regarding pets in the website. are nat. forests the ones that are pet-free? or is that nat. monuments? and what IS the difference anyways? your park designation system down there is kinda confusing.”

“wow...i'm glad she made such a good impression.”

“I think I'm gonna have to bail again this year for another wedding!!! For some reason people like getting married in May, at least it's not Memorial Day weekend...I refuse to give up another 3 day weekend for a wedding, no more!”

“Helinka, dogs are allowed in RRG. And I always welcome dogs on my trips. We will have Copper, our dog of very little brain, with us. So please bring Trixie!

Technically, dogs are supposed to be leashed. However, I find with Copper after we put his backpack on him and get going on a trail he stays very close to us, so I let him off the leash.”

“good to know. thanks.”

“Helinka, if you guys would like to take two days to travel (and can), you and the boys are very welcome to throw down sleepy bags at our house (30 minutes from the ambassador bridge). Late arrivals are okay too. I'm a night owl.”

“thanks for the offer sass. that would shave 2hrs off the drive :)”

“So.....what gear do I need for this trip???”

“swim shoes, chairs maybe (there are picknick tables), strong tent stakes because the place for your tent is gravel, food, stuff for the kids to play with, light sleeping bags, good shoes for all, a desire to have fun, you know, general car camping stuff. Fire wood must be purchased, and there is a grill on the fire ring, and pit toilets, cold showers, cold water at a pump. I think the camp sites are $5/night, so some money will be necessary, but not much.”

“Okie....I am looking forward to meeting everyone!!!!.....I will be on my way north ( unless I get this job) and will have all my camping stuff with me......I do so HATE putting my tent on gravel...but ya do what ya gotta do!!!
...any suggestions for food?????..I LOVE to cook!!!!”

“you are more than welcome to cook for me all weekend! I love a good steak, with grilled peppers and onions, and maybe a nice salad to go with it. Bacon and eggs with biscuits, and coffee is a breakfast fav, lunch I can handle since we'll prolly be out galavanting, after the little one lie down it's nice to have a cool adult beverage, while gabbing by the fire. JK of course! The kiddies like the typical hot dogs, and smokie links etc. Smores. What ever you like. Foil works wonders for cooking on that grill. I may try some smoked sausage or brats one night. Maybe some lemon pepper chicken another. What ever sounds good to you. It can be done on this trip!”

“I have been wanting a tabletop propane grill....might be a good time for that!!!!

well..I need to get out in the sunshine!!!!

have a great day!!!”

“I think I'll make my bacon wrapped poppers for this trip too. Those are usually popular.

BTW, a cheap walmart blue tarp will help with the gravel if used as a ground cloth. The stones are small and I always worry about them poking holes in my tent floor. I'm trying to decide if I should bring bubble toys for everyone again or watter guns. Any one have a strong opinion against either?”

“Why are you using the RV side instead of the tent only side?”

“We're not. As soon as you pull in off the road there is another road that goes left, and dead ends about 1/4 to 1/2 mi back and that is where we planned on going as far as I understand it, but all the sites I've seen in there have gravel platforms that all tents have to stay on. Are you sure you aren't talking about the camping in natural bridge at the end of the Sheltowee?”

“If I did not know this I would not be asking this question...I am basing this on last years post of site use which is the link that Ruby said to use.

I have been going to RRG since '68...I think I know where I am going.”

“This is STICKS playground for many a year. He knows of places not on the maps that the Rangers do not disclose. I have personally been on a trip with him where the Rangers would not give me info due to sensitive atifacts in the area. I actually asked the Rangers about certain areas I have herd people say exsists but not on a map. They say no such places, so asking Sticks, he knows such places and took several of us there.”

“Divinity!!! I'm so excited you get to join us! =D

Meangreen, either are good. I think the water pistols would appeal to a wider range of ages, but then again....can we trust a pack of kids not to turn on us with them? I'm not sure any of us are sweet enough to melt though, so go for whatever your girls want to bring.
I'm in for glowsticks again. =)”

“MG you sure put more thought into weekend food than I do. I make it as easy as possible. Dehydrated meals are fine for me,even when car camping. T”

“I don't think my wife will be coming, but I am leaning towards this trip with my two girls. I will see how my schedule goes.”

“lol...so is it traditional to bring toys???”

“Just enough to keep them busy, but not too many. =)”

“okie dokie....woooo hooooo!!!”

“The most popular toy is always the hammock. I'm not sure I'll bring it this time. All those kiddos are getting rougher and rougher on it every year.”

“I've seen some discussion about changing the location from Koomer Ridge campground.

Where did we land on that issue?”

“Haven't yet. Waiting for a report from Jerbear on the Pumpkin Patch campground.”

“Okie dokie.”

“My hammock met it's end last year at our family reunion when six cousins piled in. The replacement doesn't hold as much weight, unfortunately. =(”

“How many kids are coming on this trip, in addition to the adults?”

“meanie + 3 girls 9,6,4


Sass, I'll see what they want.

Divinity, you don't have to bring toys for everyone, it's just something that I had fun doing last year. I bought a big pack of bubble toys, and about a half gallon of bubbles, and ti went over pretty well and was SUPER cheap. They only thing you need to bring is what you want your kids to have. No one is obligated to entertain everyone else's children. ;)”

“ROTFLMAO


My baby is 21.....”

“Well, toys to keep it entertained shouldn't be too much trouble for you then huh?! LOL!”

“Hey Div is your 21 yr old comin with ya?
I'm tryin to talk my youngest into comin with me and she's 22 :D”

“Is she single Joe? ;)”

“Wow I didn't see that coming! lmao
And yeah she is actually....single and JUST like her dad...kinda scary, huh? :)”

“If people want to start posting ages/gender of kids, I'll keep track.


Meangreen 9G, 6G, 4G
Ruby 13B, 8B”

“hel, 12B, 11B, 11B,”

“Divinity = 34G, 24G, 21B
( & a 10G soon/to/be Grandaughter!!!!)

pics on my My Space....


...no...my 21 yr old isn't coming...(he is not keen on camping....I used to drag him camping and backpacking, and he "says" he didn't like it, but I hope someday he wants to do it again. )
oooo...maybe I'll plan a trip in Sipsey and invite my kids (lightbulb appears)
last edited: 3/06/08 4:26:51 AM”

“windigrrl - 11G, 12G, 13B I think. I need to get a head could myself. lol.”

“LOL I guess I wasn't clear. I meant for us to post the ages/genders of the younger kids who will be attending the trip since the kids are always interested to know who else around their age will be there.


Meangreen: 9G, 6G, 4G
Ruby: 13B, 8B
Helinka: 12B, 11B, 11B
Windigrrl: 13B, 12G, 11G”