Travels with Monica: Camping Weekend at Saunderosa

23 June 2012

Tony and I are camping this weekend at the Saunderosa campground near Mercersburg, PA. It’s about an hours drive from home but towing a heavy trailer makes for a longer trip.

We drive on rte 70 heading west passing beautiful countryside in Maryland. Heading up we pass a sign for Fort Frederick State Park (off MD 56), so I jot down the exit number thinking we could camp there another time.

Up on rte 456 heading north, we pass farmland, many with their bails of hay rolled up. It’s lovely in this area. The road leads us to a high elevation in the mountains and to the campground.

We are not roughing it (there are a few primitive sites) but booked a site with hook up to water and electric. I do need a/c and some comforts of home. The price per day was only $28. There are about 180 sites around a wooded area along with two pools, a few pavilions, a “catch & release lake”, and even a mini golf course.

Our spot is #64, located next to a small stream and towards the right is the mini put-put course (with a waterfall – relaxing sound), not quite the same as the course in Overboard with Goldie Hawn. Lucy checks out the stream and even drinks the fresh mountain water. We are able to set up the trailer perpendicular to the others near us. We didn’t want to face another trailer but instead we have great views of the mountains.

It took a while for Tony to set things up. Afterwards we drove to McConnellsburg, which is about 7 miles away and picked up food at Giant. Next time we camp, I’ll be sure to have food in the camper to save time. Next door is a liquor store so I picked up a bottle of Pinot Grigio and limoncello.

Back at camp, we relax with snacks and drinks before dinner. Dinner – roasted chicken and a salad. I had washed some squash and a cucumber before we left but they’re still in the kitchen at home. Oops. While sitting outside, we watch couples go by in golf carts, some with their dog.

I walked Lucy for a bit and met one couple three trailers down. Very nice couple from Chambersburg.

The downside for Lucy in camping is that she has to be on a leash. We can control her very easily but we keep her tied so that we don’t get in trouble.

As we do things, we realize we are missing certain items, so I created a list for future reference: More pantry items, lights for outdoors, regular utensils (instead of plastic), an extension cord, and firewood: each spot has a metal round ‘ring” where you can light a fire.

It cooled down to about 60 after the sun went down, so I was glad I had checked the weather report. I brought a sweatshirt and long pants. I should bring a blanket too to bundle up in.

24 June 2012

Our trailer is equipped with a small stove, oven, refrigerator, and a microwave oven. I made scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast after a nice hot shower. The trailer is much smaller than a cruise ship cabin and it isn’t the Ritz but we’re comfortable with the amenities it has.

Mercersburg is about 8 miles away after going up and down windy roads. We are high up, about an elevation of 1,650 ft. We stopped at the highest point where we could look down in the valley.

Mercersburg is a historical town and some of it looks similar to downtown Frederick. James Buchanan, the 15^th president of the United States was born here.

As we came into town, we spotted a church spire, so tracked it down. It’s the church at the academy, which was founded in 1893. Beautiful grounds. There were many cars with people dropping of young kids for a week of camp. Most are from Maryland!

We should have visited Mercersburg yesterday as most things were closed, but it was a nice walk on Main Street.

Nearby is the James Buchanan State Park, where he was born. The house was relocated to the academy. At the spot where he was born is a stone pyramid.

Another quick stop to Giant Tony picks up food for dinner. I could have bought things yesterday but we were hoping to find a place for dinner with outdoor dining. Nada.

Back at the trailer, we have turkey and ham sandwiches for lunch. In the afternoon we explore the rest of the campgrounds and jotted down notes of future possible sites. I decide #64 is the best. On the way back we stop at the main building where you register. There’s a small grocery store so I pick up a small container of Hershey’s creamy chocolate ice cream for later.

It’s more humid today so I read my magazine inside with the a/c on. Lucy naps – she’s walked quite a bit in her old age. Tony naps for a bit outside. It’s a lazy, relaxing afternoon.

For our evening appetizer, we had (as I said we’re not roughing it) wine (me) and vodka with soda (Tony), baked brie with apricot preserves and crackers. It’s a quiet evening and in fact, we are all alone. Being a Sunday, all of the trailers near us have left. I have tomorrow off. We have the entire area to ourselves so I take Lucy’s leash off. Dinner: burgers and a salad.

Tony lights a fire after we gathered some wood that others left behind. We’ll have to remember to bring our own. With my itouch I turn on some music while we stare at our survival t.v.