July 17, 2004
Saturday
I have missed you, oh, website journal!!! Sorry it has taken me so long to write again. I got back from camp on July 3, but everything has been so hectic since I got back that I have barely had time to answer emails.
Camp was so great!!! Me, Leah, and Elijah had an awesome time. The van ride there, though, was a bit stressful. I mean, what six-hour ride wouldn't be, with eleven kids? The trip there ended up taking nine hours instead of six, and we left a day early. Elijah and I have named it The Van Ride From Hell.
Here is a blow-by-blow record of what happened that first day.
The Van Ride From Hell
Twelve noon, June 26, Saturday: Leah and her mom come over to my house. Mrs. S, wife of Mr. S., head counselor, will be coming over to pick us up and drive us back to her house. Leah almost has as much luggage as I do.
12:10: Mrs. S. comes over, and me and Leah pile our stuff in the back of her minivan. We are all ready to leave, but, as the three moms unite, they decided to have tea, and chat for the next fifty minutes.
1:00: We leave for Mrs. S.'s house.
1:10: we arrive at Mrs. S.'s house, where the big blue fifteen-passenger van is parked out front, and parents and siblings of the campers are milling around outside. Libby is there with her dad and her siblings. Elijah, her brother (I don't believe I've ever mentioned this, but Elijah is Libby's brother), is already in the van. Me and Leah try to put our luggage in the back (a seat has been taken out, so now it's only a twelve-passenger van), but to no avail, and my guitar has to go in Miss G.'s car.
Leah and I climb into the van. To our extreme surprize, we see five other kids in there -- Dennis, Nick E., Sarah J., Elijah, and Trevor. We had been under the impression that it would just be us and Elijah. Apparently not.
1:15: Chloe shows up. I immediately recognize her from last year. The only difference is that she has green streaks in her hair. She is sent to ride with Miss G.
1:25: We leave.
2:15: We stop at an exit in Sturbridge to pick up three more campers -- Jesse, Patrick, and Mathias. Jesse and Patrick are brothers, and were at camp last year. But, so far, our ranks of girls are extremely outnumbered. Three girls, and six boys.
Jesse and Patrick remember me from last year, and Patrick impresses me by actually remembering my name. NO ONE ever remembers my name. Sometimes, old people call me by my mom's name. :(
2:25: Mr. S., who's driving the van, returns from the rest room, and is about to pull out, when we realize that Dennis isn't in the van -- he has jumped out to go buy himself a pen-light at the Cracker Barrel store. This pen-light will ultimately be the prime agarvation of the entire trip.
3:45: We've only been on the road for about two hours, but everyone is becoming a bit loopy. It is not fun trying to scream over the raucous noise of nine other kids.
4:20: We stop at a diner in New York. I share a booth with Leah, Patrick, and Chloe, who all order clam chowder. I don't like seafood, and order a ham sandwich.
Afterwards, we have the worst time trying to figure out the tip (it turns out that math is no one's stong point), and end up just leaving three bucks.
7:30: We're (supposedly) close to camp. I know in my gut that we should have been there by now, and am getting antsy.
We stop at a rest stop to stretch our legs and use the bathroom. Leah pays fifty cents for a bag of chips in a vending machine and they get stuck. She ends up paying a whole dollar for them, while me and Mathias laugh not-so-discreetly nearby.
9:30: We pull into the campground. It looks decent. We pile out of the van and get our bearings. I panic because I can't find my backpack -- the one that has all of my clothes in it for the entire week. Chloe offers me some of her clothes, but Mr. S. finds it. It was under the seat.
Welcome to camp.
+Erica++
Copyright 2004-2005 ~ Erica
