Welcome to Part two of our nature series here at Kip's Playground. Today will are going to discuss the massive Hurricane Olive which struck the unsuspecting campers at the Bar Nuthin' Ranch on Memorial Weekend 2001. Our story starts out in the beginning of the year when the owner and operating C.E.O. of the famed resort, D. E. Hoag, started taking reservations for the coming camping season.
"We had made several key enhancements to the resort over the winter season and were looking forward to having the camp resort filled on our opening weekend." Stated resort tycoon, D. E. Hoag. He went on listing the improvements, "We put in a surround sound movie theater, a state of the art arcade and we even arranged to have a BNR Invitational poker tournement. We we all set."
But again, Mother Nature proved she is the boss. With the holiday just one week away, the resort still had several openings. Bad weather loomed on the horizon. There was just 3 reservations for the entire weekend. Terry Bunch, better known as the Tap Dancing Clown and his wife were the first to book a site. Although Terry, a regular star visiting the resort refuses to grant an interview, his wife said that the weekend was still fun. Another reservation was granted to John and Amy Wales. John famous in his own right as the inventor of Y'all - bonics, was celebrating his first aniversary with his darling wife and their predigree terrier, Buddy. The last reservation went to this reporter and his family. I can honestly say that it was a new experience for this reporter and I was hubbled at the fury of Olive.
Saturday Morning found the campers surrounded by unseasonably cold and rainy weather, which forced the campers into the pavilion for most of the day. The campers were engorsed in the arcade and the movie theater when all of a sudden they heard the wind pick up. Mr. Hoag then tuned in the National Weather Service to find out that a Monsterous Hurricane and formed around the famed resort, Hurricane Olive. Olive was the biggest Windstorm ever seen. She was packing winds over 100 miles and hour and looked to be blowing hard and threatening the campers for the entire weekend. When this reporter stepped outside, I saw campers rocking, tents flapping and the rain falling sideways. Olive's destruction even reached the nearby metropolis of Fort Wayne spanning several tornados.
But the resort was prepared for foul weather. Portable stoves were brought to the pavilion to prepare a delious dinner for the standed campers and the poker tournement went on as planned. Although Olive rained down her terror, nothing was destroyed.
"I was scared for my life while my family was trying to sleep in the camper." reported Wendy Bunch, the campers spokesperson. "I was not sure we were going to make it. I kept waiting for the camper to fly away and take me to Oz."
You will be happy to know that nothing was lost and that Wendy woke up still at the camp site and not listening to the munchskins sing follow the yellow brick road. This reporter injects, thank god she didn't, I don't think her feet would have fit in the ruby slippers to get us home...
Please remember when camping anywhere play safe, watch your fires and watch out for the weather. This has been a production of Kip's Playground in conjuction with The Weather Station. Please remember to visit often and sign the guest book.