Opening Weekend at Canal Campground

Hey, Y’all!!! The time we’d been looking forward to since the end of October, 2020, finally arrived…the opening weekend at our beloved Canal Campground!!

We had scheduled a short vacation to Highlands Hammock State Park in Sebring, Florida during the week of February 14th, but because of a winter storm that hit our area we were forced to cancel. So, the opening weekend of March 26th at the Canal became our first camping adventure for 2021, and we were beyond ready!

The week leading up to our weekend away was full of preparations. Tom had to de-winterize the fifth wheel, which is simply flushing the lines with fresh water to insure all the antifreeze is removed. Then, since I work from home I had the tasks of taking inventory of the supplies in stock, replenishing what was missing, filling the refrigerator, preparing any necessary foods, and making sure we both had enough appropriate clothing for the 3-night stay.

Tom took a half day off from work so we were able to leave home early enough to arrive at the campground by 1pm. Winding around the road leading to the entrance, I could feel my happiness level increase and my stress level from the last 3 months decrease.

At the check-in shack, I was greeted by Kaye & Ed, and tickled to find they remembered us & recognized we’d made a new purchase since they saw us at the end of last season. After a brief conversation, we were on our way to site 43 on the Woods Loop.

Once we finished setting up, which might have taken 15 minutes maximum, we set off on our first walk of the weekend. This small act brought with it a HUGE amount of relaxation. Just a few feet away from our campsite I remember turning to Tom and saying, “It feels good to feel ‘normal’ again!”. And, our walk continued to feel “normal” as we observed each camper, trying to spot any that we’d recognized from last year. There were several, actually. We, too, were recognized from last year from a couple of fellow campers, striking up conversations along the way. But, we were most interested in reuniting with one couple in particular on this weekend, and they were over on site 84…Frank & Sheryl! This is the amazing couple who’d assisted my parents while on a trip to Alaska in 2019 and by God’s great guidance, made their way into our lives. We had kept in contact over the winter with multiple hour-plus phone calls, text messages and Facebook correspondence. But, there was nothing like seeing them face-to-face again! It was like seeing long lost members of our family!

And, that’s how our we filled our first weekend at our local home away from home….walks, visits, relaxation, good eats & drinks and lots of laughs. It honestly felt like the whole outside world melted away and we were in a protective little cocoon. It was disappointing to have to get back to the real world come Monday, but doing so just makes our future stays that much more to look forward to. Not to mention, we have several other folks we will be reconnecting with in the weeks to come! We certainly can’t wait for that, either!!

During our weekend stays at the Canal this year, I plan for us to visit several of the outdoor attractions within the Land Between the Lakes, which is located a very short distance from the campground. Not only do I look forward to seeing many of these areas again for the first time since I was a teenager, but to also share with y’all the beauty that is in and around LBL. I hate that we’ve neglected exploring this area for as long as we have. But, that’s often how life goes…we get so busy with work and all that it takes to have/keep up the home, especially when we are young, that we put much on the backburner for “tomorrow”. I’m thankful we have been blessed to have reached a point in our life where we can reevaluate what is important to us in this season of life, make changes where we can and start doing what we had been putting off for “tomorrow”.

Thanks for checking in! Be sure to comment below & let me know you stopped by! Hope to be “seeing” you again soon!

xoxo,T