“…From the mountains, to the prairies, to the oceans, white with foam….”

When last we left you, it was Wednesday, August the 13th. So let’s go back in time, so I can finish my tale, and bring you up to the present. As I am getting older (!!), it is sometimes just too late to blog at night – and we are in just too much of a hurry to get somewhere the next morning.

Thursday the 14th was our beach day. We packed up our snacks and clothes, and sunscreened up, and headed out to Atlantic City. It’s about a 30 minute drive from Ocean View to the Boardwalk, and we had a pleasant drive, without any problems. We parked at the Tropicana, and headed onto the beach. It was the FREE beach. It was the beach that is unlike so many other New Jersey pay-to-get-on beaches, and it is beautiful and clean. It was the perfect beach day. The sun was shining brightly, there was a cool ocean breeze, the sand was hot and the water was cold.

We were meeting friends there – 3 generations of friends with our 3 generations of family! We hugged and kissed Bobbie and Joel, Leslie and David, and Rosalee and Sammy. And it was fantastic – as all 3 generations had someone THEIR OWN AGE! Bobbie and Joel have been close friends of the Zirin family for about 35 years. It was just luck that we were all in South Jersey on the same day, at the same time. We have seen Leslie and David a few times this year, and were trying to find a way to connect once again before the end of the summer. In addition, this time the youngest generation got a chance to bond! Mikaela, Sammy and Rosalee kept each other company in the waves, the sand castle building activities, and more. It was truly a spectacular few hours.
As the time was getting later, we said goodbye and headed back. Mikaela and her super good sport Grandma went to the pool (at Mikaela’s request) – which meant Rich and I didn’t have to go! We had another delicious dinner that night, with another beautiful campfire – with more uninvited skunks to end the evening.

Friday morning we packed up, cleaned up, took one final bike ride, and headed out. It is always sad to leave Ocean View; we always have such a nice time when we camp there. We were treated to a nice, old fashioned breakfast out (thanks, Grandma!), and we made a last pit stop at “The Marketplace at Teaberry”. It’s a flee market type place where there are all sorts of magical finds. Everyone found something to bring home, with the exception of Mikaela. Decision making may NOT be her finest quality, if you know what I mean. So, amidst tens of offers and suggestions of gifts from all three of the rest of us…she declined comment. Whatever – we were more disappointed than she. We did buy her some beach themed souvenirs earlier in the week from Sea Isle, so all was well. After goodbyes to Grandma as she headed on her own trip home, we made our way home in the early afternoon, and thankfully sailed right up the oh-so-unpredictable Garden State Parkway. Our entire trip home was 2 hours, door to door. It really was a great vacation. For those of you on the fence, Ocean View is a fabulous place to camp – in a cabin, tent, or a motor home.

The following week was spent organizing, cleaning up, doing laundry and getting ready for…another camping trip! This weekend, we are at the Mountain Vista Campground, up in the Poconos. It’s about an hour and a half from home, and literally down the road from Otter Lake – where we began this summer’s camping adventures. Mikaela is away this week, and our moms are at home relaxing, so they’re not with us. BUT, friends Michael and Roz had been planning with Rich to figure out a way to join us for a camping expedition. So, they stayed nearby, and we’ve spent the last two days having a blast. Their two older children are away at USY Encampment with Mikaela, but lucky Isaac got to share in our expedition. We left Highland Park Friday afternoon, and followed Mike and Roz up to Bushkill Falls. The weather was cloudy and cool, making the “hike” around the falls very comfortable. It is a beautiful park, and there are four different trails to use, ranging from easy to long and more difficult. Thankfully, we were able to talk Isaac out of taking the most strenuous trail, and spent about an hour climbing down and up MANY steps to see the falls from many different viewpoints. I am not complaining at all about the climb; I did really well (as long as we stopped rather frequently so I could gasp for air after any steep vertical upward climb!) It did appear that no one in our party minded my oxygen breaks, as they got to take a rest as well. I highly recommend seeing the Falls, if you are in the area.

Our campground was nearby, and we arrived pretty quickly. We set up as Roz and Mike checked in to their place. We came together again a short while later, and had a delicious shish kabob dinner prepared by Mike and Roz, some homemade salads, great company, good conversation, and some excellent beverages! We enjoyed a raging campfire until it was very late, and very dark. The predicted showers began after we went to bed, and continued well into the day. And that brings us up to the present time. Saturday is our Sabbath, and we spend it just relaxing. We had a quiet breakfast, read a bit, and listened to the non stop rain. It wasn’t pouring, just raining steadily. And it was cool enough for a sweatshirt – which is a welcomed change after the very hot days we experienced earlier in the summer. Roz and Mike and Isaac met up with us in the late morning, and it was just so relaxing sitting around and talking, and sharing stories. I had prepared a crock pot chicken stew on Friday afternoon (Rich’s recipe), and it turned out to be the PERFECT lunch for a cool, rainy day like today. We had salads and seasoned rice to accompany the stew – and it was a home run meal!

Luckily, the rain ended, and we were able to take a walk and enjoy some of the amenities of the campground. The last time we camped at Mountain Vista, it was September of 2009. We stole an early autumn weekend away – and it rained from the moment we hit Pennsylvania, until SUNDAY MORNING! Other than a 5 minute break on Saturday afternoon – during which we were caught outside in a downpour – we never saw anything. So, our weather record at this campground is not very good. Thankfully, we finally saw some of what it has to offer. Mountain Vista is true to its name – mountainous. I DEFINITELY could not bike ride anywhere here at all. The walk was slow, but VERTICAL. There are many RV sites and tent sites, as well as cabins. The site we are currently in is enormous. It’s one of the nicest sites we have seen all summer. It’s also right next to the entrance, so we didn’t get to see a lot when we arrived. The walk gave us a really good feel for the park. Mountain Vista is wooded, with gravel ground cover. There are many, many trees, providing shade from the sun and a bit of shelter from the rain. Behind the main office, we found a large cement patio. The staff was setting up for an awesome dj dance and Karioke night. (We took a rain check!) There was a beautiful fire pit filled with a roaring fire, and comfortable Adirondack chairs encircling the fire. This was an awesome place to relax for awhile. The campground is filled with activities and things to see and do. We do plan on returning in the future. Perhaps the third time, we will be able to avoid the rain!

Around 9 pm, we all drove into town to get a small bite to eat. Afterwards, Mike, Roz and Isaac dropped us off and headed off on the rest of their weekend adventures. It was so much fun to be here with friends! Rich built another beautiful campfire, which might turn out to be the last one of this season. And we are doing what we love to do best – sitting and enjoying the flames of our fire, while blogging and checking the Internet. As the fire dies down, reduced to orange glowing burning embers, we realize how dark and silent it is. I mean, it is pitch black dark, and there’s not a sound to be heard. The burning and crackling of the fire is the only noise to be heard. The air is crisp and cool, and it is heavenly. When we first went camping 5 years ago, we experienced complete night darkness in the Badlands in South Dakota. We also learned about the “light pollution” we have to deal with on the east coast. I am happy to report that there was little to no light pollution tonight. It was very, very beautiful.
I am having trouble getting an Internet connection, so this will post sometime on Sunday. There is no trivia question; I am all out of ideas. The last two questions went unanswered anyway, so my readers might be trivia’d out! The first answer as to who was performing at Caesar’s in Atlantic City last week was, of course, the ever wonderful Donny and Marie Osmond. Shame on you all for not getting that! And the last trivia answer was Minnie Ripperton. She sang the title song to the last blog post. Minnie Ripperton was Maya Rudolf’s mother, and an amazing, amazing singer who died in her way too young in the late 70’s or early 80’s.
I hope to be able to write an ending post for this season tomorrow evening. Catch you then. In the meantime, enjoy the pictures of Bushkill Falls.