Pennsic 38, First Weekend

The drive from here to there is almost two hours long. As we finally turn onto Currie Road there are suddenly dark clouds in the sky. We pass through the one lane bridge, which to me always marks a feeling of being transported. Like crossing the bridge takes me and everything in the vehicle into an alternate reality. The sun that has been with us for most of the two hour trip disappears and as we are waiting in a line of cars to park and check in it looks more and more like rain. We are parked and quickly duck into the covered area to check in and pay our final gate fee at Troll. All paperwork and verification of pre-registration is handled by Pennsic volunteers but the final money transaction always goes to the bemused men and women in scrubs shirts that are part of the Cooper's campground staff. This process takes maybe ten minutes. Just as I am handing over the cash in the last step, the heavens open up and the rain starts pounding down. We dash for our packed truck.

Slowly we wend our way up road, past campers in the midst of setting up in the rain, to our campsite. Much to my surprise, we find that not only Chris and Cameron are there and have set up their tents as well as the screen tent (that we refer to as cook tent since most food stuff is stored there and food prep happens there) but also that Drew has already been there and gone. According to Chris, Drew pitched his tent, dug a hole and left. All throughout war the phrase "pitched a tent, dug a hole, and left" was used while picturing Drew showing up at random campsites doing just that for no known reason whatsoever.

After the rain let up, we were able to set up our tent and unpack the truck. We then discover as we attempt to back out, up the hill to get to the parking area that the ground was much wetter than we took it for. Our truck is not a four wheel drive and is now stuck in the mud. We tried putting pieces of wood behind the wheel to give the tires something to catch traction on. Didn't really work. Ron and Chris tried pushing from the front while cameron sat on the back tailgait. No go. In the end we had to carefully pull foward, avoid the fire pit and just drive the truck down the hill through our campsite to the road below.

Ron and I are weary from this adventure and decide to blow up the airmattress that a nap is the works. We then discover that the patch previously placed on our airmattress to repair a two inch slice in the bottom has inexplicably, somehow, fallen off. Luckily we had brought a patching kit with us. So on goes the new patch and the timer is set for one hour to allow it to set and dry. By this point it is starting to get dark and a mist from the rain is hanging in the air. Chris, being the dedicated fire maker his is, has gotten a good size campfire going despite the wet. We all sit, and relax. Cameron has decided that he is going to make me a beaded cord for my medallion even though the light is fading. At Pennsic you are to wear you medallion at all times. It is a magical protection from being banished from the realm (i.e. your reciept for having paid for entrance). During this beading I learn that a surgeon's knot with three twists is same thing that Cameron calls a french knot.

The timer goes off. We inspect that patch, blow up the airmattress and I put sheets on the bed. By 10:30pm Ron and I have decided that enough is enough for one night and go to bed. We sleep until 10:30am, when the "chris alarm" wakes us to find out if we would like to make a trip to Megan's house for a table.

First weekend to be continued....