Dogwoods at Rockahock

Friday, July 13, 2007

We are at the Rockahock Campground in Lanexa, VA for a weekend of relaxation with a new group of campers from the Dogwood Chapter of the FMCA. We arrived on Thursday to get a head start on the weekend. The Thursday arrivals included our friends Donna and Chuck Tolson from Crystal Lake and Stafford who agreed with us to ‘try out’ the Dogwood Chapter. Others here are the weekend hosts Carol and Donald Wartman and Max and Barbara Hicks. We were pleasantly surprised to see Barbara and Wilt Greenwood here. Wilt and Barbara invited us to a reception at the FMCA convention in Perry, GA last March. They are longtime Dogwood members and they invited us to camp with the group as potential members.

Our reception could not have been nicer. The Tolsons and we were welcomed into the group and made very much part of all that was happening. Thursday’s high point was dinner at the Fox Hound Grill here at the campground. Wow! The food was excellent, the service equally good, and the fellowship could not have been better. After taking on dinner, we were wiped out and retreated to the coach for rest and relaxation.

Other members of the Dogwood Chapter will arrive today and we will meet some more new folks. Our friends Larry and Mem Halstead are expected today also. Bill and Sandy Freed had planned to come, but they may still be visiting their new granddaughter born last week. We are looking forward to a fun weekend. Rain is forecast for tomorrow.

Four of the five couples present went to Ed Allen’s fish camp for breakfast this morning. The waterfront restaurant on the Chicahominy River was okay, not great; the view was good. We had a good time getting to know our new friends better. After returning from breakfast, we retired to our coaches for maintenance, a second or third cup of coffee, and to await additional campers.

July 28. I realized today that I had not finished this post. So here is 'the rest of the story'.

Campsites filled quickly throughout the day. One of the hosts, Don Wartman, tried to meet every coach and escort it into a site. He was a busy camper. By happy hour Friday afternoon, most of those coming had arrived. We welcomed the Halsteads and Freeds who surprised us by being there. Happy hour featured heavy hors deuves and much beer and box wine. Those wishing harder beverages brought their own.

Dinner Friday night was pizza and salad. There was excess, but one can eat only so much pizza. After dinner there was a lot of gathering with friends and general 'hanging out'. Chuck Tolson volunteered his coach-side TV to play a bluegrass movie; this was a favorite of Wilt Greenwood. The movie attracted a modest crowd, but only the bluegrass afficandoes stayed to the end.

Saturday began with a super breakfast prepared by the hosts of eggs, bacon, saugage, bread, juice, coffee, etc. This group sets high standards for eating. Following the meal, a chapter meeting was conducted by the president Paul Cummings. While waiting for the meeting to begin we Tolsons and Halsteads joined the Dogwood Chapter. That means we gave the secretary our check and she told us we could vote at the meeting. The meeting was interesting from many perspectives: a casual and laid back approach; informative and participatory; and not overly long.

The chapter had three bus conversion motor homes at the rally. One was a decidedly homemade coach that had a Virginia antique license plate on it. Several folks were able to tour one or more of these unique coaches. There were trips to Williamsburg and other nearby towns, but we were content to stay at the park. Wilt and Barbara Greenwood went out 'geo-caching'. This is a fascinating topic and Wilt is starting a new FMCA chapter for people interested in the subject. A GPS is required to participate; we may have to get one.

Bill Freed discovered that his coach was registering 30-amps on his electrical control panel although he was hooked to a 50-amp post. Chuck Tolson and Larry Halstead grabbed the appropriate meters and tools and rushed to solve the problem. They worked most of Saturday afternoon, some Saturday evening and on Sunday morning tried hooking Bill to another post. Once that was done, the control panel showed 50-amps in the coach. The 'team' concluded that the original post that Bill hooked to was faulty and was only putting out 30-amps. Everyone involved learned several lessons by this experience.

Happy hour came early on Saturday as the crowd tried in vain to exhaust the supply of beer, wine, and heavy hors deuves. The dinner was barbecue with all the trimmings, salads, etc. We were at eating capacity early. The evening entertainment was presented by a bluegrass band of some renown. We took our chairs to the pavilion and enjoyed the music.

Sunday morning dawned bright and sunny as had every day of this weekend; no rain. Breakfast was again plentiful and provided by our hosts. The menu was less exotic than previously, yet we were again well fed. Some coaches were on the road early, but most stayed around until late morning. We were in no hurry and drove away around noon.

The campground was excellent for a group. Campsites were spacious, level and fully functional. The open side pavilion was ideal for eating with overhead cover and featured modern bathrooms, showers and a kitchen. We will encourage ODC to plan a camp out there in 2008.

Now that we are Dogwood members, we will try to camp with them as often as possible. The next time will be November 30 - December 2 at American Heritage CG in Williamsburg. This is the annual Christmas camp out for the club. We already have reservations. The 2008 schedule is out and we have penciled in several that we plan to attend. We are excited to meet new people and have new experiences.