I only cried for two minutes. from a mixture of frustration, disappointment and fear. but once that was over, things got markedly better. 

we’d booked our lake-front site at lake pleasant months in advance to be sure we got the best view in the park. and after 10 days of bopping around one night here, one night there, we were looking forward to spending a month in one area. 

i was almost giddy as we drove through the park gates, waiting to see in person what i had only seen in pictures. pulling up to our sight is where the breakdown began.

the view was breathtaking. the sight was tight. with a slight curve. after many minutes of backing up, pulling forward, shifting left (to avoid the roof of the shaded picnic table), nothing was working. we’d have to give up on our perfect spot.

Reg headed up to the Discovery Centre on his bike. I never thought i’d see him again, but he did reappear, albeit a tad sweaty and breathless, but he pointed to a site right beside us that was free for our first two weeks. yippee.

Moments later we were backed in and happy.

Then we started to unhook. After trouble unhooking in Maricopa, we were both a little nervous. And, it turned out, rightfully so. 

Again, lifting the trailer off the hitch didn’t work as it had when we first learned what to look for. So it was a guessing game as to how high to lift it. Several attempts at several different heights failed. It wouldn’t let go. But, maybe this time Clancy knew something we didn’t.

About that time a park ranger drove up and chatted with Reg. Seems he’d made a mistake and the site we were in was only available for one night. 

Reg hiked it back up the hill to try and find another site. That’s when I briefly lost it. I sat on the cement picnic table, looked at the lake, and cried.

He came back with a new site down the hill, and we spent the next ten minutes trying to hook up. Even though we hadn’t managed to unhook, we had partially let go. So a bit of backing up and pulling forward finally had us secured and on our way.

We ended up with no view of water, but in a quiet, large site with gorgeous views of the saguaro-covered hills. We were happy. 

The next challenge will be hooking up in a few days to hit the dump station. Good thing we stocked up on on wine and beer. Helps with the nerves. Onward and upward!