What rv campgrounds are near dollywood

Hi all I have a 2016 with the 4.6 v8, no tow package. We are considering purchasing an RV in the 20ft range from what I'm seeing they're running about 3500lbs to about 5000lbs depending on slides ext. I live near the mountains, toyota is advertising 6000lbs tow capacity for the truck. Anyone have any experience with this? Is this something the truck could pull comfortably or should we consider a smaller trail/trading up to the 5.7?

We’ve lived in this home for 3 years, about a year ago our neighbors brought a puppy home, it’s a large breed (I don’t know which one) and every time me or my husband come near the fence we share with this neighbor, the dog comes bolting around the corner out of no where and begins barking and slamming his body against the fence and jumping. The chainlink is only about 4 ft tall and he’s easily jumping up so half his body at least is above the fence line. His hackles are up but he’s wagging his tail. I have pet this dog a cpl times when the owner is outside and he’s friendly but this behavior makes me incredibly nervous because I have a 3.5 yr old and an 8 month old. We have a gate that we occasionally need to use right next to the fence line and the dog will do this even when I have my baby in my arms. I have spoken to the owner and texted 2x expressing my concern and I’ve gotten nothing but excuses. This last text I explained I had my baby in my arms and this is completely unacceptable. She apologized, said the dog was getting neutered this week, and it has happened 2x since then. She is home when this happens most of the time and no one comes out to deal with it. It’s to the point I’m concerned for my kids and animals safety if the dog clears the fence. We’re getting a puppy in June and I worry about this dog being aggressive with him. These neighbors have had public outbursts in the past and I don’t want to start calling animal control for fear things will take an ugly turn between us, but her saying “well darn, I didn’t catch him in the act so I can’t stop it” isn’t going to work for me. I’ve considered paying to have a 6 ft wooden fence put in, but our yard is large and it will be very expensive PLUS it will prevent us from being able to put our camp trailer in the back when not using. I can’t/ won’t pay the $100 for the dog silencer machine. So, what’s your advice? Air horn? Animal control and completely ruin relationship with neighbors? Fence that costs us a ton of money and takes away RV access? I’m leaning toward airhorn but the last thing I want to do is make the dog more aggressive.

My wife, Mia, and I were driving cross-country. It was our first attempt at the “Great American Roadtrip.”
Mia and I rented a small RV; more of a camper than a full blown RV. We packed up a couple suitcases with plenty of room for any souvenirs and we hit the dusty trail.
We started our journey on the “Mother Road”-- Route 66-- driving south from Chicago until we connected to i-70 and shot straight west through Missouri.
The goal was to see those parts of the country we had never seen before, stopping anywhere that seemed interesting. From the plains of Kansas up through the badlands of Wyoming and South Dakota.
In Missouri we saw the world’s largest cap gun. In Kansas we visited the Evel Knievel Museum and the World’s Largest Belt Buckle.
We love all those kitschy, tourist trap places.
Eventually, we made it to Colorado and after a few hours more of driving through amber waves of grain, we saw them... the Rocky Mountains.
We made an exit and headed north through the winding mountain highways.
The Rockies were gorgeous. Snow capped in the middle of summer, some of the peaks pierced through the white fluffy clouds.
We saw a sign that read “Traffic Tunnel - 3 Miles.”
A little further and sure enough, there it was, a large tunnel bored directly through the mountain in front of us.
A large sign read, “Pike Tunnel - Longest Traffic Tunnel in the Nation! - Please turn your headlights on now.”
“How long is it?” asked Mia.
“That’s what she said,” I quipped.
But she was right, there was no information beyond the detail that this was the longest tunnel in the nation.
“Can’t be more than a mile or two,” I said as I watched the little white car ahead of us slip into the darkness. A moment later we joined it.
The tunnel was lit by fluorescents that gave everything a greenish yellow tinge. On the left hand side was a raised walkway behind a railing for maintenance access.
Initially I was struck by the incredible amount of work that went into the construction of this man- made marvel.
“We’re under a million tons of rocky mountain right now,” I said.
“How many years before this caves in?” Mia responded.
I shot her a look--
“Let’s save the cave-in talk until we’re out on the other side.”
“I’m just saying, nature will take this back eventually,” she continued.
I scanned the empty road ahead of us.
“Where did the other car go?” I asked.
We were now alone in the tunnel, no cars ahead of us nor behind us.
“Huh... they must have sped off ahead. Maybe they’re scared of a cave-in?”
My Spotify playlist had stopped playing. Mia looked at the phone.
“No cell service.”
She turned on the radio and spun the dial only to find static.
“You’re not going to be able to pick up a station in here,” I said.
She turned the volume down.
“Just wanted to check... If only we had some CDs. This tunnel really keeps going.”
“I would have thought we’d be through it by now,” I replied.
I looked at the RV’s odometer, 45,600 miles. I picked up speed. I wanted to try and catch up to the little white car.
Up until this point, the tunnel was a straight shot, but now the tunnel started to curve to the right. It may have been my imagination but it also felt as though we were descending…
Mia felt it too and she started to get antsy.
“Where did that other car go? How long is this tunnel?”
There was an urgency in her voice.
I was getting nervous, claustrophobia was not usually a problem for me but when I looked down at the odometer and I saw that it had gone up by 3 miles, my mind began to wander to unsettling places.
We were descending in altitude. I could feel it. I could see a slope in the lights on the ceiling and the railing of the maintenance walkway. I could feel a pressure in my head, and I was getting cold.
“Could you grab me a coke from the back, Mia?”
I couldn’t have Mia getting anxious, that would only start a chain reaction and make me freak out which would then make her freak out.
She unbuckled and ducked into the back of the RV to where we had a cooler stocked with drinks and food.
Just as she stepped into the back, I saw something.
There standing on the side of the road was a MAN wearing a reflective safety vest and a hard hat. He was WAVING to me as I passed him by.
Something about him looked... strange…
I watched him in the side-view mirror as we passed and he was still watching the RV, still waving at the back of our vehicle as he faded into the distance.
Mia reappeared from the back of the RV, Coke in hand. She popped it and handed it to me.
“You look worried.”
“I’m fine,” I smiled and took a sip of the Coke.
“Eric, slow down!”
I slammed on the breaks as I saw what made Mia scream. In the road in front of us was a roadblock.
Two reflective traffic sawhorses blocked both lanes of the tunnel. Beyond the roadblock, the lights of the tunnel were dark. There was nothing but a void of blackness.
Standing in front of the roadblock was another man wearing a reflective vest and a hard hat, only this time his hard hat had a light on top which obscured his face.
We came to a jolting stop.
I turned to Mia
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“I’m fine,” she replied. “It’s a cave-in isn’t it?”
“God, I hope not.”
I rolled down the window, leaned out and yelled to the man in the hard hat.
“Hey! What’s going on?!”
The man was about 5 yards away. He took two steps towards us and then raised a hand to his mouth and yelled.
“Just doing some maintenance!”
“How long is it going to take?!” I yelled back.
The man made a hand gesture as if he didn’t hear me.
“How long is it going to take?!” I called again.
He made the same gesture. I unbuckled my seat belt and grabbed the door release.
“What are you doing?” Mia asked.
“I gotta know what’s going on.”
“Eric, just stay here, it might not be safe.”
“I’ll be just a second,” I said.
I pushed the door open and stepped down from the RV.
“Stay in your vehicle!” the man yelled.
He took a couple steps towards me with his hand out telling me to stop.
“What’s the hold up?!” I shouted.
The man was a bit closer now but I still couldn’t see his face through the shining light on his helmet.
“Please stay in your vehicle!” he shouted.
There was something off about him.
Then I heard it–
“EEEAAAUUUUUUGHHHHHHHH!!!”
A scream, or something, rolled from deep in the tunnel. The worker turned and looked into the darkness. Then he ran past the barricades and soon all we could see of him was the light on his helmet.
The light disappeared a moment later.
“What the hell was that?! Is someone hurt?” Mia asked.
“I have no idea,” I said.
“Should we do something?” Mia asked.
I just sat there and watched the pitch black tunnel in front of me. I had no idea what to tell her. I checked the sideview mirrors. There was still nobody behind us.
“Where are the other cars?” I asked.
“They must have gotten through before the roadblock... Or maybe they caused the roadblock?” Mia replied.
“I saw another worker a little ways back. We could try to go back and talk to him.”
“We’d be going straight into any oncoming cars.”
“There’s a maintenance walkway. We didn’t pass him that long ago. We can probably catch him on foot.”
“Maybe we should just wait for the guy to come back.”
She reached over and grabbed my arm. I squeezed her hand.
She was right.
I looked out at the tunnel ahead of us. I turned on the RV’s high beams but all I could see beyond the roadblock was more tunnel and more road.
I checked my phone. Unsurprisingly, there was no service still.
We waited, but the man never came back.
“It’s been twenty minutes,” Mia said, “How come there hasn’t been another car behind us?
I was having the same thought. I rolled down my window and stuck my head out. I looked back at the road behind us. It went back about 200 yards before curving out of sight.
There was no sign of that first worker I saw on the maintenance walk way. I looked at the roadblock ahead of us and clicked on the RV’s high beams. There was nothing beyond the roadblock but more tunnel. It didn’t look like it was under construction, just very dark.
“I think we should keep going,” I said.
“What about the roadblock?”
“We’ll move those sawhorses out of the way and just drive past,” I said as I opened my door.
Mia looked at me, then she cast her eyes to the dark tunnel ahead of us. I knew she was processing the same limited options that I was.
Driving backwards would be a huge risk in the instance of another car finally coming along.
Getting out and walking would take God knows how long, we could have driven 10 miles at this point.
Forward was our best option.
“Let’s do it,” Mia said.
We jumped out and quickly pulled the two sawhorses out of the right lane. I pulled the RV up past the barriers, then we jumped out again and put the sawhorses back where they were. We didn't need another car to come barreling through.
We were finally moving again, slowly. It was pitch black save for the high beams of the RV.
We crept forward at around 15 miles per hour. As the tunnel turned and twisted, my eyes started to play tricks on me. I kept seeing shapes at the furthest point of the tunnel.
I kept seeing something standing just at the end of the next bend but as we roll forward, there was nothing there.
“Where are the workers?” Mia asked.
“I don’t know.”
I was done rationalizing. This was all wrong. Traffic tunnels are never this long.
My mind started to wander to all the road trip urban legends I’d read about; The Killer in the Backseat, The Disappearing Gas Station, The Pale Man In The Corn Field.
Did we stumble into some strange outlier location? An in-between point on the endless roads that cross this country?
Then I saw it–
“Look! A person! Thank god!” Mia shouted.
As we rounded a curve in the tunnel, a group of maintenance workers entered our view.
The three of them stood on the left side of the road behind two more sawhorses topped with flashing lights.
Two of them faced towards us, the third was facing the other two.
The one with his back to us wore a light on his hard hat. Was this the same guy we saw earlier? How did he get this far away?
I approached slowly and rolled down the window.
“Hey! You left us waiting back there!” I yelled.
There was no response.
In fact, all three men were completely silent, and it was hard to tell in the flashing light of the sawhorses, but they looked to be standing COMPLETELY STILL.
“Hello?!” I yelled again.
I pushed open my door and stepped out onto the pavement.
“Eric wait--”
I held up a finger to Mia.
“Just a second.”
I slowly stepped towards the 3 men.
“Hello?”
No response… What the fuck?
The bright lights of the sawhorses obscured their faces.
I kept moving closer.
“Hey, what’s going on--”
Then I saw it.
Their faces... They were plastic.
In front of me stood three mannequins.
I backed away toward the RV, then I turned and walked hurriedly to the vehicle.
I was seriously freaked out but I didn’t want to alarm Mia. I climbed into the driver’s seat and slammed the door shut.
“They’re mannequins.” I said.
“What?”
“They’re mannequins.”
”Why?... What?...”
“I don’t know…”
I looked back over at the three figures and my blood ran cold…
The Hard Hat Mannequin had somehow TURNED AROUND to face us. All three figures appeared to be watching us now.
Then we heard it--
A loud resonant banging on the side, and then the roof of the RV.
“What the hell was that?” Mia whispered.
We listened, holding our breath. Then--
A shuffling sound--
Something was moving ON or IN the RV.
“Stay here.” I said.
I got up.
“Eric, wait!”
I moved to the back of the RV.
It was dark. I went for a drawer in the kitchenette space and pulled out a flashlight.
I moved to the rear of the RV, the bedroom. My flashlight illuminated an empty room.
“Whoever is back here, I have a gun…”
A shitty bluff. But I didn’t see anything.
I shone the light out of the windows of each side of the RV. Nothing.
Then I heard it–
A shuffling sound, from right above me.
I looked up and screamed–
“Fuck!”
On the roof of the RV, staring through the skylight was a woman with vacuous black eyes and a dead smile.
Her stringy black hair dangled down towards me casting thing black shadows across her horrible pale face.
“Mia, drive! Fast!” I screamed.
Mia JUMPED over to the driver’s seat, shifted into gear and STOMPED on the gas. The RV was clunky but it could move when it needed to.
We lurched forward and I fell back.
I trained my flashlight up onto the skylight again and the woman was gone.
I scrambled to my feet and looked out of the side windows.
Did Mia shake her off? There was no sign of the woman. I moved to the passenger seat, breathing heavily and sweating.
“What happened?” She asked, keeping the RV at a steady 50 mph.
“There was a woman on the roof,” I said flatly.
I realize now that I was in a kind of shock.
“A woman?”
“Her eyes were black.”
Mia just looked at me, then back at the tunnel ahead of us.
“There’s something wrong with this tunnel.” I whispered.
Mia pointed at the road ahead, “Look.”
I looked out at the tunnel. There were more mannequins. A LOT more mannequins. They were positioned on both sides of the road.
They were all facing us and even though I never saw them move, when I looked in the side-view mirror, they were somehow STILL facing us, turning to watch us as we drove past. Watching without eyes.
“Just keep driving.” I said.
As we drove on, the mannequins crowded the sides of the road more and more. There were thousands of them. Eventually they were so close that some of their outstretched arms hit the side of the RV.
They were closing in on us. Squeezing our path forward. One stood in the middle of the road.
“I don’t think i can get around it.”
“Run it over. Don’t stop.”
The RV smashed into the mannequin. Its head shot forward and bounced against the windshield and the vehicle shuddered as it rolled over the body.
Soon there were two in the road. Then three.
I could see where this was going. Pretty soon there would be too many for the RV to ram through, but goddammit we were going to get through as many as we could.
“Speed up, Mia.”
CRASH!
The sound was surreal, smashing into mannequin after mannequin at nearly 60 miles per hour.
Hands, legs, heads and torsos flew.
The windshield cracked, the RV shuddered and screamed and eventually slowed down, despite the screaming engine.
I’m certain the axle was jammed up with lifeless, plastic body parts. Eventually we came to a stop.
“She won’t move,” Mia said.
She pressed on the gas but it was no use, the RV just rocked a little bit.
“Try reverse.”
She shifted and pressed on the gas, we got some decent movement before running into another jam.
“Fuck.”
“Should we get out and look?” Mia asked.
“I’ll go,” I said as I grabbed the flashlight and popped the passenger door. Mia unbuckled her seatbelt.
“We’ll go together.”
We stumbled out of the RV on the passenger side. It was like stepping into Hell.
Countless, lifeless faces stared out at us from the darkness. The only light came from the headlights of the RV and my flashlight.
We clumsily made our way along the side of the RV. The ground was littered with mannequin pieces.
I thought to myself, if we could get a couple yards cleared out behind the rear tires, we might be able to back out and get enough momentum to reverse all the way back out of here.
Instead, when we got to the back of the RV, my stomach flipped and my heart sank.
I was expecting to see a trail of flattened mannequins, instead the RV was now surrounded by thousands of perfectly intact mannequins standing at attention. As if their ranks had some how been replenished after our vehicular assault.
“This is impossible.”
She started to cry. I held her close.
“We’ll keep moving.” I said.
“It will never end. The tunnel makes no sense. It only curves one direction.”
I looked at her.
“What do you mean?”
“This whole time the tunnel has only been curving to the right. it would sometimes straighten out or go left for a few yards but before too long we were curving to the right again. We’ve either been driving in circles or spiraling downwards.”
“So we’ll go back the way we came and hope we’re not going in circles.” I said.
We had been driving for hours at this point. Walking back out the way we came would take days. But now that I thought about it, Mia was right, we’d only been curving to the right.
This tunnel seemed to be very gradually taking us downwards into the earth.
Going forward would not get us any closer to escape.
“We’ll need food from the RV,” Mia said.
I nodded and we stumbled our way back to the front of the RV, the mannequins’ lifeless faces watching us the whole time.
I stepped up to the passenger door and nearly fell back when I looked through the window.
“What the fuck?” I breathed.
What I saw were two mannequins sitting in the driver’s and passenger’s seat.
How they got in there? I have no idea, but what really made my blood run cold was that they were dressed EXACTLY like MIA and I.
They wore identical sets of clothes. The one in the passenger seat had my same New Order T-shirt and black jeans. The one in the driver’s seat had Mia’s green striped sweater and denim shorts.
Their plastic faces stared out through the shattered windshield at the endless crowd of mannequins staring back at them.
Mia stepped up and saw the uncanny display.
“What the fuck?” Mia echoed.
I pulled myself up into the RV and slowly stepped around my mannequin doppelgänger. I avoided looking into its face but I swear i could feel it watching me as I stumbled around it.
Mia followed and we made our way into the back of our dark RV. Luckily we had just stocked our cooler full of deli meat and water not long after crossing the Colorado state line.
I handed Mia the flashlight and pulled open the cooler. I filled a backpack full of food and water.
I turned and saw them–
My mannequin double had somehow moved. It was standing in the aisle watching us.
Mia’s doppelgänger was still seated in the driver’s seat but had turned to peer back at us with its eyeless gaze.
Mia saw the look in my eyes and turned. She screamed when she saw them and backed into me. I put my arm around her and we stood there a moment, letting our skyrocketing heart rates return to Earth.
“Let’s get out of here,” I said.
I slid the backpack onto my shoulders.
Mia joined me at the door. I looked into her eyes. “Are you ready?” She nodded. I kissed her.
“I love you,” I said.
“I love you,” she said.
The look on her face killed me. She was terrified. I’m sure the look on my face was similar.
I opened the door and we stepped out…
We again stumbled to the back of the RV. Once we were clear of the RV and all the crushed mannequin body parts, it became easier to find footing, though weaving through an endless crowd of lifeless people was a slow process.
It was pitch black. Without the flashlight we wouldn’t be able to see a foot in front of us.
As I walked, the beam of light created the illusion of movement in the crowd. At least I hoped it was an illusion.
The limbs of the mannequins seemed to stretch and turn, but the only sound was that of Mia and I shuffling our way through the crowded tunnel.
Things went on like this for what felt like hours. Mia and I were sweating and aching. I was about to suggest we stop and rest, but then I saw it and I froze…
Out in the crowd, beyond rows of blank faces I saw a pale face, black hair and a dead smile.
I saw two vacuous eyes staring right at me.
“Mia, do you see her?” I whispered.
“See who?”
I slowly raised my arm and pointed.
It was the woman, or whatever it was, that stared back at me through the skylight on the roof of the RV.
“Oh my god!” Mia squeaked.
I could see now that the Pale Faced Woman was tall. A few inches taller than the mannequins.
As I pointed, she stared back at me with that terrible grin.
“What do we do?” Mia whispered.
I raised the flashlight and pointed it right at the Pale Faced Woman. I thought maybe this would scare her off.
I was wrong.
The light only made her appear more unsettling as she stared back, unflinchingly.
“What do you want?!” I yelled.
She only stared back at me. She was as still as the mannequins.
“We have to keep going.” I whispered.
Mia didn’t respond. Her body was tense as she held onto me.
“We’ve come this far, we can’t turn back again,” I continued.
I pulled Mia’s hand and we continued on our way through the mannequins, keeping the distance between us and her as wide as possible.
As we moved past, she kept watching us. Though her movements were imperceptible to us, her eyes never left us. Like one of those portraits whose eyes appear to watch you no matter where you stand.
Finally, we got far enough that she was out of sight. But the thought of her being somewhere behind us only unsettled me further and I quickened our pace.
As the hours wore on, there was no sign of the Pale Faced Woman and the crowd of mannequins began to thin out. They still populated the tunnel from one end to the other, but there was more space between them, allowing Mia and I to walk more freely.
The mannequins on the maintenance walkway on the side of the tunnel seemed to thin out as well and I decided it would give us a better vantage if we were walking up there.
I helped Mia climb up the railing that bordered the walkway, then I climbed up behind her. The walkway was elevated 3 or 4 feet above the roadway. We could easily see over the heads of the mannequins in both directions.
There was, of course, no end to the tunnel in sight.
We kept walking.
The mannequins continued to thin out, but they were different now.
There were mannequins dressed as maintenance workers again, but also mannequins dressed as families and businessmen. There was even a group of mannequin nuns standing in a single file line, heads bowed in prayer.
Needless to say, we passed none of this on the way in to the tunnel. I was feeling very hopeless that we were going to be able to find our way out.
I was far beyond speculating how this was at all possible. It’s NOT possible. And even if it were, there is no good reason for someone to do this to us.
The only explanation was the supernatural. Then I saw Her. Rather, I saw THEM.
Arranged in the middle of the tunnel was a circle of mannequins with long black hair and tattered cloth.
They looked exactly like the Pale Faced Woman, minus any facial features. I kept a close watch on them as we passed to make sure they didn’t start following us.
“A door!” Mia shouted.
Mia pointed a few paces ahead of her. There was a door leading into the wall of the tunnel.
We ran towards it. Mia grabbed the handle, turned it and pulled. It was heavy and Mia had to brace her foot on the wall to get it moving.
The metal door groaned as if it hadn’t been opened in years.
Finally, it was open enough to see past.
It was a hallway. It went out about 5 yards then turned right at a 90 degree angle.
The strangest part was the design of the hallway.
It wasn’t cement or pavement like the tunnel.
The walls were wood paneled and the floor was covered in a thick carpet, like a house from the 1970s.
“I say we see where this takes us.” Mia said.
There was no reason to disagree, but I wasn’t going to get us trapped in there.
I opened up my backpack and took out a water bottle. I opened it and handed it to Mia. She drank half, then I drank the other half.
I slowly closed the door, shoving the empty water bottle in the crack to keep it from closing all the way.
I turned to Mia-- “Okay, let’s go.”
We slowly made our way down the quiet hallway. We got down to where the hallway cornered to the right and that’s when we heard it–
KA-CHUNK!!!--
I whipped around. The door had closed behind us. I ran back to it and tried to push it open, but it was no use. There was no way it closed on its own.
Someone had to have removed the water bottle. Our path had been chosen for us.
There was no turning back.
We continued down the hallway. We turned right. The hallway continued, then turned right again. That should have led us right back to the tunnel. But it didn’t. This part of the hallway went on far longer than was possible without running into the tunnel. Then it turned right again.
It went on like this. Sometimes a section of the hallway was 20 feet long, sometimes it was 20 yards long, sometimes it was 3 feet long. But it always turned to the right.
At first it was a relief to be somewhere other than the cold, dark tunnel. But the hallway very quickly became claustrophobic and before too long, I heard someone walking behind us.
We had stopped to take a break and I heard a third pair of footsteps on the carpet coming from behind us. I backtracked to the last corner.
I was terrified as I slowly peeked around the corner, tense and waiting to see the vacuous eyes and inky black hair of the Pale Faced Woman... but there was nothing there. I wasn’t about to backtrack any further.
“There was no one there.” I whispered.
Mia slumped against the wall and slid down to the carpet.
“I think I need to rest.” She said.
I put my backpack down on the ground for Mia to use as a pillow. She laid her head down and was passed out in seconds.
I had no idea how long we had been walking at this point. I stood leaning against the wall. My body was telling me to rest but I couldn’t risk falling asleep. I had to keep watch. I knew SHE was following us.
I took in the details of the hallway for the first time. The carpet was a dull brown and the walls a cheap wood paneling. The hanging lighting fixtures were shaded by stained glass, something you might see in an old diner.
Who built this place? Did someone pick out the carpet and the lighting fixtures? Did a team of workers blast these tunnels into the Earth? Or has this place always existed? Was this Purgatory?
I began to feel dizzy. I was panicking. My heart felt like it was trying to escape my chest. I slumped to the floor and tried to slow my breathing.
I closed my eyes... –
I SHOT up in a panic. I had fallen asleep while I was meant to be keeping watch.
I snapped to my feet and looked around.
Mia was still asleep on my backpack.
Then I noticed that the hallway had changed. A few paces away there was now a plain wooden door in the wall.
I slowly approached it. I put my ear to the door and I could hear what sounded like TV static and the low murmur of voices.
I discreetly grabbed the door handle and turned it slowly. I felt the latch bolt clear and I carefully cracked the door just enough to peek inside.
It was dark, so it took a second for me to register what I was seeing. I saw a small board room. A long table in the center was surrounded by seated men in suits.
At the end of the table stood another man next to an old CRT TV that was playing static. This was the only source of light in the room and all the men around the table were turned towards the tv.
Suddenly the screen flickered from static to a solid dark background. And some warped new age style muzak began playing.
Then the words appeared on the screen that terrified me like nothing else before. In plain text the words read–
“YOU WILL LOSE HER.”
I froze as I knew these words were meant for me I watched with terror as the men seated around the table slowly turned toward me in unison.
They were mannequins.
The TV screen then clicked off and they continued staring at me as I could barely make out their forms through the near pitch darkness.
I quickly pulled the door shut. And whipped around to look at Mia, I had a horrible feeling of dread that when I turned around she would be gone, like the message on the TV promised–
“Eric? What are you doing?” Mia was leaning up and staring at me.
Thank God. There was Mia, right where I left her.
I pointed at the door and said, “This door appeared and I--”
“What door?” she interrupted.
I turned and sure enough, the door was now gone.
I explained what happened to her, but I left out the message that appeared on the screen.
-- YOU WILL LOSE HER –
Those words still burned in my brain. I tried to force them out.
We drank water, ate granola and then got moving again.
Hallways. Endless hallways.
After a couple hours of walking we started to hear music. There were small speakers in the corners of the ceiling.
I recognized it as the same new-age muzak that played on the TV in the board room. The melody drilled into our minds. Combined with the dull aesthetics of the quiet hallways and the endless right turns, the music had a hypnotizing effect.
The lengths of the halls became more uniform. That is to say, the straight section of hallway was about 7 paces, then a right turn, then 7 paces and a right turn.
“I think we’re walking in circles... or a square,” Mia said.
I looked at her and took out a bottle of water. I peeled off the plastic label and dropped it on the floor.
Then we kept walking.
7 paces, right turn. 7 paces, right turn. 7 paces, right turn. And there it was... Mia was right.
The label from my water bottle lay in the middle of the hallway. Somehow we had been led into a loop. I lost it.
“FUUUCK!”
I kicked the wall repeatedly and screamed. Mia just leaned her back against the wall.
This was our dynamic. If one of us lost it, the other became zen and thought of a solution. More often than not, I was the one to lose it.
I finally stopped freaking out
“There has to be a way out. A door,” Mia said.
“We would have seen it,” I replied.
“A hidden door,” she said.
She turned around and ran her hands along the cracks of the wood paneling.
“Most likely on the outer wall,” she said.
She beat her fist on the wall, listening for a change in the sound. I exhaled heavily, sweating and tired, and I started searching the wall as well.
We checked the whole first wall, nothing. We checked the second wall, nothing. The third, nothing.
The final wall... Nothing. I gave up and slumped on the floor. Mia immediately went over to the other side of the hall and started checking the inner wall.
“What are you doing? I thought you said it would be on the outer wall?” I asked.
Then we heard it.
Mia beat the wall and instead of the dead thud, we heard a resonate BOOM –
A door…
I shot up and started tapping the wall with Mia until we found where the door ended. It was the width of about 4 wooden panels. I lined myself up in the center, lowered my shoulder and pushed–
IT MOVED! It barely moved but it was enough to confirm this actually was a door! I re-centered and tried again, lowering my center of gravity, I pushed as hard as I could. The door pushed inward about 3 inches, then Mia joined in. We slowly moved the door, 5 inches, then 10, then 15, then 20.
Then Mia slipped inside.
I had a moment of panic as she disappeared into the darkness and those haunting words came back into my mind, “YOU WILL LOSE HER.”
I darted past the doorway, falling through the threshold and hitting the concrete floor.
I looked up and there was Mia, thank God. I promised myself I’d never let her out of my sight again.
“The exit...” Mia said.
She looked and sounded as if she were a thousand miles away. I got to my feet and followed her gaze. What I saw nearly brought me to tears.
We were back in the tunnel, but there was light. About a mile down was the mouth of the tunnel, and daylight pouring in. Beautiful daylight. I grabbed Mia tight and kissed her.
“Thank God...” she cried.
We started moving. Nothing was going to slow us down this time. We sped up into a RUN down the maintenance walkway towards that beautiful sunlight.
As we approached, something else came into view. Parked in the middle of the roadway was a large vehicle…
It couldn’t be…
It was!
Our RV sat in the road waiting for us. We ran all the way to it, pulled open the passenger side door and climbed in. There were no mannequins to be seen.
I fell into the driver’s seat and Mia handed me the keys. I turned over the engine, the most beautiful sound I’d ever heard. I shifted into gear and floored it towards the sunlight.
As we got closer, I could see the green of trees and the blue of the sky. We were maybe one hundred yards away.
I turned to Mia, tears in my eyes…
And what I saw turned my blood to ice.
Just beyond Mia’s window, that horrifying pale face grinned at me.
The Pale Faced Woman was somehow floating outside of the RV.
Before I could say anything, her hand smashed through the window and gripped Mia by the throat, then in one horrible motion the thing PULLED MIA SCREAMING THROUGH THE WINDOW AND…
Disappeared…
I SLAMMED on the breaks just as the RV passed through the exit of the tunnel and sunlight flooded the cab of the RV. I threw it in park and shot out of the door screaming.
“Mia!? Mia??!!”
I screamed over and over. I rounded the front of the RV and looked back at the tunnel –
-- and what I saw shattered my mind…
The tunnel was gone.
There was only open road.
I had lost her.

There’s a lot to learn when you’re new to RVing. After purchasing your RV and equipping it with the right gear, the last thing you want is to feel overwhelmed trying to select where to camp. So we asked the question: what are the best RV trips for beginners?
Of course, we have our own opinions, but we wanted to see what the RV community felt. We asked experienced RVers which destinations or campgrounds they would recommend for beginners. With over 150 replies, here are the top five answers:

1. Somewhere close to home
2. State parks
3. Good Sam Campgrounds
4. Your backyard
5. National parks

(Runner-up: Wal-Mart parking lot).

Why Stay Close to Home on Your First RV Trip as a Beginner?

The overwhelming majority of experienced RVers recommended sticking to somewhere close to home as a beginner. Their reasons were practical:

• You know where to go (home or familiar stores) if you forget supplies.
• You’re not far from your community if you need help.
• If something breaks down, towing your RV back to your house won't take long or cost too much.
• You do less driving and more time getting familiar with your RV.
• You won’t hurt your wallet on gas expenses if you overpack (which most first-timers do!)

Boondocking in your backyard is a great way to learn about your RV and its systems. Just remember: Depending on your RV, you’ll need potable water, a way to empty your holding tanks, and a proper power supply – 30 or 50 amps.

Which Locations Make For The Best RV Trips for Beginners?

We collected specific recommendations for those who want to venture out while staying close to home. These came directly from experienced RVers nationwide who were willing to share their favorite destinations for RV newbies.
Because we don’t know where home is for you, we organized this list of the best RV trips for beginners and organized them by region.

The Best RV Trips for Beginners in the Northeast

Bayley’s Camping Resort – Scarborough, Maine

Park Features:

• 512 full hookup sites
• 75’ pull-thru sites
• 44’ back-in sites
• Weekly entertainment schedule
• Recreation facilities
• Pools, restaurants, camp stores, and an arcade

Learn more or Book now.

Kennebec River Campground – The Forks, Maine

Park Features:

• Six secluded RV sites with electric hookups
• Full restaurant and brewery with deck seating
• Swimming pool and hot tub
• Bathhouse with hot, running water
• Easy access to the Kennebec River
• Base camp for whitewater rafting, snowmobiling, and other Maine adventures

Learn more or Book now.

Gettysburg Battlefield RV Resort – Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Park Features:

• 250 RV sites
• 60’ maximum RV length
• Battlefield reenactment grounds, Olympic swimming pool, and stocked fishing pond
• Game room, general store, and ice cream parlor
• Canoe, kayak, and paddle boat rentals
• Themed activities, nature trail, and laundry facilities

Learn more.

Quechee / Pine Valley – Hartford, Vermont

Park Features:

• Full hookup RV sites (30 and 50 amp service)
• 85’ maximum RV length
• Off-leash dog park and activity field
• Bike, canoe, and banana bike rentals
• Heating swimming pool (open 5/27 to 9/5)
• Saturday hay rides, playground adventures, and family fishing at the pond

Learn more or Book now.

Cherrystone Campground – Cape Charles, Virginia

Park Features:

• Open seasonally from 4/1 to 10/31
• 181 full hookup 30 amp sites (87 wateelectric only 30 amp sites)
• 121 full hookup 50 amp sites
• Private beach, beach entry pool, and two Olympic-sized pools
• Lazy river, mini golf course, and four fishing piers
• Daily shuttle service into Downtown Cape Charles

Learn more.

Holiday Trav-L-Park – Virginia Beach, Virginia

Why They Recommended: “The place is pretty big (but tight, please know HOW to drive). It has seven pools, a bar, a restaurant, laundry, concerts, and a little trolley that will take you to the beach for even more entertainment.”
Park Features:

• 700 RV sites (full hookup and wateelectric only)
• Wooded, partly shaded, or open site locations
• Maximum RV length varies by site type
• On-site laundromat, Safari Cafe, and eight tiled comfort stations
• Trolley from the cafe to the beach and beyond
• Dog park, bike path, and convenience store

Learn more or Book now.

Virginia Beach Holiday – Virginia Beach, Virginia

Why They Recommended: “They just put in a lazy river and a brand new pool. It’s state-of-the-art!”
Park Features:

• Full hookup sites with 50, 30, and 20 amp compatibility
• 45’ maximum RV length
• Two heated pools, a lazy river, and a splash pad
• Trolley stop for exploring the nearby Virginia Beach waterfront
• Community bonfire, dog park, and electric vehicle charging station
• Bicycle, golf cart, and pedal cart rentals

Learn more or Book now.

New River Gorge Campground – Lansing, West Virginia

Park Features:

• Full hookup RV sites (30 and 50 amp)
• Views of ponds, sunsets, and nightly firefly displays (seasonally)
• Catch-and-release fishing
• Hiking and biking trails, swimming, and kayaking nearby
• Nearby rock climbing, rafting, and horseback riding

Learn more.

The Best RV Trips for Beginners in the Southeast

Wind Creek State Park – Alexander City, Alabama

Park Features:

• 586 campsites with wateelectric hookups
• 157 waterfront campsites and 268 full hookup sites with sewer
• Two laundry facilities at the marina and a bathhouse
• Archery range, fishing, and mini golf course
• Boat rentals, horseback rides, and zipline canopy tours
• Sunday services, swimming area, and outdoor pavilions

Learn more or Book now.

Everglades Isle – Everglades City, Florida

Park Features:

• 59 full hookup RV sites (30 and 50 amp)
• Concrete pads (waterfront and inland) with daily trash service
• Clubhouse laundry facilities and complimentary Wi-Fi
• Luxury clubhouse with drinks, food, billiards, movies, and more
• Fitness center, office space, and veranda seating
• Lounge area, salon, and spa

Learn more or Book now.

Orlando / Kissimmee – Kissimmee, Florida

Why They Recommended: “Orlando has the best prices all year round! It’s in close proximity to Universal Studios, Disney, Disney Springs, lots of attractions, several grocery stores, and restaurants. Target even ships deliveries there.”
Park Features:

• Full hookup RV sites with 134’ maximum RV length (30 and 50 amp)
• Bike rentals, mini pocket park, and access to the public bus service
• Dog park, outdoor pavilion, and fitness center
• Heated swimming pool, hot tub, and sauna (open year-round)
• Electric vehicle charging station and taxi service
• Jump pad and playground for the kids

Learn more or Book now.

Fisheating Creek Outpost – Palmdale, Florida

Why They Recommended: “The lots have much more space than most parks. You are not three feet from your neighbor.”
Park Features:

• 18,000+ acre wildlife management area
• 48 full hookup RV sites (5 of which are ADA-accessible)
• The swimming area at Depot Lake
• Large pond with two islands near the Camp Store
• Canoe rentals and Riverside Cafe (open seasonally)
• Large screened recreation area with central bathhouse

Learn more or Book now.

Big Lagoon State Park – Pensacola, Florida

Park Features:

• ~75 campsites (some RV or tent, some tent-only, some RV-only)
• 40’ maximum RV length
• Swimming, boating, fishing, and paddling
• Biking, stargazing, and geocaching
• Access to the Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail
• Boat launch, playground, and amphitheater

Learn more or Book now.

Jetty Park Campground – Port Canaveral, Florida

Park Features:

• 358 total sites (variety of water-only and wateelectric hookups)
• Bathhouses and communal fire pits.
• Views of rocket launches from Canaveral Air Force Station
• Shuffleboard courts and horseshoe pits
• Daily arrivals and departures of cruise ships and submarines
• Camp store and nearby fishing pier

Learn more or Book now.

Smith Ridge Campground – Campbellsville, Kentucky

Park Features:

• 80 campsites (62 with water and electric hookups)
• Flush toilets, showers, fire rings, and potable water
• Kid’s playground and easy access to miles of hiking trails
• Frisbee golf course, boat ramp, and swimming beach
• Fishing pier, marina, and picnic areas

Learn ore.

Mountain Stream RV Park – Marion, North Carolina

Park Features:

• 44 full hookup sites (30 and 50 amp)
• 45’ maximum RV length
• Access to Buck Creek along two edges of the campground
• Five miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway
• Dog park, kid’s playground, and outdoor pavilion
• Camp store and bathhouse with showers and toilets

Learn more or Book now.

North Myrtle Beach RV Resort – Little River, South Carolina

Park Features:

• Oversized full hookup sites and a fully-stocked camp store
• Views of the nearby Intracoastal Waterway
• Swimming pool with a slide and splash pad for the kids
• 60-slip boat dock with observation deck
• Live music every weekend during the summer
• Food and drinks on the water at the Tiki Bar and Grill

Learn more or Book now.

Myrtle Beach State Park – Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Park Features:

• 140 standard water and electric campsites
• 138 full hookup sites
• All sites are located about 300 yards from the beach
• 30-40’ maximum RV length
• Beach access for pets and bikes is restricted to certain time periods (see site for more info)
• Nearby access to birding, fishing, swimming, hiking, biking, horseback riding, and more

Learn more or Book now.

PirateLand Family Camping Resort – Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Park Features:

• 748 full hookup sites
• Access to free Wi-Fi and daily trash pickup at each site
• Gated entrance with 24/7 patrol crew
• Eight climate-controlled bathhouses with toilets and showers
• Fully stocked camp store, outdoor chapel, and laundry facility
• On-site water park with Olympic swimming pool, lazy river, and more

Learn more or Book now.

Ocean Lakes Family Campground – Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Park Features:

• 859 full hookup sites with free Wi-Fi
• 649 concrete pad sites with 45’ maximum RV length
• 19 total beach accesses
• Three-acre family fun center with game center, mini golf, swimming pool, and more
• Volleyball, shuffleboard, and basketball courts
• Nearby Ocean Lakes Nature Center Discover Lab with more than 10,000 shells and fossils

Learn more or Book now.

Anchor Down RV Resort – Dandridge, Tennessee

Park Features:

• 170 concrete full hookup sites
• All sites at least 50’ long by 18’ wide (sites differ by type and location)
• Basketball, gaga ball, pickleball, and volleyball courts
• Boat, jet ski, and golf cart rentals
• Leash-free pet park, beach area, and campground cafe
• Saltwater kiddie pool and large pool with waterslide (open Memorial Day to Labor Day)

Learn more or Book now.

Cherokee Dam Campground – Jefferson City, Tennessee

Park Features:

• 44 total sites (39 with water and electric)
• Views of the lake and mountains from nearly every site
• Sites require a two-night minimum stay
• The use of a water pressure regulator is highly recommended
• Nearby access to swimming and birdwatching
• Large public boat ramp nearby

Learn more or Book now.

Melton Hill Dam Campground – Lenoir City, Tennessee

Park Features:

• 61 total sites (35 with water and electric)
• Sites require a two-night minimum stay
• Two bathhouses with showers and flush toilets
• Designated swimming area
• Canoe and boat ramp access
• Free dump station access

Learn more or Book now.

Camp Margaritaville RV Resort and Lodge – Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Park Features:

• Full hookup concrete campsites
• Complimentary Wi-Fi and cable TV
• Nearby Fin City Entertainment Center with arcade, bowling, billiards, and more
• Nearby pool recreation area with water slides, lazy river, and kid zone
• Pet park, camp store, and kid’s playground
• Live entertainment, breakfast buffet, and barestaurant

Learn more or Book now.

Little Arrow Outdoor Resort – Townsend, Tennessee

Park Features:

• Luxury and standard full hookup RV sites
• Luxury sites with outdoor sink and cabana
• Standard sites with paved patios and fire rings
• 24/7 coffee lounge with playroom and movie/book exchange
• Zero-entry pool with grottos, hot tub, and splash pad
• 1-2 miles of quiet, peaceful hiking trails

Learn more or Book now.

The Best RV Trips for Beginners in the Midwest

Sycamore Springs Park – English, Indiana

Park Features:

• 30 and 50-amp sites with a 55’ minimum site length
• Full hookup, wateelectric, and primitive camping available
• Free firewood and fire pits on all sites
• Modern restrooms and shower houses
• Family-friendly camping with no alcohol allowed on the grounds
• Fishing, hiking and picnicking available

Learn more or Book now.

Lake Rudolph Campground and RV Resort – Santa Claus, Indiana

Park Features:

• Open season 5/1 to 10/31
• 146 full hookup 50-amp sites
• 110 full hookup 30-amp sites
• Gem mining, golf cart rentals, and take-out dining
• Swimming pool, dog park, and water park
• Free shuttle service to the theme park and water park

Learn more.

Grand Haven State Park – Grand Haven, Michigan

Park Features:

• 48-acre park with Lake Michigan to the west and the Grand River to the north
• 174 paved campsites
• Steps away from the beach and the river
• Scenic views of the Grand Haven pier and two lighthouses
• Boardwalk along the Grand River for fishing or walking
• Accessible playground, picnic area, and modern restrooms

Learn more or Book now.

Otsego Lake State Park – Gaylord, Michigan

Park Features:

• 155 campsites (split between the North and South campgrounds)
• Half-mile sandy beach with designated swim area
• Kayak, paddleboard, and canoe rentals for day-use
• Nearby access to the Iron Belle Trail for hiking, biking, and snowmobiling
• Fishing pier and boat launch
• Designated beach area for metal detecting

Learn more or Book now.

Itasca State Park – Park Rapids, Minnesota

Park Features:

• 223 drive-in campsites in two campgrounds (160 electric-only)
• 60’ maximum RV length
• Seasonal dump station available in the Bear Paw Campground
• Interpretive exhibits and year-round naturalist programs
• Two-hour excursion boat tours of Lake Itasca
• Nearby restaurant and cafe (open seasonally)

Learn more or Book now.

Silver Dollar City Campground – Branson, Missouri

Park Features:

• Full hookup sites (30 and 50 amp)
• Picnic table and fire ring at each site
• Kid’s playground and swimming pool (open 5/28-9/5)
• Nearby theme park, water park, and dinner cruises
• Clubhouse with supplies and an air-conditioned lounge with Wi-Fi
• Complimentary shuttle service into Silver Dollar City

Learn more or Book now.

Lake Mcconaughy State Recreation Area – Brule, Nebraska

Park Features:

• Seven developed campgrounds
• Reservable and first-come, first-served campsites
• Reservable beach camping in 17 designated zones
• Reservations required 5/20 to 9/10
• Archery range, swimming, and playground
• Boating, fishing, and hunting

Learn more or Book now.

Mt. Gilead Holiday – Mt. Gilead, Ohio

Park Features:

• 150 acres of walking trails
• Dog park, playground, and fishing ponds
• Golf driving range
• Zero-entry swimming pool (open 5/26-9/4)
• Golf course rentals, sand volleyball, and ‘The Bonfire Bar’

Learn more or Book now.

The Best RV Trips for Beginners in the South

The Woodlands RV Resort – Heber Springs, Arkansas

Park Features:

• 71 full hookup sites
• Five minutes from beaches, boat ramps, restaurants, and a golf course
• Easy access to hiking and biking trails
• Swimming pool, playground, and fishing pond
• Bathhouse, laundry room, and dog run coming soon

Learn more or Book now.

Sarah’s Seaside RV Oasis – Grand Isle, Louisiana

Why They Recommended: It’s the most laid back!
Park Features:

• Full hookup sites (30 and 50 amp)
• Family and pet-friendly
• Walking distance from restaurants, shopping, and bars
• Renowned for nearby world-class fishing and birdwatching
• Seasonal events like holiday decorating contests, seafood boils, movie nights, and more

Learn more.

The Best RV Trips for Beginners in the Southwest

Mather Campground – Grand Canyon Village, Arizona

Park Features:

• 327 primitive campsites with fire rings, a cooking grate, and a picnic table
• Flush toilets and drinking water spigots throughout
• Free dump station at Camper Services nearby
• Generators not permitted in Pine Loop (sites 265-319)
• Easy access to a paved walking and biking trail leading to overlooks and the visitor center

Learn more.

Tucson Lazydays – Tucson, Arizona

Park Features:

• 360 full hookup sites
• 73’ maximum RV length
• Pet-friendly sites, dog park, and dog wash available
• Two swimming pools, a hot tub, and a sauna (open year-round)
• Mini golf, bike rentals, workout room, and more

Learn more or Book now.

Caballo Lake State Park – Caballo, New Mexico

Park Features:

• Seven full hookup sites
• 98 water and electric (30 amp) sites
• 10 water and electric (50 amp) sites
• Three boat docks and two boat ramps
• Playgrounds and visitor centers with interactive exhibits for the kids
• Fishing, swimming, hiking, horseback riding, and more

Learn more or Book now.

The Best RV Trips for Beginners in the Northwest

Coloma Resort – Coloma, California

Park Features:

• 43 full hookup sites
• 45’ maximum RV length
• Sewer hookups are available at off-river sites only
• Calendar of naturalist-led activities available (summer months only)
• Exclusive riverfront access with nearby kayaking, tubing, and rafting
• Swimming pool and children’s playgrounds
• Wireless internet throughout the campground

Pro Tip: You must cross the Mt. Murphy Bridge to reach this campground. Here are the height and weight restrictions for that bridge:

• Max Height: 13' 6
• Max Weight for 2 Axle vehicles: 12 Tons (24,000 pounds)
• Max Weight for 3 Axle vehicles: 19 Tons (38,000 pounds)

Learn more or Book now.

Arrowhead RV Park – Cascade, Idaho

Park Features:

• 116 full hookup sites
• Easy access to the Payette River for fishing or paddling
• Shuffleboard and horseshoe pit for family entertainment
• Communal firepit on the edge of the river
• Recreation room with books, board games, and movies

Learn more or Book now.

St. Mary / East Glacier – St. Mary, Montana

Why They Recommended: “Beautiful views right from the park!”
Park Features:

• 75’ maximum RV length
• 30 and 50-amp sites
• Large hot tub, pool, and sauna (seasonally)
• Kayak rentals and easy access to the Lower St. Mary Lake & River
• Dog kennels and dog walking service (for when you want to explore nearby Glacier National Park)

Learn more or Book now.

Cape Blanco State Park – Port Orford, Oregon

Park Features:

• 52 electric hookup sites with water
• Easy access to wildlife viewing, fishing, and horse trails
• Beach access and hiking trails
• Flush toilets and hot showers
• Lighthouse and Hughes House for historical tours

Learn more or Book now.

Seven Feathers RV Resort – Canyonville, Oregon

Park Features:

• 182 full hookup sites
• 60’ maximum pull-thru size
• 55’ maximum back-in size
• Hotel and casino across the street
• Indoor heated pool and hot tub
• Fitness and media centers

Learn more or Book now.
Want to add your advice to our poll? Click below to join the conversation!
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Which destinations would you recommend for first-time RVers? Share your tips in the comments below.

Hello fellow campers!
I'm looking for some advice on finding a campsite near Calgary in the Rockies for the Canada Day long weekend. Unfortunately, all the Parks Canada and Alberta Parks front country options are fully booked. I'm hoping to find a good spot for tent camping that still offers the beautiful mountain scenery.
Here's what I'm looking for:

• Location: Near Calgary, ideally within a few hours' drive. (mountains)
• Type: Tent camping.
• Duration: Canada Day long weekend.
• Amenities: Basic facilities like restrooms would be great, but I'm open to more rustic options if necessary.

I've already considered some private campgrounds and first-come, first-served sites but would love to hear your recommendations on the best places to try, including any lesser-known spots, PLUZ areas, or private sites that might still have availability.
Thanks in advance for your help!
Happy camping!

AITA for cutting my brother off after he chose the mother of his child over his family? A little back story. I, 30F, have been taking care of my brother, 31M, off and on for the past 7 years. I have let him live with me and my husband every time we have gotten a new place and paid him to babysit my child. We have never asked him to help pay bills or pay rent.
About 4 years ago we moved into a new house and after 2 years of living in the new house my brother got a new girlfriend while he was living with us and ended up getting her pregnant. He ended up moving out and living with his GF and his GFs brother. They had a falling out with his GFs family. My brother had multiple cars and an RV on our property. We offered them to stay on the property in the RV and have them pay rent. From the moment they had moved into the RV his GF would just talking bad about her brother and his wife saying that they kept her stuff and wouldn't return it and called her sister in law a bad mother. I had called her out and told her that I would take her over to her brothers house to get the rest of her stuff because I was friends with her brother and his wife. She would automatically come up with excuses as to why she can't go over there or that they won't let her and they are never home.
I noticed that my brothers GF loved to play the victim and blow everything out of proportion. Everything was always everyone else's fault and never her fault. She twisted every story she had in her favor and made the other person look bad. I even recorded her conversation one time and sent it to her sister in law cause it was the last straw for me I take full accountability for everything I did and the messages relayed back and forth but do not apologize for it. I tried to be nice to her and like her. I even let her move onto my property and made dinner for her and her kids every night while my husband and brother worked night shifts. She never did the dishes or helped clean up. After she had her baby her and my brother moved into my parents house.
After a couple of months they got their own place. I took in her dog because she wasn't a service animal and we agreed that I would be the one to keep her. They had left a lot of their belongings on my property. Her and her sister in law ended up talking and sorting their issues out but in the process I'm the one who got blamed for all the shit that my brothers GF had said about her sister in law. I told her sister in law that she could tell her I told her things but she went as far as telling her everything that was said. I was not the only person that told her what was said or what was going around I'm just the only person that was blamed for all of it. My brothers GF ended up yelling at me for it and saying that everything was my fault and the reason everyone, including her mom, was mad at her was because of me. I never once lied about anything I told the truth when I was asked what she was saying. My brothers GF ended up cutting me off and I did the same because I was over all the drama that she brought everywhere she went. I still had contact with my brother.
One night I had gotten a call from my brother that him and his GF had a huge fight and he needed helping getting all of his stuff out of the apartment. I packed up my kids and took them with me to help him pack up all of his stuff from her house. When I arrived my mom was there talking to the GF on the couch trying to calm her down cause she was crying and freaking out. At the time she was babysitting someone else's kid and that kid was crying. She was just ignoring him and having a little self pitty party on the couch with my mom. I ended up picking up that baby and comforting him and then handing him to the GF to help my brother finish packing. My brother had asked me to get garbage bags under the sink to pack his stuff in. As we were packing I had to get more bags but when I went to get more there was none. The Gf had taken them and hidden them. When we finally finished the Gf started freaking out and yelling at my brother and then yelled at me. I flipped out and tried to fight her but was pulled out by my brothers friend, not my best move but she was just yelling at me and getting closer to me. The GF ended up posting on Facebook about what happened accusing me of stealing her makeup and clothes, I have my own makeup and gave her half the stuff she has and we aren't the same size in clothes, and leaving the door wide open for her kids to freeze. Her kids were upstairs in their room no where near the door that we kept closed unless we were taking stuff out of the house.
Fast forward and she is claiming I'm keeping all her stuff from her including the items she left on my property from when they moved in and keeping her dog from her. I told him that she isn't getting the dog back cause she surrendered the dog to us and she is more than welcome to come and get her stuff of my property and we don't want her stuff on our property, it's been a year and it's still on my property. She even called the cops on my parents for because they wouldn't give her her stuff out of their storage container right before the cops showed up she was screaming and yelling at my parents and as soon as a cop showed up she just started crying and saying they won't let her get her stuff. My parents told her that she could have her stuff back when they get back the phone that my parents gave her cause she broke hers. They were still paying on the phone and asked that she return it so that they wouldn't get charged she never did and ran the phone bill up to 1500.
My brother decided to fix things with her and asked us to give the dog back again. At first we refused but in the end we decided to give her back to be the bigger person my husband ASKED in return, we never forced her to do it and we were already planning on giving the dog back. that his GF publicly apologize to my family about what she said about us. She ended up posting on Facebook again apologizing. That is when we told my brother we want nothing to do with them. We were over all the drama and the blame game. She tried to tarnish our reputation and lie about the kind of people we were. Now my brother is saying that we screwed him over and we owe his GF an apology for "making" her publicly apologize on Facebook just to get her dog back. We still have her stuff on our property and the RV and one of my brothers cars. My brother chose her over everyone in his life who has tried to help him. He only ever contacts my parents when he wants or need something.
So AITA for cutting him off after all the drama and his GF trying to make us out to be bad people? Sorry for the long post. I can clarify or answer questions if needed. It's kind of all over the place.

Hello Reddit family!
I’m reaching out on behalf of a 22-year-old woman who is planning a solo road trip from Oregon to Anchorage this summer. She will be driving her Subaru Crosstrek and intends to camp along the way. Her trip will culminate in a two-month stint as an outdoor guide near Matanuska Glacier in Anchorage.
Her planned route starts in Oregon, heads through Washington, then to Banff, Canada, and follows major roads or highways directly to Anchorage. She has limited experience with solo travel and has some concerns about safety and logistics. Here are her specific questions:

1. Safety from Wildlife and Humans: How can she ensure her physical safety from animals and potential threats from other people? 2. Fuel Availability: Are there enough gas stations along the route, or should she carry an extra gas can? 3. Vehicle Reliability: Given that her Subaru Crosstrek has had mechanical issues before, what should she do if it breaks down in a remote area? 4. Camping Sites: Is it safer to camp at established campgrounds, or are primitive sites recommended? She’s considering using www.freecampsites.net to find spots. 5. Solo Travel Tips: What are some essential safety tips and best practices for a young woman traveling and camping alone? 6. Backpacking in the Washington Cascades: She plans to backpack here for a night. Any safety tips or considerations? 7. Emergency Communication: She plans to bring a Garmin InReach or Spot X. Are these sufficient for emergency situations? 

We appreciate any insights, recommendations, or personal experiences you can share to help her prepare for this adventure. Thank you!

Hello Reddit family!
I’m reaching out on behalf of a 22-year-old woman who is planning a solo road trip from Oregon to Anchorage this summer. She will be driving her Subaru Crosstrek and intends to camp along the way. Her trip will culminate in a two-month stint as an outdoor guide near Matanuska Glacier in Anchorage.
Her planned route starts in Oregon, heads through Washington, then to Banff, Canada, and follows major roads or highways directly to Anchorage. She has limited experience with solo travel and has some concerns about safety and logistics. Here are her specific questions:

1. Safety from Wildlife and Humans: How can she ensure her physical safety from animals and potential threats from other people? 2. Fuel Availability: Are there enough gas stations along the route, or should she carry an extra gas can? 3. Vehicle Reliability: Given that her Subaru Crosstrek has had mechanical issues before, what should she do if it breaks down in a remote area? 4. Camping Sites: Is it safer to camp at established campgrounds, or are primitive sites recommended? She’s considering using www.freecampsites.net to find spots. 5. Solo Travel Tips: What are some essential safety tips and best practices for a young woman traveling and camping alone? 6. Backpacking in the Washington Cascades: She plans to backpack here for a night. Any safety tips or considerations? 7. Emergency Communication: She plans to bring a Garmin InReach or Spot X. Are these sufficient for emergency situations? 

We appreciate any insights, recommendations, or personal experiences you can share to help her prepare for this adventure. Thank you!

I don't like badmouthing businesses. I have run one for many years and it's rough. You can never please everyone all the time, and it absolutely kills me emotionally (though perhaps it shouldn't) to have an unsatisfied customer.
But I must tell others about this so that perhaps they can be spared the financial and emotional frustration that this dealership has caused us, and likely will continue to cause us.
This is a companion post to my post in CreditScore , but will focus more on our experience with the dealership than the impact to our credit scores.
My story begins as follows:
We bought a travel trailer a bit ago. It's been nearly a month now since our first interaction with the dealership, Great American RV Superstores.
We went to this dealership (one of many, actually) looking for a travel trailer that would suit our needs well, with as little modifications as possible-- I'm busy, and wanted to use the thing for vacations and such, not have another project to work on.
The sales experience was fine. The salesman was happy to show us around, offer us drinks, tell us about the travel trailers they had, even show us ones that were kind of outside of our intended scope just since we were curious about them. Very reasonable experience, overall. I have to temper my expectations here, since my partner and I absolutely hate interacting with strangers in a sales environment. Overall it was fine, though I do feel sales was pushy, and financing (which we'll get to in a moment) even more so.
Over the course of a week or so, we eventually came back and settled on a Jayco trailer they had-- it was mostly what we wanted and would need the least modifications to be what we wanted to become our 'dream RV' for what I felt was a reasonable price, compared to building the entire thing from the ground up out of a utility trailer shell-- it would even be cheaper, not to mention save me time.
This is unfortunately the end of the 'good' part.
We figured we'd put the trailer on credit for a month or so while we sold off some stuff, avoided early withdrawal penalties, etc.. I did the math, it would be cheaper like this than paying fees to move money faster, and we wanted the trailer for an upcoming trip.
Excited, we gave them a deposit [they accepted a credit card for this] of $1000.
Now, they originally tried to request $5000, and I looked at them like they were nuts. That's more than 20% the purchase price. The deposit on my truck wasn't anywhere near that much, despite having a much higher sticker price than the trailer. This should have been my first red flag.
We came back the next day (we had stuff on our schedule, literally did not have time for 2 hours of paperwork that I was confident would ensue).
The dealership did not want to take a credit card for the non-cash portion, which I understand but was kind of annoying. It's not that much, and I can't just bounce a check or credit card charge on a registered vehicle and just get away and get to keep the thing-- It's not like you can hide an RV trailer that well; the thing is nearly 30 feet long.
No worries, they said they could offer financing, and all it'd cost me was one credit pull. The salesman and financing manager went away, and came back a few minutes (well, ~20 minutes) later.
There was, at that point, as they said, a credit pull for both me and my partner.
They came back with an insane interest rate, something like 19%. I told them that I wouldn't sign something so insane, and we'd come back later in a few weeks or so and buy the RV if it was still available in cash, no financing. This should have been my second red flag, but of course, me being bad at and stressed during social interactions, I ignored this one, too.
They really didn't like the idea of us not buying the thing asap (duh), and said they could see about getting us a better rate. I told them that if they wanted to offer something else, to just call me. [Important, no additional papers, etc. were signed at this point. I did not sign any 'loan application' papers.]
The next day they came back with an offer for an interest rate of about half that, which while still bad imho, was fine enough and within the realm of reason given what interest rates are right now.
We went back to sign the paperwork... more problems ensued.
We drove ~1 hour to get there, and waited for like 2 hours, and then they told us they could not get us the paperwork to sign as the bank was closed, so we'd have to come back the following week.
What. The. F***.
Now, I understand that this is not common perhaps, but I assume more common for people buying RVs-- our time is very valuable, and I don't mean just in terms of what we bill people (though, that too in a lot of cases). We're short on time, have too much we need to get done almost always, and wasting an hour or so of our time in an area with basically no cellphone reception and being unable to accomplish any work or spend this time effectively on something we wanted is not something we were pleased with, and has a very real dollar cost for us. We effectively wasted 4 hours of both our time going there, waiting, and driving back-- 8 man-hours for what? Nothing.
Regardless of our over-inflated time valuation, I don't think anyone should have their time wasted like this. We would not require this of a customer of ours, regardless of their salary or status, it's just disrespectful.
This should have been our third red flag.
Anyways, we were promised a $200 gift card and they seemed genuinely apologetic, saying their head finance manager was out today and they were doing their best to carry on without them, and had just been unaware that the bank was closed at that point and thus couldn't produce the documents.
Okay. Fine. We left again.
We returned the next week, and finally they had paperwork to sign-- a lot of it... holy sh*t I have never seen so much paperwork to buy something. This was more paperwork than there was for our house, I am not kidding. Over 100 pages probably if you include other documents referenced by these. I read them all, I insisted, before signing. The guy did not appear pleased with this-- I realize his time is valuable, but who in their right mind signs something without reading it? It had all sorts of things that would, if we were not in the position we are, potentially be devastating. (Example, they were not very forthcoming on the fact that there was a 'demand function' on the loan-- the bank can just demand it be paid right away, in other words, because they feel like it.)
Again, that should have been another, and the final red flag. We should have walked away. But, I'm here writing this, so that's not what happened. Sunk cost fallacy and all, I guess.
So, we finally get through several hours of reading things, asking them questions, etc.. They lied a bunch through their teeth I'm sure, but this post is already too long to even start listing the things I worry about.
Once we had actually managed to get the thing purchased, they had some guy take us back and do a walkthrough of the travel trailer to prove everything was working on delivery, etc.. Honestly, I feel this walkthrough should have been it's own day given how many things there are on the trailer, and how many involve things that you have to wait on to see if they're really working properly-- like an oven, an air conditioner / heater, that sort of thing; but it's not like this lasted more than 10 minutes of the guy turning things on, asking me if I knew propane was flammable, etc..
Walkthrough guy was nice, didn't have a problem with him, but he (especially for someone who works in maintenance) didn't seem well informed. He advised me, for example, despite the travel trailer's converter / battery charger being rated for use with a Lithium replacement battery, not to do this, because it could 'blow up the electrical system'. While I am confident that the trailer's 'auto detection' feature isn't really that, and have since inspected the battery charger and it's workings, I assure you a compatible lithium replacement battery would not 'blow up' the electrical system.
He didn't even know where the circuit breakers, etc.. were, didn't know what size the water tank was, where it was, what certain ratings were, when I asked. At this point, I was mostly testing to see if they had any idea how this thing was put together, because I'd become suspicious. The guy, while nice, failed the test horribly.
This was all very disconcerting, because they are the only Jayco partnered dealership in range of our home.
We hitched up the trailer with the help of the sales guy, who incorrectly instructed me on how to hook up the break-away safety cable, and left with the trailer.
When we got it home, we hooked it up to power, water, and sewer, to go run through our actual bunch of tests.
The following things do not function correctly on this trailer:
1) The roof-mounted solar panel and charge controller for the 12v system. Completely non-functional upon arrival, and during the walkthrough (though we were told it was because there wasn't enough sun during that time). I eventually went and troubleshot this enough to determine that the entire ground wire from the charge controller was completely disconnected from the 12v system, which of course made it useless. I fixed this, but I should not have had to spend this time doing so.
2) The oven. The pilot light requires you to hold the knob in after sparking it for ~5 minutes before it will stay lit. The instructions say it should take ~5 seconds. Oven is basically useless, no one has 5 or 10 or 20 minutes to fight with it to get it to keep the pilot light lit. The walkthrough person did not check oven function, just asked, if I knew how to use it. (Yes, I do, I've owned RVs before. In fact, the Jayco travel trailer from 1985 that I use as a storage shed presently, the oven in there STILL works just as it did when new.) I have /no idea/ how to fix this, and the dealership has ignored me when I've asked them. They say they'll get back to me, they do not.
3) The air conditioner / heater. They start up, sure, but they don't stay going. The AC seems to cut out any time there's a slight voltage fluctuation on the 12v system that powers the thermostat, etc., and this happens regularly of course when you turn a light on or off or something. To get the AC to restart, you have to completely power off the system at the thermostat, and wait ~1 minute, and then power it back on. I've not solved this yet, but I'm sure I likely can... by reverse engineering the thermostat control standard and replacing it with something else, and/or stabilizing the power supply to the appliances using some electronics... but still, why should I have to do this? The thing's brand new.
4) The water pump. It rattled SO MUCH and was not screwed down properly that it almost dislodged the piping when we fired it up during testing. Eventually after some back and forth with the service guy over the phone, I settled on a solution which he admitted would not in any way void the warranty-- pipe insulation to keep the rattling down throughout the trailer (I just purchased this from Home Depot and put it on), and some extra rubber and foam, and a slightly thicker screw to hold the pump in place properly.
5) The shower plastic shroud. The backing is incorrectly / poorly installed, bulged up, etc., around the bottom, making it harder to clean. I should have noticed this but, again, with only a ~10 minute walkthrough... :/ I'm sure they'd also say it 'met standards' and was fine. I guess I'll have to fix this, too.
6) Several of the lights, after being on for a bit, 'flicker'. This is extremely odd because they're DC lights, and while one might expect the typical 60Hz flicker from a cheap LED AC light, a DC light should have no flickering. It's definitely that the light is getting hot and has a bad solder joint or something. Yet another thing that, while on it's own isn't a huge deal for me to fix, it's not on it's own. I'll have to replace a number of these light fixtures I guess, too. -_-
7) Upon crawling under the trailer, the underbelly that is supposedly 'enclosed' is hardly that. It's got so many gaps and holes that I'm genuinely worried about what will have nested in there by the time I get around to fixing it. Good thing we have so many cats around, I guess. Would some spray-foam have killed Jayco?
Now, we're not even done with the BS.
Somehow, over the next few weeks, we've gotten (both my partner and I) about a dozen credit pulls from random lenders. Like, holy crap. And of course, because they're not all at the same time and nor are they even from the same 'type' of lenders, our scores have dropped like a rock.
I don't know who over there at Great American RV Superstores is pushing some button, but this needs to stop... we're at the point where we are considering freezing our credit, because this is insane. Credit pulls from AFTER we picked up the RV? Excuse me? Why? This is borderline identity fraud.
Overall, the sales experience was fine, but everything else was bad. Logistics, financing, paperwork, service... they all dropped the ball.
I cannot in good conscience recommend anyone buy from this dealership chain, nor can I recommend at this point anyone buy a Jayco travel trailer-- apparently their build quality (like seemingly everything from everyone these days) has taken a nosedive since the 80's.
Oh, and the $200 gift card they promised us for wasting our time? No where to be found. -_- We asked about it, they dismissed it saying they would contact us when they 'got approval from management'; in other words, they just promised us something they weren't authorized to give us.

Welcome to another report of my one year stay in Japan from mid 2022 to mid 2023! If everything goes according to plan, I'll post the final part on May 27, which would be exactly one year after I returned from Japan! With that being said, after spending a month with a couple of friends in February 2023, enjoying the snow in Hokkaido and early sakura around the Izu peninsula, it was time to face one of the busiest seasons in Japan - proper sakura season in March/April. My mother would join me in late March on her first trip to Japan ever and she was hellbent on seeing some sakura and me being the tour guide. This came with the benefit of her paying for all expenses during our travels, which was very nice of her!
You can find the other reports down below.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11
Tokyo
Picking up where I left off in the previous report, I decided to show everyone what a "typical" Airbnb I'd stay in during my time in Japan looked like. When my friends left, I booked a very cheap Airbnb in Kunitachi, which is in west Tokyo, about 40 minutes away from Shinjuku on the Chuo line. As I mentioned in some of my earlier reports, I quite enjoyed staying out of central Tokyo and exploring areas that I'd otherwise never go to on a normal vacation. This place had a kitchen, a bedroom and a bathroom. Looks pretty barebones but it was more than enough to satisfy my needs and the internet in Airbnbs was usually very good.
Since it was the beginning of March, I decided to go back to Yushima Tenjin to check the status of the plum blossoms there and they were beautiful at the time. One train stop away from Kunitachi is Kokubunji, which I went to because I saw a couple interesting spots on Google maps to check out. One of which was the small Tonogayato Garden, which was alright for a short visit. More interestingly, there's a small path called Otaka no michi, which looks very cute and goes along a few shrines and another small garden along the way.
Having seen Kawazu sakura a two weeks prior, I checked where I could find early blooming sakura in Tokyo and was happy to find that near my next Airbnb's location (Ojima in the east of Tokyo), a park close to Arakawa river had a few trees so of course I made my way there and it was the perfect time to see them too. One of the many reasons why I enjoy staying in eastern Tokyo is that the further I went out, the more relaxed I felt. It's so far removed from the central and west, where you have tens of thousands of people converging in several spots while here, there is just a wide open park, families and friends just hanging out in what felt like a more accurate represenation of what the average Tokyoite did in their daily lives. I think I went here a few times every evening because it put me at ease and I miss spending time there. And as always, plenty of small mom and pop shops serving all kinds of food, like this wonton soup with a side of fried rice.
Another garden I visited was Kiyosumi! It's in Koto, so again a bit out of the way but definitely worth a visit if you somehow find yourself in the area or just want to see something new if it's your Xth visit to Japan. Bonus pic from when I walked back "home"; sunsets in Tokyo in those side streets with rivers running through the city are particularly great.
The week leading up to my mom's arrival was spent with me visiting a bunch of parks in Tokyo to see how the sakura were going considering my mother wanted to see them. This was a tad stressful because it was supposed to rain for a few days before my mother arrived and in 2023, sakura season started super early so I was scared the rain and wind might kill em off before she even got there. That being said, Shinjuku Gyoen, Yoyogi park, the Kanda river, Chidorigafuchi and Ueno park were going strong! I switched Airbnbs one more time before my mom arrived, staying in Asaka - in Saitama. I had a couple more sakura trees right next door, which was great.
And then, the day had come! My mom arrived at around 7pm, I picked her up from Narita airport and let me tell you, it was an incredibly weird feeling riding back into that airport. Around 10 months earlier, I flew in and it was practically deserted due to the pandemic but now it was back to somewhat normal and I was hit with a weird sort of nostalgia! My mom was surprisingly fit and didn't seem jetlagged at all, demanding me to show her around Ueno park at like 10pm still. We got her her own Suica, her first konbini visit and then just went to the hotel and slept.
My mother had a couple of things she absolutely wanted to see and aside that, I was basically a tour guide who just showed her around spots I decided on on the day. The first thing my mom wanted to see was TeamLabs. Not something I personally had much interest in and the experience was pretty meh overall to be honest but she enjoyed it. Following that we headed to Tokyo station and went to Sushiro because my mom wanted to try Sushi and was keen on trying the "conveyor belt" one she saw on social media. Since it was nearby, we then walked to Chidorigafuchi and the Imperial Palace Gardens, giving my mom her first proper sakura experience. We spent quite a while walking around and it soon got dark so we took a train towards Tokyo Tower. Tokyo Tower looks great at night, especially with some sakura in front of it. We finished the day with a CoCo ichi meal before walking around the pond near Ueno park.
The following day, my mother wanted to check out Akiba to my surprise. She's not into anime or video games at all but she thoroughly enjoyed seeing just how many figures and plushies of everything exists. A visit to nearby Kanda shrine was of course obligatory. Gotta love the ema people put up there due to its close proximity to Akiba. Before going to Sky Tree in the evening, we went to Hamarikyu Gardens, which are way nicer looking in sakura season than in February, when I went there with my friend. Now, Sky Tree was an experience. Having been there just a few weeks earlier with my friends and there being no lines whatsoever, this time around, things were different. We had to wait for around an hour to get tickets and the observation decks were packed. If it was that bad in 2023, I can't imagine how it is now.
On the third day, the jetlag or just general fatigue hit my mother and she slept past noon so we had a more relaxed day without as much walking as the two before. Took a train to Kichijoji in hopes to show my mom Inokashira park with its famous sakura around the pond and we were not disappointed! My mom wanted to shop and since I am the least knowledgeable person when it comes to this, I simply took her to Ikebukuro's Sunshine City and hoped she'd find stuff there and she actually did buy a bunch of "fluffy" dresses!
The final day in Tokyo was a bit more packed again in terms of things to do. First on the agenda was a visit at Cafe Reissue, which my mom of course saw on Instagram. Since you can't reserve, they take your name and give you a time to come back at, which meant we had about an hour and a half to do something else. This was when we headed to Shibuya Sky. I had never been there because I didn't really want to spend 2000 yen on another observation deck but this one is actually good. In my opinion, if you could only pick ONE observation deck in Tokyo, this should be it. Nice, open views in a far better location than Sky Tree for example. Afterwads we headed back to the cafe and got our latte/hot chocolate art. I'm a bit of a hot chocolate snob so I'd say the drink itself was alright, the art is pretty nice and the sandwich was better than I expected. Definitely worth checking out if you can get a spot here.
Shinjuku Gyoen at this point had a fair amount of sakura trees already losing their petals, making for pretty walkways. In general, and this isn't some hidden gem, Shinjuku Gyoen is definitely worth going for sakura because of how many varieties can be found in it. Just make sure to get there early...
And with that, the first portion in Tokyo was done and the next day saw us take the Shinkansen to Kyoto!
Kyoto
I dreaded this visit to Kyoto because during my time in Japan, Kyoto has been relatively empty and enjoyable, contrary to how it was pre-pandemic. And the difference was definitely noticeable just a few weeks after having been there with my friends. Still not as bad as it probably is now, but noticeable. We wanted to go to Kiyomizudera in the evening for that picture, so we spent the time before that just strolling around the east side of Kyoto, but not before getting some lunch at a nearby restaurant. This is where I first realised my mother had no taste, as she didn't like gyudon whatsoever. Meanwhile, I thought this was one of my favourite gyudon I ever had.
We headed over to Maruyama park afterwards, with sakura all around and plenty of food stalls for your typical Japanese festival snack cravings. From there, we walked over to Heian Jingu, passing by Chionin Samnon. I've not been to the garden that is next to Heian Jingu, so we went in there. It's not the biggest place but it's very quaint and beautiful, especially the pond area. The sun was beginning to set and the walk back to Kiyomizudera would have been a bit too much for my mom that day, so we took a bus... and I've vowed to never do that again. It's crazy how packed buses in Kyoto got once regular tourism picked back up. Sannenzaka was also back to what I was used to pre-pandemic. On one hand, this must be great for local business. On the other hand, I can't imagine living anywhere near here...
Kiyomizudera was packed to the brim and my mom really wanted to take a picture from the famous angle, so we stood there for what felt like half an hour with little to no progress before she conceded, but we got nice pictures just off the platform. She enjoyed walking around Kyoto more than actually checking out the sights sometimes, which was great because Kyoto is a beautiful city. Kiyamachi is fantastic at night!
I had to face the PTSD of the prior month's Nara visit because of course, my mother wanted to see there deer there. But we got there early enough, with plenty of time to check out Todaiji, where my mother bought a goshuincho, and Kasuga Taisha. On our way back from Nara, we got out at Fushimi Inari and made our way up for the sunset. No torii pictures here because I've taken so many at that point, that I simply didn't this time.
We were looking for something to eat and up until that day, I had never experienced being denied entry into a restaurant before. Throughout 3 separate Japan vacations and this whole year I spent there, everywhere welcomed me, even out in the sticks. But that day, it happened twice. The first place I kind of give a pass because apparently they had some "bar event" going on so no food was being served that day (Google maps reviews were raving about the food there). But the second place, an okonomiyaki restaurant, does not get that pass. I slid open the door, saw 2 empty tables and the counter having a bunch of space. The owner's wife saw us coming in, I asked whether two people are fine - in Japanese, mind you - she had a very brief chat with her husband and then told us they're full. Obviously I accepted that and we went back out. I was pretty angry outside, though. There was no way they had no space in that restaurant and I am convinced they used that reasoning because they didn't want to serve foreigners. We just went to a nearby Chinese restaurant in the end, my mom not minding the "fuss" much but this was the first time I got denied from multiple places, so I was still somewhat mad lol.
The next day, we headed over to Nanzenji. Since we got off at Keage station, we walked our way up and had a quick look around Nanzenin before getting to Nanzenji. Also worth visiting is Eikando a bit further up the road. I can't remember if pictures inside the facility are just not allowed or if I forgot taking that many but the area is quite large and you can walk inside the temple. We then went to Ginkakuji, which I didn't take pictures of at all since I've been there before in October (so if you want to see pictures of that, check that post out). Unlike in October, this time there was a line to get tickets - which I didn't expect because it used to not be as popular as Kinkakuji.
Final day in Kyoto proper was spent in and around Arashiyama before my mother had her booked Maiko photoshoot. This took about 2 hours, she got the makeup done, was dressed up and had a bunch of pictures taken. She loved it. The place she did it at was called "Kyoto Kimono Rental Yumeyakata). Afterwards, she bought some souvenirs in random stores in the city. She also wanted to check out some other "famous" maccha place called "Maccha House". I'm actually not that big of a fan of maccha and this place really just seemed like a tourist trap. My mother enjoyed it though and as long as she had a good time, I didn't mind going to these places. Looking back at this Kyoto leg of our trip, I realise we didn't really have any "traditional" Japanese food experiences (as in kaiseki or the like). Not sure why that was. That was our last full day in Kyoto since the next one would be a day trip from there to Himeji, before we headed down to Hiroshima.
Himeji
I've been to Himeji before in like 2019 but back then, the castle was covered up for some renovations but this time, it was all there in its glory. And man, Himeji in Spring is absolutely beautiful. The park before it is full of sakura, I'll let the pictures do the talking and say that visiting Himeji is always a must but especially when you are in Japan in Spring. One of my favourite sakura spots for sure. The only negative thing I could report about it is that going inside the castle may not be worth it for you. There's a whole lot of stairs to take, which usually is no big deal for me but at some points, everyone had to wait for like 10 minutes before being able to go up to the highest point because there were so many people inside. I can't imagine this being much better a year later.
Hiroshima
Took the Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka to Hiroshima at around 11, making us arrive at around 1:30pm. Dropped our luggage off at Koko Hotel Hiroshima and then went for lunch at Yotchan, an okonomiyaki restaurant I went to a few months prior. I was a bit scared my mom wouldn't be a fan of okonomiyaki, given she didn't enjoy tonkatsu or gyudon but this turned out to be her favourite meal of the whole trip, which made me very happy. Hiroshima style okonomiyaki are in my opinion far superior to their Osaka counterpart, the noodles at the bottom really elevate the dish. The weather during our time here was pretty bad with mostly rain, but it certainly added something to the mood around the peace park and museum, which we visited of course. Sakura in Hiroshima weren't really existent at this point anymore, understandably so since the season starts a bit earlier here than up in Tokyo. The good thing about Hiroshima is that there's a bit of an underground mall with lots of shops and places to grab some snacks, so we were able to avoid much of the rain. Nevertheless, we ended the day a bit early at around 7pm (even though my addiction kicked in and I went for CoCo ichi at like 10pm lol).
And then we were off to Miyajima on the next day. It was my first time going there since my planned trip in November was foiled due to stomach issues. The weather was still rather bad but just like the day before, I think it actually added to the atmosphere on the island. Obligatory torii picture here. The shrine itself isn't that impressive - maybe this was due to the weather, though. But it wasn't raining super heavily, so we decided to take a walk to Daisho-in, which was maybe 10-15 minutes away on foot from Itsukushima shrine itself. Very much worth a visit, they occasionally let steam (?) out into the yard here, which is pretty cool in these weather conditions. Of course, I was put on goshuin duty ever since my mom had gotten her book in Nara so I had to collect stamps at every shrine we got to. If you go here and it is raining, be a bit careful about the stairs - they can be very slippery and my mother was incredibly lucky to not tumble down all the way down at one point.
After exploring just a little bit of the forest/mountainside, we decided to head back to the shrine and to our surprise, it was completely free of water now! Got lucky there and able to get up close to it! And that was it for Miyajima, we took the boat back to Hiroshima, got another round of okonomiyaki in before returning to Tokyo on the next day.
Tokyo
Since it was my mother's last full day in Japan, we went on a bit of a goshuin hunt around several shrines and temples, both small and large, in Ueno, Uguisudani, Akihabara and Asakusa. We simply walked from on to another, can't really list them all but Ono Tersuaki and Akiba shrine (this was kinda hidden!) were some of the smaller ones. There was a little festival around Sensoji going and we got a few snacks there. After one last walk along the Sumida river, it was time to go shopping. Only this time, it was me doing the buying... Got myself a PS5 that my mother took back home in her suitcase for me, the weak yen was just too good back then already and made me save like 100€ on that thing! We had dinner at my favourite little Chinese place near our hotel and then, my mom's time in Japan was pretty much over as we went back, packed up her stuff and got ready for the next day's trip to Narita, which I will cover in the next (and possibly final) report!
I love showing people around Japan, especially when it's their first time. I was a bit afraid my mother would miss out on the sakura and the mood would be bad but fortunately it all went well and mostly as planned. She absolutely loved it and would love to visit again. For me personally, as you can read about in this thread I made a year ago, I was super glad to have been "living" in Japan during sakura season because I think planning a normal 2 week vacation around sakura would be very stressful. Especially with tourists hitting record numbers currently, I feel like travelling during sakura season would be too much of a hassle for me personally - but to each their own!
To be honest, I had a tough time writing this report due to some depressing stuff going on in real life right now so I am not really that happy with how it turned out. Nevertheless, I am planning to release the final report on the 27th as planned. It's been almost a year since I returned home and I wish I had written these reports while in Japan instead of this late but too late to stop now, I suppose. If there's enough interest, I could write a "Best of..." report as an extra, talking about my favourite restaurants, foods, places to visit, activities and also my least favourite things during my time in Japan. But I'll see how the next report goes. Speaking of which - that one will include my final solo sakura adventure around the north of Japan in cities like Kakunodate, Morioka, Kitakami, Hakodate and, of course, Sapporo.
Thanks for reading and if you have questions, feel free to drop them!

Background
Dances With Dirt - Gnaw Bone is a long running race series in Brown County State Park in central Indiana, known for various amounts of mud. There are options for pretty much all distances from what they dub as the "hardest 5k in the world" to a 50M. At the ultra distances, they give you the option of dropping down to the 50k during the race, if you happened to underestimate the course.
While I live in Austin now, I went to grad school in Bloomington and have a good friend there whom I've coaxed into pacing a few of my 100 mile attempts. I saw this as a great chance to revisit Bloomington and get him to do his first ultra.
The trails in central Indiana also happen to be really nice - soft single track with nice forest coverage, a big departure from the crushed limestone and sweltering heat in Austin. Having done the 50 mile distance a few times in the past on the 100 mile attempts, I hoped this would be a good chance to get a solid 50M finish.
Training
Training leading up to the race was generally good - a solid base block, followed by strength, and finishing with endurance. The only hiccup was that I underestimated the family demands during the spring - kids' activities kicked into high gear and temps crept into the mid 90s, making weekend long runs a little challenging.
Regardless, with the strong early blocks I felt comfortable going into the race, albeit maybe slightly undertrained (which is fine, given that I've overtrained before and know that effect of that). The course is hilly (3,700 ft, mostly in 200-300 ft increments), so hill repeats in Austin were key to my strength and endurance blocks, which definitely paid off.
The week before the race was a mix of rain and sun, ensuring the course would be in "prime" condition.
The Mud Fest
The first (and last) four miles of the race are the most difficult and what gives the race it's muddy reputation. After a short jaunt over a river and through a field, we started the gradual climb up the to the aptly named Slime Top. The entire climb consisted of ankle to shin deep mud. As anyone who's done courses with water knows, there's always that point where you make the conscious decision to stop rock hopping and just get wet. There was no choice here, we just got wet and muddy.
It's also probably worth noting that any pace goals went out the window at this point.
The conga line snaked up to the top of the ridge and spread out on muddy horse trails to the first aid station in a campground (all the aid stations are in parks or campgrounds - how many ultras have real bathrooms?). A short road run got us back to the trails and heading down to the low point, at Ogle Lake.
I'll pause for a moment here and just reflect on how beautiful the forest is in the morning. It was misty, with sun rays cutting through the trees and glistening off the dew on the ferns. Ogle lake was covered in mist and the water just faded into it, as if in a partially completed painting. It was magical.
The next few sections were hiking trails with some muddy sections - very runnable and just a great time. My friend set the pace for most of the race, I thought about pushing it a bit early on and am glad I resisted the urge. At one of the aid stations, we got talking to someone who knew the course and he mentioned something about bushwhacking. We soon learned what he meant.
The course crossed a road and dropped into an area without official trails. Instead, the race organizers carved out a new trail, descending down a heavily vegetated hillside into a creek bed. Log and creek crossings dominated until we ascended out of the ravine - a few hundred feet straight up a leaf covered slope.
I still have no idea how I managed to come out of that scape and tick free. Needless to say, this was another section that took everyone's paces down a notch and was the point where I decided I had got the full value from the course and that a 50k finish would be just fine (I really didn't want to do that climb again 20 miles later).
Next, we followed mountain bike trails as they undulated just below the ridge line. My friend was feeling a little better than I was, and asked if he take of on his own. I had struggled early on with hydration and had just got it back under control, so I had no problem taking a different pace.
After the mountain bike trails, we had a mile or so of road through a campground (with a much appreciated bathroom). After the soft trails, the road hit the muscles hard and made me long for the mud.
At the next aid station, I let them know I was moving down to the 50k and started off on the final four miles back through the mud. With the hydration issues behind me, I was feeling good on this section. Navigating the mud was a mix of trusting that puddles weren't too deep and finding the exposed rock from the runoff. It wasn't fast, but it was fun.
The final descent is better described as sliding than running - a mile or so of steep mud where you just had to go for it. About half way down, a runner blew past me, leaping and bounding and slipping and sliding with reckless abandon (turns out he was doing the relay - team laps on the muddy section). Watching his "technique" gave me some confidence to push it a bit more and just go for it.
The final adventure is a slight deviation from the start. Instead of crossing a bridge, the course follows the river for a few hundred yards. Let me clarify "follows": it's in the river, not a trail on the side of it. I'll be honest, it'd be great if every race ended that way - the cold water on my feet and legs was exactly what I needed. Of course, getting out of the river required climbing a short, muddy slope, so any hopes of finishing mud free were dashed.
Finish and Takeaways
While not finishing the 50M or anywhere near my target pace, I still managed a first: a top three finish in my age group (yes, there were more than 3 people in the group :) ).
As for mud, I estimate we had 8-10 miles of various depths.
My only real misstep was getting behind on water early on. Without the constant heat of Texas, I tend to forget to drink enough, even while using Tailwind as my main nutrition. That slowed me down and took the middle of the race to recover from. I'm glad I had the presence of mind to catch what was going on and down an extra liter at an aid station. The first time I peed was around mile 24.
I got into ultras later in life (I'm a guy over 50, 6 years into my ultra adventure) and love challenging courses. I've done hard attempts in the Rockies and hot races in Texas, but nothing quite prepared me for the MUD in Indiana. It was truly a new and fun challenge.

Hello Everyone!
I recently did a trip driving through the Outback and I had gotten so many useful pieces of advice through Reddit, when someone asked me to post on this page once I completed my trip, I couldn't disappoint! This trip was originally going to be a solo venture, but I found a friend to join me from Melbourne up to Uluru, where she flew back to Melbourne from the Ayers Rock Airport, and I completed the rest on my own. I'm going to rant for a while and then get to the itinerary, feel free to skip all this yapping to the bottom, lol.
First, I want to summarize this by saying that this whole trip was really beautiful, its been one of my favorite things I've done since being in Australia (I've been here for three months now). I found a ten-day, $1 per day, car rental through transfercar.com.au, to move a car from Adelaide up to Darwin. I learned 10 days isn't enough, but it can still be an amazing trip if that's all the time you have.
It's a drive that cuts straight up the middle of Australia, takes you through the Outback and the Red Center. You can take a detour to the famous Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and Wattarka National Park, as well as the West MacDonnell National Park and many others. You can swim in thermal springs and marvel at waterfalls. Along the way you'll meet Grey Nomads (a recent term in my vocabulary, if it's new to you as well, they are older Australians who travel for long periods of time in Australia. They are very nice and friendly. You may find them attatched to a camper. You may find them cracking jokes at you if you keep stopping and refueling at the same roadhouses. You may not see them at night, they tend to like to go to bed early), you'll see so much red and a surprising amount of green, you'll see road trains.
When my car was approved, I started telling some people of my plans for a big Outback adventure, all were met with comments of "You're brave" "I couldn't do that" and "That's really dangerous, you shouldn't". I wondered if I made a mistake, if I should cancel the car. Obviously I didn't and the advice I got on Reddit was a big help in that end decision. On my way to Adelaide (a separate road trip from Melbourne to Adelaide using the same transfer car website) I literally had someone tell me I was going to die, kept saying it, which was something that played on repeat in my head, and now that I've successfully survived my trip, I can tell that guy to get fucked with satisfaction. So you are aware, he said these things for a few reasons, there are stretches of time there's no cell service, Alice Springs (the city in the middle of the drive) has grown a reputation for crime, and I was told by multiple people to not stop for anyone waving at your car for help because there's a good chance there are others hiding and waiting to steal your car when you pull over. You keep these things in mind, and put your safety above all else.
Things that I heard about cutting up through the middle of the country, were that it's a lot of road and not much scenery change. A do it once and check it off the list road trip. You'll probably get your car broken into in Alice Springs, and skip Tennant Creek if you know what's good for you. Some people said they loved this roadtrip. To download podcasts. It's beautiful and to send it. That it's not as isolating as it used to be and I wouldn't be alone. To enjoy the outdoors. Stock up on water and snacks, make sure you have a cooler because in the heat you'll need a cool drink. Don't go in blind.
So I did. I mentally prepared for long road days. I downloaded music and podcasts. I bought a cooler and stocked up on water and snacks. I never let my fuel get low. I made sure to book a stay in Alice Springs with gated parking and skipped Tennant Creek. I downloaded offline maps. I had everything, but the last couple days books, with the knowledge I had cell service at my third to last stop.
Now the itinerary:
DAY ONE:
Adelaide Coober Pedy
This was our biggest drive, about nine hours. Coober Pedy is a opal mining town, arguably the opal capital of the world. About 50% of the residents live underground or in excavated hills. With this trip being last minute, there wasn't a whole lot of affordable options for accommodation underground (everyone who stays in Coober Pedy wants the underground experience) so we stayed at The Underground Motel, which was excavated into a hill. It was charming and we loved it. We didn't stay long enough to enjoy a museum, but we enjoyed the time we did have there.
DAY TWO:
Coober Pedy Kings Creek Station
This was our second biggest drive (I definitely utilized having two drivers in these first days), and when we got off the Stuart Hwy and headed towards Watarrka National Park to do the famous Kings Canyon Rim Walk. We stopped in Erlunda, which is the turn off point, and spent some time hand feeding the resident emu's. We did our first night of tent camping at Kings Creek Station, sort of expensive as you have to pay per person instead of by campground ($70 for one night, seems steep for a two person tent on a patch of red dirt and no shade). Depite that little jibe, Kings Creek Station was pretty cute and had a nice little restaurant that sold camel burgers and a souviner shop and petrol station. They had all kinds of animals there; donkey's, camels, horses, dingos. You really felt like you were in the outback.
DAY THREE:
Kings Creek Station Yulara
We did the Kings Canyon Rim Walk in the morning, it's a popular 3-4 hour hike, and it's not very difficult. The start is a lot of stairs, and the whole things requires shoes with good ankle support as it's lots of uneven surfaces. After we finished our hike we drove to Yulara which is home to the Ayers Rock Resort, the only place you can stay overnight near Uluru-Kata Tjuta, it's a bunch of different styled hotels in driving loop. This is also what sparked our tent camping adventure, as everything else was way too expensive for us. We made it in time to pitch the tent and watch the sunset before cooking our own porter house steaks at the Outback BBQ restaurant.
DAY FOUR:
Yulara Full Day
We woke up at 5:30am to make it to the Uluru sunrise viewing area. I had been warned to bring cash in case the card readers were broken while getting petrol, and in this moment I was so glad for the warning, but in an unexpected way. When trying to enter the park, you pay a fee upon first entry, that's valid for three days, and their card reader was broken. As he tried to fix it, a line of cars started to form behind us needing to purchase their parks pass and anxious to make it to the sunrise. He asked if he could just write my card details for later and I was so happy I had enough cash to pay for both our tickets and didn't compromise my card. We spent the whole day exploring Uluru.
Watching an Uluru sunset at their designated viewing area is a wonderful experience!
DAY FIVE:
Yulara Full Day
This time we woke up to see the sunrise at the Kata-Tjuta viewpoint, here you can still see Uluru from a distance, I think I might have liked this sunrise spot more, but the viewing platform wasn't as big (and by big, I mean that the Uluru sunrise location had multiple walking paths as well as the platform, so it felt more spread out as some people attempted to watch it from a path). My friend left this day and I continued to explore Kata-Tjuta.
DAY SIX:
Yulara Alice Springs
Upon a suggestion, I booked my stay at the Elkira Motel because it had secure parking. After four nights in a row of tent camping and months of being in hostels, this motel felt really nice! This was a really relaxed day, I wandered around a roadhouse along the way, admired the West MacDonnell Ranges. I heard good things about the nocturnal animal tour, but opted out for a pizza and game shows on the television.
DAY SEVEN:
Alice Springs Devils Marbles
I stayed at the Devil's Marbles Hotel so I had time to explore the Devils Marbles themselves. In the most simplest of explanations with no facts, the Devils Marbles are a bunch of rock formations that don't look like they should be sitting in the ways that they are, but sometimes do. Some of them are split in the middle, but somehow haven't fallen over. The driving distance wasn't too bad, and the trails are more of a wander than an exercise, so I was able to do all the walks and then watched the sunset before returning to Devils Marbles Hotel (10 minute drive). The actual Devils Marbles has a caravan park, I believe it's first come first serve and a trust based system to pay for your stay.
DAY EIGHT:
Devils Marbles Daly Waters Pub
Daly Waters Pub is excellent, and I'm glad multiple people told me I needed to stay here. A popular pub with an outback style and many bras and shirts hanging from the rafters. The campground is first come first serve and I was warned it fills up quickly, so I ended up booking a stay in one of the pub rooms. They had live music and a goat came to jam out with the rest of us. There was also horses, donkeys, and chickens roaming around.
DAY NINE:
Daly Waters Pub Bitter Springs Campground
I really liked my stay at Bitter Springs Campground. It was a first come first server campground, I arrived at around 12:30pm and there was a good amount of nonpowered campsites still open for my tent, as the day went on, it did fill up. I first went to Mataranka Thermal Pools for a soak, then made my way to Bitter Springs, for a lazy river type of soak. Both were fun, both were thermal, still they were slightly different and both deserve to be visited.
DAY TEN:
Bitter Springs Campground Litchfield National Park
I originally was going to tent again, but by the time I arrived in Batchelor (the closest town to the NP) I was so overheated that I didn't think that a tent in shade was going to cool me down. I splurged for a room at the Banyan Tree Resort, and it was so cute! The outdooindoor barestaurant was great atmosphere. I only had time to swim in Florence Falls within the park and it was so relaxing, you swim in this swimming hole with two waterfalls, people climb the rocks and jump off. I think I went into zen mode, it was so peaceful even with other people jumping around (I wish I had more time for Litchfield).
DAY ELEVEN:
Litchfield National Park Darwin (drop off)
Not much to say here. I woke up and drove an hour to Darwin to drop off the car.

The Fall Least Unexpected
Camp Wapiti was the most competitive summer-camp on the western border of the Allegheny Mountains, titular for the raving children’s testimonies by the end of the season. An influx of young campers had signed up this year to roost in forests of Red Spruce and Eastern Hemlock. The camp had reportedly gone through a series of expansion, including state-of-the-art “lodging enclaves” and an Olympic-sized swimming pool; at least according to the Wapiti parent Facebook Group. Rah-rah Elks!

A slew of bus rentals carries the kids to the gates of the 150-acre property, summer reveries already taking effect on everyone - from the bus drivers to the happy campers. The counselors had done a splendid job in garbing under the theme of Swan Lake, tinges of pastel pink and candlelight establishing the camp’s timbre; all awaited returning and new faces alike.

Once they reached, a horde of children spilled out from vehicles from all directions. The season had started.

“Welcome to Camp Wapiti our future outdoorsmen and adventurers! Plenty of secrets and fun await you this year - but first some rules…” bellowed Hailey Clifton, head counselor of the ensemble and youngest chick among the staff. The other counselors rolled their eyes during Hailey’s yearly pitch about showing a high level of care towards the surrounding wilderness and carrying the Happy Camper’s Guide to Nature: Dynamite Deciduous at all times. Many of the children began fidgeting, a crowd of creepy-crawlers wiggling underneath the heat vortex and swarm of mosquitos.

Finally, a cool breeze could be felt as Hailey finished off, invigorating everybody’s spirits once again. Campers and counselors drifted off into their own respective circles, reuniting with old friends and meeting new ones, breathing life and community into the grounds. Already burnt bodies sticky from chlorine and Sun-Bum were packed like sardine and people of all ages hollered from the tree-tops.

The first afternoon and night had been a success in every sense of the word. Residents were comatose within their cabins before 10 pm, in anticipation for a day at Lake Dimii in the morning. Somebody was dreaming of the unmarred lake and its magical properties according to the Iroquois, at any given moment during the night.

Come morning, camp was bustling with movement in every corner. Louie, an independent, fire-cracker 11-year-old from Brooklyn led a large pack of his well-rested peers to the lake. The other kids couldn’t help but look up to Louie, who was often disinterested in the bull of the others, but who was also the first person someone would ask for help in messing with the counselors or sneaking into the girl’s dorm at night. The children sang Wapiti’s jingle on their trek:

We are the happy herd of elks
Roaming through the fields with stealth!
On our crow’s nest seat,
We are the Camp Wapiti fleet!

The children’s chants could be heard reverberating through the wood, like a canyon wall is to singing birds. The menagerie cannonballed into the lake from all perimeters, the counselors struggling to keep up. But the day swelled with happiness as the surroundings looked effervescent within the sunlight, everything appeared to be cast underneath a yellow, sparkly film. After head-check, Hailey could finally record the potpourri of foreign flowers in her scrapbook.

Michel Barre and his two most loyal pals, Barnett and Sal, were camped away from the others, scoffing at the troupe of wildlings swimming in the waters. Michel, son of hot-shot French socialites, had moved to the North-East just two years ago, and still couldn’t wrap his mind around the hobbies and traditions of American kids his age; especially the dreaded capture the flag. The counselors had attempted to urge the three to join the others in the water, coaxing them with extra pie during dessert, but with no luck.

Traditionally, the first few days of camp were a hedonistic blur with no planned activities or events. Counselors encouraged to introduce themselves with one another and become comfortable with their bunk-mates especially. After a blistering day in the heat at Dimii, the whole lot was absolutely worn-out and immediately returned to their quarters following a hearty meal of chicken fried steak and apple pie fritters. Another day of sunshine and splashing around in the surf awaited everybody tomorrow, with a round of softball and soft serve afterwards. Even Michel felt a knot of excitement grow in his stomach.

Yet at half-past three in the morning, just two remained awake. As the moon’s image was reflected upon the lake’s surface while the others peacefully slept, Michel had been awoken and dragged by his feet out of his bed, across floorboards punctuated with nails, and out into the night. He was dragged for what seemed like hours. Across the gravel, dirt, and bushes, his skin was battered, and his limbs mangled. He contained no mental or physical capacity to identify who on God’s Earth was forcing him through his misery.

After a while, Michel could discern a certain atmospheric change - the air had felt more serene - what could only be Lake Dimii.

SWIM AT YOUR OWN RISK “NO LIFEGUARD”

• Read a wasted sign, torn at its hinges.

“Please, I'm so sorry for whatever I did - please don’t-” Michel’s captor continued on to the edge of the lake and held him there, his face inundated like a trembling leaf caught in a storm. Michel didn’t know how to swim and tried to remember what his camping guide said about situations like this, but his mind went blank, and his lungs burned.

A passerby would be able to make out the two figures easily, even though the humid mist: One submerged and one forcing its grasp on the nape of the other’s neck, calmly watching. Michel was so incapacitated he wasn’t even aware that he was being forcibly held - he only regretted refusing to take swimming lessons as a child. And now his despairing amount of weakness against the dark waters was apparent. He thrashed about like a wild animal, a trail of bubbles circling his head. Gasps and sunken murmurs were the only sounds that could be heard on the lakeside at this hour.

And the other continued to watch, looking almost disinterested in the slump of his shoulders and the swaying of his feet. The moon still stubbornly shone, indiscriminate in its gleam, illuminating the other boy’s poor, sinking body. The scene was now still - a sharp contrast from a mere 8 hours ago.

The one on the bank turned to leave for the campgrounds, whistling a familiar tune.
The amount of time it takes to notice a person is missing is usually longer than one would think. In the case of Michel Barre, it took nearly 2 hours after the inhabitants of Wapiti rose. Barnett and Sal eventually realized that Michel was nowhere to be found and alerted Hailey before they were blamed for something they didn’t do. All campers were to report back to their bunks immediately for the rest of the day and stay there till instructed otherwise. A wave of confusion and frustration hit the camp – and rumors quickly spread like a nasty bout of lice.

According to the older kids, Barnett and Sal were messing around with Michel in the woods and left him there for inexplicable reasons. Others believed that Michel’s mega-loaded parents airlifted him out of the woods after just a few hours sleeping in the itchy twin sheets.

Meanwhile, in the counselor’s lodge, absolute pandemonium had settled alongside the cabin’s perpetual dust. These ‘designated adults’ were not adults at all, but hormonal, dewy-eyed teenagers who had been looking forward to an unsupervised summer. None of them were prepared for a situation like this.

“How on Earth will we ever explain this to Michel’s parents? The poor boy - he is probably wounded in the middle of the forest somewhere. Who knows, he could already be dead right now,” cried Hailey. The others stared at her blankly, not knowing what to say in response.

Javon Scott, who was only there for the massive paycheck that would hit his bank account at the end of the summer, couldn’t stop concentrating on Hailey's strawberry-blond curls. They smelled like apples.

“Hailey’s right, guys. Michel’s probably dead somewhere in a ditch. Shit, I can’t handle this right now, I need to smoke,” said Javon. He couldn’t keep his legs from bouncing, even with two hands on his thighs. Hailey let out a dry sob.

“You’ve been smoking too much Javon. The kid is probably fine, he couldn’t have made it that far into the woods,” chimed in someone from the back. A few other counselors murmured in agreement.

“We can’t bank on that. We have to tell Michel’s parents and call the authorities,” said Hailey. Javon aggressively nodded his head - the only one out of the bunch to agree.

“Like the cops? No way, I like this gig and my parents would murder me. Let’s all just split up and try to find him first,” said Bryce, one of the older counselors, a local town bum. There seemed to be a consensus already made at that point and all of Hailey's lamentations were paid any further attention.

The teens decided on rounding up the campers towards the center of the ground for the remainder of the day and to keep guard for God-knows-what, while the rest divvied up the surrounding woods in sections to search for the missing boy. Seemingly overnight, Camp Wapiti had transformed into a dire place – a canvas of frantic people and an obscure disappearance coloring the air.
Hailey had volunteered to scale the one of many huge rocks overlooking the eastern corner of the camp, a citadel over the surrounding area. Javon had offered to accompany Hailey, but everyone agreed it would be best if he stayed out at camp and watched over the fidgety kids. Javon grumbled about his role, because the last thing he wanted to do was spend the rest of the day with the snotty-sits, but he was sorely outnumbered. Besides, Hailey wanted to be alone.

The rock sat among the treetops, overlooking miles beyond the peripheries of the camp in each direction. It was a hot spot for late-night hookups, summertime dares, and sunrise viewings. Some of the graffiti that marked the base of the rock was almost two generations old.

It took a good 20 minutes for Hailey to reach the peak. Once she did, she was taken aback at the unstable illusion that was presented - the forest and vegetation seemed to have no end, swallowing all the land in its vastness. She shuddered to think where Michel could be within the thickets, as there was no way she could make out a 9-year-old from this vantage point. Her day had been spent in vain.

She plopped down at the edge of the overlook and began to burst into fitful tears. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how scared Michel was. Her stomach felt like a bowling ball. She decided that she would immediately contact the Allegheny preservative police and Michel’s parents before telling the others. She took in the horizon for a few months, ablaze in a deep mandarin, before heading back to Wapiti.

Except, someone had been watching her and her lovely head full of curls for a while now. It was a quite pleasant evening, and a single sight was more like a shout in the dead silence. And so, when Hailey could hear the heavy breathing of someone behind her, she chose not to stir.

“I know that’s you Javon. Look, I don’t have the time for this right now,” said Hailey, sniffling into her hands. Only silence followed and the breathing now ceased. Hailey looked over her shoulders and saw only rock. She felt as if she were becoming progressively crazier as the day went on.

Hailey turned back to stare at the view. And as she tumbled down the face of the cliff - from a single push or a gust of wind, no one would be able to tell - her last thoughts were of Michel’s ill-fated end instead of hers and how beautiful the sea of green looked when falling. Down, down she went, impaled upon the serrated end of a branch. Dark, gelatinous fluid sprayed from where she was impaled. She writhed in agony for thirty long minutes before her organs failed from the fatal amount of blood that was lost to the forest dirt.
By 10 pm, all of the inhabitants were united, and unlike this morning, there was a noticeable absence in the atmosphere. With the chief counselor nowhere to be found, the modus operandi of the camp had been altered. Campers were ordered to stay in their cabins and to not leave under any circumstances. Most of the counselors themselves hunkered in their bunks, too exhausted to search for yet another missing person or were a little paranoid themselves. Besides, Hailey probably bailed on the rest of them to avoid being complicit in anything that anything might have happened to Michel.

Still, a few agreed it was best to search the immediate vicinity at least once more, including Javon, who hadn’t felt this terrible since his parent’s divorce.

The crag wasn’t too far from the camp and so when five odd teenagers stumbled upon the grisly sight that was the remains of their fellow counselor – with what the forest scavengers had made of the relatively fresh carcass anyways - a wave of nausea and hysteria hit the group. Two immediately ran straight backwards towards the lodges, escaping into the night.

Javon stood within the fetid odor of the body, unable to take his eyes off the ravage in front of him. Tears silently raced down his cheek. The Allegheny Mountains had turned into an inescapable hellscape paradox.

The remaining counselors turned to wake and alert the others, concluding that the only possible explanation was that Hailey had tumbled from a rock. Javon contested this theory, adamant foul play was involved, but like always, he was ignored. Hailey’s body was left alone, and Camp Wapiti was bustling in panic for the second time that day, except everyone knew what had happened to Hailey. And now with the bus rentals back already less than 96 hours, followed by a parade of police forces, the warmth of the season had disappeared just as quickly it had come.

There simply weren’t enough buses available to transport the entire camp’s population in one batch, especially considering the time of night. The kids were priority and were bused off the premises as soon as possible, except for around two dozen. The police rounded everyone else - which included all the counselors – into the canteen, dead-center of the campsite.

By 6 AM, Javon had become sick of his environment and everyone in it. No one had been able to sleep the whole night except the police, who were used to sleeping in their patrol cars. A distinct tenor could be felt in the canteen, not a soul felt safe during those 9 dreadful hours.

Louie – the Brooklyn boy – entertained some of the other kids by reciting gruesome renditions of what could have happened to Michel and Hailey. The kids took morbid interest, looking over their shoulders for the monsters in Louie’s reenactments. A detailed sketch had been made of the killer. The kids described him as like the silent Northern Saw-Whet Owl, camouflaging within the dark envelope of the forest.

Javon snuck off into the sunrise to go smoke a joint in the hammock park behind the canteen, in plain view of the swarm of knocked-out cops. His nerves were in desperate need of soothing and he didn’t need to think twice about using the only medicine at hand.

The sunrise was dim and sullen, casting its gray halo throughout the sky. The hammock swayed slightly from the cool morning breeze and Javon was starting to get a little sick. Images of Hailey had been burned into his subconscious and he wondered how he would ever be able to sleep again. Well, not sober at least.

Javon could care less about the “owl” killer if he were staring at the end of its barrel, he just needed to forget about this place. This was the first time he had regretted not filling out college application forms, because now, he couldn’t escape this town even if he tried.

As he continued to ruminate in his limited prospects, he saw a shadow flit from the corner of his eye. He jolted awake from his existential morning thoughts.

It was a rather small shadow, one that emerged like a premature lightning strike. The figure disappeared into the woods – seemingly spawning from the direction of the cabins. Snuffing his joint, Javon waltzed in the shadow’s path, determined to not let the sly thing get away. The police were starting to stir. Javon dashed into the thicket’s cover.

While the figure had been in full sprint before, Javon had caught up to it within a couple of minutes. From behind a tree, looking onto an unobstructed clearing, there was the silhouette, his back facing Javon.

It was a boy. A shirtless boy. Quiet and unmoving. But Javon could easily recognize the person’s gait – strangely self-assured for just an 11-year-old. No doubt it was Louie, unruly, scraped and bruised, swaggering within late dawn’s mist. Javon observed quietly for a few moments, watching the boy sit in silence in the grass.

Louie knew someone was watching him. Besides, he had been on the other side – the one who was hunting the unsuspecting so many times that his instincts were deceivingly sharp. Louie turned his head around slowly, catching Javon’s direct line of vision and holding it. Javon froze under Louie’s blank expression towards him.

Slowly, Louie made his way towards Javon, carefully maintaining eye contact. Javon was almost in some sort of trance and had been. rendered immobile. Louie started to quicken his pace, opening his mouth to say something before Javon snapped out of his terrifying reverie.

Javon’s paranoia was through the roof, fueled by all that weed he consumed on an empty stomach. He ran towards the cabin for dear life to warn the others, convinced of Louie’s hand in evil. Something about Louie’s vacant eyes, devoid of emotion and almost-artificial like, sent Javon reeling for shelter from that empty expression. Even Hailey’s lifeless face exhibited more human-ness.

He finally had enough courage to look behind him when in view of the canteen, only to be met with a silent wood. Nevertheless, he continued to run, right outside to the main grounds, running right smack into the punchy gut of a cop.

“Do you think you can tell me what you are doing out here, hm,” asked the man in faded blue. Javon relayed his morning, leaving out extraneous details. But what he said fell upon empty ears and a boisterous laugh!

“Hmph, you kids sure aren’t meant to be out here as counselors. Clueless, all of you.”

But the police soon realized that Javon was telling the cold truth. Louie was thought to be on the busses, but the police received word that the boy was nowhere to be found in the vehicles. A small search-party was sent into the woods, but there wasn’t a single trace of an 11-year-old to be found. Only a lumbering 21-year-old, who took embarrassingly long strides.
Louie and his belongings had dematerialized along with warm winds of summer.

As the rest of the kids and counselors were sent away through a second round of buses, Javon looked longingly at the shrinking campgrounds from the back window.

On our crow’s nest seat,
We are the Camp Wapiti fleet!

Javon dreamt of distant heights and killer elks for months after the incidents.

Long story, fake names, excuse formatting I'm on mobile
I (43nb) moved in with my polyamorous nesting partner, Estelle (36mtf) in 2012, years before she started to transition. I was suffering from EXTREME (read suicid@l) autistic burnout, and it is no exaggeration to say Estelle saved my life twice over. One, she got me out of a truly unhealthy living situation, and two, she was okay with me not working. Over the next decade I was able to address my burnout and build a life I was excited about, thanks to Estelle's support. I, in turn, did laundry, dishes, most of the shopping and cooking, took care of her when she was very grossly sick, and acted as power of attorney for her to buy a house. We cuddled and watched our nerdy shows together, moved three times before buying the house, and made future plans together.
Basically, I thought we were happy.
Before anyone asks why we never got married, I'll mention that my mother has had a string of husbands throughout my life (I didn't even meet my biological father until I was 14), so marriage doesn't feel like something worth investing in. I bowed to familial pressure and got married at nineteen (they couldn't abide me "living in sin") to a man who isolated and abused me for seven years before I found a way out.
Other relationships have come and gone, but Estelle and I always felt solid. Safe.
Two years ago I finally got into therapy and applied for SSDI. A few months later Estelle's girlfriend, Emily, who is also in the process of transitioning, moved in. The two of them share a room, I'm in my own (by my suggestion, as Estelle and I have incompatible sleeping habits). Estelle works from home and her office is right across the hall from their bedroom, and after a few months I realized that days or even weeks were going by where Estelle didn't so much as glance in my direction, though Emily was (and is) very communicative and friendly.
Then Estelle lost her job.
Pertinent sidenote: Estelle was raised in a financially stable household, has never faced any kind of food or housing insecurity, and has been an extremely high earner since being recruited by Microsoft as a teenager. I, on the other hand, am the quintessential overlooked middle child from a welfare family. There were stretches where I had to sleep on the bare floor, and I spent some time on the streets to get away from the abuse and neglect at home.
This is going to sound arrogant, but I assure you I'm being objective when I say that Estelle would not have found herself without my influence in her life. When we met, she was very stuck in her egg and living life on autopilot. I singlehandedly introduced her to polaymory and the queer community which led her to recognize her trans identity.
I mention this because I know, as an afab enby, I cannot relate to a lot of what Estelle is going through, but I offer her any and all support I'm able. But this is a kindness she does not afford me.
When she lost her job, she asked me to cut down on my cannabis consumption. I switched from going through a $240 ounce every four weeks (a price she'd once laughingly dismissed when I offered to go cheap) to $180 ounce every five weeks. That wasn't good enough. Note that Estelle and unemployed Emily never stopped shopping at Lush or Uniqlo, going on their weekly date nights, and this is after Estelle took out a loan to buy Emily a car. Luckily my family (Aunt, Uncle, Mom, sister) were in a position to help, and they started sending me money.
Estelle also started going to Emily for groceries instead of me, and I was rarely included. I applied for SNAP, but while waiting I ran out of food. Went 24 hours without eating, which made me hyperemetic. After three days of being unable to keep even water down, my doctor told me to call 911.
I was in the ER for ten hours. Estelle messaged me about ninety minutes in, wondering if I needed her to come. I said I didn't know how long I'd be there and wasn't sure it'd be worth the trip for her. She replied "k" and that was it.
Two days later, I get the first notice that Estelle is traveling internationally to visit more of her polycule as she's rolling her suitcase to the door. While she's out of town, my beloved cat died. I inform Estelle and Emily in the family chat, and Estelle only says "oh fu¢k, this really hit me..."
It's been nearly three months since the ER, and Estelle hasn't offered a single shred of comfort, commiseration, or even acknowledgment of that or the loss of my cat. When I ask her why she's not talking to me, she says she's stressed and doesn't want to burden me.
Like I've never been there for her when she's stressed /s.
So I can accept that she's not into me anymore. It's just the fact that she's chosen to basically ghost me while we're sharing a roof that has me swallowing a world of resentment. Then I feel guilty for resenting someone who saved my life, took better care of me than my own parents, and has never abused me.
I'm currently waiting for my SSDI appeal hearing in late July, and when (I'm manifesting so I refuse to use a conditional) I get approved I'll be looking at buying an RV and moving out ASAFP. But right now, my temper and shame are eating me alive. I want to hit-- myself, something, anything-- and I'm deeply ashamed of my violent impulses, but they also feel totally justified.

I’m looking in to RV living but I live in Nebraska. Is there anyone here who can give me advice on how to start? I’m near Lincoln. Are there any campgrounds or lakes that will let you live there full time? If so, what’s the price and how do you like it?
Thanks in advance! 😊