The Joy In Getting There!

Tucked away, deep in the south eastern part of Utah, outside a little settlement of homes, is "The Pine Valley Campground". Most people even nearby, don't know about this fantastic, multi campgrounds along a winding stream that empties into a peaceful fishing lake. This little lake is stocked with fish, but many campers love to hike up the streams and swear that is where the best fish are! They claim the bigger fish had made their way upstream from the years before.
We tried for many years to just drop by the campground on our way to and from vacations but had no luck in getting a campsite. We were told a number of times, we could camp at the overflow, which was around the smelly dumpsters. No electric, water, sewer, just the reeking smells from the dumpsters. We passed and even drove many hours way past sunset to find another campground.
So when we received a call that the Pine Valley Campground needed a Camp Host, we jumped at the chance. Holding our breaths because we only had about 5 weeks between the winter Camp Hosting and our Summer Camping positions. With our fingers crossed that maybe they just needed someone to clean up and open the campground for the summer, for just a few weeks. Just our luck, that is just what they needed.
We packed up and headed north on the freeway toward our next adventure. Passing the state line, going through the early morning shinning "Gorge" a few miles thru the tip of Arizona. Finally seeing the sign for Utah state line. Following the directions of our turn of the century new electronic "Navigator" and my wife's matching directions that was given to her, we finally gazed upon St. George Utah. The familiar Luminous White Steeple of the Mormon Church that has always stood out, like 3-D, against the bright red mountains. That is quite a site! My wife feels the whole state of Utah should be declared a National Park!
I turned the truck onto another highway and proceeded on our new quest, northeast.
I joked about now having 2 women telling me where to go. I could change the "Navigator" to a man's voice, but then I would have a man telling me where to go! Sure not the same. After being married as long as I have been, I am used to the woman's warm voice. Did I say that with a straight face?
The "Navigator" told me to turn onto another little road, and of course I cheched to make sure it was alright with my wife. With a nod from her, we were turning the 5th wheel and truck down the deserted road. At times the 2 voices do not agree but I know which one I am sleeping with that night, so my wife's voice always triumphs!
After quite a distance of ups and downs, around blind turns, we came over the hill where what looked to us like many little ski and large log cabins where nestled together. Tucked into the side of the mountain overlooking the little village we noticed some as big or bigger than hotels! There had to be big money in whatever they must have been doing for a living.
The "Navigator" told me to go left at the next road. I started to turn left, but noticed I was turning into a cemetery. I thought, maybe this road goes through the graveyard to our destination. But after going about 20 feet, I stopped. Telling my wife, if this road stops in the graveyard, we are going to have a huge problem trying to turn this "train" around. Our 26 foot 5th wheel trailer and an extended cab truck, we really need a lot of room for turn around. We both got our of the truck and looked around. I decided not to listen to either of my "Navigators" and back up to the road we just turned off of. Then go down to town and see where that road we were on goes. I am glad I decided to do this because we found out later, the cemetery road was not a thru road. It was a dead end in more ways than one. But the nagging electronic "Navigator" voice kept telling us to turn on that road every time we came close to it! I don't know why the electronic "Navigator" thinks this is a good way to go through the cemetery to get to the campgrounds. Maybe it was trying to tell us something but I never knew what!
I don't know if you have one of these "State of the Art" navigation systems, but I have been told they are not supposed to say certain things, that ours has. Such as "Make A U-Turn", one time it got so mad at me for getting off at the wrong exits around the San Francisco Bay Area, when I finally made it back onto the freeway it yelled "Go Straight!" Another time it would go on about not knowing where I was. I was thinking, "Well you have the satellite system to see where I am, so you should know better than I would!" Isn't that why we got it? So we don't get lost!
We decided to follow the directions my wife had, leading us through the little village. Every little bend in the village street, the "Navigator" could not resist and would tell me to go left or right but there was no street to turn on, left or right!
Toward the end of the little village we noticed a farm with the most unusual cows we had ever seen. We named them the "Oreo" cows. They were black at each end and white in the middle! I swear!
We finally found the entrance booth for the "Pine Valley Campground". Nobody around, but we found it! I pulled up the first little dirt road, so I would not be blocking the road. We got out and walked up toward some RV's up a hill overlooking the entrance booth. Finally a couple of peple noticed us and wandered over to welcome us.
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