Ticked Off!

Woke up to a beautiful morning at Beech Fork State Park. We went for a hike around the closed section of the campground. I started closing up shop and figured to take a quick shower before heading off but when I got undressed – what’s this! A g@&$ tick on my leg! Is there anything more unnerving than finding a bloated blood sucking insect attached to your anatomy? I was totally skeeved out and needed to get the bastard off of me. I couldn’t find the little spoon like remover from the New Hampshire vet. No tweezers in the RV. I grabbed a small pair of wire cutters and used them like the notched removers to pull the disgusting pest off my flesh. I put it in a baggie and it’s little antennae we’re wiggling around so I’m guessing I got the thing off in its entirety. Yarggh, took the shower and couldn’t wash myself enough. Afterwards I went on a clean-a-thon sweeping and swiffering the floor. Probably in response to feeling soiled by the tick.

Got out of there around noon and had to pass on my scheduled visit to Hillbilly Hotdogs, maybe next time through. Drove out through the holler and made my way back to the highway and drove on to Cooper Rocks State Forest. Stopped in Morgantown for gas and to get a fill on the propane. Been using a bit to keep warm with these sub 40 nights.

I limped into the McCollom camping area in the afternoon under storm threatening skies. There were a few tenters scattered around. A group of students were being loud and obnoxious in the lower camping area. I was greeted by a couple who were camp hosting for their first day. Bob and his wife had come up from Florida to take this position not realizing they were coming into freezing weather. They had a hard core southern ranger lady giving them their training. Her accent was so thick, it was sometimes hard to understand. It is predicted to rain hard overnight and then have a snow storm tomorrow, so I pulled the handicap card and got a fully paved spot. Actually, the southern gal suggested it before I even let them know. I got set up and took Cali for a long hike in the woods. She was digging it. Super cold. It supposed to go right about freezing tonight so I’m not hooking up water.

A girl traveling solo on a Harley rode in late in the day and set up a small tent. There was another solo camper there along the back and the students, maybe a group of ten or so. We settled in and made some dinner. Went for a night time walk among the leafless trees. It was amazingly dark. I’d turn off the flashlight and we’d be absolutely blind. We made our way back to the rig and called it a night. The rain started pelting the roof like drumbeats at midnight and didn’t let up all night.