Saturday, January 29, 2011 - Drive Day to Bigfoot Horse Camp

Set the alarm for 7:00 and headed out early, as it's going to be a long drive today. We managed to get out with no problem, for which we were grateful, and headed straight to the Walmart in Lake Charles, where we did our shopping and got fuel. Afterward we detoured to the Post Office to mail a letter, though was disappointed that it was closed on Saturday. Dropped it anyway, so I wouldn't have to worry about it anymore. Stopped once at a Winn-Dixie to pick up salad mix that I forgot earlier, and to give the horses a drink. After one wrong turn that Gracie (my GPS) made me take, we were soon back in familiar territory. This was the first camp we've been back to since we left in December 2009, and it was a welcome sight. We filled up with water at the maintenance office by the Airey Tower, then drove back down to the Horse Trail and Camp. It was very crowded, which was a rare and pleasant surprise, it's been so long since we've been at a horse camp with lots of other campers. Of course, that's one of the reason we seldom arrive on Saturday, but we know this place was big enough to handle whatever crowd was here, and weren't worried. We ended up backing into a space at the far end, a place we had remembered from last time, that's close to the water (not that we'll necessarily need it), and away from the rest of the crowd. There was one guy here in a small truck nearby that looked like a homeless guy and his dog, and in fact, we seemed to recall he was here last time we were here (without a horse) back in February 2010. We set up so the horse trailer gave us a "circle the wagons" kind of privacy, but I guess that wasn't enough for the guy, he packed up and moved out. Well, it's a free country, and there's no designated camping sites, just fire rings, corrals and picnic tables scattered around. Besides, it's a HORSE CAMP, which means you should be camping with a HORSE, not taking up space when there are campgrounds elsewhere you could go without a horse. Anyway, things worked out, and we set out our highline, got settled in, satellite dish and all, in no time.