Emotional whiplash at Lums Pond State Park

Continued from The big haul

After a 10-hour drive day to get out of New England, we arrived to Lums Pond State Park in Bear, DE, a familiar favorite campground that's one of our go-to destinations on launch days.

This was different than a launch day, though, for lots of reasons. We weren't embarking on a new RV adventure. We were in the middle of a big "moving" trip, hauling tons of our stuff from NH and MA down to our new cottage in Myrtle Beach. It wasn't winter like our typical launch days. It was the middle of summer, and we didn't know what energy to expect from the state park in peak season. Our launch day drives typically take us 8 hours tops, not 10, but this drive had lots more traffic, due to increased construction and weekend travelers. Thankfully, a summer drive also meant the sun wasn't setting until an hour after we arrived, and we promised ourselves we'd take advantage with a hike along the pond.

When we stay at Lums in winter, the sites at the back of the outer campground loop turn into "water view" sites because the trees are bare. In the summer, the foliage is full and lush. We could just barely see tiny peeps of the pond behind our campsite.

Our dusk hike wasn't just to stretch our legs, though that was very important after our long drive. I had made a pact with myself to soak up as much of the park's energy during our one night there. We call it the "welcome gift from Lums," where whenever we stop here on a launch day, it reminds us why we love RV camping. We typically arrive after weeks of stationary time at our home-base, and we need to get re-acclimated to having neighbors nearby and sharing communal facilities. But one campground walk, breathing in the smells of campfires and greeting the neighbors, is all it takes. Lums welcomes us back to camping with open arms.

We expected the summer energy to be more sprightly, and sure, the campground had more occupied sites and more people outside, but the vibe was still relaxed and inviting. As soon as we pulled up to our campsite, we got a warm greeting from a couple walking their dogs. Then on our hike, a father and son on their bikes passed by, and the dad complimented Tanner on being "well-behaved and beautiful" because he got off to the side of the trail and waited for them to pass. Yeah, Tanner's a pro.

When I booked the reservation, the state park website alerted me that construction was happening at the campground because they were building new cabins. We thought this might only impact us if there was some construction noise before we left the next morning, but it turns out, the part of the trail we usually take was closed, because it goes right behind the cabins.

This forced us in the other direction, where we had fewer pond views, but where it lacks in pond, it makes up for in forest. In the winter it's fine, but in summer, it was stunning! All the greenery glowed in the setting sun, and a bunch of fireflies started emerging. The whole woods smelled incredible. We heard tons of birds, most notably wood thrushes and cardinals. It was exactly what I needed, to take in the park with all 5 senses, and to be truly present in the moment.

Despite the closure, we did still get a pond view, at the small pier at the start of the trail. Evidently in summer, there are turtles swimming everywhere! Mama turtles with their babies. Turtles diving underwater and then bubbling up to the surface. Turtles swimming under the pier. It was official; Lums brings gifts in any season.

Also, for the record, the construction seems to be going great, but they might want to say what they're really doing, because "building cabins" is an understatement. These things are like camping mansions! Before, this area housed yurts, and I thought those were cool. These are an uplevel like I've never seen! I bet they're going to be spectacular. Someday I'll need to see what their nightly rates are, because this ain't your typical log cabin!

As we walked, we reminisced about our favorite experiences at Lums. In Season 2, we had a scary drive out of NY and immediately learned that Lums would calm our nerves. I got my favorite photos of the pond that stay. In Season 3, we celebrated our RVersary there. A bunch of kids had decided to make beaded bracelets for the other campers, which was very cute. In Season 4, we had a snow day there, and we also witnessed the largest flock of geese we've ever seen, flying over the pond. It didn't matter that the snow led to a sketchy departure the next day, or that our Season 3 RVersary involved us trying to reattach our fresh tank bracket. When RV life was good, it was just good. That doesn't mean only good things happened. It meant that the problems stung a little less. That's what we were missing this year. RV life wasn't voluntary anymore, and so the problems stung hard.

That made us think about our situation now. We got off the road. Does that mean RV life was voluntary again? This trip wasn't an accurate gauge because we had a lot of pressure to get a lot done, but now that the hard part was over, maybe we could reframe our perspective. What would it be like to just camp on a normal trip, one where we can prioritize fun and adventure, and we know that if things go awry, we have a home? No pressure to continue living in the RV. No pressure to travel when we don't want. The thought was refreshing.

It was kind of trippy to think back on our years visiting Lums. Whenever we returned, we were slightly different people in a slightly different stage of life. In Season 2, we were entering peak travel mode. We had almost a year of travel under our belts and planned an epic cross-country adventure so we could RV the west for the first time. In Season 3, we had really hit our stride, launching out of MA before New Year's for the second year in a row and feeling great about our new tradition to hit Lums right around the turn of the year. Then in Season 4, we had a delayed launch, and Lums was our first campground without our cat Lily. We were deep in grief, but Lums provided the comfort it always has. Now, we returned after many big life changes, but Lums remained steadfast.

I went to bed that night feeling accomplished. I did exactly what I set out to do, which was to truly enjoy my brief time at this beloved campground. I stayed mindfully present in the moment, before taking time to reflect on the memories made here. I felt hopeful for the future of our life as RVers. Lums assured us that, someday, we'll find enjoyment in this life again. We just need the dust to settle. Lulled by the sound of the crickets outside, I drifted into a peaceful sleep.

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The storm came out of nowhere. No rain was predicted all night, and suddenly, the thunder was so loud it woke everyone up and scared the cats into their hiding spots.

We had to just hope that it would pass over us quickly, because if the heavy rain started, we'd have bigger issues than just scary thunder. We had been battling roof leaks all year, but recently, they had gotten much worse. So much worse that we really couldn't call them leaks anymore. They were more like faucets at this point. But they only happened during heavy downpours, when enough rain pools on the roof in a short span of time. The forecast was saying the rain might get heavy, but we held out hope. Only then...

It was like the storm stalled on top of us. Our whole trailer got drenched. We sprang up out of bed and scrambled to lay towels on the floor and get buckets out of the cabinets. There was nothing left to do but wait it out.

The storm was a harsh reminder that, while we may have regained our agency, nature always has more. When I said I wanted to soak in Lums Pond State Park, this wasn't what I meant! We can't shape our RV lives yet. We still have far too many issues! I stood in the doorway, watching the water cascade from the ceiling, and I wondered about the next day. We were headed to Lake Fairfax Park west of DC, and it was the one reservation that had me nervous. We had booked a site from Monday to Wednesday, and Tuesday's weather was looking menacing. When I planned this stay, I was concerned that we might need a tornado action plan or that we'd encounter high winds. I wasn't even thinking about the rain! The rain could be the worst of all. We'd have more ceiling faucets. Every time it leaks, we risk more damage inside the RV. Thankfully it's all-aluminum so we don't need to worry about rot as much, but we have vinyl flooring, ducts, and electric wiring. And our stuff...we had so much extra stuff packed in the RV, now all at risk of getting soaked.

Everything shifted so quickly. We went to bed with high hopes of enjoying the RV life again, and just hours later, had a literal wakeup call. We needed to figure out how to skirt the storms and get ourselves back home as soon as possible.

To be continued.