Ch.7 - OH HI OW : The Burnthday
Next on the sisters’ great American road trip: Ohio! More specifically, the Kokosing River Valley. At check-in, upon spotting their Texas plates, the owner of the campground questioned “Now, what brought you way out here?!” This seemed to confirm that they were, indeed, in the middle of nowhere. But, sometimes ‘nowhere’ is exactly where one needs to be.
The quiet campground boasted more animal sightings than humans. Jasper kept a keen eye out the window, poised to alert us to any furry or feathered intruders. They ran (or walked) along (or in) the river and settled happily into their routine of working, maintenancing, and living the RV dream.
In the midst of their stay, they also celebrated Rinni’s Birthday! She woke up to waffles and a pile of birthday presents in the rig (where had Rosie been hiding these?!). The highlight was a gorgeous new hatchet! Kindling (and burglars) beware!
Rosie and Rinni celebrated the occasion at the campground’s “driving range”. Basically, this involved smacking a bucket of golf balls into a pond, aiming at a silver canoe floating in the middle. They toasted with beer in a plastic champagne flute and rang in the next chapter of Rinni’s life! The only thing missing was a birthday cake. But how to make one with out an oven…?
Never fear! Rosie hollowed out oranges, filled them with funfetti cake mix, added a square of chocolate for good measure, wrapped them in tin foil, and chucked them into the campfire. The result was absolutely delicious!
The next day Rinni poured herself a cup of tea, grabbed a slice of leftover birthday cake and popped out the front door to enjoy her breakfast in the fresh morning air. Or… so she thought. Instead, she fumbled the cake, and in the act of trying to recover it, ended up pouring boiling water down her leg. YOWZZA! Their neighbors noticed Rinni’s burn, and tasked their children to go forth to the river bank and collect medicinal herbs and plants in order apply to the wound. While our traveler’s appreciated the Amish remedy, they also got a prescription for burn cream from an online physician. (Aid can come from so many sources these days!) Rinni rested in the RV, and Rosie adventured out… she even met someone walking their pet fox!
Another set of campers told Rosie and Rinni the recipe for fire pizza paninis and even gifted them all the ingredients, loaned the necessary equipment, and dropped off a stash of firewood on their way home. Perhaps it was birthday luck, but Ohio seems to have some of the friendliest people around.
What’s in store for Rosie and Rinni? Who or what will they meet next on the road? Find out next week!
