Camp Rainy-Mucka: Montgomery Bell

One of my favorite places to camp.  Just east of Dickson, Tn. and about 2 hours from our house in Jackson.  Large campground, quaint stream, great Inn / Lodge, outstanding golf course and a shrine to the birthplace of the Cumberland Presbyterian church.

Brownie and I arrived Thu, 4/30.  Off the chart thunderstorm, not sure I’ve been in one worse.  Janet arrived Friday around noon.  The stream was rising quite rapidly, so we changed to a different campsite.

Had planned to write about the variety of camping arrangements, but the weather kept so many campers away there was not a lot of variety.  Montgomery Bell is within an hour of Nashville, so there it is usually very busy on weekends.  Weekends not experiencing a FLOOD!

Our family has designated several areas within the campground based on its use.

First is Las Vegas Strip.  This is a fairly long stretch of campsites through the heart of the campground.  Lots of families, kids, pets, young, old.  Always a party and plenty of camping action.  Last year someone brought a projector, hung a sheet between two trees and showed DVD’s at night.  Kind of like a homemade drive-in movie.

Next we have New York City.  First time we were there and I walked past all the RV’s parked side by side I said this is like camping in New York City. 

New York City

These campsites are very close together.  Brownie could easily jump from one drive to the next.  Unfortunately the weather kept most of the campers away.

Tear Drop and Tent

Here is a neat little trailer, kind of a retro / throwback to the 40’s.  Tear Drops are lightweight and very compact.  Just enough room to sleep and store your camping accessories. 

Our Home-Sweet-Home On the Road

Here is our rig at our 2nd campsite.  Remember the rain?  Our 1st was by the stream.  Between the rising stream and about 3 inches of water over the entire campsite an executive decision was made to find a drier place.

Campground Hosts – The Coopers

 

The Model Campsite.  A place for everything and everything in its place.  Most host families are in the park April through October.  At Montgomery Bell the Coopers collect camping fees and are very helpful and friendly to all campers.

There just were not many other campers.  May have been 5 or 6 other campsites occupied.

How Wet Was It?

OK, the picture is not real clear, but those are extra boards that can be placed under the camper wheels to assist in the leveling process.  We used them to keep from wading water when it was raining really hard.

Reminded me of the boards at Grandma Strawn’s place in the country.  She did not have an indoor toilet and when it rained she had boards that led to the outhouse.

When it rained, you kept the toilet visits to a minimum.  So I held it as long as possible hoping against hope the rain would let up.  When all hope was lost, I made the dash to the outhouse on those boards in the rain.

Problem was that Grandma Strawn had chickens.  The chickens felt it was there duty to keep every blade of grass from thinking about growing.  That means NO GRASS = ALL DIRT = ALL MUD when it rains.

Follow along as the logic progresses.  ALL MUD means the boards would slip if you even looked at them wrong.

There I was, waited as long as possible before running on those boards in the rain to the outhouse.  About halfway there the boards slip, I fall in the mud and chicken do, soil my self all the while getting drenched with rain.

Makes you appreciate indoor facilities in foul weather.

Next post will include pictures of the Cumberland Presbyterian shrine +PLUS+ what Janet and I did during all the rain.

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