The Five Senses Edition

Sight

We've enjoyed the first of our two weeks in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, at the Jim Thorpe Camping Resort. The Poconos are truly lovely, with acres of hemlock, pine, oak, and maple woods crisscrossed with rippling streams. The nearby town of Jim Thorpe is a picturesque tourist destination on the Lehigh River, with a quaint downtown of Victorian-style row houses, shops, and local history museums.

The campground itself is on a wooded hill next to Mauch ("mawk") Chunk Creek, a stocked trout-fishing stream. We were originally assigned to one of the "parking lot" sites because I had reserved online for a "35' or larger" rig, and we had been placed at a 50-amp site. It is true that we are now 35' long, with the addition of our rear hitch-mounted bike storage container, but we are only 30-amp; so when we arrived, we requested a switch to a shaded 30-amp spot. Lesson: Be thoughtful of how you answer online reservation questions, and use site maps if available and even Google Satellite View, but don't be hesitant to ask for something other than your assigned site when you arrive. And be appreciative if the management can accommodate your site change and reservation extension request, as this campground management did for us!

Trees shade most of the RV, cabin, and tent sites at Jim Thorpe Camping Resort. (All photos by author)

Campers range from families to groups of young people who stay up late and get up later, as in this cabin.

One of the tent areas during the week...

...And a tent area on the weekend.

RVs in the Seasonal area add decks, porches, and landscaping to their sites.

Another Seasonal RV.

The "parking lot" area we moved from. On the weekend, this area too was filled.

Touch

Our site is next to the campground pool, providing easy access to a refreshing dip at the end of the day. Or at the end of a bicycle ride up a steep hill returning from the town grocery store (definitely feeling those muscles!) This was our first foray into using our electric bikes to run errands. It was fairly successful - groceries packed into our backpacks, including eggs, fruit, bread, meat, milk, and Coke Zero. (I did forget to bring my mask, and Doug had to go into the store first to buy me a bandana.) On the return ride, I would have had to walk the bike up the steep road if I hadn't had the electric assist; and even with that, the motor gave out a couple of times on the last stretch. Possibly an over-lugging low-voltage issue, according to the internet.

Taste

The grocery run allowed me to get back to real cooking. I found a great method for skillet-cooking a steak (I'm not sure the broiler area of our oven would have been large enough, and, to be honest, I didn't discover until just now through a Google search that an RV oven can even be used as a broiler), and I paired it with easy instant mashed potatoes and microwavable broccoli in cheese sauce. Sitting at our dinette, eating real food off real plates, looking at a lovely view, was one of the enjoyable scenes I had imagined for this lifestyle, and it was just as I had pictured!

Hearing

Burbling trout stream.

Being away from most electronic and city noise allows for bird calls and stream burbles to be heard. Also woodpecker drumming, dogs barking at each other now and then, children playing in the pool, and occasional music (mostly Bluetooth speakers, but once a practicing violinist!)

Trout hatchery.

Smell

Stinky: Stinky smells aren't great, but they have provided helpful clues to better maintaining our rig:

• Sewer smell - Rinse the black tank using the built-in hose inlet every time you empty it. Every. Time.

• Sickly sweet smell - Empty your gray tank before driving on a hot day. A box of baking soda on the shower stall floor can help the recovery process.

• Strong musky smell - Bears have been hanging out in your area. Be aware - especially near food sources, such as dumpsters.

• Spoiled smell - Wash the melted ice cream that you forgot about out of the freezer that had to be turned off during your hotel stay. Another box of baking soda can help here as well.

Aftermath of a bear's dumpster dive the night before. Mauch Chunk means "Bear Mountain" in the indigenous Lenape language.

Fresh:

• I'm really enjoying the smells of the outdoors, from the cool green smell near a stream to the warm herb-like smell of sunny scrubland.

• Walking through the campground on a Saturday morning will remind you (as your mouth waters) that you forgot to buy bacon, dagnabit!

• I am so happy about my purchase of a bright orange custom 10' slip leash from Mendota for Hershey. It lets me walk on the trail while he walks in the leaf-litter where all the "good" smells are!

Next week: A report from our second week in the Poconos. In the meantime, may your week be lovely, refreshing, delicious, melodious, and fresh!