Camping has always been a passion of mine. As a kid, sleeping on the ground inside a canvas tent was nothing short of heaven. As a young adult, I bought a tent trailer and towed it behind my old Toyota pickup.
It's the summer of 2000, and I'm now 40 years old and that thrill is still there for me. I'm now the owner of a 24 ft. travel trailer, and I keep it parked at the Rolling Hills Campground for a nominal yearly fee.
Each time I visit, they set it up for me at one of the available campsites. The owners, Jill and Joseph Vickers, have been friends with my parents for many years.
The campground is 50 miles east of my home in Southern California and about 3000 feet above the elevation of my home. My parents also frequently went there until they retired 5 years ago and moved to Idaho.
I, Vic Compton, remained since I'm a high school history teacher and football referee on Fridays between late September to Mid-November each year for the past 15 years in Orange County, California.
The rest of the weekends each year are almost always at Rolling Hills.
It's not an obsession with camping that motivates me. It's the quiet time. Time to reflect. A time to clear my head.
I stay busy during the week. I dedicate my time for my students. When I leave to camp, I do my best to wipe out any thoughts of work, students, grades, etc.
I live a modest lifestyle. I live in a simple two bedroom condo that I bought 10 years ago. 5 more years and I own it outright.
My truck is also 10 years old and runs great. There's no need to trade up.
Even while camping, I keep things as simple as possible. Although I'm capable of making nice meals, I usually eat cold breakfasts and lunches then cook something uncomplicated like hamburger, hot dogs, or chicken on my portable grill for dinner. I will, on occasion, throw a nice steak or two on the grill and as well as some grilled corn on the cob.
I'm divorced with no children. Although I love children, I'm glad that I didn't have any with my wife, Abigail. Her serial philandering and lying left me with no choice but to leave. I tolerated too much of her nonsense and that's my fault.
She never had a desire to divorce and even offered me the unobstructed opportunity to do the same. In fact, she had a friend that was very willing to make that happen for me.
I took her up on that offer. Her friend, Vivian, was a moderately attractive blonde that enjoyed sex. I enjoyed her a few times before realizing that this wasn't what I wanted in a marriage. When I chose to leave Abigail, Vivian also decided that I wasn't the lover for her anymore. I'm sure Abigail had some influence on her since my times with Vivian were always pleasant and drama-free.
I'd had a couple other girlfriends before the summer of 2000. Neither lasted long, although I did enjoy the sex with them during our brief times together.
Both girlfriends seemed too quick to want to settle down and get married. I've never had a problem being exclusive to one girl, but to make such a commitment such as marriage after less than two months scared me. One divorce was one too many.
My campsite was ready on that second Friday afternoon in June. I would spend the next two weekends there while going back to the empty school to finish out my contracted time with the district.
After that, I'd return to my camp and spend the next six weeks there.
There was a small mom and pop grocery store about 30 minutes down the road from the campsite. They had a great meat section and summer was the one time of the year when I'd buy some fancier cuts of steak for dinner as well as some top-quality bacon and sausages for breakfast. I needed about two trips per week since the refrigerator in the trailer was limited for space.
One of my favorite things to do was to sit under my canopy and read. Often, I'd slump and take a short nap in the middle of my reading. I also had a 19 inch TV that plugged into the available cable that the campsite offered. Hooking up a VHS player and watching movies or catching some over-the-air programming was another way for me to relax.
Although I knew some of my fellow campers, I wasn't close friends with any of them. In fact, I only knew some by their faces. This campground, in particular, wasn't too well-known by most people. I had attended a couple of karaoke nights and Bingo nights at the clubhouse, but usually stayed at my trailer and enjoyed that time alone.
Rolling Hills didn't advertise at all. Every weekend they were either full or near full capacity based on word-of-mouth advertising.
Mr. and Mrs. Vickers always knew my schedule and would make sure a spot was reserved for me. They would charge my credit card in advance, set up my trailer, and all I had to do was pull up to my assigned spot and spend about 10 minutes unloading a small amount of goods from my truck.
The Vickers took great care of their guests. There weren't too many amenities other than three individual unisex showers and separate bathrooms for men and women. They had added cable 3 years ago. They had a small store for the most basic items like milk, bread, matches, charcoal, propane, etc. The larger store down the road would be for any other grocery items.
My stay began like any other weekend. Unpack and unwind. Then a fellow camper across from my trailer walked toward me.
I was stretched on my chaise lounger with a book in my hand, but I wasn't reading. I had closed my eyes for a short nap when I heard a female voice come behind me.
"Sir, I'm sorry to bother you, but would you by chance have some matches or a lighter I could borrow?"
I looked up to see a tall, dark-haired girl in her early to mid-30s, so I guessed, with a sweet smile and a voice to match.
"I forgot to bring some with me, and the campground store ran out until tomorrow."
She was trying to light her charcoal grill and my small outdoor grill was propane powered. Fortunately, I always kept a portable long-stemmed lighter in my drawer. Sometimes I felt like building a fire in the cooler weather and enjoying its warmth rather than the heater inside my trailer.
"Sure, let me go inside. I think I can help," I replied quickly.
A few seconds later I had retrieved the lighter and handed it to her.
"How long are you staying?" I asked.
"Until Sunday afternoon. I have to work Monday."
"Well, keep it until you leave. I don't anticipate needing it and if I do, I'm sure I can get it back. By the way, where are you camping?"
"Right across the way from you. That little tent trailer that needs some attention," she said smiling. "I don't care what it looks like, It has a table and a bed and that's all I need."
"Same here," I answered. "Got this thing of mine used, but it serves its purpose. I get away and it has a bed, a sink, and a table. I never use its shower. I just use the bigger one provided by the park. Or..."
I stopped myself from saying more. I knew the park so well and I also knew of a trail along the lake that had a narrow inlet into a private cove. Only a few knew of its existence. I could always go there and take a quick bath with no need to wear anything.
"Or what?" she asked.
