MA: Quinebagos

Massachusetts

Quinebagos Local Chapter by Pat Kane

Our June 22-26 campout finally arrived! After several days of unseasonably cold weather, it finally looked like the Winter Island campout in Salem, MA was really going to be summer like. Everyone was scheduled to arrive on Wednesday and one by one the rigs rolled in. It is always exciting to watch to see who the next arrival will be. We were pleased to have some friends from Connecticut WIT join us. We had a total of eleven coaches in attendance. Everyone settled in and visited with each other for a while. It was a bit windy and chilly so it proved to be an early evening for all.

Thursday dawned a bit foggy but it soon lifted. Camping next to the ocean often lends itself to variable weather conditions. It is so worth it though just to see the beautiful scenery. For those who might not be familiar with Winter Island. It is a small park and camping area in Salem, MA. It is located on Salem Harbor and has its own beach and boat launch. It is not far from the downtown area which has great restaurants, museums and lots of tourist attractions involving witches and maritime history. Therefore, it is a fun place for our WIT Club to camp. Throughout the day, most folks hung around the park taking advantage of the walking paths, beach area, the entertainment of watching boats being launched, and of course eating. Others went exploring the area or did errands.

Evenings found us gathered by the fire. No surprise of course. There always seems to be an endless supply of wood to burn, stories to be told and laughs to be had! Let's add in delicious desserts. One must have seafood when on the coast so off most of us went to the Clam Shack at Salem Willows just down the road from the campground. We enjoyed fresh delicious seafood then walked around the arcade area to find, yup, you guessed it, more food! Snacks this time; popcorn and salt water taffy were the choices of the day.

Over the next couple of days, the weather turned to summer and the canopies went up to provide shade for us all. Puzzles, more like brain teasers, came out and folks tried their hand at completing various nine-piece puzzles. Sounds easy but they were brain teasers! There was success but it did not come quickly or without many failed attempts. Perseverance won out! On Saturday we were treated to bagels and toppings by our campout hosts the Paciulli’s. Thanks to them for providing a great weekend for us to enjoy. There were return trips to "the Willows" for more seafood and fried dough. Folks shared their future travel plans. So, plans were made for "extra" campouts during the summer.

All too soon it was Sunday morning and it was time to pack up and head out in our different directions.  Fortunately, our next campout is only eleven days away when we join Connecticut WIT at their Friendship Weekend at Ginny B’s in Foster, RI. Looking forward to seeing you there!