This is an awesome country and an absolute blessing to be able to travel it and appreciate the beauty in this Creation that God made to enjoy. Other than the Caribbean and Tijuana, I haven’t traveled outside of it so though I don’t have much to compare to, I’m sure that the rest of the world is pretty stellar too.
We’re fortunate, and we thank God for the time available to embark on these journeys, and for the amenities we are able to camp in and have.
On our way to Campbellsville, Kentucky for the Howard Family Reunion, our first stop would be in West Virginia to break-up the trip. With google maps and cell phones, it’s easy to find websites and reviews of places as you’re traveling to get an idea of what to expect when booking a campsite ‘on the fly – and we do that a lot! When I contacted the Pinehill Campground in Bruceton Mills, West Virginia, the man I spoke to make a reservation said to “just knock on the basement door when you get here.” So, after traveling a long dirt road to knock on the basement door, the campground owner treated us with a smile and an escort to our site. The site was a great pull-thru that hardly needed any leveling (on their website link above, the last picture at the bottom is the pull-through site we actually had). The price was super reasonable, and the owner even gave us some complimentary firewood. We settled in and got around a campfire to enjoy the stars and some conversation. It’s always fun to reminisce about funny things that we remember from our last trips. And this year we were 7 instead of 6 – Morgans’ girlfriend Naomi joined us as they took turns driving and following us in her car. It was nice to not be the only girl among so many boys.
The next morning Steve located a small lake and some trails to walk – wish we’d had more time to explore…it always seems like the ones we have the shortest stays at are the ones most worth exploring. Perhaps we’ll stop there again another time. Unfortunately, Steve’s phone called it quits so these are the only two pictures available for this campsite. I usually count on him to take those shots that I forget to.
The next day would be a long drive – 12 hours – to make it to the “Welcome Meet & Greet” for the reunion in Kentucky. Our next booked campsite was the Green River Lake State Park. Our site required a lot of leveling, but overall the sites were fairly spacious. The area we were in had been cleared of trees due to some infestations, but that made way for an excellent view of the Lake.
We headed over to the Heartland Campground for the ‘meet and greet’ where we received our name tags for the next days’ reunion gathering and a packet with lots of family information. The nametags showed the # generation and who of the five Howard children we belonged to. They were really helpful and much appreciated when getting to know everyone.
The next day we headed over to a local VFW-type place for the Earle & Lettie Howard Family Reunion that has taken place every 4 years since 1977, alternating between the locale of Campbellsville, Kentucky and Cambridge, New York. There were six children born to Earle & Lettie: Agan, Marietta, Elizabeth, Margaret, Flora, and Rachel. The youngest surviving sibling and last of the 1st generation of the Howard family, Rachel, lives in Campbellsville and will celebrate her 100th birthday this August 26, 2018, so the reunion was moved up a year to in her honor.
The cutest picture of all was Aunt Rachel (1st generation) with the new babies (5th generation) who were present.
There was a “plastic horse” raffle giving away some special items made by one of the family members, (xxxxx). Naomi’s horse, “Tea Time”, was one of the winners picked. She chose a pillow embroidered with details of the reunion by Lettie of Lettie Lou Likeables, and then she gave it to me – bonus!
The next morning over donuts, we said our goodbyes. Gabriel enjoyed meeting Aunt Rachel, and even met a new family-friend to play Fortnite with.
The event was well planned and organized. I’m really thankful for the opportunity to be a part of this family, to have met and chatted with others there, and I am also thankful to all the people who spent lots of time making the nametags, packets, pillows, horses, banner, pictures, and all the other things done for this event. I am personally honored and thankful to be a part of the “3rd” generation of Howards!
And, a ‘good time was had by all’!
Afterward saying our goodbyes to most of the family, we headed back to our campsite. We all, along with Steve’s parents, Uncle Arnold, and Deb and family were stayed at that campground for another two days. We took a swim in the lake and got a courtesy ride back to our site from Uncle Rick. The kids played some basketball, and we enjoyed a beautiful sunset. The next day, the Zimmermans packed up and we headed for the camp store where Dad Perry treated us all to ice cream, and just in time for a rainstorm! It passed as quickly as it came. We took advantage of the returning sun by going for a hike. And the next day, it was our turn to pack up and go.
On our way for part 2 of the trip!
