Mr Hippo Goes Camping Part 2

The next morning Mr Hippo and family were roused at the crack of dawn by an incredibly noisy flock of crows, but since Mr Hippo had a full day of activities planned, it was all for the best.


Mr Hippo is at this point forced to admit that while he scoffs at Mrs Hippos insistence on getting an electric site, he must admit that he enjoys not having to build a fire or messing with the Coleman stove before he is able to put the kettle on to boil water for his first cup of coffee of the day


After 3 coffees, the first order of business was to drive into town to get Mrs Hippo an ankle brace, and buy all the goodies that Mr Hippo had neglected to pack.


The nearest town of any size was only 5 miles away, and it boasted that marvel of modern civilization, a Super Wal-Mart,
where the Hippo family was able to purchase everything needed to make the Camping Trip a complete success.


After returning to camp, Mr Hippo suggested that a picnic lunch at the top of the mountain would be a fine thing, and Mrs Hippo agreed,
since the mountain Mr Hippo had in mind had a road all the way to the top, which is the only way Mrs Hippo
goes to the top of any mountain now, on account of her previous experience.


An excellent lunch was enjoyed by all.


Next on the schedule was a relaxing paddle in the lake. Mr and Mr Hippo rented a canoe, while Lou Lou got a paddle boat for her and the 3 kids.


That lasted for about 20 minutes until the whining from the paddle boat made a course change back to the dock a necessity.


Mr Hippo also dropped Mrs Hippo at the dock, and his children joined him the canoe. After giving paddling lessons to his oldest daughter, they set off,
until after 10 minutes his youngest claimed that she was bored, and once again landfall was made.


Talking about paddling lessons reminds Mr Hippo of an amusing incident that occurred some years ago while at the beach,
and since Mr Hippo never misses an opportunity to diverge from his original train of thought, he will share it with you.


Mr Hippo thought it would be a simply marvelous idea to ride the wave in a large rubber raft,
the kind that is 10 feet long and can hold 4 people, assuming two of the people weigh less than 50 pounds pounds each.
Mr Hippo dragged the boat out a good ways and urged Mrs Hippo to get in, assuring her that he would climb in right after.
Well as soon as Mrs Hippo got into the raft, it started to drift out to sea, on account of the wind blowing away from the shore.


Mr Hippo urged Mrs Hippo to use the paddle to bring herself back towards him. Mrs Hippo tried, but was completely unsuccessful.
Mr Hippo, partly out of annoyance, and partly out of concern that Mrs Hippo would be blown out to sea and lost for ever, yelled out


"WHAT DO YOU NEED? PADDLING LESSONS?


That did not improve Mrs Hippos disposition in the slightest, and Mr Hippo was finally forced to swim out to the raft
and drag it back into shallow water, where Mrs Hippo disembarked the raft, vowing never to use one again.


Mr Hippo grumbled something about incompetence, and climbed into the raft. He put the paddle into the water and gave a mighty stroke,
at which point the raft did a complete 360 degree turn, and Mr Hippo realized, somewhat sheepishly, that you simply can't paddle a rubber raft.


Thus Mr Hippo's question entered forever the Hippo Family Colloquialisms, asked whenever someone is unable to do something that to an observer seems rather simple.


So for example, if Mrs Hippo was having trouble parallel parking, Mr Hippo might enquire, "What do you need? Parallel parking lessons?, or if Mr Hippo had been observed trying to use Mrs Hippos cell phone the night before might have been asked, what do you need? Cell phone lessons?.


This question is generally followed by smiles and laughter by all concerned, but not always.


But Mr Hippo has digressed long enough.



Mr Hippo set off in the canoe again, with just his eldest this time, in the bow, paddling like a natural. They headed out to the middle of the lake where
Mr Hippo spied the dam at the top end of of the lake, and suggested they paddle to it. His daughter declined and they made landfall for the 3rd and last time.



When the Hippo Family arrived back at the camp, the kids were settled in the tents for their quiet time, namely the children lay down so the parents could have some quiet, Mr Hippo declared it was time for his "Hike In The Woods"


There was a trail on the park map called "Rocks Trail". Mr Hippo has always been a big fan of rocks, and figuring the people that named the trail wouldn't lie,
and it since it seemed to end right at the lake, he decided that would be just the Thing To Do.


After his children declined his offer to join him, Mr Hippo decided to strike out alone, but not before packing some drinks and trail mix.


Mr Hippo decided that based on the distance, terrain and temperature, the best mix for this trail would be a baggie full of Doritos and a handful of snickers mini bars.


Mr Hippo marked his route on a spare map in red ink and advised Mr Hippo that he would be back by 4:30 at the latest,
but if for some reason he wasn't back by 5 to be sure to put his Italian sausages on to boil for dinner.
Mr Hippo likes to boil them to ensure they are fully cooked, and then puts them on the grill for a few minutes to get that genuine bbq flavour


Almost as soon as Mr Hippo started down the trail, his spirit soared, because there, right at the side of the trail he saw, "The Warning Sign"


The warning sign said that large rocks, cliffs, and deep water awaited anyone the headed down the trail, and that serious injury and death might result for anyone foolish enough to continue.


Mr Hippo is never one to pass up on the possibility of serious injury or death, so off he went. He was even happier when he realized that he had started his trek at 3:15,
almost the exact time he would start his drive to work if it was a normal Saturday, and he was not on a Grand Camping Adventure.


After walking for half an hour or so (it was only 1.3 miles one way) Mr Hippo came to another sign with that that same warning.
Since the trail seemed to end, and he could look right down at the lake, Mr Hippo assumed he had come to the place where serious injury and death awaited him.


Mr Hippo must confess that he wasn't overly impressed. There was a fairly gentle slope to the lake with several not too large rocks forming rather tiny cliffs.


He walked down the slope, found a mid sized rock where he could dangle his feet without touching the ground and proceeded to drink his soda and eat his trail mix.


In such a quiet peaceful place, Mr Hippo would like to report that he contemplated the Big Picture, the meaning of life and his place in it, but alas, that did not happen.


What Mr Hippo did think about was writing this blog post, making sure to include all the important bits, and chuckling over his idea of trail mix.


After 20 minutes or so, having eaten all his snacks, and having had enough of flirting with serious injury or death, Mr Hippo got up and headed back up the slope.
At the top, he looked to his right, past the warning sign, and saw that he, Mr Hippo, had been mistaken. This was NOT the end of the trail
There clearly visible, was another trail marker, and Mr Hippo realized he might not yet have actually reached the place where serious injury and death were a possibility.


He walked on another 50 feet or so, and saw the trail go straight down the side of a cliff.


At this point, Mr Hippo realized that serious injury and death might occur if one was under the age of 5 or attempted to
negotiate the cliff in a wheel chair, but it was better than nothing, so he climbed the 15 feet straight down to the level of the lake.


There, the rocks and cliffs were marginally bigger, and Mr Hippo enjoyed the view for a bit,
but his trail mix was all gone, and the thought of getting his sausages into a pot in a timely manner dominated his thoughts,
so Mr Hippo scrambled back up the cliff and made his way back along the trail to camp.


When he arrived back at the campsite, no one was in sight, so assuming they were all napping,
he yelled out, get up you lazy bums, but no one was there, they had all gone to the bathroom.


When they returned, Mrs Hippo suggested that perhaps Mr Hippo had better get his sausages in the pot, so they could all eat at the same time.


It was then that Mr Hippo realized a horrible truth.


While he remembered that it was true that he had looked at his bag of onions in the fridge and reminded himself that
he must pack them in the food container, it was also true that he could NOT remember actually packing the onions in the food container,
and that he, Mr Hippo, would have to eat his Italian sausages NOT smothered in lightly sauteed onions.
It was a thought the Mr Hippo could hardly bear. However he was able to console himself by realizing that since he wouldn't be filling up on
lightly sauteed onion, he might actually be able to eat 3 sausages on their crusty buns for a change.


Mr Hippo is forced to confess, he was only able to eat 2 sausages on their crusty buns, he ate the 3rd one by stabbing it with his fork and eating it that way.


To Be Continued...