In the early years of coming “up to the mountain”, we were primarily spending weekends and holidays and only during the mild weather months.
We would start coming in the Spring as soon as frosts had passed and night time temperatures would allow for comfortable sleeping in tents. Our season would end again in the Fall when the risk of frost would rise again, along with higher possibility of surprise snow flurries or brutal season changing winds.
Not only did the weather heavily influence our decision about whether to come over for the weekend but so did the various activities of our family. Jim and I were both working full time. We seemed to always have construction projects (big and small) going on at home. The kids were both in Montessori school full days and our oldest son had already begun playing on a soccer team (which not only means practice during the week, but also games on weekends). Life was busy and fun!
When we did decide to come over to our place, we would load up our Jeep Cherokee with people (two in car seats), a dog, food & water and clothing. There were times that even just these provisions required us to employ the use of a car top carrier!. We would then make the 2-½ hour trek - which depending on needed potty breaks, car sickness or just the desire to check out a new curiosity along the way, could turn into 3+ hours - “door to bush.”
Our first stop “up top” would usually be to the farmhouse to say hello to Dee and let him know we were “in residence.” Sometimes there were new kittens or new calves to see in his barn. We would spend a few minutes catching up and then we would head to Fireman John’s barn to pick up our camping gear.
When John made us the offer to stow our gear in his barn, Jim quickly fabricated two very sturdy, well sealed storage chests. These housed our tents, tarps, cooking gear and other equipment. We had also gotten a small trailer that Jim had made side panels for. So we would pull the trailer out of the barn, hitch it to our Jeep, load the two chests onto it and head out the last mile through cow pastures to get to our place.
There was (and still is - although it is showing its age) an apple tree on our property, just on the edge of a fairly dense grove of Locust trees. It provided shade, a place to hang a tire swing and a reference point in the midst of a vast piece of property. We repeatedly set up our campsite near this tree. It always felt like we had arrived when we rolled up next to this notable landmark.
People often asked us what we did when we came over to our property.
I think anyone who has camped out - either just once or who enjoys it enough to do it repeatedly - would agree that the simple activities of setting up camp, making meals, getting bedding ready, bathing and some outdoor fun take up the time very easily. Entertainment is provided by interaction with your fellow campers and the constantly changing environment around you. Our weekends were full. We would pack up everything on Sundays, drop the gear off at the barn and head back home, sun-kissed and happy. There’s not a much sweeter sight in the rearview mirror than the lolling heads of two dirty, happy, tired little boys in their carseats! It’s a memory we cherish.
Part of our time every few weeks had to be spent mowing the area that we wanted to keep clear for our use. I can’t remember how it came to be, but Jim and I both recall that we ended up with a hand-me-down garden tractor given to us by Jim’s Grandpap. It was a life saver. We were mowing a few acres. Much more than a push mower and our energy could accomplish. Clearing the area helped us see more of the potential of the flat area on The Ridge. We continued to dream and talk with each other about what we eventually wanted to do with the property.
As time went on, we mowed more acreage, explored more of the property and became more familiar with the natural rhythm of the place. We were introduced to the song of the whippoorwill, the call of the coyotes and the daily schedule of the herd of cows moving back and forth along the ridge. We enjoyed the incredible sunsets. The draw of the Westerly vista made us start to move our campsite North of the apple tree to where we could enjoy the most dramatic views of the overlapping mountain ranges. The long days of Summer meant that the evening fires weren’t lit until at or after the boys' bedtime. Jim and I enjoyed peaceful moments at these campfires with our eyes to the sky for incredible stargazing.
Our first built structure was a large swingset with a bench swing in the center and two cantilevered bucket swings on each end. It was located just down the slope from the flat area in a spot that we had identified as having premium sunset views. The swingset was a place for the boys to play and gave us all a gathering spot. Eventually Jim built a roof for it too. We have many memories of time spent together in that shady spot. It is also a part of the memories of many of our friends and family who came to visit. It stood in place for many years, welcoming us every time we arrived. What we would come to realize was that the swingset marked the location in time and place for what was the beginning of the collection of structures that are on The Ridge today.