"Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the
unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's
sight." 1 Peter 3:4 (NIV)
We were camping in the Fraconia Notch State Park in
the beautiful state of New Hampshire. I had tried to find a camping spot in a
larger state park campground, but as they didn’t have any sites with
electricity, we were forced to book at the only campground that would
accommodate our small trailer, a small RV spot near Echo Lake.
The price for two days near Echo Lake was an
astounding 90$ US, but as there was no other options, we had no choice. We
consoled ourselves with the fact that the view over Echo Lake would be amazing.
It was a Tuesday that we arrived, and we were quite
surprised that there was no one to check us in. There was only a note saying
which of the 7 available sites was ours. We couldn’t help but wonder what we
would have done if someone has “stolen” our spot…
What really shocked us, however, was that there was no
beautiful view over a lake. Instead, we were lined up at the edge of a large
parking lot designed for the convenience of people coming to spend the day at
the Echo Lake Beach!
As we had been driving for hours, my wife was in
desperate need of a washroom. She was shocked to learn that there weren’t any at
that particular campground…There were washrooms a 5 minute walk at the Echo Lake
Beach; however, when she tried to use these facilities, they were all locked up.
When someone later told us that the restrooms were only open on the weekend, she
replied with a twinkle in her eye: "I don't believe that I can hold it that
long!"
Seeing as there were not even any bathrooms, showers
were completely out of the question, and we would later learn, as we exited our
trailer with two stuffed garbage bags in hand, that there were also no garbage
cans. The nearest garbage can we could find, which was about 15 kilometers away,
was locked up with--not one but FOUR!—padlocks!
Needless to say, the campground did not exactly make
us feel weocome…
We did have a small port-a-potty on board for
emergencies only, and we were relieved to see that there was at least a dumping
station at the far end of the parking lot that was our “campground”. When we
went to dump the port-a-potty, however, on Thursday, the day we were to leave,
we found that it could only be used from Friday to Sunday, 9 am to 4 pm…for a
25$ fee! And yes, just to ensure that we stayed honest, the dumping spot was
tightly locked up with a padlock…
The people in the trailer next to ours were sitting up
on a hilltop behind the trailers when we arrived, staring in the direction of
the lake. "It must be a beautiful view," decided my wife, and determined to find
some positive thing about the camp, she started up the hill. She was destined
for disappointment. All that could be seen from the top of the hill was the
state park service garage…
Even though the campground and its lack of welcoming
amenities shocked us, it didn't keep us from enjoying the beauty around us: the
Flume, the Basin, Canon Mountain, the Artist’s Palette, to name a few. We were
also very thankful for the beautiful weather and the lovely fall colours
surrounding us. In spite of everything, we had a great time.
No matter what the adversity around us might be, it is
our choice to get upset or to keep on enjoying the presence of our Heavenly
Father and the beauty He created. Instead of complaining, we determined to
praise our Father. As a result, what could have been a very stressful two nights
actually became a source of laughter.
It is that way with everything in life. No matter what
happens, we can rejoice. If our Father, who loves us immeasurably, is with us,
why should we worry or complain? Let us give thanks in the Lord continually, no
matter what the circumstances!
Rob Chaffart
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