Thursday, August 05, 2021

Westward, Ho! Day 8: Long Driving Day, now in Ohio

 A very long driving day today, it felt longer than the six hours it took to get to the main gate for Wright Patterson Air Force Base.

Of course, it was the wrong gate to get one's VA issued ID registered, so they pointed me to the Registrations office.

Once I found it, bordering a different portion of the base, it was closed!  Yep, they close on Thursdays for training.  Go figure.  Gate 12 was nearby so I drove the VRRV with Sammy in tow to the Airman at the gate and explained the problem.

Because I had a reservation, she let me pass, making me promise to come back to the registration office tomorrow and get my paperwork done.  Good to go!  I found the blue FamCamp signs and followed them to the campground on the other side of the main runways.

Note: Google maps also knows of the FamCamp location, for future reference.  FamCamp is what the Air Force calls their on base campgrounds; I think it's an outfit they've outsourced these things out to manage.

I checked in and they pointed me at a grassy area with picnic tables interspersed around some trees.  I picked one furthest from the other dry camper and set up camp.  It's $10/night for dry camping aka Boondocking.  No power, water, sewer since it's dry camping but the spot is mine for all four nights for $40!  

As I'm trying to ween myself from the luxury of having campground electric power provided in places such as Army COE campgrounds, this will be a good test.  I can always go find COE sights as I travel further west!  

It's either that or not camp in the warmer states during the summer months!

I was able to go and shop at the base commissary as part of the privileges accorded to Veterans such as myself who have service-connected disabilities.  Stocked up  on groceries and returned to camp to cool off with a nice shower using the outside shower box.

Once I'm "legal" tomorrow, I hope to check out the USAF Museum, supposed to be one of the best aviation museums around.  I might also go look for the Wright Brothers Memorial/Monument located nearby.

4 comments:

RichardM said...

Once you’re legal sounds ominous…

redlegsrides said...

Just meant I have to register my VA id with the base.

CCjon said...

That part of the country doesn't compare with your Rocky Mountain stomping grounds, but the Amish sightings are interesting.

redlegsrides said...

Yeah CCjon, this is definitely a more bucolic part of the country....the "speeding" Amish Buggies were neat, even saw one being driven by a young lady, with her female friend beside her in an open buckboard type wagon!