Setting Up Camp at Buffalo Point

We rolled in late in the day, a bit before sunset with just enough time to set up camp. When we found our site, our hearts dropped.

There was nowhere for a tent to go between the RV on the right and the family of tents on the left, literally nowhere to put our tents and our stuff, no room to spread out. Was this really a camp site?

The camp host drove up in an electric scooter.

"Follow me," he said to Ben as we were scratching our heads, "there are still some good sites in section A."

You can reserve sites in section B on the bluff overlooking the river, but section A is first-come, first-served. And there were evidently better places up there.

Ben looked over at us briefly and then hopped in the scooter. He and the camp host drove up the hill. We hopped in the car and followed them into section A.

"Stay here," the host said to us when we pulled into to the first site. "There were three empty sites a few minutes ago, but now there are only two." And with us holding the first place, he and Ben went further up the hill to investigate the second.

In a few minutes, we could see Ben smiling broadly and motioning us to come on up.

We thanked the host profusely and proceeded to unpack the car, pitch our tents and set up the camp-kitchen stuff. We browned hamburger, made spaghetti and ate as if it were a feast. After cleaning up, we lit the Coleman lantern and sat back in our camp chairs under the Oak trees as nighttime fell and the cicadas began to ring.

Thru gaps in the canopy, we could see a pitch-black sky littered with the stars of our ancestors. We sat mesmerized, gazing upward, but not for long ... for our sleeping bags were soon calling.

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First evening
Buffalo Point, Buffalo National River

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