The road of kindness
The cornfield by the Cooperstown KOA Journey in New York. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
A pleasant, cool breeze, sprawling corn fields, the clip-clop of a horse-and-buggy rolling along in the distance — all these things were part of the scenic environment that waited for us on Saturday morning.
It's day 2 of our family road trip, which started in Maine, came through Massachusetts yesterday, and stayed the night in upstate New York. We spent the night in our tents at the Cooperstown KOA Journey in Richfield Springs. Waking up this morning, you can imagine, I went straight for the camera to capture the fields which buffered the lower end of the campground. The higher side of the property abuts an oat farm. It came as no surprise to find that this KOA used to be part of a 280-acre farm formed back in the 1800s — it became a campground in 1974.
This morning, several other people were out on the lawn with their cameras, too. You can't let the moment pass you by on a partly-sunny day, when the light could disappear in seconds.
What a stark contrast between the clogged-up traffic that led us to Interstate 90, and the majestic treasure nature greeted us with this morning. Life is indeed a show of contrasts, however one constant theme throughout our trip so far, is the fact that people are kind and they want to help. Humanity is grounded in expressions of love and grace. Arriving at the KOA late at night, we took a couple wrong turns on the way to our tent site (though the map we had was a good one). It didn't take long before several folks saw our plight, left their campfire and came over to patiently re-direct us. It was a pleasant, fun interaction, among people who were just loving the chance to enjoy the outdoors for a while.
And that's a theme these days. The year 2019 was a record-breaker for campgrounds, and this summer has even surpassed that industry-wide by 30 to 60% depending on location, according to Kate Kemker, co-owner of the Cooperstown KOA Journey.
"Everyone who can get out, is getting out," she said. "It's a great time to own a campground."
It's a great time to enjoy the wonders of nature, as well. We will enjoy seeing the upcoming vistas, the learning, and other new friends we’ll get to experience on the road.
— Gareth Henderson
