Flat Tire! Good Sam to the rescue!

So we were moseying along on the backroads of Connecticut's "quiet corner" wondering why the GPS took us this way, when all of a sudden, BAM!  This boulder along the road at a curve reached out and slashed the sidewall of the rear passenger side tire!  I know, right???

You can see the boulder in question right next to our caution triangle:

So a call to Good Sam Roadside, then an emptying of junk from the big cargo hatches so we could get to the mounted spare was in order.  Theo helped get the spare unbolted and ready for when the service truck came:

Here's a better view of the boulder...it really is awfully close to the roadway:

So when you sign up for roadside assistance you assume you'll need them on some dark and stormy night along the roaring interstate, not on a lovely afternoon on a rural road!  While we waited for the truck to be dispatched and arrive we had a nice lunch then I took the dogs for a walk.  We happened to be right in the middle of forest property belonging to Yale!  There are certainly worse places to have a flat!

The guy showed up in fairly short order and swapped us out like we were in the pits at Indy Motor Speedway!  Theo watched from up above:

We lost just 90 minutes total, not bad at all!  

Lesson 1: remember to take the corners a little wider

Lesson 2: a mounted spare is a huge time saver

Lesson 3: Good Sam is worth it

CT - West Thompson Lake Campground

Part of a split 4th of July weekend for us, we started out with my parents at West Thompson.  This time we were on site #2, which we were on last year:

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Hey, I know that campground host!

Pretty rainy start to the weekend, so we spent a lot of time inside:

Kevin and I got out for a rainy trail run around the lake and up the Quinebaug River a bot to a point where we could cross and come back down.  Very nice 8 miles all the way around!  Photos are through my Ziploc baggie, so not so great!

Theo had a good time with his hatchet (supervised of course!)

And the dog boys had fun hiking with Grandma:

VT - Half Moon Pond State Park

What a great gem in Vermont!  Half Moon Pond has been on our list for a few years, but just never worked out until this year.  I'm so glad we finally made it!

We were on site 27, right on the water a couple of sites down from the swimming beach:

Theo brought along his friend Charlie, they had a blast from the moment we pulled out of the driveway:

Lots of swimming, fishing, and paddling:

(Charlie was quick to pick up paddling and by the end of the weekend was out on the stand up paddleboard!)

Lots of fun with Jiffy Pop!

We had a blast at the rope swings at nearby Black Pond:

And look at the listing for park activities - a trail run on Sunday morning!  Awesome!

On the way home it got awfully quiet back in the coach:

(notice Charlie's legs sticking out of the dinette!  And yes, they both have seatbelts on)