Camp Hideaway-Where all your nightmare can come true

So this one time, probably around 1999, I headed down to Illinois with my aunt and two cousins to go to a volleyball tournament. Afterwards, we were going to visit a guy that my cousin knew from camp. I think we were under the impression we were going to be staying with him after the tournament. Somehow, there was a communication mishap and his parents were out of town and we couldn't even go in the house. We hung outside for little bit and then used his bathroom and went on our way. We didn't want to drive home at this point because it was late and we had hours to go.

My aunt decided that we should just go camping because she had a tent in her trunk. So we went to a nearby campground called Camp Hideaway. Oh Camp Hideaway. My aunt paid for a spot and we found it. It was already pitch dark when we got there and we couldn't see much. I don't really feel comfortable in places unless I've seen them in daylight. However, I did not have that advantage this time. So my cousins and I are all freaked out, all the while my aunt seems fine. She pitches the tent and tells us to come on in. My cousins and I just felt like the place was too eery and we weren't having any of it. We said we would sleep in the car with the doors locked because a wimpy tent wasn't a strong enough fortress. My aunt slept in the tent and my cousins and I in the car. Let me tell you, it's a nightmare to sleep in a driver's seat. You can't turn over easily with the steering wheel in the way. In the morning, however, my definition of a nightmare would be revised.

Dawn was breaking, grey and foggy, and that's when I looked out my window and saw it. Camp Hideaway. *gasps* It looked like something out of a horror film. Abandon trailers everywhere with weeds grown over to the point of encompassing them. Children's chairs and tricycles on their sides, with weeds grown over, tying them to the ground. And not a single person in sight.

We checked the tent to make sure my aunt was still alive. Then, we all headed to the bathrooms to clean up and get out. Though, we even thought about skipping that step just to get out. We got to the bathroom and it was blanketed in spider webs and there was a cat on the counter. It was clear that this bathroom had not been cleaned since it was built. Nothing really worked either, so we went back to the car. We got in the car and locked the doors. As we drove through the grey haze and saw more things, like a trailer that had "Eat yer Jap car" written on the side, we knew words could never describe this place and our story would never do it justice. We just kept talking about how we wished we had a camera because no one would believe us. We decided it was called Camp Hideaway because that's where escaped convicts are hiding out.

I found some reviews of other Hideaway survivors on the internet that were all too accurate:

“Do not camp here! It is scary! It looks like a great location for a Steven King movie or perhaps a sequel to Friday the 13th words can't even describe this place, do not bring your family here!”

"Most of the full time residents are toothless with scary demeanors, not role models for young children."

“While camping here, our camper was vandalized at 1 am, and the security guard showed up with a beer in his hand."

"Scary is not even the word to describe it! Driving in there were several abandoned campers with weeds covering them. It was as if we drove into another world. There was no rhyme or reason to this place. The bathrooms were run down at best. The facilities were absolutely gross - it was as if this was a sub community to some out law gang land. To be fair the girl at the front gate was nice to let us drive around and also opened the office to give us information but I was worried about her actually being in that campground - how could she feel safe there?.”

"It needs to be closed down, everyone ordered out, cleaned up, and re-opened two years later. We saw abandoned trailers with doors that were flapping open and shut in the wind. Rusting units and belongings strewn. Awful equipments lying all over the place. No sense of order or monitoring by anyone."

found at:
http://www.mytravelguide.com/attractions/profile-67196705-United_States_Illinois_Yorkville_Hide_A_Way_Lake_Campground.html

Family Theme & Metaphor: AAA

Theme: Support

Metaphor: My family is a AAA card. You may go long periods without needing it, but it is always there, ready and willing.

Fresh Prince - Fathers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l017_Rox0XE&feature=related

This clip is from the tv series "Fresh Prince of Belair." Will lives with his aunt and uncle. Will's father comes through town and breaks the promise for them to go on a trip together. This creates tension between Will's Father and the real family he has with his aunt, uncle, and cousins.

Will vents about life without his father stating that he doesn't need him. All the while still wanting to be wanted.