Summer Camping

I have had my fair share of camping adventures when I was little and I loved them. However, we then switched to boating before the tween years, so I never went through the "Gross, no shower?" stage of camping. Lucky for my parents and sibling. My parents went back to camping the closer they got to retirement and have thoroughly enjoyed the relaxation of their adventures. They even took their trailer cross-country from West to East and back in three months shortly after they both retired (not camping, but using it as their hotel on wheels while they ventured to all the awesome tourist sights).

So when we have taken our children camping, it has been with my parents. The kids sleep in the bunks in their trailer, my parents in their bed up front, and their dog in his crate on the table that folds out to a bed. My husband and I are in our tent just steps away. It works brilliantly. We cook and eat outside, giving our children a neat experience among all the dirt and debris that can get kicked up and stuck in all areas of the face, arms and legs. They love it!!!

And for the record, the State Park bathrooms have very hot water and clean facilities; thus I get my daily shower. I am not a coffee drinker, so in its place I have to have my morning shower; it is a must-do for me to wake up, feel refreshed, and not grumpy. Had I known as a teen that park showers were not so bad, I just might have said yes to camping way-back-when.

Our adventure was beautiful. The campground was huge with hiking trails that lead out to one side of a river, another side to a lake, and the other side to another river. Perfect access for our boats to explore and fishing time to be done. The kids swam in the water, the dog swam in the water, forts were built from trees and ferns and moss, songs were sung around the campfire with guitars, stories were made and dramatized by my girl, Apples to Apples were played, a bird song book (where hundreds of bird calls are demonstrated after pushing a certain code and button on the book) was used every free moment by my son; who I am sure owes my parents new batteries as a result.

We had a wonderful camping adventure, and so many photos to show for it. I will highlight some stories and photos throughout the week. But for now, the laundry is calling for my attention.