City Slickers

So, after Boyd and Gavin came back from the father and son's camp out, I decided I wanted to try camping again. Both Boyd and I came from families who camped a lot, but since we have been married we have only been once. I think there are 2 reasons that we haven't gone. The first is, when you live in the this huge metropolis, you get it in your mind that there aren't places to go camping anywhere nearby. The second reason is that we don't have any camping equipment here and have been hesitant to buy anything because there isn't space to store it.

So, as it turns out there are plenty of places to go camping and since Boyd already purchased some things for the Father and Son's, so we decided we might as well use them! So, some good friends of ours decided they were up for a camping trip and we seized the opportunity.

We had a great time. Of course, I am sure things could have gone a lot smoother, I think what makes camping, camping is trying to figure out what to do when things go wrong. I don't remember a camping trip where something didn't go wrong.

Upon arriving we a bit surprised by what we saw. Our idea of a camping is a place in the middle of the woods, with not many other tents in sight. So, this place was what I would call the camping equivalent to housing developments. The camp sites were all right next to each other. There was music blaring. It wasn't exactly what we were thinking.

The wood we were forced to purchase at the campsite was wet, and despite the fact that we had some eagle scouts present, it just wouldn't stay lit. It was frustrating to say the least. We had some tinfoil dinners all ready to go, but no coals to put them in. We lost faith in the wood and drove to get some charcoal. Luckily Sam and Jamie brought hot dogs and were willing to share. It was also around this time that we realized we didn't have a lantern. So, between no fire and no lantern, we looked pretty pathetic. Boyd had become a bit obsessed with the fire and was determined to get it going. So about 4 hours after we started the fire, we were able to get the fire going. It took a couple of bottles of lighter fluid and a good 30 minutes of Boyd fanning with a paper plate. We were able to eat some of the tin foil dinners and we were even able to enjoy some s'mores!

We did get quite a bit of rain, but luckily it didn't start until we headed to bed. I slept like a rock, but apparently Boyd, Lynda, and Ryan did not. They heard the party next to us. They also chose to walk through our campsite talking loudly and even shined their light in the tents. A car alarm went off for quite some time!

But, because they mastered the fire building, we were able to enjoy a delicious breakfast! The homemade spatula added to the excitement of the morning. And Lynda taught us all that chopsticks are the best utensil to cook bacon.

All in all in was a great time. We were exhausted! The kids did well. Gavin was a bit scared of the dark, and said somewhere between all the craziness, "OK, let's go, I think it is time to head back. Eli did well even though I wouldn't let him crawl around.

I really did enjoy myself, even though we've turned into a group of city slickers!