Our Camping Trip

As most of you know, our activities this year have been constricted by a lack of cash. Still, as the school year approached I felt compelled to fulfill at least one goal for the kids. So at 5 pm on a Tuesday night we started packing, and by 5:15 we were on the road in search of a campground.

It would be the first time I'd gone camping since 1987, and the first time Lisa had ever slept in a tent.

[Ginger, btw, was staying at Grandma's]

Our intent was to take the kids to a Christian campground an hour away. Not because they were a Christian business (although I'm keen to support that). No, it's a normal camping experience, but we were pleased with a side effect of their Christian 'label': I was looking to take the kids somewhere where beer and pot wouldn't be the norm. The place we had wanted to take them had developed a reputation for both of those. Fine for grown-ups, not so much for little ones.

Unfortunately storms beckoned (well planned trip, eh?) and we were eager to get the tent up. We scrapped the plans to head there.

Then we were given turn by turn directions for a state campground, but the woman must have been on crack because it lead to nowhere fast. So in the end we wound up at Jellystone Campground in Caledonia.

We were given site 229 because I'd requested one as close as possible to the shared restrooms. This was the first time we'd ever set up our brand new 7 person tent, and we needed the help of camp staff to get it up. Even with help we had to complete it by flashlight after sunset.

At that point we tried and half-succeeded in starting a fire to make smores.









I'm not gonna sugarcoat it: the kids were awful. Spoiled, bratty, and whiny. YaYa was the worst of the bunch, and I genuinely regretted going. But then a little light dawned: here they were, ages 4,6 and 7, and they were camping in the dark. "Are you scared?" I asked YaYa. She nodded, and I gave her a little more leeway.

No sooner did we finish the smores before it started to rain, and we headed inside the tent. It was larger than my first apartment, and we all had room to stretch out.









I put my blanket down by the tent door, just to make sure none of the buggers went for a walk in the night. I shouldn't have worried. The rain soon turned into a downpour, one that lasted until three in the morning.

YaYa clutched Brown Bear tight, but the thunder and wind was still working on their nerves. For a few minutes I moved the girls closer.





Like I said, the rain went on forever, and we all soon learned to block it out. The tip-tap on the tent was pretty cool, actually, like falling asleep to the sound of microwave popcorn popping.

The kids had taken their slumber couches along, but Lisa and I roughed it and slept on blankets on the ground. I had no problems sleeping, and was rather comfortable. Lisa hated it and woke up every few hours. Next time she'll bring an air mattress.

Smiley was the last kid to fall asleep, collapsing at 11:30, and I hit the sack shortly after him.

In the morning, while we were still sleeping, Lisa got up and took LuLu home with her to grab some clothes. In their absence we packed up the tent and took it down.





to be continued . . .