Camping Quota
May 31, 2011
This past weekend I met my camping quota for the year. It was the first item on our Summer Fun Activities list. My hubby loves camping but he much prefers the really “roughing it” kind of camping. No sir ree. Not me. Now, The Little Girl loves it too so I have agreed to camp out once per year.
We finally got brave enough last year to try camping with Sky. She was 3 at the time and so excited to go but we had no idea if, in reality, she would love it or hate it. We didn’t want to be out in the middle of nowhere with a shrieking girl in the middle of the night if she decided this wasn’t the best idea. So, we camped in the neighbor’s back yard. We set up the tent, roasted marshmallows, used flashlights, the whole nine yards. We camped. The location wasn’t important, right? Right!
This year we got a little more brave and ventured a whopping 0.9 miles from home. As the crow flies, it is literally less than a half a mile. I know, we’re a real adventurous bunch. We landed at the local KOA. Now, being new to camping I’ve never really done the whole campground thing. My first experience with camping was when my dear husband (boyfriend at the time) took me to Percy Priest and we camped on an island in the middle of the lake. No electricity, no facilities, just pitch black and boring. I was less than prepared with supplies and, at one point, swore that I was going to freeze to death. Now do you see why I’m not so fond of camping?
Anyway, back to the KOA. Either I have really low expectations or this place was super nice. Granted, it did get flooded last year so it’s possible that all of the pretty, pretty was a result of renovations. Either way, I was thrilled. We were checked in by Myke. Have you ever met someone who was MADE for their job? This guy was made to work at a campground. I’ll even bet that he was a camp counselor back in the day. I was already feeling the campground happy-go-lucky feeling before we even unpacked. Our tent site had both water and electricity. I was sold already. The bath/shower facilities were hotel quality. Not even kidding. They were amazingly clean and attractive. We stopped by the common areas and there were tons of activities for kids. They had larger than life checkers, chess, ladder ball, corn hole, connect four, and bowling. Like, HUGE! There was also a swimming pool, a playground, and a dog park. We only stayed for the one night and didn’t get a chance to visit everything but I was digging the whole campground thing.
We got our tent set up and had some really great neighbors. They had two kids who hit it off really well with our wee one so she was a happy camper (yeah, pun intended) the entire time. Miss Priss also slept all night, which was another plus. Granted, she was up at 6, but that is her usual.
As for me, this trip wasn’t too bad. For one, I didn’t freeze. Maybe it was the time of year we went but the weather seemed perfect. It had just stormed a few days before so I was worried about the cooler temps but those storms also quieted down the 13-year cicadas, which was a pleasant surprise. Because we had electricity, I was able to take our trusty fan for white noise. It was enough to keep the campground noises to a minimum but it did nothing for the chirping birds who started around 4 am. You win some, you lose some I guess. I also borrowed an air mattress and that made a huge difference as well. I think it kept me warmer by not being right on the ground plus my hips didn’t ache as much,which limited my tossing and turning. I still didn’t sleep great but I did sleep some. This is major progress from my last few trips. We also have a gigantic tent. It will sleep 8, but there are only 3 of us. It’s nice and roomy with plenty of space for us and our stuff, plus we can move around. That’s what happens when you hit up Target for the end of year camping clearance. 😉
On this trip I also got to try out Nutella smores. Oh. My. Word. I didn’t think I could love Nutella any more than I already do. I was wrong.
Do I dare say that camping might be growing on me? This trip was extremely tolerable and kinda fun. I suppose the more I go, the better at it I get. Might have to raise my quota to twice next year.