camping cogitations

Ahhhh, camping.

After hours of fast-paced list-checking, closet-raiding and bag-packing, we were successfully prepared to depart a full 18 hours earlier than previously planned. We were well aware that our arrival to the campsite would coincide with sundown, but we threw caution to the wind and loaded up the van anyway. (That action comes easier to some than others, it's worth stating.)

Two hours and fifteen minutes later, we were checking in at Cape Henlopen State Park, and the kids were reintroducing themselves to every last grain of sand at the top of our site. Another two hours later, and we had the necessities in place- tent put up, air mattresses inflated and decked out with (what we thought would be enough) sheets and blankets, and five pairs of already-blackened soles washed as well as possible in the bathhouse sinks. Time for bed.

Unfortunately, that first night also brought out a rare bout of insomnia for me, and I spent a lot of time just lying on the bed thinking about what lay ahead of us over the next three days. A little beach time, a bout of hammock relaxation, some silly book reading, and a whole lot of hanging out with the friends who were joining us the next day.

That list should also have included a bit of good old-fashioned paper-blogging... what used to be known as writing in a journal. Dual-platforming sounds like a good way of recording these thoughts, so here's two of the short pieces I wrote by the fire.

After we got fully settled in Friday morning, I took a few minutes to record some of my thoughts from the previous night:

6/3/11
Lying awake in the tent last night, the sighs and shuffles of the four other occupants eventually quieted down, and I was left alone with the distant crashing waves and the wind in the trees working together in an attempt to lull me to sleep.


But I couldn't fall asleep- the poor baby crying a few sites away, the dull hum of something unidentifiable, the ache of my back (due to the fact that I somehow forgot that I use a pillow between my knees every night when it was time to pack!)-- all of these factors contributed to my sleeplessness. (That and I kept "head-blogging"-- but I think that was just my attempt to bore myself to sleep...)


We're camping now- official Family Camping Expedition Number Three. Sure, we're on an established campsite, with a water spigot and a bathhouse down the road, but there's no electricity, so it feels like we're truly roughing it- especially when the sun goes down. We began to set up camp at dusk, which was challenging, but did allow for an early morning family walk to the beach. Day one has begun.

Saturday night, I pulled the journal out as we sat by the fire chatting and snacking:

6/4/11
Random camping thoughts:

• I can't wait to go home and have a proper poop.
• The sound of the owl hooting overhead is so freaking cool.
• I wish I had the bird book for both identification and potential communication purposes.
• Hubby: "Fire is awesome."
• I like talking about TV shows way too much and perhaps I should learn to scale back my enthusiasm when in less-familiar company.
• The teeny baby flies in the bathroom gross me out more than the other bugs because all I can think about is the form that they were so recently in...
• Looking at the toilet paper holder in the bathhouse got me thinking- why do they post a website on there? Who's going to go and look that up after they leave the campsite? (Oh, the irony...)

Now we're home, and most of the bags are unpacked and all the linens, towels, clothing and such are washed, as well-- all EIGHT loads of laundry! While I'm happy to be reunited with electric power and my friend the Internet, I have to say that I miss a little of the camping frame of mind. And the s'mores. I miss those, too.

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If you can't get enough of my blabbing on and on about our camping experiences, feel free to check out my weekly Greenbelt Patch column this week: Bugs, Sand and Dirty Feet.


Ready for our next trip,