The Camping Vacation

So, summer is almost over and we haven't really done much in the way of a family vacation. So, because we have a bunch of boys who like to play outside, I talk Sean into going camping. We pick a state park in Birmingham because that's where my sister and her husband live with their four kids, so we figure we'd have more fun squeezing 11 people into a 10-man tent than just 5.

The planning begins. First of all, I have to do a tent repair on one of the tent door zippers that Connor broke. Then comes all the lists of what each family is bringing so we do as little duplication as possible. The forecast calls for thunderstorms all three days, but we decide to chance it anyway. But, just to be on the safe side, everything is packed in plastic tubs and bags because there's no way all our gear is going to fit inside the tent with 11 folks if it does rain.

I probably should mention that neither family are avid, experienced campers and we have little to no camping gear either. So, our adventure begins. We show up at the park and they tell us there is a limit of 8 people per camp site. Hmmmm. So, I say "We only have one tent. Does that mean that 3 people have to sleep on the dirt next to us to get eaten up with mosquitos all night?" Since 3 of our campers are 6 years old and under, they let us slide.

Before we even get everything unloaded, Mitch takes off for what he can see as water through the trees. The rest follow and end up playing in a muddy bog before we even set up camp. We walk down a little farther and see a small beach area where some of the water is roped off for swimming. All 7 of the kids are water bugs, so that is where we spent the majority of our time...especially since it never rained and the temperature was in the 90's.

I wont bore you with any more details of the trip, but suffice it to say I am a bit more experienced at this whole camping thing. As a result, I am compiled myself a list of important things to remember the next time we decide to embark on another camping adventure.

1. 11 people can drink a whole heck-of-a-lot of water in 3 days....even when one is drinking mostly breast milk and another prefers Mellow Yellow and GatorAid.
2. Canadian nightcrawlers will disintegrate into mush if not kept in the cooler.
3. Check carefully for rocks at the tent site before putting down the tent. Somehow a small pebble becomes a boulder when you're sleeping on it.
4. Squirrels like powdered lemonade in those little single serving "sticks" that you pour into bottled water.
5. Crocks do not cause blisters as bad as flip flops.
6. Even when the forecast calls for rain, don't forget the sunscreen.
7. Kids like playing in fires even when it's 100 degrees.
8. Grown-ups go camping ONLY because their kids think it's the coolest thing in the world.
9. Fish like to nibble on freckles and moles.
10. You can never have too much light. There's not much to do sitting around in the dark.
    

All in all, it was a great trip....even though Sean ended up sleeping in his truck the last night, the wimp. Next time we'll add an air mattress to our gear.