Nearly a month ago Eric and I decided we needed a break. A BIG ONE. We were worn out and needing to get away from it all. Now, no matter how well you know me this should be surprising....we went....wait for it....camping. GASP! I may not seem like the outdoorsey type but I really do enjoy it. Being outdoors in God's creation without disturbance from humanity's design can be quite refreshing. We did toy with the idea of a city trip to Chicago but after considering what we really wanted (and what we wanted to spend) we opted for pitching a tent! So for a few weeks we collected supplies. Some we had, some we borrowed (thanks parents!), and some we purchased. Eric already had a tent so we put it up in our backyard to air out because he had rolled it up wet last time he used it....and so we could sit in it because we are cool like that. :-) We left it out or a few days then we went back to it to box it up we noticed....an odor. Apparently we had a little critter (most likely racoon since we had seen one in the yard just days before) come visit the tent and he left a little puddle for us. YUCK!!!!!!! Off to Wal-Mart we went. We bought a new tent and some water repellent for the tent (lesson learned). Despite the tent incident our excitement was builiding. That Friday, I rushed home from work and arrived home to everything packed and ready to go thanks to the hubby. We set off merrily to our destination. The ride down was really beautiful and pleasant! We sang, held hands, talked about all the fun we would have, and enjoyed the beautiful leaves that were changing colors. After about an hour and a half trip we get to the campsite. Everything was pitch black when we got there so instinctively we go for the lantern. Now.....whoever at Coleman decided it was a great idea to store a lantern like this is a moron. I'm sorry but it was truly such a poor design. We had to yank the base and lid apart that was housing the GLASS lantern (do you see where I am going with this?) No luck, still no luck, then out went the lantern!.....onto the hard ground. Shattered into a thousand pieces. After a brief meltdown from myself and Eric, we pulled ourselves together. Seriously! We could not survive on an island if we fell apart at just the lantern breaking. What were we thinking?!? haha We used our pitiful flashlight to pitch our tent and set up camp the best we could. After feeling a little settled we headed off the camp store on the campgrounds. By the end of the trip we were their best customers! haha We bought a nice new lantern, mantles for the lantern, and a bundle of wood (the first of many.) Back to our campsite we went, freezing, tired, grumpy. We sat around the fire making smores. And get this--that was Hubby's first time eating a smore! That still boggles my mind! Off to bed....which was slightly down hill....because the tent was pitched slightly down hill. Throughout the night I would wake up and crawl back up to my pillow army style! The next morning we woke up still a little wounded from the experiences from the evening before but still surprisingly optimistic for what the day held for us. I went straight to work making a big breakfast: bacon, eggs, hash browns....you get the idea. Bacon cooked up surprisingly well considering it was being cooked on a little camping stove covered in foil to serve as an impromptu griddle....that was also on a slight decline....yeah, the table was leaning. haha While I'm cooking Eric is putting a new mantle on the lantern. He decides to change the other side, even though it didn't necessarily need it, just in case. In the process the thread to the mantle broke and the mantle blew away in the morning wind! FAIL. Another trip was made to the camping store for more mantels, MORE firewood, and some coffee. After the bacon was done, it was time for the hash browns and scrambled eggs. We used the lids and handles from the mess kits as our skillets (really worked well) and the food went in. And it sat there. For a long time. Not cooking. As soon as the food heated up it was instantly cooled down by the aforementioned "morning wind." Thankfully Eric decided to put a lid over the food and it cooked right up. Despite taking longer than we thought, the breakfast was delicious! We cleaned up then headed off to Brookville Lake to go boating. We found a deal where we could rent a pontoon for 4 hours for $100. Score! We were so excited. Even though it was really cold and storm clouds seemed to be rolling in. Our trip hadn't gone well so far so by George! WE WERE GOING TO BOAT! And attempt fishing. Key word: attempt. For the first hour it was really cold but quite fun especially when we got past the no wake zone. We treated that huge pontoon like a sports car, going full speed and doing doughnuts on the lake. Then....the rain came. And it didn't stop. We were pelted with the hard rain drops and soaked through to the bone. BRRRRRWINKLES! So we headed back to the dock even though we had about 2 1/2 hours left. Eric and I didn't care anymore. $100 or no $100 we were going to be warm and dry. Of course when we got to the dock it stopped raining. We didn't care anymore! We practically cried, "SAVE US!!!!" when we got to the dock and the owner pulled the boat in. Again, what made us think that we could handle this?? Opting for warmth and comfort, we went to the local Pizza King and ate subpar pizza. After consuming what one could only assume is thousands of calories and a pound of grease, we explored the town close by the camping site. An antique store was visited as was an outdoorsman's shop. We used the time in the truck to warm up so more. Back to the campsite! AH!!! We left the canvas chairs out and they were soaked. I piled them into the back of the pickup and headed towards the ladies room armed with my hair dryer. I set them down under the hand dryers, pressing the buttons every time they stopped and blow drying at the same time. An hour passed and they were sorta, kinda dry. They would have to do. In the meantime, Eric visited the camp store....ahem....again...and purchased more firewood. Ya' know, the forecast said it would be 65 and sunny. {SIGH} Sitting in our damp, cold chairs we debated for about an hour or so if we were hungry again. Instead of roasting hot dogs over the fire we chose the smores again. Why we ate like 13 year old kids on this trip I have no idea. We inhaled entirely too much camp fire smoke so after our lungs couldn't take it anymore we headed off to bed. Not exactly a comforting thought for myself considering it was like an aerobic exercise just to not slide downhill but off to bed I went! Morning came and were more than ready to head out! After having one lousy experience after another, seeing our home has never seemed so sweet! We had one day left of vacation and what do you think we did? Stayed in our pj's, watched movies, and breathed a unanimous sigh of relief.
THE END :-)
Eric "fishing"...
View from our tent...note the angle.
Trying out a sleeping bag before the trip.
No comments:
Post a Comment