RE: Camping

Ha ha! I didn't expect to get such a reaction from the mention of camping! This trip had originally been planned as an all-out camping thing, but time & weather caused us to stay in hotels a few nights. I absolutely LOVE camping! For me, it's an escape from the house, without the expense of a hotel! I don't have to wash dishes, make the bed, empty the litterbox, and etc, so it's like a mini-vacation I can take practically any time! And the best part is that all our camping gear (tent, air bed, stove, dishes) is packed up so all we have to do is load a few boxes in the truck, grab our blankets, pillows, personals, and food--and we're on our way! We have a few favorite spots to go, and the closest one (for those weekends when we just need to get away) is Lake Lowndes State Park.
Camping has always been a big part of my life--my mom picked it up from my grandparents, and we've had several family camping trips throughout the year, since as long as I can remember. Of course, as my parents have gotten older, I guess they can't handle "roughing it," so these days they're more likely to stay at some resort or hotel! :)
R's family didn't do much camping growing up, but he's very much an outdoorsy-type, and he was a Boy Scout, so it really fits into our personalities and lifestyle.
I guess I can take this time to describe some of our most memorable camping trips (a little break from the "Head West" series).
We've gone camping on short weekend trips. And, one time a tornado came through Starkville and a few nearby towns and power was out for the whole weekend, so we "escaped" it by camping! We've also taken several Spring Break camping trips. One year we drove all the way to St. Augustine, FL and camped on the beach! And, another time we down through Alabama to Pensacola, FL, staying at several state parks along the way. I know, whoop-tee-doo, Alabama, but did you know that there are some really awesome caverns through the state?!?! We even managed to get a private tour of this one...can't remember the name of the town it was by. We've camped with my family in New Mexico many times. My parents & grandparents favorite place is Heron Lake (or is it Lake Heron?). Anyways, it's just outside of this little town named Chama, and it's very nice there! And we even got my grandparents to camp with us (they're used to a nice camper) in Memphis, TN a few summers ago. Oh, boy, was that a CRAZY night! It was the middle of summer and the mosquitos were TERRIBLE!! We found out later that the park was right next to a swampy area of the Mississippi River!
I'm a very skilled camper, too. I can set up our tents (3), by myself, hungry, in the dark, in about 20 minutes! We've gotten more sophisticated with our camping, too. We started out with a small 2-person tent, a hand-me-down stove, and 2 decent sleeping bags. Now, our camping gear consists of a tent "village" (3 tents that connect--similiar to this one, but the middle tent is much bigger), air mattress with comforter and sheet set, special campstove dishes, and most importantly several heaters (electric & propane)!
As far as "roughing it" and getting my stuff "dirty," it's not a big deal. Most of the time, parks (I really do prefer state parks--oh, and KOA) have very nice facilities (toilets, showers, even washers & dryers) and very nice staff/rangers. The only time I don't really fully enjoy camping is when we find ourselves in PRIMITIVE. Yes, that's exactly what it sounds like: No facilities, no electricity, and a shared water source. But, I've done that many times, and always managed to survive, so like they say: What doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger. (Just don't try to tell me that when we're stuck for a few days in primitive, and it's very, very hot--OH, I HATE camping when it's HOT--and it's that time of the month!! Yes, this too, has also happened to me!)