Our Life Without Instructions: Family Camping Trip

Monday, September 5, 2011

Family Camping Trip

Last Saturday, at about 10 am, I decided that I wanted to go camping; just like that the idea came to me. Mind you, we didn't have any camping supplies or had we prepared to be out of town for the weekend. Of course, my husband thought I was a bit insane, but he agreed to go anyhow. So, we packed up what we had and made a trip to the store for the rest that we would need. At about 2pm, we left for Pere Marquette State Park up north of Grafton, Illinois. I love driving the River Road, as it is as close to driving the coast as you can get in this part of the country. About an hour later, we arrived to the camp ground and paid the ten dollars to tent camp and set out to find a nice site. We ended up picking a nice spot with lots of shade right next to a grove of thick brush and trees. Not to far from the rest rooms or water, but far enough away from the RVs so that we actually felt like we were somewhat remote. We unloaded the kids and the dogs, and set up tents and then took a walk down to the river. It was a beautiful afternoon, not too hot, especially for a late August day. Once we returned from our short walk, I lit the charcoal on the grill and began to make hot dogs and hamburgers. I realized that I had forgotten the condiments so I walked over to the lodge (where they have a restaurant) and borrowed ketchup and mustard--that was sure nice of them to loan them to me! After dinner, we collected branches, sticks and pine cones and made a small fire so that we could roast marshmallows and make s'mores. After that sticky adventure, we got the boys ready for bed and settled them into their tent, however they didn't want to sleep and it took several threats and about a half hour to get them quiet. I am not sure whether it was the dogs or the kids woke up first, but we were up around 6:30 am the next morning. Trying to get them to be quiet was no use, as they were probably still working off the sugar from the night before. After breakfast and some much needed coffee, we decided to take a hike up the bluff. Our beagle, Copper, was a natural at hiking, however our Chihuahua, Lily, was not real excited about it. I had to carry her for about 3/4 of the 2 mile hike. We got to the top of the bluff and were surprised and impressed by the beautiful view of the river and the valley below. After we returned from the hike, we made some lunch and packed up camp and headed home. It was a short trip, but nice to get away from everything for a bit; I didn't once use my phone other than for a clock. Of course, getting back to air conditioning and a shower was very nice. I am not sure when our next trip will be, but I am hoping to make this a family tradition.