let me just state, for the record, that justin is not really an outdoorsman. he is a man who likes his creature comforts - a soft bed, readily accessible snacks, central heating, a pillow....that being said, he was a total trooper for this tent camping experience. i would not call myself an outdoor aficionado, but i do really love to be outside in a place where there is no cell service. i think that's because it's the only way i will ever just settle in to forced relaxation.
anyway, we got to the campground mid-day on saturday. the dogs were in heaven - ollie immediately rolled in about 10 pounds of cow patties. justin was furious; i was endlessly amused. emme was fired up about the wide open spaces, the tent construction process, and the other kids and dogs milling about. we nestled our tent into an area with a good amount of trees to try to block the wind we knew would be coming - a cold front was heading in, and they were expecting temps in the 30s overnight (yep, we knew this in advance and opted to camp out anyway. genius.). adventures ensued after we got the tent ready to roll - our tent is a 6-person dome tent, so there was plenty of room for ekes pack n play, our pallet of blankets and sleeping bags, and the dogs. we moseyed back and forth between our tent and the marks' camper, visiting with people and pointing out all the things to see. we had brought some "bad snacks" with us (because junk food is an essential part of camping), so emme got to eat her first cheeto and it was a HUGE hit. she also enjoyed some sea salt and freshly ground pepper kettle chips. i had also brought her lots of fruit, cheese, and some carrots, so there were some halfway decent options, but she was way in to the cheetos....big surprise. i had also marinated some chicken in garlic, lemon, and rosemary, so we threw those on to a grate over an open fire pit for dinner.
all the running and talking completely wore the baby out, so she was ready to bundle up in to her bed by 6:30 or so (even earlier than her normal super-early bedtime). i layered her in two pairs of footie pajamas (one fleece, one regular), a fleece hoodie, and four blankets. she was SNUG. i had her in mittens too, but the thumb-sucking had to happen, so the gloves were off. she went down rather easily, all things considered, and justin and i headed to the big campfire for some music. there was a guy there that apparently plays in willie nelson's daughter's band, and he was ridiculously good at the guitar. lots of other dudes chimed in and sang country songs and we just watched and listened. it was really mellow and nice. the temp kept dropping, so i headed to bed around 10:30 or so. justin joined me a little while later and it was COLD. i had ollie on my feet and i kept waking up to make sure emme was warm enough. i think she was, but she did wake up sometime in the wee hours, probably just from being in such a weird place, so i just brought her on to our pallet with us and she passed back out.
when we woke up at the crack of dawn, all the other campers were still asleep and emme had some not-so-nice looking green gunk in her eyes (this turned out to be part of yet another ear infection, but that's another story). we decided it was time to haul it out of there, so we packed all our gear up SUPER fast and hit the road. it was a really fun experience, but i think we learned a few lessons from this camping adventure:
- no more camping in the 30s. i think 50 degrees is my limit.
- a foam or blow-up mattress is essential (especially for justin).
- don't forget water.
- wet wipes, wet wipes, wet wipes.
i wish we would have taken more pictures, but here are a few that we did capture - mostly from before we left that morning. woops...
You are a brave, brave woman. 30 degrees? I don't camp period. Give J props for me
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