Camping

It’s always nice to get away and go camping, whether by “glamper” (travel trailer) or tent, it’s always an adventure. State parks, surrounded by trees, no cell signal and nothing to do but spend time together is the best. Building a campfire, roasting marshmallows, staring at the sky, watching the clouds or stars, working a crossword puzzle, taking lots of photos, playing ball with the kids, extra cuddles whenever — is my idea of Heaven. My love for these moments started at an early age.

My parents have a long history of camping, when Friday afternoon hit, Dad hitched the camper to the truck and off we went on another adventure. They camped all over Tennessee and in Kentucky and Mississippi. It made for the best memories growing up.

I spent much of my time on the playground, riding my bike, swimming or exploring the woods. I’d stay gone for hours, no cell phones back then. In hindsight, it’s a little concerning that my parents weren’t more worried, but it was a different time then; you could go explore without the fear of abduction. Maybe the possibility of abduction was still there, but my cousins and I didn’t have a care in the world, we were having fun.

My parents had a travel trailer until sometime between my high school and college years, when they sold it. It became harder to get away with busy lives and busy schedules. So camping adventures took a backseat for a while, but we never fully detoxed from our love of it.

Mom and I went tent camping a few times at Columbus Belmont in Kentucky. Sleeping on the ground in a nylon safe house, in 50 degree weather, hearing coyotes in the tree line nearby is my jam. Ironically though, I’m not a big fan of bugs. Mom’s hidden talent is finding a way to cook full meals using only a George Foreman and a portable cook top. If you know her you’re probably saying, “of course she cooked full meals in a tent.”

Then, my parents got a pop up camper and Jason and I used that a few times to camp and it was everything. In 2017, Jason and I bought a small 19 ft camper and the adventures continued.

You learn a lot owning your first camper.

For example, chock the wheels before unhitching the camper from the truck. Sway bars are a necessity. All the bridges on I-840 make for a very bumpy ride, sometimes resulting in a flat tire. Always have a spare and an impact drill.

If you think you have all the tools you’ll need, you don’t.

YouTube is your best friend, as long as you have cell signal or wifi. The pilot light can be the most frustrating part of the camper if it doesn’t stay lit.

Water heaters are a nightmare if the last owner forgot to winterize. Seeing a waterfall coming out the bottom of the camper (because the water heater burst) is next level terrifying.

I started to wonder if I was really cut out for this adulting thing, maybe I’m in over my head.

An on demand water heater can be great once you get past the pain of installing it correctly.

If you don’t level the camper, the bathroom door will hit you in the butt all weekend.

And life tip, you should always apologize for what was said while trying to park the camper.

After all of that, you may need a vacation from your vacation.

After the kids came along, we needed a bigger camper with bunk beds, and I’m in love with this one, mainly because the kids absolutely love it too. They always want to be outside camping, swimming, playing, riding - sound familiar?

And now the story has come full circle.

We spent part of their Spring Break camping at Columbus Belmont. They played on the playground I used to play on (it has changed a little since then). They explored the trenches like I did so long ago. They went on a walk with Jason. They blew bubbles. We snuggled. They had a blast and I got lots of photos.

The air conditioner froze up for a while, but it was cool enough that we didn’t really need it. We opened all the windows and let the breeze blow through the camper. We built a fire and sat and watched the clouds go by.

As soon as we got home, the kids were asking, “when are we going back?”

Hopefully very soon.

I hope you all had a good week as well. Stay safe.