Ahhhhh...tents, motor homes, roasting hot dogs over an open fire, waving off bugs, and watching chipmunks. Yes...our family's annual camping adventures have begun. And I have to say that for sheer ease, nothing beats going camping the weekend before Memorial weekend!It had been a very full week, so we were looking forward to a break. Our anniversary was Friday, but my wife's sister was flying in from Hawaii the night before and wanted to go camping. So we had our anniversary dinner and movie (Star Trek, if you're curious) the weekend before and plunged into prep for the first camping adventure of 2009.
It rained on Wednesday. It rained on Thursday. It rained Friday morning. And then....sunshine! Clear skies. It was almost like a sign that as soon we were done with work, we needed to throw ourselves in the buggy and high tail it out of town. But we soon discovered that the "one more thing" syndrome hit. I felt guilty trying to get "one more thing" done before leaving, until I discovered my wife was also trying to get "one more thing" done as well.
But get done we did and soon we were zooming up Highway 62 to the Union Creek campgrounds. My wife's mother and sister were already there, with the fire going. And from Friday night to Sunday afternoon, we pretty much did absolutely nothing! And it was wonderful. I read a lot, I strategized for children's ministries, I walked around, I prayed, I napped whenever I felt like it.
The best part was that it was very quiet. Union Creek is a big campground and there were very few campers. We got our favorite site (#43, if you're ever wondering) and there was nobody next to us. Since the official opening day for camping is next weekend, I think we timed it just right.
Campsite 43: in my opinion, the best site at the Union Creek campground. It's big and roomy. The amphitheatre is just up the hill. And it is a short walking distance to the flush toilets!
Lots of room
Bridge over Union Creek. Water seemed higher this year than usual.
The Amphitheatre
No camping visit would be complete without a visit to the more traditional, uhhh, facilities. But these are brand new, spacious and clean. I took a pic of the inside, but it didn't turn out. But trust me, these are cadallac of outhouses.
What is Drea so fixated on? Let's zoom in and see....
It's a chipmunk. Union Creek and the other campgrounds in this area are full of them! We probably had fewer of the little guys because of our dog, but they are there. My sister-in-law, who lives in Hawaii, looked forward to seeing the chipmunks again because, as she said, "Mongoose are a poor substitute."
