How to Have a Memorable Camping Trip

This past weekend, we decided to join some friends (and some of their friends, and some of their friends) on a big group camping trip.  We picked a beautiful spot in the mountains - not a campground - and were looking forward to a weekend of family, friends, food, and re-connecting with nature.   It was everything we'd hoped it be... and more.  The following little primer is for those who're interested in camping and want to learn how to do it McGrail style.

1. Pick the windiest weekend of the year.

2. Dress for the occasion.

3. Forget to turn your camera off after taking picture of your little nudist, ensuring that you arrive at your destination with a dead battery and can't take any more pictures.

4. Choose a vehicle with low horse power and add more weight by pulling a trailer packed with camping gear. You'll only be able to go 30 mph (in a 65 mph zone) up the winding mountain freeway, and you'll have a line of no less than a dozen other holiday weekend adventure seekers queued up behind you.

5. Pick a location that has no cell service, leave your phone in the car all weekend, and relish in the break.

6. Enjoy watching your kids be kids... covered in dirt, playing in the woods, running around with new friends, and gathering kindling for the fire.

7. Make the most of using the forest as a bathroom by pretending you're Bear Grylls or a contestant on Survivor instead of what you really are - a regular old person squatting behind a tree.

7. Pause every few minutes to appreciate the sounds of nature.... your crackling fire, the crickets, the wind in the trees, and the crunching of pine cones under your feet.  

8. Take your family on what is described to you as a "short but steep" hike down in to a canyon. Don't turn back when you realize that it's both less short and more steep than you envisioned. Take a painstakingly long time getting your three year old down safely, while your older kids all blaze ahead with the rest of the people in your party. Admit it was absolutely worth the hike when you get to the cool water, and the beautiful view, at the bottom. Wish you had a camera.

9. Burst with pride for said three year old who climbs almost the entire way back up herself, with just a guiding hand behind her.  And for your fourteen year old too, who made the hike just a few days after dislocating his shoulder, and never complained.  Compare scrapes, bumps, and bruises when you get back to camp.

10. Park your car right next to your tent on the second night so that your husband can get up in the middle of the night and tie another anchor from the tent to the side view mirror to help prevent your humble little abode from blowing away during the gale-force winds.

11. Lay awake all night listening to the wind rip through the trees, your tent, and everything else in its path, and wonder if the next gust is going to be another one that bends the walls down onto your face. 

12. Decide unanimously to cut the trip by an entire day, and try to ignore the fact that you're really not feeling well, and have a two hour drive ahead of you.

13.  Lose your transmission halfway home, and be very, very thankful that 1) you took a major highway home instead of the route you took on your way there, 2) that you had cell service to call AAA, and 3) that you  were very close to your parents' house (and that they were home and able to come rescue you)

14.  Get back on the road a windy 60 minutes later... family, gear, and dog all split up between your parents' two vehicles.  Watch as the tow truck carrying your Land Cruiser weaves and blows all over the place in the wind on the highway, and envision your truck just falling off completely.

15.  Admit to yourself that you caught a touch of the stomach bug from the person of questionable judgment very nice gentleman and his family who came camping with you even though he was sick, and will yourself to make it home as soon as possible.

16.  Thoroughly enjoy a real bed, a real shower, and a real toilet when you get home.   Try not to think about the pricey car repair.  Or the unpacking.  Or the washing of all the smoke-filled blankets and clothes.

17.  Make plans to do it all over again as soon as possible.




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Vacation... sweet, sweet vacation

Here's the thing:

Mike and I lived in New England for over 30 years each. I was born in Connecticut and grew up in New Hampshire, with a brief 6 year stint in Massachusetts after we got married. We've only been in Arizona for four years, so I understand that our thinking might still be clouded with newness (although, lots of people have decided that they hate new areas in far less time than 4 years!), but neither of us has any desire to move back east, now or in the future. So accustomed as we've become to the vast open spaces, I have a hard time believing we wouldn't feel closed in and claustrophobic if we ever returned. There's just something about driving (and hiking and camping and being) in such a majestic area that makes you feel simultaneously very alive and very small, in the best possible way.


All of that to say, when we recently had an opportunity for a first time, week-long, exploration of the beautiful neighboring state of Nevada, we were thrilled!

It wasn't a restful vacation by any means, but it was restoring. We hiked (and hiked and hiked and hiked) and logged about 2 dozen more geocache finds. We explored the small town of Pioche, and checked out some old mining claims. We wandered through caves, and we gaped at the beauty of Zion. The boys fished, entered a mucking competition, and tasted their first deep-fried Ding Dong. We watched deer on the hill every morning, and we saw wild horses look right at us before they trotted away. We started each day with the sunrise and a great cup of coffee, and ended each day with a campfire and a great glass of wine.

And it was good.



















You can view all 130 pictures here

Science Center, Camping, & CT Scans

This past week was perhaps one of the busiest weeks we've had all summer. We were on the go daily, to and from everything from dentist and doctor's appointments, to field trips and mini-vacations. On Wednesday, we met up with our old homeschool group at the Arizona Science Center. It was the first time we've been there since Tegan was an infant, and the first time we've ever seen the planetarium (where the girl happily grabbed a nap). We were there for over 4 hours, and I'm pretty sure the kids would have liked to stay for 4 more.






Mike took the day off on Friday and we headed north for a couple of days of camping at White Horse lake. As per our usually preferred method, we took the scenic route. It was beautiful!





The campground itself was one of the nicest we've ever been to. It was in a gorgeous wooded area that reminded me a lot of New Hampshire. Our site was big and clean, and the bathrooms were surprisingly non-smelly for vault toilets! The first night was a little rough - Tegan burnt her hand on a lantern, and it took more than an hour to nurse her into feeling well enough to get some sleep. By day two she was feeling much better and not slowed at all by her bandage.

We enjoyed hanging around the site...







We visited the lake...





We hiked...






We went geocaching...

It was a good trip, a quick trip. It was nice to come home on Sunday to sleep in our own beds... not nice to get that blast of Phoenix heat when we stepped out of the car. You can see the whole album of camping pictures here.

And finally, I had a full CT scan of my kidney - and related parts - on Tuesday. Is it a sign that I've had too many of these things that I suddenly find the field of radiology very, very interesting? Anyway, I see my doctor again on Friday, and will find out what's next. Thank you to those of you who've followed my saga, asked me for updates, and sent your good wishes. I appreciate it more than you know.