Glamping

I know camping isn't for everyone.  Maybe it's the bugs or the park bathrooms, I'm not sure. For me though, camping is a relaxing escape from the real world. I almost enjoy it as much as a beach vacation....almost. There isn't any housework to do, no projects to work on, no running around town from one place to the next. Just relaxing outdoors, enjoying the calmness that nature brings to my soul.

I love sitting by the fire, morning and evening both.  We tend to keep our fire going the whole weekend, as we prefer to make all of our meals over the fire. The cackle sound, the campfire smell...it's all so calming. Sure, my hair and clothes smell like it too, but that's a trade off I don't mind for just a couple of days.

I also enjoy the food we eat.  At home we eat a lot of leftovers or random meals, but when we camp, the meals are all planned out and are generally things we might not eat at home.  Plus, everything just tastes better over the fire.

One of my favorite things about camping, is all of the friendly neighbors, or should I say, happy campers in the campground. Most people keep to themselves, but everyone at least says "hello" as they walk past your campsite. If you'd like to strike up a conversation with someone, there is a good chance they won't mind.

I love being outdoors, but when I'm at home, I tend to spend a majority of my time inside the house. Camping forces me to stay outside. I'm not one to sit inside my camper (I really don't understand the campers who do this). Going to campgrounds with walking/hiking trails and other things to do is my preference. It makes us stay active and gets us away from the campsite, without leaving the park.

I've tent camped many times, but I knew I wanted to have a camper someday.  I did not want to have a "glamper" though...I mean, it's not camping if you have all of the amenities from home inside your camper, right?!?! Well, we just purchased our first camper, and although James disagrees, I think we are now "glamping".  We got a used travel trailer, but it does have a microwave, oven, tub/shower, and indoor/outdoor radio, among other things. We also brought our Keurig with us this past weekend. Totally glamping.

We rented a pop-up camper earlier this year, and while it met our few needs just fine, we didn't like that we could hear the noisy neighbors late at night, nor the time it took to set it up and take it down. After our first time out with the travel trailer this past weekend, we are very happy with our decision

I'm looking forward to spending many more weekends outside in nature with my family. The kids love all the outdoor time and we will make lots of fun memories. In fact, I don't think I ever heard, "I'm bored" either of the times we camped this year!

Playing at the Jester Park playscape area

Jester Park offered a lot to do while we were camping