Andrea’s Weblog

A few weeks ago, Elena had her first camping trip. We headed back to the same campground where Elizabeth had her first camping trip a little over a year ago, Mistletoe State Park on Clark’s Hill Lake. (If you’re looking on a map, South Carolina renamed the lake Strom Thurmond only recently, but the Georgians still call it Clark’s Hill.)

I tried really hard to pack only what we would need and updated my camping checklist as I packed. I want it to be easy for us to throw a tent and some food in the car and head to the campground, only 20 minutes away. Of course, it was the usual stress of packing and getting everyone into the car, despite my attempt at being care-free. We arrived at the campground with a full mini-van around 2:30. At dinner time, Frank joined us and we watched several deer graze while we ate.

Elizabeth spent Saturday morning on a bike ride escorted by me and Elena and Frank went to get some miles in on his bike on a separate bike ride. After lunch we were entertained by Finley and Elizabeth frolicking in the water. We’ve never been able to document how long Finley will play fetch because we always get tired of throwing before he gets tired of fetching. In other words, he’s never been too tired to fetch! The weather called for 20% chance of showers Saturday afternoon. I figured it must mean thunderstorms. Well, the forecast changed and kept getting worse according to the weather reports Frank was picking up on his phone. The rain started Saturday afternoon and was forecasted to last through Sunday.

After spending 4 hours in a tent with a 2 year old who wouldn’t nap, we decided to go home. The only rain gear I’d packed was an umbrella, so there was no chance in finding entertainment outside. Plus, how were we going to cook our bratwurst in a wet fire pit? Elizabeth was quite disappointed–she couldn’t understand that it wouldn’t be very fun hanging out in the tent for the next 24 hours, making trips outside in the rain to pee every couple hours.

So, I learned several lessons from this experience:
ALWAYS bring rain gear
ALWAYS bring entertainment
Don’t forget the play pen–strapping Elena into her stroller every time I needed two hands got old FAST!
Find an ant-proof dog dish
Show the girls in advance where the no peeing zone is around the campsite. Next to the tent door or near the fire pit are in the NO PEEING zone.