I Have Camped.

It's official--I have camped. In a tent. Now, just to clarify, this past weekend was not the first time in my life I've gone camping. I used to go a lot as a kid, when my dad would take my brother and me in my grandpa's old 70's era camper (which I thought was a hotel on wheels. It had a bathroom inside it, for heaven's sake). But I haven't camped in almost fifteen years, and tent camping is not something I've ever done--aside from setting up a tent in the backyard when I was young and playing in it during the day. Hardly the same.



So this weekend we went back to Punderson State Park and camped, tent and all. I survived and, to my surprise, enjoyed most of it (with two exceptions: the hissing/grunting mystery animal that was roaming around for the first half of the evening and the surprise rainstorm that showed up the second half). I'd definitely do it again, but I'll probably pick a time that's a little cooler and less bug infested as this time of year. But no more than one night in the tent...I just can't. I like showers, air conditioning and mattresses too much.

Punderson is a gorgeous park and less than an hour away, so it makes for a great camping location for us. It's large and laid out well; there were a lot of other campers there but it never felt crowded. There are playgrounds, beaches, hiking trails and a lake where you can kayak, canoe and fish. There's also an old manor (rumored to be haunted) with a pool, restaurant and hotel rooms, plus a couple dozen small cabins to rent. There are bathrooms located near all the camping loops (not fancy, but they have toilets that flush and sinks with running water and soap--a win in my book). And there's a small convenient store at the entrance with all the necessities, plus ice cream and coffee (arguably, also necessities).

We left Saturday morning and made a donut stop on the way. We spent the day reading at the campsite, visiting the playgrounds and beach, taking hikes/walks, and roasting marshmallows. Pretty standard camping activities :)

While we were walking near the road I told her "you have to hold someone's hand", so she got me on a technicality and held onto her own hand.

Happy Camping :)

~Stacy