Camping at Keuka State Park NY: Making Memories in the Rain
The wholesome family experience of camping is not limited to clear starry nights and chasing fireflies. In 2004, a stormy night on a hill gave camping a whole new perspective for this mom from New York. Jackie was determined to make camping a part of her children’s lives. School was still in session and preparations had begun several weeks earlier. Jackie booked a tent-site for a weekend in l
Continue ReadingRV Camping: Hold Down the Fort
Whenever my husband or I would leave our house, there was always the admonition to the other to “Hold Down the Fort”. This past weekend we went RV camping at our favorite spot; this spot is an RV park with a cement drive-through pad, water, sewage, electrical, and cable hook-ups, a pool, and a McDonald’s within two miles. RV Camping After setting up camp, hooking up the air conditioner,
Continue ReadingCamping with Family
You are prepared and informed. You’ve packed and you’ve planned. The only thing left to do is to get you and your family out the door and to actually, well, camp. If you're not feeling overly prepared read the article Preparing: Camping with Kids and Safety for Kids Before Camping. Here are some more camping with family tips to help you have a smooth journey, have fun cook-outs, what to do w
Continue ReadingPreparing to go Camping with Kids
So, you’re planning a family camp trip. If you’ve been camping before, you at least know the camping basics. If you’ve never camped before and/or you’ve never camped with children, planning this trip might seem a little daunting. For a lot of people, love of camping comes gradually and under the right conditions. You’ll want your kids to have an especially good time if you have hopes to
Continue ReadingCamping Memories: The Beauty of Camping
In our dimly lit basement I recently opened a photo journal; instantly, I was transported back to the time when my children were eleven and fourteen. The journal was full of so many great camping memories! Pulling a beat up camper trailer behind our truck, we set off to experience as many national parks as we could in one summer. I planned to infuse history, geography, geology and nature into my c
Continue ReadingA Camping Misadventure: The Perfect Failures
Mmmm camping. The crisp pine-cone incense surrounds me, the feel of forest floor between my toes, the mystery of freshly falling fog… Smudge. Five-year-old Leslie walks across my perfect picture with our mud-pawed retriever, Rocky, in tow. With twinkling jade eyes and a smile that’s too pure to pay for, he exclaims, “We’re going camping!” We? I hope Mom and Dad knew what they were
Continue ReadingCamping at Powell River, British Columbia
“Camping!” I exclaimed incredulously. Just the mere thought of spending the night outdoors terrified and disgusted me. I fumed as my mother explained how it would ultimately be an amazing experience; utilizing the hackneyed cliché of “try something new!”, and gradually she succeeded in persuading me to accept what I was certain would be a horrifying nightmare. Camping at Powell River BC,
Continue ReadingOceanside Camping Trip
My family of 5 are avid campers. We go at least five times every summer to the beautiful mountains of North Carolina for a mountain getaway from school and work. This year I had my oldest daughter graduate high school on the same day that my baby girl turned 13 and I wanted to do something special for this auspicious occasion. I made the mistake of asking the family what they wanted to do to cele
Continue Reading