It took us forever to get packed. Neither Drew nor I had any energy to focus. We were in no particular hurry to get going. It was just a relief to be done with everything the day required. We decided to have a Bill Gray's hamburg dinner and ate it at leisure while sitting in the air conditioned living room and watching an episode of Monk. Then we slowly, with much resting in between, gathered what we thought we might need for camping. I packed shopping recycle bags with stuff and Drew got them in the car trunk.
In the back of my mind, I wanted to arrive while it was still daylight so we could set up camp before it got dark, but it just wasn't in the cards. Oh, well. I stopped at the ATM to get some cash, and finally we were on our way. It was still light out, but I knew that the hour or so it would take to get there would burn that away. Sure enough, we arrived at 9:30 in full darkness (not that there is such as thing as partial darkness, mind you). The ranger told us to use our car headlights to get our tent set up, so we did that.
Drew and I had never set up a tent together. He knew what to do, and I tried to get the gist of it, but I am pretty sure he was just a tad frustrated with my bumbling efforts. We did at last get things set enough for the night and each climbed into our tent and flopped down exhausted on air mattresses that we blew up with our battery operated pump despite the fact that quiet hour had descended. People were laughing and talking still, so we risked it.
What an extraordinary feeling to lie down with almost nothing between you and the big outdoors. Even as controlled as the set up is, you instantly feel connection with nature, with basic reality that is not plastered over with concrete and blacktop. Restorative. Healing. These are the reasons camping is good for you.
It took me some time to figure out that the deep repetitive low growling was a chorus of bull frogs! It didn't take long at all to figure out that the term 'air mattress' is bogus. They don't hold air (at least, not for an entire night) and they certainly don't function as a mattress! After two hours of shifting and turning and hips going to sleep (I am an old lady, after all) I gave up and climbed into the car, lay the front passenger seat down and pulled my hat over my eyes. Finally! No bull frogs and no aching body parts. I will definitely have to make other arrangements if I want to reap the benefits of sleeping in a tent.
In the back of my mind, I wanted to arrive while it was still daylight so we could set up camp before it got dark, but it just wasn't in the cards. Oh, well. I stopped at the ATM to get some cash, and finally we were on our way. It was still light out, but I knew that the hour or so it would take to get there would burn that away. Sure enough, we arrived at 9:30 in full darkness (not that there is such as thing as partial darkness, mind you). The ranger told us to use our car headlights to get our tent set up, so we did that.
Drew and I had never set up a tent together. He knew what to do, and I tried to get the gist of it, but I am pretty sure he was just a tad frustrated with my bumbling efforts. We did at last get things set enough for the night and each climbed into our tent and flopped down exhausted on air mattresses that we blew up with our battery operated pump despite the fact that quiet hour had descended. People were laughing and talking still, so we risked it.
What an extraordinary feeling to lie down with almost nothing between you and the big outdoors. Even as controlled as the set up is, you instantly feel connection with nature, with basic reality that is not plastered over with concrete and blacktop. Restorative. Healing. These are the reasons camping is good for you.
It took me some time to figure out that the deep repetitive low growling was a chorus of bull frogs! It didn't take long at all to figure out that the term 'air mattress' is bogus. They don't hold air (at least, not for an entire night) and they certainly don't function as a mattress! After two hours of shifting and turning and hips going to sleep (I am an old lady, after all) I gave up and climbed into the car, lay the front passenger seat down and pulled my hat over my eyes. Finally! No bull frogs and no aching body parts. I will definitely have to make other arrangements if I want to reap the benefits of sleeping in a tent.
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