Camping....and Why It's Good

Why Camping Is Good:

1. It gets me out in the fresh air, away from air conditioned air and fluorescent lighting.
2. It gets me away from the television set.
3. It gets me away from the computer.
4. I can't get a cell phone signal in the campground. This is a good thing.
5. It gives me a LOT of uninterrupted knitting time.
6. I meet lots of interesting, nice folks from many different areas.
7. I get to get snuggles from lots of sweet doggies owned by other campers.
8. I get to do activities there that I'd never get to do anywhere else....for instance, this weekend I attended a birthday party for Smokey the Bear. HONEST, I DID! *LOL*

Why Camping Is Bad:

1. Um.....I can't think of anything to put on this list.

I took off last Thursday and Friday and had another camping weekend. The weather was much nicer this trip, only one brief shower a little after 9:00 Friday evening which didn't bother a thing. The campground wasn't as crowded as it had been during my July trip, so that made things nicer, too.

Though it was awfully hot at home, the temperatures were really nice at the campground. If you stirred around much during the middle of the day it got pretty warm, but as long as you were lounging under the tall trees (which I did a lot of) it was cool and breezy and wonderful. I took most of my walks during the early morning hours before the heat kicked in, so it was very comfortable.

During my stay, I only left the campground once; on Friday, I made an ice run (no ice machine at the campground) and used that as an excuse to go get a hot, nutricious lunch. Yeah, right. Two Dip Dogs and a Diet Coke! :-) I swear those things are addictive! I guess it's a good thing I live too far from the Dip Dog stand to visit more often.

I'd seen a notice posted that they planned a birthday party for Smokey the Bear Saturday at 2:00 up in the playground, so I moseyed up that direction in time to watch lots of small children enjoying having their photo made with Smokey. (I wonder which park employee drew the short straw and had to wear that hot suit??) I wish I'd taken my camera, because I got a hug from Smokey. I'd like to have had that picture to go with my picture of getting a hug from "Rocky" at Rock City. Yes, I'm easily entertained. *LOL* They had a beautiful cake (I didn't have any, since I'd already treated myself to Dip Dogs the day before) and gave gift bags to the children that had junior ranger badges, Smokey the Bear coloring books, rulers and other neat little things. One of the park employees told the story of the real Smokey the Bear. I thought it was a very nice program.

On Sunday morning clouds began to gather, but I broke camp and got the car packed without anything getting rained on, thank goodness. When I got back home, the heat index was 100 degrees. Ick! I unpacked the car, did a couple of loads of laundry, took a refreshing shower, and hit the recliner. Yes, my living room is still full of camping gear, but I don't care. I'll get it put away eventually. :-)

Another terrific weekend in the woods!