Have You Seen This??

Bunk Bed Cot

Ummmmmm, I thought I had nearly everything for car camping...

Apparently not.

Happy Campers

Last weekend a few of us decided to go camping, since we heard rumor of beautiful sunny weather and it seems like it's been nothing but grey skies for months now!  We wanted to sleep outside, enjoy the fresh air, do some light hiking and build a fire!

We were all looking forward to the trip, but I think my brother was the most giddy.  He has been collecting backpacking equipment for several months now, in preparation for the mother of all intermediate hikes- The Appalachian Trail. He's also been prepping by doing small camping and hiking trips any spare weekend he gets, and a few weeks ago, he camped at Meriwether Lewis campground on the Natchez Trace.  His reviews were so good, that we decided to go there for our first camping trip of the season.  It is a pseudo primitive drive in kind of site- no water/electrical at the sites, but there is a community bath house (toilets, but no warm water), and each camp site has a picnic table and a swanky adjustable grill over the fire pit.  The sites are also spaced well enough that you're not right on top of each other and they offer a little bit of privacy.  The setting is great, as there are trails to hike and a little bit of history sightseeing, if you're in to that kind of thing.  It is mostly used by folks with RVs, but there were a couple of tent campers as well.  It is also FREE to camp there and since it is not a state park, you can also have alcoholic beverages, if you like.

Part of our crew went down early to pick a site and set up, then the hubs and I made our way down Friday night with the pups.  We figured it was early enough in the year that it wouldn't be too crowded and we could see if the pups were good camping companions.

We were not disappointed!  We set up as far away from the bathrooms as possible and up against a ravine, so no one would be behind us.  There weren't that many people there to begin with, but we like to spread out and can sometimes be a little loud, so it was nice to have space.

When we got there, we set up our tent, then had a fab dinner of beer brats and BBQ baked beans.  SO good for camping!  Probably one of my favorite camp meals for it's ease, and it feels like we're big pimpin' when compared to weenies on sticks over the fire!

We knew it was going to be chilly on Friday night, but boy was I in for a shock at just how cold it got- somehow, in my head, when I hear 30 degrees, I translate that to what 40 degrees feels like- cold, but not unbearable. Ummmmm, yeah...  WE FROZE!  It was too cold to sit by the fire and I didn't want to drink to warm up, since I didn't want to have to unbundle to go to the bathroom.  I tried in vain to warm by the fire, but it was not in the cards.  On nights like that, there is nothing to do but try to go to bed and dream about warmer temps.

Now, my brother may be all into backpacking and traveling light, but not us!!  No sir, we have a huge tent that accommodates 2 extra large cots.  Great for warmer weather camping, but hard to warm up in cold weather camping.

Needless to say, there was no sleep for the freezing that night!  My poor pups shivered so bad that I had to let them in my sleeping bag with me.  Even with fleece over the bag and a ski mask on, it was cold, and the night was looooooong.  I tossed and turned and shivered for the bulk of the night, cursing myself for not being better prepared for cold weather camping.  Around 3 or 4 a pack of coyotes went wild howling and carrying on as if they just won their brackets, and at that point I lost all ability to even pretend I was asleep.

When the sun finally came up, we got the campfire going and some coffee going in the percolator.  Mmmmmm, so good.  I was pretty much a zombie for the first couple hours, since it was still chilly and I had had very little sleep, but eventually things warmed up to the mid 60s, the birds were chirping and the coffee kicked in!  It was beautiful!  After our breakfast of burnt french toast and bacon, we were golden!

We spent some time hanging at the site and watching Gaines take pictures of birds, and just shooting the breeze.  Gaines also brought a couple of hammocks and I found myself hard pressed to get out of one to go on our hike.  I just wanted to lay in the sun and sleep!




David, however was most anxious to get on the trail and do the hike.  He even loaded up his hiking pack as practice.  It took a good bit of cajoling to get me out of that hammock, but eventually we were on our way.  We did the 2 mile trail that wound through the woods and along a creek.  It wasn't a beginner's trail- maybe intermediate level, but not too bad.  There were a few hills that had me cursing mother nature and my brother for a moment or two, but I was glad to be out there.  The pups have never been on a trail like that either, and have certainly never played in water before.  Fortunately Lily, the yellow lab, was there to show them the ropes!

It was awesome to see the little runts out there enjoying themselves.  It was pure comedy watching Bertha trying to run through the water- she's a bit of a low rider so she was chest deep instead of knee deep.  ADORABLE!  Lily was in her element climbing the cliffs and running back into the water- showing my little runts how to be a water dog.  Not sure if it took permanently, but they enjoyed themselves for a little while.  The scenery was really pretty and I can't wait to see it once it's green.

Anyway, once we finally got back to the campsite, we managed to get a game of bocce ball together, while the pups crashed in the dirt.  WORN OUT!

As the afternoon wore on, we got the fire going again and grilled steaks for dinner and enjoyed libations and great fireside conversation.  Something about sitting around a fire with friends and family seems to soothe the soul, and since it was about 15 degrees warmer, it was so enjoyable!  And the view wasn't bad, either!

Saturday night made for easy sleeping, I was dead tired and it was much warmer AND I figured out how to light the tent heater.  Yes, you heard me right- tent heater.  I am not even ashamed to admit that we are that couple that brings a ton of stuff camping, and NO, I'm not trying to be indoors while being outdoors.  I love sleeping in the fresh air, and I did't look at my phone or even have a radio the entire weekend.  I DO, however, like to sleep off the ground and organize my camp kitchen and supplies and find that having a few luxuries makes for an awesome weekend outdoors.  I have to give my mom and my other brother mad props for hooking us up with this bad a$$ addition to our gear stash!











Anyway, Sunday we had big plans for breakfast burritos and hanging out, but once we started tearing down camp, everyone was ready to get on the road and wash the campfire, dirt and sweat from our clothes, bodies and hair.  We managed to get everything loaded back up and on the road before noon.  The Natchez Trace is a beautiful drive and we thoroughly enjoyed the ride back home in the sunshine!  Part of the crew went to have lunch at the famous Loveless Cafe, but Scottie, the pups and I were spent, so we bowed out and opted for take out on the way home.

We were pleased to learn that the pups are good little campers and look forward to more adventures!

To Roo or Not to Roo?

Almost every year in June, the hubs and I make our pilgrimage with all the long haired, bongo playin', incense burning, hula hooping hippies to the southern Mecca for jam rock a little farm in Manchester, Tennessee for 5 days of concerts, camping, dancing and a whole host of other shenanigans.  The Bonnaroo tribe consists of about 80,000 people and is not for the faint of heart.  It's a commitment.  A commitment to live communally in a field with no shade, no running water and only port-a-potties.  It's also a commitment to camp with people who may or may not bathe during their experience- did I mention it's in June in Tennessee?? It's a commitment to regularly apply sunblock, stand in lines to eat, bathe and go to the bathroom and it's a commitment to knowing you'll come home bone tired, but with some excellent memories!

the not-so urban sprawl

This has been a ritual for us for years.  Weeks of planning, epic trips to Costco for supplies, packing and repacking, checking off lists, last minute stops for batteries and gas, and let's not forget the ongoing search for decent canned beer.  It's an EVENT.  And for us, it has been THE  event for the bulk of our summers.  The hubs and I used to buy our tickets early- before the lineup even came out, as we could usually be sure that there would be enough bands there to suit our tastes.  As Bonnaroo has grown, the festival has attracted a more diverse musical line up and comedy acts.  This year's line up is no exception.

The first year I made the trek was 2003.  It was before I knew the hubster and none of my friends were interested, so I went by myself with a 2 man tent, a beach chair, toilet paper, a bag of granola and a jug of water.  Missed the memo about sunblock that year...  Anyway, I was hooked.  I stayed for 3 days, met a gazillion friends along the way and felt like I had found my tribe.  It reminded me of the very first Grateful Dead concert I had ever been to, only turned up to 11.

Since then, I have been almost every year and have enjoyed it just as much as the first time.  I think in 2004 I bought a hammock to take.  In 2006 I upgraded my tent and bought a cot the size of a twin bed.  Now, this is how we roll:

She's no beauty and she smells kinda funny, but she's got 2 beds and AIR CONDITIONING!!  Since most of the best shows go late into the night and it's too hot to sleep after 7 AM, the air conditioning is ESSENTIAL to the Roo experience. You can sleep until 1 or 2 PM (most good shows don't start until later than that), then get up, eat and dance the night away!

In 2009, we splurged and went VIP.  This allowed us the closest camp sites to Centeroo.  Centeroo is where the music happens (2 large stages, 2 large "tents" and a ton of smaller tents and stages).  Well, where the music you pay for happens, as nearly every  camp site has someone with a guitar or a djembe drum ready to engage you in conversation and a song.

The first year I went, I was in the very last row of the very last campsite- about a 2.5 mile walk each way to Centeroo.  SUCK.  If you've got the cash, VIP can be a somewhat swanky option.  The super secret entrance into Centeroo for VIP guests kept us out of lines and allowed us to smuggle in a few beers from our camp site.   But the real advantage to VIP happens before you even get there.  When our tickets came, we got super secret traffic directions to the venue that prevented our 60 mile drive from turning into 6 hours of this:

We also had flushing toilets, hot showers, a designated "not so crowded" seating area and access to a couple of air conditioned tents in Centeroo.  They also lay out a big spread for dinner on Thursday night with free beer.  This was awesome, since it poured down rain, and we sat in a tent drinking free beer and wondering what the sorry suckas stuck 2 miles from their campsites were doing!  The toilets were probably the clincher for me though.  Air conditioned bathrooms with running water to wash your hands and face are PURE LUXURY at Bonnaroo!  No trying to balance a flashlight to make sure you don't stand, touch or sit in something undesirable, no baby wipes needed to wipe everything down prior to doing your business and no huge lines (especially important when there's free beer).  Bathroom attendants keep everything clean and stocked.  The showers were a little funky- not sure they were all that better than a shower tent and a bucket of water that only you and your camp mates use, but still, it was nice.  BUT THE COST!!!  Oh dear lord, the cost.  It costs about triple the regular cost.  I find myself regularly wondering if it was worth it.  But it's hard to go back, once you've had the good stuff.  At least if you're a lady of leisure, like myself!

Last year we shocked everyone by skipping Bonnaroo.  We had big plans to attend the Crossroads Festival in Chicago and the Rothbury Festival in Michigan.  Plans fell through for Crossroads, and they canceled Rothbury.  Boooo.

This year we sit on the fence- do we Roo?  It is conveniently located and there are several great acts on this year's roster.  However, I think I prefer a smaller festival with mostly hippie bands and hippie crowds.  Hippies know how to live communally and generally like happy music over angry music and they wiggle instead of moshing. It's the familiar, and with 80,000 people living together for 5 days in a field, I think I prefer the familiar...  Am I aging????