4th of July Camping
We took Allison camping for the first time on the 4th of July last year, and its success prompted a repeat trip this year. I was going to pick a different park this time, but it was booked up far in advance so I decided a return to Grant Ranch was the best bet.
I picked a different camp site this year, one that was a little more remote (relatively speaking) from the other sites. That turned out very well from my perspective, although Carrie was not pleased that the restrooms were twice as far away.
Overall, everything went quite well, apart from some tension prior to dinner. After all the preparation, packing, unpacking, setting up the camp, and then having to fight to get the old charcoal going properly, I found myself losing patience with Allison who wasn’t exactly on her best behavior. Carrie and I both ended up in pissy moods for a bit, until we were able to relax and let things blow over. After that, everything went smoothly and a good time was had by all.
I’d like to do a two-day trip next time, assuming that we had enough for Allison to do. She really loves everything about camping, but sitting down and relaxing for a while is just not part of her usual kid programming. She’s reasonably good about entertaining herself at home – most of the time – but it’s more challenging while camping. I’ll have to work on some solutions before we go again.
The weather sure cooperated this time. It was warm, but cooler than last year. Night was chilly and cold (relative terms!) but never uncomfortable. Allison did say she was cold when she woke up around 7am, so next time I think I’ll pack along my sleeping bag liner for her next time, just in case. I suspect that her uber-cheapie kiddie sleeping bag isn’t exactly stuffed with 600 fill down.
After camping, we couldn’t resist heading the rest of the way up to Lick Observatory for a quick visit, probably our briefest ever. Carrie was looking forward to a shower and getting cleaned up, but on the way down the hill again I did detour onto Kincaid Road as we realized that Carrie had never seen it. We enjoyed a relaxing drive down to the narrow bridge before turning around and finally making our way back home.
A little over 24hrs after we got home, Allison wanted to know when we could go camping again. Preferably that night!
My daughter and her husband just took their two girls (8 & 6 yr old) backpacking out of Fallen Leaf Lake. Bit of a chore for Mark whose pack weighed 80 lbs. But they had a lot of fun and the girls did well. The 8 yo fished (caught a 12 and a 14 incher) and the 6 yo entertained herself around the camp. My daughter hasn’t been backpacking since she was a kid, but I suspect this will be an annual event for them now. I think their not quite 2 yo boy is destined to be a rock climber. He stayed with us, and in nothing flat he could be on top of the kitchen table.
July 8th, 2009 at 8:33 pmI’m hoping my daughter will have good memories of camping (and hiking, and backpacking at some point) and will want to do these activities as an adult. Fingers crossed!
I may try to get some friends to go next time as well. One of them camped with her family when she was young and she misses it, so I’d love to get them hooked. 😀
July 9th, 2009 at 12:27 pmGreat photos, as always! If your daughter is anything like I was, she’ll love camping as a child, hate it for a while (this will also be related to you not being cool and her not wanting to be seen near you or spend time with you), then love camping again. 🙂
However a dog would always LOVE camping and be thrilled to be seen with you! And if you smell a bit off after a couple days camping, even better!
July 12th, 2009 at 8:19 pm