On Sunday, July 10, we embarked on our first, family camping trip. Jarl found a site in Golden Gate Canyon State Park, and we decided to try one night. Most of the planning and amassing of supplies fell to Jarl, the more experienced camper. As the lists and piles of stuff began to grow, we both started to wonder if one night was worth all this effort.
With most of the supplies loaded up the night before, we finished packing after breakfast on Sunday. We'd put the tent up on Saturday, but it had rained so we left it up in the hopes of drying it out. It was a little damp when we packed it into the car, but not bad. We made it to the campsite by early afternoon. Since the rain clouds were already starting to roll in, we hurried to get the tent up. Daniel was stashed in the tent while the rain fell, and Jarl and I finished securing the tent. Daniel was happy to wander around inside but wasn't wild about not being able to see Mom and Dad.
Once the tent was up and the rain had cleared, we explored the area. Daniel led me to clumps of wildflowers, proclaiming "Purple!" when we found a new patch. We showed in a bunch of columbine by the tent, and he would take us over to them whenever he wanted to talk about purple. While Jarl was bringing supplies up from the Jeep, a chipmunk scampered over to check out the new arrivals. I pointed him out to Daniel who immediately gave chase. The chipmunk raced into the trees leaving a somewhat bewildered little boy.
After the gear was loaded into the tent, we decided to go in search of firewood. One of the other campers (the site was full) directed us to the other campground in the park where there was a ranger station and small store. That campground has cabins and yurts in addition to pads for tents. The yurt we saw looked really neat from the outside. I'd love to have a chance to stay in it. At the store, we got our day pass, firewood, and 2 Golden Gate Canyon State Park patches. We wanted to do some hiking, but all of the trails were rated Moderate, Difficult, or Very Difficult. I wasn't sure what we could manage with Daniel so we went back to the campsite to stow the food and figure out where to go. There was a fishing pond near the site, and we decided to try a little jaunt.
We loaded Daniel into his backpack carrier. We'd had a big breakfast but were all feeling a little hungry. Daniel got a cereal bar, and Jarl dug the trail mix out of one of the bags. Once the trail mix was out, Daniel wanted to try it. Jarl hunkered next to him while Daniel grabbed fistfuls of trail mix from the bag. Then, Jarl helped me get the pack on, and we were off. The rains had washed away parts of the trail, but it was still passable. Daniel played with my hat and chattered. He wasn't thrilled with not being able to walk on his own. And, boy, was he heavy! Even though it wasn't very comfortable, I'm glad we had the pack because I don't know that I could have kept Daniel on the trail and/or out of the mud. We stopped at the fishing hole just as the rain was starting again. Jarl took the pack for the return trip, and we headed back to the campsite.
As we were crossing the parking lot, the thunder started. Daniel and I got in the tent while Jarl returned the pack to the Jeep. He joined us as it started raining harder. The thunder would die down and the rain let up, then would start all over again. Finally, Daniel was so hungry he couldn't stand it. Jarl braved the rain to get him a peanut butter sandwich and milk. While Daniel scarfed his meal, we began to wonder if it would stop raining long enough to make dinner. I'm not sure how long we were in the tent, but the sun started to go down as we got dinner on the stove. Jarl did the cooking. Daniel and I explored. He was fascinated with the water pump. He also liked seeing all the people who gathered around it. We checked in on the "purples", and I pointed out the pine cones on the ground. Daniel's translation sounded like "co-co".
Jarl decided to try to get a campfire lit while dinner was cooking. We didn't really have kindling so it took quite a bit of babying. By then, it was getting dark quickly, and I was starving. We sat down to a delicious meal of chik'n and dumplings lit by a lantern. Daniel wasn't interested in the food (which was really tasty). We'd tied a glow stick to him, and he wandered around stopping to pick up the glow stick or a rock or a drink. Jarl and I ate in shifts. After dinner, Jarl went back to work on the camp fire, but Daniel was starting to bonk. I took him into the tent to get ready for bed. We followed our bedtime routine as much as possible: fresh diaper, pajamas, sit with Mom while she sings a lullaby. At one point, I was laying down in the sleeping bag, and Daniel was on his knees next to me. He had his glow stick and peered into my face. "Mama?" "Yes, Daniel" "'Nite 'nite" "'Nite 'nite, Daniel". I helped him lay down next to me, and he was asleep within a few minutes.
I didn't think I could leave him in the tent for long so closed my eyes too. I woke up after a little while to the sound of rain falling heavily, again. Jarl still wasn't in the tent. He spent the evening cleaning up and putting food away - all while racing the rain. Daniel slept very well, but Jarl and I weren't so comfortable. It was early, early morning before Jarl fell asleep. I slept in spurts mostly because Daniel kept stealing my pillow. We woke a little before 8 the next morning achy.
I realized when I woke up that I'd forgotten to pack the bacon for breakfast. Bummer! We soldiered on, boiling water for coffee and tea, scrambling eggs. Daniel enjoyed his eggs. Jarl had managed to get a fire going for about an hour the previous night, but had to put it out before it had burned much of the wood. He had time for a beer in front of the campfire though - a critical camping success factor! Unfortunately, he also plopped down in a puddle of water that had gathered in the camp chair. He was thoroughly soaked by the time he went to bed.
Jarl cleaned up the breakfast dishes, and we both had another cup of coffee/tea. We started packing up. Daniel toddled over to greet campers getting water at the pump, "hi hi". Some would say 'hi' back, but the kids tended to ignore him. Looking at his face, you could tell he was trying to understand why some people would say 'hi' and others wouldn't. Daniel and I went in the tent to pack up clothes and sleeping bag. Then, we began to take the tent down. I handed Daniel a couple of tent stakes. He began slotting them into the holes in the picnic table bench. A few chipmunks came over to scavenge. Daniel was oblivious at first - completely focused on the stakes. Jarl tried to get a picture of a chipmunk standing at Daniel's feet while he worked on organizing stakes, but the chipmunk wouldn't have it. Jarl and I got the tent dissembled and mostly put away when Daniel noticed the chippies. He really wanted to get close to them. They were way too quick, but came back again and again. Daniel took Mom then Dad on one more "purple" tour, and it was time to go. Daniel said "bye-bye" to the campsite, and we piled into the Jeep.
We headed for Nederland to have lunch. It was definitely nap time, but Daniel fought it. Jarl found a hunk of rose quartz at a rock shop. Then we decided to head home. More rain on the return trip. We unloaded the car and convinced Daniel to take another nap so we could all relax for a bit. It was a lot of work for one night but was also a lot of fun. Daniel enjoyed the tent and being free to wander. Can't wait to try it again!
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