"Camping"

(This Coleman stove is at least 20 years old - it was my dad's)

Buddy Ryan McMonagle and I have had the weekend of July 25 slated in for camping for over a month. Preparation began soon after. I prepared Austin's mind - talking about camping with Johnny McMonagle, having a campfire, cooking smores, and sleeping in a tent together. I prepared by finding a location, researching on the internet, and talking with friends. And come the Friday night before the trip, I spent 3 or 4 hours preparing our stuff to actually go camping.

*****Saturday morning arrives, the day of the scheduled camping trip. I checked the weather forecast early in the morning, only to see an unusual weather summer-weather pattern predicted - storms moving in from the North, with a high likelihood of showers and possibly severe thunderstorms. I wrote Ryan McMonagle that morning to tell him that the weather forecast wasn't inspiring much confidence in me.

*****But with all the preparation that had gone into the trip, I didn't feel like backing out, and didn't want to let Austin down, who was extraordinarily excited. I told him Saturday morning that we were going to leave for the trip "after naps," so all morning he kept asking me if was naptime yet. Finally naps were done and over, and we set out for a campsite we had located south of Kenosha Pass.

******Most of the 2 hour trip to get there was in the rain. We arrived at our location, only to see more and more rain clouds moving into the area. By now, it was 6 pm at night. Ryan M and I decided we had 3 options: 1) Set up the tents and call it a night; 2) Try to make a campfire and cook our hotdogs and make smores and then leave; 3) Leave immediately. We chose the 4th option, which was to skip trying to make a fire, but cook the hotdogs in the rain over my Coleman stove, let the kids play in the rain, and then head home.

******Option 4 worked out pretty well. The kids didn't seem to mind that it was raining, and ran around stomping in puddles, playing with Ryan's hiking sticks, and just igorning the not-so-perfect circumstances and playing, a good lesson for all of us. We loaded up the car at 8:15, not wanting to sour the kids on camping by spending a night in the cold rain, and drove back to RM's house, where we all spent the night.

******We got up in the morning, made french pressed coffee, and RM cooked a delicious campfire meal of bacon, eggs and pancakes. The kids delighted by running all around the yard in their pajamas, and just having a good time. Johnny and Austin are natural friends, each possessing a similar happy-go-lucky, not-too-hyper tempermanent, and both very curious about the world.

In all, it was not the camping trip we had envisioned, but we still a great time enjoying each other's company, and part of God's wilderness, even if not smores over the campfire. Is it nap time yet?

Here's Austin drinking his "coffee" at the McMonagles in the morning.

Look kids, a bear! Playing with their sticks

Stoking the campfire!

Austin on the ride home when it was all said and done, now, truly, ready for a nap.