Our First Camping Trip (yes, that says camping)

Back at the end of March Dan and I decided we'd try our hand at camping. We have really good friends, Mel and Dee, who are well-seasoned campers. They have all the equipment and the experience and the same priorities as us (having a good time being number one,) so we decided to give it a shot. We were psyched! And despite the number of times I had people questioning whether or not I was the camping type (I'm not) I was up for the challenge. I figured it wouldn't be all that bad, especially since Mel & Dee's style of camping had electricity and air mattresses. What follows is a recount of our modest little adventure.

Wednesday
I spent countless hours packing from a ridiculously long list of things we would need, things we might need and things we probably wouldn't need but you never know. Dan borrowed his Dad's new Jeep Liberty since neither our Jetta or BMW could accommodate this much packing, two adults, a baby and a dog.

While preparing for the trip we find out that Texas campgrounds are under a Burn Ban which meant no campfire. Dan was really bummed, and really worried. As it should, his whole romantacized version of camping required a campfire. He was also worried because the weather was calling for incredibly beautiful, low 80-degree days but really cold, low 40-degree nights.

Thursday
The day we were supposed to leave. We planned to leave after work to meet Mel and Dee at an already set-up campsite. It poured rain all day, hard. We decided to leave Friday.

Friday
We are overpacked and ready to go. It rained the whole drive down but as soon as we neared Lockhart the sun came out. We arrived at Lockhart State Park, signed in and picked a spot. The place was really pretty. Our tents backed up to a creek. There were walking trails, a golf course and a great park for Sofia to play. The ground was damp but the sun did it's work to dry it out and before long we had ourselves a tent!





We also had electricity and satellite radio. See, Angie can camp! I thought it was funny that the electricity sockets which came out of the ground were backed by a water faucet. I never thought the two went together, but that's just me.



We opened some beers, ate some sandwiches and settled into our new home. Everyone brought their dogs along and we were almost outnumbered! 5 dogs to 5 and a half people. Thanks, Sofia!







Sofia walked around a bit. She had just taken her first steps days before so we were doing a lot of practicing.



Dan tried to feel outdoorsy by pretending to chop some wood.



Baili, Mel's doberman, is a tree hugger and attacked him until he stopped. Well, not really, but it looks like it in the picture, doesn't it?



About this time I came to the conclusion that I would really enjoy camping. It just seemed like a great place to relax, drink some beer and enjoy the company of my friends and family. I also came to the conclusion that camping makes you feel like a homeless person. I already felt dirty and a little embarrassed by my appearance (which never made it on camera) but looking around at everyone else made me feel better about myself. I wasn't the only homeless looking one in the bunch. Right, Dee? haha!!

We sat around for a bit and decided we'd take Sofia to the park. She swung by a beautiful tree and tried to climb up a slide. She also got sniffed out by a couple of cockapoos.











After dinner (Mel heated up some of his homemade yummy gumbo) we got Sofia ready for bed. In anticipation of the cold night I put her in a two pair of socks and a onesie, topped by a thick cotton sleeper pj and a thick fleece sleeper pj. Daddy gave her a bottle and some cuddles and she went straight to sleep.





We retreated around the non-campfire, had a few beers, talked and laughed, and kept ourselves bundled up. Even the dogs. The temperature was definitely dropping.







We finally decided to retreat to our tent. I walked the minor trek up the minor hill to the facilities to make sure my bladder was empty and teeth were brushed and got ready for an interesting night of .... sleep? Turns out it's really hard to sleep when you're freezing your a-- off. Every turn Sofia made woke me and I could hear every sound the wind made outside the tent. Plus I don't think I can emphasize just how freaking cold it was. I think it went down to 34 degrees. And about an hour into my sleep I was really regretting those beers before bed. I had to trek up the hill yet again in the pitch black with a flashlight. We were really worried about Sofia but she was sleeping fairly soundly and each time I checked her she felt warm. As the sun began to rise and she began to fuss we pulled her into our bed and she slept awhile longer on my chest and then Dan's. We did our best to keep each other warm.

Finally, we decided to "wake up" and I use quotes because we were actually awake most of the night! Sofia didn't seem to be doing well, she spent awhile crying which I'm sure the rest of the campsite was just thrilled about. We bundled her up in her stroller and headed up to the bathroom (and their space heaters!) She looked so cute in her hat, even with some tears. Here's my cutie in the morning...



and here's Dan appalled that I was taking pictures at a time like this.



Turns out he was right to be appalled. Sofia ended up having a really high temperature. We realized at that point that this camping trip would be cut short. And to be honest, I don't think I could repeat the previous night!

After packing up we decided to head into town for some quick lunch and a look around town. Lockhart is known for its barbecue so we couldn't leave without trying some. We ended up at Smitty's Market. It was really good! Sofia's fever had gone down and although she wasn't 100% she was in a much better mood and the afternoon sun was warming up the day. We went into town and discovered a festival in the town square and a classic car show.





So, I did it! I went camping. It wasn't the greatest introduction but I want to try it again. Just as long as the temps don't get anywhere near as cold as they did!