My Best Camping Experiences
My best camping experiences all happened with my family (husband and two sons) when we were still living in the North East, PA. We camped every weekend for about ten years. We camped at the same campground every weekend. At times, our camper was permanently parked in a lot for the summer and at other times, we would bring it back and for the fourteen miles from home each weekend.
The camper was fully stocked so there were no groceries to be purchased as far as staples went every weekend. Each of my children had a double set of clothing. Each Sunday night after returning home from the campground, I would do all the laundry from the weekend and sometime during the week, we would make the trip back up to the camper to unpack and get ready for the next weekend. Thursday afternoons when I would finish work, I would go immediately to the grocery store and purchase our meats and salads for the weekend. The menu remained constant for most every weekend. Burgers, steaks, sandwiches, big breakfast made from the leftovers of the night before and plenty of drinks and snacks for the kids during the day.
Image by 22nd World Scout Jamboree Sweden 2011 via Flickr
Camping experiences with other families
We did not camp alone. There were always three or four families who tried to camp as close together as possible. We would carefully plan our menu so that we all ate the same and shared in the expense and the cooking responsibilities. All the families had children and they all got along so well that we never had to worry about squabbling or other problems. There was always entertainment during the day for the children. Softball was a big favorite and there was an Olympic size pool, which was staffed with a lifeguard at all, times. Her name was Stacy and she even provided free of charge swimming lessons for safety to the children who wanted to go in the deep end where the diving board was, but were unable because they could not swim well enough. She personally taught my sons how to swim one summer and they have been excellent swimmers since. There was a large wooded area for hiking and playing and a small lake for boating and fishing only. Because it was mud bottom and not clean enough, the park owner did not permit any swimming for safety reasons.
On Friday evenings, most everyone spent the evening just getting settled in and cleaning up after dinner. We all would sit around a fire and talk until late while the children played on the playground or swam in the pool or did an evening activity such as a snipe hunt, planned by the park owners. Saturday mornings there was almost always a softball tournament getting going in one corner and volleyball on the courts, as well as the pool for recreation. The men typically fixed breakfast over the fire coals from the night before and the women did the ‘housework’ to clean up and organize the camp for the day. The children were up and off early to enjoy all the daytime activities. Saturday evenings were always steak and baked potato nights over the fire for all the families camping in our group. We always put on plenty of potatoes so the coals overnight would keep them warm for breakfast home fries the next morning. After dinner on Saturday evening, there was usually a band and adult dance. Although it was provided for adults, the dance was held in an open pavilion, so all the children were always within sight or even inside dancing with the adults. The dances were fun. The music was provided by local bands with who we were all familiar. The music style varied from week to week, but most often the style was oldies and/or country western. There was usually a Bingo game or two going on in the hall and there was a recreation room with game machines for the older teenagers.
Our camping experiences = bonding with other families
The weekends were not always completely ‘G’ rated. We all did our share of drinking beer or our choice of beverage and almost always someone would have too much and cause some type of ruckus which was quickly subdued by the other camper families. On Sunday mornings, two church services were provided in the pavilion by the park owners. The first was a non-denominational service performed by a local minister from town and the second was a Catholic Mass provided by the priest from the local Catholic Church. After the last church service, lunch was fixed. Sunday lunch was usually a mixture of all leftovers from everyone’s refrigerator. We could avoid carrying all the food home that way or throwing out a lot of waste. After lunch, the children usually went for one last swim or softball game while the adults packed up the campers to start heading home. Usually we all stayed until after an early light dinner before heading out to our respective homes.
The campers who were towing home would be packed up first and hooked to the tow vehicle to be ready to go. The campers permanently parked would need to be cleaned and closed up for the week. Awnings needed to be rolled up to avoid wind damage, windows and cabinets locked in case of movement or shifting during the week and all food stuff thrown out to avoid spoilage. The gas and electricity would be turned off. Water was the last to go in case of a quick hand washing outside or a needed rinse of some pot or pan.
The trip home was usually a caravan of all of us, as we all lived in close proximity to one another. The families pulling campers would go ahead in case of needed help and the families leaving their campers parked for the week would follow to be available in case of a breakdown or any help needed by the families towing a camper. When we reached home, all the men would get together to help one another get the campers backed into the yards and unhooked safely and quickly. The other family members would finish the unpacking and children were bathed and usually right to bed. Everyone was exhausted and had a wonderful time. I remember these weekends well and miss them as our families have grown, we have all aged and retired and most of us no longer live in the area. These were absolutely the ‘good ole days’ and the most memorable camping experiences of my life.