This summer Anthony and I discovered something. We actually like sleeping in a tent! Ok, maybe it's not sleeping in a tent that we actually enjoy. We've discovered the joy of camping. By no means do we actually "rough it" when we camp. We bring everything from food and drinks to the cozy air mattress for our tent. And we're really not all that far from civilization when we are "camping". But we're outside, enjoying the fresh air, and each others' company. We can see the stars and go climb a mountain should we choose. Even Milo, The Dog, can't get enough of all the new smells and places to pee. We have always gone camping with a couple of really close friends and that makes the trip even more enjoyable.
Our first trip was a bit random and haphazardly planned. As it turns out though, it was probably the best of the summer. We lucked into a great spot at the McWilliams campground up in Lee Canyon. With a few minor exceptions, we brought everything we needed to have a successful night out in the woods.
Our second trip had a bit more planning involved, but we unavoidably got to the mountain a bit later than we had planned. After driving around, we finally located a spot late in the afternoon. We had just enough time to get the tents set up and a fire going for dinner before the sun set. Still, it was great to get out of Vegas for a night.
Our final trip was this past weekend (19 Sep 08). It was supposed to be our first attempt at a two-nighter. My friends and I had planned for two weeks and stocked up on supplies as if Armageddon was coming. We reserved what we hoped would be a good site at McWilliams via the internet. We packed everything up in our vehicles and off we went! We saw mention of breezy conditions on the news, but hoped that they would pass. No such luck. The winds billowed and howled from the moment we got there until we left after breakfast the next morning. The wind on the mountain is pretty intense. As it blows through the trees up top, you can hear it as if you were near the ocean. Then wait about 5 seconds and "SWOOOOOOSH!!!" There goes your tent!
We are looking forward to doing more camping next year, but we've definitely decided that it's best to listen when the weather chick says "it'll be windy this weekend!"
More pictures are available on my Flickr page.
Time for the Random Review...
As for reserving sites on the internet... www.recreation.gov... it's a good site, but costs an additional $9.00 for reservations and will charge you $10.00 if you need to change or cancel a reservation. I believe I'd use it again if I wanted to reserve a spot, say in Yosemite. But next year, we'll just get to McWilliams early to get the good spots! It's not that far away!
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