Adventures in Camping

Our adventures in camping

We usually have a few funny stories to tell when we get back. It is tradition. We would want to NOT follow tradition, sacrilege! So not to fear we didn't.

We got off to a little later start than we'd planned. Everything always takes a little longer the first time you do it from a long layoff. But we finally managed to get finished, of course we would find later we forgot a few things like a serving bowl, a hatchet, serving utensils, and extra toilet paper. nothing too bad this time. We had 5 other families with us so what we forgot someone else remembered.

We get there to the camp ground ( found it on the first try!) and it starts to thunder. No worries we put the new tent up at home to try it out. Problem is we didn't do speed trials.... We get the tarp out spread and the tent spread over it start putting in the tent stakes. The tent camp with what looked like a little tykes hammer. It work about like one too, Katie Moriss found us a better hammering device. But that was not the worst part. The tent stakes would just pull back out after being pounded into the sandy soil. Middle Tennessee is nothing but red clay except for Homes Creek. We finally decides to put large rocks over the tent stakes, but we figure this out after we get the tent poles into place. There were several moments of shear panic, but all in all not bad. We start putting on the rain fly and a few drops of rain start. Something isn't quite right with the rain fly and we don't figure out till later what it is. the tent looks weird misshaped and we can't get it right. Later we put up the Coleman's identical Wal-mart find tent with Jimmy Morris,and the mystery is solved, fly poles in wrong holes... Any way we don't discover that until after the monsoon... We no sooner get the rain fly on sort off, and the storm hits. It hits HARD. Actually a good test of our tent building abilities, I'd say we got a C-. It stayed up and on the ground only because we were in it to anchor it. every time something let go we'd jump to fix it. The whole thing was like a silly Laurel and Hardy skit. We got to laughing so hard we forgot to be even slightly scare with tornado like winds. It didn't last long thank goodness! We got a minimal amount of water in the tent mostly through the screen when the rain fly moved, because it wasn't on right. Any way it was easy to remedy nothing tragic. We got the air mattress all blown up no leaks! No failed pumps! The only thing was in our hast to put up the tent a sheet got dropped on the ground and wasn't useable being soaked. Courtney had a sleeping bag anyway didn't really need a bottom sheet.

The sun came out and we got the boat ready for the lake. (Storms come and go fast around here.) The ramp was just a few camp sites down. We were right on the water, GORGEOUS camp sites. Jimmy and Katie did GOOD reserving them! any way we get right on the Lake. Just a few almost diggers on the slippery ramp, and Courtney busting on Jim about putting the plug in the boat. We get out there tube for a while, and go find the rest of our group. Almost as soon as we get there it starts lightening and thundering. I got pretty nervous. Lightening and water just aren't a good mix, so we chickened out and went back in to shore. The storm never materialized really, but I'm glad we went in if we hadn't it would have got bad I just know it. I rather live to play another day than to risk it.

we went fossil hunting after we got back. Earlier Cyndee Coleman had found some interesting fossils over the bank near the water's edge. They looked like screws or coils. Very cool! Any way Jim, Courtney and I went down behind our camp site and found a bunch more and one rock full of creatures. Very cool piece! we brought it home. I want to do some research on it, and clean it for display.

Dinner was lovely we had a pot luck with everyone. The potatoes Melissa Hayes was cooking didn't cook all the way. We were in too big a hurry 15 minutes more and they would have been done... but that is camping!

The next day was gorgeous. We tore down camp and got on the lake. We tubed all over. Jim and I even got on for bit. I tweaked my shoulder a bit, not bad. It was fun! We met up with the rest of our group hooked up and swum, ate, and drank a bit for several hours. Cooked ourselves well done even with sun block. We had a good time.

Dyson had a BIG time being admired and petted by everyone. He got to play with Molly Coleman's dog. Poor little guy was tuckered out last night! We all were!

We are planning our next trip soon!