Sort of camping

I remember camping at 8 years old with my Aunt Becky and Uncle Jim. We went on a canoe trip during a particularly dry summer (i.e. no water). Most of the trip involved walking the canoes through a foot or two of water, and my aunt and uncle saying lots of, "yes dear" in front of me. But the main memories are eating around a campfire, beans from a can, camp cooking. I guess we must have been in tents, its so long ago, I don't even remember. I loved it.

My family never camped. We rented houses on Fire Island or on the Cape. My aunt and uncle were campers, adventurers.

As an adult, I have camped various times (in a tent) with friends. Its been loads of fun. Planning the menu, deciding who brings what, where to camp. We've done boat-in only sites, Burning Man in the middle of nowhere...once I camped out in the Anza Borega desert with my sister and we witnessed a tarantula. Rochelle, a family friend, slept in her car. I got heat stroke on day two.

Jump forward to this past week. We went camping with the boys. We reserved a cabin at the Santa Cruz KOA. KOA stands for Kamping of America. We rented a Kabin, although we could have gotten a Kozy Lodge. So cheesy. This place was really Kid focused, maybe that explains the big K before everything. If you weren't with kids, this place would suck. All evening long, you hear motor homes pulling into their sites and kids biking by squealing.

We escaped one day to the beach at Manresa. It was perfect weather and although not quite warm enough to swim, it was great for burying Max in the sand, building sandcastles and eating sandwiches.

Another fun day was spent at the Santa Cruz boardwalk. We spent way too much on rides and games and food and had a blast. We played miniature golf, won prizes, and ate shaved ice. We all got a bit sun burnt in the process.

So maybe none of this sounds like real camping. We did not have to dig a hole for a toilet but we did have to run to the restrooms. And although they had showers, the blow dryers were broken.

We cooked a few meals, made delicious coffee with a coffee press and ate tons of S'mores. Next year, we'll be more adventurous perhaps. We'll stay at a less populated site and actually go hiking or something related to nature and the great outdoors.

Until then, I will savor the memories of my first family camping trip.