Camping!
Or glamping!
Whether you are a minimalist camper — with just the things you really need to take into the wild — or recreating a luxurious and comfortable campsite, there’s something to be said about getting away from it all and experiencing nature close up and personal.
My mama and dad didn’t ever take me camping. The closest we came to camping out was staying at the state park in the rustic wood cabins. Mama packed up box after box of what we “needed” for our stay. Daddy got the fishing rods and other grilling material together to take.
We spent hot days fishing, skating in the skating rink, swimming in the ponds with boardwalks built to designate the areas safe to play in the water. I’ll never forget some fellow state park visitors who dug a huge pit in the dirt, put leaf-wrapped meat in it, and had a feast!
When Gary and I got married, we started our own camping journey. At first, he had a pup tent that inconveniently collapsed in the cold rain that tried to ruin our adventure. It wouldn’t be the only time we were rained out! When Daniel came along, Gary got a nice big tent and we took our little one out to explore the sights of Kentucky! He found more tiny bugs, odd leaves and places to explore than I would have expected.
As Andrew and Jon were born, we moved “up” to a pop-up camper. Now that was a big change. It had air conditioning, a refrigerator (small) and beds on each end. Two tables and benches were in front of the beds.
In Missouri, the boys were playing and roughhousing on the bed, and they smacked against the canvas window. It tore open, dumping Andrew out of the camper. I rushed to look over where he was and saw his white diaper flashing down the hill! We did retrieve him, he was unhurt but surprised, and they cut out the roughhousing after that.
Next, we got a pull trailer camper. It wasn’t fancy, but it was comfortable. The first time I drove the car pulling the camper was a frightening experience in New Mexico as we wound around the hills with rocky drop-offs.
Now we enjoy staying in condos or hotels — as we age! But I wouldn’t take anything for the adventures we had as we ate ashy hot dogs that fell in the fire!
We felt God in nature as we put ourselves in His creation with less distractions.
Psalms 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
Get out there and adventure!
