Ian's First Camping Trip
Ian took his first camping trip this week, at near-by Lake Lurleen.
We had a great time and Ian is a natural born camper. He loved the whole experience, but some of his favorite things included: sleeping in his sleeping bag; using the flashlights; throwing sticks in the lake; and playing with his trucks in the dirt. He didn't have a single potty accident all weekend--it's gotten to the point where he tells me when he has to go. I got a campsite right by the bathrooms to make our trips there easier.
I must say we were not your conventional Lake Lurleen Campers. For one, I don't have a pickup truck. For two, I'm not male, retired, or part of a big family. Still, all the other campers were very nice, especially an extended family in a pop-up trailer across the way. The grandmother's first question was, "are you alone?' When I pointed to Ian, and said I'm with him, she responded, "He's your man?" But it was all in good humor. When I decided to go on this trip, it didn't even occur to me we'd stand out like this. I was also surprised that most campers are from Tuscaloosa county (and this is something I had in common with them).
After playing for quite a while by the light of a florescent lantern, Ian fell right to sleep and slept soundly until dawn, which thanks to DST was around 7 AM (sorry Jeremy).
The first thing Ian wanted to do, even before breakfast, was hike to the playground. Lake Lurleen is well set up for kids, with at least 3 playgrounds. The playground equipment was still wet with dew, so we spent a long time throwing pine cones into a stream and using sticks to coax them downstream. After breakfast, we went on a hike that turned out to be much longer and hotter than I had anticipated, but the views were beautiful, and Ian enjoyed touching the moss, kicking sand, and poking at logs that were decaying into dirt. He didn't want to leave, and I didn't either, but we finally packed up the campsite at 3:30 and headed home.
Ian fell asleep in the car within minutes. I drove around for about 40 minutes (we only live 20 minutes from the park), and then came home. Ian didn't stir. It was too hot to leave him in the car, so I carried him inside. He barely woke as I set him on the bed, but fell right back to sleep. I finally woke him up at 5:30.
I guess camping wore him out!
We had a great time and Ian is a natural born camper. He loved the whole experience, but some of his favorite things included: sleeping in his sleeping bag; using the flashlights; throwing sticks in the lake; and playing with his trucks in the dirt. He didn't have a single potty accident all weekend--it's gotten to the point where he tells me when he has to go. I got a campsite right by the bathrooms to make our trips there easier.
I must say we were not your conventional Lake Lurleen Campers. For one, I don't have a pickup truck. For two, I'm not male, retired, or part of a big family. Still, all the other campers were very nice, especially an extended family in a pop-up trailer across the way. The grandmother's first question was, "are you alone?' When I pointed to Ian, and said I'm with him, she responded, "He's your man?" But it was all in good humor. When I decided to go on this trip, it didn't even occur to me we'd stand out like this. I was also surprised that most campers are from Tuscaloosa county (and this is something I had in common with them).
After playing for quite a while by the light of a florescent lantern, Ian fell right to sleep and slept soundly until dawn, which thanks to DST was around 7 AM (sorry Jeremy).
The first thing Ian wanted to do, even before breakfast, was hike to the playground. Lake Lurleen is well set up for kids, with at least 3 playgrounds. The playground equipment was still wet with dew, so we spent a long time throwing pine cones into a stream and using sticks to coax them downstream. After breakfast, we went on a hike that turned out to be much longer and hotter than I had anticipated, but the views were beautiful, and Ian enjoyed touching the moss, kicking sand, and poking at logs that were decaying into dirt. He didn't want to leave, and I didn't either, but we finally packed up the campsite at 3:30 and headed home. Ian fell asleep in the car within minutes. I drove around for about 40 minutes (we only live 20 minutes from the park), and then came home. Ian didn't stir. It was too hot to leave him in the car, so I carried him inside. He barely woke as I set him on the bed, but fell right back to sleep. I finally woke him up at 5:30.
I guess camping wore him out!
Labels: camping Ian Lake_Lurleen