Shane and I are no expert campers. We like the outdoors. We have a tent that we have used. We have been camping during some pretty nasty storms. Howeva we are by no means rough and toughers. We like shower/bath houses with in walking distance. We like toilets. Our roughing it is not having tp. We do sleep in on an air mattress in a tent or now in the pop up 2inches of foam but that is it! So when the opportunity for a church family camping trip came up we were all for it. As long as we could bring our camper.
Last week we started packing the camper to get ready for a 3 day camp trip ending in a float down the Elk River. My friend Lana and I went bulk shopping the beginning of the week. We got snacks and drinks to last us all weekend. During the week I packed while Shane worked. We were ready. I took a small break when my friend Allie texted me about going and seeing the new Pirates movie. She called me square....I couldnt go with that. Everyone knows I am round! So I was up late Thursday/Friday. Got up on Friday morning around 9ish finished packing truck and camper and we were on our way. We had some friends following us down.
I think when I was a baby my mother drove me around to put me to sleep. Why you ask? Because now it seems like when we get in a car and start to drive with in a few minutes I am out of it. Shane has become accustom to it. I try to stay awake but I always tend to nod off. Makes for a horrible navigator. Shane has since invested in a GPS to help with directions. Well Sleepy the Navigator and Hailey the GPS had a difference of opinion. Shane followed mine and we ended up in Mid-Easter Oklahoma. Um which is a toll road. So all of us scrambled to look for change to pay the toll. We did eventually get down there and began to set camp.
It was hot...stinkin humid hot. The kind that if you start doing anything you are soaked with in a few minutes. So take this and add this to a camper that is closed up. All the windows are zipped up and there is no breeze coming through. It was a sweat box. Anyhow got it set got us fed and went to chat with our friends. Riley made the decision that Mommy was going to sleep with him and Daddy can sleep by himself. I thought this was a smart idea....especially with Ri not being comfortable by himself. So we all went to bed tired and hot.
We all woke up refreshed and feeling tons better. We had breakfast and immediately headed down for the river. I dont know what it is about the river. The clearness all the way down to the bottom. The current that pulls you. But it is a lovely feeling. I could live by a river and be happy. I love just sitting in it. Not swimming or anything else but just to stand there and let it rush around you. I find it totally calming!
This was Ri's second trip to the river and it took him a moment for him to get acquainted with it. The first couple of hours he would not let go of Shane and I. But eventually he let Shane swim up river with him and let him float with his floaties down to me. He loved it! He wanted to do it over and over again. We did take a break and have a lunch and then headed back to the river for more water fun! We stayed down there for hours. Till we finally had to come back up and start preparing for our pot luck with the rest of the families that came from OCC. Then we had a wonderfully prepared lesson by Melissa Leonhart. Followed with a round of "I am in the Lord's Army". Which I am pleased to say that Ri was up front demonstrating the dance steps. Then we all partook in S'mores and more chatting then off to bed. Except for Ri who got put to bed early because he was being a turkey. That little man slept from 730 pm to about 730am the next day. He slept like a rock!
We had a wake up call at 730am to wake up and get ready. Andrew Leonhart gave a wonderful prayer and we all took communion. We then prepared for our trip down river to get our boats. All of the other families but ours and Lana's took canoes. Shane, Lana, Justin, the 3 boys and I shared a raft. Now Shane and I have been on a float trip before. It was the worst 10 hrs of my life!
Before Ri, Shane and I took a float down the Huzzah. On a raft, no. On a canoe, no....but on innertubes. Again worst experience ever! It started out fine....a little bumpy because the river was low....but learned to get by. Sadly this was our first trip and didnt realize we needed to reapply and water to drink...so we didnt bring anything. We both came out of it dehydrated, sick, 3rd degree burns and just all around exhausted. When we got back to camp we crashed on our air mattresses after a shower. We slept that entire night and all the next day. Packing up and coming home sicker then dogs. We didnt want a repeat so we made sure we packed sunscreen, water and snacks.
We survived. It was bumpy again, just in certain areas it was low and it made it tough going. But other then that with four of us on and off again rowing we got 8 miles done in 6 hrs. All in all I think we had fun. Riley loved it. He played captain of the ship for awhile. Other times he leaned over the side and dipped his hands in the water. It did have its low parts but all in all was a great time.
I think after this though we have a couple of observances:
1. We need a trailer not our pop up camper.
2. We should do the canoe not the raft (still not sure of this but we will see)
3. We need more sunscreen!
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