We hadn’t planned on going camping. In fact, we hadn’t planned on being away from the
boat much during the winter. I was going to fly to Wichita Cambria to start tackling his to-do list after a long cruising season. But
then we received an invitation to spend Thanksgiving in Las Vegas
 |
| From top left to right: Our sweet suite in Las Vegas (thanks to David's son), one of David's granddaughters racing in a soap box derby, my niece picking me up at the airport in Philadelphia to start a 1,300 mile drive to Wichita, me and my niece in Casey, IL in front of the world's largest chair, my niece in front of the world's largest pitch fork, me and Santa, my 97-year old grandma opening the present I drew for her, and me and David on Christmas morning. |
But then
it started to rain.
Not
in Kansas Seattle
I
have to hand it to my mom. I’m sure it’s exciting when we first arrive and take
over the lower level of her house; but after a month or two, I’m imagine
she’s ready to have her space back. To her credit she never said a word but by
the time month three rolled around, I decided we needed to come up with
a plan.
It
was still raining in Washington Mexico
Hatching
a plan.
I
decided we should camp our way back to the boat. I’m not sure what’s wrong with
me, but I have this “thing” for late-winter camping. And my practical side
(i.e. David) was distracted when I was putting together a plan, allowing me to
run rampant. Which is exactly what I did.
It’s
not that winter camping is a bad idea. It’s not. It’s just that our last
attempt didn’t go very well (or the one before that): It snowed, it was cold,
it was windy and we encountered a drunken fool who decided it would be fun to
shoot off a handgun and say things like “I’m going to light you up.”
So, why on
earth would I decide to give it another try? The answer’s simple: What practical
side I have usually loses out to optimism.
The
first of March rolled around and we needed to go. Saying goodbye is never easy;
it’s the worst part of this lifestyle. But we’d put it off long enough, and it
was time to finally get moving. Our first campsite out of Wichita Oliver Lee Memorial State Park Alamogordo , New
Mexico
We
were off to a good start . . . .
How about you? Have you done any late-winter camping or do you have
a favourite place to camp? Join the conversation below in our comments section.
10 comments
Sledding on the dunes looks like sooo much fun! Can't wait to see the rest of your camping posts and hear about Mexican dentists.
ReplyDeleteIt really is fun and so much better than snow sledding because it's not cold!
DeleteWhite Sands looks awesome! I've done plenty of camping in the rain and being slightly miserable, but never any winter camping (I'm sure camping in Florida winter does not count!) -Lucy
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure it counts in the Southwest either but I have a habit of picking places that are at elevation so it gets a little cold at night. But at least we didn't have any snow this time around!
DeleteThat surely looks like a great first spot to camp (and not too cold, either!). Looking forward to the rest of the overland adventures! Your grandma looks great for her age!!! It is so nice to be able to visit friends and family once in a while. I'm enjoying it right now. Winter camping is great in the South or the tropics. I'm all for it. :-)
ReplyDeleteThe camping was pretty good this year. We were both disappointed when it ended but the spring breakers were out in full-force by the time we hit California so we called it quits. I think the Inside Passage and its solitude has spoiled us completely!
DeleteAnd I agree, my grandma looks great for her age. She still lives on her own and only gave up driving a year or two ago. My goal in life is to be just like her!
Hello again! I enjoyed discovering your blog during the 2016 A to Z Challenge. Therefore, I've nominated you for a Liebster Award. Here's the link to my post with all the info you'll need to accept and pass it on: http://www.lissajohnston.com/2016/05/the-liebster-award.html
ReplyDeletep.s. would like to know more about the dentist trip :)
Thanks, Lissa! I haven't started writing about our trip to the dentist, but it'll be coming up pretty soon.
DeleteCheers, Stephanie
Sounds like an exciting trip! Personally, I like to GLAMP, instead of Camp, but that's just me. After one encounter with a drunken fool with a gun, I don't think I'd be glamping or camping ever again. I'm a wuss.
ReplyDeleteMary
Jingle Jangle Jungle
Glamping would definitely be the way to go! It could have saved us several uncomfortable nights, that's for sure.
Delete