The first trip Michael and I ever took together was a roadtrip to his hometown to camp, a month after we started dating. Given my past of camping in every national park across the US of A growing up, it was love at first campfire. There's something about spending a few days with someone without a shower that makes you weed out the no-go's, really quickly :)
Lately we've been feeling the camping bug. We considered a trip down to Mustang Island to camp on the beach, but this time of year is so hot that it's borderline miserable. Plus no campfires, sleeping bags, or warm fleecy blankets. I love camping in the brisk cold, where you spend every last minute you can by that fire, before heading off to sleep, trying not to freeze. It makes for some serious camp-cuddling, when the lows drop down into the 30's at night.
We're waiting patiently until next month. We took a little over a week off work with no plans other than to pack up everything and head back to Colorado. No plans, no reservations, no guidelines. Just us, Petey, Hunter, & fingers crossed that we won't get eaten by bears in the middle of the wild.
28 comments:
Dang! I miss camping! I need camping friends! :)
It's winter here in Oz now, and I definitely agree with you about it needing to be cold. I LOVE it!
The last time I camped was Fall 08 in Red River Gorge, Kentucky. I miss it. Badly.
Thank you for this post. It brought back really nice memories. I too hope you don't get eaten by bears! Wish I could come! :D
Kentucky is beautttttiiiful. I bet that was gorgeous!
By the way, you look gorgeous in that photo! How do you do it while your camping? :D
You make me miss camping so much.
I wonder if I would still like the rough elements...
I'm tempted to just book a campground spot.
Your pictures are so inspiring ;)
Annie- That was day one, right after we set up camp. Things were NOT pretty by night 4 without a shower :)
Ella- I took a few years off from camping when I was in high school and early college, when I was way too cool to camp with my parents, anymore. Sometimes when you have memories of something during childhood, it's seems so magical and untouchable. Camping was one of those things that I worried would just feel uncomfortable. I imagined myself swarmed by bugs and ready to leave immediately. But the minute I got out there, I felt 8 years old again. You just have to go into kid-mode. Where you're innocent and you don't care if you have BO or if your feet are dirty. Know what I mean?
When you're a kid, Summer days are never hot, and you stay outside for hours. We're so conditioned as adults to be comfortable. Nothing about camping is comfortable. You sleep on the ground in a freaking tent! But damn it feels so good to forget about all of that and just pretend to be 8 years old, again :)
love, love, love camping. Especially in the Fall. I have dreamed of camping on a beach somewhere. We haven't found a place around here locally yet but we are always in search of it. It's one of Mike's dreams to get to do that too so we shall see.
I really love Petey he's so perfect for you both! ox
Another great post!!! My hunny and I love camping together as well! We go several times a year. I love all the different set ups you have had. I try to hard to pack very very light, but I absolutely love setting up a great space in a beautiful place to just be.
Finally! I have been waiting that the camping posts starts :) Our camping last weekend was ruined by my stomach pains (i looked like 7monts pregnant..) and seriusly it was way too cold to camp! my fingers and lips went blue, here we are not allowed to make any camping fire, not even camp in nature, except in mountains one night. We are planning real campings too. my holidays are starting in 2weeks and i injured my hand at work just now :( it's swollen like a balloon. nice start :P
Oh yea and I wanted to say, that you look so good in the pictures! I always leave to camping without make ups, and i look so so so bad :D I wish i could change my skin colour haha.
I love how much bliss you put out into the world!
I have always wanted to go camping, and the way you speak of it makes me want to even more, especially for my boys. The thing is if you haven't ever done it before it all seems rather daunting - the equipment, where to go, how to do everything etc. I think I need to hire a cute male expert to guide me through it :)
I love camping. I can't wait for fall. Camping in 100º weather is not for me. Good luck on your trip!
ah, i want to go camping so bad! you're feeding the fire :) we've got at least two weeks set out this summer for camping, not quite enough but i'll take it. i'm starting a new job so it's very hard to get time off. i am so thankful, however, that you guys have a car and all the equipment so you can leave pretty frequently! sounds awesome!
Aura, you are a woman after my own heart! Camping is my refuge. When I first met my hubby, we bonded over our love of roughing it in the beautiful outdoors. If you ever get a chance you should definitly do a trip in Southern Ontario. We have some stunning provincial parks. I reccomend Algonquin Park, which is over three times bigger than the city of Toronto! It's heaven. Also, anything along Georgin Bay is lovely! We love to cook over a fire. We do pizza in a cast-iron pan, and all kinds of roasted veggies and potatoes. The cast-iron will cook anything and everything! Food just tastes better with a little campfire grit! My mother also just passed on to me a campfire coffee maker which she bought in the 1960's. It has seen so may camping trips. It's beautiful!
Thank you for posting about camping, and encouraging a dialogue between like-minded women.
Which leads me to my next thought... I love reading all of the comments on your blog, and I always wonder - where are all these beautiful like minded women, and why can't they all live in my city? It's amazing to know that there are others out there with simiar values as mine! You have a great following, Aura. Birds of a feather do flock together!
Lake Murray brings back wonderful memories for me, I love it there. Enjoy Colorado, M and I will be headed there in August for our wedding shower...summers are the best there.
Great pictures!
I have to be honest though, I really dont like camping because I always end up missing home haha.. My bf hates that about me, because he really enjoys it. But these pictures are kinda changing my mind =)
Aah I miss camping. We haven't been in some time either....they are such great getaway trips, and cheap too!!
Some of your photos look like they should be in an advertisement for the Honda Pilot, that made me laugh :)
Have a great weekend!
i camped on mustang island when i was younger!! so much sand in our tent & everywhere! i got stung by a jelly fish for the first time there.... not fun! but, the vacation was fun.
I'm dying to camp at our favorite spot in the Lake Tahoe area, but it's still covered in snow! Lots of snow this year in California. Just need to be patient and wait for it all to melt. Hope the mosquitoes won't be too bad.
You are one of the most beautiful, special and sweet person I've heard about. Love the Blog.
I love camping. I hope one of these days I get a chance to go again.
I just camped in yellowstone. It was really cold, but still amazing :)
(especially cuddled up by our campfire!)
-rayana
Eek!! How fun!! This makes me itch with the camp bug. I used to camp so much when I was younger. I really should pick it up again. It is so much fun and I LOVE being surrounded in nature. I Love the "Love at first campfire". What a sweet story!
Have a great week Love!
B.
Kelly- We don't have a ton of great local camping. I grew up camping every spot in Oklahoma over the Summers, but when you head to mountain ranges all over the country, it's hard to come back to our hot, dry campsites :)
Sini- Camping without a fire is TERRIBLE! Why in the world won't they let you have a fire? I honestly don't even think I could do it. Cooking on the fire, making smores, sitting around it when it gets dark, and staying warm and cozy are some of the best things about camping.
Samantha- A rugged, hot, male guide to carry all the gear? :) It's not as complicated as it seems. I think a lot of people worry that it takes experience and will be difficult. Just go once, and you'll see how wonderful and simple it really is!
Sara- That sounds amazing, but Canada is a 3 day drive for us! I have quite a bit of family there, and it looks wonderful. Pizza on the fire sounds amazing, I'll have to try that.
Thank you so much for your sweet comment. I agree about the women that read my blog. I feel very, very fortunate to have such wonderful readers who, as you said, are so like-minded. I always secretly hope that some of my readers also read through these comments :) It's nice to see every one's perspective and find new blogs to read through little comments left on the internet.
Thanks for reading along!
BG- I agree, I adore Colorado in the Summers. Michael is still dead set on us moving there, although I am hoping to maybe convince him to find somewhere a bit warmer year round for us to call home. But wow...those two glorious months of CO Summer really are addicting.
Karla- Every time we travel, I'm worried sick about our animals, the garden, and our house. Especially right before our trips! But once you get there, it will all melt away :)
Lesley- I really love Mustang Island, and I'm hoping to go back soon. When we were there, there were TONS of jellyfish washed up on shore. The big, turquoise and purple ones. We were so scared to swim! Luckily none of us got stung.
And you're right about the sand. I have never eaten so much of it. Every bite of our food was crunchy!
Kids Outback Club- Lake Tahoe is one of my favorite camping spots. The water is so beautiful, there.
Debora- Thank you so much, that's very sweet :)
Rayana- I haven't been to Yellowstone since I was little. I have so many wonderful memories from there.
Thank you, everyone! I hope you all take a long weekend to head out into nature, soon.
Aura! We just got back from trying to camp on Mustang Island. Trying being the operative word. It was so WINDY. We struggled to set up our tent and after lying down on the air mattress we blew up with a hand pump every orifice in our face was filled with sand. It was ridiculous. Fortunately, my family had a condo down the way - we slept on their floor all week. Also, the beach was covered with seaweed. But we still had a blast. I'm definitely going to have to try out beach camping again.
That's weird I don't remember the wind being that bad! But we went in the Spring (March) and timing is everything when it comes to camping. And we also didn't have a speck of seaweed! But we had jellyfish littered on every foot of the beach. We had to actually watch where we were stepping.
I want to go in the Fall, when it cools down so we can actually have a fire. We'll be risking getting rained on, but we've got a good rain barrier on our tent.
Mustang Island, as in the one on the Texas Coast? We are headed to the TX Coast this weekend, I can't wait. We have cabins rented though, that's called "lush camping". :)
In 2 weeks I'll be Ohio bound and have big hopes of camping on my parents farm w/ my girls and sleeping on the backporch every night.
Aura, Most of the year it's so dry here that if someone makes fire, probably it will turn into a forest fire. And many times the sun heats so badly that it makes fires by itself.. It sucks but I prefer not to burn whole area :D It would be so nice to sit around a camp fire and eat grilled food. But what can do, when everything is illegal here ;)
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