First Im Family Camping Trip

a little while back DH found a coupon online for a local zoo in maryland and thought it would be fun for the family to go up there, visit the zoo/safari and then camp the night at a local park/KOA.  so he bought a huge tent and sort of last minute we decided to go this weekend (b/c we were running out of weekends before the tickets expired). 

we started the day at the Catoctin Zoo and safari in Maryland.  lots of animals to see and feed. although it was quite hot and ozzy decided 10 minutes into the visit that he would like to go home now (after several hours were spent packing and loading up the car, then driving for an hour to get there).  we kept shifting his attention to the animals and food and that seemed to work.

while we waited for our turn on the safari ride, the kids played in the little playground by the outpost and mimi got to ride a camel.  after a quick potty break, then it was time for the safari ride.  the kids enjoyed getting close to the animals and feeding them.  we were given bread and buttered popcorn to feed the animals.  yep, you heard right.  buttered popcorn. we were given old bread and buttered popcorn to feed the animals.  (scratching head) i think some people thought the bread was for the animals and the popcorn was for them, i saw some people open the bag and eat some.  ozzy kept demanding some, but i had read online that the popcorn was fed to the animals, so i told him we'd wait for further directions first cuz i was pretty sure it was for feeding the animals.  he conceded, but i could tell he still really wanted to eat some.

he loved finally seeing the zebra.  this is Delilah.  as she came trotting over, you'd think it was a unicorn from ozzy's intake of breathe, then he yells:  there's my zebra!  that's my zebra!  and kept calling her "his zebra" the whole time and even after we got back home the next day.  he mentions seeing, "my zebra."  so cute! 

by the time the safari ride (from 2pm to 3pm) was over and he'd finally gotten to see the zebra (not sure why the zebra in particular, but he said he really really just wanted to see the zebra), ozzy conked out as soon as the safari feeds were over and the truck made its way back to the 'outpost.'  we pushed a sleeping ozzy around in the stroller and took in the last of the animal exhibits with mimi before heading out.

after the zoo/safari, we put a sleeping ozzy in the car and headed over to Cunningham Falls state park to see if there were any campsites available, tho we weren't really expecting them to have any, as they book out in advance and there's a two night min stay from Fri-Sun, and it was Saturday.  but we went anyway hoping there had been a last minute cancellation and maybe they'd let us in.  i thought it would be nice to camp by the lake and waterfall, and it's neat that it's by Camp David (tho the actual location was not disclosed for security reasons).  (we didnt book in advance 'cuz like i said, it was kind of pulled together last minute)

well, of course they were full.  but not to worry, DH and i had been up late the night before searching our options so we had a Plan B...which is always nice and reassuring.  we head to another camp about halfway btwn the zoo and home, at Little Bennett Campgrounds.  and with unerring timing, ozzy woke from his nap when we got there.  :)  the campground was a simple, straight forward camp site, with parking for up to two cars, area to pitch a tent, a fire ring.

our spot was located a few yards from the water pump, a few yards further was the bathhouse and a playground, and a few yards on the other directions were the dumpsters and few yards beyond that was the amphitheater, where later that evening they were scheduled to show the animated family movie "Rio."

we didnt have electrical access there (something to remember next time), but there was electricity in the bathhouse and at the amphitheater.  we already had a power outlet in the minivan, but only for the cords with two prongs, not w/the third 'grounding' prong...which DH and i forgot about that when we packed supplies.   (i brought along a metal electric kettle and rob brought an extension cord.)

the kids really liked being outdoors and 'roughing' it.  such a novel idea in a world that tends to be so far removed from nature so much of the time.  they didnt need us to entertain them.  they just enjoyed being out in the woods.

digging in the dirt?  Oh yeah!  

tramping thru the forest?  dont mind if i do!  

bedding down in a tent?  of course!

cooking hotdogs on a stick (albeit, a stainless steel stick w/stay cool handles) over an open flame?  awesome!  well, at least for the first 20 seconds...then it's an endless litany of is-it-done-yets.  ozzy didnt even want to do it.  he walks off to the tent to play in it instead with a call-me-when-it's-done attitude and when-can-i-have-marshmallows?

knowing the interest would wane since cooking wieners over a fire takes exponentially longer than nuking them for 55 secs in the microwave, i spread out some foil over the rusty grill attached to the fire ring and DH threw a bunch of hot dogs on it to cook so there wouldnt be a need for someone to be sitting around holding them over the fire.

it was funny to watch mimi with that hotdog on the stick.  rob would tell her repeatedly not to drag the hotdog over the rim of the rusty old fire ring or to let it touch the flaming wood inside the ring, but she kept doing it.  so in the end, hers was charred black on one end, and probably a little rusty on the other!  lol  i'm not sure what was more entertaining, mimi's clumsy attempts at roasting a hotdog or DHs consternation at her attempts.  ^-^ 

the one thing i absolutely did NOT let my kids do was potty out in the woods.  i had a portable potty w/disposable liners and the bathroom was not a far walk, so really there was no need.  yes, it's convenient to just go in the woods, i guess...but i think it's gross and i figured my kids would end up with a tick infected with Lymes disease stuck to their ass, so no, i didnt even let them know that there was such an option.

after dinner we had some yummy campfire s'mores, which ozzy relished so thoroughly it made me laugh.

after eating, the kids played in and around the tent, went digging in the dirt, tramped around pretending fairies had visited where ever the mushrooms sprouted, filled in holes with dirt where ever mosquito larvae were swimming around, and i went around an took pictures of interesting woodsy things, while DH read the paper and tended the fire.

then we went to nearby playground to play for awhile, until it was time for the movie.

around 8:30 we headed over to the amphitheater.  the movie was shown on the small stage screen, and there was some popcorn and sodas, too.  we took our fold out chairs and settled it.  the movie was pretty good and the kids really liked it, and by then the evening temps were quite comfortable.  after the movie, we headed back to our tent to sleep.  which was the worst part of the whole trip, for me, at least.

i'm not so good at sleeping outside.  on the ground.  near insects.

of course seeing one stray giant red ant in the tent didnt help.  all night i had the creepy crawlies.

and the night air was so thick with all those woodsy night sounds, trying to ignore it proved so impossible, i played songs quietly on our iPad until the kids fell asleep.  then i tried to sleep myself, but every little sound put me on edge.  add to that, how the night air grew cooler and damp and our sheets were soon so clammy that i shivered most of the night from evaporative heat loss.  not a good idea to bunk down w/regular bedding.  :(

finally by dawn i sank into some semblance of sleep only to be awoken by a soft pit.  pat.  pit.   then felt a drop of moisture.  followed by another.  and then another.  soon those random drops went from a lazy staccato drum to a roaring din, the leaves and rain in rousing applause.  rob and i hurried out to cover the tent w/the rain hood as the rain rapidly crescendo-ed.  no sooner had we covered the tent when it abruptly stopped.  kind of funny.  except it really wasnt.  

the kids got a little wet but mimi managed to find a semi-dry part of the blanket to cover with, and sleepily turned over to go back to sleep.  ozzy got up soon after, announcing loudly to everyone that it was morning, and that he wanted mimi to get up too so they could get busy digging in the dirt again. 

since the little rain shower got us up anyway,  we had a quick breakfast of cereal and instant cup of noodles, then i helped the kids wash up outside instead of trekking out to the bathhouse (kids thought it was cool to wash outside while i poured water over their hands), while DH packed up the tent and loaded the car to head home.

as we were leaving, i noticed a bright yellow caterpillar on the side view mirror of the passenger side.

we figured the wind would flick him off as soon as the car picked up speed, but the tenacious little guy held on all the way to the highway, down the interstate, all the way to our house.  (there were a few harrowing moments when his back suckers lost their grip and his lower half was flapping in the wind, but he somehow managed to get his grip back each time.)  so mimi decided to keep it.  she put it in a specimen jar and is hoping it will make its cocoon.  i hope the little guy [mimi named it Sunshine] makes it.  i would hate for him to have survived that crazy car ride home all for nothing!

mimi and ozzy thanked us for a fun trip several times.  when i asked mimi her favorite part, she said, "all of it."  when i asked her her least favorite part, she said, "the bugs."  i consider it pretty decent that no one got any mosquito bites or ticks the whole time we were there, so i'm really not sure what bugs she was talking about.  and now as i sit here typing, with Sunshine burrowed deep under some leaves in his jar nearby, it seems to me that there wasnt really anything 'bad' about our first camping trip.

not even the bugs.