Let's rewind a few years. It's the summer of 2009 and my sisters and I plan an knock-down-drag out awesome camping trip full of fun and adventure. We had our cooler packed to the brim, full of fruits and veggies and all of the fixings for vegetarian burritos. We packed the stove and all of the plates and utensils. We were clearly preparing for a camping feast! It was so awesome!
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| camping cooler |
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| packed VW |
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| man's best friend...so stoked to be going camping! |
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| through the Columbia River Gorge... |
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| all the way to Mt. Hood... |
Note: The pictures above were taken the following day in the bright sunlight!
So, we settled into our campsite, pitched our tent, unloaded our belongings and began preparing our dinner. We had a wonderful time enjoying the outdoors and preparing our burritos and marveling at the wonders of mother nature. There was a stream which was adjacent to our campsite and provided some ambient background noise. Koya was going crazy and enjoyed chasing after anything and everything that was in existence in the wild (remember this point, too).
We all are smart campers and had our headlamps so that we could see in the dark. One of my sisters had the important job of cranking the lantern (it's manually powered) so that we could enjoy even more light. She basically just walked around and illuminated the area. She was an absolute trooper. We feasted and stuffed our bellies with delicious vegetarian burritos and then we promptly picked up our ingredients and utensils and put everything away so that we would not attract any unwanted creatures. Nothing like an unwelcome visit from a raccoon to spoil a camping trip (I learned that the hard way back in 2000 when I went camping with the Girl Scouts! Raccoons LOVE Hershey's bars...always remember that, friends.). Anyhoo, after cleaning up, we chatted around the picnic table and before we knew it, Koya began FREAKING out! I don't live with Koya on a daily basis, but something in his bark was totally off and totally different from his typical bark and behavior. He started running around and growling and he would not calm down. Typically, after a few shouts from his momma, he'll settle down, but that certainly wasn't happening that fateful night in August. It was about 10pm at this point and we had survived a solid three hours of camping. We collectively decided that Koya was not going to calm down (after he was barking for 15 minutes straight) and we made the difficult decision to pack up our tent and head back home to our creature comforts. It was super disappointing that we had to head home, but we all agreed that it was super fun to make dinner outside and enjoy a warm meal around a picnic table in the middle of the woods by a stream. We were three girls and a dog who were camping in an unfamiliar (to two of us) location. Also, we drove into the campsite while it was already dark and we had ZERO idea about our surroundings. We headed home and then headed back to the campsite the next day to scope it out and face our fears. It was great to see the campsite during daylight and we all agreed that entering the park after dark + Koya going crazy + three girls alone in the woods = recipe for fear. We definitely want to go camping again and have camped in these awesome rolling huts, but we're saving tent camping for another summer. And I think I've found the perfect company to help us out with our camping experience. I'm thinking that we can bring our whole family and have Shelter Co. help us out. I foresee a few tents perched in the wilderness...what do you think? Here are some pics from their site and blog. How much fun would this be? I can hardly wait to talk to my family about it and book our adventure! Enjoy! :-) xoxo
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| Here's the inside of a tent. |
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For an additional charge, they'll throw in some extra gear...a cozy Pendleton blanket (see below!), a flashlight, and all the fixings for s'mores. |
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| An alternative to an on-the-ground tent...this totally reminds me of camping with the Girl Scouts...too much fun! |
You can uphold the golden rule of camping and arrive at your campsite during the daylight...
And hopefully, you'll arrive to see your tent (or tents!) all set up!
Then you can unpack your belongings and settle in to an exciting game of Scrabble...thanking Shelter Co. for hooking you up with the board game while you play!
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| Yay for playing Scrabble on the dock by the lake! |
Then it's time for some burritos for dinner and then s'mores by the fire...
...and then you're all set to do some star-gazing...
...and then off to bed. How fun would it be to crawl right into this awesome tent?!
You'll sleep as snug as a bug in a rug and you'll have the sweetest dreams.
And then you'll wake up to a cool and misty morning...
You can enjoy some coffee...
And marvel at the galloping horses as you sip your hot beverage...
All the while remembering this fine quote:
I hope you'll check out all that Shelter Co. has to offer! You most certainly will not be disappointed and I can guarantee that you'll be checking your schedule and planning your next camping trip as soon as you explore their site! Much love to you and your families :-).
xoxo
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