Friends, Family, Fun
Written in the UP of Michigan, reminiscing on our fun family time!
Being on the road has made it uniquely possible to sit down with various friends and family all over the country. Whether people we just met, friends from another time, or family that live half way across the country. No matter when or where, we have so much fun!
This past week we had the pleasure of hanging out with the Lockwood family! This includes my Sister (Tara), my Brother-in-law (Mark) and my Nephew (Louie). They reside in the city of Chicago, and have not really had a camping trip in many many years. They were awesome enough to drive a few hours north, and head into Wisconsin for a four day family fun camping trip! Were they ready??
The weather did not looking promising, but one thing we have noticed in Wisconsin is that the weather changes constantly. So we have learned to expect rain and be happy with sun! This get together was to be no different!
Andy and I arrived at the campsite an hour or so before the Lockwoods. This allowed us time to set everything up, move our trailer multiple times (for optimal solar setup), and be as ready as possible for their arrival.
Once everyone was settled in, we blew up a paddle board and headed to the lake. Louie got to experience his first time on a paddle board, which really was just him and Andy rocking it back and forth until someone fell off. Just a bit of pure fun!
First phase of the weather was looming ahead, and, yes, this was the first phase in the weather pattern we were to experience…
We went to bed, prepared for rain as much as possible (we threw everything in the car and hoped for the best). That night turned into the first night of ZERO sleep for most of us! The rain pelted down on the tents, lightning lit the sky like you would not believe, and thunder cracked so loud you could feel it in your bones as you practically jumped out of bed. For the adults, it was rough to say the least! Louie was the only one who slept soundly through the entire night, completely unphased by the thunder, rain, and lightning directly above. A remarkable feat considering this was his first night ever in a tent!
After some much needed coffee the next morning, the sky started to clear up and the sun decided to grace us with its presence. We headed to the lake for fun in water: swimming, paddle boarding, fishing, and playing in the nearby playground. It turned out to be a lovely day, and after the water activities, we even managed to catch up on some much needed rest in the hammocks.
The weather actually held out for the second and third nights, and ended up being pretty nice for the rest of the trip. No crazy thunder and lightning, very little rain and overall lovely conditions. However, this was still camping for Tara and Mark, so sleep was a bit rough, as most first camping nights are. Louie continued to sleep soundly (we are seriously jealous of his sleep ability!), and we let him sleep in a different tent each night: first in the “living room” enclosure, then in our backpacking tent, and finally in the roof top tent, which he astutely described as the top bunk and camping tent combined.
On day three, we were told the Lake was closed due to high bacteria levels (seriously?!?!?… makes one wonder about the conditions on the 2 days prior!). So no more paddle boarding or swimming! We still managed to have a ton of fun, playing frisbee, making obstacle courses in the playground, playing board games, reading books, and so much more.
The third evening we decided to watch a movie, outdoor living style! This is something Andy and I have done a few times, and we love it so much. Just set up your chairs (we had a bit of a stadium setup), set the laptop on a table, pair it to a UE BOOM speaker, and you are ready to go! One unique thing for this movie setup was that we had a fire pit between the chairs and the table. This meant, we were able to roast marshmallows, make popcorn and enjoy every ounce of fun camping has to offer! It was also Andy’s birthday, so had cheesecake as well! What a fun night!
Overall, I would say it was a successful and memorable camping trip for everyone!
Love you Lockwoods!!
