During the last week of May, Brian, Noah, and I went camping at
Sugar Pine Reservoir.
It was our first time camping as a family in the trailer, and while some parts of the trip were super fun, others were really challenging.
First up, the challenging parts:
- Our 17-month-old, Noah, only slept for three hours the first night and then didn't want to nap on the second day. He eventually fell asleep when we went for a drive in the truck, but Brian and I were really tired and wanted to nap, too.
- It was my first time staying in the trailer (Brian stayed in it during his guys' camping trip in April), so there was a bit of a learning curve. How do I turn on each light? How do I activate the pump so I have water? Where is the aluminum foil? How can we deadbolt the door so Noah doesn't accidentally fall out? How do the two slides work?
- Since Noah is constantly on-the-go now, one of us was on "Noah patrol," while the other person set up camp or cooked dinner or washed dishes--leaving little time to just sit and relax.
On a more positive note:
- We scored a really nice campsite near the lake. Definitely one of the perks that comes with being able to camp mid-week.
- Noah was a really "happy camper," despite not sleeping much at night.
- We got a chance to visit Morning Star, a nearby campground where my family and I stayed for three summers when I was a child. I have so many wonderful memories there: swimming in the lake, walking on the log (and trying not to fall off), painting rocks, hiking, sleeping in tents, and (one year) getting rained out. Still looks much the same, only now there are showers and a general store.
- I toted my big camera around and snapped lots of photos, which always makes me happy. Here's a look at some of my favorites:
Noah had fun checking out the camper. He climbed the steps, walked all around it--and underneath it--and loved playing inside it.
Knock, knock. Anyone home?!
We'd only just arrived and already Noah had "camping" dirt on his face.
Smile.
Noah enjoyed standing on the wood blocks and turning the handle on the tongue jack. He also played in the bear locker, watched the birds, and chased a ground squirrel.
The first evening, we hung out in the trailer for a few minutes before bath time. Brian and Noah played with some toy trucks on the sofa. As I snapped this shot, Noah put his left hand up, made a fist and said, "Click!" mimicking the sound of my camera. Apparently, it's something he hears quite a lot.
Smile.
During bath time, the campground host, Jason, knocked on our trailer door. Jason's dog had run a bear up a tree nearby. (Earlier in the day, Jason had warned us that bears were coming into the campsites during the daytime searching for food.) Brian, eager to see the bear in person, grabbed my camera and bolted out of the trailer. Noah and I were perfectly content to stay in the trailer.
The following day, we hiked around the reservoir, discovering several rope swings along the way.
This is Noah's
"I'm-tired-but-I'm-happy-because-I'm-outdoors" grin.
Later on, after Noah's nap in the truck, he and Brian waded into the lake. Noah
was in heaven--being a huge water fan--even though it was quite cold.
I adore this shot of Noah playing in the sand.
And these two shots are super fun, too.
I can hear Noah giggling when I look at this photo.
And here's proof I was there.
Smile. Love that this shot captures Noah in the backseat (facing forward now) as well as the truck and trailer.
We plan to camp again later this summer. We're not sure when or where--
but I'm hoping that Noah sleeps better.
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