My wife, Angie, and I just returned from vacation. It’s always fun to get away…even from a job you enjoy. The first few days are spent unwinding. The last few days are spent anticipating the return to work The REAL vacation is in the middle.
Vacations have changed a LOT since ancient times. It’s hard to imagine the Caesar family loading up the chariot with a tent, firewood, water, and playing cards. The kids, asking in Latin, “are we there yet?” Just hard to picture. Did they even TAKE vacations, then? I have a Ball State history degree, but I must have skipped that day.
It seems that we really take too much on vacation. At one point I had the laptop in the daunting “vacation pile” for the trip. I guess I thought they would have WiFi access in the hills of West Virginia. Then I realized that it wouldn’t really BE a vacation if I was doing station paperwork at the campsite. So…I left it.
I think the laptop was the ONLY thing we left behind. If Angie and I are blessed with children they will be required to ride on the roof. Don’t panic. They will be strapped into car seats. Hey, I’ll be a good dad. Fresh air is good for them.
Camping is probably one of my favorite summer activities. I’m blessed because my wife also enjoys the outdoors. The challenge, though, is preparing for the unknown. The biggest unknown , probably, is the campsite.
If you’re going to stay at the Holiday Inn, you have a pretty good idea of what to expect. Same can be said for the Hilton, Marriott, or Motel 6. You’ll have a room, bed, color TV, annoying heat/AC unit. The motel rooms will be, mostly, identical. Hilton rooms will probably all be bigger…but, uniform. Camping is a complete crap shoot.
Within any given campground there are huge sites, small sites, shaded sites, full sun sites, gravel sites, dirt sites, and grassy sites. There are sites on hills, near the bathrooms, far from the bathrooms, and those with and without electricity. You have to prepare for ALL these sites. Suppose the Holiday Inn motel room would be without towels, but have a t-v? Maybe there is a bed, but no sheets. You have pillow cases, but no pillows. AND you wouldn’t know until you arrived which combination you either had or lacked.
We have packed, for 2 years, a little covered awning thing in case we’re ever at a “full sun” site. Those sites lack ANY trees and are, basically, like camping in a parking lot with grass. We’ve never needed the awning. It’s still packed in the original box. BUT, the day I leave it home….we’ll get a site that makes the desert seem cool and comfortable.
This vacation I also fell into the trap of a modern, cocky, human. “I’m superior to nature.” Sure. My battle was with a raccoon. I’ll tell the story quickly, because his size seems to grow with each telling…but, he was huge. About 2am heard a crunching sound. Yup, he was in the new “camp kitchen” received as a gift this spring. I put the food into the truck…and went back to bed. Secure in the knowledge that he couldn’t possibly open a latched cooler. 5am…and he was in the cooler eating our hamburger. I like nature close, just not eating MY food.
It was good to leave…and good to get back. The pictures are downloaded onto the computer and I’m through all the e-mails. There is one question I have, though. You drive hundreds of miles sitting behind the wheel. WHY do we all rush into the house and sit down? I tried standing, but it just didn’t seem the same… Maybe after the NEXT vacation.
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