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senior-cit's avatar
senior-cit
Explorer
Feb 28, 2014

Back when camping was camping

Iknown thought I would post this to bring all of us who have these homes on wheels and "camp-out now.
Back years ago, my wufe and our then 2 children took a camping vacation down into Kentucky to stay in a State Park.
Packed evetthing in a 2-wheeled trailer, we tented, and I had installed a plywood area in the back seat so the kids could play. Yes, I know, they weren't restrained, no seat belt law in the "olden days". Unkown to me at the time, my wife had put a small cooler with fresh eggs in the back window. We arrived at our campsite, only to discover our son had gotten into the eggs and you can guess the mess.Wifey tosses the egg mess into the woods and I informed her that we are going to attract animals tonight. Off to bed we go and about 2hrs. later, we hear something outside out tent. Our tent, being well used, had a zipper that wouldn't zip all the way down, so got flashlight out and snuck a peak outside and stared face-to=face with the biggest skunk in the forest. Now unfortunatly he wants to come in and the tent won't zip up so we took the diaper pins off our son and as careful as we could, we fastened the tent opening up. After trying several times to get in and us huddled in a corner of the tent, laying out a plan, he left. After a while we went back to bed until the next morning, and life went on.

40 Replies

  • Dog Folks wrote:
    A vast majority of us started out in tents. I now we did, 40 years ago.

    Good times.

    But the body grows old and starts to protest about sleeping on the ground, and thus the RV.

    Did you know that a tent attracts rain? Ours did everytime we used it.
  • A vast majority of us started out in tents. I now we did, 40 years ago.

    Good times.

    But the body grows old and starts to protest about sleeping on the ground, and thus the RV.
  • Thanks...good memories of the camping that really wasn't that long ago.









    And we have a ton more!!!
  • Hey that brought back memories and a smile to my face.

    Eighteen years ago we tried our hand at camping with a newborn, a two year old, a crappy popup, a cheapo screen tent, a Coleman stove, lantern and not much else. The toddler was hell bent on making a beeline for the campfire, the screen tent had a broken zipper and was useless for keeping the bugs out, but served it's purpose as a tarp when the rain came. Our baby decided he hated camping altogether, and was successful after midnight in convincing mom to grab the car keys, the baby and head for home, which was smart on dad's part to plan a camping trip only three miles from home.

    It's a funny story to tell while the older son still pokes at the campfire and the younger one still complains of how camping in a new camper isn't real camping. Your time will come, son.
  • Like alot of here, I started camping in a tent and had a old coleman fuel stove and lantern. Those things are.indestructible! we have progressed in age, and now we have a popup with everything but A/C. But with my bad back, even that is getting too much to set up. So now we are looking at Class C's. I still have that stove and lantern, and they both still work. I will still spend most of.my time outside the camper, relaxing and enjoying nature. Can't understand how some folks come to a campsite, hookup and go inside, and you never see them again
  • Great story: thanks for the trip down memory lane!
    senior-cit wrote:
    Iknown thought I would post this to bring all of us who have these homes on wheels and "camp-out now.
    Back years ago, my wufe and our then 2 children took a camping vacation down into Kentucky to stay in a State Park.
    Packed evetthing in a 2-wheeled trailer, we tented, and I had installed a plywood area in the back seat so the kids could play. Yes, I know, they weren't restrained, no seat belt law in the "olden days". Unkown to me at the time, my wife had put a small cooler with fresh eggs in the back window. We arrived at our campsite, only to discover our son had gotten into the eggs and you can guess the mess.Wifey tosses the egg mess into the woods and I informed her that we are going to attract animals tonight. Off to bed we go and about 2hrs. later, we hear something outside out tent. Our tent, being well used, had a zipper that wouldn't zip all the way down, so got flashlight out and snuck a peak outside and stared face-to=face with the biggest skunk in the forest. Now unfortunatly he wants to come in and the tent won't zip up so we took the diaper pins off our son and as careful as we could, we fastened the tent opening up. After trying several times to get in and us huddled in a corner of the tent, laying out a plan, he left. After a while we went back to bed until the next morning, and life went on.
  • After years of RVing my DW and I were invited to join some of my co-workers to tent camp in Yosemite Valley Group campground. We packed everything into our Honda Accord. The car was full from the back of the front seats to the roof and a full trunk. My DW wanted all of the conveniences....

    IT wasn't until we arrived at the campground that we discovered everything had to be carried in from a parking lot about 1/2 mile from our campspot.

    The first night we were awoken to the sounds of a bear sniffing around the outside of our tent and then trying to open the steel food box provided by the park.

    The next night my DW didn't sleep she spent the night in the tent with a whistle in her mouth to scare away the bear. It didn't return.
  • ro_sie wrote:
    Thanks! I needed that this morning. Bad family news last night and I needed a smile this morning.

    Don't know what the family news is, but prayers do help and you have ours. God bless
  • Thanks! I needed that this morning. Bad family news last night and I needed a smile this morning.

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