Dad would be proud!!

I used to think that car camping was a total "red neck" thing to do. I was taught that real camping consisted of strapping everything you will need on your back (the less the better) and backpacking deep into the forest where no one could possibly find you. Us Etherington girls were lucky to grow up with a Dad who took us on these little adventures quite frequently and I have fond memories of singing silly songs, looking at the vibrant starry nights and getting lost bushwhacking with Dad leading the way(sort of). I have always wanted to carry on this tradition with my own children but often when we were asked to go camping in San Diego we couldn't imagine taking Sadie out and sleeping in a tent. I just didn't want to be the one with the screaming kid all night that wouldn't go to sleep. So we always said no in hopes that one day we would feel Sadie (and we) were up for the challenge.

Well the day finally came. Our buds the Gardners asked us to go with them and we decided that Sadie is finally ready to sleep in a tent. I do laugh now that I think about taking her backpacking because to me this seems utterly impossible. I don't think we could have carried a fourth of what we brought in our car on our backs. I have become quite accustomed to sleeping with not one, but two body pillows. They of course were in attendance along with Sadie's noise maker (equipped with batteries of course), a pack and play, a bazillion blankets, three layers of pajamas, three more pillows, and not to mention all the food we tugged along. At this point I'm thinking that a backpacking trip will be a few, if not several years down the road.

Sadie was a champ. Although she didn't fall asleep right away, she serenaded us with beautiful music while us adults talked around the camp fire. It was fun hanging out with the Gardners as we talked politics with some splashes of sports (can you imagine anything less with Chase and John in the picture). The next morning we were awakened by gun shots from the nearby shooting range and heavy bladders from not wanting to get out of our sleeping bags all night. Car camping is hilarious. I love that the kids just ran around the camp site getting filthy, picking up sticks, throwing rocks, and eating whatever was left in the bag I packed the night before. So I guess we are red necks but probably not as red as the people next to us with their trailers and rifles shooting bullets into the air. I'm glad Sadie made the trek from the car to the tent. I guess Hogan Fork, the Narrows, Wind Rivers, and the West Rim trail will have to wait. Until then, we'll just keep being red.