Our son David is no less excited. When I can’t find my Woodall’s North American Campground Directory, I know that he has it. David is hoping that one of our first stays will be at a Camp Jellystone Resort. He has been sure to show me every one of them in the Directory. He has also seen the ads about campgrounds that have “planned activities for children”. He likes those and the ads for campgrounds with swimming pools. For some reason I feel the need to apologize to tent camping purists who camp in primitive sites right now.
I don’t know why I put recreation on my list. I know I will be delegating this area to Dennis and David. My idea of recreation is reading a book in front of a stream or taking a hike not too far into the woods to see how many bird species I can observe. In addition to David’s ideas about Jellystone, the guys have been talking about taking board games camping in case of rain or to have something to do on the picnic table in the evenings. I have also heard them mention a football and a Frisbee.
The male members of our house may be taking care of recreation, but I am in charge of cleaning. There is some dispute about who coined the phrase, “Cleanliness is next to Godliness”, but I think it must have been a woman. I found a great idea for how to handle hand washing on Pete’s Family Camping Website. When Pete’s family camps at a site that has a water spigot next to a tree, he uses a bungee cord to affix a bottle of soap (the kind with a hand pump) and a hand towel to the tree. I think that is brilliant. After seeing that, I am hoping for sites with spigots next to trees. Thanks Pete for allowing me to use your picture!
Part of cleaning is keeping our campsite tidy. In our family we have a saying, “Let’s leave it better than we found it.” That’s our motto in restaurants, hotels, and other people’s homes, so it will apply for us in campgrounds too. Not only do we want to leave a site nice for the next person, but also we don’t want to do anything to pollute rivers or streams.
Next time, I’ll give you my thoughts on cooking while camping. I have really stressed over this topic, so if you have some suggestions in advance, by all means leave them for me. You know I can use them!