Thursday, July 13, 2017
Thursday was arrival day. We left home around 10:30 and arrived at about 4pm. It was about 91 degrees when we got there & we needed to set up. Mom & I unpacked the car & got to setting up. This was the first time using my CINCH! tent and I was super excited to finally have it and get to use it.
After setting up, we went to the host's site and hung out for a bit. When everyone decided they were getting into the lake, we decided to make dinner & eat facing the lake at our picnic table. Perfect ending to the day!
The marina across the lake was pretty loud & didn't stop making music until about 11pm. Not a huge issue, but definitely something I forgot about tent camping!
Friday, July 14, 2017
We woke up at some ungodly hour on Friday after not getting a lot of sleep. Between the heat, being in a tent (less noise masking), and the sun coming up, it just wasn't going to happen. We both got dressed, cleaned up ourselves a bit, and then made breakfast.
After breakfast, the other ladies were up and moving around, so we went over to the hostess' site and hung out for a bit. We all decided to get in the water and swim, paddle, or float around. Mom brought her blow up kayak, so we had a bit of fun with that.
We walked around and looked at all of the campers & tents the SoTF group had. Some of them were really cool!
We got out & reheated dinner leftovers for lunch. After a while, it started to rain - and POUR. Thankfully, they were just a few quick-passing afternoon showers. The Cinch! did really well. Only one of the poles for the little awning collapsed during the wind/rain. I didn't have it pegged out very well, so that was on me. It stayed dry in the tent, which was a win for sure!
Once the rain cleared up, everyone got started on their offerings for the potluck dinner. I've forgotten what cooking for a potluck is like on a little Coleman stove. Ah well, it was a learning experience!
The potluck was good fun. It was nice getting to know people a bit more. Mom went to bed a little earlier than I did so that she could read and wind down a bit. I woke her up at one point because she was face down in her pillow & I couldn't tell that she was breathing. Gotta make sure she's ok!
I ended the night with the other ladies at the campfire.
Saturday, July 15, 2017
Another early-ish morning for us! The music from the night before went until about 11pm again, so there was no use for me trying to sleep before then. I think I got a couple of hours of sleep each night. #tentlife
We had breakfast and got ready for the pontoon boat ride that we were going on with the group. Mom and I decided to drive over so that we could go grab lunch after. We were air conditioning seeking missiles! But before lunch - pontoon!
After boat, we pulled up the "Find me Gluten Free" app and decided on Mellow Mushroom for lunch. It was wonderfully air conditioned and with cold drinks! It was everything we wanted it to be. We also stopped & gassed up the car so that we didn't have to worry about it the next day.
After lunch, we went back to the campground & relaxed a bit. We also packed up a few things that we didn't need to use between then and when we left. We were headed out to a local marina for dinner with the group. It was interesting, to say the least. The company was good - the music was just ok... and LOUD. We left after about two hours (and multiple others did too).
We got to bed & finally figured out the temperature thing a bit more and got a bit more sleep.
Sunday, July 16, 2017
Our original plan was to leave by 9am. We were both up around 6am, so we started packing up. We were ready to get on the road right around 7am, so we started out. We got home just after noon. Jon's sister & her kids were there getting ready to head to the pool & mom headed out not too long after.
Following the Trip
I forgot one other thing about tent camping... airing everything back out! I popped the tent back up on the screened in porch & let it air out. Then, I laid everything else out over the next few days. Not a big deal, but definitely something I don't have to do with the RV!
