We FINALLY got to get out of town for a short trip. The boys had an early release on Friday and Chuck had a morning dental appointment, so we were able to head out early Friday afternoon. We met some friends up there and spent the evening hanging out. Saturday morning we hiked to the falls and then went to a pumpkin patch.
We've been to a LOT of pumpkin patches around here, but this was the first time we experienced these. So much fun!
Also zip lines!
Tug of War: Chuck v. some of the kids.
Sunday morning we took the kayaks out for a bit before heading home. We were happy to have cousins come join us too!
It felt so good to get out of town and into the woods. If only temperatures would reflect the fact that it's actually fall...
Spending five days at Assateague was definitely the most consecutive number of days I've spent at a beach. It's definitely the most I've ever spent camping at a beach. We learned some things:
1. State parks need dryers! Nothing ever got fully dry; all swimsuits and towels were perpetually wet. Of course, the heat and wind helped get them to a point where they weren't going to get moldy (unlike my towel at camp), but the humidity and daily use meant they were never fully dry. When we camped in Delaware at their beach, they had dryers. It was amazing. I'd happily pay for those. Or, Assateague could install posts where people could hang towels and suits to dry. This campground was just like Delaware's in that there are NO trees. Nothing. Just sand and some grass. We bought rope thinking we could hang the towels, but nope. So pick one, Assateague.
2. We need to figure out how to cook. Just like the last time we camped at Assateague, it was windy. It is the beach. But I didn't think about how that would affect our ability to start a fire, and conversely, how it would affect our ability to cook dinner! Thankfully we had the Scamp, so we were able to cook inside. But for next time, I'd have to think about it. On the other hand, dinner time is also feeding time for the mosquitoes. Maybe being inside cooking isn't the worst thing.
Because we had already taken a nice vacation to Utah in the spring, and because we both had church camps in June, we didn't have much money or time leftover for another big family vacation. So we opted for a week at the beach. One of Maryland's state parks is right on the beach. Turns out we've been here before, but we didn't have the best experience. And I guess last time we weren't at the state park, rather the national seashore. But it doesn't make that much of a difference. It's all the same coast.
Anyway, this park is very sought-after. There are a lot of sites, but not a lot with electric hook-ups (something I now require for summer camping). The process to get reservations is very difficult and the odds are definitely against you. However, last July I, with backup provided by Chuck and my sister, was able to snag a site with a hook-up. Victory! We left Tuesday morning (traffic over the Bay Bridge was a breeze) and headed straight for the beach. That evening the park hosted a tie dye shirt party and we thought, what the heck. We all made shirts, fairly unsuccessfully, but definitely enjoying ourselves. Well 3/4ths of us enjoyed ourselves.
Wednesday we went to Chincoteague to explore the little town and see the lighthouse. We also stopped at NASA's Wallops Island. It was HOT. And BUGGY. I'm pretty sure I had a 5 millimeter-thick coating of sunscreen + bug spray on at all times. But we did get some delicious ice cream. That night the park showed an outdoor movie, so after an evening beach walk, we went to see the movie (the one with Mowgli in it?). The boys liked that for sure, while Chuck and I felt weird being the only adults there. (Where were all the parents?)
Thursday was Ollie's birthday. He woke up to some pig decorations (his giggling! melted my mama heart!) and a breakfast of previously-made pig pancakes. Then it was off to the beach! After a good chunk of time spent playing in sand and water, we cleaned off and headed to Ocean City. The big attraction for the boys was the Ripley's Believe It or Not museum. This is something we would not have done, had it not been a birthday and had the boys not spent hours reading these books (they love them). So they enjoyed that. The adults enjoyed the air conditioning. After that we just walked the boardwalk, shopped in silly stores, and ate some pizza. I think Ollie had a good day.
Friday was my birthday. Unlike last year's big one, this was one I just didn't care about. I did go for a run on the beach, followed up with some yoga also on the beach. The boys gave me some cards and a small present and then it was off to the beach. That afternoon, we did a small hike on the national seashore part of the island before deciding the bugs were too much and we headed back to the Scamp. We played our new game of "Pass the BIG Pigs" and did some campfire-wood-sack races.
Saturday morning we headed home after a morning walk on the beach. We had excellent, if not hot, weather, but it's the beach in summer. The ocean was warm enough for swimming and the boys certainly enjoyed getting out in it. And of course, the digging. Always the digging.
We are always excited when we get to camp with friends. And when the adults are friends AND the kids are friends, well, magic happens. We went camping at the same park we visited in the spring, but this time there wasn't snow and there were friends: Rhett's friend, Alejandro, and his family. Chuck and I enjoy Ale's parents as much as Rhett enjoys Ale, so it was a win-win.
The park has about, oh, two hikes. We did one in March and the other goes straight up a mountain. Given it was July, well, we opted not to hike. Thankfully we had a beach and spent most of our time there. The kids had a great time playing in the water and on the water. We rented boats and Rhett and Ale took one. Ollie and I were in another, but Ollie lasted only 15 minutes before demanding to be let out. Sigh. So I took him back and traded in the double for a single kayak and HOLY CRAP. Single kayaks are the easiest things to maneuver! This fact, and watching Rhett paddle with no adults really got me thinking about whether we should invest in our own kayaks...but more on that later.
We also did some fishing. It frustrated Rhett completely that he caught nothing and Ollie caught a couple. Sorry dude.
Oh, the boys also loved the hammocks.
And this. I have no memory of buying this, except that as of September 1 (about six weeks after camping), the lollipop has not been finished.
Unless the governor changes his mind, this is the final spring break that is six school-days long. (Next year it's only four.) Given the length, we split it up into three parts: camping, relaxing at home, NYC (for me and Rhett, at least).
Because of Sunday responsibilities, we couldn't start camping on Saturday. We couldn't even start camping right after church due to meetings. So at 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon, we finally headed out for Rocky Gap State Park. It was only a two-hour drive, which meant we arrived at 6. I was nervous that we wouldn't find a spot (Shenandoah and the Smokies have really soured me on first-come, first-served policies), but I shouldn't have been: there was only one other camper in the 278-site campground. Ha. So we got the best campsite in the entire campground and were completely happy. A quick fire was lit and soon enough we were roasting hot dogs and marshmallows.
Some of us had nine marshmallows.
In the morning we hiked around the lake, a total of 5.3 miles. It was an easy (if not muddy and snowy in places) but long way to spend the cold time.
By the time we got back to our campsite, we were all ready to sit and relax. So we did! We lit a fire and hung around it for the rest of the afternoon and evening. I have a few burn holes in my pants, sweatshirt, and hat as evidence of the fire. We also had a game of pine cone baseball. Oh, and plenty of tree climbing happened.
Tuesday morning we took a short nature walk and then headed home to five loads of smoke-stained laundry! Only one more state park to go!
Note #1 about off-season camping: For some dumb reason, our spring break was the week before Easter this year, and therefore earlier than most other counties in Maryland. Dumb. It meant that most of Maryland's state parks were not camping-ready until the end of the week. But, we got lucky in that one of the two (!) parks that we've yet to visit was the only one with year-round camping. What they failed to make clear is that during the "off-season," there are few amenities. Yes, we had electricity, so that was good. But the bathrooms in each camp loop? Closed! I had to drive to the (closed) camp store and use the (NOT LIT) bathrooms. The first night, I didn't bring any lights and it was pretty much the scariest thing that ever happened to me, so I drove back and made Chuck come with me. After that I got smarter.
Note #2 about off-season camping: Because Mother Nature must be sleeping or very angry, spring has yet to come. It was COLD. But it's exactly why I love having the Scamp! There's no way I would have camped with two boys in that weather (down to the 30s at night). Each night we cooked dinner on the fire, but then retreated to the Scamp for reading and sleeping. In the mornings before the sun warmed the earth, we ate breakfast and got ready inside the warm Scamp. Hiking in 40-degree temps was fine because we were prepared (jackets, hats, and gloves!). But I'm so grateful to be inside with a heater. Even if it means we're cheating or just plain babies.
Because our lovely governor has seen fit to change our school calendar, we no longer have a three-day weekend in October. BUT we did manage a short-day on a Friday so we took advantage. I camped here at Ohiopyle State Park in Pennsylvania years ago (I think) and have wanted to come back. So we did. This time, however, we remembered to bring friends. And everything is better with friends.
Saturday morning we did a hike along this gorgeous creek. Best part by far was the natural waterslide. As we started the hike it was too cold, but three of the five kids did it when we were done. It should be noted that no adults got wet, except for shoes.
That night our friends used our electric hookups to have a movie night at our campsite. The kids watched "Boss Baby." I watched my kids laugh at "Boss Baby." We even invited our "neighbor" kids to watch with us.
Sunday morning started out rainy (but we don't care because we have a Scamp!) but then it turned out just kind of misty. We decided to hike anyway and I'm so glad we did. The Youghiogheny River is gorgeous, if not a bit terrifying when hiking next to it on slippery rocks. (Oh Rhett.)
We opted for one more small hike before leaving (long-ish car rides really go so much better when prefaced with as much movement as possible beforehand!). The colors up there were just starting to turn but were really nice here.
Family group shot behind the falls.
The rocks were wet which meant slippery, but we took it slow and had no problems. Piggie even joined us.
We had a great time and wish we could always camp with friends. It just takes so much pressure off of us as parents to entertain the boys. The kids just ran around the campground, and frequently we had no idea where they were. Just like it should be. Besides, we really like these friends and enjoy talking to them, because that's how adults play.
