Camping has taught me..

I can hitch a trailer, secure the load and tow it.

I have little tolerance for screaming children  in caravan parks, anywhere really,  especially when that screaming is incessant, at 6am and seems to be for no reason.

Caravan parks are intimate places, you stroll over to the amenities block in your PJ's with your bed hair at 10 angles and you dont care. And you say good morning to people.

You also hear lots of things, its also easy to forget how thin your own walls are, and smell everyones cooking.

I like to know what time it is, I would ask Erin multiple times a day and night, as if she was the timekeeper. I had to keep checking my phone for the time, even on holidays I like to know.

You feel like you have been away for ages and appreciate home when you get there.

Camping tales...

I've been a snob about camping.

I always claimed I wouldn't go camping. I didn't want to 'sleep on the ground and cook in the dirt' or so I thought. But I have been converted. Our little trip into the Grampians has been lots of fun and with the amount of equipment we took (including the lap top with wireless internet) it has been not as hard as I previously believed. While it hasn't been a luxury cruise it has been a great little getaway.

We have learned a couple of things along the way and have made some notes about how we can improve our set up.
It has been really cold at night time and after the first night made a dash to a nearby op shop to buy some extra blankest. I knew the ones I wanted, good quality woollen ones like we had when we were kids. The polar fleece ones we had just didn't cut it. I was thrilled when I went into the Salvation Army op shop in Stawell and found 2 of them. In perfect condition, just $5 each, such a find was luck or destiny or both. We have been warmer since, we probably wont need them when summer camping but I'll pack them anyway.
The other thing I must address is lighting for the tent after dark. We have one lantern, and a torch. Bit hard to read by, or make coffee by or do anything much. We made the mistake of starting to cook our dinner the first night after dark and it was a bit hard to tell if the chicken was cooked.
Other than that it has been a success with the equipment and basic running of the camp. I read on a blog this week about her musings on camping in a caravan as a child. I too have fond memories of caravanning but never considered that as 'camping'. I always thought that you needed a tent to go camping and now I have been camping!

Camping...

Callum has headed out camping with a couple of friends for a few days

He loaded up his bike with the very basic camping equipment we have on hand. He was pretty sketchy about the details when I asked him who was taking food or cooking equipment and he set off. It will be a good learning experience but as Cal doesn't talk much I'll probably wont ever find out, just as long as comes home in one piece.

Boy Racer told of the times when he and a mate rode from the Toowoomba army base they were stationed at, to Melbourne or Adelaide with just a bag and a small tent each.

Luckily Callum isn't going that far.