Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Camping and Connection

One of my most favorite things to do is go camping.  My husband and I have owned five campers and we even built one of them.  My current camper is the newest of all the campers – it is a 2005 Ameri-Lite.  The others include a 1979 Nomad, a 1983 Sunliner, a 1957 Westerner and a homemade teardrop camper.  I’ve loved them all but our current camper is fully self-contained and I absolutely love the idea that I can take this camper with me anywhere and have everything I need.  There is an amazing sense of freedom that comes with camping. 

People who don’t camp have asked me what I do when I go camping and why I love it.  It is difficult to explain.  I read, write, cook, fix up the camper so it is really cozy, sit outside and listen to the sounds of nature, take naps, drink sangria, meditate, take walks and listen to music.  I love it because it is a refuge.  Camping allows me to get away from the daily things in life that keep me from being present.  When we get so caught up in the busyness of life, it is easy to forget all of our blessings.  Camping puts life into perspective.  It is about spending time with family and with God.  It is about connecting with nature and breathing in the scents of the forest.  Scents that both remind me of my childhood and keep me in the moment. 

El Capitan State Park
1957 Westerner

19 comments:

  1. Great post! I LOVE camping. I may be a little weird, but I love sleeping in a tent, right on the ground. Being in the middle of the woods is the best.

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  2. Someday I hope to upgrade to a camper but until then I love my big orange tent! Such a great family activity too, we all spend time together without all the gadgets!

    Great post!

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  3. Thanks Emily & Heather. My favorite places to camp are the ones that you can't get cell service at.

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  4. Reading this brings back happy memories, when my husband was alive we too had a camper and left it on a camping site all year round. We made many friends and having to take our diabetic cat with us we had some extremely happy times. Thanks for the memories.

    Yvonne.

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  5. I love camping if I don't have to stay in a tent. An RV or trailer is preferred with a Hotel being my first choice. Oh wait, that's not camping. :)

    T

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  6. Nice post we are tent camper types and have camped in all seasons :) My favorite is warm seasons tho. The scariest was a fall camping trip and the Rangers warning about the bears. I was actually glad when they weekend was over and I could get back home to a good nights sleep. :)

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  7. I haven't been camping in ages! Used to love to go.

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  8. I grew up camping and kind of like it now but hubby is NOT a fan therefore, it's just not something we do. However, I actually think I like the campsite fire more than the actually camping...good C word!

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  9. great post! found you on the a to z, and will be back to read more!

    check out my blog too if you have time, am writing a travel theme.

    http://wordcut.blogspot.com

    best,
    MOV

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  10. Hi, that is a good post, but you will never find me camping out. My idea of camping out is in a hotel or motel, with room service and a good book to read. Ha ha.
    Best wishes to you,
    Ruby

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  11. One of the best holidays we have ever had was camping around Europe in a Tipi.. :-) WOuld love to try a camper. popping by from A-Z

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  12. Our whole family loves to camp. Every year we get together with closest friends and book our campsites at the same time. Kids run around, play, ride bikes, roast marshmallows. It's the best quality time ever. I love camping!

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  13. My husband talked me into going camping four years ago, and now it's the one vacation of our summer we never miss. My favorite time is always our last night... We take the kids to the beach at our campground, and I always leave him with the kids to go back to camp and start making our traditional seafood stew. That hour or so is always my favorite... Just relaxing in the quiet and a campfire... and usually a book. :)

    Jo
    In Which We Start Anew

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  14. I've never been camping. From all that I've heard about it, though, it sounds like a great experience. :)


    The Golden Eagle
    The Eagle's Aerial Perspective

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  15. Ha! I'm posting about Camping tonight too. Cute little camper.I'm trying to visit all the blogs in the A-Z Challenge.

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  16. i love your camper---i have always wanted one---for years my husband and i looked at them---maybe one day!

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  17. Nice post! I'm not a camper but your post captured the feelings I get when I sit outside of our house in the country. (Trouble is, I'm close to our house and laundry and all of those chores...doesn't look like your camper has a washer and dryer!) :-)

    Stopping by on the A to Z Challenge!

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  18. My favorite part of camping was the camp fire. I would sit mesmerized by the flames. Of course, I also enjoyed making the graham cracker, chocolate, and marshmellow treats. And that reminds me of the old campfire songs...
    http://gail-baugniet.blogspot.com Theme: A World of Crime

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  19. I need to figure out how to reply to each comment indvidually. Until then, thanks for all of your comments. A few thoughts:

    If you haven't camped, try it just once. I'm not a huge fan of tent camping - the camper is more like glamping (glamorous camping).

    The camper in the photo was in horrible shape when we bought it. It was only $800 but we put in thousands. There was plywood in the windows, an actual ice box from the 1950's and gas lanterns inside. My husband & I tore it apart to where it was just a frame and rebuilt it. It was A LOT of work but a great experience.

    I didn't start camping until I was an adult. I would have loved it as a child. I love seeing families at campgrounds, spending time together & enjoying each other. If I ever have a child, I hope to make camping a routine getaway.

    Thanks for stopping by, everyone. I'm off to check out some of your blogs now.

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