Camping is something Chris and I have always talked about doing as a family. We went on a handful of trips prior to having children and Chris has gone with his men's group several times, but going all together seemed challenging and I wasn't sure I was up for the work required. But the desire never left. So this year, with our boys ages 5 and 7 we ventured out for a 1-night camping trip.
We drove north to Tomalas Bay/Point Reyes area and camped in a little town called Olema. The campground had a fun little playground and decent bathroom facilities. Great for our first attempt. The boys were enamored with the fire -- mostly interested in putting out the fire with their squirt guns (which I had packed for the beach trip on day 2).
We arrived in late afternoon with just enough time to set up the tent and start dinner. We cooked macaroni and cheese on the stove and grilled hotdogs once we got the fire going. Then of course, roasted marshmallows for our s'mores dessert. The boys did great roasting their own dinners (with a lot of supervision of course).
The sun finally started setting around 8:30 so we got the boys ready for bed. They were much too excited and talked in the tent until 10 p.m. when we joined them. We finally had to separate them with Chris and I in the middle. And no one slept well (which was expected). I guess we didn't realize how active Stephen is in his sleep; and William couldn't quite hold still either (at one point he was sleeping on my knees!). We got up a little before 6 a.m. and noticed this guy walking nearby:
Heron
(Other animals spotted over the weekend: deer, fawn, raccoon, pheasant, rabbit, gophers, and chipmunks.)
After a leisurely breakfast of instant oatmeal, scrambled eggs, coffee, and hot chocolate, we packed up our site and headed for a nearby hiking trail. We decided to make our way to the "Divide Meadow" which was a 3 mile round trip hike. We don't do a lot of hiking so this was going to be a stretch for the boys, but the trail was well marked and an easy walk. That didn't stop Stephen from begging to be done 5 minutes from the starting point.
Chris did a great job keeping Stephen motivated and he did walk the entire thing on his own. On the way back Chris started singing 99 bottles of beer on the wall to keep him entertained and it worked! He loved counting down with dad . . . and singing about beer.
The Destination: Meadow Divide
After the hike we took a drive up to Tomales Bay; there is a small beach called "Heart's Desire" which was beautiful. It was a really warm day which was a treat. Very rarely are we warm when at a beach! I even went in the water to cool down. We only stayed about an hour and then packed up for home. We were all very tired.
Our first camping trip was a success. I do hope we can try it again soon. (Really helped to have friends lend us everything we needed for this one!)
