CampFest 280

This past weekend was glorious. Joy and I left Chicago early Friday afternoon (I got out of an afternoon of stripping wallpaper!) and headed to Wisconsin for some camping. The event had been planned for months with the Cosgroves and Lentschers, and the weekend was beautiful. Although, somehow, camping turned into having a site by a lake with a ridiculously-extravagent RV complete with TVs (yes, plural), fridge, A/C, and satellite radio. And while the Lentschers and Cosgroves slept inside (they say they didn't use the A/C or TVs, but Joy and I aren't so sure), Joy and I decided to sleep in the tent. I never pass on my opportunities to use my headlamp.

First of all, I love camping food. We made tacos in a bag, brats, burgers, and even egg sandwiches. Second, I love campfires. I love to simply sit with my eyes glazed over as I watch the flames, or watch Becca throw in all sorts of (environmentally-dangerous) items into the blaze. Third, you get to be away from the city and out in something a little more wild. You can see stars, you can hear bugs, you can use an outhouse.

Normally, I hate getting up in the morning. I can sleep as late as I possibly can and still moan when I drag myself to the shower. Normally, a shower is what I must have to function through the day, and I'm amazed at how different I am when I'm camping. Sure, it's difficult to sleep late when the sun shines so brightly in the tent, but I love those peaceful mornings at a campsite. I can grab a book or my Bible, sit on the dock, go for a little morning stroll, start a fire. It's a wonderful start to a wonderful day, and I relish getting up before others to simply spend some time by myself. Dare I say it refreshes ones soul?

On Saturday morning, I was up early, did some reading, and then went for an early-morning kayak trip around the lake with Joy. Saturday afternoon was spent hiking around Devil's Lake before a short swim afterwards to rejuvenate the body (and get off all the sweat). On Sunday morning, there were sounds of thunder, so we began to clear the campsite just as it began to pour. It was raining so hard that (as has happened on about four other occasions), the rain began to come through the sides of my sunroof as we drove away. We went to the Lentscher residence, and as the sky cleared up, we got on the boat and did a little water skiing and wake-boarding. I water skied like never before, and drove home a happy little camper. CampFest 280 was a wonderful start to the summer. Now if only I didn't have to go back to stripping wallpaper...