Camping 2009

There's something about peeing in a bucket or a hole in the ground that's different than anything else!!! LOL

We went camping last weekend and it was one of the best times we've had on the Delaware River. We've been more times than I can count now but this was the best time.

I think it was mostly because of the group that we went with. You know when everyone is low key, no drama and all about having fun. No complainers, judgmental people, just good old fashioned down for anything kind of group.

We got to Cedar Rapids around 1pm after stopping for lunch at Subway (By the way has anyone tried that Big Philly Cheesesteak sandwich it's pretty good, Big C and I split a foot long. It's a coronary waiting to happen, but at least I shared my coronary with the one I love!).

4 of the 13 people in our group were already there and had their tents set up already. I felt totally late. I had planned on leaving at 7 am and set up by 11 am or so, but I guess the best laid plans always fall through anyway, and what's the point in having a plan when you're going camping anyway!

I think we were all set up by 2pm and were able to relax light the fire and enjoy the view. There's something about mountain air that's not like anything else. You can breath deeply, inhale and exhale and feel all giggly good inside! LOL

Those who camp know exactly what I'm talking about, those that don't camp think I'm a raving loony right about now! How could you not get giddy inside from a view like this:

The first night is always low key for dinner, hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, and junk food!!Baby C thought she'd died and gone to heaven!! With Big C being diabetic we don't have the GOOD junk food in the house any more. Long gone are the "Ding Dongs", "Twinkies", "Oreos!" (Actually we never had Ding Dongs or Twinkies but they're the highest sugar content junk food I could think of to get my point across! LOL, we occasionally had Oreo's but they're pure evil, they're like potato chips, YOU CAN'T have just one!) Here she is Oreo happy:
It rained Friday night but it made the night time hike to get ice cream just that much more fun. Baby C had her glow stick and her flash light and her bumble bee poncho, which I didn't get pictures of and I now regret. Her little legs carried her the entire hike to the ice cream store in the dead of night. Then on the way back Big C put her on his shoulders and walked back all the while Dora the Explorer ice cream dripping down his neck! NOW THAT'S LOVE!!!

By the time we got back, all ice creams had been devoured, and we logged up the fire and had a relaxing first evening....or so we thought...Around midnight while all were asleep....I heard rustling and poked Big C to get up and see what the commotion was...at first he was apprehensive but one last poke and he finally got up.

It was the last 5 people of our group the Monserrates...lord knows how they found us up on a hill amongst a million other campers. But they did and as season pro campers they were setting up their tent in the dead of night. Big C and Burnsie went to help them set up and we all finally crashed for the night, we have no idea how Benitez slept through the entire thing.

We awoke to the sound of the water running down the Delaware River and I felt exuberant and alive. I jumped up made bacon, french toast and scrambled eggs and then went down to sign up for the rafting trip.
We were set up to leave for a 3.5 mile rafting trip at 11am.


We had only ONE newbie camper in the group called Burnsie, say hello to the "NEWBIE"!

I don't think anyone had told him that OUR rafting trips aren't like OTHERS (yes I added the S for in correct grammatical emphasis!) rafting trips. Oh no we don't take a lazy ride down the river. We pack our drinks and sandwichs like others but we also take a long a little friend...A WATER GUN! And we have water gun fights all the way down the river, the competition each year is to see who can get the super duper water gun soaker of the summer that shoots the furthest!!!! New water guns come out EVERY summer people, keep yourself informed! LOL



I know you're saying to yourself..."But you're already on the Delaware River what does it matter if you get wet!" Oh contraire my friend ...there's nothing like angling a water gun just right and splatting someone dead in the head with a cold shot of delaware river water!!! Nothing like it!!! Then usually someone jumps in and tries a sneak attack from the water like Benitez here:



IT'S A BLAST to say the least, especially LUNCH:


After a day on the river we deserve good food! That night we had seasoned steak, corn on the cob, sausage and peppers, potato salad, macaroni salad, chicken breasts and of course smoores and WE STILL went for another midnight walk to the ice cream shop when we were done playing waffle ball where by Baby C actually hit the ball WITH the bat all by herself...I was very proud of her and pissed that I didn't grab my camera.

The last morning we woke up to Big Benitez cooking corn beef hash which smelt delightful, I cooked up the same as the morning before so as to not carry too much food back home and I threw in a few bratwurst sausages for fun and then began breaking everything down for the journey home....once home we ran to the local pool to let the chlorine get the dirt from under our nails and them lamented the fantastic weekend we'd just had.