Camping Among The River Bluffs

We are home, happy to be clean and looking forward to not sleeping on the ground tonight. We camped with 20 other cub scout families from Ryan's school last night at Camp Wokanda, the old boy scout camp, which is now a park district owned area that is settled among the river bluffs here in central Illinois. When we entered the camp grounds, we came across this breathtaking view of the color changing trees and the glass like lake.

We survived two hikes - one with some rather treacherous climbs up steep hills in the afternoon and the other along flat ground at night with flashlights. The weather was perfect and the kids had a really great time. Ryan explored in the forest behind our camp site with all of the other boys. That particular part of the forest was made up of HUGE rolling hills covered in trees. The kids could run up and down the many hills and were in our sights the whole time. It was the perfect location.

Sleeping conditions, as one would probably expect, were not the best. Bret and Ryan had both cots and I thought I was a genius for bringing the big egg foam crate from Ashley's bed and folding it in half under my sleeping bag. I slept, thanks to ear plugs, but not very comfortably. Ashley and her friend, who stayed in their own big girl tent, had a similar problem. All I had for them were some foam pads to put under their sleeping bags. What can I say? I didn't feel like messing with the air mattresses after they leaked the last time we used them.

Anyway, we're home and I've posted many of our pictures over at Flickr (Click here for slideshow) if anyone is interested. I'm too tired and there are too many to post here. Enjoy!

Sleeping With The Creepy Crawly Things

In ten hours we'll be on our way to the Boy Scout camp. I think I've packed half of the house. Always be prepared, right?

Camping With The Boys

My idea of roughing it when it comes to camping is the Girl Scout way - in heated cabins with running water and flushing toilets, using duraflame logs to start camp fires, having mattresses accessible to lay on the floor underneath my sleeping bag, and having pizza delivered for dinner.


We have on a few occasions "roughed it". In fact, the last time we "roughed it" was with our neighbors two years ago. (See that post here.) We "roughed it" with a TV in the tent, a gourmet chef and a cul de sac for bike riding.

Why am I bringing all of this up, you ask? (Hangs head in shame.) Because I just committed us to camping with Ryan's Cub Scout pack this weekend. A day and a half of real roughing it camping. No duraflame logs. No beer. No heaters. No TV's. With 50 other adults and kids. In the woods. IN THE WOODS!

Ok, maybe I'm over reacting, but I've never camped for this long a stretch of time before. A day and a half. (Stop laughing!) Usually when we camp as a family, we arrive and set up camp right before dinner, eat and drink, sleep and then get up early and go home and shower the camp fire smell off.

In the handout we were given, there is a list of what to pack. Number one on the list? "Personal clothing - be prepared for cold and rain. We will get dirty!" Yikes. Number two? "Personal grooming items - camping is no excuse for bad breath and body odor." OMG! People actually have to be reminded of this? Last on the list? A sense of adventure - this will be fun." Ok, they've got me. I'm excited, because Ryan really wants to do this with his friends. I'll put aside my own fears to watch him experience his first Cub Scout camping trip. But, man! It sounds like we'll have to hose each other off as soon as we get home.