So much awesome stuff has happened! Get ready...it's a long post with lots of pictures.
First, one of my favorite bloggers had a baby!
It was so super stressful for me though because she waited an extra 10 days past her due date to give birth and I was camping at the time and couldn't text her hourly for updates. Actually, I could. We had cell service in The Wild. But I didn't want to make her birth experience all about me.
Right before that happened, my kid was in her first-ever race! Not running.
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| She is second from the left. |
I was pretty stoked she wanted to try rowing. I reassured her that just because it defined my lifestyle for over a decade that if she didn't like it, it would be no big deal. She told me she loved it after the first day. I was super annoying by asking her every. single. day. if she was just saying that or if it was true. She kept pleasing me by saying it was true. At the end of the week of camp, they had races. I really didn't want to make it all about me, so I didn't wear any of my old national team gear...just the hat. I was so bummed that no one noticed. Just kidding. Sort of. I didn't wear any of my gear...but I would have been bummed if no one noticed. Really just kidding. She was actually really good at it! And her boat did very well. And she wants to keep doing it. Not kidding at all. Or exaggerating.
The next amazing thing that happened was we went camping!!!!
When I talk about going camping people have been telling me to STFU under their breath because I sound like I think I fucking invented it. Honestly, it's just that I am SOOOOOO excited by it. I have only been four times since 1973. And three of those times have occurred in the last 14 months. Two of those times have occurred in the last two weeks. June was a Campstravaganza!
photo highlights of week one
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| we played cards with Game of Thrones cards. I really liked the character ones and made a point of collecting them in my hand even if they didn't help me win. |
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| We had lots of bacon every morning. |
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| We learned how to use knives. |
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| We played with banana slugs. |
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| We went to the Drive-Thru Tree on the way home. Leggett, CA...it was cool. It was worth it. |
We traveled through some weird time-warp. Google Maps said it was supposed to take less than 4 hours but somehow it took over 6. Since we got a late start, it was pitch dark when we arrived. Setting up a tent with a passel of hungry, tired people is something I never thought I'd call fun. And I'm sticking with that thought.
Nonetheless, it was my all-time favorite camping experience...and I'm not even exaggerating.
Until this last one.
It surpassed all others in awesomeness, mostly because we scored the coolest campsite EVER.
photos of the amazingness that was week two
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| yes, those are our tents. Big trees are the most amazing...and I'm not even exaggerating. |
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| This creek and bridge were about 10 feet from our tents. Kind of mosquito-y but the coolness made it worth the pain. |
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| The stumps were HUGE. |
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| Another HUGE stump. And silver patent leather shoes. If you want to see her accessories, see IG. |
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| We made marshmallow sculptures... |
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| Ate salami and cheese on Frozen plates... |
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| Hung out on the Eel River and made friends with dragonflies... |
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| skipped stones... |
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| ugly-cried... |
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| slept... |
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| Visited some trees that are over 1000 years old... |
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| had some real issues with our campstove... if only our campFIRE were that large... |
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| cut my toe open... it is not advisable to hike around a redwood grove in flipflops... consider yourselves warned... |
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| made fairy apartments... |
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| and ran the length of 300+ foot fallen trees. |
We finished camping on the 2nd and did fireworks on the 3rd...a neighboring city beats the crowds by going early. I'm not going to post any pictures of the fireworks because you can just google search "fireworks images" and see way better photos than what I ended up with. I tried to video the finale of the show but had my iPhone camera in the wrong mode and just took a blurry pic of the first thing to explode.
My hip is super amazing...and I am totally NOT even exaggerating. No pain. Hiking up to 6 miles at a stretch. Schlepping camping shit hither and yon. Carrying tired kids on hikes. Driving for 6+ hours at a stretch with a lone slushie break. Yep. Hip replacement is killer. I'll post about my return-to-running plan soon, but for now I'm not dwelling on it. It's going to happen...just not now.
O SHIT!
I almost forgot my rainbow engagement questions! Ugh...I am soooo out of practice.
Do you camp? Where's your favorite place?
Are you a mountains, forest, desert, or beach person?
Do you like fireworks? Did you take pictures and post them on your blog or IG? I want to see them!
–I LOVE fireworks.
What's your favorite flavor Jolly Rancher candy?
–Watermelon.
If you had a hip replacement, would you run on it?
Look at you all bloggin'! I'm soooo jealous of all the camping! I know I already mentioned this in one of our secret lover late night texting sessions but that's one of the things hus and I loved doing before we had the kiddos. Can't wait to do it again when they're old enough to, you know, appreciate it and sleep through the night!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely wait. I think toddler/infant camping is like doing heavy squats or marathons when 9 months pregnant...only enjoyable for a select delusional few.
Delete-My lone camping experience was a 9th grade trip to the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Of course my canoe tipped over en route. I haven't gone camping again and I think I'm okay with that.
ReplyDelete-Though I do like forests. And beaches. DON'T MAKE ME PICK JUST ONE.
-No fireworks for us this year because they move the fancy official ones way outside of town :-(.
-WATERMELON, yeah!
-Probably, as long as I wasn't in pain and had a medical professional's blessing.
OMGOMG!!!! I flipped over in a canoe in the pine barrens of NJ too!!!! But I wasn't camping...just canoeing. Thanks for answering all of my questions. I'll probably feature you in a future blog as a way of showing my #gratitude.
DeleteMost amazing blog post about camping I've ever read. I'm not EVEN exaggerating
ReplyDeleteYou can come with next time.
DeleteLooks amazing but....I'm not a camper! Did they have any cabins for those high maintenance people like me? And I'm a beachy kind of gal. Yes, we saw fireworks--from a distance, at my friend's house. They were spectacular. I do love fireworks--the pretty ones, not the loud ones. When we got home, my dog was thisclose to having a nervous breakdown.Watermelon JR, yes. And if I was told it was ok, hell yes I'd run on it! What does the surgeon say?
ReplyDeleteWendy @TakingtheLongWayHome
Depends on the surgeon ;-)
DeleteAre we needing to ask MINE?
Where's the 2nd park you went to? Looks gorgeous! I love redwoods. Glad your hip is feeling awesome!
ReplyDeleteGreen apple JR for me, all the way.
All Humboldt Redwoods SP all the time. Easy to get reservations and really pretty. Just far.
DeleteIf you had used the latest Garmin model to guide your trip, google maps would not have tripped you up. LOVE the pictures!!!! And I like to camp, depending on the locale, but I am also a ridiculous princess and the pea when it comes to sleeping, so after one night of not-so-great sleep, I am a bitch. Maybe I need to take a technogel pillow to make it better? Then I could do a post on sleep.
ReplyDeleteI think they make a technogel pillow. You have to be a #campfluential #CampingBlogger to get to try those out though. I'm a princess and the pea too...see my next post.
DeleteWow so pretty out there . . .glad you had a wonderful June!
ReplyDeleteThanks!!!
DeleteThe last time we camped I think it was the 80s and it was pouring and there was a bear and our shit was up in a tree. We packed it up right there. Done.
ReplyDeleteAll kinds of goodness in your neck of the woods! I love that the rowing apple does not fall far from the tree. I'd TOTES be running on a bionic hip.
I wouldn't even have gone if rain were in the forecast.
DeleteOK those are big trees and If 'they' let us take dogs to more camping sights here I, we, would camp more... ok I haven't camped in about 10 years would I remember?
ReplyDeleteDon't do fireworks, the children (dogs) don't like them!
My wife runs on there Hip resurfacing op and she runs, but only every 2nd day and only up to an hour...
Yeah, I'm thinking 2-3 times a week and never more than an hour.
DeleteI am so glad to hear about your hip!!! And your camping trip looks like it was so much fun! Totally jealous! The redwoods are so amazing!
ReplyDeleteIt was The Best.
DeleteCamping looks kind of fun in other people's posts but I've never been able to wrap my head around not having anywhere to plug my hair-dryer into. How does one get one's hair looking respectable if their is no power outlet?
ReplyDeleteOutlets and flush toilets and mirrors in the campground bathrooms. And you wouldn't be the only one blow-drying your hair.
DeleteI never thought I would say it but I kind of love camping. We camped at Redwoods two summers ago & then on the Oregon coast and I REALLY want to do it again.
ReplyDeleteYEAH for a painless hip!! This is very exciting news.
Also, fireworks (from last summer, when it was clear in SF):
http://sfroadwarrior.blogspot.com/2013/07/recovery-continues-some-cool-news.html
Not even kidding that those are real, actual pictures that I took!!
Come camping with me and RoseRunner. I need to convince you guys it would be FUN to camp with me. I'll bring donuts and pink and white circus animal cookies :)
DeleteI can't even fathom how assholes used to just chop these trees down by the hundreds. Thank god for the activists that saved what is left.
ReplyDeleteI have no answers to your questions because I have already forgotten them in my rage against 100 year old redwood killers.
But camping in the redwoods is awesome! I can't wait to do it again though not sure when that'll be. I feel like camping with an infant or toddler might not be the easiest thing.
Yeah. I recommend waiting. At least until she sleeps through the night.
DeleteThis is the third time I've tried to post so if you get three replies from me, please delete two and call me an idiot :) My family has been begging me to go camping and I've only been once like 12 years ago. The idea scares me but your pictures and descriptions sound like so much fun. Now you have me thinking maybe I should cave and go. Your trip looked fantastic! I'm also so impressed that you are up to 6 pain-free miles. That is great news!!!
ReplyDeleteCamping is fun if the weather is nice. I don't think it would be as much fun in the rain or high heat and humidity. Also, if you have a bug-hater in the family or a super-whiner, it probably would suck. And you have to relinquish any need to control the experience.
Delete