So the vast majority of my vacation time has been spent at hotels, resorts and beaches, but I thought I would talk about my limited camping adventures. I’m not much of the outdoor type, but I got my first taste of camping through my boys’ Scouting adventures. Even though I would rather be in a hotel, I do have to acknowledge that sitting by a fire at night in the great outdoors is an enjoyable experience.
After my first campouts with the Boy Scouts, I immediately went out and got a tent for the family. We used it twiceL. So much for grandiose dreams of camping. We used it the first time at the camp ground at Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana. If you have never been to Holiday World, I highly recommend it as an amusement park vacation for the family. It is very clean and the rides and connecting water park are as good as most major amusement parks. The park campground is also well maintained, but there are nearby hotels if that is more of your cup of tea.
My second ambitious campout was a trip to Mammoth Cave. The kids thought it was stupid idea and didn’t want to go. Kathy is not a big fan of tents either. Nevertheless, we struck out on our adventure. When we got to the Mammoth Cave welcome center, Tim looked at the map of the cave and asked, “Are those trails all part of the cave?” When I told him they were, his face lit up and he started analyzing the map. As soon as we entered the cave and came to our first big opening, he took out his camera and started taking pictures. He was hooked! Dad wasn’t so stupid after all.
Well, that was the good part. While we were in the cave, Rebecca started getting sick. I ended up carrying her most of the 3-mile hike through the cave. We finished our tour and got to the campground. Did I mention it was October on an unseasonably cold night (below 32-degrees). We assembled the tent quickly before it got dark and settled in for the night. In the middle of the night, Kathy was awakened by Rebecca standing over her telling her, “I think I’m going to get sick.” They rushed out of the tent just in time to avoid a disaster inside the tent. She sat outside holding Rebecca on her lap until she fell back asleep again.
The next morning, we dismantled the tent and started home. When we saw the sign for Kentucky Down Under, we decided to check it out. Who would have thought you could experience and pet kangaroos in the state of Kentucky. The best way for me to describe kangaroos is that they are like dogs that hop around on their two hind legs. They loved to lay on the ground and let you scratch their belly. A great ending to our last family camping adventure. So, my recommendation is you have to try camping at some point. You may or may not like it, but it does make for a worthwhile travel experience.
