After weeks of planning, Camping Day finally arrived! We loaded down the minivan with a tent, grill, bedding, firewood and enough food to feed a small army for the weekend. A few people had expressed concerns about our ability to start a fire and our sanity for tent camping with forecasted lows in the 40's on the first night.
From left to right, Hope, Genn, Cory and me. Genn and Cory were only able to stay Friday night so Saturday it was just Hope and me.
The four of us got the tent up in about 10 minutes. Who doubted us?
And a fire wasn't far behind.
Friday night was COLD. We should have realized that putting the rain fly on the tent, while obstructing the beautiful view of treetops and stars, would have held in the heat. The others had snickered when I said I was bringing an electric blanket. By the next morning they weren't laughing anymore...hehehe.
Saturday morning was clear and cold. We had a fire going by 7 a.m. and after a few cups of coffee we were ready to set out and do a little exploring. It was near dark when we had arrived the night before so the farthest we had been was the bathrooms.
The mist rising off the lake was beautiful. We took the Lakeshore Trail, which was an asphalt and boardwalk loop around the lake.
By the time we got back to camp we had worked up an appetite. We whipped up bacon, egg, chorizo and cheese tacos. They were delicious!
After breakfast we needed to head into town to get more ice and fire wood. We decided to try Coldspring and hoped that they had a few antique stores to check out while we were there.
We were in luck! It was Trade Days and the town square was lined on one side with merchant booths and on the other with antique and gift shops. I bought a few cookbooks from one of the antique shops and then we decided to try Crystal's Patio and Grill for a bite to eat and a place to sit.
Boy was that a wonderful decision! The spinach, mozarella, garlic, goat cheese and sun dried tomato pizza was yummy and the atmosphere was fun. They tell you straight up that they are slow and to enjoy yourselves while you wait.
Hope obviously needed a canvas to display her artistic side.
I was contemplating something deep and meaningful, I'm sure. Probably if I would have room for dessert after the pizza. I didn't.
We finished up in town and headed back to camp. Cory, Hope and I headed out to check out a different trail before Cory and Genn headed home that evening. This path was less developed. It ended at a trailhead for the Lone Star Trail system and we decided to leave exploring that to Hope and I the next morning.
Saturday night was much warmer. We would have slept well had it not been for a visit from some racoons in the wee morning hours. They were treating themselves to the Snickerdoodle Cupcakes and White Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Blondies that I had brought for us to snack on. At least they had good taste.
The next morning Hope and I packed up camp and decided to explore the Lone Star Trail. It was beautiful! There is nothing like being smack dab in the middle of the woods to make you realize the awesomeness of God the Creator.
We had probably hiked about 2 miles in when we began discussing the fact that we hadn't brought anything other than my cell phone and her camera. Maybe not the best planned hiking adventure. A loud noise in the distance brought us to our senses and we decided to head back. I would love to spend an entire day, possibly more hiking the trail. That's an adventure for another time.
All too soon it was time to head back to civilization. I missed my dear husband and my babies, but I can't say that I missed the traffic, concrete, and hustle and bustle. I can't wait to do it again!
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