Group Camping Trip

Friday afternoon we set out for Eisenhower State Park on Lake Texoma, north of Dallas.  We camped with the Goode and Huff families and had a great time.

Before reaching the state park we stopped by the birthplace of Pres. Eisenhower, as it seemed fitting to introduce the kids to the park's namesake.  It was a short stop but we learned that the home was rented for three years by the Eisenhower family, during which time the future president was born.  It was pristine white and well tended.

We pulled in with the Huffs and got great campsites.  Ours was spacious enough for at least two tents which was great because the Goodes joined in later.  After we got things set up Chris pointed out this "little" fella!

That was the first tarantula that I had seen that was not behind glass at a pet store. I just want to note that I prefer them behind glass in a pet store. This one however, was in on the path between our two campsites which only spanned maybe 15-20 feet, covered in brush, which our tent backed up to.

What really stinks is that those suckers can move freaky fast!  And then Chris was telling a story how their was this place where they were driving years ago and they could hear the popping under the tires because there were so many tarantulas.  It looked like the road was moving.  So after that there was no need for ghost stories around the campfire, as I was sufficiently paranoid.

And we don't know if he had company or was strolling back and forth but we sighted a tarantula again on the path a little while later.  Not okay.  Later, we found a healthy yet slightly smaller spider about the size of the "little" ones in the movie Arachnophobia.  It's body was just under 2 inches and that was not counting its legs.  I'm with Neal on this one, when he says "spiders should not have hair."  Just sayin'.

Enough about that.  Later that evening we went down to the beach and enjoyed some cold water and getting a bit of sand between our toes. 

 Rhys was shaking and teeth chattering when we pulled him out. 

That night we hung out around the fire and let the kids run wild.  Chris and Karen made a yummy peach cobbler in their dutch oven and shared.  The ice cream didn't make the trip well so we served creamy vanilla syrup over the dessert.  It was totally addictive.

At the campfire, we put A. E. Dolbear's Cricket Thermometer Formula to the test.  Although he based his formula on the snowy tree cricket and we were probably listening to a common field cricket, we still had fun.  Based on the chirps, the calculated temperature was way off.  Of course, age and mating success can affect chirping so maybe our cricket was old, not getting any, or both.

Well after dark, the wives and kids headed into the tents for the nigh and the guys took off to a close-by, 24-hour Walmart to pick up "essential" supplies.  When they got back they told stories around the embers of the earlier campfire until the wee hours of the morning.

We just slept on top of our sleeping bags and kept the screens open to enjoy the breeze.  As I intermittently woke up throughout the night, it was neat to hear the chorus of insects eventually die down only to be replaced by the varied bird calls a few hours later.  Upon waking, we had breakfast and headed out for what we considered a short hike.

The hike was nice as we passed the lakeside, observed wildflowers in abundance, and enjoyed the shade.  We had to cut what would be considered an easy hike by most a bit short as our smallest hikers, namely Rhys, did not have it in him to complete the hike unless dragged or carried.  There were no volunteers in sight so we opted to return to the trail head.

 Once back at camp we grabbed our fishing gear and headed to the fishing pier.  Thanks to Chris we used live bait!  The kids loved that!  Both Neal and I got an opportunity to bait the hook and I apologize profusely to the little worm.

 Neal actually got a bite!  I didn't write this earlier but I am going to divulge a secret.  When we went "practice camping" back in April, we purposefully never removed the protective plastic from the hook to catch any fish.  We just wanted to spend a few minutes "fishing" for the kids and we didn't have all the tools we'd need if we caught one.  That's why we never got a nibble.  But this trip we did!

Neal got a decent sized carp, according to Chris and had him almost to the surface when the line broke!  Truly, it was probably anywhere from 18" to 2'.  Now let the fish stories begin!

Back at camp we roasted hot dogs over the fire for lunch and met up with Carly who came into camp for the afternoon with little Clara.  We all headed down to the lake again for a cool swim.  Sophie swam all the way out to the buoy with me and Neal had Rhys (with water floaties on) "swimming" or floating on his own.  Rhys and Daddy were very proud of themselves, as they should be.  I have never seen my son beaming with self-satisfaction like that.  It was awesome.

When we got back to camp we spent a little more time with the Goodes before they broke down their tent and went home.  During dinner Neal and I got a real treat when our children fell asleep at the table.  A quick transfer to the tent and we were like young marrieds again.  The Huffs took extra measures and went for a drive to put their kids asleep while Neal and I got the fire started.

Once all the babes were slumbering in their tents we gathered around the campfire once more and enjoyed uninterrupted, adult conversation (quite rare) and smores.  We did save plenty smore ingredients for our kids as Sophie had been promised and was very much looking forward to this treat.

After another night of expected tossing and turning we served up smores with breakfast to our kids' delight.

We soon had the tent broken down and packed and were getting our stuff ready to go when we joined the Huffs for one last hike.  I thought Rhys would do better on this one and he did.  He started whining much further into the hike.  Sophie is a go-getter on a trail so she was always helping with the lead.  Rhys and I just took our time on the way back and did fine. 

That's a spider web tunnel into a tree hole.  Can you see his legs in the hole?  This State Park was replete with spiders.

After a quick good-bye to the Huffs, our family finished packing up, ate some lunch, and were on the road.

Later at home I asked what everyone's favorite part of the camping trip was and took note.  Neal loved spending time with his family, catching the carp, and getting a good work out on his legs.  Sophie liked sleeping in the tent and eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  Rhys said eating smores and swimming, and I loved sharing the experience with my family, catching up with friends, and admittedly, the tarantula was pretty exciting.  We hope to do more camping in the fall.