Camping and Caching

Camping means different things to different people. Some people would consider a 5th wheel in a campground to be camping but Meric and I just call that home. Camping to us is a tent in the woods, cooking over a fire and enjoying nature. This past weekend we took Mel on her first camping trip.

We decided to check out one of the near by state parks, Magnolia Springs. It is less than an hour away from where we live and seemed to be a good choice for our trial run at camping with the kid.

We chose a site a little off the beaten path that had a table, fire ring and water spigot. Meric set up camp while Mel and I helped. (okay we mostly watched and played)

After camp was all set up we decided to hike a little before making dinner. When getting ready for the camping trip Meric and I looked to see if there were any geocaches in the area. There were LOTS! With our GPSs in hand Meric, Mel, Jasper, Lucy Emmy and I headed down the trail.

It didn't take us long before we came up to the first cache on our list. After a little bit of searching we made the find and were on the trail again. It was a little tricky trying to pay attention to the kid, the dogs, the GPS and the trail but we had fun and found a total of 4 on our short hike.

Back at camp we started dinner consisting of hamburgers, beans and chips. Mel got to have one of her favortie meals, yogurt. After dinner we relaxed by the fire for a while. I put Mel down to sleep in the tent while Meric made campfire cinnamon rolls. It was a really nice night to sit by the fire and enjoy some dessert.

The next morning we enjoyed an omelet breakfast before breaking down camp. After everything was packed away we decided to find one last geocache bringing our total for the trip up to 5.

Magnolia Springs has a boardwalk and trail that winds around a spring. There is also a lot of wildlife around the spring. Seeing signs about alligators I couldn't resist getting a picture. I have never had to worry about an alligator while camping. I thought it was funny to see a sign warning about alligators. Funny that is until we saw not one but two alligators. Kind of cool all the different wildlife you can encounter when you move around the country.

We didn't explore the boardwalk a whole lot because it was quite long, Mel was getting tired, and we were getting hungry. Deciding to come back another time, we headed home calling our first camping trip with Mel a success. Can't wait to do it again!

A Day at the Lake

 Close to Fort Gordon is Pointes West, a military recreational area. Meric, Mel and I decided to check it out. There is a lake, camp sites, picnic areas, and a lodge where you can rent kayaks, canoes and pedal boats.

After a little picnic, Meric and I thought a pedal boat would be fun. It would also be an easy way for us both to get out on the lake with Mel. We also thought it would be an easy way to try out Mel's new life jacket.

Mel didn't mind the boat and loved it when we dipped her feet in the water but she hated the life jacket. She didn't like how restrictive it was and she had a harder time moving in it. I think she will like the jacket more when she is a little bit bigger.

After the boat ride we went to the beach and let Mel sit in the water. She loved splashing and playing in the water and sand. Of course she also liked eating the sand and shells.

Despite her objection to the life jacket I think Mel had a fun day. I would call her first time at the lake a success and look forward to going back.

Sweet as Honey: Mel Swimming

One thing we miss about Glendale Campground is the pool. I learned to swim there and look forward to the pool opening every year. This year Mel was about 4 months old when the pool opened, the perfect age to start swimming. Mel is a big fan of splashing in her bath so we had no doubt she would love swimming. Her first time in the pool it was still kind of cold and she really didn't know what to think about it.

But it only took a few minutes until she broke out into a big grin and started to kick and splash. Meric and I tried to take her to the pool as often as we could before we moved. She loved going to the pool. Sometimes she would want to swim around and other times she was happy just being pushed around in her floatie.

Our new campground doesn't have a pool which is very sad to me. Fort Gordon has an indoor pool though and on Fridays they have a class called Aqua Tots. This class is for kids 6 months to 3 years old. Since Mel loves to swim I figured this might be a good idea.

This past Friday was our first class. It isn't really a swim class as much as a playgroup in water. Mel was by far the youngest swimmer there but that didn't matter much. All the other kids loved the "baby" and it was a good way for both Mel and me to socialize. It was also good because the leader of the class had us work of different things to help the kids get comfortable in the water. Mel loved it when she was given a ball and had to "swim" to get it.

I really miss being able to just walk across the campground to go swimming whenever I want but this class helps. Who knows maybe Mel and I will even make new friends.