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-   -   GoTravel's Excellent Camping Adventure! (https://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/gotravels-excellent-camping-adventure-486178/)

GoTravel Nov 15th, 2004 08:01 AM

GoTravel's Excellent Camping Adventure!
 
Well we survived and had a great time.

Due to the rain on the East Coast, we postponed our camping expidition until Saturday instead of Friday.

Saturday morning. Pack husbands oversized SUV with so much crap (one night camping trip) that the bikes would not fit. Note to self: either downsize or bungee bikes to roof on next trip. Packed FIVE chairs (I have no idea why he packed five chairs for the two of us), tent, air mattress, backup airmattress, 67 pillows, blankets, cooking utensils, fire wood, food, mini bar (brown liquor for him, pinot grigio for me), cups, stereo (South Carolina game on the radio), radio/cooler combo, 4 tarps, huge four foot long cooler, tackle box, fishing poles, clothes, and various camping equipment.

Exhausted yet?

Leave the house and drive the fairly short drive to Edisto Beach State Park. Check in, go to campsite, set up tent and bed. Huge honkin' tent can sleep 20 people. Have no idea why we bought a tent this big.

Mr. GoTravel decides 2 bundles of wood isn't enough for overnight camping trip. Go to store, buy more wood.

Start fire. Mr. GoTravel decides we need a welcome mat (???) in front of tent and a broom. Mr. GoTravel goes back to store for welcome mat and broom.

Make lunch over fire. Reheated baked beans and hot dogs.

Mr. GoTravel decides 3 bundles of wood are not enough for overnight camping trip. Back to store for additional wood and a pair of flipflops that have shells glued on them.

Settle down in front of fire. I wrap baked potatoes in three layers of foil and throw into fire. Mr. GoTravel (the chef) strips corn, covers in olive oil, salt, and pepper, wraps in foil, throws into fire.

Mr. GoTravel decides paper plates I've bought aren't sturdy enough. Back to store for chinette brand paper plates.

GoTravel has had two glasses pinot grigio at this point.

Mr. GoTravel buries corn in fire. Throws pork chops on grate over fire. Finally, everything is done cooking.

Mr. GoTravel, the chef cooked the meal.

Pork chops look like they've been hit by a meteor. Pork jerky.

Corn is sixty seconds away from popping. Ever had crunchy corn on the cob?

Drops potatoes on ground.

Sigh. Eat chips for dinner while the raccoons had pork jerky, popcorn, and dirty potatoes.

Listen to USC get beat by Florida.

Go to bed.

:-D

We had such a wonderful time, we are going camping all of Thanksgiving!

makai1 Nov 15th, 2004 08:06 AM

GoTravel,

LOL! :D What a hoot! 4 trips to the store... ;;) Thanks for the laughs!

paige Nov 15th, 2004 08:21 AM

This was so good! Thanks for the Monday Morning Laugh!

sundowner Nov 15th, 2004 08:22 AM

ohmygosh this is so funny! I can't wait to hear about your Thanksgiving camping trip - all four days??

utahtea Nov 15th, 2004 08:34 AM

These are the kinds of camping trips that are the best for reminiscing in years to come!

Utahtea


joan Nov 15th, 2004 08:42 AM

A welcome mat for a tent? Now that's a good one. You gotta love a man that wants a welcome mat in front of his tent.

Did you use the three bundles of wood?

cd Nov 15th, 2004 08:47 AM

Did you use the 67 pillows? :-)

Statia Nov 15th, 2004 08:50 AM

GoTravel, how did you manage with three pillows less than I used to take? :)

Grasshopper Nov 15th, 2004 08:51 AM

Did the air mattresses leak during the night, leaving your hip bones miserably bruised (my camping memories)? Maybe the 5 chairs were for the friends you would make on your trip?

jor Nov 15th, 2004 08:58 AM

Wow GoTravel, you forgot the kitchen sink! Or did you? The last time I went camping we carried everything on our backs including a canoe (through dozens of overland portages) on a five day camping trip in the notheren Minnesota wilderness. It RAINED all day for the first four days and its was really cold. What was I thinking? Oh, and no cell phones.

iceeu2 Nov 15th, 2004 09:08 AM

Hot dang, GT, you are a hoot! I laughed so hard the people at work thought I had lost my mind.
Certainly hope I can maintain my composure as we have Thanksgiving at the Carriage House Club because I will certainly think of your Thanksgiving Dinner!
Grief, gf, I'm still laughing!

reneeinva Nov 15th, 2004 09:11 AM

My family (dh, 8 and 4.5 yr old sons) are huge tent camping fans! You can NEVER have too many bundles of wood!

We have a camping check list. Let me know if I could send it to you.

You need to buy a Coleman cook stove that uses propane! It will make a huge difference in your dining in the woods.

GoTravel Nov 15th, 2004 09:39 AM

Lawsy icee! I'm jealous of your Thanksgiving at the Carriage House Club! We used to go to the Vitners Dinners if we were in town for them!

joan, believe it or not, we used FOUR bundles of wood. Everything smells of woodsmoke. My Uggs are still outside.

Einstein here wore WHITE sweatpants camping. Duh.

The airmattress held up fine but thank god we had the back up airmattress in the car. Never know when you have an airmattress emergency.

Used all of the pillows.

Snatched Mr. GoTravel's tobaggan off his head at somepoint in the middle of the night and put it on my head. Need to buy one for me and a less ominous OJ looking one for Mr. GoTravel.

Utahtea, we are laughing our butts off about the camping trip now. It was just so funny! Most men hate to shop but I couldn't keep mine out of the store on a camping trip! God forbid we one day buy a camper (which we looked at on Sunday afternoon).

Looking forward to Thanksgiving and yes, we will be camping for 4 nights. Haven't decided if we will venture away from home. He's skittish about being too far away from Walmart and a hot shower.

Any camping tips appreciated!

mclaurie Nov 15th, 2004 10:09 AM

ROTFLMAO Is this the same woman who's given me advice on Palm Beach shopping? I love it.:))

utahtea Nov 15th, 2004 10:51 AM

LOL! If you buy that camper...many Wal-Marts will let you dry camp in a self contained camper in their parking lot over night! We've done it a few times!


Utahtea

Scarlett Nov 15th, 2004 10:57 AM

LOL :D this sounds too much like my camping experiences not to cringe just a tiny bit ... glad you are home all in one piece :D

ncgrrl Nov 15th, 2004 10:58 AM

I'm glad you had a good time on your trip. Do you think only southerners will know what a toboggan is. (Hint to others: it's not a sled.)

I give you a whole lot credit for going again. Camping was my least favorite activity of Girl Scouts (wait, maybe it was selling cookies door-to-door).

placeu2 Nov 15th, 2004 11:02 AM

Obviously there are a bunch of females responding to this thread....

As a male, I see no issues with Mr. GoTravel's exploits. No doubt that I would have done the same thing ;-)!

Tandoori_Girl Nov 15th, 2004 11:44 AM

Any veteran camper would tell you what was the obvious problem with your trip. You needed cabernet instead of pinot grigiot!!!

FainaAgain Nov 15th, 2004 11:50 AM

LOL GoTravel, your weekend was so much better then mine adventure-wise! Can't wait till post-Tgiving report!

And for next time listen to Tandoori!


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