So now that we are back from camping

. . . we made plans to go camping.

We've booked some nights on the coast of Maine in early July. We reserved some time at a campground we've been going to since the kids were little. Now they have kids of their own and they are still going to the same place. The campground has been run by the same people all these years and now we are almost like family.

Many years ago my lovely wife and I poured over a Woodalls Camping Guide and circled a bunch of campgrounds that looked interesting. One day we drove around checking them out. Many campgrounds looked good on paper but we got negative impressions when we went there in person. A few times the facilities still looked good in the real world, but the campground management were grouchy and unfriendly. The place we ultimately decided on turned out to be better in person and the owners were really nice. We much have chosen wisely as now three generations of my family have camped there.

After that we'll try a night or two in a new place. Then we hope to connect with friends who'll be camping at a third place. They are the set up people for an event the following week. The campground should be just about deserted except for the advance teams. Could be interesting.

We don't even know yet what we'll take for camping gear. If the weather looks iffy we'll most likely take the converted ambulance/motor home. It's weather tight, has a lot of comforts and there's almost no set up time. Should the weather look good we might just go back to a more minimalistic camping and throw a tent in the car. Even after a few years of van comfort we still enjoy being in a tent. Maybe we were nomads in a previous life.

There is on big advantage to using the small car: parking. Maine coastal towns have narrow twisty little roads and parking is at a premium. In the past parking the van has been tricky. I've done it and can do it again, but sometimes that involves parking much further away than we'd like.

Whichever vehicle we use, we plan on taking our inflatable kayak. Can't go to the coast of main without paddling in the ocean.

-Sixbears