camping with the dude

we finally did it. we hit the road and went camping with the dude! and he took to it like the monkey he is. but i’m getting ahead of myself. first, we packed up what felt like the entire house and jammed it into the jetta (minus some very important items). we arrived at bastrop state park and unpacked. we made ourselves at home with the flamingoes right out front.

Gallery photo 538 · from the Camping with the Dude album

stacey and jax had to head out to the nearest store because of the things we forgot, pots and pans were the first we noticed. because she’s a genius, she also picked up baby wipes. it seems like no matter how many tons of those we have, it’s never enough. sadly, she also brought the devil to our camp in the guise of coffee singles. man are those weak.

but once we got all of the things we’d forgotten socked away, jax got fired up and demanded that we hike! and who are we to deny him?

Gallery photo 545 · from the Camping with the Dude album

on our way up the hill, we saw a big turkey. i mean, a really big turkey. this picture doesn’t do it justice, but here it is anyway.

Gallery photo 565 · from the Camping with the Dude album

i tried to get closer, but it bolted. clearly it didn’t want me to cross its path…with gravy!

we had a really good walk up the hill and then took the stroller down some fairly rough terrain. things that Meme would groan at knowing that she provided a vehicle for such recklessness. like playing with a leatherman…

Gallery photo 557 · from the Camping with the Dude album

but we did it! and the harness in that thing? pure gold. the dude giggled the whole time.

Gallery photo 568 · from the Camping with the Dude album

after following the map (incorrectly) we wound up back at camp. dinner was provided for the dude and then he sat on mommy’s lap while daddy (that’s me) wrestled with the fire and cooked up some burgers for those in the party with teeth and thumbs. think about that for a minute. we passed the rest of the evening relaxing around camp.

Gallery photo 554 · from the Camping with the Dude album

we turned in around 8:30 pm. it was dark enough and the dude was ready. we knew he wouldn’t sleep without us, so we loaded up in the tent. the temperature got down to about 55F and that was good for all of us. he only woke up once or twice. or any time i moved my arm as that was what he chose to snuggle with all night.

and then it was 5 am. and he was awake. for real.

i got up and made a fire. breakfast was ready at about 7-ish. we chowed down and hit the trail. again, it was a great day of hiking. at the end of it all, we decided that two nights would be too much and headed home. we’ve learned a lot about camping with babies. one night is good. two nights, maybe less so. so we’ll stick with our newfound knowledge and see what happens.