Cool weather campin'

Gina and I decided to do something different this weekend, so we took the boys camping at Ray Roberts Lake. They got to experience camping this summer at the Johnson Ranch, but they stayed the night in a hotel. But this time we wanted to see how they would do sleeping in a tent. The weather has been unbelievably great, so we took advantage of the cools temps by giving this camping thing a test run.

I remember camping several years ago with my uncle and cousins at Ray Roberts Lake, and it seemed like a good place to start. They have running water, bathrooms, playgrounds and a lot of trails to explore. Our choice turned out to be a good one.

We got to the camp site around 4:30, and I had everything set up by 5:00. This gave us a little over two hours to explore and eat dinner before it got too dark. Remember, we weren't exactly sure how this would go over, so we didn't want to overdo it. The boys loved every new thing we discovered, which culminated in an extended rock-throwing session at the edge of the lake. They even met some big boys who would search for rocks for them to throw. It was a lot of fun.

After a delicious meal of hot dogs and baked beans (and s'mores!), we put the boys in their warm PJ's and Gina stayed with them until they were asleep. Gina and I stayed up awhile longer, eating more s'mores and talking by the campfire. We eventually decided to turn in, and everything went well for most of the night. However, at about 4:00 a.m., I could hear the pitter-patter of rain on the tent. Sprinkles turned to a steady hum, which turned into a full-blown thunderstorm. The tent stayed dry for the most part, though there was some wetness around the edges. Both boys found new places to sleep (Sam in my sleeping bag and Nate in between Gina and I), and we hung in there until about 7:00 a.m. I must admit, I didn't sleep all that much, but I must have gotten enough sleep early on because I haven't felt tired all day.

We all got dressed and had muffins (or as the boys say, muffin man) and scrambled eggs, then we packed up to come home. I had to lay everything out in the garage to dry, and Gina and the boys headed straight for the bath.

Gina and I brainstormed some different camping adventures we want to have, and I am pretty sure the boys will be up for the challenge. Here are a couple of shots from the trip.