Don - thanks for posting your pictures from the trip. I like the picture of Brian and Ewan very much.
The TNT trip to Guadalupe River State Park was splendid. Early Saturday morning LD drove out with Lindsey and Don to stake our claim to some adjoined campsites (a reservation guarantees campsites but does not specify which campsites - like open admission at the ballpark). They chose nice sites - reasonably separated from neighbors, vehicles, roads, and each other by a screen of trees, yet close enough to each other to allow us to share one fire ring. From our campsite it was a short hike to the river and the amphitheater and it was just a brief stroll to the playground and the bathhouse (a campsite with electricity and hot showers - luxurious!). If I didn't say it over the weekend - Lindsey, Don, LD, thank you.
When I go camping I (as a general rule) do so with the intention of putting a little distance between me and other people. To facilitate this, I associate camping with backpacking. I am more familiar with packing for a backpacking trip than packing for a camping trip where the car will be no more than a few feet away. That said, I got a little carried away by the freedom that came with a car worth of space - I packed enough chairs, cookware, boardgames, and food to furnish and stock a small apartment. And I wasn't the only one. Don and Lindsey had more than adequately provisioned their van and Brian and Robert, who got to the park just before me, brought their own car-load of supplies.
I arrived at the park just in time to lock my car and join the others for a hike. We chose a well marked trail and headed off into the brush. The trail meandered through gold meadows and from time to time we caught a nice view through the trees to the river sixty feet below us. We followed the trail about an hour in a winding loop that led back to our campsite. There we we met up with Misty and Ewan and began to set up camp.When the tents were up a few of us set out to find a way down to the river. The hillside was not difficult, but just before we reached the river we came to the top of a limestone embankment about twenty feet tall. After a few minutes search (and a superb clifftop jog - the cliff is out away from the trees and the sunshine felt good (maybe I just don't get out of the office enough)) we found a fissure down which we scrambled into a briar patch though which we limboed to reach a trail at the bank of the river. We walked a little way down the trail and came upon a group of anglers. Misty asked one of them for directions back to camp. She politely informed Misty that a trail wide enough to drive a truck on was only a few feet from where we were standing. We eventually used that trail to get back to camp, but I liked our way better.
We spent the night on traditional camping activities: roasting potatoes, sharing dinner (including Don and Lindsey's 'Hobo Dinner' recipe), making smores, drinking hot chocolate, and telling stories around the fire. It was nice to spend some free time with friends. It was nice to see the stars.
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In the morning we had a big breakfast of rolls and fruit, bacon and eggs, tea and hot cereal. Don and I stayed at camp to play Pente while everyone else went down to the river and the playground. At lunch we roasted hot dogs, and cooked sauerkraut and beans over the fire. We broke camp a just before two o'clock and drove home in a gentle rain that began just after we left the park.I am looking forward to our next camping trip. Maybe something in mid-summer to better accommodate swimming :-)
- Joey
