4th of July 2009 (In the Swamp)

If you can't beat them...go at least 17 miles from them. Kellisa struggles with her sleep and really needs 10-12 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night to function at the best of her abilities. If this doesn't occur, it doesn't only interfere with the following day, but it could take days or even weeks to get back on schedule. Loud fireworks all through the evening hours and into the deep night is a huge problem. The solution: camp at Stephen C. Foster State Park in the middle of the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia where they have a strict ban on all fireworks. Since the campground is 17 miles from the nearest town Fargo (pop. 383), we were hopeful for a quiet night of sleep and we weren't disappointed!

The Campsite:

Kellisa on a boardwalk trail:

We attended a presentation on the local wildlife:

1st Cabin A Trip (11.06)

Our family tent camping came to an end in the Florida Keys in November 2003 after several nights of thunderstorms and strong winds. We had always dreamed about purchasing a camper, but never pulled the trigger. That changed in October 2006 when we bought a Cabin A Expedition. It was small, lightweight and had everything we needed: heat, ac, full kitchen and bathroom with shower. In other words...it was perfect!

Unfortunately, we couldn't just buy the camper and go. We had to have a hitch installed and the brakes adjusted on the Pilot before we could even bring the Cabin A home. After a few weeks, we were ready to go on our inaugural camping trip. It is very difficult to find a campsite in the Florida State Park system in the fall/winter months. However, I was able to secure a site at Manatee Springs State Park. We slept dry and sound through a thunderstorm our first night. When walking through the campground the following morning, we witnessed all the tent campers hanging their sleeping bags to dry and shaking the water out of their tents. With quiet smiles, we never looked back on our camper purchase.

***Kellisa's face is healing from a head first fall on cement after taking a turn too fast while chasing a boy on the school playground.