Finally a Camping Trip

I finally went camping! I've been wanting to go since February and the desire to up and go in March about killed me. Not to mention the whole months of April and May. My cure for this problem: I pull out my camping sweater. I put it on and revel in the smell of smoke still clinging to it. I went on a quick overnight camping trip two days before I moved to Baltimore. Thanks to my awesome friends (Tim and Ryan) and their last minute planning. I believe they changed their plans so I could go camping with them one last time. So my sweater got one more outing and wasn't washed before being shoved into the trunk of my car while I was packing. It was a souvenir that helped me through my  I-Must-Go-Camping episodes although it makes me miss those friends even more and it kinda makes me homesick at the same time. My mother wanted (and tried) to throw it away once she discovered that it had somehow managed to get to Maryland with me. Lets just say that it was quickly hidden where my mom couldn't find it. But back to the camping...
My friend Bethany had come out and wanted to go camping because that would be the reason anyone would fly back east from Idaho for. Ok, I admit it. I have long had plans to hike portions of the Appalachian Trail and to backpack in the Adirondacks. So we planned to go and camp down at Rehoboth Beach in Delaware. Because what's almost as good as camping? The beach. Combine the two and you have a combination that cannot be refused. And luckily my parents had come out the week before Beth and brought me all my camping gear. :)
The most awesome thing about getting where we were going is that we got to drive on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. I love Bridges!!! And this one is over 4 miles long. It kinda gave me a taste of what the bridges connecting Florida to the Florida Keys would be like. (It's a bucket-list item of mine to drive those bridges.) And of course we took pictures!

This doesn't do this bridge justice.

The "bridge" is actually two bridges. One was built in 1953 and the other in the 1970s.

You can kinda see the arches that are in the center.

The arch on the other bridge.

I had no idea she was taking this pic. I was busy driving and talking with my hands.

We finally got to the campsite despite sitting for several hours in Memorial Day traffic and road construction. We set up camp which gave me an opportunity to use the tent I received as a gift for graduation. After setting it up, I kinda had to laugh at the joke that the friends who gave it to me had played on me. It is a junior pup scout tent built for an average 12 year old scout. I fit just fine but Beth who is much taller than me didn't enjoy the new accommodations.

It actually looks like it's a decent size in this picture but if you use the corner of the tent in the background as a reference you'll notice that it is in all actuality very small. I could barely kneel in it much less stand up in it.

Since we had eaten a late lunch from a gas station on the way down (FYI Royal Farms does not have the best chicken in the world), we decided to hit the beach. And boy was it a beautiful beach!

And it was uncrowded and there was a very good looking surfer guy skim boarding. Having braved the very cold Pacific Ocean in Oregon, I lost no time in getting in the water. How much different could it be? Well it's not as cold as the ocean in Oregon but it's not as warm as the ocean in California either. But it still didn't stop me.

It was kinda of a shock though with the temperature being more than 90 degrees that day.

And I have to say the waves have a pretty good sneak attack. And they got me several times over the weekend.

And I had to protect the my last pair of contacts. If you were wondering why my hands are up.

After kinda getting sleep and being eaten alive by mosquitoes (I think they think I taste like a soda because I had considerably more bites than Beth), we went to the beach at Fenwick Island the next day.  All I can say is I wouldn't mind living near that beach especially if my house had a dock right outside. Some of the communities had a rather Venetian feel to them

Not only do they all have docks (and boats to go with the dock), they all had wrap around porches and some had captain's walks. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't mind owning a house like that. Maybe someday when I'm done with school and have a real job.

We got very sunburned despite using sunscreen (my suspicion is that the sunscreen really wasn't water proof like it said it was). We hit Ocean City, Maryland and partook of the fabled Smith Island cake that Emily Kimball keeps mentioning. I can see why! It was so good!

After our foray to Ocean City, we went to the next campsite. It was a very pretty campsite if you like the sardine type campgrounds. Well beggars can't be choosers and it was the last one in the area with any room left when I started making reservations for Memorial Day weekend. Though I'm going to argue that a few of the campsites could have been made into bathrooms so I didn't have to hike a quarter of a mile when I was in dire need.
Sunday, due to the degree of our sunburns, we wandered around Rehoboth or rather the outlet mall at Rehoboth. What outlet mall doesn't have a bookstore? Needless to say I spent most of the time at the outlets sitting on a bench watching people. But I finally was able to go to Friendly's to try their ice cream. I can honestly say I was not disappointed. I'm pretty sure that my diabetes doctor (and Brinton and my mom and a few others) are going to hit my upside the head for it.

It was HUGE!!! A glorious five scoops smothered in hot fudge with bananas, sprinkles, and whipped cream!

This picture so you can actually see the size of the sundae in reference to something else (me!). Also it documents well my feeling (look) of contentment and happiness. Ice cream is a magical thing.

Though I must say Beth's sundae looked awesome as well!

After our magical sundaes and the run to wal-mart for more aloe vera, we went back to the campsite where we read and became acquainted with our neighbors who have the most obedient lapdog I've ever seen. It sat on its pillow in the car the whole time they set up and it stayed in their campsite when told to. My dog would have been out of the car as soon as the door was opened and I probably wouldn't have seen him until he got hungry.
The next day we went to Lewes Beach (which was the last one we went to). Apparently Lewes, DE was the first town in the first state according to their welcome sign which was a replica of a lighthouse. And before you ask, I am also a little obsessed with lighthouses. I've loved them since I was a child and they always remind me of the hymn Master the Tempest is Raging. They are the ultimate symbol of hope during trying circumstances. Not to mention they are awesomely designed.

And yes I got a picture with it. Like I said I'm obsessed.

Me and Beth at Lewes Beach.

Close up of our wetness. I love the ocean and the beach!

So during the whole trip I was in charge of things like setting up the tent and building the fire. I haven't had to build a fire in several years because of my awesome guy friends did it. Don't get me wrong. I have the skills. But after a weekend of getting back into practice, I more fully appreciate that Ryan always got up when I did (which is always 5 or 6 am when camping. I don't know what causes me to wake up so early, I just do) and would build the fire. I'll be honest I missed the company in the wee hours of the morning. Because unlike me, Beth had no problem sleeping in. I think it has something to do with the fact that she had more room with me not being in the tent anymore.
I will also be the first to admit that I'm a pyro (the whole reason to go camping is to stare into the fire, isn't it?) and growing up in a small town in Idaho only adds to my deep love of large campfires. In fact it irritates me when you go to a campsite and they give you a fire ring barely big enough to put the wood into. And if you combine it with it being our last night in the campground and my desire to use all the wood that we paid for, I had a rather large fire going in our fire pit. A big fire not only draws in bugs but people. Our neighbors came over to ask how we had gotten our fire so big. Beth's comment was that I was an Eagle scout though I've never been a scout. Although I have helped with enough Eagle Scout projects to qualify for one. So I gave a step-by-step tutorial on how to build a log cabin style fire. Soon we heard the ecstatic, "I built my first fire" from next door. Which kind of caused me to giggle because it reminded me of the time I taught some of my guy friends how to build dry ice bombs.
The next day I was sitting outside reading; waiting for Beth to wake up so we could visit the beach one last time before heading back. I was soon joined by the little lap dog who had been let out of the tent next door. We sat in companionable silence with him finding a place on my lap before his masters came to get him.
We talked a little before they left. They were an openly gay couple and we had had some discussions which had stemmed from the fact that we wore one piece swimsuits (they had been drying on the clothesline) when it was out of fashion. We had a good talk about religion, school, and science. Not that they were interested at all in the church, but before they left they thanked us for being so friendly and nice. Apparently when most people find out they are gay they aren't very nice to them. Which makes me sad because they were very nice guys. One of them told me that he was going to re-evaluate how he viewed the church after meeting us. It goes to show how following Christ and the standards set by the church we can let our lights shine and envelope everyone. Even if they are one rather large campfire.