Paris Mountain 2011

We went on our first camping trip in the camper! Wow (!) it's hard to believe it's already been a week since we headed out. I've been meaning to get on and blog about our trip everyday but sometimes it takes a sick child and an afternoon at the house to actually get my life to slow down enough to get on here.
The trip started a little rushed-surprise! Both Aaron and I had to work Friday. When we got off we both rushed home thinking we had most everything packed....I guess wishful thinking. It seemed like there was still so much to get done. We get on the road-and we're off! Of course if you know anything about the roads around here then you know that 5 o'clock traffic on a Friday afternoon is treturous! Especially if you hit a wreck (which of course we did.) .....And we get there! Wait! Is the gate locked!? Yep...We were locked out. I could not believe it. Our only option was for Aaron to jump the gate, head to the front station and look for a phone number. I was waiting in the truck with the kids and I could see him talking to someone so I thought he must have gotten in touch with the park ranger and in a few short minutes we'd be in business. He runs back to the truck and proceeds to tell me that he couldn't find the number for the park ranger so he called the police who would soon be in touch with someone in the park. WHAT!?!?
In the end everything ended up turning out okay but it was quite the beginning to our adventure.

 By the time we reached our spot it was dark and getting cold, quick! We hooked up the camper (to the best of our knowledge), hung out for a little bit and eventually called it a night. We knew morning would come soon and we could really begin enjoying our stay then.
***Side note...Yes, this camper has a bathroom but for some reason we were scared to use it. The first night there I had to go in the middle of the night. Rather than test out the toilet I stumble out in the cold, find a flash light, find a tree, and then find myself in a one on one stare down with a raccoon. Needless to say after that we learned to use the bathroom inside the camper. :)
Morning arrives! Woo Hoo! We finally go explore our surroundings and see that we've parked right beside an old cemetery.... Even though it was rather spooky at times I really think that was all my imagination playing tricks on me.

The rest of the trip consisted of gathering wood to burn:

Playing with cars and trucks:

and everyone just having a great time in general:

The good times didn't end on Sunday when we left. We decided to stop at our traditional breakfast after camping at the Waffle House. We were all hungry and ready to be home. About half way through our breakfast our waitress came up to us and told us the awesome news that another couple in the restaurant had purchased our entire breakfast for us. Speechless....
The trip started off rocky. At times I felt like we belonged on the National Lampoons....But it ended great and left us with nothing but great memories and good laughs.
We're taking March off from camping but can't wait to head out on our next adventure in April.