I spent last weekend camping with my family at the Little Bow Reservoir campground. I find camping more relaxing than staying at home because there’s always work that needs to be done at home. When we are out camping there is nothing that needs to be done other than bike rides, campfires and playing with the kids.
We didn’t camp a whole bunch when I was growing up, but we did have one epic camping adventure when we drove to Disneyland.
My parents bought this huge red tent and canvas sleeping cots on metal frames. The tent was quite complicated to piece together, and there were dozens of poles to sort through. The cots had springs and just as you were putting the one side down the other side would spring up. The first few times we set up camp it took hours. My Dad, who is possibly the most competitive man on earth, decided to time how long it took to set up camp and we would try to beat our time the next time.
One afternoon on our way back home we pulled into our campsite, all four doors of the Suburban opened simultaneously and we all started on different tasks as fast as humanly possible.
Twenty-three minutes later the tent was up, beds made, stove out and dinner cooking. An elderly couple across from us came over and said that they had been camping for over 40 years and they had never seen anyone set up camp that fast before. Some people camp to relax, others camp to beat their best time.
