Boy Scout Family Campout

We went on the annual Scout Family Campout this weekend up near Blackshear, GA. A couple whose sons used to be in the Troop invite the Troop up every year to campout on their 300+ acre tree farm. The boys enjoyed fishing and shooting off rockets they built. We had great food and fellowship with other scout families. The boys pitched their tents a couple hundred yards away from the parents so we weren't subjected to as much kid noise. The Webelos that are coming out of the Cub Scout pack also joined us.

The weather was beautiful during the day, but the temps dropped down to about 36 at night so it made for a bit of a cold night. We didn't get a lot of sleep, but it gave me a deeper appreciation for my bed and the warmth of a home. The homeless crossed my mind and made me feel a little more compassion for them.

The owner took us on a tour of the property 3 -4 at a time. The property was beautiful with a little bit of everything... lakes, swamp, trees, open fields and lots of wildlife. We heard a pack of what I'm assuming was coyotes in the middle of the night which was a little unsettling, but they didn't sound too close.

Part of the time around the campfire on Saturday night was a flag retirement ceremony put on by one of the Boy Scouts. I really enjoyed this part of the weekend and the way the ceremony was done.

We're looking forward to going back again next year.

Here are some of the photos from the weekend.

Memorial Day Weekend

We went camping for the Memorial Day weekend at Gold Head State Park in Keystone Heights, Florida. We chose Gold Head because we like the rusticness of it, but to be honest, we really chose it because it is close and gas prices are so high right now. Since we pull our trailer with a diesel truck and are paying $4.75 a gallon right now, we are trying to stay pretty close to home.

My sister KD and her husband Bobby also went camping with us. This was our first time camping with them. KD actually camps quite a bit since she bought a horse trailer with an air conditioned sleeping compartment. She goes out with her horse friends and camps alot more than we do. So, they pulled their horse trailer (no horses) to the campground and set up camp near us.

We had a really nice weekend. KD & Bobby arrived at the campgrounds earlier than we did so they fixed dinner for us the first night. Chili-cheese dogs - one of our favorite camping foods! They also fixed us a hot breakfast 2 of the 3 mornings we were there. We normally eat cereal, so eggs and sausage were a welcome change! I cooked dinner Saturday night - Carribean Jerk Chicken, rice & green beans. On Sunday, KD's daughter Jenny came to visit us and brought some fresh grouper she had caught to grill up for us. She did a great job grilling up 3 huge grouper fillets with some excellent seasonings. Sometimes I think we eat better camping than we do at home.

During our weekend we took several little hikes through the woods, in the ravine and by (and in) the creek. We brought both of our dogs, Balto & Kobe. They brought their two dogs, Jesse & Sarah. So they dogs had a great time being walked more than usual and getting attention from fellow campers. I think every campsite had at least one dog and for the most part, all were well behaved and not too barky. (I just made that word up!)

There are a few lakes in the park. All the lake levels are low in this area, but the sad thing is there was a lake there called Big Lake Johnson. As you can see from this photo, it's pretty much nothing but a huge field now. It's really sad to see the lakes all disappearing.

The weather was nice for the weekend. A little hot in the middle of the day, but that's the beauty of having an air conditioned travel trailer.... nap time! :)

JT made some friends with a bunch of kids in a couple of the nearby campsites and stayed pretty busy playing with all of them. They rode bikes, skateboarded, scootered, shot each other with water guns and just plain had fun. I always feel guilty when JT doesn't have anyone to play with when we go, but he usually finds someone to play with.

The mosquitoes weren't too bad this trip, but the ticks were. I don't think any of us got away without a tick bite or two. Poor Balto had one stuck deep in between his toes. Something bit me on the finger and it swelled up pretty bad... I don't know what it was, but it gave me a large red bump and is quite itchy.

We had a great weekend and look forward to camping again with KD & Bobby sometime. It might be awhile before we head out again since gas prices are so hight and the weather is hitting the 90's already.

You can read my sister KD's blog here.

You can see more photos here.

Camping at Stephen Foster State Park - Okefenokee Swamp

We spent this weekend camping at the Stephen Foster State Park in Georgia, on the Okefenokee swamp. It's about a 2 hour drive from our house. It's been a year since we took the trailer out camping, so it was nice to get out. We were a little worried about the tires, but they held up just fine.

We had a nice relaxing time. JT met 7 kids at one camp site - cousins camping with their grandparents. Turns out 3 of the kids were from Mandarin near where we live.

They had some Pioneer day activities and demonstrations on Saturday that JT enjoyed... sawing a log tandem with another boy, making candles the old fashion way, making soap, etc. Then later in the afternoon they had a hay ride around the park and JT went on it about 3 times with the kids down the way... waving as he passed the camper each time.

Check out more photos here...

Cub Scout Camping at Oleno

The Cub Scouts went camping at Oleno State Park this weekend. Tim is the Cubmaster, so he put alot of time in getting things ready for the weekend.

The first night ended up being a VERY wet night for everyone. Many people got flooded right out of their tents and ended up sleeping in their cars. The second night was much drier and those that stuck around the 2nd night stayed nice and dry.

The boys had several activities they did separately with their den leaders and they also did things altogether as a pack. The park was really nice and we enjoyed a little tour about the CCC and the work they did and the buildings they built. We also had a nice hike through the trails.

You can see more of the photos here...