Love Letter to my Kids: The vacation that almost wasn't (Part 1 of 4)

October 9, 2009

The vacation that almost wasn't (Part 1 of 4)

We loved our camping trip last fall so much that this year, we scheduled two whole weeks in the same spot. These things seem like such a good idea in theory, right? :) Well, when we decided to buy a new house on September 30 and move into it in early November, we decided that our many home improvement projects and moving plans meant that going away for two weeks in October wasn't such a good idea, so we shortened our reservation to just one week.

Then last week, the forecast for Door County, WI (our vacation destination of choice) was for pouring down freezing rain, unseasonable cold temperatures, and high winds. Not so good for tent camping! We would have canceled the whole deal, but MPD and I had a non-refundable reservation for a little hotel room right at the entrance to the park (we're all for roughing it, but with a hot shower, you know). So we bravely headed up anyway--not to mention that NO WAY did we want to give up this vacation that we've been looking forward to all year!

We decided that rain and cooking at camp were not too compatible, so we just brought one tent, our dining canopy, and sleeping bags. Without all our camping stuff, we could all fit into the van, which was nice. Usually we bring two cars--one for gear and one for people. Since we're not cooking at camp, we've done all restaurants, all week. :) Good thing we didn't stay two weeks--seven people eating out for every meal is pretty pricey!! Also, each child took a turn in the tent with Bill, instead of everyone camping. This means--you guessed it--they all stayed at my tiny hotel room with me and MPD instead. Quite cozy!

Here we are at our quite-minimalist camp:

Here we are the first night at our favorite dinner spot--a traditional Door County fish boil, which we love. The great lakes whitefish and red potatoes are boiled over a huge fire, then the cooks bring it into the dining room and serve it up with pools of melted butter, cole slaw, bread, and Door County cherry pie a la mode. Yum! The butter and the pie are the favorites for our group, no doubt.