accidentally unplugged - camping adventure

This weekend my friend and I went on our second annual tubing/camping trip, down an infamous river about 3 hours away from where we live.

Punky Baru-ster

Some of the key things that preceded this trip are that I just bought a new-to-me car (FINALLY) and I have a bunch of stuff for camping - a tent/sleeping bag/inflatable sleeping pad/etc.  I always have every intention of doing more camping every year, but suddenly here we are and it's near the end of the summer.

panoramic sunroof - doesn't do it justice

The new-to-me car is a Forester (get your "Lesbaru" comments out here, I've heard them all already).  She's awesome.  She's hard core (AWD) and dependable, in sexy and classy way.  Sounds like someone I know.  Suped up, leather, heated windshield wipers, she's RED, lots of cargo space, a roof rack and what they call a panoramic sunroof.  Amazing.

You know how I feel about what's in a name...so, I name things.  I'll introduce you to 3 inanimate objects today that I've named in fun.  The car's name is Punky Baru-ster (Subaru-Forester, you get the point), and she is pretty bad ass...and perfect for camping.

So I'm geared up, ready to go.

Well, Friday night I was in the basement getting a few more of my camping things and hit my head on the side of the ceiling that hangs down by the stairs.  Boom.  Egg on the top of my head.  Likely a mild concussion.  I swear that is why the rest of the events unfolded as they did.

In the morning (after icing my head, taking Advil and praying I wake up) I go to pick up my friend at her parents house.  We have some breakfast (delish french toast thanks to her mom) and chat with some of her family, learn how to tie some knots (thanks to her dad - bonus points if you can name the knot: rabbit comes up the hole, around the tree, and down the hole again) and we grabbed her stuff and we were on our way!

As if almost going the wrong direction (west vs. east) on the highway as if on autopilot wasn't enough... about an hour into the drive, my friend picks up her phone.  She realizes she's missed a few calls and a text.

"E forgot her purse at our house" she reads out-loud.

My heart dropped.

What? I never do that! I'm super responsible, so much so that she even had asked me to hold some stuff for her since I was more likely not to lose it!  Okay so we knew we didn't LOSE it but it had my money, my ID (which is important when you plan on drinking as you float down the river), phone, my toiletries...you get the point, the essentials.  We made a quick decision to move forward and keep driving.  I just prayed I didn't get pulled over.

Meanwhile I'm starting to ruminate over the fact that my brain feels swollen and I feel like I got a mild concussion...which would explain being forgetful and leaving my purse at her parents house, and taking 5 tries to get that damn knot right.

Anyway, to save you the anxiety that I'm sure you're sitting with...nothing bad happened.  I didn't get pulled over, I didn't need the money, my friend passed for over 21 (she's 27) so we managed to get beer and all the things we needed.

Kawin, RIP

We decided that we'll at least do this trip until we're 30, but that it will morph and change over time.  This year we changed our drinking system.  We constructed a floatation device this year that was more successful than last year's.

Last year we bought a kid's fish floatie ring from Target which we named after a licence plate we saw on our way: KAWIN (We could not decide if this was a last name or if it was Karen with a speach impediment.  We opted for the later).  Last year Kawin flipped a few times and was often laying on her side spilling water all into our sandwhich bags and preventing us from our Subway $5 footlong lunches...at times we were worried about her making it.

Sadly, my most recent pool party she passed away.  Too many adults were jumping onto her...so as a resutl we needed a new cooler float.

Carlton

We found Carlton.

Carlton is a kiddie float with leg holes (perfect for fitting our cooler) and as you can see has a flower that hangs over the top for a baby to have shade.  We thought the flower made the float look like a phonograph.

Anyway, we ended up naming him Carlton...we figured the flowery nature of the float made him a little more feminine and I had the mental picture of Carlton dancing from Fresh Prince...so it stuck.  Carlton was good to us.  No flipping.  We even fooled people who thought we were pulling a poor child down the river in it.

Another change was that the river was higher than last year.  Thankfully.  Last year the river was about 3 inches deep in long portions where we had to walk.  This year we floated almost the complete distance without walking.  It was fun...and relaxing.

my friend's pic of our campsite :)

We were at a different camp site than last year, too.  It was quiet, we didn't end up being at the party camp sites.  It was relaxing and our focus for the remainder of the night was burning 4 bundles of wet (but cheap!) wood.  We finally figured out how to keep it going when a 4 year old girl from the next campsite suggested we use some sticks from the wood as kindling.  Kids say the darnedest things.  Oh right, sticks, duh.

Okay this post is not meant to show that we are inept at roughing it.  I had a mild concussion (ha) and we had been drinking, so the fire was not something that that roared right away.  My friend was stealthy and got it going.  We mused that this was a sign that even when you think you're defeated or something isn't going to work, sometimes you just needs some kindling (and toilet paper) and some patience and the fire will come alive.

We burned all but 1 piece of wood when it started to rain.

The sound of the rain on the tent was soothing...for the most part.  Middle of the night I woke up to what sounded like a monsoon outside. In the morning we both said we had been worried we'd be washed into the pond we were camping next to...the worst that occurred really was a wet tent on the outside and small leaks on the floor on the inside.  I need a drop cloth/tarp for underneath for next time.

Alas, the trip was fantastic.  We laughed. We were quiet. We roasted hotdogs on sticks.  We roasted marshmallows.  We floated.  We miraculously didn't need to pee while floating down the river for 5 hours...okay don't think about that part too much, I'll blush.

The best part (other than sitting by the fire for hours and watching it) was that I was accidentally unplugged...I didn't have my phone and was detached from the world in a way I hadn't been in a long time.

I needed that.

I need more of that.   I now have a great excuse to do more of it...thanks to Punky.

If you want to go camping or on an adventure...please let me know.  I promise to remember my purse and adjust my internal compass so I know when I'm supposed to drive east.

Until next time,
E