Have Tent, Will Travel

Here in the south few people go camping in summer. It's just too hot & humid. However, during the spring and fall the weather gets down right comfortable and camping shows an upsurge.

Fall is the best time to grab your gear and get into the woods. The bugs are going away and the foliage is nice as leaves begin to descend to earth. But the weather is the real reason for fall camping.

There is something about going from body draining heat to the crisp cool temperature of the Fall season. That first day of cooler weather brings out the urge to put up the tent and make plans to get into the woods.

Lucky for me there is an event coming up in Mississippi where a bunch of us guys & gals will get together and have a chance to camp out, eat good food and sit around a campfire. The GCBRO, a group of Bigfoot hunters are coming for a meeting in the state and I plan to be there.

Last year I didn't get a chance to go camping but in the years previous Edith and I had purchased a special tent. It's the kind that attaches to the back of our Toyota Matrix and joins the tent and car together. This thing is very cool! It's big and spacious with plenty of room to live in.

You erect the tent the same as any dome tent however this one has a special 'hole' that attaches to the back of the car. Our Matrix also has a power inverter and we can run electronics off its port. But we usually park on an RV pad and set up with power nearby. We have a cot for inside the tent and one can sleep in the back of the Toyota as well. Plus we have plenty of room for our gear and chairs.

Long ago I gave up the "on the ground" type tents. I'm getting too old to sleep that low and it's uncomfortable. This was the next best thing before getting a pop-up or trailer. So, today I dug out the old tent and set it up. I wanted to give it a chance to air out and make sure it still works.

There are a couple of holes I discovered but they are not in a critical area and the tent appears to be solid. With any luck it will last at least over the weekend. I have no doubts. This is a solid tent.

Of course it had to be "Ginger" approved. I think she remembers the many camping trips Edith and I made when we were dating. Ginger sniffed it from top to bottom and made sure there were no wayward bugs creeping inside. I think she is under the impression she will be going with us in a couple of weeks. Unfortunately this trip will be doggy free.

Since I have it out and it's been inspected by the pupperhound perhaps I can be persuaded to take Ginger on a little weekend trip in November. We will have to see. By that time her coat will have grown more and I won't have to worry about her catching cold. It will be colder in November and October is already booked with trips. So her trip will have to wait.

In the meantime the tent, portable table, portable chairs and all the extras are ready for a weekend in the forest. I still need to check the Coleman stove and find a few more things though.

Each passing day makes me long even more for the serenity of a good, long night in the wilderness. Just me, some good friends and hopefully a few boogers to make the trip interesting. Because as you well know, a camping trip is not a camping trip without boogers! ;)