I’ve camped in groups and a little glamping at Camp Willow Run in boxcars. The last time Parish and I went solo tent camping was almost 35 years ago, when I was 7 months pregnant with Victoria. We borrowed a tent from a friend. Needless to say, we had very little equipment to go on our adventure. Over a period of about 5 months, we decided to research and seek advice from other campers (Monica, Phil, Paul, and Karen), and all our Facebook friends, thank you! Our passion for camping came from our bike adventures. We seemed to always select state parks to ride our bikes, so why not camp? Our first camping trip was scheduled, but had to be moved due to some family things going on, and it was hard to find a free weekend and a site available, but we did, and we stayed at Occonneechee State Park, about 90 miles from where we live.

We settled in on a Friday night around 5:30 after picking up some food items from the Food Lion in Clarksville, VA. You can check in at 4:00, and after hours, they encourage you to just go to your campsite, where you find your name on a post. You also have a packet of information along with your car pass and trail guides. Did you know you can call a 1-800 number at any time to ask general questions while you are there?

Friday night, we set up the tent as our home for the weekend and started a fire to cook. The picture to the far right is a little pop-up tent with a collapsible potty. Thank you, Victoria, for this last-minute idea that we ordered just before we left! This is a must for those 2:00 a.m. calls and not having to go to the bathhouse. We also bought this tarp for under the tent to protect from the rocks and the rain. We faced rain (lots of it!), and we had no issues with our tent.

We made the following recipe, which, by the way, was a gift from my mom! Before we left, she gave us the camping card deck. We read on the way down there and decided on a recipe in the box. We also played some fun travel games.

With camping, you slow down enough to enjoy the small things, like a pear-shaped potato, or the fact that you are cutting on the wrong side of the knife, and laugh about it.

We got the advice to purchase a king-sized mattress along with a topper. They also sell sheets specifically for high-rise mattresses (also recommended to get high above the ground). All of these items are easily found on your favorite online shopping site.

The first picture you see above has a fan. This is a must! We learned later that it had a hook on the bottom to hang it from a loop in your tent. It has a fan, light, and you can charge your phone! We decided on a spot with water and electricity, so we brought extension cords to reach the tent. This fan has rechargeable batteries.

We also decorated with these lights. Another item you need is a way to wash your dishes. We liked this one because it included a cutting board and a knife. We bought another small one to put clean dishes.

On Saturday, Parish cooked breakfast, and I had quiet time with my Bible study coming up.

We took showers and got on the road to ride our bikes into Clarksville, VA, where we had a home-cooked meal in a gift/art shop, and walked around. We noticed the rain and storms coming, so we got back just in time to hang out in the tent, listen to the rain, and watch a cute movie.

Sunday morning, we packed it up early due to the rain and headed home. Do you see the storm clouds in the picture above? The cute store with a home-cooked meal is the one on the bottom left.

Jumping for joy that it all fit back into the car:

Had the weather been more sunny, we would have gone back into Clarksville for a Sunday brunch at Cooper’s Landing. We highly recommend! They take reservations. On the way home, in South Hill, VA, I saw my lady – Starbucks, and we stopped for coffee and breakfast. This coffee maker is amazing and small for your camping needs. And, you do not have to check out until 1:00 if you want to stay longer!

The sound of rain on our tent:

There are a few odds and ends that we purchased. I would encourage you to Google “Essentials for Camping,” and you will get so much advice and a list. Make it your own, and do YOUR thing. Everyone camps differently, and you will find your rhythm.

I loved waking up to the birds and using my bird identifier app, along with the creatures all around me.