This chair is comfortable but it sure is hard to get out of!

First comes marriage, then comes the camping trip. As a couple, we decided that we needed to work on our outdoors skills, primarily in the camping realm. Since we started dating, we've been on a total of four camping trips (including this one) and each time we've discovered a few things that needed tweaking. Each time we've learned a lesson about some aspect of our experience (more of this, less of that, or warmer clothing is a MUST) and vowed to do better next time. This time, we were three camping trips smarter and decided to go at it for two nights at Timothy Lake. Neither of us had been there before but it seemed to be a nice idea since it was a good distance from Portland that felt like we were "in the middle of nowhere" but close enough for us not to get sick of riding in a vehicle for too long together (give us a break, we're both only children). We decided to scope up two campgrounds: Hoodview and Gone Creek, both were about a mile apart on the same route and on the lake. Gone Creek was nice but there were a lot of RV's which signified elderly people to me, so I instructed Conor to go to Hoodview. That one was nicer for me and had more open spots. All of the lakeside spots were taken so we opted for one further back from the lake, but closer to the road. Once we unpacked, we enjoyed ourselves by the campfire and commenced to the eating of camp food (hot dogs an hamburgers, because that's what you do) and "enjoyed being away from it all."

As with every camping trip, there is something to be learned, and this is the latest on our list of things that will thus be improved:

1) We hate being away from home. One night is enough. We've always known this detail yet are somehow in denial and every single time we leave on vacation, we try to ignore this and always remind each other that we hate being away from home and become homesick. STICK TO THE OVERNIGHT RULE!

2) You can never have enough blankets.

3) Pretend it is always Winter wherever you go because apparently its cold even in the summer.

4) You can never have enough ice.

5) Always pick the most secluded spot. OR, opt for the campground that is walk-in or pack-in/pack-out. Camping near other people results in loss of privacy and overhearing people's random discussions about arbitrary shit that you could really go your whole life without hearing.

On our last night of the trip, Conor got really sick and we left at about 6am to get home so Conor could barf in the privacy of our own home. We're not sure why he got so sick, it could be a multitude of things, maybe even swine flu, WHO KNOWS. I just know that I'm one more camping trip smarter and we still have leftover snacks from our trip to keep me happy until the weekend.